Three speeches of Sir Edward Dearings, Knight and Baronet, in the Commons House of Parliament

Three speeches of Sir Edward Dearings, Knight and Baronet, in the Commons House of Parliament

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Title page

A SPEECH MADE BY SIR EDWARD DEARING KNIGHT AND Baronet, in the Commons house of Parliament concerning the freedome of Master Wilson, upon the tenth day of Novemer, 1640.

A SPEECH AT A Grand Committee of the whole house for Religion.

A SPEECH AT THE DELIVERY of a Petition out of Kent, concerning the present Government of the Church.

FINIS.

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THREE SPEECHES OF SIR EDWARD DEARINGS, Knight and Baronet in the Commons House of Parliament.

The first concerning the freedome of Mr. Wilson, a Minister in Kent.

The second at a grand Committee of the whole house for Religion.

The third at a delivery of a Petition out of Kent, concerning the present government of the Church.

LONDON, Printed for Iohn Stafford, in Chancerylane over against the Roules. 1641.

A SPEECH MADE BY SIR EDWARD DEARING KNIGHT AND Baronet, in the Commons house of Parliament concerning the freedome of Master Wilson, upon the tenth day of Novemer, 1640.

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Mr. SPEAKER,

YEsterday the affaires of this House did borrow all the time allotted to the great Committee for Religion. I am sorry that having but halfe a day in a whole weeke, wee have lost that.

Mr. Speaker, It hath pleased God to put into the heart of his Majestie (for the Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord) once more to assemble us into a Senate, to consult upon [Page] the unhappy distractions, the sad dangers, & the much feared ruines of this last flourishing Church and Kingdome. God be praysed both for his goodnesse, and for his severity wherewith hee hath impelled this meeting; and humble thankes unto his Majestie whose parentall care of us his Subjects, is willing to relieve us.

The sufferances that wee have undergone are reducible to two heads. The first concerning the Church: the second belonging to the Commonwealth. The first of these must have the first fruits of this Parliament, as being the first in write and worth, and more immediate to the honour of God and his Glory, every dramme whereof is worth the whole weight of a Kingdome.

The Common-wealth (it is true) is full of apparent dangers. The sword is come home unto us, and the two twinne-Nations united together under one royall head, breathren together in the bowells and the bosome of the same Island, and which is above all imbanded together with the same Religion (I say the same Religion) by a devillish machination, like to bee fatally imbread in each others blood, ready to digge each others grave Quantillum abfuit?

[Page]For other grievances also, the poore disheartned subject, sadly groanes, not able to distinguish betwixt Power and Law. And with a weeping heart (no question) hath prayed for this hower, in hope to bee relieved, and to know hereafter, whether any thing hee hath, besides his poore part and portion of the Common ayre he breathes, may be truely called his owne.

These (Mr. Speaker) and many other doe deserve and must shortly have our deepe regard but Suo gradu, not in the first place: There is a unum necessarium above all our worldly sufferances and dangers. Religion the immediate service due unto the honour of Almighty God. And herein let us all be confident, that all our consultations will prove unprosperous, if wee put any determination before that of Religion.

For my part, Let the sword reach from the North to the South, and a generall perdition of all our remaining right and safety, threaten us in open view, it shall bee so farre from making me to decline the first setling of Religion, that I shall ever argue, and rather conclude it thus. The more great, the more iminent our perills of this world are, the stronger and quicker ought [Page] our care to bee, for the Glory of God and the pure Law of our soules.

If then (Mr. Speaker) it may passe with full allowance, that all our cares may give way unto the treaty of Religion, I will reduce that also to bee considered under two heads: first of Ecclesiasticke persons, then of Ecclesiasticke causes. Let no man start or bee affrighted at the im at the immagined length of this consultation, it will not, it cannot take up so much time as it is worth.—This it is God and the King, this is God and the Kingdome, nay, this is God and the two Kingdomes cause.

And therefore (Mr. Speaker) my humble motion is, that wee may all of us seriously, speedily, and hartily enter upon this, the best, the greatest, the most important cause we can treat of.

Now (Mr. Speaker) in pursuite of my owne motion, and to make a little entrance into this great affayre, I will present unto you the petition of a poore oppessed Minister in the County of Kent: A man Orthodox in his Doctrine, conformable in his life, laborious in the Ministery as any we have, or I doe know.

He is now a sufferer (as all good men are) under the generall obliquity of a [Page] Puritan, as with other things was excellently delivered by that silver trumpet at the Barre. The Pursivant watches his doore, and divides him and his cure asunder, to both their greifes: For it is not with him as (perhaps) with some that set the Pursivant at worke, gladded of an excuse to bee out of their Pulpit, It is his delight to Preach.

About a weeke since I went over to Lambeth, to move that great Bishop (too great indeede) to take this danger off from this Minister, and to recall the Pursivant. And withall I did undertake for Master Wilson (for so your Petitioner is called) that he should answer in any his accusers, of the Kings Courts at Westminster.

The Bishop made me answer (as neare as I can remember) in haec verba, I am sure that hee will not bee absent from his cure a twelvemoneth together, and then (I doubt not) but once in a yeare we shall have him.

This was all I could obtaine, but I hope, (by the helpe of this house) before this yeare of threates runne round, His Grace will either have more Grace, or no Grace at all. For our manifold griefes doe fill a mighty and a vast Circumferance, yet so that from every part [Page] our lives of sorrow, doe leade unto him, and point at him the Center, from, whence our miseries in this Church, and many of them in the Common wealth doe grow.

Let the Petition bee read, and let us enter upon the worke.

A SPEECH AT A Grand Committee of the whole house for Religion.

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YOu have many private Petitions, give mee leave (by word of mouth) to interpose one more generall, which thus you may receive. Gods true Religion is violently invaded by two seeming enimies: But indeede they are (like Herod and Pilate) fast friends for the destruction of Truth. I meane the Papists for one partie, and our Prelating faction for the other. Betweene these two in their severall progresse, I observe the concurrence of some few Parallells, fit (as I conceive) to be represented to this Honorable House.

[Page]First with the Papists, there is a severe Inquisition: and with us (as it is used) there is a bitter high Commission; both these (contra fas & jus) are judges in their owne cause: yet herein their Inquisitors are better then our High Commissioners—They (for ought I ever heard) doe not (saevire in suos) punish for delinquents and offenders, such as professe and practice, according to the Religion established by the Lawes of the Land where they live.

But with us how many poore distressed Ministers? nay how many scores of them, in a few yeares past, have been suspended, degraded, deprived, excommunicated, not guilty of the breach of any our established Lawes. The petitions of many are heere with us, more are comming: All their prayers are in haven for redresse.

Secondly, with the Papist, there is a Mysterious artifice I meane their Index expurgatorius whereby they clippe the tongues of such witnesses, whose evidence they doe not like.—To this I parallell our late Imprimatur's: Licences for the presse: so handled that the Truth is supprest, and Popish pamphlets fly abroade cum privilegio: witnesse audatious and Libelling Pamphlets against True Religion; written by Pocklington, Heyling, Dow, Cosins,[Page]Shelford, Swan, Reeves, Yates, Hausted, Studley, Sparow, Brown, Robertes, Ironside,—Many more: I name no Bishops, but I adde, &c.

Nay they are already growne so bold in this new trade, that the most learned labours of our ancient and best Divines, must be now corrected and defaced with a Deleatur by a supercilious pen of my Lords young Chapline; (fit perhaps) for the techincall arts, but unfit to hold the Chaire for Divinity.

But herein the Roman Index is better then are our English Licences: They thereby doe preserve the current of their owne established doctrines: a point of wisedome. But with us our Innovators by this artifice doe altar our setled Doctrines; Nay they doe subinduce points repugnant and contrariant. And this I dare assume upon my selfe to prove.

One Paralell more I have, and that is this. Among the Papists, there is one acknowledged supreme Pope, supreme in honour, in order, and in power: from whose judgement there is no appeale.—I confesse (M. Speaker) I cannot altogether match a Pope with a Pope: (yet one of the ancient titles of our English Primate was Alterius orbis Papa.) But [Page] thus farre I can goe, Ex ore suo. It is in Print.—Hee pleades faire for a Patriarchtae: And for such an one, whose judgement, he (before-hand) professeth ought to bee finall: and then (I am sure) it ought to be un-erring.

Put these together and you shall finde that the finall determination of a Patriarch will want very little of a Pope—and then wee may say—mutato nomine de te ‘Fabula narratur—’

Hee pleades Popeship under the name of a Patriarch. And I much feare least the end and toppe of his Patriarchall plea may bee as that of Cardinall Pole (his predecessor) who would have two heads, one Caput Regale, another Caput Sacerdotale: a proud parallell, to set up the Miter as high as the Crowne.

But herein I shall bee free and cleare, if one there must bee (bee it a Pope, bee it a Patriach;) this I resolve upon for my owne choyce (Procul a Iove procul a fulmine.) I had rather serve one as farre off as Tyber, then to have him come so neare me as the Thames. A Pope at Rome will doe mee lesse hurt then a Patriarch may doe at Lambeth.

[Page]I have done, and for this third Parallell I submitt it to the wisedome and consideration of this grand Committee for Religion, in the meane time I doe ground my motion, upon the former two, and it is this in briefe.

That you would please to select a subcommittee of a few, and to impower them for the discovery of the numbers of oppressed Ministers under the Bishops tyranny for these ten yeares last past. We have the complaint of some, but more are silent: some are patient and will not complaine, others are fearefull and dare not, many are beyond Sea and cannot complaine.

And in the second place, that the subcommittee may examine the Printers what bookes by bad Licences haue beene corruptly issued forth: and what good bookes have beene (like good Minsters) silenced, Clipped or cropped.

The worke I conceive will not bee difficult, but will quickly returne into your hand full of weight.

And this is my Motion.

A SPEECH AT THE DELIVERY of a Petition out of Kent, concerning the present Government of the Church.

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Mr. SPEAKER.

YEsterday we did regulate the most important businesse before us: and gave them motion, so that our great and weighty affaires, are now on their feete in their progresse, journing on towards their severall periods, where some I hope will shortly finde their latest home.

Yet among all these I observe one, a very maine one, to sleepe sine die: give mee leave to awaken it; It is a businesse of an immense weight, and worth; such as deserves our best care, and most severe circumspection. I meane the Grand Petition long since given in by many thousand Citizens against the dominering Clergy.

Wherein (for my part) although I cannot approve of all that is presented unto you, yet I doe clearely professe, that a great part of it, nay the greatest part thereof, is [Page] so well grounded, that my heart goes cheerefull along therewith.

It seemes that my Countrey (for which I have the honour to serve) is of the same minde, and least that you should thinke that all faults are included within the walles of Troy, they will shew you ‘Iliacos intra muros peccatur & extra.’

The same greivances which the Citty groanes under, are provinciall unto us, and I much feare they are nationall among us all.

The Pride, the Avarice, the Ambition and oppression, by our ruling Clergy is Epidemicall, it hath infected them all. There is not any, or scarce any of them, who is not practicall in their owne great cause in hand, which they impiously doe mis-call, the Piety of the times, but in truth, so wrong a Piety that I am bold to say, ‘In facinus jurasse putes.—’

Here in this Petition is the disease represented, here is the cure intreated.

The number of your Petitioners is considerable, being above five and twenty hundred names, and would have beene foure times as many, if that were thought materiall.

The matter in the Petition is of high import: But your Petitioners themselves are [Page] all of them quiet and silent at their owne houses, humbly expecting and praying the resolution of this great Senate, upon these their earnest and thrice hearty desires.

Here is no noyse, no numbers at your doore: they will bee neither your trouble nor your jealousie; for I doe not know of any one of them this day in the Towne: So much they doe affie in the justice of their Petition, & in the goodnesse of this House.

If now you want any of them heere, to make avowance of their Petition, I am their servant. I doe appeare for them and for my selfe, and am ready to avow this Petition, in their names, and in my owne.

Nothing doubting, but fully confident, that I may justly say of the present usage of the Hierarchy in the Church of England, as once the Pope (Pope Adrian as I remember) said of the Clergy in his time: A vertice capitis and plantam pedis, nihil est sanum in toto ordine ecclesiastico.

I beseech you reade the Petition, regard us, and relieve us.

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Information about this book

Title statement

Three speeches of Sir Edward Dearings, Knight and Baronet, in the Commons House of Parliament

Dering, Edward, Sir, 1598-1644.

Edition statement

1641

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

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Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2004-05 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A35736

ID [STC]

Wing D1118

ID [STC]

ESTC R27295

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

09795074

ID [OCLC]

ocm 09795074

ID [VID]

44117

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(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A35736)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 44117)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1354:18)

Source

— Three speeches of Sir Edward Dearings, Knight and Baronet, in the Commons House of Parliament, Dering, Edward, Sir, 1598-1644..

Extent

14 p.

Printed for John Stafford,. London :: 1641.. (Reproduction of original in the Huntington Library.)

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