ARTICLES TO BE ENQVIRED OF IN THE ORDINARY Visitation of the Worshipful, Mr. LAWRENCE PAY, Archdeacon of Chichester. Anno Domini, 1635. engraving 〈…〉 Printed by THOMAS COATES. The form of the Oath to be ministered to all and every the Churchwardens and Quest-men. YOu shall swear, that all affection favour, hatred, hope of reward and gain, or fear of displeasure or malice set aside, you shall upon due consideration of the Articles given you in charge, present all and every such person of, or within your Parish as hath committed any offence mentioned in these or any of these Articles, or which are vehemently suspected and defamed of any such offence; wherein you shall discharge your consciences uprightly, and according to truth; neither of malice presenting any contrary to truth, nor of corrupt affection sparing to present any, and so conceal the truth, having in this action God before your eyes, with an earnest zeal to maintain truth and to suppress vice. So help you God, and his faithful promise contained in his holy Books. GOD save the KING. Articles concerning RELIGION, PRAYER and SACRAMENTS. FIrst, Heretical and Schismatical opinion. whether there be any abiding in or resorting to your parish, that be known to defend or maintain any Heretical or Schismatical opinions, contrary to the holy Scriptures of God, or do openly or secretly impugn, or dislike the public worship of God, or the Rites and ceremonies now established in the Church of England? 2 Item, Whether all and singular the Inhabitants or dwellers within your parish, Absence from the Church. do diligently repair to their parish Church on every Sabbath day and Holiday, according to the orders of the Church of England prescribed in that behalf? 3 Item, Labourers on Sundays or holidays. Whether any person or persons within your parish have laboured or wrought, or gone to plough or cart upon any Sabbath day, or Holiday: or have profaned any Sabbath or Holiday by unlawful Games, drinking and tippling, especially in the time of common prayer? 4 Item, Whether all and every one in your parish being of the age of 16. years, and of discretion, have received the holy communion, thrice at the least this last year, whereof once at Easter or thereabouts? 5 Item, Outward behaviour at prayers and Sacraments. Whether all and every one within your parish do use due reverence in the time of divine Service by the outward gesture of their bodies, in keeping their heads uncovered, in kneeling, standing, and other decent behaviour, as they are enjoined by the 18. Constitution, and Canon Ecclesiastical? 6 Item, Children not baptised. Whether any children died within your parish unbaptised: and by whose default was not the Sacrament of Baptism administered? 7 Item, Whether have you in your Church or Chapel, or Churchyard any Plays, Feasts, Banquets, Suppers, Church-ales, Drink, Temporal Courts, or Léets, Layiuries, Profanation of Churches. Musters, or any other profane usage, and who are the offenders, or by whom such abuses are suffered? Articles concerning Ministers and Preachers of Gods holy Word. Titul. 2 FIrst, Observation of the form of Common-Prayer. whether doth your Minister say or sing divine Service (according to the prescript form confirmed by his Majesty's Authority) distinctly and reverently on Sundays and Holidays, Wednesdays & Fridays, and the Eves of every Sunday and holiday, and at convenient & useful times of those days, and in such place as is meetest for the hearing of the people: and whether your Minister do observe the Orders, Rites, and Ceremonies, prescribed in the Book of Common prayer, as well in reading of the holy Scripture, and Prayers, as in administration of the Sacraments, without either adding or diminishing to or from the Book of Common Prayer? Diligent in execution of his office. 2 Item, Whether he be diligent, and careful, faithfully to execute his Pastoral Office and Function by reading of the holy Scriptures: and (in case he be an allowed Preacher) whether having no lawful impediment, he doth preach ordinarily: And being not allowed, doth procure Sermons in his Cure, once in every month at the least? Residence of the Minister. 3 Item, Is he a licened Preacher and by whom; is he resident upon his Benefice or not: if not, then by whom is the cure served, is your Curate licenced to serve the said Cure, if yea, then by whom: doth your Curate preach, if yea, then by whom is he licenced so to preach? Prayer for his Majesty. 4 Item, whether your Minister before his Sermon, Lecture, or Homily, do pray for his Majesty, giving him his lawful title, as in his just style, and commend his Highness, and our Royal Queen & Prince, in his prayers to Almighty God? 5 Item, Whether doth your Minister admit any to the holy Communion, Notorious offenders not Communicants. Sober conversation in Ministers. that are known to be notorious offenders, or any malicious or openly contentious persons, until they be reconciled? 6 Item, Whether your Parson, Vicar, or Curate, do keep any suspected woman in his house, or be an incontinent person, given to drunkenness, or idleness, a haunter of Taverns, Alehouses, or suspected places, or one that doth board or lodge in any such place; a dicer, carder, tabler, swearer, or given to base or servile labour, or otherwise doth give any evil example of life, and whether his apparel be comely and grave, as becometh his function and calling? A Register of Christen. Weddings and Burials. Minister's haunts. 7 Item, Whether your Minister and Churchwardens keep a Register of the Christinings, weddings, and Burials, according to the prescript form? 8 Item, Whether your Minister in time of Divine service or ministering the Sacraments (being a Graduate) doth wear a decent and comely surplice with sléeves, and upon it a Hood suitable to his Degree in the University: and if he be no Graduate, then doth he wear at such times such a surplice, as is above mentioned? Perambulations. 9 Whether do your Minister and parishioners yearly in Rogation week, walk the bounds of your parish, according to the accident custom? 10 Whether he doth Catechise duly, according to the order set down in the book of Common Prayer, and whether your parishioners do duly send their children and servants (especially such as be no Communicants) to the catechising: if not, to certify the Parents and Masters names of such children and servants, that a reformation may be had of the great defect in that Religious exercise? 11 Whether all such houses, outhouses, barns, stables, and other buildings belonging to your Parson, Vicar, or curate, be kept in sufficient reparations or no? if not, what are the decays and defects hereof? Articles concerning the Church. FIrst, whether have you in your Church or Chapel, Books and other implements of the Church. the Titul. 3 book of Common Prayer, by the King's Majesty confirmed, according to the Laws of this Realm; a Bible of the largest Volume and last translation; the book of Homilies allowed by authority; a decent Communion Table with a decent cloth and cover for the sme, a comely pulpit, a cloth and cushion for the same: a fair Communion Cup, a decent font-stone, wherein Baptism only is administered; a fine large surplice, a coffer with two locks, and keys, for the Register book to be safely kept? and whether one key be kept by the Minister, and the other by the Churchwardens? 2 Item, Whether your Churchyard be kept sweet and clean, and swine and other cattle kept out of the same, and whether it be well and sufficiently repaired, fenced and maintained with walls, Rails, or Pales, as hath been in each place accustomed? 3 Item, Whether your Church or Chappel, Church to be repared. with all parts belonging thereunto be decently kept in good and sufficient Reparation as becometh the House of God, and are the decays thereof prevented, so much as may be: if not, by whose default is the same hindered, or not done? Articles concerning the Churchwardens and Sidemen. Titul. 4 The choice of Churchwardens, and their accounts. FIrst, whether your Churchwardens and Sidemen be chosen yearly in some day of the Easter week, according to the Canon, and whether the Churchwardens and Sidemen, at the end of the year, or within one month after, do give a just and true account (before the Minister and the parishioners) of such money, and other things, as they have received and disbursed? 2 Item, Whether have the Churchwardens and Sidemen been diligent and careful in the execution of their office, to see decency and comeliness observed in the Church, in the time of common Prayer, and administration of the Sacraments, and that every parishioner behave himself orderly and soberly in the Church without disturbing the Minister and Preacher: and suffered no idle person to abide in the Churchyard, or the porch, during the time of divine Service or Sermon? Legacies given to godly uses, by whom detained. 3 Item, Whether, do you know of any Legacies given in the last Will and Testament of any person deceased, out of his movable goods, to the use of the poor, or reparations of the Church, or to either of the Universities, Oxford and Cambridge, or Schools of Learning, or Colleges for increase of virtue and knowledge, or to any other charitable end? what be those bequests? by whom were they given? and whether they have been paid (to the use aforesaid) by the Executors of any Testators deceased? If not, in whose possession or charge they be now remaining? Titul. 5 Articles concerning Matrimony. Marriage within the levitical Degrees forbidden Marriagge in private. Marriage without Banes or Licence. FIrst, Whether be there any in your parish that have married within the degrees of affinity or consanguinity, by the Laws of God forbidden? 2 Item, Whether have any Matrimony been secretly celebrated or solemnised within any private house, the banes being not three several Sundays or holidays (in the time of divine service) asked? or in the Parish Church, or any private house in time prohibited, without licence in that behalf obtained, who so married them, and what are their names that were so married? Married persons living apart without Divorce. 3 Item, Whether be there any persons coupled together in lawful manner, that do keep apart? and live asunder without lawful divorce? Articles concerning Schoolmasters and Curates. Titul. 6, FIrst, Schoolmasters not repaiing to church, by whom is your Schoolmaster (if you have any) licenced to teach, doth he repair to his parish Church in time of Common Prayer, and instruct and teach his scholars in the Principles of true Religion? 2 Item, Schoolmasters not to be Popish, or contemners of orders. Whether doth your Schoolmaster teach or is he suspected to teach any of his scholars, in Popery, superstition, disobedience, or contempt of the truth and Christian Religion, now established-within this Realm, or to contemn the orders Ecclesiastical? and is he careful to see that his scholars do duly and orderly frequent the Church? Articles concerning the Parishioners, and others of the Laity. Diligence of Churchwardens and Sidemen. FIrst, whether be there any in your parish which do affirm, that the form of God's worship in the Church of England, established by the Law, and contained in the Book of Common Prayer, is corrupt, superstitious, or unlawful, or contemneth any thing in it, and what be their names? 2 Item, Whether be there any that mislike of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England, Impugners of Rites and Ceremonies. by authority confirmed, or do affirm them to be wicked, Antichristian, superstitious, or such as godly and zealous men may not with a good conscience approve? 3 Item, whether be there any that have used themselves unreverent towards your Minister, or any other of the Clergy, either by unreverent speeches, or other unséemely behaviour to your knowledge, as you have credibly heard? 4 Item, Whether be there any in your Parish, Contention, Drunkenness, Uncleanness. that be malicious, contentious, or uncharitable persons, seeking the unjust vexation of their neighbours, common swearers, or blasphemers of the name of God, fornicators, adulterers, incestuous persons, bawds, or receivers of such incontinent persons, or harbourers of women with child unmarried, drunkards, ribaulds, or any that be not of good name and fame touching crimes or faults? 5 Item, Whether be there any man or woman in your parish that useth witchcrafts, sorceries Sorcery. charms, or unlawful prayer, or invocation, in Latin or English, or otherwise, or any that resorteth to such persons for counsel or for help, and what be their names, and who doth practise Physic or Chirurgery in the parish unlicensed thereunto? 6 Is there any of your Parish having a preacher to their Minister, that do absent themselves from his sermons and resort to other places, to hear other Preachers, or do any dwelling in your Parish communicate or baptise their children in any other Parish? 7 Have any in your Parish administered the goods of any person dying intestate, without lawful authority to them granted by the Ordinary, or before they have proved the Will or Testament of any person diseased that made any Will or Testament? Are there any Wills unproved, or goods not administered in your Parish? 8 What persons be communicate in your Parish, for what cause were they so excommunicate, how long have they so stood excommunicate? and do any of them repair to your parish Church, or to any other parish Church (to your knowledge) in time of Prayer unabsolved? 9 Have any excommunicate person or persons been buried in your Church or Chapel, or Churchyard, if yea, what were their names so buried, by whom were they so buried, and who were present at the same burials? 10 Do you know of any other matter worthy of presentment, or any person or persons that have committed any fault or offence contrary to any other his Majesty's Ecclesiastical laws, not set down or expressed in these Articles? or do you know of any person or persons that are vehemently suspected for committing any such fault or offence, by virtue of your oaths present the said faults, and the names of the persons that have committed, or are vehemently suspected for committing the same offences? There must be a full and several answer made to every particular Article and branch thereof. MEmorandum, it is lawful for every Minister (be he Parson, Vicar or Curate) to present any enormity, or common Fame of any enormous crime that shall arise within his Parish. And whereas it seemed by the Canon, that the Officers are not to present oftener than twice a year: it is to be understood as in that Canon appeareth; of presentments in general. But it is lawful & meet for every Minister, Churchwardens, and Sidemen, to make notorious Offenders known to their Ordinaries, as often as occasion is offered, to the end that such offences may in due time be punished and reform.