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A little before the burning of these heretics MATTHEW PARKER, archbishop of Canterbury, departed this life. He was born at Norwich, 1504, and educated in Bene't college, Cambridge. In the reign of King Edward VI.* he married and was therefore obliged to live privately under Queen Mary. Upon Queen Elizabeth's accession he was advanced to the archbishopric of Canterbury; and how he managed in that high station, may be collected from the foregoing history. He wrote a book entitled, Antiquitates Britannica, which shews him to have some skill in ecclesiastical antiquity; but he was a severe churchman ; of a rough and unchurtly temper, and of high and arbitrary principles both in church and state; a slave to the prerogative and the supremacy; and a bitter enemy to the puritans, whom he persecuted to the length of his power, and beyond the limits of the law. His religion consisted in a servile obedience to the Queen's injunctions, and in regulating the public service of the church but his grace had too little

'consciences of others. That faith was the gift of God, and not to be implanted in the minds of men by any external force, but by the word of God, and illumination of the holy spirit: that heresy was not a carnal but spiritual crime, and to be punished by God alone: that error and falshood were not to be overcome with violence but truth: that the obli gation which the children of God lie under, is not to put others to death for the faith, but to die themselves in bearing witness to the truth.Lastly, that the shedding of blood for the sake of religion is a mark of ANTICHRIST, who thereby sets himself in the judgment-seat of God, 'assuming to himself the dominion over conscience, which belongs to none "but God only." See Brandt's History of the Reformation in the Low Countries, quoted in Mr. Lindsey's second address to the youth of the two universities, p. 230, &c. or La Roche's abridgement of Brandt, p. 168. It should be added, that one ground of the odium which fell on those who were called anabaptists, was their deviation from the established creed, in their ideas concerning the person of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity. Which shews in how very early a period of the reformation Unitarian sentiments arose among the more thoughtful and inquisitive; but the hand of power was lifted up to suppress their growth and spread. ED.

* In this reign he was initiated into the exercise of power and measures of persecution: for in the year 1551, he was put into a commission with thirty other persons, for correcting and punishing anabaptists.— British Biography, vol. iii. p. 4. ED.

+ Life of Parker, p. 524.

regard for public virtue; his entertainments and feastings being chiefly on the Lord's day nor do we read, among his episcopal qualities, of his diligent preaching or pious example. Fuller calls him a Parker indeed, careful to keep the fences, and shut the gates of discipline, against all such night-stealers as would invade the same; and indeed this was his chief excellence. He was a considerable benefactor to Bene't college, the place of his education, where he ordered his MS papers to be deposited, which have been of considerable service to the writers of the English reformation.* He died of the stone on the 17th of May, 1575, in the 72d year of his age, and was interred in Lambeth chapel the 6th of June following; where his body rested till the end of the civil wars; when Col. Scot, having purchased that palace for a mansion-house took down the monument, and buried the bones (says Mr. Strype†) in a stinking dung-hill, where they remained till some years after the restoration,when they were decently reposed near the place where the monument had stood, which was now again erected to his memory.‡

*It should be added, that literature was indebted to him for editions of our best ancient historians; Matthew of Westminster, Matthew Paris, Thomas Walsingham, and Asser's life of King Alfred. It should also, says Mr. Granger, be remembered to his honour, that he was the first founder of the society of antiquaries in England. ED.

+ Life of Parker, p. 499.

As a balance to this, the bodies of nineteen or twenty puritan divines were dug up in Westminster-Abbey, and thrown into a pit in the yard, Dr. Trap, Mr. Marshal, Mr. Strong, &c. See in Strype, what a pompous funeral Parker had ordered for himself. ED.

L

CHAP. VI.

From the death of Archbishop PARKER to the death of Archbishop GRIndal.

DR. EDMUND GRINDAL, archbishop of York, succeeded Parker in the see of Canterbury, and was confirmed Feb. 15, 1575-6. He was a divine of moderate principles, and moved no faster in courses of severity against the puritans than his superiors obliged him, being a friend to their preaching and prophesyings. Sandys was translated from London to York, and Aylmer was advanced to the see of London. This last was one of the exiles, and had been a favorer of puritanism; for in his book against Knox, entitled, An Harbor for faithful subjects, he declaims against the wealth and splendor of the bishops, and speaks with vehemence against their lordly dignities and civil authority. In the convocation of 1562, when the question about the habits was debated, he withdrew, and would not be concerned in the affair; but upon his advancement to the episcopal order he became a new convert, and a cruel persecutor of the puritans. He was a little man, of a quick spirit, and of no extraordinary character.

The parliament being now sitting, a bill was brought into the House of Lords, to mulct such as did not come to church and receive the sacrament, with the payment of certain sums of money; but it was thought proper to drop it for the present.

The convocation was busy in framing articles touching the admitting able and fit persons to the ministry, and establishing good order in the church. Thirteen of them were published with the Queen's licence, though they had not the broad seal; but the other two, For marrying at all times of the year, and for private baptism by a lawful minister, in cases of necessity, her majesty would not countenance. One of the articles makes void all licences for preaching, dated

* Strype's Life of Grindal, p. 194.

before the 8th of Feb. 1575, but provides, That such as should be thought meet for that office should be re-admitted without difficulty or charge. This had been practised once and again in Parker's time, and was now renewed, that by disqualifying the whole body of the clergy, they might clear the church of all the non-conformists at once; and if all the bishops had been equally severe in renewing their licences, the church would have been destitute of all preaching; for the body of the conforming clergy were so ignorant and illiterate, that many who had cure of souls were incapable of preaching, or even of reading to the edification of the hearers; being obliged by law only to read the service, and administer the sacrament in person once in half a year, on forfeiture of five pounds to the poor.

The non-conformist ministers, under the character of curates or lecturers, supplied the defects of these idle drones, for a small recompence from the incumbent, and the voluntary contribution of the parish; and by their warm and affectionate preaching gained the hearts of the people: They resided upon their curacies, and went from house to house visiting their parishioners, and instructing their children; they also inspected their lives and manners, and, according to the apostolical direction, reproved, rebuked, and exhorted them, with all long-suffering and doctrine, as long as they could keep their licences. Thus most of the puritan ministers remained as yet within the church, and their followers attended upon the word and sacraments in such places where there were sober and orthodox preachers.

But still they continued their associations and private assemblies, for recovering the discipline of the church to a more primitive standard: This was a grievance to the Queen and court bishops, who were determined against all innovations of this kind. Strange! That men should confess in their public service every first day of Lent, That there was a godly discipline in the primitive church; that this discipline is not exercised at present in the church of England, but that it is much to be wished that it were restored; and yet never attempt to restore it, but set themselves with violence and oppression to crush all endeavors that way! For the reader will observe, that this was one chief occasion of the

sufferings of the puritans in the following part of this reign.

Some of the ministers of Northampton and Warwickshire, in one of their associated meetings, agreed upon certain rules of discipline in their several parishes; but as soon as they began to practise them, the court took the alarm, and sent letters to the new archbishop to suppress them.* His grace accordingly sent to the bishops of those dioceses, to see things reduced to their former channel; and if need were, to send for assistance from himself or the ecclesiastical commissioners: Accordingly Mr. Paget and Mr. Oxenbridge, the two heads of the association, were taken into custody and sent up to London.

Sometime after there was another assembly at Mr. Knewstub's church, at Cockfield in Suffolk, where 60 clergymen of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire, met together to confer of the common prayer book, and come to some agreement as to what might be tolerated, and what was neces sary to be refused. They consulted also about apparel, holidays, fastings, injunctions, &c. From thence they adjourned to Cambridge, at the time of the next commencement, and from thence to London, where they hoped to be concealed by the general resort of the people to parliament: In these assemblies they came to the following conclusions, which were drawn up in an elegant Latin stile by. Mr. Cartwright and Travers, and given to the ministers for their direction in their several parishes.

Concerning Ministers.

"LET no man, though he be an university man, of fer himself to the ministry; nor let any man take upon him an uncertain and vague ministry, though it be offered ❝ unto him.

"But such as are called by some church, let them impart it to the classis or conference, of which they are members, or to some greater church assemblies; and if the called be ' approved, let them be commended by letters to the bishop, that they may be ordained ministers by him.

* Life of Grindal, p. 215.

+ Fuller, b. ix.

P, 135.

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