humbly require that those canons be made stronger to bridle all, or that the poore ministers be set free from them. Your poore orators, the miserable Read and committed 10 Febr. 1580. Paper-office. XC. A Draught of Archbishop Grindal's Resignation of the Archbishopric of Canterbury. In Dei nomine, Amen, coram vobis publicis et authenticis personis ac testibus fide dignis hic præsentibus. Ego Edmundus providentia divina Cantuariensis Archiepiscopus, totius Angliæ Primas et Metropolitanus, primum oculorum et visus solatio jampridem orbatus et diversis aliis peracerbis morbis et infirmitatibus postea supervenientibus prope confectus, ac propter ingravescentem et senilem ætatem me ita corpore debilem et invalidum esse sentiens, ut diutius amplissimi hujus archiepiscopatus munus et gravissimum pondus utiliter fructuose et pro dignitate sustinere non possum; et ad tranquilliorem vitæ rationem me conferre cupiens, et ex certis aliis causis veris, justis, æquis, et legitimis, me et animum meum in hac parte specialiter moventibus, ab onere, cura, solicitudine, et regimine dicti mei archiepiscopatus Cantuariensis eximi penitus et exonerari volens et affectans, eundem archiepiscopatum meum Cantuariensem cum suis juribus, honoribus, dignitatibus, prærogativis, præeminentiis, et pertinentiis universis, ex certa scientia, animo deliberato, non vi, metu, dolo, aut ullis aliis sinistris mediis inductus, pure, sponte, simpliciter, et absolute, in manus excellentissimæ ac illustrissimæ in Christo principis et dominæ Elizabethæ Dei gratia Angliæ, Franciæ, et Hiberniæ reginæ, &c. cujus singulari favore et benignitate dictum archiepiscopatum consecutus sum, resigno: ac re ac verbo vacuum dimitto, jureque, titulo, et possessione meis in eodem archiepiscopatu præhabitis et hactenus mihi quovis modo competentibus, renuncio, cedo, atque ab iisdem in his scriptis totaliter et expresse recedo, omnibusque modis me abdico. XCI. Part of Hosius, bishop of Corduba's Letter to the Emperor ad Solit. Τί γὰρ τοιοῦτον γέγονε παρὰ Κώνσταντος; τίς ἐπίσκοπος Athanas. ἐξωρίσθη; Πότε κρίσεως ἐκκλησιαστικῆς μέσος γέγονε ; Ποῖος Vit. Epist. αὐτοῦ Παλατίνος ἠνάγκασε κατά τινος ὑπογράψαι, ἵνα οἱ περὶ Ρ. 839. Οὐάλεντα τοιαῦτα λέγωσι; παῦσαι, παρακαλῶ, καὶ μνήσθητι ὅτι θνητὸς ἄνθρωπος τυγχάνεις φοβήθητι τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς κρί σεως, φύλαξον σεαυτὸν εἰς ἐκείνην καθαρὸν, μὴ τήθει σεαυτὸν εἰς τὰ ἐκκλησιαστικά, μηδὲ σὺ περὶ τούτων ἡμῖν παρακελεύου. ̓Αλλὰ μᾶλλον παρ ̓ ἡμῶν σὺ μάνθανε ταῦτα. Σοὶ βασιλείαν ὁ Θεὸς ἐνεχείρισεν, ἡμῖν τὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἐπίστευσε; καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ τὴν σὴν ἀρχὴν ὑποκλέπτων ἀντιλέγει τῷ Διαταξαμένῳ Θεῷ· οὕτω φοβήθητι, μὴ καὶ σὺ τὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἕλκων, ὑπεύθυνος ἐγκλήματι μεγάλῳ γένη. Απόδοτε, γέγραπται, τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι, καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ. Οὔτε τοίνυν ἡμῖν ἄρχειν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔξεστιν. Οὔτε σὺ θυμιᾷν ἐξου σίαν ἔχεις, Βασιλεῦ. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν κηδόμενος τῆς σῆς σωτηρίας γράφω. XCII. Part of St. Athanasius's Remonstrance against the Proceedings of the Emperor Constantius. p. 862. Δεινὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ πέρα δεινῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα; πρέπουσα δὲ Athanas. πρᾶξις ὅμως τῷ σχηματιζομένῳ τὰ τοῦ ̓Αντιχρίστου. Τίς γὰρ 5. Vit. Epist. ad βλέπων αὐτὸν ἐξάρχοντα τῶν νομιζομένων ἐπισκόπων, καὶ agentes, προκαθήμενον τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν κρίσεων, οὐκ ἀκολούθως ἂν εἴποι τοῦτ ̓ εἶναι τὸ διὰ τοῦ Δανιὴλ εἰρημένον Βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως ; Τὸν γὰρ χριστιανισμὸν περιβεβλημένος, καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους τόπους εἰσερχόμενος, ἑστηκώς τε ἐν αὐτοῖς ἐρημοῖ τὰς ἐκκλησίας. Παραλύων τοὺς τούτων κανόνας, καὶ τὰ ἴδια κρατεῖν βιαζόμενος, ἄρα τίς ἔτι τολμᾷ λέγειν τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον εἰρηνικὸν εἶναι χριστιανῶν, καὶ οὐ μᾶλλον διωγμόν; καὶ διωγ μὸν οἷος οὔτε πώποτε γέγονεν. Οὔτε τάχα τις ποιήσει ποτὲ τοιοῦτον, εἰ μὴ ἄρα ὁ Υἱὸς τῆς ̓Ανομίας. A.D. 1585. Heads of a Conference agreed upon between the King and the At Holyrood House, the 17th of February, 1585. It is condescended to in reasoning, that the name of a bishop hath a special charge and function annexed to it by the word. His election to be a presentation to be directed by his majesty to the general assembly, of whom he shall receive his admission, provided always that the particular flocks being forewarned, have place to oppone, as in the election of other ministers. That he shall be appointed to a special charge, where he shall keep residence, and there serve the cure as a minister. That the general assembly shall choose out a senate, or presbytery, of the most learned and godly within his bounds, to be limited to him, to have the oversight of, and visitation, which shall be only used by the advice of the presbytery. By the senate's advice he shall receive all presentation of ministers within the said bounds, and by their advice proceed to their trial and collation, which collation shall be subscribed by the bishop or commissioner, and the greatest part of the said senate or presbytery in assembly lawfully convented; and by himself shall be done nothing but that which a particular minister or moderator is astricted to by his office. If he be slanderous in his life, or doctrine, he shall be answerable to the general assembly to be appointed immediately, upon complaint made thereof to his majesty, by one or two of the ministers, and if he be so found in deed, to be deprived by them. Whereupon another shall be immediately presented by his majesty thereto. If he admit or deprive without the consent of the most part of the senate, the deed to be null and void, and the doing thereof a sufficient cause of deprivation to him. The number of the senate shall be appointed at the first by the general assembly, with his majesty's advice, and if any of the persons appointed thereupon depart this life, another to be chosen in his place by the synodal. His power to be "ordinis causa non jurisdictionis." He shall be visitator within his own bounds to be appointed to him, and where he may not conveniently discharge the whole bounds, called of old the diocess, commissioners shall be presented by his majesty to the general assembly, and shall be tried and admitted by them to the office, as the bishops are to theirs, and to be accountable only to the general assembly. And the bishops to have no power within the bounds committed unto them, no more than they have within his. The commissioners being elected (as is said) to have a like senate-power in the execution of their office as the bishops have. The bishops and commissioners shall visit the presbyteries, and the moderator of the presbyteries shall visit the particular churches. The same cause of life and doctrine to deprive a bishop that deprives a minister. The presbyteries of persons ecclesiastical shall be erected in convenient places by the general assembly, with the advice of his majesty and commissioners, and the whole realm to be conveniently divided to that effect. Where and in what presbytery the person presented is to be admitted minister, upon advertisement made to the bishop, or commissioner, he shall repair thither immediately with his senate or presbytery, and upon trial taken, admitted or refused. Assemblies. Synodal assemblies to be twice in the year. (1.) General assembly to be the 10th of May next in Edinburgh, or where his majesty shall otherwise appoint, and to be convocate by his majesty's proclamation, and missives to the bishops and commissioners. And in the said assembly, where, God willing, his highness means himself to be personally present, his majesty, by the advice of such of the number present as he shall adjoin unto him, shall advise and set down good and solid order for the convocating and appointing all other circumstances belonging thereto in time to come. Moderator of the first general assembly shall be chosen by most voices. 100. Jurisdiction. Jurisdiction of the Church consisteth in doctrine, ministration of the Sacraments, and exercises of discipline, and correction of manners by excommunication and other usual censures of the Church, as likewise absolution of the same. That there are some offences which properly appertain to the Church to enquire upon, as heresy, apostacy, witchcraft, idolatry, adultery, and all other frailty in the flesh: blasphemy, perjury, usury, abusing of the Sacraments, breaking of the Sabbath. That there are other which the Church may punish by the censures, and not cognosce upon, as slanderous, strickers, open disobeyers to their parents, smoulderers of children, and such like; and notwithstanding that the civil magistrates have remitted the penalty of the law to the committer. That Mr. Robert Montgomery, bishop of Glasgow, shall be represented to the general assembly, and there purge his offence, and be orderly reconciled to the Church. That Mr. William Watson, in his odious comparison of his majesty to Jeroboam, and making him inferior to him, is thought to have committed an offence worthy to be amended, and purged in open pulpit, and which the ministers present shall wish and desire him to do, the rather for his promise made to give satisfaction. Apud Holyrood House, the 19th of February, 1585. It is agreed and thought meetest, that the subdivisions of divers causes of deprivation, voting in parliament, commissioners' and moderators' stipends, and the setting a stedfast and continual order of the ministers' stipends, shall be remitted to a new conference, to be appointed by his majesty here at Holyrood House, or where it shall please him to be, for the time of eight or ten days before the next general assembly, some chosen men of the ministry, and such others as his majesty shall think meetest for that purpose, being warned there. Touching the fasting general, (that is, a general fast) it is remitted to the general assembly, the particular to every particular Church, according to their zeal, and the present occasion. |