nance; and truly his life made good his looks his body for stature and figure, was somewhat athletic, puissant (paulo procerius) somewhat taller and bigger than ordinary ; yet very comely, (decora anima vestis, as Tertul. calls it:) no man ever became the preacher's pulpit, or the doctor's chair, or the episcopal seat, (it was called of old Thronus Episcopalis) better than he did: carrying before him such an unaffected state and grandeur, such a benign gravity, and a kind of smiling severity, that one might see much in him to be reverenced, and more to be loved; yet what was venerable in him was very amiable, and what was amiable was very venerable.

The majesty of his presence was so allayed with meekness, candour and humility, that no man was further from any thing morose or supercilious, or savouring of self-fulness and conceit, he was (as εὔφημος καὶ εὐπρόσε ωπος 50 εὐφυὴς καὶ εὐπροσήγορος) of so affable a compliance, and supple a condescension, that although he never forgat himself as to any indecorum, yet he seemed never to remember himself much in point of reserve and distance, as to those excellences which he had above most men; he was like Gideon's fleece, into which the liberal dew of heaven had distilled insensibly; which filled it, but not swelled it: it was more ponderous, not more proud, with its celestial pregnancy and fluency.

But how goodly a person soever he was, and worthy to be beheld and enjoyed by us longer in the land of the living; yet now he is (as the flower and goodliness of all flesh) cut down withered and vanished, hidden from all mortal eyes, you are now to look upon him only by reflection backward; for forward he is invisible; another potent Elijah taken out of your sight; another reverend father that hath left this orphan and divided Church; another wise man and faithful counsellor withdrawn from a foolish nation and distracted people, from whom God

hath taken away his peace; another righteous man taken from the evil to come, another great prophet who could not but foresee and foretel the evils that would (as St. Paul speaks) follow a sinful generation after his departure".

This is another of the prime chariots and horsemen of our Israel, of our excellent scholars, divines, preachers and bishops, which God hath taken out of an evil world, after Bishop Usher, Bishop Hall, Bishop Morton, and others of later years, who are sufficient to make an everlasting divorce between Prelacy and Popery; that odious and unjust conjunction of modern calumuy put upon the reformed Bishops of England; all these died, as in the true faith, so in the foresight and fear of much future miseries impending over us; for though we have drank deep of the cup of the wrath of God, yet they justly feared we were not yet at the dregs.

This holy Bishop went not as the envious and evil world designed, with sorrow to his grave upon his own account, but rather with joy and blessed hope; he knew the world was bad enough at best, but now he thought it stark nought and mad, without sense or shame for sin, even at its worst (Novissima et

"I know all accidents are minuted and momented by Divine Providence, and yet I hope I may say without sin, his was an untimely death, not to himself (prepared thereunto) but as to his longer life; which the prayers of pious people requested, the need of the Church required, the date of nature could have permitted, but the pleasure of God (to which all must submit) denied. Otherwise, he would have been most instrumental to the composure of Church differences, the deserved opinion of whose goodness had peaceable possession in the hearts of the Presbyterian party. I observed at his funeral, that the prime persons of all persuasions were present, whose judgments going several ways, met all in a general grief for his decease. He was buried on the cost of both temples, to his great, but to their greater honour." Fuller's Worthies, 2nd vol. p. 334,

pessima tempora). His only fear and grief was lest the ark of the reformed religion once well settled in England, should at length be taken captive again by the stratagems of the enemies, and carried either to Babylon, or the house of Dagon, to popular and fanatic confusion, or to Romish idolatry and superstition : this hope yet he had in the bottom of his fears, next God's mercy, that since the most crying and scarlet

CONSECRATION OF A CHURCH IN THE REIGN OF JAMES I.

Mr. EDITOR,

As the Consecration of the new Churches, produced by the Parlia. mentary grant, which the Commissioners have so well husbanded, and turned to such excellent account, is now continually engaging public attention, I send you an interesting narrative of the performance of that solemnity in the reign of James the First, extracted from Stowe's Annals, which I trust will not be unacceptable to your readers.

And remain yours, &c.

ECCLESIASTICUS.

"Fulmer, a towne so called in Buckinghamshire, hauing their parish Church about a mile distant from thence, in the open fielde, being nowe growne very olde and ruinate, in regard whereof, and for the generall ease and good of posterities, it pleaseth Sir Marmaduke Dorrell, knight, master of the King's householde, to take downe the ruines of that decayed Church, and at his owne charge to build a newe large faire parish Church with a font, a pulpit, and all church ornaments, with seates, and all other necessaries, and environed it with a fayre church-yard, and was builded within the towne of Fulmer, this knight being lord thereof; and from this time the parishioners were freed from the offence of sommers heate, fowle wayes, and winters weather, which untill nowe were helde great impediments in their duteous fepayre unto ye house of God. This

Byshop of Lincolne: the manner whereof briefley followeth, and first the churchyard was hallowed, which the Bishop and all the assemblee compassed, and as they marched, they sung the 100. Psalme: this circuite finished, the Byshop made a compendious speech, expressing the reasons of this, and the like enclosures about Churches, two whereof were chiefe, the one was to giue due distinction, state & reuerence to the Temple of Almightie God, from all prophane wayes and base places, and that no other building should bee neere unto it and to this purpose he cited the 43d chapter of Ezech. The other reason is, because the church-yard is a dormitary, or place of rest, for Christians to sleepe in, untill the resurrection, for so much the word in Greeke and Latine signifieth: in this speech he distinguished all differences of places & persons, &c. with the diuine reasons, canse, and holy institution of these things in the primitive Church, and duly obserued by all the holy Fathers, &c.

"This done, the Byshop sayed to the Founder, this parcell of ground which we haue compassed for the buriall of the dead within your parish is yet your owne, is it now therefore your free minde to give it for euer to this use, whereunto he answered, I giue it freely, and with an earnest desire to that purpose; the Bishoppe likewise asked the parish priest, and the church wardens of the same parish church, if they all hadde the same desire, and they all answered affirmitively, humbly beseeching the Byshoppe to persist in what he had so well begunne; then the Bishop read the instrument of consecration,

wherein was contayned an interdiction, that the olde church-yard should not bee layd open to anie common or prophane use: then the priest with due reuerence, read the 90th Psalme, and the 23d chapter of Genesis. Then the Byshop prayed, saying, Blessed Jesus, our onely Sauiour and Redeemer, who being the resurrec tion, and the life, hast of thy mercy promised, and by thy power art able to rayse again unto life, the bodies of the dead, that lie in their granes, whether rotted with corruption, or consumed to dust, wee humbly beseech thee of thine especiall fauor to vouchsafe that all these thy seruants, which shall within this circuite be buryed, may lead their liues in thy feare, and leauing them in thy faith, may rest in peace within their graues, untill the great daie of thy second comming, and may then bee raysed anew in assured hope to raygne with thee in that euerlasting glory, which with thy most pretious bloud thou hast purchased for them, and for all that loue thee and looke for thy appearance, heare us O blessed Jesus, for thy passion sake, heare us O louing Father, for thy Sonnes sake, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost, three equall persons, and one eternall God, be rendred all thankes, prayse, and glory, Amen.

"Then the Byshop, entred into the church porch, and turned his face to the Founder, that was lead in thither betweene two knights, and sayd unto him, nowe verily this church-yard is exempt and free from any challenge of you or yours; but this house as yet remaines wholly your owne, say now therefore, if you renounce all your right, clayme, and interrest to the same, he answered affirmitiuely; then the Byshop asked him, if his hearts desire were to have it dedicated to the Almightie God, and consecrated to his diuine seruice onely; whereunto the Founder answered, saying, most joyfully and willingly: then the Byshop required the Founder to read this Psalme, viz. One thing haue I desired of the Lord, which I will require, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, all the dayes of my life, to beholde the fayre beautie of the Lord, and to visite his Temple, and so read on to the 7th verse; which done, the Byshop tooke him by the hand and went forward, saying, I was glad when they sayd vnto me, we will goe into the house of the Lord. And at the second verse of this Psalme, they both kneeled towards the East, & deuoutly sayd the rest, with glory be to the Father, and to the Sonne, and to the Holy Ghost, &c.

"After this the Byshop made a deuout prayer acknowledging Gods omnipotence

and diuine power, and that heauen is his seate, & the earth his footstoole, so that his Majestie and glorious presence could not be confined within materiall temples, &c. and prayed that it would please his Fatherly goodnesse, that his seruants might assemble together in that place, to heare diuine seruice, and to make their humble and deuout prayers, and supplications, and to heare his will and word reuealed unto them, and that this place consecrated to his seruice and seuered from all prophane employments; that it would please his diuine Majesty to blesse it, and accept it at their hands, as a fit place for the usuall assembly, a house wherein his sacred word should be reuerently read and truly preached, his holy Sacraments duly administered with feare and reuerence, &c. which most excelent prayer and benediction ended, he turned to the new font, and prayed likewise saying Almightie and euerlasting God, whose most dearely beloued Son Jesus Christ, for the forgiuenesse of our sinnes, did shed out of his most precious side both water and blood, and commaunded his disciples that they should goe teach all nations, and baptise them in the name of the Father, and of the Sonne, and of the Holy Ghost, and to that purpose did sanctifie, not onely the floud Jordan, but all other waters also, to the misticall washing away of sinne, we beseech thee heare the supplications of thy congregation, and graunt, that all thy seruants whichshall be baptised in the water of this font, may receive the fulnesse of thy grace, and may euermore remayne in the number of thy elect Church, thro' Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

"Then the Byshop and the Founder went by the middle Isle, and betweene the chancell and the bodie of the Church, the Byshoppe turning his face to the people, read the instrument of consecration, & dedicated this Church to God, in the memorie of St. James the Apostle, for so was the name of the olde Church. After this the parish priest sayd the diuine seruice, and instead of the psalmes appoynted for that day, he read the 26th, the 84th, & the 134th psalmes; and for the appoynted chapters, the 2d of Samuell, the 6. chap. and the 10 chap. of S. John, verse 22, and so read to the end; and in place of the collect was sayd this prayer, We beseech thee O Almightie God, that thou wilt be pleased continually to dwell in this house, which this day we haue dedicated to thee, and vouchsafe to receine the sacrafices of thy servants, whether of almes, or prayers or thanksgiving which shall be offred herein; graunt also a blessing to thy

sacred word, herein read or preached, that like seede sowen in good ground, it may fructifie in those that shall bee here assembled, to the instruction of their under

standing, the comfort of their consciences,

the amendment of their lines, and the sauing of their soules, to the glory of thy blessed name, through Jesus Christ our onely Lord and Sauiour.

This ended then began a Sermon, his text Psalme 5. verse 7 the people sung the psalmes viz, the 27th and 113, the Sermon being ended. Then the Byshop celebrated the communion, when the Founder by the Bishops direction kneeled by himselfe in the middle of the Quyer right before the Alter, and being a collection for the poore, he offred a peece of golde; and toward the end of the celebration, the Byshoppe prayed as followeth Most gratious God, after the religious example of those holy prelates in the primitiue Church, which in celebrating the communion, remembred the saynts departed, and their benefactors liuing, we humbly beseech thee to accept in good part our commemoration of this worthy gentleman thy seruant here present, by whose meanes and at whose charge in these demolishing and destroying dayes, this house was translated, reedified, enlarged, and dedicated to thy seruice, blesse him we praye thee with his whole ofspring and familie, establish him and his seed upon earth, and when that house of clay his bodie shall be disolued, clothe him with immortalitie, and giue him an euerlasting habitation in the heavens, with thee and thy Sonne Jesus Christ, to whom with the Holy Ghost, be all glory, honor, prayse, and thankes, now and for euer, Amen. And to the communion being ended, and the benediction pronounced, the congregation was dismissed.

"And thus much by way of abstract, I haue thought good to set downe, because it is the first newe built Church, with a new church-yard to it, that came to my perfect knowledge." Stowe's Annals. p.

908.

LIBERTY OF PROPHESYING.

THE ensuing extract from the works of Dr. Jackson, (whose life was inserted in our last Number,) on the "Inordinate liberty of Prophesying" introduced in his days, and on the evils which flowed from it, is not only curious as an historical document, but most seasonable as a warning to ourselves. The evils which

he foreboded came tremendously to pass. Can any less fearful result ensue from present excesses? The Legislators for the Church seem to take a very different view of the subject. Inordinate Liberty of Prophesying brought Errors into the Church, disgraced and hindered the Re-. formation.

ALBEIT the reverend fathers of our church, and their suffragans should use all possible care and diligence for performing all that is on their parts required; yet without some better conformity of catechisms, and reformation of such as write them, or preach doctrines conformable to them, there is small hope, that in such plenty of preachers as now there are, this work of the Lord should prosper half so well as it did in those times and in those dioceses, wherein there were scarce ten able preachers besides the prebendaries of the Cathedral Church under whose tuition, in a manner, the rest of the clergy were. I well remember, and I cannot but remember it with joy of heart, that the synods in that diocese wherein I was bred did constantly examine the licensed readers how they had profited in learning, by their exercises, which they did as duly exhibit unto the chancellor, archdeacon, &c. as they did their orders or their fees. Such as had profited well were licensed to preach once a month or once a quarter, having certain books ap. pointed from whose doctrine they should not swerve, but for the most part translate. The authors then in most esteem were Melancthon, Bullinger, Hemingius (especially in postils and other opuscula of his) or other writers, who were most conformable to the Book of Homilies, which were weekly read upon severe penalty.

2. But since the liberty of prophesying, was taken up, which came but lately into the northern parts (unless it were in the towns of Newcastle and Berwick, wherein Knox, Mackbray, and Udal had sown their tares) all things had gone so cross and backward in our church, that I cannot call the history for these forty years or more to mind, or express my observations upon it, but with a bleeding heart. The first declination from the ancient Church was, concerning the death and passion of our Saviour Christ; of which the forward zealots, or rigid reformers of Popish merits did make more malicious and scandalous use upon use than the Papists themselves, or other heretics, did of any doubtful or difficult place of Scripture. The people were, in a manner, taught to believe that,

To credere, to believe this article was sufficient to salvation, live they in the mean time how they list. This fool ish doctrine did begin and propagate itself in Germany, before Melancthon did correct Luther, or as Chemnitius thinks, did record his own recantation. But the infection in the mean time did so far overspread the Church of England before it heard of the remedy, that it moved Sir Thomas More to lay aside jesting, and deplore the miseries of his times in earnest, to see men given over to revelling, boozing, or drinking, or to other worse vices, and yet continue confident that the sufferings and passions of Christ should fully pay the shot, or discharge the reckoning how great soever it were.

3. It was but an implicit branch of the former error, which at the first did not break forth in express terms, to teach men to believe, secundum λŋpopopíav with full assurance of faith, that Christ died for them in particular, before they had any assurance that Christ died for all men. A strange conclusion, which they sought to cover or overshadow with a more dangerous branch of the same error, to wit; that every man was to have Fiduciam, or full assurance of his own estate in grace or interest in Christ, not from God's general promises made in him, but from special or particular faith. This was that unfortunate doctrine which gave such scandal to the beginning of the reformation in Germany, that not three hundred Bellarmines, not so many Valentias, or other learned Jesuites which have lived since, could ever withdraw the tenth part so many from reformed religion, as Dr. Hessils did with-hold from embracing it, by exagitating this sensual doctrine as he styles it, as if it had been conceived or maintained of purpose, that, some professing reformation might continue and increase their drunken and voluptuous, others their lascivious and wanton kind of life; and yet be as sure of their personal salvation as either St. Peter or St. Paul were during their pilgrimage here on earth. This was that gin,or noose which Satan sought to draw upon them, as knowing that he had this kind of people at greater command, than ever he had any besides. For, (as is intimated in some former meditations published, and in some others in due time to be communicated to learned and pious readers) there is not, there cannot be any possible evasion out of this snare, but by recanting the former opinions or errors themselves. For every novice in arts hath learned, that every universal negative proposition may be converted simpliciter. Now the Scripture gives us this universal negative, again

and again, "that no adulterer, no covetous person, no slanderer or reviler of his neighbours, no seditious or rebellions spirit shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. The other universal negative which they deliver up as their deed and writing unto the father of lies, and of all wicked cunning, is this, that no man which must of necessity enter into this kingdom, though he die this day or to morrow, can be an adulterer, a covetous person, a slanderer or reviler of his neighbour, or carry a seditious, rebellious, or traiterous spirit to his king and country. Now by this noose or gin which they have cast for themselves, the great tempter can draw or lead them to all manner of mischief and hypocricy to envenom their thoughts with malice and slander, with treason, sedition, and disloyalty, and yet assure them, that they are no slanderers, no traitors, &c. but zealous and godly persons, because they must enter into the kingdom of Heaven.

The last and worst branch of the former bitter root, is an assertion which I never read in any foreign writer, but of late set down in terminis terminantibus by some English zealots, whose study and practice it hath been either to improve or malignify foreign errors. The improvement of the former errors, which outlandish writers did rather not take into consideration than maintain, is, the division of all mankind into two sorts, that is, into elect and reprobate. An error, I confess, which can do no great harm upon such as have the gift to let the word of God run as fast ont at their mouths, as it comes into their brains either by the ear or eye. But if it enter once into the thoughts of a sober conscientious spirit, whose brain and heart have daily intercourse or commerce, it is impossible but it should put him into a dangerous perplexity, either of being carelessly presumptuous, or of falling into utter despair. Experiments of this latter evil have been more frequent in our Church, and in these times, than in any other church or times before us.

4. For conclusion of this tragical consideration, I would request all such as sit in judicature, especially in causes criminal, to call to mind, or suffer me to be their remembrancer, of a grave saying delivered by a great prelate in the high court of parliament, that severity without instruction is a kind of tyranny. More particularly my humble request is, that with good leave I may put such in mind as judge seditious, turbulent, or enormus practices (or censure felo-de-se) that they shall mightily condemn themselves by judging them, unless they be as forward withal to quell the erroneous