AN ORDINANCE PRESENTED TO THE Honourable house of Commons, by Mr. Bacon, a Lawyer in Suffolk, and Mr. Taet, both of them Members of the same House, and by their means was twice read, and referred to a COMMITTEE.  
Pretended for preventing, growing, and spreading of Heresies.  
With some brief Observations thereupon, showing how contrary it is to that Law of Love, which teacheth men to do to others, as they would have others do to them.  
London, Printed in the Year. 1646.   

An Ordinance presented to the honourable House of Commons, by Mr. Bacon, a Lawyer in Suffolk, and Mr. Taet, both of them Members of the same House, and by their means was twice read, and referred to a Committee.  
BE it ordained, that all such as shall from and after the date hereof, willingly preach, teach, print, or write, publish and maintain, any such opinion contrary to the Doctrines ensuing;  
Viz. That God is present in all Places, That God is, or that he is One in three Persons, Or doth know or foreknow all things; Or that he is Almighty, Or that he is perfectly Holy, Or that he is Eternal. Or that shall in like manner publish, That Christ is not God coequal with the Father; Or shall deny the Manhood of Christ, Or that the Godhead and Manhood of Christ are several Natures, Or that the Manhood of Christ, is pure, unspotted of sin; Or that shall publish, that Christ did not die, or risen from the dead; nor is ascended into Heaven bodily, Or that his death is meritorious in behalf of Believers. Or that shall publish or maintain, as aforesaid, that Christ is not the Son of God, Or that the Holy Ghost is not God, Or that the Scriptures are not the Word of God, Or that the Bodies of Men shall not rise after they be dead, Or that there is no day of judgement after death.  
Such publishing with obstinacy, shall be judged Felony: Such persons shall by two witnesses be bound over by two Justices unto the Gaol-delivery, and the Delinquent shall be indicted for Felony; and upon finding the same indictment, and that the party be found guilty, and shall not abjure his said error, he shall suffer the pairs of death, without benefit of Clergy: But upon abjuring of the said error, he shall upon two sufficient Sureties be bailed.  
And be it further ordained, ●hat if after abjuring the said errors, he shall publish it again, he shall be indicted and put to death.  
And be it further ordered, that if any person shall wittingly and presumptuously, or contrary to admonition, blaspheme the name of God, or any of the holy Trinity, or shall impugn the word of God, such offences shall be adjudged Felony, and the Offender committed without Bail or Mainprize; and the party being found guilty, shall be branded in the left Check, with the Letter B. and upon the like offence the second time shall suffer death.  
And be it further ordained, that all persons who shall publish any of the several errors hereafter ensuing, viz That all men shall be saved; that a man by nature hath free will to turn to God; That God may be worshipped by Pictures or Images; or that the soul of any man after death goes neither to Heaven nor Hell, but to Purgatory; or that the soul of man dies or sleeps when the body is dead; or that the revelations or workings of the Spirit, are a rule for a Christians life; though divers from, or contrary to ●he written Word of God; or that a man is bound to believe no more then by his reason he can comprehend; or that the Moral Law contained in the Ten Commandments, is no rule of a Christians life; or that God sees no sin in the justified; or that a Believer need not repent nor pray for the pardon of sin; or ●hat the two Sacraments of Baptism; and the Lords Supper, are not Ordinances commanded by the Word of God; or that the Baptising of Infants is unlawful; or that such Baptising is void, and of none effect; or that such persons are to be Baptised again: and in pursuance thereof, shall baptise any person formerly baptised: or that the observation of the Lords Day, as it is enjoined by the Ordinances and Laws of this Realm, is not according, or contrary to the Word of God, or that it is not lawful to ●yn in public, or Family Prayer, or to teach Children to pray; Or that the Churches of England are ●ot true Churches; Or that the Ministers or Ordinances, are not true Ministers or Ordinances, Or that the Church government by Presbytery, is Antichristian, or unlawful; or that the Magistracy, or power of the Civil Magistrate by law established in England, is unlawful; or that all the use of Arms for Public defence (be the cause never so just) is unlawful.  
And in case the party so accused for any of the said errors, be committed before two Justices, the party 〈◊〉 committed shall be ordered to renounce his said error in the public Congregation of the Parish Church whence the complaint comes; and in case he refuses or neglects the same at or upon the day, time, and place appointed by the said Justices, that he shall be committed to prison by the said Justices, until he shall find two Sureties, of Subsidy men that he shall not publish or maintain the said error or errors any more.  

Some brief Observations upon the foregoing Ordinance.  
1. THat Mr. Taet and Mr. Bacon be desired to offer to the consideration of the Honourable House, seriously to debate, how far their power can extend (as to the knowledge or worshipping of God) over the persons and Consciences of the people who in trust them.  
For how can there be an intrusting power of any thing, from any or many men, to the custody or ordering of any compacted body, but only such power which evidently appeareth to reside in every Individual part thereof in themselves.  
2. Mr. Taet and Mr. Bacon should do well first to prove, that any individual part of this Parliamant, or people, of any Nation, enjoys such a power in themselves, either to direct or compel their own consciences, in the knowledge or worship▪ of their Creator▪ which as yet is not evident, for  
It is Impossible that any finite creature can comprehend an Infinite incomprehensible God, for it appears by many texts of Scripture to be the only act of Love, that dwells with God to regulate and guide the hearts of men, according to his own good pleasure; who requireth no man to adore him in knowledge or worship, more or less, but as every man is fally persuaded in his own mind.  
For man in himself hath no kdowledge of God, But as God manifesteth himself unto him, therefore man of necessity must follow in practice the dictates thereof, otherwise man sinneth against the light of knowledge, whereby his condition is more abominable than the brute Beast that perisheth.  
3. That Mr. Taet and Mr. Bacon notwithstanding, they have done in this the Clergies work, will now at last move the Honourable House to remember how odious and abominable former Acts of Parliaments in such cases hath proved in the sight of this generation, some Parliaments establishing that Idol of popery, requiring conformity thereunto, under the pains of Death, affirming it to be agreeable to the Word of God. Other Parliaments condemns this way as Antichristian; and establisheth Episcopacy, alleging that agreeable to the mind of God, with the use of Common Prayer, Surplices, and other devices, requiring obedience thereunto, under the like pains and punishments. So that many for adhering to their judgements, suffered Death, for pretended Heresies and errors: which pretended errors since appeareth to be truth, and the guilt of their blood remains on this nation at this day, and had not such men outwent the limitation of Parliaments, we might have sat in darkness till this time. That this Parliament hath declared Episcopal government to be Antichristian, and settled Presbytery in stead thereof, but the Priests not contented therewith, without a sole power of jurisdiction over the lives and consciences of the people of this nation, indevoreth to enslave all enquiring people to seek knowledge from their lips, to believe as they believe, to know no more than they judge fit we should know.  
The contrary minded shall be inflicted with imprisonment, and death, under pretence of Blasphemy and errors, when there is no such thing can be brought forth by the contrivers thereof, much like the old Religion in Henry the eights time, hanging in Smithfeild a Protestant on one day for his judgement, and a Papist the next for his; to such a condition are we like to be reduced through the instigation of the Clergy of our times, whose end is their interest and domination over us the free people of England.  
FJNIS.