A REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE CHARGE AGAINST MATHEW WREN, Bishop of Ely, to the House of COMMONS, July 5th. 1641. With the Vote of the House hereupon.  
Printed in the year 1641.   

A Report of the Committee of the Charge against Matthew Wren, Bishop of Ely to the House of COMMONS, july 5th. 1641.  

1. THAT the said Matthew Wren, Bishop of Ely, hath Excommunicated, Deprived, or Banished, within the space of two years, fifty Godly, Learned, and painful Ministers.  
2. His Practising Superstition in his own person.  
3. His causing the Communion Table to be placed Altarwise, and to be Railed in, and Kneeling, and Consecrating the Bread and Wine, at the West side of the Communion Table, with his back towards the People, and bowing to, or before the same.  
4. Elevating the Bread, and Wine, high over his head, that the People might see it.  
5. Causing all the pews, or Seats, to be so contrived, as that the People must of necessity kneel with their faces towards the East.  
6. Employed his power to restrain powerful Preaching, forbidding all Sermons on Sundays afternoon, or in the week days, without his Licence, and least expounding the Catechism, and Common Prayer Book, should be as bad a Preaching, as he and some of his Officers said; therefore he inhibits any manner of exposition, and inioynes only the bare question and answer in the Common Prayer Book.  
7. And to the end the People shall not know where there is any Sermons, Commands all Ringing of Bells to be alike, that so the People may not ●●●guish where there is a Sermon, or where there is but Prayers.  
8. He permitted no Prayer to be said before Sermon, but that which is directed in the 39 Cannon, which hath no warrant of Law; and after Sermon suffers no Prayer at all, but only Gloria Patri, etc.  
9 He did publish a Book of Articles, to which the Church Wardens were to be sworn; and these thirty nine Articles contain at least 897 Questions: One whereof was this. Doth any man discourse profanely at meal time, touching Religion or the holy Scripture?   
Another, Doth the Minister Expound the holy Scripture according to the sense of the Ancient Fathers? Which Questions it is believed, would puzzle the deepest learned Churchwarden in England, to answer.  
And after some time spent in the debate of the said Articles, it was resolved upon the question, and Voted, that it is the opinion of this House, that Matthew Wren Bishop of Ely, is unworthy, and unfit, to hold or exercise any Office or Dignity, in the Church or Commonwealth. And further Voted, that there be a Message sent to the Lords, to desire them to join with the Commons, in Petitioning his Majesty, to remove Bishop Wren, both from his person, and Service.  
FINIS.