February - the Free Presbyterian church of Scotland

50
The Free Presbyterian Magazine
which most of the godly ministers could not submit to. First, it required them
to be re-ordained if they had not been previously ordained by a bishop. This
was unacceptable because it would mean rejecting their actual ordination,
which they rightly considered to be absolutely valid in the sight of God.
Second, ministers were required to express their unfeigned assent to everything
in the Prayer Book.
The first difficulty for ministers was that the new Prayer Book was printed
only three weeks before August 24, so that it was impossible to have copies
circulated to the more distant parts of the country – even Lancashire, for
instance – by that date. One ejected minister pointed out afterwards that he
was silenced for not declaring his consent to a book which he had not seen,
and could not have seen. Wholehearted Puritans could not subscribe to a
book which, for instance, taught baptismal regeneration and required ministers
(1) to use the sign of the cross in baptism, (2) to reject from the Lord’s Supper
all who would not receive it kneeling (a posture that implied worship of the
elements), (3) to believe that God has appointed bishops, priests and deacons
as three distinct orders in the Church, (4) to declare that all those they buried
were regenerate (unless unbaptized, excommunicated or suicides), (5) to use
readings from the Apocrypha.
Further, ministers were to swear obedience to their Bishop according to
the canons of the Church, and 72 of these canons, dating back to 1603-04
were directed against Puritan positions. A minister was condemned by
Canon 4, for instance, if he suggested that the Prayer Book contained
“anything repugnant to the Scriptures”; by Canon 7 if he affirmed that “the
government of the Church of England by archbishops, bishops, deans etc is
repugnant to the Word of God”. Canon 58 declared that “every minister, when
officiating, is required to wear a surplice, under pain of suspension” (the surplice
is a tunic with wide sleeves which the Puritans rejected because of its
Roman Catholic associations and because it had no authority from Scripture).
And Canon 68 required ministers “to baptize all children without exception”.
Then there was the matter of the Solemn League and Covenant, which
many ministers had subscribed; now they were required to declare: “I do
hold there lies no obligation upon me, or any other person, from the oath
commonly called, The Solemn League and Covenant, to endeavour any
change or alteration of government either in church and state; and that the
same was in itself an unlawful oath, and imposed upon the subjects of this
realm against the known laws and liberties of this kingdom”. Even some who
had never taken this covenant could not in conscience take such an oath as
was now being demanded of them. Besides, all ministers were required to
make the following political statement: “I . . . do declare that it is not lawful,