BETH. sentiment. She thought these meetings gave encouragement ELIZAto novelty, made people ramble in their fancy, and neglect their affairs. That their curiosity was too much indulged, and their heads overcharged with notions by these discourses; and that by raising disputes, and forming parties, things might possibly grow up to a public disturbance. She told the archbishop the kingdom was overfurnished with instructions of this nature: that she would have the exercise of prophesying suppressed, the preachers reduced to a smaller number, and homilies read instead of sermons. She conceived three or four preachers in a county might be sufficient, and that therefore licenses for the pulpit should be granted with more reserve. The queen delivered herself upon this subject with something of vehemence and disgust; and gave her pleasure in charge to the archbishop. the queen number of Grindal, to give him his due, was a prelate of more con- His letter to science and courage, than to be dazzled with the lustre of a against recourt, to resign against his judgment, and be overruled into trenching the insignificancy. He wrote a long letter to the queen to excuse the preachhis incompliance. It is penned with a mixture of freedom anders, and in defence of regard. He writes like a subject in the State, and a governor prophesying. in the Church; and takes care neither to forget her majesty, nor himself. It is printed at length in Fuller; I shall give the reader the substance of it. By the way, this historian assigns it to the year 1580, whereas it was written no earlier than September this year. Fuller's p. 123. The archbishop takes notice that the queen's not being History, pleased to hear him out upon the argument at his last waiting bec. 20, upon her, was the reason of his addressing her in this way, 1576. He begins with a profession, "that nothing but necessity and conscience should make him incompliant. He believes her zeal and meaning were of the best kind; but good princes may be sometimes mistaken. Thus, for instance, David had no ill 2 Sam. xxiv. intention in numbering the people; Jehoshaphat had no 2 Chron.xix. revolting view in making an alliance with idolatrous Ahab, neither did Hezekiah conceive any harm in shewing his rarities 2 Kings xx. and treasure to the Babylonian ambassadors: and yet it is certain all these princes failed in their measures. And to make way for speaking his mind more freely, he takes notice of St. Ambrose's manner of addressing the emperor Theodosius. The Father acquaints this prince he was well GRINDAL assured of his piety and good nature; and owns his having Abp. Cant, received many obligations from him: but notwithstanding this introductive acknowledgment, he solicits the emperor strongly to recal an ungodly edict: the purport of the order was to command a bishop the rebuilding of a Jewish synagogue pulled down by some of his people. He prefers sermons to reading the "After an application of this instance to himself, the archbishop comes directly to the case; and, in the first place, insists on the necessity of a great many preachers. He suggests to her majesty that preaching is the ordinary means of salvation. That by the discharge of this function, ignorance is instructed, stubbornness rebuked, scruples discharged, comfort administered to afflicted consciences, and vengeance threatened to the obdurate. Preaching gives a ground for loyalty and forms a principle for civil obedience: for obedience is the result of conscience, conscience receives its force from the word of God, and the word of God operates by preaching. So that generally speaking, where preaching fails, the want of it is seen in the manners of the people. Thus, for instance, in the late commotions in the north, mutiny increased in proportion to ignorance, and where there was least knowledge, there was most rebellion. He observes, that those who object against frequent preaching, were either people of excessive niceness, who could relish nothing but what was set off with ornament and notion, and heard sermons more for entertainment than edifying; or else they were enemies to the Reformation: they were afraid that error and innovation should be too much exposed. Or, lastly, they were men of licence and avarice, and wholly resigned to interest and pleasure. That this last division, which was very numerous, hated reproof, and dreaded the discipline of the pulpit. These harpies and libertines are afraid of being dragged into light, and painted in their colours, and would gladly have no preaching at all. And because they dare not be so hardy as to condemn the office, they except against the persons, and report them to disadvantage. "And here the archbishop was sensible it would be objected the homilies might supersede the necessity of sermons, and homilics, and pass for an equivalent instruction; to obviate this, he tells the why. queen, he is still of his former opinion: he grants the reading of homilies is not without its serviceableness; but then it 555. BETH. is comparatively faint, and falls much short of the force of ELIZApreaching the homilies, though unexceptionable in the matter, are too generally worded. They do not always come up to particular exigence, point upon the case, nor awaken the conscience. The homilies were only designed for a temporary provision. At the beginning of the Reformation, men of orthodoxy and learning were not to be met with in every parish. This scarcity of qualified preachers was the reason the homilies were composed and recommended to public use. Besides, he observes, the sacrilege which kept pace with the Reformation was another reason of bringing the Church under a necessity of providing for the people this way: that impropriations being first conveyed from abbeys to the crown, and then granted away to private persons, there were no hopes of retrieving the patrimony of the Church, and bringing things back to their original intendment: that by this means there is scarcely one parish in seven able to furnish a competent maintenance for a learned preacher. And in many parishes where there are seven or eight hundred souls to take care of, the living is secularized to that lamentable degree, that there are not eight pounds per annum left for supporting the incumbent. By these alienations the furnishing preachers is wholly impracticable in many places; and therefore, that the people might not be wholly uninstructed, the homilies were set forth. "From hence he proceeds, in the second place, to defend the exercise of prophesying. As to this matter, he had consulted several of his brethren the bishops, and found them of his own opinion. And he hopes when the circumstances are explained and the manner described; when the authority it is grounded upon is alleged; when the convenience of keeping it on, and the ill consequences of suppressing it, are suggested; when all these particulars are briefly represented, he hopes her majesty will be of the same sentiment. "Those who encourage these prophesyings are the bishops of the respective dioceses, who, both by the laws of God and the canons of the Church, have authority to prescribe exercises to their clergy: and that the manner of promoting improvement and making the curates more serviceable is one branch of the episcopal function, and left to the discretion of the ordinary. The stated times for these meetings is once a month, or once a fortnight, as the diocesan shall think fit. The time The manner of the exer cise of prophesying. GRINDAL for the exercise is two hours. The place is the parish church Abp. Cant. appointed for the assembly. The matter to be handled is as follows: Some text of Scripture, given out before, is expounded in this order: First, the occasion of the words are laid open. And secondly, the end or intention of the inspired writer. Thirdly, the proper or literal sense of the place is examined. Fourthly, the force and propriety of the words are discussed: and here those that are learned in the languages cite the expositors, and show how far they differ in their interpretations. Fifthly, the same phrases and manner of speaking in other places of the Scripture are mentioned. Sixthly, texts which carry a face of opposition and seeming repugnancy are reconciled. Seventhly, the argument of the text is opened more at large. Eighthly, the audience is instructed what virtues and vices are touched upon, and under which of the respective commands they are to be ranged. Ninthly, the misconstruction of the text by those of a different communion is dilated on, if occasion requires. And lastly, the doctrine of faith or manners comprehended in the text is briefly explained. The whole concludes with a prayer for the queen and the government, read out of the Liturgy; after which they sing a psalm." He endeavours to jus ] Sam. xix. 1 Sam. x. 1 Kings ii. The archbishop proceeds to give the queen an account of the order prescribed for the exercises: but these regulations having been mentioned already, need not be repeated. "He advances next to the justification of these prophesyings tify it from from Scripture authority. He insists that Samuel had a share resembling instances in both in the practice and direction of exercises of a resembling the Scripture. nature: that this was done both at Nayoth and Bethel and that Elisha did the same thing at Jericho: and that those who were trained up to religion and learning this way were called 'sons of the prophets;' and that this method was used to strengthen their character, and fit them for public instruc1 Cor. xiv. tion: that St. Paul makes mention of prophesying, and gives direction for the management. And to prevent misconstruction, and take off the odium of pretending to be a prophet, he suggests that prophecy does not always signify prediction; and that in this Epistle of St. Paul, last mentioned, exposition of Scripture is only meant: and for this he appeals to the testimony of the best and most ancient writers. He grants that in the apostles' time this ability for interpreting Scripture was conveyed by miracle and inspiration, and no study required for BETH. this purpose: and so likewise was the knowledge of languages. ELIZABut now since miracles are ceased, there is no gaining either of these acquirements without application and study. That these prophesyings are of the same nature with academical exercises; only they have the advantage of being performed in the language of the country, for the benefit of those who are unlearned. tages consequent upon Winton. Glocestren. Cicestren. I have seen now in the "And how much soever this matter may have been misre- The advanported to her majesty, both himself and other bishops, mentioned in the margin, have found the good effect of these pro- this exercise. phesyings. He gives several instances. For instance, the London. ministers are more knowing in the Scriptures, and better Bathon. qualified to instruct their charge. They are drawn off from Lichfield. idleness and unserviceable diversions. Some of them, sus- Lincoln. pected for heterodoxy, have been disentangled from their mis-n. takes, and given public satisfaction: that the clergy of lower Menevensis. attainments have been pushed to industry upon motives of letters of these bishops shame, and prevailed with to mend their pace, and make the to Grindal most of themselves, for fear of discipline. That by this means upon this, subject. The the laity have no handle to reproach the clergy with idleness. papers are That upon experiment, nothing batters popery more effectually hands of than a learned ministry. That by the advantage of these exercises, where there were formerly not above three persons fit to preach at St. Paul's-cross, there are now thirty well furnished for so public an appearance; besides much greater numbers not underqualified for their cures in the country. Lastly, that the breaking this exercise would afford matter of triumph to the adversaries, and weaken the interest of religion. That according to the prophet Ezekiel, the heart of the Ezekiel xiii. righteous ought not to be made sad.' And that though some places have run out into abuse and mismanagement, there is no reason the punishment should be stretched beyond the offence, and the misbehaviour of a few affect an unexceptionable majority." Mr. Harbin. 22. 556. For these reasons, the archbishop tells the queen, "he is forced to declare plainly, though with all humility, that his conscience will not give him leave to comply with her commands. Neither can he assent to the suppressing these exercises without offending the majesty of God; and that his sending out any mandate or injunction is still more impracticable." He takes the freedom to say, with St. Paul, "that 2 Cor. x. |