THE PETITION AND ARTICLES EXHIBITED IN PARLIAMENT Against D r FVLLER, DEANE OF ELY, AND Vicar of S. Giles Cripple-gate. WITH THE PETITION Exhibited in Parliament against Timothy Hutton, Curate of the said Parish, By the Parishioners of Saint Giles.
Wherein are discovered many Popish Innovations, and disservice to the Church, and placing such to officiate, who preferre the Play-house and the Taverns before the performance of their Office in the Church, as may appeare by the said Articles.
LONDON. Printed 1641.
TO THE HONOVRABLE THE Knights. Citizens▪ and Burgesses,
Nowassembled in PARLIAMENT.
The humble Petition of divers of the Parishioners
of St. Giles Cripple-gato, London.
THat the said Parish is very great, consisting of 40000 soules, or thereabouts, having no constant Preaching Minister amongst them, although the Living be worth seven hundred pounds, per annum, to the present incumbent William Fuller Dr. in Divinity, who being a Popish Innovator, broacheth very pernitious &c dangerous Doctrines, imployeth to officiate for him, men scandalous in life, & by a selected vestry fit for his turne, doth grievously oppresse the said Parishioners: as will further appeare by the Schedule of Articles hereunto annexed.
May it therefore please this Honourable House, to take into consideration these Premises, vvith the severall Articles annexed, and to grant such reliefe herein, as to your great vvisedomes shall seeme most meet.
THE ARTICLES EXHIBITED In Parliament against D r. Fuller Ʋicar of St. Giles Cripple-Gate.
THe said Dr. Fuller in the Petition before mentioned, hath Pluralities of livings, and thereby is a Non-Resident, allowing no Sermons on the Lords day in the afternoone for many moneths together, and if any at all, [...]ne but scandalous livers have usually supplye [...] the place.
2. He useth superstitious cringing and bowing to the Communion table, and the name Iesus, holding such a venerable esteeme of the Ray los about the Table; that he hath caused divers persons for resting thereon in Sermon time, to bee violently thrust out of the church, to the great disturbance of the Congregation, but slubbereth over the Sacrament of Baptisme when the Congregation is appointed to sing a psalme: so that they cannot mind the duty to joyne with them in prayer.
3. He hath caused the new Canons with the Oath to be published in our church, urging obedience [Page]thereunto, saying, we have been faine to establish the Kings regall power, and wee have taken great paines to establish this for you, hee being then a convocation man.
4 He hath published in the pulpit, that all our estates are at the Kings disposing, and that th [...]e is no difference betweene our church of England, and the church of Rome, in matter of substance, but in circumstance onely, which might easily bee reconciled.
5 He hath affirmed in his Sermon, since the Arch-bishops imprisonment, that there were divers who sought the life of the Arch-bishop, but if they did obtain it, God would require his brood at their hands.
6 The said Dr. hath causelesly sued and excommunicated divers poore parishioners, for that they refused to pay his pretended dues lest unpaid by the former Inhabitants in their houses, enforcing them to sell their houshold stuff to pay the same.
7 The said Dr. and his Substitutes have exacted divers summes of money for Burials & other [...] refusing to officiate in cases of necessity, without composition before hand, forcing thereby the Parishioners to bury the dead themselves, & to keep their children unbaptized halfe a yeare together.
8 The said Dr. by his conclave, or selected Vestry, exerciseth tyranny over the estates and liberties of the said Parishioners, by injurious taxing, and levying divers summes of money, easing them selves, and burd'ning others therein, disposing of the principall Officers at their pleasure, preferring [Page]friends and Allyes (though scandalous in life) and keeping out godly & well-affected persons, under the name of Puritan's.
9 The said Dr. Fuller hath so ill provided for this so great a Parish, that besides much other disservice: there having certaine Parishioners attended to see the christian buriall of a dead corps, could neither find the said Doctor or his Curate, though having notice before thereof: after that also, another Corps, then a third, all attending in the church yard, And at the last; hearing that Timothy Hutton his Curate, was at the Fortune to see a Play, they sent to desire him, to officiate for the three corps: but hee would by no meanes come; then they sent a second, and a third time also, certifying how long they had there waited: yet would the said Timothy Hutton by no meanes come, untill such time that the play was ended.
10 The said Doctor Fuller hath so opprest the said parish, by profane and ungodly persons, to officiate for him, as have given very ill examples, & of dangerous consequent to evill-affected people in the parish, as the said Timothy Hutton; who hath from his pulpit repaired to the taverne on the Lords day, and there drinking uncivilly, danced and sung most profaine, & ungodly songs, & dances, to the shame and disgrace of Religion, and to the griefe of many Godly people, who tooke Notice thereof.
THE HUMBLE PETITION Of divers of the Purishioners of St. Giles Cripple-Gate, London, against Timothy Hutton, Curate.
THat on Thursday, being the 15. day of October 16 [...]1, at ten of the clock in the morning, Iohn Sedgwick, Batchelor in Divinity, an Orthodox Minister of the Church of England, together with a Congregation of about foure hundred persons, all Parishioners of St. Giles Cripplegate, London; waited at the Church doore of St. Giles aforesaid, expecting the opening of the church doores, for the continuance of a weekly Lecture there; begun that day seven night by the said Mr. Sedgwick, according to an Order of the said House dated the viij. day of September last. And after one honres attendance in the raine, they were compelled to depart from the church door, being kept out, by the command of VVilliam Fuller, vicar there, Timothy Hutton his Curate, Thomas Bough, Godfrey Holmes, Samuel Taylor, Ionathan Goldsmith, Church-wardens, Richard Harwood, and William Guly, Sextons, all Agents for the said vicar, Iames Andrewes, and Hutchins, pretended Clarkes of [Page]the said Parish: all enemies to the Reformation intended, and disturbers of the peace of the said Congregation.
This deboist Curate was taken out of the kennell drunk, at midnight, in a most lamentable case, & was forced by a Justice of peace, not long since, to pay a shillings for swearing of two Oaths. His freshest Deploit was at a late Annuall Feast: whereunto being sent to invite a Noble Parishioner, who gave him 20 s. to carry the Stewards, to helpe beare their Charge and expences. He deivered onely ten shillings to them, and reserved the rest of the money to himselfe; which knavish pranke being afterwards discovered, occasioned these following verses.