Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 2.djvu/189

368 & thought all their service they ought to the church was only preaching, are brought to yield themselves in partem curæ and become curates as well as Lecturers. 6. The disrespect yt ye ministers have shewed of the publick prayers of ye church hath bred suche irreverence in ye people, that it is a rare thing in many places to see any upon their knees at ye reading of the prayers, or (almost) at the receiving of the Sacrament; and some stick not to say that sitting was ye fittest gesture both at the prayers and at ye Sacrament.

7. It was scarce found in any place yt the Communion Table was placed in such sort as yt it might appeare it was any whitt respected, but so placed yt boyes and others might sitt about it & leane upon it; and in many places, by teaching of children in the church, or chancell, the Communion Table was ye place where ye boyes did all their businesse, and oftentimes eate their victualls upon it. For redresse of wch abuses in time to come there is order geven. At Chester the Deane and Chapter have placed their Communion Table where it ought to stand, & have decently furnished it. But it is not so at Carlile. 8. In some places of these two Diocesses there are some goodly churches, & reasonably well kept in repayre; but so defaced wth galleries, & pewes, as it is not to be endured. For reformacion whereof there is good order geven, if it be performed according to promise made by the ministers and churchwardens. At Wiggen in Lancashire, a Benefice of good worth wch the Bishop of Chester holdeth in commendam, the Bishop hath built a faire large chancell.

In most other places ye churches are very miserable, and ruinous in the fabrick, and kept so sordidly wthin as would trouble any Christian to see it. The two Cathedrall Churches are not as they ought to be; and in each of them there is this inconvenience, that they are as well parish churches as Cathedrall churches; whereby there groweth a question touching ye repayre of the fabrick. And there is by this occasion another inconvenience, that at the same time there is double service in ye same church. The service wth Voices and Organs in the Quire, and ye reading service in ye body of the church. And when, in either place, any part of the service yt is prescribed is omitted, or mutilated, ye answere hath ben, that the one geveth way to ye other, & what is omitted in ye