64

THE LIFE OF

RusliwortljVHist. Coll.Part II. Vol.I,/. 461.

Anno 1637.I 3 Caroli.

f

Of the ScotchLiturgy andCanons , re-mised by Arch-bishop Laud,Bijhopjuxton,and BishopWren.Commission dby the King.

Numb. VI.

Certificate of Dr. Matthew Wren, Bishop of Norwich;concerning the Book os Sports, entituled , The King’s Ma-jesty’s Declaration for lawful Recreations after Evening-prayeron Sundays and Holy-days; commanded by his Majesty, tobe read by all Ministers in their respective Parish Churches.

" the 12th Article, that upon Enquiry at my Visitation, whether

" JL the King’s Majesty’s Declaration for lawful Sports had been pub-" lissi’d, I'found it had not been done in very many Places of the Diocese;" having therefore, about sixty Books at Hand, I caused them to be propos’d«« to such Persons as I had most Doubt of, but many of them refused tost publish the same, and were suspended for their Refusal ; yet divers ofst them presently promised Conformity, and so were absolved ; so that now,st in the whole Diocese, consisting of about fifteen hundred Clergymen, therest are not passing twice fifteen excommunicated, or suspended ; whereof someso stand for Contumacy, in not appearing at the Visitation and Synod, andst still refuse to submit; and others, for obstinate denying to publish thest King’s Declaration.”

Numb. VII.

Extracts from Lord Clarendon* j- History of the Rebellion , con-„ cerning the Leo test Liturgy, and Canons. Book 11. Page83, .

I T was towards the End of the Year 1633, when the King returned fromScotland, having left it to the Care of some of his Bishops there toprovide f siich a Liturgy, and such a,Book of Canons, as might best suit the.Nature and Humour of die better Sort of thaf People ; to which, the restwould easily submit ; and that, as fast as they made them ready, they shouldtransmit them to the Arch-bishop .of. Canterbury y to whose Assistance theKing join’d the Bishop os London [Dr.^i/xsiw] and Doctor Wren , who bythat Time,' was become Bishop of Norwich ; a Man of a severe four Na-ture but very learned, aud particularly versed in the old Liturgies of theGreek ahd Latin Churches. And aftef his Majesty should be' this Way cer-tified of what was so sent, he would recommend, and enjoyiv ‘the Practiceand Use of both, to that his native Kingdom.

It was now two Years, or very near so much, before the Bishops in Scot-Jand had prepared any Thing to offer to the King, towards their intend-ed Reformation ; and then, they inverted the proper Method, and first pre-sented a Body of Canons to precede the Liturgy, which was not yet ready,tipsy rdistsing to finish the shorter Work first. The King referr’d the Con-sideration, as he had before resolved to do, to the Arch-biihop, and the othertwo Bishops, [Dr. Juxton ] the Bishop oS London, and [Dr. Wren] the Bishopof Norwich ; who, after their Perusal of them, and some Alterations made,

with.