It is ordered by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament affembled, That the Queen's Remembrancer do bring to the Lords Committees appointed to confider of the Obfervations delivered by the Commiffioners of Accounts, To-morrow at Ten o'Clock, the Impreft Rolls tranfmitted to him fince the Twentieth of April 1697, being the Time from which the Act commenced.

It is ordered by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament affembled, That the Commiffioners for public Accounts have notice, that this House hath appointed a Committee to confider of the Obfervations delivered into this Houfe by them, To-morrow at Ten o'Clock in the Forenoon, in the Prince's Lodgings near the House of Peers.

Die Mercurii 30 Februarii, 1702.

This Day Mr. Barker, Deputy to her Majefty's Remembrancer, brought the other Imprest Rolls, as ordered Yesterday, which were delivered to the Committee.

His Grace the Duke of Somerfet reported, That the Lords Committees appointed to confider of the Obfervations from the Commiffioners of Accounts, That they have taken the first Obfervation into Confideration, in relation to the Auditor of the Exchequer; and that the Commiffioners of Accounts had notice of the Committee's Sitting, yet none of them attended; and therefore the Committee is of Opinion, That a Meffage be fent to the Houfe of Commons, that they may have leave to attend: To which the House agreed. Then,

A Meffage was fent to the House of Commons by Sir John Franklyn and Sir Richard Holford, to acquaint them, That this Houfe hath appointed a Committee to confider of the Obfervations in the Book of Accounts, laid before this Houfe by the Commiffioners of Accounts the fifteenth of January laft, and also thofe delivered yesterday from the faid Commiffioners: That the Committee met Yesterday in the Morning, and had proceeded upon the first Obfervation, and the additional Obfervation, relating to the Auditor of the Receipt of the Exchequer; and thofe Commiffioners being Members of the Houfe of Commons, the Lords do defire that the Houfe would give leave, that thofe Commiffioners, or fome of them, should attend the faid Committee, on Friday next, at Ten o'Clock in the Forenoon.

Die Jovis 40 Februarii, 1702.

The Meffengers fent to the House of Commons Yesterday, return Answer, that the Commons will fend an Anfwer by Meffengers of their own.

Die Veneris 50 Februarii, 1702.

His Grace the Duke of Somerset reported from the Lords Committees appointed to confider of the Obfervations delivered into this House from the Commiffioners of Accounts, That the faid Commiffioners had not attended the Committee, but upon Confideration of the whole Matters, the Committee had ordered him to report, as followeth.

The

The Committee appointed to confider of the Obfervations in the Book of Accounts, delivered into this Houfe the fifteenth Day of January laft, and the fecond of this Inftant February, have made fome Progrefs in confidering the faid Obfervations, and do humbly take leave to acquaint the Houfe, That they have examined into the firft of those Obfervations, and alfo the further Obfervation delivered into this Houfe the fecond Inftant, relating to the tranfmitting the ordinary Impreft Rolls to the Queen's Remembrancer: They have infpected feveral of the original Impreft Rolls delivered into the Houfe by Mr. Barker, Deputy to her Majefty's Remembrancer: They alfo examined divers Officers of the Exchequer, and others upon Oath; and do find, That by the ancient and uninterrupted Courfe of the Exchequer, two Impreft Rolls are to be made out for each Year; the one comprehending all Sums Impreft from the End of Trinity Term, to the End of Hillary Term; the other containing all fach Sums from that Time to the End of Trinity Term; which Rolls are commonly called Half-Yearly Rolls, though improperly: They find that by the ancient Courfe of the Exchequer, thefe Impreft Rolls, being made out by the Auditor of the Receipt, are to be delivered by him to the Clerk of the Pells, whofe Duty it is to examine and fign them; And this being done, the Clerk of the Pells delivers them to the Remembrancer.

This Ufage was by Degrees difcontinued in the Reign of King Charles the Second; and the Remembrancer or his Agent ufed to come to the Office of the Auditor of the Receipt, and take away the Impreft Rolls from thence immediately But in the Time when the Earl of Rochester was Treasurer, the ancient Ufage was reftored, and he did order that the Impreft Rolls fhould be carefully examined and figned by the Clerk of the Pells, before they should be tranfmitted to the Remembrancer, and accordingly fince that Time, the ancient Custom has been obferved, as well before, as fince the Act of Par liament made in the Eighth and Ninth Year of his late Majefty, For the better Obfervation of the Course anciently used in the Receipt of the Exchequer : (that is to fay) The faid Half-Yearly Rolls, when made out and figned by the Auditor, have been by him tranfmitted to the Clerk of the Pells, and when the Clerk of the Pells has examined and figned them, he or his Deputy has delivered them to the Remembrancer, and this appears by the Remembrancer's Endorsement upon the Rolls. the Rolls. The Committee finds that Charles Lord Halifax has been Auditor of the Receipt from the End of November, 1699. Since which time fix Impreft Rolls have been tranfmitted to the Remembrancer, and there is a feventh Roll now under Examination of the Office of the Pells, and no other Roll can be prepared till after the twelfth of this Inftant February.

Upon the whole Matter the Committee are humbly of Opinion, That Charles Lord Halifax, Auditor of the Receipt of the Exchequer, hath performed the Duty of his Office, in tranfmitting the ordinary Impreft Rolls to the Queen's Remembrancer, according to the ancient Custom of the Exchequer, and the Direction of the Act VIII. and IX. Gulielmi III. Regis, entitled, An Act for the better Obfervation of the Course anciently used in the Receipt of the Exchequer; and that he hath not been guilty of any Neglect or Breach of Truft, upon that Account.

Which Report being read, as alfo the Examinations taken upon Oath by the Committee, as alfo the Dates and Endorsements of the feveral Impreft Rolls, delivered by Mr. Barker, Deputy to the Queen's Remembrancer; it was propofed to agree with the Opinion of the Committee in this Report.

Then the Question was put, Whether this House will agree to the Opinion of the Committee in this Report?

It was refolved in the Affirmative.

It is refolved and declared by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal in Parliament affembled, That Charles Lord Halifax, Auditor of the Receipt of the Exchequer hath performed the Duty of his Office, in tranfmitting the ordinary Impreft Rolls to the Queen's Remembrancer, according to the ancient Custom of the Exchequer, and the Direction of the A&t VIII. and IX. Gulielmi III. Regis, entitled, An At for the better Obfervation of the Course anciently used in the Receipt of the Exchequer, and that he hath not been guilty of any Neglect or Breach of Trust upon that Account.

The

The Naked Truth: Or, the true State of the Primitive Church. By an Humble Moderator, Herbert Croft Bishop of Hereford, as verily fuppofed.

Zach. viii. 19. Love the Truth and Peace.

Gal. iv. 16. Am I therefore become your Enemy, because I tell you the Truth?

Anno 1675.

An Humble Petition to the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons Affembled in Parliament.

M

Y Lords and noble Gentlemen, You have fully expreffed your Zeal to God and his Church in making Laws for Unity in Faith, and Uniformity in Difcipline: for, as our Saviour faid, A Kingdom divided against itself cannot stand; fo the fame may certainly be faid of a Church, the reafon being the fame for both: And I call the Searcher of all Hearts, the God of Life and Death, to witness, that I would moft readily, yea moft joyfully facrifice all I have in this World, my Life and All, that all Non-Conformists were reduced to our Church. But it falls out most fadly that your Laws have not the defired Effect, our Church is more and more divided; fuch is the perverse Nature of Man, Niti in Vetitum, obftinately to oppofe Authority, especially when they can pretend the Colour of Religion and Confcience; this carries fo great an Applaufe among the Vulgar (ftill envious at Superiors) that it is, as it were, Nuts to an Ape, fweeter to them than any other thing this World affords: for the Enjoyment of this they will endure any thing, Imprifonment, Lofs of Goods, yea fometime of Life alfo. And this is it which mainly nourishes our Divifions, gives great Advantage to the Growth of Popery, and threatens the total Ruin of our Church. Many who were formerly very zealous for our Church, feeing thefe our fad Divifions, and not feeing thofe of the Roman Church, nor their grofs Superftitions (which their Priests conceal till they have got Men fast) are eafily feduc'd by their pretended Unity, and daily fall from us. This makes my Heart to bleed, and my Soul with Anguifh ready to expire, rather than live to fee that difmal Day of Relapfe into their manifold Idolatrics. Wherefore I humbled my Soul before God in fafting and Prayer, begging daily the Affiftance of his Holy Spirit, to direct me to fome healing Salve for thefe our bleeding Wounds: And therefore I have fome Reason to believe, that what is contained in thefe following Papers, comes from the great Goodness of God, who never fails thofe who feek him in Humility and Sincerity both, which I am confident I have done; and this I am fure of that no wordly Defigns have moved me to this, but have often tempted me to give it

VOL. III.

over; I am also fure, that there is nothing contained therein, which is contrary to the known Laws of the Land: in this only I confefs I have tranfgreffed, in putting it forth without Licence; and for this I beg of God and you, as Naaman did of Elifha; In this thing the Lord and you pardon your Servant; and I hope you will fay unto me as Elifba did unto Naaman, Go in Peace; and I farther hope this fhall not caft fuch a Prejudice upon it, as to make you caft it by, or read it with Difguft. I do not expect you fhonld approve any thing upon the Account of my feeking God in this, but upon my Reasons alledged; nor do I expect that upon my Reafons you fhould approve all yet I beseech you. feriously confider all, and God of his infinite Goodness direct you to that which may make for the Unity of our Church, by yielding to weak Ones (if not wilful Ones alfo) as far as your Reafon and Confcience will permit: fure you cannot fo loath all Condefcention, as not to loath more, and deteft Papal Confufion, which certainly comes on apace by our Divifion; and of two Evils, both Reafon and Religion require us to chufe the lefs; now doubtless you cannot think. Condefcention (if evil at all, fure not) fo evil as Papal Idolatry, and that Papiftry is Idolatry, is fo clearly proved by our learned Dr. Stillingfleet, as it were Toft Labour to fay more of it. Condefcention may feem in fome respects imprudent, but whether in this Conjuncture of Affairs imprudent, I befeech you: again confider well. The wifeft Men have changed their Counsels and Refolves upon fecond Thoughts, much more upon Experience, and approaching Evils not at first discovered. It is a common thing with Princes when they find their main Enemies Power encrease much, to make Peace with leffer Enemies, on. Conditions never before to be endured; Self-prefervation being the prime Principle in all Creatures rational and irrational, fpringing from Nature itself, it should in Nature and Reafon over-ballance any other Confideration; and whatever is done to this End, if not finfully done, muft needs be wifely done. Imoft humbly befeech the All-wife God, and fole Giver of Wisdom, to pour down his holy and wife Spirit upon you. Amen..

C

To the READER..

Hriftian Reader, fo I term you, hoping you have in fome Meafure the Spirit of Chrift, and defire it more, the Spirit of Meekness, Humility, Charity, not: to cenfure my Errors, and inveigh against them, but to pity and endeavour to rectify them, if you find any; and I affure you in the Word of a Christian, I shall be far more ready to recant, than to vent an Error: If you be not thus chriftianly difpofed, I earnestly befeech you read no further, for I am fure you will be difpleas'd with. it and can you think it Wisdom. to run your felf into Difpleasure? enjoy your prefent Quiet, and let me reft. But if you be fo Chriftianly difpofed as I mentioned, then I as earnestly beg of you to proceed, to difcover my Errors and amend them. But perchance you will ask who I am, why did I not tell you, by putting my Name to this Pamphlet ? I will ingenuously confefs the Coufe. I am a weak Man, of great Paffions, not able to bear Commendations or Reproach; my small Ability puts me out of Danger of the First, but in great fear of the Latter. Why then was I fo forward to publish my Weakness? to bave it cured; yet truly I have not been very for

ward,