PARKER, than Spotswood could discover. But, whatever he might do Abp. Cant, for the present, it is certain the state-revolution, which hapSpotswood. pened the next year, put an end to his privilege. 507. The assembly's letter to the Dissenting ministers. About this time, Knox had leave from the assembly to travel into England, and make his sons a visit at Cambridge. At his going off he brought a letter from the assembly in favour of the dissenting ministers. By the superscription and contents of their letter, it appears they had a good opinion of episcopal government, and were far from the censure of the modern Presbyterians. The superscription runs thus : "The superintendents, ministers and commissioners of the Church within the realm of Scotland, to their brethren the bishops and pastors of England," &c. In their letter they complain, that several of their brethren the English are silenced in the pulpit, and barred the exercise of their bishops, &c. in favour of function: that this was only because their conscience would not give them leave to wear the appendages of idolatry. They have no intention to enter into the merits of the cause, or dispute the question at present, which, as they are informed, is argued with too much heat on both sides. Waiving the controversy, therefore, they conjure them to tenderness and charity, and that they would not put such usage upon others as they could not but dislike in the return. They put them in mind that people's understandings are different; that conscience is a nice thing, and ought to be gently treated. They suggest that the non-conforming ministers in England do not censure those who wear the habit, nor give them any disturbance upon that score. They desire, therefore, the same liberty may be allowed them; and they hope that bishops and other conformists will be more prudent than to trouble the godly for such "vain trifles." And now, to use the words of the letter, "if the commandment of the authority," say they, "urged the consciences of you and your brethren farther than they can bear, we pray you remember that ye are called the light of the world, and the salt of the earth.' All civil authorities have not ever the light of God shining before their eyes in their statutes and commandments, but their affections savour too much sometimes of the earth and of worldly wisdom; therefore, we think that ye ought boldly oppone yourselves, not only to all power that dare extol itself against God, but also against all such as dare burthen the consciences of the faithful, farther than God hath burthened them in his own Word." ELIZA- 1566. In the close, they renew their application for lenity and Dec. 27. forbearance, and hope the bishops will not disown them for Id. p. 198. brethren, nor give them the less consideration for the slender- MS. Acts of ness of their figure, and because they do not appear with equi- bly, fol. 183. page and grandeur. the Assem penes Honorab. Archibald The reader may perceive this application was not every Campbell, where guarded with ceremony and address: for they make Armig. no difficulty to determine for the Dissenters, to call the distinctions of the habit "vain trifles," and to exhort the bishops "to deal more wisely than to trouble the godly with such vanities." And now, to give some satisfaction to the Scotch ministers, who were strongly soliciting for a maintenance, the court offered the assembly certain assignments for present relief. These terms were accepted, with a protestation for saving their right to the tithes; for these they looked on as an inalienable branch of the Church's patronage, and that no part of them ought to be detained by the laity upon any pretence whatever. P: 200. senters. Spotswood, To return to England: about this time an answer came out An answer to a book printed under the name of the London ministers. to a book published The book is called, "A Brief Examination of the Dissenters' by the DisDeclaration." It is supposed to be either archbishop Parker's performance, or at least written by his direction. The author, amongst other things, complains the Puritans had made their title too bulky, and swelled it beyond matter of fact; that many of the London ministers were of a different sentiment; that, though some of them might pause upon the habit, yet they were far from thinking there was any downright immorality in it, neither did they censure their brethren who conformed in this particular; and, lastly, he tells them that those who appeared with so much warmth in these singularities were but a small number, most of them mechanics, and much more remarkable for their assurance than their learning; and that, if they continued to indulge their fancies, he was afraid they would turn Anabaptists, or libertines, at last. Strype's P. 481. Another paper, upon the same subject, was written this year. It is called, "A Brief and Lamentable Consideration of Another anthe Apparel now used by the Clergy of England." By the style, posed to be Ff VOL. VI. swer, sup Abp. Cant. PARKER, it seems to have been penned by bishop Jewel. His reasoning against the Dissenters is much the same with what has been written by mentioned already. But his address to them in the close is particularly remarkable, Jewel. Life of Parker, Append. num. 49. "Do not suffer Satan," says he, "to perplex your consciences but throw up your contest, and make for unity. Be not ashamed to repent, nor afraid of losing your credit with the people. We are commanded to go to Nineveh, and denounce the judgments of God. Instead of this, we desert our business and lie idle in the hold. This misbehaviour draws the storm upon us; and, unless Jonah repents, the ship is in danger of being lost. You have churches," continues the author, "why do ye quit them, and run to field-conventicles? You have public places to officiate in, what makes ye affect private meetings? You have the Christian religion preached to you in its original purity, what reason then can ye have to be disgusted? Are not the Holy Scriptures read to you? Have ye not the liberty of perusing them at pleasure? And is not popery discharged? As for those who conform to the habit, were they not banished for their orthodoxy? And did they not give up their fortune with all the resignation imaginable? Who takes more pains in preaching, who writes to better purpose, who manages with more vigilance and vigour in their respective stations, than these men? You talk of reformation, but they practise it. If you love Christ, feed his sheep, and do not quarrel in his vineyard. Let us help to bear one another's burthens, love our brethren, and not disturb the public repose." Archbishop Parker, not being seconded with that vigour by Grindal which might be expected, was much embarrassed with the Dissenters. He acquainted Dr. Haddon, the queen's ambassador at Bruges, with the state of this affair, and sent him the opinion of Bucer and Peter Martyr upon the controversy. Haddon, in his answer to the archbishop's letter, affirms, that, though the bare authority of these two learned divines was sufficient to disable the novelists and bring such peasants to submission, yet the intrinsic strength of the argument was such, that all persons of probity and without prejudice C. c. c. c. must be satisfied with it. It was his opinion, therefore, the inter Epist. bishops had gone far enough in their instructions; that doctrine Archbishop should be supported with discipline; and that such troublesome p. 222. people, who took the freedom to make a noise against the con MS. Life Parker, 999 stitutions of Church and State, should be restrained, and taught ELIZAmore modesty. BETH. senters com Parker's 508. Some of the most clamorous Dissenting ministers were put The Disunder gentle confinements; some were sent to the bishop of plain of Winchester, some to Ely, and some to Norwich. They were archbishop thus disposed of, partly for better instruction, and partly to rigour. prevent the spreading their singularities and doing disservice in the capital of the kingdom. But it was not long ere they were enlarged from this durance. John Fox, the martyrologist, held with the Dissenters in this controversy. However, he was not for carrying the dispute to a schism. In his letter to the ecclesiastical commissioners, in favour of one West, his acquaintance, he laments the distractions in the Church, and that we had neither peace with enemies or friends. From hence he goes on to a satire upon the times. He complains, scepticism was bold and insulting; that licentiousness had neither shame nor punishment; that covetousness was rampant, and simony common; with several other instances of scandalous practice. Id. Append. num. 1. Some of the London ministers being suspended or deprived for non-conformity, the Dissenters complained the Church doors were shut, and nobody to officiate in several parishes. And though the archbishop and bishop of London had taken care to supply the vacancies by their own chaplains, yet the clamour was kept on, and the odium thrown upon the archbishop. Parker vindicated himself in a letter to secretary Cecil, and returned the charge upon the peevishness and misbehaviour of the Dissenters. He complained of his being burdened with foreign business, and glanced at the remissness of the bishop of London. As to the London Puritans, they had Outrages been very disorderly and mutinous: there had been fighting the in the church about the habit. The elements had been sacri- Puritans. legiously snatched from the communion-table, because the bread was wafers, and not in the common figure. The clergy when officiating had been violently thrust out of the Church, only because they appeared in surplices and to expose the conformists, they made a scandalous person do penance in a square cap. These intemperate sallies were ill symptoms, and unless timely prevented, might end in something worse. This was an open contempt, both of the bishops and the queen: I committed by Abp. Cant. PARKER, say of the queen, for her majesty, besides her former injunctions and proclamations, had lately sent orders to the archbishop of York, to press conformity through that province. Parker, therefore, being well apprised of the stomach and stubbornness of that party, desired the countenance of the government, and that the privy council would support him in the execution of discipline. This favour, he told the secretary, had been formerly afforded Cranmer and Hooper upon a resembling occasion. There are some strokes in the archbishop's letter to Cecil, which discover he had been menaced by some of the Dissenters, and was not without apprehension of losing his life, by discharging his office. However, he declares himself resolved to maintain his post, exert his character, and run the utmost hazard. May, A. D. 1566. 6. 8, 9. Cox, bishop of Ely, and Grindal, of London, concurred with the archbishop against the Dissenters. The first wrote him a letter not to sink under fatigues, nor be disheartened at a dark prospect. "Be strong," says he, "and of a good courage, for Joshua, i. the Lord thy God is with thee." "Time and truth shall put folly to flight." And Grindal, bishop of London, who had moved very gently hitherto. finding the Dissenters extravagantly perverse, endeavoured to reclaim them. To this purpose he published Bullinger's judgment concerning the habit in Latin and English. The resolution of this learned divine was not without its effect. Several, both of the ministers and laity, were brought off their prejudices by it. This the reader may see in bishop Grindal's letter to Bullinger, in which there are some passages particularly remarkable. Life of See Records, They are supported by court. However, the bulk of the Puritan party stood firm in their old mistakes. And for their encouragement, they were not without countenance at court. The great earl of Leicester, and sir Francis Knowles, vice-chamberlain, were their friends: great men at and to mention no more, sir Francis Walsingham, afterwards secretary of state, is reckoned in the same interest. These men, the two first at least, were great politicians, had designs upon the church estates, and made tools of the Puritans. To this I may add, that Parkhurst, Sandys, and Pilkington, bishops of Norwich, Worcester, and Durham, leaned to the indulge the Dissenters' side in this controversy. Some of these prelates, out of an excessive aversion to Popery, would have the Church Some of the bishops willing to omission of the habit. |