A Proclamation for the calling in and suppressing of two Sermons, preached and printed by Roger Manwaring, Doctor in Divinity, intituled Religion and Allegiance.
Whereas Roger Manwaring, Doctor in Divinity, hath lately preached two Sermons, the one upon the fourth, the other on the nine and twentieth of July last, and after caused them to bee printed, and bound up into one volume, and intituled by him Religion and Allegiance; in which sermons, although the grounds thereof were rightly laid to perswade obedience from the subjects to their sovereigne, and that for conscience sake; yet in divers passages, inferences, and applications thereof trenching upon the lawes of this land and proceedings of parliaments, whereof hee was ignorant, hee so farre erred, that hee hath drawen upon himselfe the just censure and sentence of the High Court of Parliament, by whose judgement also that booke stands condemned. Wee, taking this into our serious consideration, and beeing desirous to take away all occasions of scandall or offence, have thought fit that those sermons, in respect of those inferences and applications which hee made thereon, bee totally suppressed.
And to that purpose, wee doe hereby straitly charge and command all and every person and persons whatsoever, in whose hands any of those bookes now are, or hereafter shall be, that they foorthwith deliver, or cause the same to be delivered, to the Bishop or other ordinary of that diocese or place where hee or they at any time are, if it be not within either of our Universities; and if it bee in either of the Universities, that then he or they deliver the same to the Vicechancellour of that Universitie, to whom wee doe heereby give speciall charge and command to cause them to be utterly suppressed.
And wee doe further charge and command, that no man hereafter presume to print the sayd sermons or either of them againe, upon paine of our high displeasure, and of such further punishment, as for their presumption in that behalfe, may any way bee inflicted upon them.
Given at our Court at Whitehall, the foure and twentieth day of June, in the fourth yeere of our reigne of Great Britaine, France, and Ireland.
God save the King.
Imprinted at London by Bonham Norton and John Bill, Printers to the King's most excellent Majestie. MDCXXVIII.
On the 21st of June, Manwaring made a humble submission to the House of Lords, and after the session was over, the fine was remitted, the Doctor himself released from prison, two livings given him, and in 1636 he became Bishop of St. Davids.
56.