at all de non quæsitis concerning discipline, they think they had not herein been wanting to their Synodical duty and calling :-the rather for that,

"1. They were sent to endeavour the peace and composure of that distracted church, by expressing their judgments in the points there already controverted, not by intruding in matters not at all questioned among them.

"2. Among the instructions given them by his Majesty, they had none to meddle with the discipline there established; but had charge to use moderation and discretion, and to abstain from multiplying of questions beyond necessity.

"3.

In that subject, there was no hope or possibility of prevailing by argument or persuasion; especially in that church, where the civil government is popular, and so complieth more easily with ecclesiastical parity.

"Yet we thought not fit to content ourselves with warrantable silence; but, upon our return from that Synodical Session to the place of our private collegiate meeting, we diligently perused the confession, not only for points of doctrine referred to our judgments, but also for those accepted (excepted) articles touching discipline and consulting together what was fit to be done in delivering our opinions next day, we jointly concluded, that, howsoever our church discipline had not been Synodically taxed, nor theirs avowed, yet it was convenient for us, who were assured in our consciences that their presbyterial parity and laical presbytery was repugnant to the discipline established by the Apostles and retained in our church, to declare, in a temperate manner, our judgment, as well concerning that matter, though by them purposely excepted, as the other expressly referred to us.

"Accordingly, the next morning, when suffrages were to pass concerning the doctrine comprised in that confession, we, having by our place the prime voice in the Synod, gave our approbation of the substance of the doctrinal articles, with advice touching some incommodious phrases; and withal, contrary to the expectation of the whole Synod, we added express exception against the suppressed articles, with some touch also of argument against them. Which our contestation, or protestation, for so it may be styled, was principally performed by him, whom for priority of age, place, and dignity, it best became; and from whose person and gravity it might be the better taken, by the civil deputies of the States there present.

"Therein he professed and declared our utter dissent in that point; and further shewed, that by our Saviour a parity of Ministers was never instituted; that Christ ordained 12 apostles and 70 disciples; that the authority of the 12 was above the others; that the church preserved this order left by our Saviour; and therefore, when the extraordinary authority of the Apostles ceased, yet their ordinary authority continued in Bishops who succeeded them; who were, by the apostles themselves left in the government of the church to ordain ministers, and to see that they who were so ordained should preach no other doctrine; that, in an inferior degree, the ministers that were governed by Bishops, succeeded the 70 disciples that this order hath been maintained in the church from the time of the Apostles; and herein he appealed to the judgment of antiquity, or of any learned man now living, if any could speak to the contrary, &c.

"In giving our several suffrages, the same exception was seconded by the rest of us Colleagues, partly by other allegations, and partly by brief reference to this declaration, made communi nomine by our leader. To this our exception and allegation, not one word was answered by any of the Synodicks, either strangers or provincials: so that herein we may seem to have had either their consent implied by silence, or, at least, approbation of our just and necessary performance of our bounded duty to that church whereunto they all afforded no small respect, though differing in government from their several churches.

66

Herein, perhaps, by some we might be deemed rather to have gone too far in contestation and upbraiding, quasi in os, the Civil Magistrate and Ministry there, with undue form of government of that church, whose doctrine only was offered to our opinions.

"But, on the contrary part, it hath been suggested here at home by some, that herein we came short of our duty; that we ought to have stepped yet further, by exhibiting in writing a formal Protestation, to be entered and kept by the actuary of the Synod :—whereto we answer,

"First, that the course there taken, for the manner of delivering our judgments, was not, as in the fifth question, controverted by subscription, but only by vocal suffrage; which gave no opportunity of putting in a written protestation; whereas if we had subscribed our names unto that confession, we would infallibly have. added, with the same pen, our exception against the articles concerning discipline.

Secondly, in that vocal proceeding, had we been overborne by the multitude of their voices, or received any grievance or affront from them, touching discipline, we would have relieved our just cause, either by written protestation or better means. But, whereas neither the civil magistrate, in whose hearing our exceptions were constantly uttered, did gainsay us, nor any of the divines in the Synod once opened their mouths, either in offence of our government or defence of their own, what needed we to redouble our stroke upon those that turned not upon us.

'Rixa suum-finem, cum silet hostis, habet.'

Peradventure, some hot spirits would not have rested in a formal recorded protestation neither, but would have charged those churches to blot those articles out of their confession, and forthwith to reform their government; otherwise not have yielded approbation to any article of doctrine, as there comprised; but renounced the Synod, and shaken off from his feet the dust of Dort, I have nothing to do with your conclusions; I have no part nor portion in them: what ends you have, how things are carried, I cannot tell, nor care.'

"We confess, we were and are of another mind; our own dispositions, and the directions of our blessed peace-making King, kept us from kindling new fires where we had work enough to quench the old. We then thought, and so still in our consciences are confident, that we forgot not our duty to our venerable and sacred Mother, the Church of England, but took a course conformable to the rules as well of filial obedience, as of Christian moderation.

"And even then, according to our custom of weekly transmitting into England brief narrations of the proceedings in each several session, to be imparted to his Majesty, we, by the next messengers, sent our relation hereof, as no whit ashamed of our deportment herein; which, because it was then framed when we did not imagine that any quarrel would be picked against us, for more impartial and impassionate attestations, is here inserted, as much as concerneth the particular.

66 "

66

1619. April 29, Stilo novo; Sessione 144, Pomeridiana.'

Gregorius Martin, unus ex politicis ad Synodum delegatis, Hagâ jam recens reversus, narrat quanto Domini ordines gaudio afficiantur de singulorum in canonibus sanciendis unanimi con6 sensu. Eo nomine Theologis cum exteris tum provincialibus

6

4

gratias habere eorum Dominationes ob labores Synodicos exantlantos. Proximo in loco postulare ut Confessio Belgica perlustretur: ita tamen ut sine gravi causa nihil immutetur, nec phra'sium grammaticarum argutiis curiose insistatur. In eadem judiciis synodicorum subjiciuntur tantum ea quæ doctrinam spectant, omissis prorsus eis quæ disciplinam. Intercurrit quæstio de authentico exemplari; sumitur illud quod in ecclesiarum reformatarum confessionibus habetur. Totum perlegitur prætermissis qui disciplinam ecclesiasticam attinent articulis.' "Sessio 145, April 30, Antemeridiana. "Rogantur de hac confessione suffragia. Dom. Episcopus < Landavensis omnia doctrinæ capita probat, interea tamen de disciplinâ paucis monet; "nunquam in ecclesia obtinuisse Ministrorum paritatem; non tempore Christi ipsius; tum enim duodecim Apostolos fuisse discipulis superiores: non Apostolorum ætate, non subsecutis sæculis: nec valere rationem in hac con<fessione usurpatam, nempe quia omnes sunt æque ministri Christi: nam et 70 discipuli erant Ministri Christri æque ac Apostoli, non tamen inde Apostolis æquales; et omnes omnino homines sunt æque homines, non inde tamen homo homini non debet subesse." Hæc non ad harume cclesiarum offensionem, sed ⚫ ad nostræ Anglicanæ defensionem, se substurnuisse professus est. Et reliquis Britannis non nulla alia sunt subnotata, de libero arbitrio, de passivâ Christi obedientiâ; præsertim vero de phrasi ⚫ nimis durâ et generali, cum dicatur de canonicis libris nullam unfuisse controversiam; quæ quidem incommoda phrasis 'vitio interpretis irrepserat, cum originale Gallican* bene se habeat. Item exceptioni de disciplinâ adjicitur a reliquis Britannis similis exceptio, siquid contra legitimos ritus externos generaliter ibidem statuatur. Britannorum interpellationi a synodicis responsum ne ypu quidem.'

6

"About a year after our return, the acts of the Synod were published in print; wherein, among other particulars, the Belgic Confession is at large set down in 37 articles, whereof two or three contain matter of discipline received in those churches: these belike our censurer viewing, prout jacent in terminis, thereupon, without any further search, concluded that Synod guilty and condemnable, as concerning the discipline of the Church of England.' But still we hold ourselves to stand clear, and therefore

Evidently the Latin original of our Articles is the document referred

to.

prosecute our appeal from the rash sentence of this Appellant; alleging for ourselves

"1. Though all and singular the articles there comprised had passed Synodical scrutiny, and been approved canonically, yet will it not follow that all and every one of the Synodicks there gave consent thereto. For this approbation might have passed by the votes of the major part, etiam reclamantibus Britannis, who for number were not considerable, among so many others, both strangers and provincials. And so a favourable construction might have exempted the British Divines from being thought to reach forth their hand to the striking their mother.

"2

We deny, that, upon view of those Synodical acts, we, by presumption in law, need to be put upon purgation herein, as members involved in a capitular decree of the whole body. For, in point of discipline there passed no act at all; there was no proposition made; as evidently appeareth by the same book of the Synodical Acts, in the narration of the proceedings about this Belgick confession; where the matter subjected to deliberation, is recorded with limitation; first, positive, quæ ad dogmata & doctrinæ essentiam pertinerent; points dogmatical and pertaining to the essence of doctrine :'-then exclusive, Monitum proinde fuit eo tempore articulum trigesimum primum et secundum non esse examinandum, quia in utroque de ordine ecclesiastico quem exteri nonnulli a nostro diversum habent, ageretur. Declaration was accordingly made, at the same time, that the thirty-first and second articles were not to be examined; because in them ecclesiastical order, or church government, was handled; wherein some strangers,' namely, the Church of England differ from ours,' namely, from that of the Church of the Netherlands. This recorded testimony of so express withdrawing from the eye of the Synod all view of church discipline, might demonstrate, to any indifferent peruser of those acts, that whereas no possibility of Synodical condemning, so much as by the bye,' the discipline of the Church of England, in such examining the Belgick Confes

sion.

"As for our manner of examining and judging thereof, though it be not so particularly set down in the said printed acts as we could have wished, and would have provided for, had we been made acquainted with any intent of their publication; yet is it in some sort touched in the same page, in that very narration of the next session, testifying a cautelous delivery of our judgments,