⚫ and would not run before Laws, nor openly dif obey the Queen's Highness's Proceedings and Proclamations. There was no spoiling of Churches, pulling down of Altars, and most blafphemous treading of Sacraments under their Feet, and hanging up the Knave of Clubs in the Place 'thereof. There was no fcotching nor cutting of the Faces and Legs of the Crucifix and Image of Christ; there was no open Flesh-eating, nor Shambles keeping in the Lent and Days prohibited. The Subjects of this Realm, and especially the Nobility and fuch as were of the honourable • Council, did in Queen Mary's Days know the Way unto Churches and Chapels, there to be'gin their Days Work, with calling for Help and Grace by humble Prayers and ferving of God. And now fince the Coming and Reign of our most • fovereign and dear Lady Queen Elizabeth, by the only Preachers and Scaffold-players of this new Religion, all Things are turned upfide down; and ⚫ notwithstanding the Queen's Majefty's Proclamations moft godly made to the contrary, and her virtuous Example of Living, fufficient to < move the Hearts of all obedient Subjects to the • due Service and Honour of God. But Obedience is gone, Humility and Meeknefs clear abolifhed, virtuous Chastity and strait Living denied, as though they had never been heard of in this Realm, all Degrees and Kinds being defirous of fleshly and carnal Liberty; whereby the young Springals and Children are dêgenerate from their natural Fathers, the Servants Contemptors of ⚫ their Masters Commandments, the Subjects dif⚫ obedient unto God and all fuperior Powers.

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• And therefore, honourable and my very good Lords, of my Part to minifter fome Occafion · unto your Honours to expel, avoid and put out of this Realm this new Religion, whofe Fruits are already fo manifeftly known to be, as I have repeated; and to perfuade your Honours to avoid it, as much as in me lyeth, and to perfevere and. ⚫ continue ftedfaftly in the fame Religion, whereof VOL. III.

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you are in Poffeffion, and have already made Profeflion of the fame unto God; I.fhall rehearse unto your Honours four Things, whereby the holy Doctor St Augustine was continued in the Catholick Church and Religion of Chrift, which he had received, and would by no means change, nor alter from the fame. The firft of these four Things was, Ipfa Authoritas Ecclefiæ Chrifti Miraculis inchoata, Spe nutrita, Charitate aucta, Vetuftate firmata. The fecond Thing was, Populi Chriftiani Confenfus et Unitas. The third was, Perpetua Sacerdotum Succeffio in Sede Petri. The fourth and laft Thing was, Ipfum Catholici Nomen. If these four Things did caufe fo notable and learned a Clerk as St Auguftine was, to continue in his profeffed Religion of Chrift without all Change and Alteration, how much then ought thefe four Points to work the like Effect in your Hearts, and not to forfake your profeffed Religion Firft, because it hath the Authority of Chrift. Secondly, because it hath the Confent and Agreement of Chriftian People. Thirdly, because it hath the Confirmation of all Peter's • Succeffors in the See Apoftolick. Fourthly, it hath Ipfum Catholica Nomen, and in all Times and Seafors called, The Catholick Religion of Christ. Thus bold have I been to trouble your Honours with fo tedious and long an Oration; for the difcharging, as I faid before, of my Duty, firft unto God, fecondly unto our Sovereign Lady the Queen's Highness, thirdly and laft, unto your Honours, and all other Subjects of this Realm; moft humbly befeeching your Honours to take it in good Part, and to be fpoken of me for the only Causes abovefaid, and for none other.'

Another Oration made by Dr Scot, Bishop of Chefter, in the Parliament Houfe, against the Bill of the Liturgy.

THIS

HIS Bill that hath been here read now the third Time, doth appear unto me fuch cne, as that it is much to be lamented, that it • should

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fhould be fuffered either to be read, yea or any Queen Elizabeth. Ear to be given unto it of Chriftian Men, or fo honourable an Affembly as this is: For it doth

not only call in Question and Doubt thofe Things ' which we ought to reverence without any Doubt ⚫ moving; but maketh further earnest Request for • Alterance, yea, for the clear abolishing of the fame. And that this may more evidently appear, • I fhall defire your Lordships to confider, that our Religion, as it was here of late difcreetly, godly, ⚫ and learnedly declared, doth confift partly in inward Things, as in Faith, Hope and Charity; and partly in outward Things, as in common Prayers, and the holy Sacraments uniformly mi• niftred.

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Now as concerning these outward Things, this Bill doth clearly extinguifh them, fetting in their Places I cannot tell what. And the inward it doth alfo fo shake, that it leaveth them very 'bare and feeble.

For firft, by this Bill Chriftian Charity is taken away, in that the Unity of Christ's Church is broken: For it is faid, Nunquam relinquunt Unitatem, qui non prius amittunt Charitatem. And St Paul faith, That Charity is Vinculum Perfectionis, the Bond or Chain of Perfection, wherewith we be knit and joined together in one. • Which Bond being loofed, we must needs fall < one from another, in divers Parties and Sects, as we see we do at this prefent. And as touching our Faith, it is evident that divers of the Articles ⚫ and Mysteries thereof be alfo not only called into Doubt, but partly openly and partly obscurely, and yet in very Deed, as the other, flatly denied. Now these two, I mean Faith and Charity, being in this Cafe, Hope is either left alone, or else Prefumption fet in her Place; whereupon for the moft part Defperation doth follow; from the which I pray God preferve all Men.

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Wherefore these Matters mentioned in this Bill, wherein our whole Religion confifteth, we ought, I fay, to reverence, and not to call into Question. • For

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Queen Elizabeth.

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For as a learned Man writeth, Quæ patefacta 1559. fint quærere, quæ perfecta funt retractare, et que definita funt convellere, quid aliud eft, quin de adeptis Gratiam non referre; that is to fay, To feek after the Things which be manifeftly opened, to call back or retract Things made perfect, and to pull up again Matters defined, what other Thing is it, than not to give Thanks for Benefits received? Likewife faith holy Athanafius, Qua • nunc a tot ac talibus Epifcopis probata funt ac decreta, clareque demonftrata, fupervacaneum eft denuo revocare in Judicium: It is a fuperfluous Thing, faith Athanafius, to call into Judgment again Matters which have been tried, decreed and manifeftly declared, by fo many and fuch Bishops, (he meaneth as were at the Council of Nice). For no Man will deny, faith he, but if they be new examin'd again, and of new judged, and after that examin'd again and again, this Curiofity will never come to any End. And as it is faid in Ecclefiaftica Hiftoria, Si quotidie icebit Fidem in Queftionem vocare, de Fide nunquam conftabit : If it thall be lawful every Day to call our Faith in Queftion, we shall never be certain of our Faith. Now if that Athanafius did think, that no Man ought to doubt of Matters determined in the Council of Nice, where there was prefent three hundred and eighteen Bifhops; how much less ought we ro doubt of Matters determined, and practifed in the Holy Catholick Church of Christ, by three hundred thoufand Bifhops, and how many more we cannot tell.

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And as for the Certainty of our Faith, whereof the Story of the Church doth fpeak, it is a • Thing of all others moft neceffary; and if it fhall hang upon an Act of Parliament, we have but a weak Staff to lean unto. And yet I fhall defire your Lordships not to take me here as to speak in Derogation of the Parliament, which I acknowledge to be of great Strength in Matters whereunto it extendeth. But for Matters in Religion, I ⚫ do not think that it ought to be meddled withal,

' partly

partly for the Certainty which ought to be in our Queen Elizabeth, Faith and Religion, and the Uncertainty of the

• Statutes and Acts of Parliament. For we fee,

that oftentimes that which is established by Parliament one Year, is abrogated the next Year following, and the contrary allow'd. And we fee alfo that one King difalloweth the Statutes 'made under the other. But our Faith and Reli" gion ought to be moft certain, and one in all Times, and in no Condition wavering: For as St James faith, He that doubt eth, or jaggereth in his Faith, is like the Waves of the Sea, and fhall obtain nothing at the Hands of God. And partly for that the Parliament confifteth for the most • Part of Noblemen of this Realm, and certain of the Commons, being Lay and Temporal Men; which, although they be both of good Wisdom and Learning, yet not fo ftudied nor exercised in the Scriptures, and the holy Doctors and Practices of the Church, as to be competent Judges in fuch Matters. Neither doth it appertain to their Vocation; yea, and that by your Lordships own Judgment; as may well be gathered of one Fact, ⚫ which I remember was done this Parliament time, which was this. There was a Nobleman's Son • arrested and committed unto Ward; which Matter, being open'd here unto your Lordships, was thought to be an Injury to this Houfe: Whereupon as well the young Gentleman, as the Officer that did arreft him, and the Party by whofe Means he was arrested, were all fent for, and commanded to appear here before your Lordfhips; which was done accordingly. Yet before the Parties were fuffered to come into the House, it was thought expedient to have the whole Matter confidered, left this House fhould intermeddle with Matters not pertaining unto it. In treating whereof there was found three Points; first, there was a Debt, and that your Lordships did remit to the Common Law. The fecond was a Fraud, which was referred to the Chancery, because neither of both did appertain unto this Court.

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