A CLERGYMAN OF THE Church of England His Vindication of Himself for Reading His Majesty's Late DECLARATION.  
With Allowance.  
THo' my Averseness from all appearance of Opposition to Our Most Reverend Metropolitan, and the Reverend Bishop of this Diocese made me Resolve (as I acquainted a Learned man in Answer to a Letter I lately received from him) that I would not Publish any thing upon ●…ion of this Great Controversy; yet upon Second Thoughts of My Duty 〈◊〉 Our Gracious Sovereign, and the Regard I ought to have to My own Reputation in reference to that Apostolical Injunction, Let no man Despise 〈◊〉 I now Resolve to make known to the World what Reasons I had to 〈◊〉 the DECLARATION.  
I received it from the hands of the Totness-Apparitor, without the Least doubt or scruple but that it came from my Lord Bishop of Exeter: I read it the Sunday after I received it. The Saturday following I received a Letter from the Apparitor, acquainting me that it was my Lord Bishop's Pleasure that I should not Read the DECLARATION. Since that time I have often said that I shall not make the least scruple to Read it again, if I shall receive an Order so to do from the KING, or the Bishops: And yet amongst a Multitude of the Foulest Calumnies imaginable that have been raised against ●…e upon this Occasion, this is one, that I am so vexed and disquieted in mind for ●…aving read this DECLARATION that I am like to be quite Distracted ●…rough Anguish that ever I did such a thing. This is so Prodigious a Lie, at GOD is my Witness I never had the least Inclination to Repent of it. ●…ave written to several Learned men of the Church of England, that in a ●●ere Desire to keep a Conscience void of Offence both towards GOD, 〈◊〉 towards Men, I resolved to submit to this Order, upon these, and the 〈◊〉 Considerations," That Our Sovereign Lord the King, has a Right to Declare or make known his Mind as to any Matter whatsoever, to every ●…e of his Subjects: And Consequently that he has a Right to Constrain ●…l Priests and Deacons to be his Instruments to make his Mind known by ●…eading any DECLARATION, etc. I was prompted to these thoughts my Remembrance of those words of St. Gregory, which I took special 〈◊〉 of Twenty years since.  St. Greg. Regist. L. 2. Ep 62. Greg.— Gregorius Mauricio Augusto. 
Ego quidem Jussioni Subjectus, eandem Legem per diversas terrarum pa●… transmitti feci, & quia Lex ipsa Omnipotenti Deo minime concordat, ecce per 〈◊〉 gestionis meae paginam serenissimis Dominis nunciavi Utrobique ergo quae d●… exolui, qui & Imperatori Obedientiam praebui, & pro Deo quod sensi minime t●…  
Since I am subject to Your Command, I caused the Law (you had sent me▪ 〈◊〉 be dispersed through divers parts of the World; and, because the Law itself i●… so agreeable to the Will of Almighty God, behold I have declared the same by 〈◊〉 Paper which suggests my Reasons. And by doing so, I have in both regards pa●… Duty I owed; while I both perform my Obedience to the Emperor, and 〈◊〉 known my sentiments in relation to God.  
I suppose all the Learned Clergy of the Church of England know w●… saying this is: If the Exemption from Obedience be not as Eviden●… 〈◊〉 the Command to Obey, it must needs be Sin not to Obey. This I 〈◊〉 fastly Believe; and therefore I am Resolved by the Help of God to do 〈◊〉 thing that His Majesty shall Command Me, unless I find it to be of s●… nature, that I shall be ready to Declare to His Majesty and All the W●… that I am so Confident that the performance of such an Action wou●… 〈◊〉 Contrary to the Law of God, Declared in the Holy Scriptures, or to 〈◊〉 Law of the Land, or to some Canon or Constitution Ecclesiastical, that I 〈◊〉 be ready to lay down my Life in Testimony that my refusing to do▪ 〈◊〉 the King Commands is not in Disobedience to Him, but in True ●…ence to the King of Kings: And with this Resolution I Pity all my ●…mies; and I Desire my Friends not to be Troubled when they hear M●… Bitterly Censured, and Reviled; but to Consider that some of the Rep●… that are Daily cast upon Me make Me expressly Conformable to th●…●…ferings of Our Blessed LORD, of whom it was said: He hath a Dev●… 〈◊〉 is MAD, why hear ye him?  
Edmund Ellis, Rector of East-Alling in Devon.  
FINIS.   

LONDON Printed, and Published by Randal Taylor, near Stationers-Hall. 1●●●