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JAMES, by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting: Whereas our Bishops, Deans of our Cathedral Churches, Archdeacons, Chapters, and Colleges, and the other Clergy of every Diocefe within the Province of Canterbury, being fummoned and called by virtue of our Writ directed to the Moft Reverend Father in God, John, late Archbishop of Canterbury, and bearing date the one and thirtieth day of January, in the first year of our reign of England, France, and Ireland, and of Scotland the thirty-feventh, to have appeared before him in our Cathedral Church of St. Paul in London, the twentieth day of March then next enfuing, or elsewhere, as he Should have thought it most convenient, to treat, confent, and conclude upon certain difficult and urgent affairs mentioned in the faid Writ; did thereupon, at the time appointed, and within the Cathedral Church of St. Paul aforefaid, affemble themselves, and appear in Convocation for that purpose, according to our faid Writ, before the Right Reverend Father in God, Richard Bishop of London, duly (upon a fecond Writ of ours dated the ninth day of March aforefaid) authorized, appointed, and confiituted, by reason of the said Archbishop of Canterbury his death, Prefident of the faid Convocation, to execute thofe things, which, by virtue of our first Writ, did appertain to him the faid Archbishop to have executed, if be bad lived: We, for divers urgent and weighty caufes and confiderations us thereunto especially moving, of our especial grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, did, by virtue of our Prerogative Royal, and Supreme Authority in Caufes Ecclefiaftical, give and grant by our feveral Letters Patent under our Great Seal of England, the one dated the twelfth day of April last past, and the other the twenty-fifth day of June then next following, full, free, and lawful liberty, licence, fower, and authority unto the faid Bishop of London,

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Prefident of the faid Convocation, and to the other Bishops, Deans, Archdeacons, Chapters, and Colleges, and the rest of the Clergy before mentioned, of the faid Province, that they, from time to time, during our first Parliament now prorogued, might confer, treat, debate, confider, confult, and agree of and upon fuch Canons, Orders, Ordinances, and Conftitutions, as they fhould think necessary, fit, and convenient, for the honour and fervice of Almighty God, the good and quiet of the Church, and the better government thereof, to be from time to time obferved, performed, fulfilled, and kept, as well by the Archbishops of Canterbury, the Bishops, and their Succeffors, and the rest of the whole Clergy of the faid Province of Canterbury, in their feveral callings, offices, functions, miniftries, degrees, and adminiftrations; as alfo by all and every Dean of the Arches, and other Judge of the faid Archbishop's Courts, Guardians of Spiritualities, Chancellors, Deans and Chapters, Archdeacons, Commiffaries, Officials, Registrars, and all and every other Ecclefiaftical Officers, and their inferior Ministers, whatsoever, of the fame Province of Canterbury, in their and every of their diftinct Courts, and in the order and manner of their and every of their Proceedings; and by all other Perfons within this realm, as far as lawfully, being members of the Church, it may concern them, as in our faid Letters Patent amongst other claufes more at large doth appear. Forafmuch as the Bishop of London, Prefident of the faid Convocation, and others, the faid Bishops, Deans, Archdeacons, Chapters, and Colleges, with the rest of the Clergy, having met together, at the time and place before mentioned, and then and there, by virtue of our faid authority granted unto them, treated of, concluded, and agreed upon certain Canons, Orders, Ordinances, and Conftitutions, to the end and purpose by us limited and prefcribed unto them; and have thereupon offered and presented the fame unto us, most humbly defiring us to give our royal affent unto their faid Canons, Orders, Ordinances, and Conftitutions, according to the form of a certain Statute or A& of Parliament, made in that behalf in the twenty-fifth year of the reign of King Henry the Eighth, and by our faid Prerogative

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rogative Royal and Supreme Authority in Caufes Ecclefiaftisal, to ratify by our Letters Patent under our Great Seal of England, and to confirm the fame, the title and tenor of them being word for word as enfueth:

CONSTITUTIONS and CANONS Ecclefiaftical, treated upon by the Bishop of London, Prefident of the Convocation for the Province of Canterbury, and the rest of the Bishops and Clergy of the faid Province; and agreed upon with the King's Majefty's Licence, in their Synod begun at London, Anno Domini 1603, and in the Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord JAMES, by the Grace of God, King of England, France, and Ireland, the First, and of Scotland the Thirtyseventh.

And now published for the due obfervation of them, by his Majefty's authority under the Great Seal of England.

Of the CHURCH of ENGLAND.

1. The King's Supremacy over the Church of England, in Caufes Ecclefiaftical, to be maintained.

AS

S our duty to the King's most excellent Majesty requireth, we firft decree and ordain, That the Archbifhop of Canterbury, (from time to time,) all Bishops of this Province, all Deans, Archdeacons, Parfons, Vicars, and all other Ecclefiaftical Perfons, fhall faithfully keep and observe, and (as much as in them lieth) fhall cause to be obferved and kept of others, all and fingular laws and ftatutes, made for reftoring to the Crown of this kingdom the ancient jurifdiction over the State Ecclefiaftical, and abolishing of all foreign power repugnant to the fame. Furthermore, all Ecclefiaftical Perfons, having cure of fouls, and all other Preachers, and Readers of Divinity Lectures, fhall, to the uttermoft of their wit, knowledge, and learning, purely and fincerely, without any colour or diffimulation, teach, manifeft, open, and declare, four times every year at the leaft, in their fermons and other collations and lectures, that all ufurped and foreign power (forafmuch as the fame hath no eftablifhment nor ground by the law of God) is for moft

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juft

juft caufes taken away and abolished: and that therefore no nianner of obedience, or fubjection, within his Ma jefty's realms and dominions, is due unto any fuch foreign power, but that the King's power, within his realms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and all other his dominions and countries, is the highest power under God; to whom all men, as well inhabitants, as born within the fame, do by God's laws owe moft loyalty and obedience, afore and above all other powers and poten tates in the earth.

2. Impugners of the King's Supremacy cenfured.

HOSOEVER fhall hereafter affirm, That the King's

Majefty hath not the fame authority in Causes Ecclefiaftical, that the godly Kings had amongst the Jews and Chriftian Emperors of the primitive Church; or impeach any part of his regal fupremacy in the faid caufes reftored to the Crown, and by the laws of this realm therein established; let him be excommunicated ipfo facto, and not restored, but only by the Archbishop, after his repentance, and public revocation of thofe his wicked

errors.

3. The Church of England, a true and Apoftolical Church.

WHOSOEVER fhall hereafter affirm, That the Church

of England, by law eftablifhed under the King's Majefty, is not a true and Apoftolical Church, teaching and maintaining the doctrine of the Apoftles; let him be excommunicated ipfo facto, and not restored, but only by the Archbishop, after his repentance, and public revocation of this his wicked error.

4. Impugners of the public Worship of God, eftablished in the Church of England, cenfured.

WHOS

HOSOEVER fhall hereafter, affirm, That the form of God's worship in the Church of England, established by law, and contained in the Book of Common Prayer and Adminiftration of Sacraments, is a corrupt, fuperftitious, or unlawful worship of God, or containeth any thing in it that is repugnant to the Scriptures; let him be excommunicated ipfo facto, and not restored, but by the Bishop of the place, or Archbishop, after his repentance, and public revocation of such his wicked errors.

5. Impugners of the Articles of Religion, established in the A B Church of England, cenfured.

FHOSOEVER fhall hereafter affirm, That any of the

nine and thirty Articles agreed upon by the Archbifhops and Bifhops of both provinces, and the whole Clergy, in the Convocation holden at London, in the year of our Lord God one thoufand five hundred fixtytwo, for avoiding diverfities of opinions, and for the eftablishing of confent touching true Religion, are in any part fuperftitious or erroneous, or fuch as he may not with a good confcience fubfcribe unto; let him be excommunicated ipfo facto, and not restored, but only by the Archbishop, after his repentance, and public revocation of fuch his wicked errors.

6. Impugners of the Rites and Ceremonies, eftablished in the Church of England, cenfured.

WH HOSOEVER fhall hereafter affirm, That the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England by law established are wicked, antichriftian, or fuperftitious, or fuch as, being commanded by lawful authority, men, who are zealously and godly affected, may not with any good confcience approve them, use them, or, as occafion requireth, fubfcribe unto them; let him be excommunicated ipfo facto, and not restored until he repent, and publicly revoke fuch his wicked errors.

7. Impugners of the Government of the Church of England by Archbishops, Bifbops, &c. cenfured.

WHOSOEVER fhall hereafter affirm, That the government of the Church of England under his Majefty by Archbishops, Bithops, Deans, Archdeacons, and the reft that bear office in the fame, is antichriftian, and repugnant to the Word of God; let him be excommunicated ipfo facto, and fo continue until he repent, and publicly revoke fuch his wicked errors.

8. Impugners of the Form of confecrating and ordering Archbishops, Bishops, &c. in the Church of England, cenfured.

W
HOSOEVER fhall hereafter affirm or teach, That
the form and manner of making and confecrating
Bishops, Priefts, and Deacons, containeth any thing in it

that

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