BETH. Bancroft, Scripture. But the father, not thinking this fancy would be ELIZAso strongly insisted on, brought his son to church. Snape proceeded in the solemnity till he came to naming the child, ibid. but, not being able to prevail for any other name than Richard, refused to administer the sacrament; and thus the child was carried away, and afterwards baptized by a conforming clergyman. giving To mention one particular more touching the discipline of these Dissenters with respect to their mission: when any person, not already a minister in their way, is designed by them for that office, they command him to go to the bishop of the diocese for his writings, as they call them. But here Their opinion of the they considered the bishop no otherwise than as a civil ma- bishop's gistrate; and, therefore, letters of orders, or a licence to authority in preach, are looked on only as legal securities, to keep them orders, &c. in a living formerly taken, or to screen them from prosecution in preaching amongst their own party. For instance, Mr. Snape, being a clergyman, renounced his first calling or ordination before the classis: and, being a man of character among the Nonconformists, his declaration upon this subject deserves a recital. 66 627. book 3. Touching the substance of my calling to the ministry, I affirm that I had it of the Church of God, being approved by the learned and godly neighbour-ministers, and chosen Idem. by the people of my charge, to that function. Touching chap. 14. that allowance that I had of the bishop, I take it to be a thing merely civil, belonging to a civil magistrate, which authority he hath by act of parliament; and which, therefore, I might lawfully receive at his hands for the peaceable execution of my ministry." siasm and Arthington, About this time, Coppingher, Arthington, and Hacket, The enthubegan to act the enthusiasts in a desperate manner. They conspiracy of pretended prophetic impulse, and that they had an extraor- Coppinger, dinary call to set up the Puritan discipline. Coppingher and Hacket. and Arthington were gentlemen, but of slender fortunes. Hacket lived at Oundle, in Northamptonshire, where he first served Mr. Hussey, and afterwards Sir Thomas Tresham. He had the character of a vain, quarrelsome, licentious fellow. His memory is said to be his only good quality, and this he made use of to very ill purpose: for it WHIT- was his custom to bring off part of a sermon at church, to Abp. Cant. ridicule it in an alehouse. Afterwards, he pretended himself awakened by the preaching of the Nonconformists, turned Puritan, and made an intimate acquaintance with one Wiggington, a bigoted minister of that persuasion. And now, being in his chaleur de néophyte, he railed strongly against the Church of England; and, to make himself remarkable, and raise a reputation for carrying on the discipline, he put on an appearance of great sanctity, pretended to supernatural qualifications, and made the people believe he knew their thoughts, and could work miracles. The matter of fact, it seems, was not disputed, though assigned to different causes: for some took him for a magician, and others thought this privilege a reward of his piety. His enthusiasm or imposturous practice was disappointed at York and Lincoln in both these places he gave out the spirit of St. John Baptist was transmigrated into him; and that his message was to "prepare the way of the Lord before his second coming to judgment." But here the magistracy was so far from believing his mission, that they ordered him to be whipped, and sent out of town. Notwithstanding this rebuke, he went on with his frenzy: and though he began with hypocrisy, yet now he seems to have been an enthusiast in earnest, and to have passed his imposture upon himself. He was a person of no learning. However, by warmth of temper and frequent practice, he had gotten a remarkable talent for extempore prayer; and, affecting rumbling and bombast in his devotion, he was much admired by the ignorant crowd. And now, the deluHacket pre- sion working strong, he fancied himself honoured with an tends to the extraordinary calling. He challenged the character of a of a prophet. prophet of God's vengeance where his mercy is refused; and declared, that, if reformation was not established in England this year, the three great plagues of sword, pestilence, and famine, would fall upon it. commission Čosius' Conspiracy for Pre tended Re formation. Coppingher believes himself under Wiggington, the Nonconformist minister, brought Hacket to Coppingher, and made an acquaintance between them; the privilege and, afterwards, Arthington, and Lancaster (a schoolof an extraordinary master), were taken into the junto. mission. strong visionary, at least in pretence. Coppingher was a He talked of super BETH. for the reso questions. natural privilege, and immediate correspondence with heaven, ELIZAand that God had revealed a wonderful mystery to him. He knew a way to bring the queen and all her council and nobility to repentance, or at least to discover those for traitors who refused to relent. The meaning of repentance was the setting up the Presbyterian discipline. Coppingher acquaints Wiggington with this mystery, who gave no discouragement to his pretensions; but Arthington and Lancaster disliked the motion, told him the prosecution was impracticable, and likely to prove unfortunate in the issue. Coppingher, who was willing to put his credentials to the test and gain the approbation of the Puritan ministers, wrote a His letter to long letter to Cartwright upon this subject. This was not Cartwright done without something of invitation on Cartwright's part: lution of six he had, it seems, offered to examine Coppingher's proof of an extraordinary calling. Coppingher, to satisfy him, tells him, "that, after a solemn fast and other religious preparations, he was thrown into an ecstatic dream, carried into heaven, and had the glories of that place discovered to him; that he had a strong impulse for some extraordinary undertaking, and believed in the suggestion of the Holy Spirit; that, to prevent being led into mistakes by the forwardness of imagination, he had written for advice to several preachers, both in England and elsewhere; that, at last, he wrote to a silenced minister in the city; that this minister assured him God continued still to work extraordinarily in some persons for special purposes." He tells Cartwright, that, in case he approved his mission, he would give him a detail of his design, and acquainted him with the particulars he had in charge; that the business of his letter was to desire Cartwright's resolution of some questions, with some directions upon the matter of what he was going about. The questions to be resolved are as follows: : "First. Whether in these days there are any extraordinary workers and helpers to the Church, either apostles, evangelists, or prophets, where need requires more or less?-or Nazarites, healers, admonishers, in any special sort? "Secondly. If there are still such extraordinary persons, is not their calling immediately from God, and his Spirit a Abp. Cant. WHIT- seal unto their spirits, through which they have such excelGIFT, lent gifts and graces of wisdom, knowledge, courage, magnanimity, zeal, patience, humility, &c. as do manifest such their calling to the Church? Idem. "Thirdly. If such graces and gifts shall appear, whether may the Church enter into the consideration of the success which God may please to give, yea or no? If they may, in what manner are they to proceed with such a person extraordinarily called? "Fourthly. If it shall be confessed that there may be extraordinary callings from God to the end of the world, the next question is, Whether such callings may be found in a country where the Gospel is truly preached, and the sacraments (in some sort) truly administered, though not universally, but here and there,—not perfectly, but in part, and where the true discipline is not established, but oppugned by the public magistrate, &c.? 66 Fifthly. If it shall be answered, that no extraordinary callings are to be looked for but where there is a waste of the Church, whether can it be said truly that there is a waste of the Church where the prince and the chief magistrates are ignorant of the necessity of the discipline, opposing themselves against it, persecuting such as seek it, by means 628. whereof all wicked persons whatsoever are admitted to public exercise of the Word and to the Lord's table,-whether, I say, may it be hoped for, that God, for his glory's sake and the good of the Church, may extraordinarily call some person, by giving him a spirit above others to deal with the magistrate in the name of God, to provide that the people may be every where taught, and true discipline executed where the people already have knowledge? 66 Sixthly. Where pastors, doctors, elders, widows, &c., are wanting in the Church established, and only a minister thrust upon the people to be their pastor, without their choice or liking, whether it can be truly said a man so placed, (though furnished with all inward gifts and graces of God's Spirit fit for that calling,) has the lawful and perfect calling of a minister or no?" Upon Cartwright's receiving this letter, he sent Coppin BETH. gher a cautious message, that he should attempt nothing but ELIZAby advice, and manage with prudence and circumspection. This answer gave Coppingher no satisfaction, who pressed for a more particular resolution: upon which, a day was fixed to discourse with him. That his motion was thus far considered, appears by his second expostulatory letter to Feb. 13. Cartwright, in which he complains he had been checked in 1590. his undertaking for the service of God and the Church, and desires the day appointed for the conference might hold. His reason is, because the juncture would not admit of any further delay; that it was well known some people were in danger of their lives; and that, unless he had been hindered, he could have procured their release before now. And towards the close, he conjures Cartwright to "advise the Dangerous preachers to deal speedily and circumspectly, lest some k blood of the saints be shed." Bancroft's Positions, book 4. chap. 6. and some Coppingher. But the Dissenting ministers, distrusting Coppingher's Cartwright conduct, and probably not liking his design, broke their others disappointment for the conference, and refused to correspond engage from with him any longer. And, to take their leave, Cartwright, Idem. Travers, Charke, and Egerton, sent him word by Hockenhull, "that they would leave him to himself, or rather to Satan, and that they thought him unworthy to be conferred withal." Wiggington proved a much kinder casuist, and gave him He is enan affirmative resolution to his questions, under his hand. Wiggington. couraged by It is to this effect: that God does and will continue to raise up extraordinary assistants to his Church, under all the distinctions put by Coppingher in his first question; that the authority of these extraordinary persons cannot be discovered to themselves by any other means, excepting by God's Spirit; neither can it be known to others, but by the good effects it produces. That a person, thus called, need not put many questions to mortal men for the justifying his calling however, he must have the character of a pious man before he enters on the undertaking; especially, if he has the misfortune of being a known libertine formerly. That where the principal magistracy of any country are ignorant and untaught, there it may be truly said that country is out of order, desolate, or waste: and that this |