THe Parliament of England taking into their serious consideration the great Du­ty and Trust that lies on them to use all lawful ways and means for the propaga­tion of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this Commonweath: in order thereunto, Do Enact and Ordain, and be it Enacted and Ordained by this present Par­liament, and by the Authority thereof, That Col. Thomas Harrison, Col. Philip Jones, Col. John Iones, Sir Iohn Trevor Knight, Henry Herbert Esq William Herbert, [Page 2]William Packer, William Blethin, Christopher Catchmay, Reece Williams, Iohn Nicholas, Ed­ward Herbert, Robert Iones, Bussey Mansel, Edward Prichard, Iohn Price, Rowland Daw­kins, William Boteler, Edward Stradling, Iohn Herbert, Richard Iones, Ienkin Frainlin, Iohn Iames, Wroth Rogers, Iohn Herring, Stephen Winthrop, Esquires; Sir Erasmus Philips, Sampson Lort, Henry Williams, Silvanus Tay­lor, Richard King, Iohn Williams, Iohn Dancy, Thomas Watkins, Iames Philips, Iohn Lewis, William Barbar, Esquires; Iohn Daniel, Iohn Bowen, Gent. Iohn Puleston one of the Justices of the Court of Common Pleas, Humphrey Mackworth, William Lit­tleton, Robert Duckenfield, Thomas Baker, Hugh Price, Evan Lloyd, Richard Price, Ro­bert Griffith, Edward Owens, George Twisleton, Iohn Carter, Thomas Mason, Lighton Ow­ens, Rice Vaughan, Thomas Ball, Hugh Court­ney, Edward Taylor, Roger Soutley, Esq Da­niel Lloyd, David Moris, William Wynne, Gen­tlemen; Thomas Swift Esq Hugh Prichard Gent. Iohn Sadler, Iohn Peck, Luke Lloyd, Andrew Ellis, Ralph Crechley, Esquires; Lewis Price of Llannoonog, Henry Williams, Iohn Brown, Gent. are hereby constituted and appointed to be Commissioners in the Counties of Montgomery, Denbigh, Flint, [Page 3]Carnarvan, Merioneth, Anglesey, Monmouth, Glamorgan, Pembroke, Carmarthen, Cardigan, Brecknock and Radnor, and every of them, to put in execution the several powers and au­thorities herein hereafter mentioned and di­rected (that is to say) That they the said Commissioners or any five or more of them shall have full power and authority, and are hereby enabled and authorized to receive all Articles or Charges which shall be exhibited against any Parson, Vicar, Curate, Schoolma­ster, or any other now having or that shal have any Ecclesiastical benefit or promotion within the said counties, or any of them, for any De­linquency, Scandal, Malignancy, or non-Resi­dency; and upon such Articles so exhibited, to grant out Warrants in writing under the Hands and Seals of the said Commissioners, or any five or more of them, to be directed to the party against whom such Articles shall be exhibited, requiring his appearance before such Commissioners, at a certain day and place in the said Warrant men­tioned, to answer the said Charge or Ar­ticles respectively; and after notice of the said Warrant personally made or given to the said party Articled against, or left at his dwelling House or ordinary place of abode, and that notice proved by Oath to be [Page 4]made by the space of ten days before the day of appearance in the said Warrant mentioned (no just Cause being made and proved to ex­cuse the not appearing) and likewise after an­swer made by such as shall appear according to summons, Then the said Commissioners, or any five or more of them, are hereby enabled and authorized to proceed to exami­nation of witnesses upon Oath; the said ex­aminations and Depositions of such Wit­nesses to be put in writing, as well on the be­half of the Commonwealth to prove such Charges and Articles, as on the behalf of the parties articled against to make good their Answers; which Oaths the said Com­missioners, or any two or more of them, have hereby power to administer: And after due examination and proof made by confession of the party complained of, or by the Oath of two credible Witnesses, actually to amove, discharge and eject all such Ministers and o­ther persons from their respective Cures, Benefices, Places and Charges, as they the said Commissioners, or any five or more of them, upon such hearing shall adjudge to be guilty of any the Grimes aforesaid, in the said Articles contained and comprised; and after such Judgement given, in case any per­son shall finde himself aggrieved with such [Page 5]Judgement so given, Then it shall and may be lawful, to and for any twelve or more of the said Commissioners, upon Petition pre­ferred to them by the party grieved, to re­view, examine and reverse the same, if they or the greater part of them see just cause so to do: And if notwithstanding the said e­jected person shall not finde relief within six Weeks after his Petition so preferred, Then the said Commissioners, or any five or more of them, shall at the request of the parties a­grieved respectively, certifie the respective Proceedings and Proofs in such cases re­spectively, to the Committee of Parliament for Plundred Ministers; who are hereby au­thorized upon the return of such Certifi­cates, and view of such Proceedings and Proofs, without further examination of Wit­nesses in such cases, to examine the Grounds of the said respective Judgement appealed from, and to affirm or revoke the same, as they shall finde it most agreeable to Justice, and the tenor of this Act. And be it further Enacted avd Declared, That the said Com­missioners or any five or more of them, have hereby power & authority to allow the Wife and Children of such Minister or Ministers so ejected and amoved, for their maintenance, a proportion not exceeding a fifth part of the [Page 6]Living, Parsonage, Benefice, Vicarage, Charge or other place, out of which the said Ministers shall be respectively removed (all Parish Charges, Publike Taxes, and other Duties being first deducted out of the whole.) And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if any Parson or Vicar holdeth or enjoyeth, or which shall hold or enjoy plura­lity of Benefices or Ecclesiastical Pro­motions (one or more of which being within the Counties aforesaid) and upon a Warrant directed to him under the Hands of the said Commissioners or any five of them, requiring him at a certain day and place in the said warrant mentioned, to make choice and elect which of the said Benefices and Ecclesi­astical Promotions he desires to hold: and upon notice of the said Warrant, shall not within forty days after the said notice, make his Election, testified under his hand before five or more of the said Commissioners, which of the said Benefices or Promotions he desires to hold, then from and after such default (no just cause being proved to excuse the same) all his right, title or interest in and to all such Benefices and Promotions to cease, determine, and be utterly void. And to the end that godly and painful men, of [Page 7]able gifts and knowledge for the work of the Ministery, and of approved conversation for Piety, may be imployed to preach the Gos­pel in the counties aforesaid (which hereto­fore abounded in Ignorance and Prophane­ness) And that fit persons of approved Piety and Learning, may have encouragement to employ themselves in the education of Chil­dren in piety and good literature, Be it Enact­ed by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Commissioners, or any five or more of them, be and are authorized and enabled to grant Certificates by way of approbation to such persons as shall be recommended and appro­ved of by Henry Walter, Walter Cradock, Richard Simonds, Roger Charnock, Jenkin Lloid, Morris Bidwel, David Walter, William Seaborn, Ed­mond Ellis, Jenkin Jones, George Robinson, Richard Powel, Robert Powel, Thomos Ewen, John Miles, Oliver Thomas, Doctor John Ellis, Ambrose Moston, Stephen Lewis, Morgan Lloid, William Jones, Richard Edwards, Vavosor Powel, Richard Swain, Rowland Nevet, Mini­sters of the Gospel, or any five or more of them, for the preaching of the Gospel in the said Counties, as well in settled Congrega­tions and Parochial Charges, as in an Itine­rary course, as the said Commissioners (by the advice of such the said Ministers as shall [Page 8]recommend and approve of the said persons respectively) shall adjudge to be most for the advancement of the Gospel, or for the keep­ing of Schools, and education of Children: And to the end that a fitting maintenance may be provided for such persons as shall be so recommended and approved of, as also for such others approvedly godly and painful Ministers now residing within the said Coun­ties, for whose support and maintenance there is little or no settlement made or provided; Be it therefore Enacted and Ordained by the Authority aforesaid, That in order to the said maintenance, and in the regulating, ordering & disposal thereof, they the said Commissio­ners, or any twelve or more of them, are here­by authorized and enabled by themselves, or others deriving authotity from them, to re­ceive and dispose of all & singular the Rents, Issues and Profits of all and every the Recto­ries, Vicarages, Donatives, sine Cura's, Por­tion of Tenths, and other Ecclesiastical Li­vings, which now are, or hereafter shall be in the disposing of the Parliament, or any other deriving Authority from them; as also to receive and dispose of the Rents, Issues and Profits of all Impropriations and Gleab­lands within the said Counties, which now are, or hereafter shall be under Sequestration, [Page 9]or in the disposal of the Parliament, by ver­tue of any former Statute, or any Act or Or­dinance of this present Parliament. And be it further Enacted by the Authority afore­said, That the said Commmissioners; or any twelve or more of them, shall and may out of the said Rents, Issues and Profits of the said Rectories, Vicarages, Donatives, sine Cura's, Portion of Tenths, and other Ecclesiasti­cal Promotions; as also out of the Rents, Issues and Profits of the said Impropriations and Gleab-lands, order and appoint a con­stant yeerly maintenance for such persons as shall be recommended and approved of as a­foresaid, for the work of the Ministery, or the education of Children; as also for such other Ministers as aforesaid, now residing within the said Counties; provided that the yeerly maintenance of a Minister do not ex­ceed one hundred pounds, and the yeerly maintenance of a School-master exceed not Forty pounds; and that godly Ministers (who have or shall have Wife or Children) may not too much be taken off from their duties in the Ministery, with the care and consideration of maintenance for their Wives and Children after their decease, but that some care thereof may be had by others, whereby a greater encouragement may be [Page 10]given to them to set themselves the closer to the work of the said Ministry; Be it Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Com­missioners, or any twelve or more of them, are hereby enabled and authorized to make such yeerly allowance to the Wife and Chil­dren of such godly Minister after his decease, as to the said Commissioners or any twelve of them shall seem reasonable, for the ne­cessary support and maintenance of the said Wife or Children, or any of them, Provided always, That such allowance so to be made to such Wife and Children, do not exceed the yeerly sum of thirty pounds: And if any person or persons being Tenant or Occupier of any Lands, Tenements or Hereditaments, lyable and subject to the payment of any Tenths or other Duties, in right payable or belonging to any Parsonage, Vicarage, or any the abovesaid Ecclesiastical Promo­tions, shall refuse payment thereof, Then the said Commissioners or any two or more of them, are hereby authorized and enabled to put in execution against every person and persons so refusing, the powers and authorities vested and setled by this present Parliament in the Justices of the Peace, for the relief of Ministers from whom such Tenths and Duties are detained [Page 11]and substracted. And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Commissioners or any twelve or more of them, out of the said Tenths, Rents and Pro­fits by them receiveable by force of this Act, shall and may allow such moderate Salary or Wages to such person or persons who shall be imployed in the receiving, keeping and disposal thereof, or any part thereof, as they shall conceive to be necessary and reasonable. And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That all and every person and per­sons qualified and approved of as abovesaid, for the preaching of the Gospel as aforesaid, who shall be vested and setled by the said Commissioners, or any twelve, or more of them, in any Rectory, Vicarage or Parochial Charge, which the said Commissioners, or any twelve or more of them have hereby po­wer to do, shall be deemed and adjudged to be seized of the same, as fully and amply, to all intents and purposes, as if such person and persons were presented, instituted and inducted to and in the same, according to former Laws in such cases used and provided. And where­as the remoteness of the said Counties from the Courts of Justice at Westminst. occasioneth many acts of high Misdemeanors, Oppression and injury to be committed there, which often [Page 12]times escape unpunished, and the parties a­grieved therby, for want of means to seek re­lief by due course of Law, left remediless; To the end therfore that such Misdemeanors, Op­pressions and Injuries may the better be en­quired after, and the parties grieved thereby, without much expence of monies or loss of time, may be in some way of relief, Be it En­acted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Commissioners or any five or more of them, shall have, and hereby have full Power and Authority to receive all Complaints which shall be brought before them, of any such Misdemeanors, Oppression or Injury, committed by any person or persons within the said Counties, or any of them; and by Warrant directed to the party complained of, under the Hands and Seals of the said Com­missioners or any five or more of them, to appear before them at a certain day and place in the said Warrant mentioned, requiring an Answer to the said Complaints; and after answer made, then with the consent of both parties, testifie under their Hands and Seals, to proceed to hear and determine the same. And whereas sufferings of that nature gene­rally fall upon persons well-affected to the Parliament, and such as have acted in and for their service; which said persons are not [Page 13]of ability to travel to London, to be relieved by the Committee of Parliament, commonly called The Commitee of Indempnity, Be it therefore Enacted and Ordained by the Au­thority aforesaid, That the said Commissi­oners, or any five, or more of them, shall be, and are hereby made and constituted a Com­mittee of Indempnity, to all intents and pur­poses, within the Counties aforesaid, for the hearing and determining of all matters and things properly relievable and determinable by the said Committee of Indempnity. Pro­vided alwayes, That if any person or persons shall find him or themselves agrieved at the proceedings of the said Commissioners, act­ing as a Committee of Indempnity, then the said person or persons so agrieved, shall and may prosecute his and their Petition or Ap­peale for relief, in such manner and form as in and by this Act is prescribed in the cases of ejected Ministers, and bring the same to a fi­nal determination, before the said Committee of Indempnity sitting at Westminster; which said Committee are hereby authorized to hear and determine the same, as they shall see just cause. And be it further Enacted, That all Power and Authority formerly ve­sted in any Committee within the said Coun­ties, or of any thē, for the placing of Ministers [Page 14]in Ecclesiasticall Livings or Promotions, be from henceforth determined: And that no person or persons shall be from henceforth vested and setled in any Rectory, Vicarage or Ecclesiasticall Promotion within any of the said Counties, unless such person or persons so to be vested or setled, be recommended and approved of for the work of the Mini­stery, according to the tenor and true mean­ing of this Act: And that this Act shall con­tinue and be in force for the space of Three years, from the Five and twentieth day of March, One thousand six hundred and fifty, and no longer.