DIE Lunæ, 4 Augusti.

PRAYERS, by Mr. Warde.

Ds. Grey de Warke, Speaker.

Message from the Assembly of Divines, with a Petition.

A Message was brought from the Assembly of Divines, by Mr. Newcomen and others; who presented an humble Petition to this House, concerning their former Advice, "That the ignorant and scandalous may be kept from the Sacrament;" which Petition was received, and read, as follows: (Here enter it.)

The Answer returned was:

Answer to them.

That this House hath read their Petition, and find it to be a Business of very great Moment, and will take it into speedy Consideration.

Answers from the H. C.

Mr. Doctor Heath returns with this Answer from the House of Commons to the Message:

That they concur for the Meeting of the Committee for Foreign Affairs, as is desired.

As concerning the Business of the Earl of Stamford;

The Ordinance concerning Bennetts Fincks;

The Petition of the Lady Brooke;

The Ordinance for taking off the Taxes from the Lands of Sutton's Hospitall;

The Letter of Dantz;

The Petition of Captain Church;

The Petition of the Dutch Officers;

The Ordinance for adding Lords to the Committee that manage the War in the Northern Association;

The Petition concerning the King's Footmen:

To all these, they will send an Answer by Messengers of their own.

Mr. Serjeant Whitfield, &c. returned with this Answer from the House of Commons:

That they agree to the Ordinance concerning the Election of a Master of Trynity Hall, in Cambridge.

(Here enter it.)

Officers in Col. Norton's Regiment.

Ordered, That this House agrees with the House of Commons, that Mr. Norris Jepson be Lieutenant Colonel, and Mr. John Lobb to be Major, of Colonel Norton's Regiment of Foot now at Portsmouth; and that the Committee of both Kingdoms do grant them (fn. *) Commissions respectively.

Passage in a Paper called Britanicus complained of.

Complaint was made to the House of a Passage in Brittanicus, concerning the King.

Hereupon it is Ordered, That the Author and Printer be sent for, to appear before this House, to answer the same.

The Earl of Warwicke reported a Paper from the Committee of both Kingdoms; which was read, as follows:

"Die Saturni, 2 Augusti, 1645.

Free Trade allowed with all the Ports in England, except for Ammunition, Money, Stores, &c.

"At the Committee of both Kingdoms, at Derby House.

"Ordered, That it be reported to both Houses, as the Opinion of this Committee, That from henceforth any Person or Persons, subject to any Prince or State in League and Amity with this Crown, may freely and quietly, with their Ships and Goods, pass and re-pass into any Port or Place, in this Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Barwicke, notwithstanding any former Ordinance.

"Provided, That those Ships or Vessels, which they shall bring into any such Port or Place, do not carry or bear any Money, Ordnance, Arms, Ammunition, Contraband Goods, Materials for Shipping, or Victuals, more than such Guns, Gunners Store, Money, and Victuals, as shall be necessary for the Sustentation of the Company of such Ship or Ships, and such Monies as shall be necessary for the Uses of such Ship or Ships, for the necessary Supply of them and their Companies.

"Provided also, That such Cities, Towns, or Places, be not then besieged by the Ships or other Forces of the Parliament.

"Provided also, That all such Foreigners and Strangers, under Pretence of such Trade and Commerce, do not carry in, or bring away, the Goods of any of His Majesty's Subjects; and, in (fn. †) case any Ship, or other Vessel, going to, or coming from, any such Port or Place as aforesaid, shall be found to have aboard her any Goods, Monies, or Merchandize, belonging to any His Majesty's Subject or Subjects, that such Goods, Monies, and Merchandizes, as also the Ship itself in which they shall be found, may be seized, and brought in, and proceeded against in the Court of Admiralty according to Justice in that Behalf.

"And it is the Opinion of this Committee, that a Committee may be appointed, to confer with such as shall be appointed by the Common Council of London about this Business.

"Gualter Frost,

"Secretary to the same Committee."

E. of Kent, Leave to be absent.

"Ordered, That the Earl of Kent hath Leave to be absent from this House for Two or Three Days.

Petit & al. and Rednes & al.

Upon reading the Petition of Dominiq' Petit, &c. and the Petition of Leonard Rednes and James Gardner: It is Ordered, That Captain Hunter shall see that the Büsiness do go forward, that so the Time may not be elapsed; and that Dominiq', &c. do deposit the Monies, according to the Articles dated the Tenth June, 1645, in the Hands of the said Captain Hunter, who is to employ such as he shall approve of to be fittest for the Prosecution of the Business.

Griffith to find better Bail.

The House not approving of such Bail as Mr. Griffith tendered to this House: It is Ordered, That Four others be presented to this House, who are to be bound in Five Hundred Pounds a Man, for Mr. Griffith's good Behaviour, and Appearance before this House when he shall be summoned.

Petition of the Assembly of Divines, against admitting scandalous and ignorant Persons to the Sacrament.

"To the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons in Parliament.

"The humble Petition of the Assembly of Divines, now sitting by Ordinance of Parliament in Westm.

"The Assembly of Divines having formerly presented their humble Desires unto the Honourable Houses, that Ministers and Elders may be sufficiently enabled to keep back all such as are justly and notoriously scandalous, from partaking in the Holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper; and having given many Reasons of that their humble Desire; as namely, the Burthen which would else lie upon the Consciences of many godly Ministers, the great Offence to other tender Consciences, the Occasion of Schisms and Separation from our Churches, the Prophanation of the Ordinance, the Dishonour which would be done to Jesus Christ, the Hardening of scandalous Sinners in their Sins, the Judgement and Practice of the Churches of Christ, the great Expectation of all who desire to see a happy Reformation established; and having, through God's Assistance, finished and sent up their humble Advice touching Church Government, whereof this is One principal Part; and perceiving every where the great Danger and sad Distractions which daily more and more cover the Face of our Church, while so great a Matter is unsettled; most humbly crave Leave farther to address themselves unto the Honourable Houses in this Behalf.

"We cannot but be deeply affected with Consideration of the Burthen of those arduous and most pressing Affairs which lie upon you; and we most heartily praise the Lord, for that Fidelity, Constancy, and indefatigable Diligence, wherewith He enableth you, with so much Denial of your own private Case and Interests, to attend upon them; and we cannot but understand, that so great Variety of such weighty and difficult Businesses doth unavoidably occasion the more slow Prosecution of any One Particular.

"Nevertheless, when we seriously consider how God hath honoured this present Parliament above all other Parliaments since the First Reformation, by putting it into your Hearts to repair His House, and to carry on Reformation unto a further Perfection than at the first (which we humbly conceive to be One of the most important Businesses before you), and, in the Pursuance of so great and pious a Work, given unto you the most admirable, and little less than miraculous Evidences of His gracious Providence and Protection over you, and of His powerful Concurrence therein with you; and when we consider, there is no more proper Way of returning Praise unto God for these glorious Things, wherein He seemeth to make Haste to shew Himself merciful, and to work all your Works for you, than that you likewise should hasten those Works which concern Him, nor any surer Way to preserve and ripen these Mercies of God towards you and us, than by our mutual Zeal in prosecuting the Service which we have undertaken for His Church:

"And when we remember that, as formerly in Times of Reformation amongst the Jews, sometimes the godly Magistrates encouraged the Priests and Levites to promote the Reformation by them intended, as Hezekia and Josiah did; and sometimes the Lord's Prophets have in like Manner encouraged the godly Magistrates unto the same Work, as Haggai and Zacharie did; so it hath been your often pious Care, to call upon this Assembly, to hasten the Work of the Government of the Church (when, by reason of great Difficulties, it staid longer in our Hands than was expected by others, or by ourselves desired); and withall you have been pleased to receive with much Favour the humble Desires of this Assembly, when, out of the Conscience of our Duty both to God and you, we have at any Time stirred you up, by putting you likewise in Remembrance of the same great and most necessary Business:

"And lastly, when we are enabled, from the Mouth of the Lord, to assure you, that the Blessing of God waiteth on this Work in your Hands, and on you in the zealous Performance of it (as soon as ever the People began to build the Temple, He promiseth, From this Day I will bless you):

"We are by these Considerations emboldened, yea even constrained with so much the more Importunity, to renew our former humble Petition, for the keeping of all scandalous Persons from this Sacrament; (fn. *) and which we conceive, as in all the former respects, very necessary, most reasonable, and consonant to those Things which have already passed the Judgement and Vote of the Honourable Houses; for, if any scandalous Sins deserve Abstention, then likewise all other scandalous Sins do lie under the same Demerit; and, by Parity of Reason, should undergo the like Censure; and this is certainly most conform to the general Practice and Judgement of the Churches of God, both ancient and modern; for albeit there may be, amongst learned and pious Men, Difference of Judgement, touching the particular Kind and form of Ecclesiastical Polity, and some particular Parts and Officers thereunto belonging, yet in this one Point there is a general Consent, that, as Christ hath ordained a Government and Governors in His Church, in His Name, and according to His Will, to order the same, so One special and principal Branch of that Government is, to seclude from Ecclesiastical Communion such as shall publicly scandalize and offend the Church of God, that, thereby being ashamed and humbled, they may be brought to Repentance, and glorify God in the Day of Visitation.

"Nor do we find that there hath been any great Doubt or Question made thereof in the Church, until Erastus, a Physician, who by his Profession may be supposed to have had better Skill in curing of the Diseases of the Natural, than the Scandals of the Ecclesiastical Body, did move the Controversy.

"Nor may we forget to set forth unto you, that, as the Conscience of our own Ministry, and Desire of comfortable Continuance therein, and the Care of all our Brethren whose Case is the same, and who from many Parts mind us of our Duty in their Behalf; and as the Discharge of that Service to which we are by your Authority called, to present our humble Advice in Matters of this Nature, do hereunto oblige us; so also the Bond of our late solemn Covenant, engaging us to promote the Reformation of our Church, according to the Word of God, and Example of the best Reformed Churches (both which we humbly assume to be with us in this Particular); the longing Desires of the Godly, to have this Business settled; the great and growing Distempers in the Church, for Want hereof; the Scorn and Insultation of the Enemy, upbraiding us with Sects and Schisms, which are in a very great Measure occasioned by this Defect; the long and sad Intermission of that most comfortable Ordinance of the Lords Supper in many Places now for some Years together (which yet, by Christ's Institution, ought often to be celebrated, and was so in the primitive Times), and that especially for Want of Provision in this Behalf; the great Danger to the Souls of scandalous Communicants, which both Magistrates and Ministers in their Places should endeavour to prevent, not only in some, but in all Scandals; yea, the very Practice of Heathens themselves, who removed prophane Persons from their Sacra: All these and the like Considerations, not without the Encouragement of these Honourable Houses in accepting our former humble Desires in this Behalf, have at this Time engaged us to renew our earnest Petition to the same Effect.

"And we hope and persuade ourselves (though we confess God's Ways and Councils are unsearchable, and cannot be traced or foreseen by human Judgement), that the lord will, when you have finished the Work of His House, put an End to the Rage of your Enemies, and to those sad and miserable Distractions, which have so long set these Kingdoms and Churches in a Flame.

"Which is, and shall be, the daily Prayer of your most humble Petitioners.

"John White Prolocutor pro Tempore.
Henry Robrough Scriba.
Adoniram Byfeild Scriba."

Order to suspend the Election of a Master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge.

"The Lords and Commons, understanding that, by the Death of Doctor Eaden, the Mastership of Trinity Hall, in Cambridge, is now void, do Order, That the Fellows of Trinity Hall aforesaid do suspend their Election of any Master, until the Houses shall further perfect what they intend for the Reformation and Regulating of the said University."

Adjourn.

House adjourned till 9^a cras.

Footnotes