CHAPTER VII.

John Wickliffe, the Modern Discoverer of Congregationalism,

A. D. 1324.

Wickliffe's parentage and early life-High reputation at the Uni-

versity, 141. A diligent student of the Bible, 142. His first pub-

lication, 143. Opposition to the Mendicant monks, 144. Becomes

President of Beliol College-Of Canterbury Hall, 146. Defends

Edward III. and his parliament for refusing tribute to the Pope-

Becomes D. D. 1372; and Theological Professor at Oxford-Pub-

lishes A Familiar Exposition of the Ten Commandments, and

Tracts for the Poor, 147. Sent by parliament on an embassy to the

Pope, 148. Character and policy of Edward III, and the progress

of liberal principles of governinent, 148. Influence of Wickliffe's

visit to the Pope-Declares open war against his holiness, 150.

Wickliffe called to account-Patronized and protected by John of

Gaunt and Henry Percy, 150. Opposition to Popery beginning to

show itself in England, 151. Popish bulls issued against Wickliffe

-An attempt to try and punish him, defeated by the populace,

152. The Bible translated by him, 153. Multiplied by transcrib-

ers-Circulated over the kingdom by the preachers of Wickliffism

-Astonishing increase of his disciples, 154. The last days of

Wickliffe, 155. He loses the favor of the court-Why? 156. Per-

secution breaks out afresh, 157. Worn out with labor, Wickliffe

dies of paralysis, Dec. 31st, 1384, 158.

CHAPTER VIII.

Ecclesiastical Opinions of Wickliffe.

1. The all-sufficiency of the Scriptures, 159. 2. Piety a pre-

requisite to church membership. 3. Christ's laws the only rule

for the government of the Church, 161. 4. Priests and Deacons

the only orders of clergy recognized in the New Testament--

Priests and Bishops all one, 162. 5. His opinion about excommu-

nication, 164. The support of the clergy by voluntary contribu-

tions of their people, 165. Influence of Wickliffe in preparing the

nation for the Reformation--How he would probably have reform-

ed the English Church, 168.

CHAPTER IX..

The Lollards-Persecution.

Wickliffe's disciples called Lollards, 171. His "Poor Priests"

-Their method of preaching, etc., 172. Spread of Lollardism—

Attempts of the Pope and clergy to suppress it, 173. First penal

enactment against Heretics, 174 Still increase - Another severe

law, 175. Archbishop Chicheley's infamous efforts to suppress

the Lollards, 176. Council of Constance-Order Wickliffe's

bones to be dug up and burned, 177. Persecution against the

Lollards rages-Particularly against the poor priests, 178. Lord

Cobham, 180. Persecution abates during the civil wars, 183.

Henry VIII. renews the persecution, 184.

CHAPTER X.

Era of the English Reformation-Henry VIII. 1509-1547.

Henry seeks a divorce from his queen Catharine of Arragon,

186. First step towards the Reformation, 188. Successive steps,

189. The hopes of the Lollards revive, 190. Henry's reign capri-

cious and despotic-His Faith of a mongrel character, 191. Eccle-

siastical opinions of the Reformers. 1. The Scriptures a standard

of Faith, and generally of Church order, 192. 2. Two orders of

Clergy only allowed to be divine, 195. No real distinction be-

tween Bishops and Priests. 3. Admitted the right of the people

to choose their own pastors, and to exercise church discipline, 198,

Note, Sir Thomas Moore's Utopia, 202,

CHAPTER XI.

Reign of Edward the VI, 1546—The Reformation ended, 1553-

Popery restored.

Plan of government arranged by Henry VIII.-Parties in the

new government, 203. Reformers prevail-Persecuting laws re-

laxed-Exiles recalled, 204. Common Prayer Book, translated

and arranged from Popish books of devotion, 205. Rights of pri-

vate judgment disregarded, 206. The temporizing polity of the

Reformers, 208. Would have gone further if they had dared, 209.

A summary of their principles, etc., 211. The Reformation ended,

211. Accession of Mary, a bigoted Papist, 212. Falsifies her

promises 213. The reforming bishops removed and imprisoned-

Protestants flee from England, 214. Parliament restore the form

of divine service established by Henry VIII.-Authorize the mar-

riage of Mary with Philip of Spain, 215. Note, Mary's hypocrisy,

215. Pope's legate received, and England reconciled to the Pope,

217. Persecution begins in good earnest, 218, Congregationalism

during Mary's reign in England, 220. On the Continent, 224.

CHAPTER XII.

Accession of Elizabeth, 1558—The Nonconformists-The Puritans.

Elizabeth sides with the Reformers-Her cautious policy, 227.

Her first parliament restore the "first fruits," etc. to the crown-

Repeal the laws against heretics-Establish the queen's supremacy

and the uniformity of Common Prayer,-the grand instruments of

oppression during this reign, 228. The nature and operation of

these acts described, 229. The Nonconformists-who they were;

and their principles, 231. Origin of the Puritans, 233. The dif-

ference between the court reformers and the Puritans, 234. Per-

secution of the Puritans begins 1563, 236. Archbishop Parker's

violence, 238. Puritanism increases, at Cambridge and among the

common people, 238. The Era of Separation, 239. The queen

dangerously ill-The prisons full of Puritans, 240. The effects of

this persecution-A retrospective view of English church history,

241.

CHAPTER XIII.

Robert Browne-The Brownists, 1580.

Browne the first open and persecuted advocate of Congregation-

alisin of this reign, 243. The same principles entertained by others

who had no connection with Browne, 243. A sketch of Browne's

life, etc. 244. His sentiments, 247. First separate Congregation of

Brownists, 1583, 248 -Broken up-Flee to Holland-Dissensions

among them-Browne returns to England, and dies a Rector in the

church of England, 249. Progress of Brownism-Thacker and

Copping executed, 1583, 251.

CHAPTER XIV.

The Martyrdom of Barrowe, Greenwood, and Penry, 1593.

HENRY BARROWE, not a disciple of Browne-A lawyer, a man

of genius, learning, wit, and moral courage, 252. His religious

sentiments-Arrested, tried, and imprisoned, 253. Released, and

re-imprisoned under circumstances of extreme cruelty, 254. His

writings, 255. Twice brought out of prison, in expectation of im-

mediate death, 257. Archbishop Whitgift intercepts a letter ad-

dressed to the queen; and keeps her in ignorance of Barrowe's

case, 258. Barrowe and Greenwood executed May 6th 1593-Tes-

timony in their favor,of Dr. Reynolds and Earl of Cumberland, 258.

John Greenwood, a clergyman of learning, and talent, and fearless

piety-Arrested at midnight, and dragged from his bed to prison,

259. His writings, 260. Protests against being called a Donatist

or a Brownist-His meaning, 261. In favor of an entire separa-

tion from the church of England, 262. The Separatists-The im-

portance of a name, 263. Martyrdom of Rev. John Penry-Some

account of him--A graduate of Oxford-"A pious and learned

man"- Not the author of the Mar-Prelate pamphlets-Arrested,

265. Condemned for sentiments found in private papers, which

were never published by him, 266. Penry's Protestation-An in-

teresting account of himself, 266. His sentiments, 268. Penry's

dying address to his Christian brethren, 269. Hanged in haste-

Forbidden to address the people-The last of the Congregational

martyrs Other punishments substituted for hanging, 275. Note,

respecting other sufferers, 275.

CHAPTER XV.

The first Organized Church of the Separatists, 1592.

The first church organized in Nicholas' lane, London, Oct. 1592,

-Buck's account of the matter, 277. Their secret meetings de-

scribed, 279. The church discovered, and fifty-six of their num-

ber imprisoned, 280. The whole number in the London prisons,

72-Their sufferings, 281. Seventeen or eighteen die in prison,

from "miserable usage"-The Protestant bishops of Elizabeth's

reign compared with the Popish bishops of Mary's reign, 282.

The petitions and protests of the prisoners, 283. The corpse of

Roger Rippon, with its inscriptions, 284. The houses of the Sepa-

ratists broken open and ransacked in the night, etc.-Falsely ac-

cused-Note, The advocates of civil and religious liberty purposely

confounded by the court, 285. A summary view of the character,

and sufferings of the Separatists, 286.

CHAPTER XV1.

The Conforming Puritans and the Separatists—The banishment of the

Separatists.

An important period of our history-A view of the different re-

ligious parties necessary to understand this period, 289. The Sep-

aratists and Puritans-their differences, 290. Their different mea-

sures, 291. Failure of all efforts to obtain a reformation of the hie-

rarchy, 292. The Exile Act-Oppressive and cruel, 293. Increase

of the Separatists, or Brownists-Sir W. Raleigh estimates them at

near 20,000 in 1593, 294. Separatists abjure England, and flee to

Holland, 295. Francis Johnson-Pastor of the first church of Sep-

aratists-He and his church in Amsterdam, 296. "Loaded with

reproaches, despised and afflicted by all"-Henry Ainsworth, their

teacher-His profound scholarship-His poverty and suffering-

The conduct of the Hollanders explained, 297. Separatists pub-

lish a Confession of their Faith, 1598-The same for substance,

with Clyfton's, published in 1589-Dissensions among the Exiles,

298. Robinson's and Ainsworth's remarks, 299. Opponents and

enemies -Junius-Arminius White-Lawne-Fairlander, 300.

Broughton-Hall-Smyth, 301. The indomitable courage, pro-

found learning, scriptural knowledge of the leaders of the Separa-

tion, 301. Other Separatist churches in Holland, 302.

-

CHAPTER XVII.

Death of Elizabeth-Accession of James I, 1603.-Separatists Peti-

tion-Hampton Court Conference.

Changes in England-Elizabeth declining, 302. Expectation of

a Presbyterian monarch allays the persecuting zeal of the prelates-

Elizabeth dies, March 24th, 1603, in the 70th year of her age, and

the 45th of her reign-James VI. of Scotland succeeds her, 303.

The religious parties of the kingdom all have hopes, as well as

fears, 304. The Episcopalians flatter him into their views-" Mil-

lenary Petition"-Petition of the Separatists, 305. Address three

petitions, etc to James for toleration-All unheeded, 306. Hamp-

ton Court Conference, between the prelates and the Puritans com-

mences, Jan. 14th, 1604-The king the principal speaker, 307.

Browbeats and abuses the Puritans, 308. A royal Proclamation,

March 5th, 1604, requiring entire conformity to Common Prayer

worship, etc.-The Convocation of March 29th, 1604, denounces

excommunication on the advocates of Church Reform, 310. The

canons of this Convocation were the instruments of persecution

and cruelty with which the Puritans and Separatists were long

harrassed, 311.

CHAPTER XVIII.

John Robinson and his Associates.

John Robinson and a Separatist church in the North of England

-This church the fountain head of modern Congregationalism-

Mr. Robinson's birth, education, and character, 313. First settled

at Norwich, Norfolk County-A conforming Puritan - Harrassed

by the bishops and "urged with subscription"-Examines more

carefully the subject of church polity-Becomes a Separatist, 314.

Governor Bradford's account of the Nonconformists in the North
of England, 315. Organized into a church, about 1602-Increase-
Another church formed-Persecution renewed, 316. Mr. Smyth,
Clyfton and Brewster-The churches propose to remove to Hol-
land-Bradford's account, 317. Treachery practised upon them-
A part of one of the churches, with Mr. Smyth, reaches Amsterdam
-Mr. Smyth becomes an Arminian Baptist-Becomes the founder

of the General Baptist denomination--Immerses himself, and then

his companions; and thus begins the new Sect, 318. J. Robinson's

testimony to this effect, note, 319. These movements occasion

trouble among the exiles-The old London church, now in Am-

sterdam, disagree upon a question of church government-Clyfton

sides with Johnson, against Ainsworth-The remainder of Mr.

Clyfton's church, now in England, propose removing to Holland,

1608, p. 320. The trouble experienced by thein in getting out of

England, 321. At length succeed - Mr. Robinson and Elder

Brewster the last to leave-State of things at Amsterdam, 322.

Induced to remove to Leyden, for the sake of peace, etc. 1608-9

-Mr. Clyfton, and some others probably, remain at Amsterdam,

323 Note-Correction of Belknap and others respecting Mr. Clyf-

ton's history. He removed from England and died in Amsterdam,

sometime after 1612.

CHAPTER XIX.

Mr. Robinson's church in Leyden-His Writings.

-

Self-denying efforts of the brethren to obtain a subsistence in

Leyden, 324, Their honest industry secures the confidence of the

Dutch-Mr. Robinson's controversy with Hall and Bernard about

separation, etc. 325. Quotations illustrative of Mr. Robinson's

principles of church polity- Introduction-Power of the church,

327. State of the question, 328. Church polity Authority of

church officers, 329. Of the brethren-Old Test. and New Test.

churches-Women's rights, 330. Gathering of a church-Disci-

pline of officers, 331. Relation between pastor and people, 332.

Ordination, 333. Controversy with Episcopius the Arminian, 333.

The Baptismal Controversy, 334. Analysis and extracts, illustra-

ting Mr. Robinson's views, 335. On the democratical or popular

character of Congregationalism, 336. Prophesying-Choice of of-

ficers, 338-Church censures, 339-Church meetings on the Lord's

day, 340. Re-baptism-What is baptism? 341. Infant Baptism,

342. "The People's Plea for the exercise of Prophecy," 343.—