servants here at home, ean alter her; only as the things tiremseives aiter, so she arcfed her religious wisdom to corspred as them, soll retaining the two rules before-mensoned in dealing tenderly with consciences, and yet in diszovering ferica from eccscience. Farewell. -Your loving friend, -FRANCIS WALSINGHAM.” By the acerunt Walsingham gives of the seditious pamphlets pubished by the Puritans, their menacing the rovernment, and subscribing the discipline, it is plain this letter, though without date, was written not long before his death. To proceed: secretary Knolles was another great favourer of the Dissenters, as has been observed. This gentleman was a much better statesman than divine: as to Church government, he was a downright Erastian; I shall transcribe his letter to sir Francis Walsingham upon this nim subject. See Records, "On the 4th of February the parliament met at Westminster. There was little done this sessions relating to the Church, excepting an act for punishing those who took bribes for electing fellows, scholars, officers, and other persons in colleges, collegiate and cathedral churches, schools, hospitals, halls, &e. The statute likewise provides against simoniacal presentations: and here it is enacted, that the patron who receives any sum of money for a presentation or collation, shall forfeit his turn, and the benefice or dignity shall lapse to the crown.' And that those who either take or make any such simoniacal promise, grant, bond, covenant, or other assurance, shall forfeit the double value of any such benefice, dignity, &c. And the person corruptly procuring, or accepting any such benefice, dignity, &c. is for ever disabled from enjoying it by any other title. And if any person shall receive any sum of money, or other 609, benefit, for resigning a benefice with cure of souls, both the giver and receiver are to forfeit the double value of the sum given. "And, lastly, Those who receive money, or other valuable consideration, for ordaining priests or deacons, or for licenses to preach, forfeit forty pounds, and the party so corruptly ordained, ten pounds; and whatever spiritual preferment he happens to gaia, within seven years after such ordination, the statute declares all such benefices or promotions void, and that the respective patrons may dispose of them as if the clerk had been naturally dead.” ELIZA- 31 Eliz. cap. 7. 1588-9. mon at St. against the That this parliament might be further informed of the Feb. 9, weak pretences and foul practice of the Puritans, Dr. Dr. BanRichard Bancroft preached a very learned and significant croft's Sersermon upon this subject at St. Paul's-cross. This Bancroft Paul's-cross was some few years forward preferred to the see of London, Puritans. and at last to that of Canterbury. His text for the purpose above-mentioned was 1 John iv. 1: "Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they be of God; for many false prophets are gone out into the world." ness one trine. In prosecuting this text, he gave a strong image of the Puritans, and painted them in glowing colours; he set forth their intemperate language against bishops, described their ambition, and such other indirect motives that push them to mutiny and public disturbance. Amongst other things, Covetoushe charges the party with covetousness; he laments that motive to filthy lucre was frequently made the pretence for reforma-false doction; and that the prospect many people had of plundering bishoprics, seizing the endowment of cathedrals, and scrambling for the remainder of the Church revenues, was the principal cause of nonconformity and schism in this Church. He adds, that had not clear evidence drove him upon this censure, he should have forborne the imputation. To explain himself further upon this head, he divides the nonconformists into clergy and laity, and considers their plea and pretensions apart. Their clergy make a warm demand of all the livings settled on the Established Church. These estates, they pretend, ought to be conveyed to their presbyteries. And for fear of being underfurnished, they put up a claim to the abbey-lands. To this purpose, in a petition to the parliament, exhibited in the name of the commonalty, they lay it down for a maxim in divinity, that things once Bancroft's dedicated to religious uses, are unalienable from their ori- Sermon at ginal intendment: when they are thus enclosed by vows and cross, p. 22. Paul's WHIT the Papists, and bishop Ridley against Knox and others. GIFT, And here he argues from the absurdity in extemporary Abp. Cant. prayers. And how often such unpremeditated devotions slide into indecency and irreverence. At his next advance he maintains the superiority of bishops over presbyters, argues for the civil supremacy, and alarms the audience with the danger they had reason to apprehend from the practice and principles of the disciplinarians. This sermon was managed with great learning and strength of argument, and in all likelihood made an impression. And of this the act of grace at the breaking up of the parliament, seems something of a proof: for those who did not come to church, hear divine service, and conform themselves to the ecclesiastical establishment, were excepted from the benefit of this statute. 31 Eliz. cap. 16, Sermon, fixed to the But before I part with the doctor's sermon, I must observe he charges the Dissenters with denying the regale, P. 60, pre and transferring the pope's supremacy upon their presbySurvey, &c. teries and ecclesiastical senates. This opinion he makes part of their heterodoxies in his "Dangerous Positions," &c. and in his "Survey of the pretended Holy Discipline." To mention the articles upon which they are impeached. "In their whole book of discipline there is no mention of any authority or office in or over the Church, belonging to the civil magistrate. He has no vote or place in any of their Bancroft's synods, except he is chosen an elder: he has no power asDangerous signed him to convene a synod, neither is his assent required lib. 3. p. 97. to any of the canons." And in his "Survey" he lays down more of their principles from Cartwright's tracts, and other writings of unquestionable authority. The propositions extracted are in these words: Positions, The Dis ciples with civil supre T. C. lib. 2. lib. 1. "The Christian sovereign ought not to be called the senters' prin head under Christ, of the particular and visible Churches respect to the within his dominions. No civil magistrate hath pre-emimacy. nence (by ordinary authority) to determine of Church causes. TCI. No civil magistrate in councils or assemblies for Church T. C. lib. 3. matters, can either be chief moderator, overruler, judge, or Disciplin. determiner. No civil magistrate hath such authority, as that without his consent, it should not be lawful for ecclesiastical persons, to make any Church order or ceremony. No civil magistrate ought to receive either tenths or first Admon. 2. Eccles, &c. BETH. fruits of any ecclesiastical persons. The judgment of Church ELIZAmatters pertaineth to God: they ought ordinarily to be handled by the Church officers: the principality or direction of the judgment of them, is by God's ordinance pertaining to the ministry of the Church. As for the making of orders and ceremonies in the Church, they do (when there is a constituted and ordered Church) pertain unto the ministers of the Church, and to the ecclesiastical governors: and that as they meddle not with the making of civil laws, and laws for the commonwealth, so the civil magistrate hath not power to ordain ceremonies pertaining to the Church. The ministers are to determine of controversies as they arise, and to make or abolish needful or Bancroft's hurtful ceremonies. And further, it is Cartwright's asser- the PreSurvey of tion, that in ecclesiastical causes, an infidel or profane tended Holy magistrate has the same right with Christian princes." c. 23. p. 259. Now it may not be improper to inquire into the sense of The sense of antiquity upon this question: that is, whether the Fathers the ancients upon this stand on Bancroft's or the Puritans' side. And here it question. cannot be denied, the authority of the ancients must have a great weight in pronouncing upon the controversy. Their living so much nearer the apostolical times, must give them a preference to the moderns; and make them better judges of the privileges and practice of the Church. Discipline, of this That this spiritual society was governed by officers of her Sec vol. 1. own for the three first centuries, is beyond all question. Church Now whether the Fathers believed the civil magistrate's History. turning Christian removed the seat of ecclesiastical authority, and conveyed this spiritual government to the state: whether, I say, the conversion of princes inferred so great a change as this, in the opinion of the Fathers, is what I shall briefly examine. This question may be divided into two branches, that is, with respect to matters of faith and matters of discipline. That princes were not to settle controversies of faith, and overrule the decisions of the hierarchy in disputes of this nature, is supposed evident from the first four general councils. Thus the Arian controversy was examined and determined by the council of Nice, and not by Constantine the Great. Macedonius was declared a heretic by the council of Constantinople, and not by the emperor WHIT- solemn conveyance, they ought never to be thrown open to Abp. Cant. the world. GIFT, Luke 9. Acts 3. The lay Puritans' argument against the clergy turned upon them. The lay nonconformists were of a quite different sentiment, and ran boldly to a scandalous extreme. For this he quotes a pamphlet, called "An Admonition to the People of England." Our preachers, say these lay Puritans, ought to live by the example of Christ and his apostles. Now nothing was more unprovided with conveniences than their Master. "He had no place where to lay his head." And as for the apostles, their predecessors, "silver and gold they had none. Now why should these men that go less in industry and merit be better accommodated? Why should those who are so much inferior to the apostles in their qualifications, exceed them in figure and preferment? There is no coarseness either in eating or habit, which men of their profession ought to repine at. Alas! their dignities and promotions do but hinder them in their business, and deserve their character. And to turn these men's artillery upon them, and ruin them by their own reasoning, he borrows some of the principles of the German Anabaptists: and here he directs his discourse to the poorer sort of the audience in this manner: "My brethren," says he, "these gentlemen of the laity use you extremely ill. The children of God, you know, are heirs of the world: The earth is the Lord's, and the saints are to inherit it.' The wicked, therefore, do but usurp the blessings of Providence, and hold their estates by a wrong title. You have an equal share with those of the best distinction in the kingdom of heaven: why then will you suffer yourselves to be thrown out of your property upon earth, and acquiesce under so unequal a distribution? In the apostles' times, the faithful had all things common: then those who had estates sold them, and laid the purchasemoney at the apostles' feet, and every one had his share in proportion to his necessity; and since the Christian religion is still the same, why is the usage so very different? But, alas! so it is: you are but little better than beasts of burden to the wealthier sort. Your landlords make no scruple to rack your rents, to grind your faces, and exhaust |