lar way by the King's
consent, the houses resorted, in this as in other things, to their
peremptory plan of ordinance by their own authority. On May 13, 1643, an
ordinance for calling an assembly was introduced in the Commons; which
ordinance, after due going and coming between the two Houses, came to
maturity June 12th, when it was entered at full length in the Lords
Journals. "Whereas, among the infinite blessings of Almighty God upon
this nation"--so runs the preamble of the ordinance--"none is, or can
be, more dear to us than the purity of our religion; and forasmuch as
many things yet remain in the discipline, liturgy, and government of the
Church which necessarily require a more perfect reformation: and whereas
it has been declared and resolved, by the Lords and Commons assembled in
parliament, that the present church government by archbishops, bishops,
their chancellors, commissaries, deans, deans and chapters,
arch-deacons, and other ecclesiastical officers depending on the
hierarchy, is evil, and justly offensive and burdensome to the kingdom,
and a great impediment to reformation and growth of religion, and very
prejudicial to the state and government of this kingdom, and that
therefore they are resolved the same shall be taken away, and that such
a government shall be settled in the Church as may be agreeable to God's
Holy Word, and most apt to procure and preserve the peace of the Church
at home, and nearer agreement with the Church of Scotland, and other
reformed churches abroad. Be it therefore ordained," etc.

What is ordained is that one hundred forty-nine persons, enumerated by
name in the ordinance--ten of them being members of the Lords House,
twenty members of the Commons House, and the other one hundred nineteen
mainly the divines that had already been fixed upon, most of them a year
before--shall meet on July 1st next in King Henry VII's chapel at
Westminster; and that these persons, and such others as shall be added
to them by Parliament from time to time, shall have power to continue
their sittings as long as Parliament may see fit, and "to confer and
treat among themselves of _such matters and things_ concerning the
liturgy, discipline, and government of the Church of England, or the
vindicating and clearing of the doctrine of the same from all false
aspersions and misconstructions, _as shall be proposed by either or both
houses of Parliament, and no other_." The words in Italics are
important.