nings, and voices, and thunderings, and earthquake, and much hail.' Rev. xi. 19. Think it not strange, then, if troubles do follow the preaching of the Gospel; neither impute your own faults unto us."..a

Mr. Harrison returned not unto your Church of England, but died at Middleburgh, in this faith that we profess. Mr. Smyth, Crud, and some others, which never were officers, much less pillars, in our church, did indeed forsake their first faith, and died soon after... We, with comfort, do behold, that though many bad ones have gone away, yet God bringeth better in their place daily."b

"Are not the papists, at this day, hindered from true religion by noting, as you do, the dissensions between Luther, Zuinglius, Calvin, &c.? But it seemeth all these were far from your consideration, or, if you minded them, yet were they but motes in your eye. They be our' dissensions,' ours only, that trouble you! It pitieth' you to see' our poor congregation, how lamentably it hath been rent, &c.;' but you are hard-hearted and take no pity, belike, on your own church, which you so highly commend unto us, though dissensions for Discipline, that I speak not of other matters, have been so great, that you have not only preached and printed one against another now many a year, and that in a very bitter and hostile manner, but also persecuted, imprisoned, and sought the blood one of another. Well, howsoever, we have indeed just cause to lament that by our dissensions you and others have taken occasion to blaspheme the truth of God, yet herein have we comfort, that such things must be amongst us, as the Holy Ghost saith That they which are approved may be known.' 1 Cor. xi. 18, 19. And you, if by no means you will learn the estate of a church here on earth, where it is in continual war with the Serpent and his seed, but, still you think these things horrible and strange;' take heed you stumble not at the stone, Christ, to your destruction, and have your abiding in that house which the strong man armed keepeth,' and the things that he possesseth are in peace.' Luke xi. 21."c

66

Mr. Junius, whom you mention to reply so sharply,' neither approveth your church, nor condemneth our practice, no, not though he were instantly urged. The writings between him and us are extant to the world, let the reader judge what both sides have said."d

"It is to be observed, that all such impious and heretical persons as have departed from us, are entertained with in you your communion, unless themselves refuse to communicate with you; your church is the receptacle of all such apostates, and there they be suffered in heresy and impiety so as they will frequent your assemblies. Better' reasons,' therefore, and more weighty considerations,' have you need to allege, before you can persuade us to return unto your church; for these hitherto propounded and examined are found too, too, light.—But it may be, better follow!"e

Thus have we followed Ainsworth over Sprint's seven "Considerations," headed, "On our part," and his other eight, headed, "On your part;" reserving till now, the first of the latter division, that it and

of those words for our prayer to God, then ought we to use these only, and no other! Because it should be but babbling or presumption, to join or put other prayers instead of that which is so absolute and sufficient for the Lord will be worshipped with the best we have ; and he is accursed, that, having a male for sacrifice, doth offer a corrupt thing to the Lord. Mal. i. 14.

The whole of the fourteen Positions, with the several points illustrating them, having been introduced, the Petitioners conclude-" Thus have we briefly set down unto your Majesty's view, some of the many reasons which the Scriptures do afford for confirmation of the Positions which we propounded. Whereby your Highness' wisdom may perceive what weight is in the controversy between this Church of England and us; what arguments do move us to stand in our testimony; what necessity lieth upon us to witness this truth of God in so sundry important doctrines of the Gospel; what cause our adversaries, the prelates and clergy of this land, have had to pursue us with such manifold and durable [sic] calamities; with what equity we have been, all manner of ways, traduced and divulged to be Donatists, Anabaptists, Brownists, Schismatics, &c.; and, whether there be in us the spirit of error, faction, sedition, rebellion, &c., while in these things only we insist, for these, do labour, in meekness and patience, in all obedience and good conscience towards God, and loyalty to your Majesty and our native country: assenting unto the other grounds of Christian religion professed in this land, and other churches about us. .. And seeing your Majesty suffereth strangers in your dominions which differ from the hierarchy and worship here established, we hope your natural loving subjects shall find no less favour in your eyes.' whole document is subscribed-"Your Majesty's Loving and Faithful Subjects. Some living in foreign lands abroad; some here at home in our native country imprisoned, and otherwise subject to many great calamities; for the Truth of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."

The

One result of this last Petition was a request, from "an honourable person," some weeks after it had been presented, to condense "the effect" of the suit, which, he said, he would himself show to his Majesty. This was accomplished by reducing the substance into three distinct propositions, suing, That they might be allowed to live at home, &c.; that, if it were the King's pleasure to have the differences discussed, then that their positions and reasons might be handed over to their "adversaries," to answer by the Word of God, and so be referred back to the Petitioners; or, that a set of questions might be submitted for both sides to reply to; "and so the whole, exhibited to his Majesty and their Honours to judge of." And they expressed their readiness to comply with any other course for the finding out of the Truth" by the Word of God."

Petitioning was not confined to these dissidents alone, the most memorable being that of the Puritans, called the Millenary Petition; subscribed, as the preamble says, "to the number of more than a thousand," and presented to James in April 1603, during his progress into his new dominions, which he named afterwards "the promised.

* See the whole, in Fuller's Ch. Hist. bk. x. p. 22.

b Jan. 14th, 1603-4.

And, in the bitterness of his zeal, he hath sent out a treatise containing Dissuasions' from the practice of the Gospel, which he pleaseth to call The Separatists' Schism, or Brownism.'.. For the stopping of this man's mouth, if it may be, who maketh hue-and-cry after some of us, as, in his proem to the Reader, he proclaimeth; and, for help of the simple who may be offended at the truth, not discerning his fraud; I thought it needful to observe and answer briefly the principal things by him objected." a

Let

This opponent, who was then vicar of Worksop, Nottinghamshire, grounded his argument against "Brownism," upon seven "Probabilities, or Likelihoods, that the way is not good."-First, The novelty of it. "He thought, belike, the very name of novelty' and of the ' reformed churches,' would fray the simple." This "weapon," Ainsworth says, "entereth into his own bowels,"" he might have seen many more hard and reproachful words used by his Right Reverend Fathers, and fellow Priests, against the Presbytery and Discipline." Agreement with ancient schismatics, is the second likelihood. us see," says Ainsworth, "what answer the Priests of England can make for themselves, that will not as well, if not better, clear us." The third, or "The ill means' by which our cause is maintained,' he maketh to be 'strange exposition of Scripture, &c.' Mr. Bernard here walketh still in the papists' steps, who object the like unto the Protestants." To the fourth, "That we have not the approbation of any reformed churches for our cause," it is replied, "this seemeth to be a main prop to uphold the Church of England, which love to make flesh their arm." The fifth is, "The condemnation of this way, by the Divines of the Church of England, both living and dead." So, says Ainsworth, "the learned Priests, Rabbins, and Divines' of Israel condemned Christ's way and doctrine." The sixth likelihood, namely, "The Lord's judgment, giving sentence, with them of the Church of England, and against this way," is rebutted in part thus, "Judas hanged himself, who was a far more special instrument of the Lord, being an apostle, than Bolton, that was but a ruling elder, and not the first broacher of this way,' as Mr. Bernard very untruly, upon Mr. Giffard's report, if he so reported, doth allege." "b The seventh and last is, “The ill success it hath had these very many years, having no more increased." Well!" exclaims Ainsworth, "not to tell him of God's gracious work in bringing many to this truth, and causing more to listen after it daily, let Mr. Bernard look to himself and his fellow Reformists, and if his right eye be not blent, let him acknowledge God's hand against themselves, who, heretofore, had so many fautors [favourers], and that not of the meanest in the land; yet now are repressed as troublers of the church; and their counterfeit reforma

the like; which covenant, long since, you have dissolved, not shaming to affirm you did it only in policy to keep your people from Mr. Smyth."-Robinson's Justification, p. 94.

tible estate, whom God hath allotted to prophesy in sackcloth, and not to speak at home but from a strange country; and most of all, our own unworthiness and insufficiency to manage such a cause, might discourage us from publishing, especially unto your Majesty, this our Defence and Apology. Nevertheless, relying upon the assistance of the Almighty, and hoping also of your Highness' clemency, we have thus done. For the love of Christ constraineth us, and the importunity of our adversaries enforceth us also hereunto: for they, not content with our afflictions and exile; nor, thinking it enough to speak their pleasures of us in their pulpits, where none may control them; do also in their printed books publicly traduce us, as heretofore, so still, and that in their writings dedicated to your Majesty." Subscribed, "The Overseers, Deacons, and Brethren of the English Church at Amsterdam, in the Low Countries, exiled for the Truth of the Gospel of Christ."

In p. 86 they write," Having hitherto spoken of the imputations which the Doctors, in their preface, have laid upon us under the term of Brownists;' it followeth now, to speak of the other, which in the book itself they do also particularly ascribe unto us. Which they do in two places: in the one, under the names of Barrowe and Greenwood;' whom they know to have died in that faith which we profess; for which, they laid down their lives, and, being now asleep in the Lord, are not here to make answer for themselves: in the other, under the same term of Brownists,' as they did in their epistle, before. In the first place, speaking of the ministers' desire to have the longsomeness of service abridged, From hence,' say they, p. 12, their dislike of set and stricted forms of prayer; it doth proceed, that some of them omit, some refuse to repeat, some condemn the use of the Lord's prayer; from hence, hath Barrowe and Greenwood taken their beginning, and fetched the premises of their pestilent and blasphemous conclusions.' Thus they speak. Whereunto we answer, The heads of the differences between them and us-which here they call 'pestilent and blasphemous conclusions'-we have noted down before, in our Second Petition, and in the Preface before the Confession of our Faith, and in the Confession itself; and divers reasons and proofs of them, from the Word of God, we have also set down, as may be seen in our Third Petition, and in the Confession aforesaid. And in particular, concerning that form of prayer called 'the Lord's prayer,' what our judgment is for the right use of it, and why we are so minded; as also, sundry reasons touching our dislike of set and stinted forms of prayer,' we have already declared in the places aforesaid, and therefore shall not need here again to repeat them. If they be not according to the Truth, let these men so show it by the Word of Truth, and turn their railing into reasoning against us! Or, if by the Scriptures they find them to accord with the Truth, let them cease thus to speak evil of the living and the dead; and let them rather set themselves unto this, To consider their own ways in their hearts, and to turn their feet into the testimonies of the Lord!

Now, where they pretend, as if from the Ministers,' of their dislike of longsomeness of service, or of set and stinted forms of prayer,

[that] Mr. Barrowe, and others like minded, have taken their beginning and fetched the premises' of their Conclusions; let them here call to mind, how the Papists speak of Protestants, That they have had their beginning, and received their religion from Luther, and Calvin,' &c.; and if they see the vanity and blasphemy' of the Papists herein, let them also discern it in themselves. The LORD JESUS is 'the author and finisher' of our faith. The WORD of God it is, whereupon we build; and not upon any Man or opinions of Men whatsoever!.. Thereupon only do we ground our religion; and thence fetch the premises' of our conclusions therein. The writings and opinions of Men, whosoever and whatsoever they be, we neither do nor may admit any further but as they agree with the Word of God, which is the only rule of Truth, and shall be judge of all that refuse it in the last day: John xii. 48. xvii. 17.

"And thus, leaving unto the Ministers to answer for themselves; who do themselves best know, whether they dislike,' as they ought, 'set and stinted forms of prayer,' and whereupon their dislike' ariseth, &c.; let this, for the present, suffice for us, whom these men have here again so maliciously blasphemed, not sparing the dead, and martyrs of Jesus.

Where they labour to maintain, p. 15, against the Ministers, this to be a strange doctrine, namely, That he is no minister that cannot preach;'. . what the Ministers will answer hereunto, as yet we know not; that which concerneth ourselves, we will now answer. And first, for the question itself which here they argue upon, we do not hold, as they have set it down, That he is no minister that cannot preach; for we know there have been, and still be too many such ministers! But this we hold, That he which cannot preach,' is not a true and lawful minister, whose calling and administration can be warranted by the Word of God. It is one thing to say, they are 'no' ministers at all; another, that they are not true and lawful ministers." a

CHAP. VII.

HAMPTON COURT CONFERENCE.-DEPRIVATION, ETC. OF THREE

HUNDRED MINISTERS.

THE never-ceasing soreness and irritability on the subjects of repudiating uninspired authority, and of exercising the most responsible of all duties, that of private judgment, manifested by the fabricators of and the dependents on State Churches, against any who resolve to examine for themselves what is the counsel of the LORD, and to "stand in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein," is a certain indication of the apprehensions those parties entertain concerning the fate of their Dagons; which, unless they are judicially blind, they must see cannot stand