Smectymnuus

Smectymnuus, an answer to bishop Hall's remonstrance to Parliament in defense of his book Episcopacy of Divine Right. The name of the treatise is fictitious, made up of the initial letters of the authors, viz. Stephen Marshal, Edward Calamy, Thomas Young, Matthew Newcornen, and William Spurston. When the bishop replied to their book, these divines published a vindication of their answer to the Humble Remonstranoe. This being an appeal to the legislature on both sides, may be supposed to contain the merits of the controversy. The debate was upon these two heads — (1) of the antiquity of liturgies, or forms of prayer; (2) of the apostolical institution of diocesan episcopacy.