was made an idol and idolatry is forbidden in the scriptures. Hawkins. By the same argument, I will prove your garments to be forbidden in the scriptures. In Psalm cxxxviii. it is said, that "God hath magnified his word above all his name." And 2 Cor. x. it is said, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringeth into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." But you have brought the word of God into captivity to the pope's garments and his canon law. Therefore they are forbidden in the scriptures." And," says Christ, "that which is highly esteemed amongst men, is abomination in the sight of God." Luke xvi. White. Reprove what we hold, and prove what you would have us to observe, by the scriptures, and we will yield to you. But if you cannot do this, why do you persecute us. Bishop. You are not obedient to the prince. Dean. Doth not St. Peter say, "Be obedient unto every ordinance of man?" White. Yes, so far as their ordinances are according to the will of God. Nixson. It hath always been the practice of popish bishops, when they could not defend their cause by scripture, to make the mayor and aldermen their servants and butchers, to execute punishment. But you, my lord, seeing you have heard and seen our cause, will take good adver tisement concerning the same. Mayor. How irreverently you speak before my lords and us, in making such a comparison ! Bishop. Have we not a godly prince? Or, is she evil? White. What the answer to that question is, the fruits do shew. Bowland. Yes, the servants of God are persecuted under her. Bishop. Mark this, my lord. · Hawkins. The prophet may answer this question. "Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread?" Dean. Do we hold any heresy? Do we deny any article of faith? Do we maintain purgatory or pilgrimage? No; we hold the reformation that was promoted in the days of King Edward. White. You build much upon the time of King Edward. And though it was the best time of reformation, all was confined to one prescript order of service, patched together out of the popish mattins, even-song, and mass-book; and no dicipline, according to the word of God, might be brought into the church. Nixson. Yet they never made a law, that none should preach, nor administer the sacraments, without the garments, as you have done. Hawkins. It can never be proved, that the ceremonies of antichrist, and the pope's canon law, are clean to christians. For the apostle saith, there is no fellowship between Christ and Belial, and light and darkness. Dean. All the learned are against you. White. I delivered a book to Justice Harris, containing the order which we hold. Reprove the same by the word of God, and we will renounce it altogether. Bishop. We cannot reprove it. But to gather yourselves together disorderly, and to trouble the quiet of the realm, against the will of the prince, we like not. White. We hold nothing that is not warranted by the word of God. Hawkins. That which we do, we do in obedience to the command of God. "Now, I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences, contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them." Dean. Yes; but what you hold is disorderly, and against the authority of the prince. Hawkins. That which is according to the word of God is truth, whoever holds it; unless you make the truth of God subject to the authority of the prince. It were better for us never to have been born, than to suffer the word of God to be defaced by the pleasure of princes. Bishop. All the learned are against you. Will you be tried by them? White. We will be tried by the word of God, by which we shall all be judged at the last day. Dean. But who will you have to be judge of the word of God? Hawkins. That was the cavil of the papists, in the time of Queen Mary. I have myself heard them say, when the truth was defended by the word of God, " Who shall judge of the word of God? The catholic church must be judge. White. We will be tried by the best reformed churches. The church of Scotland hath the word truly preached, the sacraments truly ministered, and discipline according to the word of God: these are the marks by which a true church is known. Dean. We have a gracious prince. Prisoners. May God preserve her majesty and council. White. That which God commandeth, ought to be done; and that which God forbiddeth, ought not to be done. Bishop. Yes; and so say I. White. It is manifest that what God commandeth to be done, is left undone; and what God forbiddeth, is done by authority. God says, "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all that thou hast to do: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God." But the law of the prince saith, "Thou shalt not labour six days, but shalt keep the popish holy-days."-Christ commandeth discipline to be used in his church, Matt. xviii., and it was practised by the apostles: but in the church of England, that is set aside, and none used but the popish discipline. And Christ saith, "If any man shall add unto those things which he has revealed, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in his book: and if any man shall take away from the words of his book, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city." Rev. xxii. How will you avoid this? Bishop. Why, is it not well to hear a good sermon or twoon the holy-days? White. We are not against that. But what shall we do when the sermons are ended? If we do any work, we are commanded to appear in your courts. Bishop. You may be well employed in serving God. White. So we are, when we are at our work, as God commandeth. Dean. Then you would have no sermons, nor prayers, all the week. White. I think he is no christian who does not pray and serve God every day in the week. Nixson. You can suffer bear-baiting, bowling, and other games, both on the sabbath and your holy-days, without any trouble for it. Dean. Then you would have no holy-days, because the papists have used them? White. We ought to do what God commandeth. Dean. Then you must not use the Lord's prayer, because the papists used it; and many other prayers, because the papists used them. You would have nothing but the word of God. Are all the psalms which you sing the word of God? White. Is every word delivered in a good sermon the word of God? Dean. No. White. But every word and thing agreeing with the word of God, is as the word of God. Bishop. There hath been no heretic, but he hath challenged the word of God to defend himself. White. What is that to us? If you know any heresy that we hold, charge us with it. Bishop. Holy-days may be well used. Hawkins. Bishop Hooper, in his Commentary upon the Commandments, saith, "that holy-days are the leaven of antichrist."* In the conclusion, the prisoners not yielding to the conformity required, were sent to Bridewell, where they, with their brethren, and several women, were kept in confinement two years. During this period, the famous Mr. Thomas Lever had a conference with them, and, by their desire, wrote them a letter to comfort and encourage them under their present trials, giving his opinion of those things for which they suffered. In this letter, dated December 5, 1568, he declares, that by the grace of God, he was determined never to wear the square cap and surplice, nor kneel at the communion, because it was a symbolizing with popery. Yet he would not condemn those who should observe these things. The celebrated Mr. John Knox wrote, also, a most affectionate and faithful letter to certain prisoners confined for nonconformity; urging them to hear the ministers who preached sound doctrine, though they conformed to the habits and ceremonies of the church. This letter, written about the same time, was most probably addressed to the same persons The patience and constancy of Mr. Hawkins and the rest of the prisoners, being at length sufficiently tried, an order at the motion of Bishop Grindal, was sent from the lords of the council to release them. Therefore, in the month of April, 1569, after admonition to behave themselves better Parte of a Register, p. 24-37. + MS. Register, p. 18, 19. Ibid. p. 20, 21. in future, twenty-four men, and seven women, were discharged. Bishop Maddox insinuates that these persons were guilty of disloyalty; and adds, "that it was no wonder they were not more respectful to the queen, since their whole * The names of the men were, Robert Hawkins, John Smith, John Roper, James Ireland, William Nixson, Walter Hinkesman, Thomas Bowland, George Waddy, William Turner, John Nash, James Adderton, Thomas Lidford, Richard Langton, Alexander Lacy, John Leonard, Robert Tod, Roger Hawksworth, Robert Sparrow, Richard King, Christopher Coleman, John Benson, John Bolton, Robert Gates, and William White. + Several of them had been beneficed ministers in the church, the rest were religious and worthy laymen, but all sufferers in the same cause. Among the latter was Mr. William White, a substantial citizen of London, whom Fuller, by mistake, calls a minister. He was oftentimes fined and tossed from one prison to another, contrary to law and justice, only for not going to his own parish church. Having been examined before the Bishop of London, he wrote his lordship a most bold and excellent letter, now before me, dated December 19, 1569; in the conclusion of which, he subscribes himself, "Yours in the Lord to command, William White, who joineth with you "in every speck of truth, but utterly detesteth whole antichrist, head, “body, and tail, never to join with you, or any, in the least joint thereof; "nor in any ordinance of man, contrary to the word of God."‡ An abstract of this letter is preserved by Mr. Neal. § January 18, 1573, Mr. White appeared before the commissioners, who treated him neither as men, nor as christians. He was examined in the presence of the Lord Chief Justice, the Master of the Rolls, the Master of the Requests, the Dean of Westminster, the Sheriff of London, the Clerk of the Peace, and Mr. Gerard. Some others having been dispatched, Mr. White was brought forth, whom his lordship accosted as follows:L. C. J. Who is this? White. White, if it please your honour. L. C. J. White! as black as the devil. White. Not so, my lord, one of God's children. L. C. J. By whom were you released? White. By the commissioners, I suppose. L. C. J. That is well, indeed, if we shall commit, and others set at liberty! White. They did no more than they might do. L. C. J. By which of the commissioners were you delivered ? White. I know not. There were the hands of four or five commissioners set to the warrant. L. C. J. But who were they? White. I suppose Sir Walter them. and my Lord Mayor were two of Master of Requests. How were you delivered? White. Upon sureties. M. Requests. How long is it since you were delivered? White. Since the birth-day of our Lord. L. C. J. How often, during this time, have you been at your parish church? White. I could not go to any church, being myself, with sureties, bound to be a true prisoner in my own house. L. C. J. Oh! you were glad of that. White. Not so, my lord; for if I had been at liberty, I would have frequented the place of public preaching and prayer. + Strype's Grindal, p. 136. MS. Register, p. 22-25. L |