1637.—October 18.
20. Petition of the Men, Women, Children, and Servants of Edinburgh to the Lord Chancellor, against the Service Book.[43]
My Lord Chancellour,
Unto your Lordship humbly shewes, we, men, women, and children, and servants, indwellers within the Burgh of Edinburgh: That whereas we being urged with this Book of Service, and having considered the same, We finde many things therein so farre different from that forme of Gods publike worship universally received and professed within this Kingdome: And we Burgesses, being at our entrie and admission deeply sworne for the maintenance thereof, that now makes our hearts to tremble, and our weak consciences will not suffer us to imbrace and practise this urged Service: We have this long time past, winked at some former alterations, being put in hope that no further novations should follow. But now we being oppressed, with our just feares to see our selves deprived of that libertie in serving God which ever hath beene approved by Church and Kingdome: In place whereof we are now like to be constrained to imbrace another, which hath neither been agitated nor received either by generall Assemblie or Parliament: In such extremitie we are most humbly to supplicate your Lordship to consider our present estate, and that this businesse is a matter of so great weight and consequence as should not appeare to bee a needlesse noyse of simple women, but it is the absolute desire of all our hearts for preservation of true Religion amongst us, which is dearer to us than either estate or life: And therefore we do humbly crave, that as the rest of the Kingdome, so we may have a time to advise, and that your Lordship may find out some way whereby we may be delivered from the feare of this and all other innovations of this kinde, and have the happinesse to injoy the true Religion, as it hath beene by the great mercie of God reformed in this land, and authorised by his Majestie, who may long and prosperously Reigne over us: And your Lordships answer.
1637.—October 18.
21. Petition of the Noblemen, Gentrie, Ministers, Burgesses, and Commons to the Council against the Service Book and Book of Canons.[44]
My Lords of Secret Councell,
Unto your Lordships humbly shews; We Noblemen, Barons, Ministers, Burgesses, and Commons; That whereas we were in humble and quiet manner attending a gracious answer of our former supplications against the Service Book imposed upon us, and readie to shew the great inconveniences which upon the introduction thereof must ensue, we are, without any knowne desert, farre by our expectation, surprised and charged by publike Proclamation to depart out of the town within twentie foure houres thereafter, under paine of Rebellion; by which peremptorie and unusuall charge, out feares of a more severe and strict course of proceeding are augmented, and course of our supplication interrupted: wherefore we are constrained, out of the deep griefe of our hearts, humbly to remonstrate, that whereas the Arch-bishops and Bishops of this Realme, being intrusted by his Majestie with the government of the affaires of the Church of Scotland, have drawne up and set forth, and caused to be drawne up and set forth, and injoyned upon the subjects two Books; In the one whereof, called the Book of Common prayer, not onely are sowne the seeds of divers Superstitions, Idolatrie, and false doctrine, contrarie to the true Religion established within this Realme by divers Acts of Parliament; But also the Service Booke of England is abused, especially in the matter of Communion, by additions, subtractions, interchanging of words and sentences, falsifying of titles, and misplacing of Collects, to the disadvantage of Reformation, as the Romish Masse is, in the more substantiall points, made up therein, as we offer to instruct in time and place convenient, quite contrarie unto and for reversing the gracious intention of the blessed Reformers of Religion in England. In the other book called Canons and Constitutions for the government of the Church of Scotland, they have ordained, That whosoever shall affirme that the forme of worship inserted in the Booke of Common Prayer and administration of the Sacraments, whereof heretofore and now we most justly complaine, doth containe any thing repugnant to the Scriptures, or are corrupt, superstitious, or unlawfull in the service and worship of God, shall be excommunicated, and not be restored but by the Bishop of the place, or Archbishop of the Province, after his repentance and publicke revocation of this his wicked errour; Besides one hundred Canons moe, many of them tending to the reviving and fostering of abolished superstitions and errours, and to the overthrow of our Church Discipline established by Acts of Parliament, opening a doore for what further invention of Religion they please to make, and stopping the way which Law before did allow unto us for suppressing of errour and superstition; And ordaining, That where in any of the Canons there is no penalty expressly set down, the punishment shall be arbitrary as the Bishop shall think fittest: All which Canons were never seen nor allowed in any Generall Assembly, but are imposed contrary to order of law, appointed in this Realm for establishing Constitutions Ecclesiasticall; unto which two books, the foresaid Prelates have under trust procured his Majesties Royall hand and Letters Patents, for pressing the same upon his loyall subjects, and are the Contrivers and Devisers of the same, as doth clearly appeare by the Frontispice of the Book of Common Prayer, and have begun to urge the acceptance of the same, not onely by injunctions given in Provinciall Assemblies, but also by open Proclamation and charge of Horning, whereby we are driven in such straites as we must either by Processe of Excommunication and Horning suffer the ruine of our estates and fortunes, or else by breach of our Covenant with God, and forsaking the way of true Religion, fall under the wrath of God, which unto us is more grievous then death. Wherefore we being perswaded that these their proceedings are contrary to our gracious Sovereign his pious intention, who out of his zeale and Princely care of the preservation of true Religion established in this his ancient Kingdome, hath ratified the same in his Highnesse Parliament 1633. And so his Majestie to be highly wronged by the said Prelates, who have so farre abused their credit with so good a King, as thus to insnare his subjects, rend our Church, undermine Religion in Doctrine, Sacraments, and Discipline, move discontent between the King and his subjects, and discord between subject and subject, contrary to severall Acts of Parliament: We out of bound duty to God, our King and native Countrey, complain of the foresaid Prelates, humbly craving, that this matter may be put to tryall, and these our parties taken order with according to the lawes of the Realm; And that they be not suffered to sit any more as Judges, untill the cause be tryed and decided according to Justice. And if this shall seeme to bee to you a matter of higher importance then you will condescend unto, before his Majesty bee acquainted therewith, Then wee humbly supplicate that this our grievance and complaint may be fully represented to his Majestie, That from the influence of his Gracious Soveraigntie and Justice these wrongs may bee redressed, and we have the happinesse to injoy the Religion, as it hath beene reformed in this Land.