BISHOP AYLMER. 89 



&quot; north parts; or that so many treasons and conspiracies CHAP. 



&quot; could have come to that height as they were, if so be that Vllf 



&quot;every parish had a faithful and learned Pastor, by preach- 



&quot; ing and catechizing to beat into their heads continually 



&quot; what obedience faithful subjects owe, first to God, and next 



&quot; to their Prince ; which might have been brought to some 



&quot; good effect or this, if they had not so countenanced non- 



&quot; residents, and made so many idle sheplferds ; and besides, 



&quot; if they had not dealt so extremely against so many godly 



&quot; Ministers, in displacing them for not observing some 



&quot; Popish ceremonies. That this was most true, that gene- 



&quot; rally throughout England, where most need was of the 



&quot; best Ministers, there were the worst. That for his part he 



&quot; did not know in any country where there was a preaching 



&quot; Minister placed in that town where a recusant was : so 



&quot; that Jesuits, seminaries, and Popish priests, might have 



&quot; there free egress and regress without any check, which was 



&quot; very dangerous to the State ; besides the great hindrance 



&quot; of knowledge to obey God and the Prince, that otherwise 



&quot; might there be planted. 



&quot; A second cause was, for that the Bishops punished most 

 &quot; rigorously godly Ministers, (whom they could not justly 

 &quot; touch either with false doctrine or any misbehaviour in 

 &quot; life,) for not observing the Book of Common Prayer; and 

 &quot; yet they themselves, for the most part these twenty-nine 

 &quot; years had not observed it : as, first, in granting licences for 

 &quot; money to marry without the banns asking ; secondly, in 

 &quot; making insufficient Ministers; and thirdly, in not confirm- 

 &quot; ing of children, as the book appointed : and yet by that 

 &quot; order, they that were inferior Ministers were charged, that 

 &quot; they should not admit any to receive the Communion, 

 &quot; until such time as they were confirmed by the Bishop. 

 &quot; Whereby they fell into two extremes, either to offend 

 &quot; God, or the book : for if they were able to examine them- 

 &quot; selves, and give a reason of their faith, they, the Ministers, 

 &quot; might not deny them the Communion : but the book said 

 &quot; otherwise. Now seeing they omitted this, because they 

 &quot; knew it was a Popish ceremony, and not warrantable by 



