"Prayers, due using of the Sacraments, and often "Preaching of the Gospel, with the Devotion of the "Hearers; and yet, this notwithstanding, a great " number of People in divers parts of this Realm, "following their own sensuality, and living either with" out Knowledge, or due Fear of God, do wilfully and "damnably before Almighty God, abstain and "refuse to come to their Parish Churches, and other "places where Common-Prayer, and Adminiftration "of the Sacraments, and preaching of the Word of "God, is used upon Sundays and other Days, or"dain'd to be Holy-days. "II. for Reformation hereof be it enacted "by the King our Sovereign Lord, With "the affent of the Lords and Cominons in "this present Parliament assembled, and by "the Authority of the fame, that from and "after the Feast of All-Saints next coming, "all and every person and persons mhabiting "Within this Realm, or any other the King's "Majesty's Dominions, shall diligently and "faithfully (having no lawful or reasonable "excuse to be ablent) endeavour themselves "to resort to their Parish Church 02 Chapel "accustomed, o upon reasonable let thereof, "to fome usual place, where Common-Pray"er, and such Service of God hall be used "in fuch time of Let, upon every Sunday, "and other days ordained and used to be "kept H2 kept as Holy-days, and then and there to "abide orderly and soberly during the time "of the_Coumnon Prayer, Peachings, o "other Service of God there to be used and "ministred, upon pam of punihument by the "Consures of the Church. "III. And for the due execution hereof, the "King's most Excellent Majesty, the Lords "Lemposal, and all the Commons in this " present Parliament assembled, doth in God's "name earnestly require and charge all Arch"bishops, Billhops, and their Didimaries, "that they shall endeavour themselves to the "uttermost of their knowledges, that the “Due and true execution thereof may be had "throughout their Diocesses and Charges, "as they will answer before God for fuch "Evils and plagues, wherewith Almighty "God may justly punish his people, for "neglecting this good and wholelom Law. "IV. And for their Authouty in this be=' "halk, be it further likewise enacted by the "Authouty aforfaid, That all and lingu "lar the fame Archbishops, Billhops, and "all other their Officers, everafing Ecclefi "adical Jurisdiction, as well in place Ex"empt, as not Exempt, within thar Dio"ceffes, hall have full power and Autho "uty by this Act, to te Reform, Correa, and "Punify by Consures of the Church all "and ungular persons which hall offend "Within any their Jurisdictions or Diocesses, "after the laid fraft of All-Saints nert com "img, against this Act and Statute; any "other Law, Statute, Pavilege, Liberty, "o Provision heretofore made, had, or fuf "fered to the contrary notwithstanding.d : "V. And because there is risen in the use " and exercise of the aforesaid common Service "in the Church, heretofore fet forth, divers "Doubts for the falion or manner of the "Ministration of the fame, rather by the cu "riolity of the Buulter and Mintakers, "than of any other worthy cause; therefore, "as well for the more plain and manifeft, "Explanation thereof, as for the more per "fection of the laid Drder on Common Ser= "vice, in some places, where it is necellary "to make the fame Prayer and fashion of "Service, more earnest and fic to ftir "Chuftian people to the true honouring of. "Almighty God, the King's most Excellent "Majesty, with the affent of the Lordsand "Commons of this present Parliament al "sembled, and by the Authority of the fame, "hath cauled the aforesaid Dwer, or Com"mon Service, Intituled, The Book of Com 1 "mon-Prayer, to be faithfully and godly "peruled, "perused, explained, and made fully perfen, "and by the aforesaid Authority hath an= "nered and joined it, so explained and per"feated, to this present Statute, &c. In this new Office, beside the forementioned alterations in the Liturgy it self, there was order'd in the Rubrick, the Abolition of Copes and Hoods; neither is it altogether unobfervable, that at this time Hopkins his Plalms broke in upon the service of the Church. But in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's Reign, when the Reformation was fetled in that State, in which it ever after continued, that new Declaration of the Second Liturgy of King Edward was rejected, together with the 29th. Article, and the First old Form of Distribution was restored. And thats a clear Declaration of the Sence of this Church for a real and essential Presence, when it was so particularly concern'd to have all Bars against it remov'd. And from that tinie forward, the most eminent Divines in it, were fuccessively from Age to Age the most Affertors of it. It were in vain to recite the numberless Pafsages to that Purpose, it having been so often done by other Hands. A List of the Names of the principal Authors may be seen in the late Bishop of Durham's Historia Transubstantiationis, John Poinet, Billtop of Winchester, who wrote a very learned Book upon the Argument, Entituled 7 i led Diallacticon, to explain the Sence of the Church To this Catalogue variety of other Writers might be added, but either here are Witnesses enough, or there never can be. Neither need I produce their Testimonies, when they are so vulgarly known, and have been so frequently recited. I shall content my self with the Two princi pal, the most learned and reverend Prelates-Poi net and Andrews. 10. in Ani The First wrote his Diallasticon concerning the Truth, Nature and Substance of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharift. A Book much approved and often commended by Grotius, (tho Animad. he knew not the Author) as the best Discourse Caff. Artic. upon the Argument, and the most proper Me- mad. Riveti. thod to restore the Peace of the Christian Church Votum pro in that Point, which he further says was for that River. Apol. purpose translated into French by a reformed dicuff. Divine, by the Advice of his Brethren. I have not the Book by me, but the Design and funda mental Pace Art.10. |