Canterburys Doom, Branch 1 · Evidence 1 · Floating text 5 – Floating text 6
Tit. 1. Section 8.
IS your Chancell divided from the Nave or body of your Church, with a partition of Stone, Boards, Wainſcot, Grates, or otherwiſe? wherein is there a ſtrong dore, to open and ſhut, (as occaſion ferveth) with lockes and keyes, to keepe out boyes, and girles, or unreverent men and women? and are dogs kept from comming to bee ſoyle or prophane the Lords Table?
9. Is your Chancell well paved, &c? doth it altogether lye upon a flat, or hath NOTE.it aſcents up unto the ALTAR?
10. Is your Church ſcaffolded every where or in part? do theſe ſcaffolds ſo made annoy any mans feat, or hinder the lights of any Window in the Church? Is your Chancell ſurrounded with ſeates, wherein your Pariſhioners commonly uſe to ſit, which take up the roome to much, and encroach upon the propriety of the Miniſter?
Tit. 3. Of ſacred Utenſills, Church-ornaments, &c. Sect. 4. Have you two faire large Surpleſſes for your Miniſter to Officiate Divine Service in, that the one may be for change, when the other is at waſhing? and alſo ſerve for him, that at Communion aſſiſteth the chiefe Miniſter, that no point of Divine ſervice may be done, but with and in Miniſteriall veſtments?
5. Of what aſſiſe be the Surplices, large or ſcantting? Of what Cloth, courſe or fine? What are they worth if they were to be ſold? for not cheapneſſe, but decentneſſe, is to reſpected in the ſervice of God.
7. Is your Communion Table, OR ALTAR of Stone, Wainſcot, Joyners worke ſtrong, faire and decent? What is it worth in your opinion were it to NOTE.bee ſold?
8. Have you a covering or Carpet of Silke, Sattin, Damaske, or ſome more then ordinary ſtuffe, to cover the Table with at all times, and a faire, cleane, and fine linen covering at time of adminiſtring the Sacrament?
9. Have you a Chalice or Communion-Cup with a cover, of ſilver, and a Flagon or Silver or Pe…ter, (but rather of ſilver) to put the Wine in? which is to bee conſecrated, and not to be brought into the Church, and ſet on the Table in Leather or Wicker-bottles, or Taverne wine-potts, which being of vulgar, common and prophane imployments, ought not to be preſented in the Church, or at the LORDS TABLE.
10. Have you a plate or patten faire and deepe, of the ſame materialls, for the bread? As alſo a Corporas Cloth or Napkin of fine Linnen, to cover the Bread conſecuted, (which cannot all at once be contained in the Patten) and to fold up what is not uſed at Communions? are all theſe ſacred Vtenſills, cleane kept, waſhed, ſcowred, as often as neede or conveniency requireth?
11. Is your Communion-Table, encloſed and ranged about with a raile of Joyners and Turners worke, cloſe enough to keepe out dogges from going in and prophaning NOTE.that holy place, from piſſing againſt it, or worſe? and is there a dore of the ſame worke to open and ſhut? doe any perſons preſume to enter thereinto, except ſuch as be in holy orders?
12 Is the Communion Table fixedly ſet, in ſuch convenient ſort and place within the Chancell, as hath beene appointed by authority, according to the practiſe of the Ancient Church; that is, at the Eaſt end of the Chancell, cloſe unto the Wall, upon an aſſcent or higher ground, that the officiating Prieſt, may be beſt ſeene and NOTE.heard of the Communicants, in that ſacred action?
13. Whether is the Communion-Table removed downe at any time, either for or without Communion, into the lower part of the Chancell, or body of the Church? by whom, at whoſe inſtance, direction or command is it done?
Doe your Pariſhoners at their entrance within the Church doores uſe that comely and decent deportment which is fitting for Gods houſe, where God, whom Heaven and earth cannot contain, is ſaid to dwell, and doth manifeſt his goodneſſe and mercy to man out of his word? do they uncover their heads, ſit bare all ſervice time, kneele downe in their ſeates, bowing towards NOTE.the Chancell, and Communion-Table, and uſe thoſe ſeverall poſtures which fit the ſeverall acts and parts of Divine Service?
14. That is, Do they reverently kneele at Confeſſion, Abſolution, the Lords-Prayer, the Church Prayers and Petitions or Collects, as becometh ſuiters unto God? Do they ſtand at the Creed, as avowing their beliefe in the face of Heaven and earth, men and Angels; at the Hymnes and Doxologie, or Glory be to the Father, &c. againſt the oppugners of the Trinity, (which in the Primitive Church was repeated at the end of every Pſalme, and ought ſo to be in ours.) Do they ſtand alſo at the reading of the Goſpel, and bend or bow at the glorious ſacred and ſweet name of Jeſus, pronounced out NOTE.of the Goſpel read?
20. Doth he upon Wedneſdayes and Fridayes ordinarily and at other extraordinary times appointed by the Ordinary, read and pray the Letanie? and doth he eſpecially on Sundayes, read the ſecond or latter Service at the Communion-Table (as the ancient tradition of the Church was to do, after the diſmiſſion or miſſa of the Catechumoni, Euergumeni and Paenitentes) and not NOTE.in his Pewe, or Reading-ſeate, though there be no Communion, and this as well before as after the Sermon?
Tit. 6. Sect. 27. Is the Grave made Eaſt and Weſt? Is the body buried with the head to the Weſt?NOTE.
Tit. 7. Sect. 12. And whereas it offendeth many, that we ſometimes call the Lords-Table an Altar, and diſpoſe of it Altar-wiſe, that we uſe the phraſe of Sacrament of the Altar, in oppugning whereof, it hath been charged with Popery, and conſtantly (but ignorantly) affirmed, that in the Primitive NOTE.Church it was not named an Altar for three hundred yeares after Chriſt: to give ſatisfaction herein, and hereabout, both to Prieſts and people, I avow upon certain knowledge out of my poore reading, That for all the time articulate, the word Table is not above thrice uſed, but ever Altar, and of Eccleſiaſticall Writers within that time, onelyonly Dionyſius Areopagita hath it, and that but once, and occaſionally; which aſſertion (I am ſure) cannot bee refelled: and therefore if we will (as we profeſſe to doe) follow the courſe and practiſe of the Ancient Primitive, Apoſtolicall Church, wee ought not NOTE.to traduce or be offended at the name, thing, or uſe of Altar, whereat a manifold Sacrifice is offered to God.
Tit. 8. Sect. 9. Touching Pariſhioners. Doth any married woman within your Pariſh after child-birth neglect to come to Church, according to the booke of Common-Prayer, to give thanks to God for her ſafe deliverance, vayled in a decent manner, as hath beene anciently accuſtomed? and doth ſhe then kneele in ſome convenient place nigh to the Communion-Table, while the Prieſt (ſtanding by her) giveth thankes to God for her; and if there bee a Communion doth ſhee then offer her accuſtomed offerings, and receive the holy Communion?
11. Do all your Pariſhioners of what ſort ſoever, according as the Church expreſly them commandeth, draw neere, and with all Chriſtian humility and reverence come to the Lords-Table, when they are to receive the Holy Communion; and not (after the moſt contemptuous and un-holy uſage of ſome, if men do rightly conſider) ſit ſtill in their Seats or Pewes, to have the bleſſed Body and Bloud of our Saviour, go up and downe to ſeeke them all the Church over.
Tit. 9. Of Clerks, Sextons, Church-wardens, and Sidemen.
5. Doe you, or have any of you medled with ſetting, placing, diſplacing, removing the Communion-Table up and downe, of your owne heads, without NOTE.the Miniſter, or with him, not by order from the Biſhop?
6. Doe you know of any Pariſhioner or Forreiner, who hath committed or attempted ſuch an Act? If you can learne them, Preſent their names.
Tit. Sect. 10. Diſtinct and punctuall Anſwer muſt be made to every one of theſe Articles.
On all which Articles Church-wardens and Sidemen were obliged to preſent Non-conformiſts to them, by this ſtrict enſuing Oath.
The Tenour of the Oath to be adminiſtred unto, and taken by the Church-wardens, and Sidemen.
SWeare you ſhall, that you ſhall duly conſider, and diligently enquire of all and every one of theſe Articles given you in charge, and tendered unto you; and that all affection, favour, malice, hatred, hope of reward, gain, diſpleaſure of great men, malice, or other ſinister reſpect ſet aſide; you ſhall faithfully diſcharge your duty, and truly preſent all and every ſuch perſon of and in your Pariſh, as hath made any default, or committed any offence in or NOTE.againſt theſe enſuing Acticles, or that be vehemently ſuſpected, or defamed of any ſuch offence, or crime; wherein you ſhall deale uprightly, truly, and fully, preſenting all the truth, and nothing but the truth, without partiality, having God before your eyes, and an earneſt Christian zeale to maintain truth, order, and Religion, and to ſuppreſſe the contrary: So helpe you God, and the holy contents of this Booke.
Matthew Wren Biſhop of Norwich, in his firſt Viſitation of that Dioceſſe among other Articles to be enquired of within that Dioceſſe, preſcribed theſe enſuing Articles upon Oath, printed by Richard Baiger 1636. concurring in ſubſtance with Biſhop Mountagues.