imagine, at least, that the pulpit-prayers before and after sermon signify nothing. However, they have some reserve of regard for the liturgical ministrations; for where there is neither preaching nor catechising on Sundays in the afternoon, they order the reading the Common Prayer. As to baptism, though they conclude this sacrament may be administered whenever there is a sermon, they give notwithstanding a preference to the Sunday. On week days they would have this office performed only after sermon: they assign two reasons for this settlement; First, this is done, say they, to discountenance the gross error of those who affirm that children dying without baptism are damned. And, Secondly, to retrieve the honour of the solemnity, that people may recover a right notion of the dignity of the sacrament, and behave themselves with more devotion than they commonly do. ELIZA- 470. eucharist a-year. They conceive four times a year may be sufficient for admi- The holy nistering the holy eucharist. And here, as to the circumstance administered of time, their over-scrupulous apprehension of superstition runs four times them upon singularity, and disconforming with the ancient Church and thus, instead of the festivals of Christmas, Easter, and Whitsuntide, the first Sundays of December, March, and June, are fixed for this purpose; to which, to complete the number of the regulation, the first Sunday of September is added. : They do not deny but that the Church may change the time, and increase the frequency. They are wholly of opinion the holy eucharist ought not to be given without previous examination, and especially where the ignorance of the person is either known or suspected; and that none who cannot read the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments, none that do not understand the end and efficacy of the institution, should be admitted to this holy mystery. They order an English Bible for every Church, and recommend the reading Common Prayer, morning and evening, in private families, by the best qualified person. They proceed to determine for the exercise of prophecy, or Liberty of interpreting the Scriptures in public assemblies: they ground prophesying. this practice upon the precedent of the Church at Corinth; 1 Cor. xiv. though, by the way, there is a great disparity in the case; for these Corinthians were furnished with miraculous assistance, and governed by supernatural impulse. Those who drew the PARKER, discipline seemed something sensible of this comparative disadAbp. Cant. vantage, and therefore confine the exercise within several rules. "First. All curious and unserviceable inquiries were to be avoided. The judgment of those some cases about mar riage. "Secondly. They were to decline all expositions inconsistent with the analogy of faith, or the practice of charity and, under this restraint, all interpretations which seem to imply a contradiction to other plain texts of Scripture, are comprehended. 66 Thirdly. The expositor must keep close to his text, and not run out into digression and common-place, nor form his discourse to the method and amplification of a sermon. "Fourthly. He must not take the freedom of invectives, unless in the confutation of heresies. 66 Fifthly. He must be brief in his exhortation, and spend the time mostly in explaining the sense of the text, showing the connexion, and making such remarks as may be most serviceable to the audience. 66 Sixthly. There must be no squabbling nor school disputes, but every one that puts a question must resolve it himself. 66 Seventhly. After those concerned in this exercise have delivered their opinions, and finished their discourse, they are to withdraw, that the ministers and the rest of the assembly may examine their performance. When this is done, the persons were to be called in, and gently advertised of their mistakes, if they made any; and now all intervening difficulties were to be satisfied and disentangled." : Under this head of polity they prohibit all clandestine marwho drew riages, without exception of privilege for the best quality whatthe discipline concerning ever: and here they enjoin the publishing the banns three Sundays, unless where the persons are well known; in which case the notice may be shortened at the discretion of the minister. They allow of no divorce, unless upon the proof of adultery when the charge is made good, they would have the injured party declared free to engage elsewhere, and the criminal executed. If the government is so merciful as to give the offender his life, the Church must, notwithstanding, proceed to excommunication. If the party submits to penance, and recovers communion, he may be allowed to marry again upon his request; but with this condition, that provided the injured person should be willing to pass by the breach of faith, and BETH. renew the relation; when this happens, the criminal must not ELIZAbe permitted to engage with any other. But, after all, they think it most advisable to be governed by God Almighty's command in the Old Testament, to punish adultery with death, and not to give occasion for the resolution of so difficult a question. The articles concerning burial, having been touched already in the discipline at Frankfort, shall be omitted. Those who officiate in the mass, adore the host, and carry it in procession, they would have severely corrected; and, though they do not venture so far as to prescribe the penalty, yet they make no scruple to affirm the practice deserves death; and that those persons deserve the same punishment who presume to administer the sacraments in public assemblies without either reverence or spiritual character 1. Spotswood, 152 ad 74. And, lastly, they do not stick to declare, that the clergy in the Roman communion have no authority to administer the sacraments. Their reason is very singular: it is because, say they, "God has not put the word of exhortation in their mouths." From hence, after some hard language, they proceed to affirm, that the passing through the requisites and tests above-mentioned are the only lawful methods for making ministers. But here they throw in a provision for privileged cases they suppose there is sometimes an extraordinary call to the ministry, and then the customary forms are dispensed with. This "Church Discipline" was laid before the nobility, who took several days to peruse it. Some were willing to acquiesce The discipline not in the regulation, and pass it into a law; but the majority passed by dissented: and thus the matter was postponed, as Felix dismissed St. Paul, "to a more convenient season." There were some articles which called loudly for restitution, wrested the late gained jurisdiction out of the hand of the rich laity, and sat hard upon interest and pleasure. The estates, therefore, Hist. Ref. let this scheme lie by, and went upon a more acceptable provi- of Scotland, sion and that was an act for demolishing cloisters and abbey- An ordichurches. The execution of this order was entrusted with four nance for razing of the nobility, and several barons, well affected to the service. monasteries and abbeyThey had their several ranges, and the kingdom was divided churches. amongst them. This was done that no corner might escape a Spotswood, thorough reformation. The cause having thus the countenance The severity of these Scotch Reformers is pretty remarkable. the estates. p. 283. P. 174. PARKER, of the estates, and some of the quality giving the onset, the Abp. Cant. lesser people came in amain. And now the churches were 471. every where either pulled down or defaced: for, though the ordinance of the estates was pointed only against religious houses, the populace thought their zeal defective, and their commission too short; and therefore, not to do the work by halves, they fell on with undistinguishing rage, and, like a torrent, carried all before them. The preachers had inflamed their ignorance, pushed them to sacrilege and fury, and blown them up to this pitch of distraction. These pulpit-incendiaries cried out, "That the places where idols had been worshipped ought to be destroyed by the law of God ;" and that the sparing them was "reserving the accursed thing." And thus every building with a steeple was a mark of the beast, a seat of idolatry described by Moses, and a house of devotion for the Amorites. By the help of this divinity, the churches were all razed or battered, the beauty of the great towns scandalously blemished, and the public ornaments of the kingdom laid in rubbish. The communion-plate was made prize; and the bells, timber, and lead, set to sale in the market. Registers and libraries were destroyed, and the remains of learning and antiquity thrown into the fire. The grave was no protection against these zealots: they rifled monuments and tombs, did what they could to extinguish the name of those in the other world, and murder them in their memory: thus, what escaped the fury of the mob in the late commotions was now seized and sacrificed. To see noble structures, consecrated to the honour of the ever-blessed Trinity, where all the articles of the Apostles' Creed were professed, the Christian sacraments administered, and all the inspired writings received as such,—places, where there was no polytheism, no addressing devils, no roasting of children, no licentious worship so much as pretended,—in short, where there was no resemblance of a parallel with the heathen idolatry mentioned in the Old and New Testament,I say, to see the houses of God thus ravaged and razed, the holy furniture made plunder, and the Church estates seized, gives a frightful idea of some of these reformers. And to consider the fact, without knowing the whole history, would almost make a man believe some rough unconverted nation had made an invasion, and carried the country. It is true, these extraordinary proceedings had something of the face of authority; but, when the matter is a little examined, the reader will find there is nothing but colour and varnish in this appearance; for these undertakers in religion had neither the concurrence of the spiritual estate, nor any commission from the crown. They could not so much as presume upon their queen's consent. They well knew such methods must be highly affrontive to her majesty. So that, upon the whole, this part of their reformation was a plain violation of the constitution 1. ELIZA BETH. After the recess of the convention, several noblemen and barons met at the instance of John Knox, and signed the "Discipline." Those who subscribed this draught were, besides the duke of Chatelherault, seven earls, six lords, the bishop of Galloway, and the dean of Murray, four lairds, and several burgesses. The "Discipline" had this proviso annexed: "That the bishops, abbots, priors, and other beneficed men, who had joined themselves to the religion, should enjoy the rents of their benefices during their lives: they sustaining the ministers, for their parts, as was prescribed in the said book." Spotswood, But this security turned to no account: for most of those who P. 175. subscribed seized the estates of the clergy, and could never be prevailed with to part with them. In short, these men, as Spotswood observes, were most averse to restitution, and Ibid. greater enemies to the patrimony of the Church than those of any other persuasion whatever. To return to England: this year, the English translation of The Geneva Bible pubthe Scriptures, commonly called the Geneva Bible, was published lished. at Geneva. There are two epistles prefixed to the work; one to the queen, and another to the reader. These addresses charged the English Reformation with remains of popery, and endeavoured to prevail with the queen to strike off several ceremonies. This offensive application, to speak softly, might probably be the reason why these epistles were omitted in the next impression. The queen's indulging a French Presbyterian Church in England, as has been already observed, encouraged great numbers of that nation, and of the Dutch, to come over, and plant themselves in maritime towns. And here, under the shelter of the reformed religion, they maintained several gross errors and heresies. Some of these were German Anabaptists, Several church-organs were destroyed by Knox and his friends, on the plea of their being" the devil's bagpipes." |