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CHAP. IV.

FROM THE BEGINNING OF QUEEN ELIZABETH'S REIGN,

TO THE SEPARATION OF THE

PROTESTANT NON-CONFORMISTS.

QUEEN ELIZABETH's accession to the crown gave

new life to the reformation: as soon as it was known beyond sea most of the exiles returned home; and those who had hid themselves in the houses of their friends began to appear; but the public religion continued for a time in the same posture the Queen found it; the popish priests kept their livings, and went on celebrating mass. None of the protestant clergy who had been ejected in the last reign were restored; and orders were given against all innovations without public authority. Though the Queen had complied with the changes in her sister's reign, it was well known she was a favorer of the reformation; but her majesty proceeded with great caution, for fear of raising disturbances in her infant government. No prince ever came to the crown under greater disadvantages. The pope had pronounced her illegitimate; upon which the Queen of Scots put in her claim to the crown. All the bishops and clergy of the present establishment were her declared enemies. The nation was at war with France, and the treasury exhausted; the Queen therefore, by the advice of her privy council, resolved to make peace with her neighbors as soon as possible, that she might be more at leisure to proceed in her intended alterations of religion, which, though very considerable, were not so entire as the best and most learned protestants of these times desired. The Queen inherited the spirit of her father, and affected a great deal of magnificence in her devotions, as well as in her court. She was fond of many of the old rites and ceremonies in which she had been educated. She thought her brother had stript religion too much of its ornaments; and made the doctrines of the church too narrow in some points. It was therefore with difficulty that she was prevailed on to go the length of King Edward's reformation.

The only thing her majesty did before the meeting of the parliament, was to prevent pulpit disputes; for some of the reformed that had been preachers in King Edward's time, began to make use of his service-book without authority or licence from their superiors; this alarmed the popish clergy, and gave occasion to a proclamation, dated Dec. 27, 1558.§ By which all preaching of ministers, or others, was prohibited; and the people were charged to hear no other doctrine or preaching, but the epistle and gospel for the day, and the ten commandments in English, without any exposition or paraphrase whatsoever. The proclamation admits of the litany, the Lord's prayer and the creed in English ; but no public prayers were to be read in the church but such as were appointed by law, till the meeting of the parliament, which was to be upon the 23d of January.*

While the exiles were preparing to return home, conciliatory letters passed between them: those of Geneva desired a mutual forgiveness, and prayed their brethren of Arrow, Basil, Frankfort, Strasburgh, and Worms, to unite with them in preaching God's word, and in endeavoring to obtain such a form of worship as they had seen practised in the best reformed churches. The others replied, that it would not be in their power to appoint what ceremonies should be observed; but they were determined to submit in things indifferent, and hoped those of Geneva would do so too; however, they would join with them in petitioning the Queen, that nothing burthensome might be imposed. Both parties congratulated her majesty's accession, in poems, addresses, and dedications of books; but they were reduced to the utmost poverty and distress. They came thread-bare home, bringing nothing with them (says Mr. Strypet) but much experience, as well as learning. Those who could comply with the Queen's establishment were quickly preferred, but the rest were neglected, and though

This proclamation was directed against the papists as well as the reformed: "for both" says Strype, "took their occasions to speak freely their minds in the pulpits," Strype's Annals, vol. i. Appendix, p. 3. Cambden's Eliz. p. 6.

* Burnet's History of the Reform. vol. ii. p. 376, 77,

† Annals, vol. i. p. 129.

78.

suffered to preach in the churches for some time, they were afterwards suspended, and reduced to as great poverty as before.

It had been happy, if the sufferings of the exiles had taught them a little more charity and mutual forbearance; or that they had followed the advice of their learned friends and patrons beyond sea, who advised them to go through with the reformation, and clear the church of all the relics of popery and superstition at once. This was the advice of GUALTER, one of the chief divines of Zurich, who in his letter to Dr. Masters, the Queen's physician, Jan. 16, 15, wishes, "That the reformers among us would not hearken to the "counsels of those men, who, when they saw that popery "could not be honestly defended, nor entirely retained, "would use all artifices to have the outward face of religion "to remain mixed, uncertain and doubtful; so that while 66 an evangelical reformation is pretended, those things "should be obtruded on the church which will make the "returning back to popery, superstition, and idolatry, very 66 easy. We have had the experience of this (says he) for "some years in Germany, and know what influence such "persons may have: Their counsels seem to a carnal judg"ment, to be full of modesty, and well fitted for carrying "on an universal agreement; and we may well believe the "common enemy of our salvation will find out proper in"struments, by whose means the seeds of popery may still "remain among you. I apprehend, that in the first begin"nings, while men may study to avoid the giving some small "offence, many things may be suffered under this color, "that they will be continued but for a little while, and yet "afterwards it will scarce be possible by all the endeavors "that can be used to get them removed, at least not without 86 great strugglings."* The letter seems to be written with a prophetic spirit; Masters laid it before the Queen, who read it all over, though without effect. Letters of the same strain were written by the learned Bullinger, Peter Martyr, and Weidner, to the Earl of Bedford, who had been some time at Zurich; and to Jewel, Sandys, Horn, Cox, Grindal, and the rest of the late exiles, pressing them vehemently to act with

* Hist. Ref. vol. iii. p. 273.

zeal and courage, and to take care in the first beginnings to have all things settled upon sure and sound foundations. The exiles in their answers seem resolved to follow their advices, and make a bold stand for a thorough reformation; and if they had done so, they might have obtained i.Jewel, in his letter of May 22, 1559, thanks Bullinger for quickening their zeal and courage; and adds, "They were "doing what they could; and that all things were coming "into a better state." In another of April 10, "He la"ments the want of zeal and industry in promoting the re"formation; and that things were managed in so slow and ❝cautious a manner, as if the word of God was not to be "received on bis own authority." In another of Nov. 16, "He complains of the Queen's keeping a crucifix in her "chapel, with lighted candles; that there was worldly poli66 cy in this, which he did not like: That all things were so "loose and uncertain with them, that he did not know whe❝ther he should not be obliged to return back to Zurich. "He complains of the popish vestments, which he calls the "relics of the Amorites, and wishes they were extirpated to "the deepest roots." The like complaints were made by Cox, Grindal, Horn, Pilkington, and others; but they had not the resolution to persevere : had they united counsels, and stood by one another, they might at this juncture have obtained the removal of those grievances which afterwards occasioned the separation.

To return to the parliament. The court took such measures about elections as seldom fail of success; the magistrates of the counties and corporations were changed, and the people, who were weary of the late persecutions, were assisted, and encouraged to exert themselves in favor of such representatives as might make them easy; so that when the houses met, the majority were on the side of the reformation. The temper of the house was first tried by a bill to restore to the crown the first-fruits and tenths, which Queen Mary had returned to the church. It passed the commons without much opposition, Feb. 4th, but in the House of Lords all the bishops voted against it.* By another act they repealed some of the penal laws, and enacted, that no person should * Strype, p. 67.

be punished for exercising the religion used in the last year of King Edward. They appointed the public service to be performed in the vulgar tongue. They empowered theQueen to nominate bishops to the vacant bishoprics by Conge d' Elire, as at present. They suppressed the religious houses founded by Queen Mary, and annexed them to the crown; but the two principal acts passed this session were the acts of Supremacy, and of Uniformity of Common Prayer.

The former is entitled, An act for restoring to the crown the antient jurisdiction over the State Ecclesiastical and Spiritual; and for abolishing foreign power. It is the same for substance with the 25th of Henry VIII. already mentioned, but the commons incorporated several other bills into it; for besides the title of Supreme Governor in all causes Ecclesiastical and Temporal, which is restored to the Queen, the act revives those laws of King Henry VIII. and King Edward VI. which had been repealed in the late reign. It forbids all appeals to Rome, and exonerates the subjects from all exactions and impositions heretofore paid to that court; and as it revives King Edward's laws, it repeals a severe act made in the late reign for punishing heresy ;* and three other old statutes mentioned in the said act."Moreover, all persons in any public employs, whether "civil or ecclesiastical, are obliged to take an oath in re"cognition of the Queen's right to the crown, and of her su66 premacy in all causes ecclesiastical and civil, on penalty of "forfeiting all their promotions in the church, and of being "declared incapable of holding any public office." short, by this single act of the supremacy, all that had been done by Queen Mary was in a manner annulled, and the external policy of the church restored to the same foot as it stood at the death of King Edward VI.

In

*The repeal of this act, it may not be improper to observe, operated in favor of those only who denied the essential and disseminating tenets of popery. It was a necessary step, when government was about to establish a reformation which would subvert the reception of those tenets. But it did not proceed from any just notions of the rights of conscience : and, as it appears in the course of this reign, still left those who went beyond the limits fixed by the new establishment, exposed to the heaviest penalties. En.

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