The Last Will and Testament, Text
THE LAST VVILL AND TESTAMENT, WITH THE PROFESSION of the Faith of Humfrey Fen, ſometimes Paſtor of one of the Churches of COVENTRY. But caſt out by the High Commiſſion for labouring in a peaceable way the Reformation of our Diſcipline.
PRINTED, Anno Domini, MDCXLI.
I Profeſſe with the Church of England the ſame doctrine of Faith and Sacraments eſtabliſhed in the firſt yeare of the raigne of the renowned Queene Elizabeth of bleſſed memory; of which doctrine according to the meaſure of the grace of God I have been Preacher fifty and five yeares, though unworthy of ſuch a degree in the Faith of Jeſus Chriſt my Lord God and Saviour bleſſed for ever.
Touching the Diſcipline of the Church, to hold that Doctors, Paſtors, ruling Elders and Deacons which is reſtored by the moſt reformed Charches, is to be held Apoſtolicall, univerſall, and unchangeable, and that the Churches of England doe ſinne againſt their Head and only Monarch, in violent oppoſition thereof for the upholding ambitious pompes and worldly Prelacy, which being a humane preſumption at the firſt, being pretended for a remedy againſt Schiſme (a cure more dangerous than the diſeaſe it ſelfe) made way for Antichriſt, the head of Papacy, with power, and now ſerveth with us to hinder the Churches edification, and to maintaine a ſhamefull Schiſme againſt all the reformed Churches of the Goſpell.
Touching ceremonies, I beleeve the Church hath no authority to ordaine any for pompe or ſignification, but only for order and comlineſſe, and that Eccleſiaſticall decrees therein doe binde onelyonly in caſe of ſcandall and contempt. But decrees for ceremonies of the other kindes are ſo far from binding, that in defence of Chriſtiall liberty they ought to be broken; I therefore profeſſe the Ceremonies in queſtion with us unlawfull, for that they be teaching ſignes which in Gods worſhip he only may inſtitute; or for that originally they are ſuperſtitious, the ſame deviſed by Heretikes and Antichriſt in his Idolatry to captive ſoules, and ſo preſcribed it to be uſed in Gods worſhip; or for that they doe grace Popery and ſcandalize the weake, who for their ſakes conceive the better of Popery; or for that they give Papiſts occaſion to ſcorne our religion and profeſſion who borrow their Ceremonies, and grieve zealous Chriſtians to ſee the Spouſe of Chriſt forced to conforme to the ſtrumpet of Rome, and to weare the tokens of her captivity, which no true Zeale can diſgeſt with patience, neither can it ſtand with hearty repentance for former ſtraying from God; or for that they breake the unity of brethren, ſpoile the Church of faithfull Paſtors, ſtay many from the worke of the Miniſtery, and give advantage to prophane perſons, and Papiſts, to perſecute true Profeſſors, and make the State guilty of the blood of the righteous, by wearing out their ſpirits by many indignities not to be looked for at the hands of brethren; and I doe lament the ceremoniall bondage of our Church, wherein Chriſtian liberty is inthralled with humane preſumptions, which are exalted and inforced with more Zeale than the holy Ordinances of God, and the ragges of the whore of Babylon injoyned the Spouſe of Chriſt, to the ſcorne of all her ſiſters, the Reformed Churches; who together with the doctrine of the man of ſinne have caſt out the Image of the Beaſt his Hierarchy, Archbiſhops, Suffragans, Deanes, Biſhops, Chancellors, Archdeacons, Commiſſaries, Officials, Prebends, with the Canon Law, Spirituall Courts, diſpenſations for non-reſidents, that odious ſin reſtraint of marriage, without their diſpenſation (not much differing from the doctrine of devils) with their oathes ex Officio, compurgatory cenſures, commutations of pennance, abſolutions, conſecrations, confirmations, together with all their contrived ceremonies, to be the filthy remainder of uncleane Beaſts, ſo doe I humbly deſire the Lord to purge and cleanſe his Church thereof at the length; and as I my ſelfe for the ſpace of fifty five yeares, according to my weake ability, oppoſed thoſe corruptions, and by prayer, ſupplication, conference and ſuffering, endeavoured in a Chriſtian peaceable manner the ſincere reformation thereof, ſo doe I earneſtly exhort by the like Chriſtian meanes, all that feare God, love the peace of Jeruſalem, and deſire the crowne of vanquiſhers, according to your calling, to doe the like; and as theſe times doe require of thoſe that love the Lord Jeſus, an open profeſſion of this cauſe, wherein Chriſt is perſecuted in many of his members, ſo they would not be wanting in this duty at this time, wherein through the defection of many, others thinke the cauſe forſaken; yet doe I not hold it lawfull for theſe corruptions to ſeparate from the communion of the Church of England, if therein a Chriſtian may enjoy true doctrine with the Sacraments, from a Miniſter able to teach the truth, and where in the worſhip of God he is not forced by a perſonall act to approve of thoſe corruptions.
Touching the civill Mageſtrate, I acknowledge our dread ſoveraigne King Charles is ſupreame governor over all perſons in his Dominions, by civill power to ſuppreſſe all falſe worſhip, to compell all to the meanes of faith and knowledge of the truth which is according to godlineſſe, to force all Eccleſiaſticall Miniſters to a faithfull execution of the duties of their place injoyned by our bleſſed Saviour, and to reforme the remaining corruptions in the diſcipline, ſervice and ceremonies of the Church, according to the order of Gods word; and though I hold him ſubject to all the ordinances of Chriſt in his Church, ſerving to the ſalvation of men, yet doe I deny him to be ſubject to any perſon, forraigne or domeſticall touching his life, liberty, crowne or dignity, or to any other forraigne or domeſticall cenſure by whomſoever executed.
This confeſſion I ſet downe under mine hand, as my laſt act in this kind, as a fruit of mine age, which is eighty ſeven yeares, and brought out in a ſerious meditation of my appearing ſhortly before the judge of all fleſh, who only knoweth my heart, and to whom only I ſhall ſtand or fall; his judgements I feare, and doe humbly crave pardon for all mine infirmities in this profeſſion, as for all my other ſins, but as touching the ſubſtance of this profeſſion, as I know aſſuredly, ſo I appeale to his all ſeeing ſpirit, whether I have in hypociſie, contrary to the full perſwaſion of my heart, lived ſo long therein, indeavoured ſo much for it, and now am ready to dy therein; Let this ſuffice to ſtop the mouthes of ſlanderers, who incroaching upon the office of God, cry out of mens hypocriſie, who being (as they ſay) convinced in their conſciences, doe yet for ſiniſter reſpects, continue the profeſſion of the cauſe, as an Archprelate openly traduced as honeſt a man as himſelfe, in the High Commiſſion Court, not long ſince, whereas alſo he caſt out many unſavory ſpeeches and reproaches, unbeſeeming a man of God and chiefe Father of Paſtors (as forſooth he would be taken to be) and unworthy ſo many well deſerving Preachers of the Goſpel, whoſe right hand of Fellowſhip himſelfe would not have ſcorned while King Iames ſtood indifferent in the cauſe; be it therefore that King Iames have forſaken this cauſe, which had his firſt love under his hand, witneſſed by many workes, and namely by interceding for Mr. Thomas Cartwright, and others, impriſoned for this cauſe through the falſe ſuggeſtions of ambitious men, who (fearing to loſe the fat morſels of their large rewards) abuſed the ſtate by untrue ſurmiſes, which they were never able to make good; And be it ſince that ſhew of a diſpute in the cauſe at Hampton Court, wherein men were purpoſely choſen to undertake our cauſe, who (excepting one reverend Father) never tooke the cauſe to heart, as men that peſent themſelves in an act upon a Stage; be it (I ſay) rhat ever ſince that time our cauſe hath loſt many lovers by death, many famous Miniſters and others by defection, yet the cauſe is the ſame it was, when it was eſteemed holy by the beſt profeſſors that were; when it was embraced by ſo many reformed Churches, and as it was in the judgement of ſo many reverend men which ever have approved it, for all the violent and unkinde oppoſition made thereto; and as the cauſe remaines the ſame it was, ſo I thanke my God that by his grace I affect it no whit the leſſe, but am aſſured it is a truth of God, wherein after fifty five yeares labour in the Miniſtery of the Goſpell, after much reading what hath been written on both ſides, after many conferences with worthy brethren of indifferent judgement, after many prayers to the Father of lights; laſtly, upon adviſed deliberation and conſideration of the effects that have enſued the perſecutions, I gladly end my daies, and with joy doe beare it in my boſome into the preſence of God, and doe hope, and in my beſt prayers doe beſeech him to raiſe up daily faithfull men to contend for the truth of God againſt all gain-ſayers.
Humfrey Fen departed this life in, or about September, 1634.
FINIS.
End of the text · Humphrey Fenn, The Last Will and Testament (1641)