A DECLARATION OF THE SENSE OF THE Archbishops and Bishops; now in and about London, upon the Occasion of their Attendance in PARLIAMENT; Concerning the Irregular and Scandalous Proceedings of certain Clergymen at the Execution of Sir JOHN FRIEND and Sir WILLIAM PARKINS  
Printed for John Everingham at the Star in Ludgate-street, 1696.   

A DECLARATION OF THE SENSE OF THE Archbishops and Bishops, etc.   

A DECLARATION OF THE Sense of the Archbishops, and Bishops, Now in and about London, upon the Occasion of their Attendance in Parliament,  
Concerning the Irregular and Scandalous Proceedings of certain Clergymen, at the Execution of Sir JOHN FRIEND and Sir WILLIAM PARKINS.  
WE the Archbishops and Bishops, now in and about London upon occasion of our Attendance in Parliament, having seen a Printed Paper, Entitled, A true Copy of the Papers delivered by Sir John Friend and Sir William Parkins to the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex, at Tyburn the place of Execution, April 3. 1696. And being also certainly informed of the most irregular behaviour of Mr. Cook, Mr. Collier, and Mr. Snatt, in pretending to Absolve the said Criminals at their Execution, to the great scandal of the Church, and of our holy Religion, have therefore thought ourselves obliged to Declare our Sense of the same, as here followeth.  
1. As to the Paper before mentioned, we cannot but observe, that in that part to which Sir John Friend is Entitled, among many other things there delivered as his private Opinion, (for which we must leave him to God) there are mingled some things concerning the Church of England, to the great dishonour and reproach of it. That venerable Name is, by the Author of that Paper, appropriated to that part of our Church which hath separated itself from the Body; and more particularly, to a Faction of them who are so furiously bend upon the restoring of the late King, that they seem not to regard by what means it is to be effected. We have a sad instance of it in this very Person, who (as was deposed at his Trial) was privy to the horrid Design of Assassination, and yet neither discovered it, nor showed any dislike of it, but as he was afraid it might ruin King James and his 
* Trial p. 17.  Affairs; and was ready also, together with others of the same Christian Principle (as the Author of his Paper is bold to call it,) to Act in Conjunction with an Army of French Papists, for the Ruin of their Country, and the Extirpation of that Religion which they themselves do profess.  
2. As for Sir William Parkins, who also professed to die in the Communion of the Church of England, We cannot think he meant any thing elseby it, than that he adhered to the same violent Faction: being assured (as we are by very good Information,) that both he and Sir John Friend had withdrawn themselves from our Public Assemblies some time before their death. Which makes us the less wonder to find in both their Papers so light, and even favourable, a mention of that most Inhuman Design of Assassinating his Sacred Majesty: and especially in that of Sir William Parkins, who, though he was publicly convicted of his having engaged so many in that horrible Sin, yet after all could think to clear himself of it with this wretched excuse: 'Tis true, I was privy to the Design upon the Prince, but was not to Act in it. Blessed be God, there never was any of our Church, that in any change of times could have this laid to his charge, that he was so much as privy to a Design of Assassination.  
Lastly, For those Clergymen that took upon them to absolve these Criminals at the place of Execution, by laying, all three together, their hands upon their heads, and publicly pronouncing a Form of Absolution; as their manner of doing this was extremely insolent, and without Precedent, either in our Church, or any other that we know of, so the thing itself was altogether irregular.  
The Rubric in our Office of the Visitation of the sick, from whence they took the words they then used, and upon which, if upon any thing in our Liturgy, they must ground this their proceeding, gave them no Authority nor no Pretence for the absolving these Persons; nay, as they managed the affair, they acted in this Absolution far otherwise than is there directed.  
That Rubric is concerning sick Persons, and it is there required, First, That the sick person shall be moved to make a special confession of his Sins, if he feel his conscience troubled with any weighty matter, and then, after such confession, the Priest shall absolve him, if he humbly and heartily desire it. But here they absolved, and that publicly, Persons condemned by Law for Execrable Crimes, without so much as once moving them at that time to make a special confession of their sins, at least for those Sins for which they were condemned. And on the other side, here were persons Absolved that did not humbly desire Absolution, as feeling any such weighty Matter to trouble their Conscience; but on the contrary, in Sir John Friend's Paper it is declared that he had a great deal of satisfaction in suffering for that cause, which he firmly believed to be the Cause of God, and True Religion.  
If these Ministers knew not the State of these men's Souls before they gave them Absolution, as it is manifest two of them, Mr. Snatt and Mr. Cook did not, as to Sir William Parkins, (they having since declared that they had not spoke with Sir William till they were at the place of Execution,) how could they, without manifest Transgression of the Church's Order, as well as the profane abuse of the Power Christ hath left with his Ministers, absolve them from all their Sins?  
If they were acquainted with these men's Sentiments declared in their Papers, than they must look upon them, either as hardened Impenitents, or as Martyrs.  
We are so charitable to believe that they would not absolve them under the former Notion; for that had been, in effect, sealing them to Damnation: But if they held these men to be Martyrs, than their absolving them in that manner was a Justification of those grievous Crimes for which these men suffered, and an open affront to the Laws both of Church and State.  
Upon the Consideration of these Things, and for the doing of Right to our Church, which may otherwise suffer, among such as are strangers to our Constitution, by the evil Principles and Practices, both of the aforesaid Criminals, and the Three Clergymen that assisted them, who all pretended to be Members of the Church of England: We do declare, That we disown and detest all such Principles and Practices; looking upon them as highly Schismatical and Seditious; dangerous both to the Church and State, and contrary to the True Doctrine and Spirit of the Christian Religion. And we also take this occasion to warn and exhort all the People committed to our Charge, to beware of such Seducers, and to avoid them; lest (as the Apostle St. Peter speaks) they be led away with the error of the Wicked, and fall from their steadfast Adherence to the Principles of the True Church of England, as it was established at the blessed Reformation of Religion, and as by God's especial Providence it continues to this day.  
April 10th. 1696. 

Tho. Cantuar.  
Jo. Ebor.  
H. London.  
N. Duresme.  
P. Winchester.  
W. Cou. and Lich.  
Tho. Roffen.  
Sy. Eliens.  
Gil. Hereford.  
Jo. Norwich.  
Ric. Peterb.  
Ed. Gloucester.  
Rob. Chichester.  
E. Asaph.    
FINIS.