in the Miniftry that were fit either to Pray or Preach, both the Liturgy and Homilies (fuch as they could then provide) were appointed as needful Helps, and which gave the Rulers the Occafion of reftraining Preaching only to fuch as fhould be Licen fed, to fecure them from returning to their old Idolatry. This Service Book was firft fet forth 2 & 3 Edw. VI. and afterwards corrected 3 & 4 Edw. VI. On the first Edition of that Book, there was no Nonconformist to direct an Act against, besides the Papifts. But on the fecond Edition, there appear'd a confiderable Party of Oppofers, among whom were no lefs Men than Miles Coverdale, John Hooper, Mr. Rogers, and others, who having fled beyond-Sea, upon the Six Articles, and now return'd into England, and finding how very defective the Reformation was, and how many Popish Ceremonies, Geftures and Veftments, were still retain'd, could not conceal their Diffatisfaction, but refus'd to comply: But Cranmer and Ridley, who by Politick Compliances had weather'd out that Storm, endeavour'd to defend them under the Pretences of Antiquity and Decency. Upon this Remark, the present Bishop of Sarum, in his Obfervations on Ridley's Letter to Hooper, puts this Objection; But (fays he) when the Clergy of the Church of England faw that good and Page 4. great Men, and the glorious Martyrs of Jefus Chrift, fuch as Hooper was, were offended with thefe Ceremonies, they fould have us'd their utmost endeavours to bave gotten them difcharg'd by Law, as they were impos'd by Law, and not have kept them to remain a franding Offence, and a perpetual Stumbling'block to all others of Hooper's mind. So that by the way you may obferve, it was not in defence of the Ceremonies that thefe good Men suffer'd Martyrdom; nay, by Ridley's Letter to 'Hooper, when they were both Prifoners for the Truth in the Marian Perfecution, it appears, that he was so far from dying for them, tho' he had once contended for them, that now he would not own them; but acknowledges it was his Simplicity to urge them, but Hooper's Wifdom to reject them. And in the fame Right Reverend Prelate's Exhortation to Page 27. Peace and Union, he fays, God be thanked for it, there is an end put to all Perfecution in Matters of Religion: And that the first and chief Right of Humane Nature, of following the Dictates of Confcience in the Service of God, is fecur'd to all Men amongst us, and that we are freed, I hope for ever, of all the Remnants of the work part of Popery,. I mean, the Spirit of Perfecution. I wifh, Sir, you would compare these things a little with your Spirit of Charity. L Yet notwithstanding the Contentions that were rais'd about thefe Matters of Ceremony in the days of that most Excellent Young Prince, the buliness of Church-Government and Worship never came to a thorow Legal Establishment in his days, nor were any of the Proteftant Minifters filenced or fufpended on that account, only Hooper, for protesting against them, was, contrary to the King's Mind and Requeft, by the over-ballancing Power of the Bishops, committed to Prifon; which was a fure, but fad Omen to the fucceeding Age, of the dire Effects of a Proteftant Bigottry. But the untimely death of that Good King, and the immediate Succeffion of his Sifter Mary, foon put an end to these Contests in England, and began a new and more Tragical Scene of Perfecution, during her five Years Reign. In which time, to avoid the Bloody Perfecution, many fled beyond-Sea, and there began to fettle, fome at Bafil, fome at Geneva, fome at Strasburgh, fome at Embden, fome at Frankfort, and other places. Thofe at Geneva followed the Reformed Order of that Church, fo did thofe at Frankfort, till Dr. Cox (one (one of thofe that had compil'd our English Common-Prayer-Book, and was too fond of his own Doings) came over with a new Party from England, and brought in his English Service-Book into the Church of Frankfort, and by his Arts, turn'd out their Paftor Mr. Knox, and by malicious Accufations, drove him and a confiderable Party that clave to him, to. Geneva. Thus it appear'd from the beginning, even in that common Sanctuary where thefe Exiles fled for Refuge, how conducible your Ceremonies have been to the good Order and Union of the Church. Vid. Troubles On Queen Elizabeth's Acceffion to the Throne, the Refugees from all Parts return'd to their Country, in hope of fome eafe after all their fore Travels and Difappointments; And of thefe were they, who, having feen the Reformed Worship, Order and Dif cipline of the Churches in Switzerland and Germany, and at Geneva, were the chief Fathers of the Nonconformity in England, as fome have affirm'd; and those who had never been abroad, nor feen the fur-ther Progrefs that other Churches had made in the Reformation, were the great Sticklers for Conformity to the more Ceremonious English Reformation, as if Nonconformity had no better Foundation, nor other Original, than the Fashions of other Churches; but that this was not true, appears de facto, both by Cox and his Gang, who had been Travellers, and by many of those who had weather'd out their Perfecutions at home, and had not travelled. In the First Year of Queen Elizabeth, feveral Acts were paffed for the reviving the Reformation begun by King Henry VIII. and King Edward VI. eftablishing, among other things, a Uniformity of Prayers, but thefe Acts paffed without the Confent of one Bishop, who were then all Papists, and Enemies to the Reformation. So that this first Establishment (a 4) wanted wanted one of the Three States, at leaft the Lords. Spiritual, to form it into a Law. In the Second Year of Queen Elizabeth, 'twas her Care to fill up the Bishopricks with Proteftant Bifhops, who were mostly such as had been Exiles, or liv'd private lives in England, during the Perfecutions. These Bifhops, knowing what it was to fuffer for Confcience-fake themselves, were for feveral Years very favourable to Nonconformifts, without any Perfecutions on that account,or any Subfcriptions requir'd, by Legal Authority, nor was the ufe of all the Liturgy and Ceremonies generally urged; And this kept all in quiet for fome Years, tho' a large Petition was prefented to the Queen, Anno 1561, the Third Year of her Reign, by multitudes of Hands, wherein they complain'd of infufficient and Scandalous Minifters, of Pluralifts and Non-Refidents, &c. Yea, two of the former Proteftang Bifhops, as Coverdale of Exon, and Gilpen of Carlisle, refus'd to be reftor'd to their Dignities under fo imperfect a Reformation. The People at this time enjoy'd the Labours of their Godly Nonconforming Minifters, and the Minifters, for the most part, fcrupled not to ufe fome parts of the CommonPrayers, and the Bishops did not exact the use of the more offenfive parts of it,nor of the Ceremonies, and very few were Sufferers, unlefs by fome particular Officials, who were bufier than others. And thus it continued, in a good meafure, till after the Death of Archbishop Parker, and Grindall his Succeffor, who dyed about the fifth Year of the Queen, In the Year 1583, Dr.Whitegift came to be Archbishop of Canterbury,upon which the business of Nonconformity grew high; for tho' Subscription to the 39 Articles, made by the Convocation 1562, but not confirm'd by Parliament till 1572 (which was the Thirteenth of Eliz.) was requir'd, yet it was only by fuch as were to be admitted to Livings, and that that only fo far as concern'd Matters of Faith, and the Doctrine of the Sacraments. 'Tis true, fome Bishops, without any Authority from Parliament, impos'd a Subfcription to the Whole, the refufal whereof caus'd Troubles to feveral particular Men. And herein Mr. John Fox, Mr. Lawrence Humfrey and Mr. Anthony Gilby, and others, appear'd Nonconformifts, Mr. John Fox pulling out his Greek Teftament,plainly told the Archbishop,he would subscribe to nothing but That. For between the Years 1563 and 1583,fome Bishops began to prefs a Subscription to Two Articles more, viz. To acknowledge the Queen's Supremacy, which no Proteftant refus'd; And that the Common-Prayer-Book, the Book of Homilies, and the Book of Ordering Bishops, Priests and Deacons, contain'd in them nothing contrary to the Word of God, which fome Bishops of that Age adventur'd to do on their own Authority having no Legal Establishment, but directly contrary to the Statute of 25 Hen. VIII. which reftrain'd them from putting any Canons in ufe, to be made after that time, unless they had firft the King's Affent. For tho' the Ufe of the Common-Prayer was requir'd by an A&t 1 Eliz. yet this Subscription about the Ordering of Bishops was not, under any Penalty of Sufpenfion or Deprivation. But after that Whitgift came to the Archiepifcopal See,the Perfecution of Nonconformists grew high. And that which feem'd to give the External Occafion to the Activity of the Bishops in this Cafe, was two forts of Diffenters, viz. Thorow Nonconformists, and the Conforming Nonconformists. 1. Of the first fort, fome diffented as to the Common-Prayer-Book and Ceremonies only, as Mr. Field, Mr. Wilcox, Mr. Standon, Mr. Boxham, Mr. Saintcloe, Mr. Clare, Mr. Edmonds. Others that were for a Reformation of Difcipline, as Mr.Clark, Mr. Travers, Mr. Barber, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Cheston, Mr. |