THE PETITION AND ARTICLES EXHIBITED IN PARLIAMENT Against Dr FULLER, DEANE OF ELY, AND Vicar of S. Giles Cripplegate. 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 prefer the Playhouse and the Taverns before the performance of their Office in the Church, as may appear by the said Articles. LONDON. Printed 1641. TO THE HONOURABLE THE Knights. Citizens▪ and Burgesses, Nowassembled in PARLIAMENT. The humble Petition of divers of the Parishioners of St. Giles Cripple-gato, London. HUMBLY SHOWING, THat the said Parish is very great, consisting of 40000 souls, 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 pernicious &c dangerous Doctrines, employeth to officiate for him, men scandalous in life, & by a selected vestry fit for his turn, doth grievously oppress the said Parishioners: as will further appear by the Schedule of Articles hereunto annexed. May it therefore please this Honourable House, to take into consideration these Premises, with the several Articles annexed, and to grant such relief herein, as to your great wisdoms shall seem most meet. And your Petitioners shall pray, etc. THE ARTICLES EXHIBITED In Parliament against Dr. Fuller Vicar of St. Giles Cripplegate. THe said Dr. Fuller in the Petition before mentioned, hath Pluralities of live, and thereby is a Non-Resident, allowing no Sermons on the Lord's day in the afternoon for many months 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 jesus, holding such a venerable esteem of the Ray los about the Table; that he hath caused divers persons for resting thereon in Sermon time, to be violently thrust out of the church, to the great disturbance of the Congregation, but slubbereth over the Sacrament of Baptism when the Congregation is appointed to sing a psalm: so that they cannot mind the duty to join with them in prayer. 3. He hath caused the new Canons with the Oath to be published in our church, urging obedience thereunto, saying, we have been feign to establish the King's regal power, and we have taken great pains to establish this for you, he being then a convocation man. 4 He hath published in the pulpit, that all our estates are at the King's disposing, and that th●●e is no difference between our church of England, and the church of Rome, in matter of substance, but in circumstance only, which might easily be reconciled. 5 He hath affirmed in his Sermon, since the Archbishops imprisonment, that there were divers who sought the life of the Archbishop, but if they did obtain it, God would require his brood at their hands. 6 The said Dr. hath causelessly sued and excommunicated divers poor parishioners, for that they refused to pay his pretended deuce lest unpaid by the former Inhabitants in their houses, enforcing them to sell their household stuff to pay the same. 7 The said Dr. and his Substitutes have exacted divers sums 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 unbaptised half a year 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 sums of money, easing themselves, and burd'ning others therein, disposing of the principal Officers at their pleasure, preferring friends and Allies (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 certain Parishioners attended to see the christian burial of a dead corpse, could neither find the said Doctor or his Curate, though having notice before thereof: after that also, another Corpse, than 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 corpse: but he would by no means 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 means come, until such time that the play was ended. 10 The said Doctor Fuller hath so oppressed 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 tavern on the Lord's day, and there drinking uncivilly, danced and sung most profaine, & ungodly songs, & dances, to the shame and disgrace of Religion, and to the grief of many Godly people, who took Notice thereof. THE HUMBLE PETITION Of divers of the Purishioners of St. Giles Cripplegate, London, against Timothy Hutton, Curate. Humbly showing, THat on Thursday, being the 15. day of October 16●1, at ten of the clock in the morning, john Sedgwick, Bachelor in Divinity, an Orthodox Minister of the Church of England, together with a Congregation of about four hundred persons, all Parishioners of St. Giles Cripplegate, London; waited at the Church door of St. Giles aforesaid, expecting the opening of the church doors, 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 rain, they were compelled to departed from the church door, being kept out, by the command of William Fuller, vicar there, Timothy Hutton his Curate, Thomas Bow, Godfrey Holmes, Samuel Taylor, jonathan Goldsmith, Churchwardens, Richard Harwood, and William Guly, Sextons, all Agents for the said vicar, james Andrew's, and Hutchins, pretended Clerks of 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 kennel 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 Annual Feast: whereunto being sent to invite a Noble Parishioner, who gave him 20 s. to carry the Stewards, to help bear their Charge and expenses. He deivered only ten shillings to them, and reserved the rest of the money to himself; which knavish prank being afterwards discovered, occasioned these following verses. WHy how now Hutton, art thou grown so poor, That thou esteemest thy credit worth no mare Then half a piece: me thinks its very strange, That one of your Frofession should exchange Plain dealing, for to get a little pelf; Sure you were drunk, at least were not yourself: When as you want t'invite that Noble Guest, Unto your Parish-Cockneyes yearly Feast, A business wherewith any Porter might, Have been entrusted, and have dealt upright. Yet you a Pulpeciere, the more's the pity, We have too many such within the City: But He forbear, and so conclude in few words, Wishing the Cockney's to get better Stewards; For thou art bafe, consider of is Hutton, Thy Credit hence forth, is not worth a Button. FINIS.