induce his careful and conscientious revisal of a sentiment to which the whole current of modern missionary history is diametrically opposed. Should not facts and arguments present themselves to his mind, sufficiently powerful to secure his retractation of so strange an error, it will then be my easy duty to supply them. In a note "E. P." cites as an authority the example and conduct of " Mr. Shaw, the Wesleyan missionary from South Africa." "He began his mission by teaching the savages around him the arts of civilized life, of agriculture in all its forms, and the advantages of social order and laws, and thus rendered them capable of ascending to the higher truths of religion." Your correspondent must have strangely mistaken this good man's statements. Mr. Shaw has been associated, for some time, with other brethren in the district of Graham's Town and Lower Albany, and their labours appear to have been much blessed. By their last report, "nearly one hundred accredited members of society, of various tribes, were connected with the native church under their care;" and, as accounting for this, they say, "this congregation partook largely of the late religious revival." This method of accounting for the progress of the truth is much more in harmony with the convictions and actual operations of our missionary brethren than the process above described. The inculcation of the truth as it is in Jesus into the youthful and the adult mind; the preaching of the cross is now, as in apostolic times, the only effectual means of "humanizing the barbarous;" and when this has gained the conquest of the heart by its wondrous adaptation and sovereign efficacy as "the power of God," the amenities of civilized and social life are ever present to attest and grace its triumph. Liverpool. J. J. C. FRAGMENTS OF PURITAN HISTORY. No. V. WHEN persons are placed in exalted stations, and assume the power of oppressing others, their conduct is unsound in principle and dangerous in practice. This was remarkably exemplified in the puritanic age. The right reverend prelates, exalted to a giddy eminence, treated the pious puritans with wanton cruelty, as if they had belonged to some inferior race of creatures. Dr. John Aylmer, Bishop of London, was admirably fitted, by his natural temper, and position in society, for an inquisitor, and an oppressor of the church of God; and, being invested with power, he did not fail to employ it, though a professed protestant, in the persecution of his protestant brethren. The conduct of this dignitary, presently after his exaltation, was brought under strong suspicion; and he was accused of selling the timber, and wasting the revenues of the bishopric, for which he was convened before the privy council. On his appearance, the Lord Treasurer Burghley "openly blamed" * Missionary Register, February, 1840, p. 67. him, and, with great freedom, told him that a bishop had once been displaced for a similar offence. This rebuke gave the bishop "some uneasiness," and "provoked him to anger," and, in conclusion, her Majesty forbad the bishop cutting down any more timber.* As might have been expected, Bishop Aylmer was not a little disturbed by these proceedings; and, in defence of his character, he sent the following called an angry letter" to Lord Burghley: "My very good Lord, 66 : "The unjust surmises of my wasting of wood, I have answered particularly; whereby, if your lordship shall be satisfied, I shall be glad if not, I must and will stand to the justifying of my doing, both in that and all other things. Only this grieveth me, that my Lord Treasurer is content to have a miscontented mind towards the Bishop of London. No just cause, I am sure, have I given you; but contrariwise, I have as much honoured you in all times and everywise as any man in England; and I doubt not but God will touch your heart when he shall think best, and move you to remember me with your wonted favour. Your lordship can have no great victory over me, who never strove against you; nor, if you should displace me, as you told me it was a rare cause in law to deprive a bishop, whether you were one to bring me in I know not; but, if you should procure to bring me out, I assure you I would thank you. The charge being so unportable, my old years growing on, the beggaring of myself, the wearing of my body, thanklessness of the office, the continual discouragement, especially of late, being called to answer every trifle, maketh me fall upon my knees to pray, that you or some other will help me ever to lead a private life. Therefore, my lord, no man shall need to sift much my doings; for I shall not oppose my conscience. And, to be plain with your lordship, you are the man that doth most discourage me, not in that point whereof I make no account; but in that, by your word and countenance, my government is hindered. For when such words pass from you, that such and such things be not of the nature of religion; that the ecclesiastical jurisdiction, which you yourself by statute have confirmed, is merely papal; that you would such and such should preach, who are disturbers of it. It cannot be, my lord, that these words from your mouth, as from her Majesty, shall more embolden them, and hinder our labours, than our toil and moil shall in many years be able to help and salve. "These are the things, my lord, which do discourage me, and make me weary; that, on the one side, we shall be bawled on by them, and not backed nor countenanced by such great magistrates as you are. For my part, I am so oppressed with business, enough for any three, without others help, reward, or thanks; it must needs make us desperate, as, by my writing, you may see I am. I cannot live this life, nor joy greatly in my state, where I always toil to the utmost in my power, and dwell in suspicion of your good lordship. Two things make me bold: the one is, that I fear not, and care not, for the loss of my place: the other is, that I have a clear conscience, that I ever deserved well of your lordship, and never ill; and, therefore, whatsoever shall happen, I shall stand clear before God. If you think that my answer to this objection be either not true, or not sufficient to satisfy you, your lordship may call Mr. William Clark; whom, I think, your lordship judges to be upright and wise, and of great experience; and, if it fall not out, my lord, that 1 am so careful a man for my woods, and that they are much the better for me, then let me lose my credit with her Majesty and all your honours. I know this is no time to hold your lordship thus long; but that very grief of mind makes me to deal with your lordship as Job did with God, towards whom, in his passion, he sometimes forgot himself: so I may seem to pass the limits of my duty. But, if it may please you with this to forgive and forget all the rest, I shall be as ready to seek your favour as any man alive; which, if I cannot obtain, there is one above that *Strype's Aylmer, pp. 71-74. will one day reprove you and chide you. Thus, God bless your lordship, as I would be blessed myself. From Fulham, this 26th of May, 1579. "Your Lordship's humbly to command, "JOHN LONDON."* The restless prelate, under extreme mortification, lamented that he had so few coadjutors in the "toil and moil" of persecution, which made him not only ready to give up his place, but even weary of life. His spirit, however, was not easily broken, though he had other difficulties to encounter. Having discovered his victims, he was sometimes perplexed how to lay hold of them. This was particularly the case with Mr. Robert Wright, a puritan minister ordained in one of the foreign reformed churches, and entertained as preacher in the house of Lord Rich; which is fully stated in the bishop's letter to Lord Burghley, dated September, 29th, 1581, thus addressing his lordship: "I understand her Majesty is offended with certain disorders in Essex, and especially with such exercises as are thought to be had and continued in Lord Rich's house; the minister whereof is one Wright, ordered I cannot tell how nor where. It may please your good lordship to inform her highness, that in the late Rich's time, father unto this nobleman, I had many great favours at his hands for the staying of them; but now of late, within this fortnight, the present Lord Rich came to my house at Fulham, together with his base uncle, and another, to entreat me to license the said Wright to preach in my diocese. Which, because I utterly denied, unless he would subscribe to the orders of this church, his said base uncle did so shake me up, as I never was so abused at any man's hands since I was born. For which I would have committed him, but that we were not three present together, to do it according to the authority of the commission. Nevertheless, we have determined to call him at our first sitting in the term. As to Lord Rich himself, I gave him great warning, that he followed not his counsel in these matters; if he did, I must needs make her Majesty privy to it; and so I meant to do. Wright, that is the preacher, I cannnot come by, unless we would send a power of men to fetch him out of a nobleman's house. I have charged both the father and the son to send him unto me, and they both have promised, but never performed. Therefore, seeing we do as far as our commission giveth us leave, I trust her Majesty will think the best of our doings; and not suffer us to be defaced of such busy bodies, nor be grieved with us for not doing that which our authority reacheth not unto. How I strove with him in this behalf these two whole years past, it is well known to all the country; and, yet, unless we should pull him out by the ears, I know not how we should come at him. Thus, hoping that your lordship will entreat her Majesty not to give ear to any information made against us; but rather to consider unto what peaceable tranquillity God, by my poor services, hath brought not only London, and my whole diocese, but also the most part of England, since I came to this place; whereby I have as I think, in my conscience, deserved her gracious favour, rather than discouragements. I am hated like a dog, and am called the oppressor of the children of God.”† The "peaceful tranquillity" effected by this prelate was by stopping the mouths of faithful ministers, in which he was certainly very successful; since, in Essex alone, he suspended, deprived, or imprisoned, upwards of thirty zealous and conscientious ministers, declaring they should be white with him, or he would be black * Lansdowne's MSS. Vol. xxviii. No. 72. with them."* How then could he wonder to be "hated like a dog," and denominated an "oppressor?" The bishop found some difficulty in the foregoing case of prelatical warfare; but he went the sure way to work, and the projected scheme, in six weeks, was found sufficiently effective. This will appear from the following brief epistle which the bishop sent to Lord Burghley: "Right honourable, "I thought it my duty, because your lordship was at the first hearing of the matters concerning Rich and Wright, to let you understand how the matters fell out yesterday, and what we have done, as well in that as in others. If it please your lordship, very great proofs were brought against those two, about their speech against the solemnizing of the Queen's day. Against Wright for asking, if they would make it a holy day, and so make our Queen an idol: and Rich for saying and maintaining in very great earnest the same speeches and others. For this cause, and for rejecting the prayer-book, and many other disorders, we have committed them both: Wright to the Fleet, and Rich to the Marshalsea. Dix, a very disobedient man, and a violent innovator, we have sent to the Gatehouse; that he there, and Wright in the Fleet, may exercise their learning against the Papists, which hitherto they have brought against their brethren, and against the state! Some others we have admonished, and some suspended, till they show themselves conformable in allowing the book of common-prayer. In these things and such others as be of importance and odious, our colleagues do shrink from us; whereby those few who do assist us now grow discouraged. Fulham, November, 8th, 1581. "Your Lordship's at command, "JOHN LONDON."t Bishop Aylmer, possessing such vast power, with his dominant spirit and principles, could not escape difficulties. He informed the Lord Treasurer, that he had obtained a signal conquest, and effectually secured his three victims; yet he was presently involved in other perplexities, and was again convened before the lords of the council; after which the prelate addressed this short letter to Lord Burghley: "My singular good Lord, "I thought it good to signify unto your lordship, my humble and hearty thanks for your goodness in the matter lately before you and others; wherein, though I found such great justice, with honourable favour; yet it is greatly bruted, that the Bishop of London was called before the council. I pray your lordship, therefore, hereafter let me be called before yourself and some one of the council; for else I must, with your lordship's good favour, give over sitting in the commission. I would to God my Lord of Canterbury were in the commission, that I might have some ease; for I am dead weary! Thus I humbly take my leave of your lordship, whom I pray God to bless with all heavenly and earthly blessings. At my house by St. Paul's, November, 7th, 1583. This reverend prelate had a very high opinion of his own character, and of his zealous efforts to promote the welfare of the church; but the measures which he adopted to suppress noncon MS. Register, pp. 584-742. † Lansdowne's MSS. Vol. xxxiii. No. 25. formity were notoriously severe and appalling, utterly unworthy of a minister of Christ. He betrayed a cruel, persecuting spirit in the treatment of Mr. Barnaby Benison, a minister of good learning and amiable piety in London; whom he, in 1579, summoned to appear before him; and for refusing the oath ex officio, he suspended him from his ministry, and committed him first to the Clink, then to the Gatehouse, where he remained five years. The bishop's partial biographer admits that his lordship overshot himself, betrayed a want of circumspection, and dealt too hardly with the pious divine. In addition to this severity, when the prisoner was first apprehended, the bishop's officers carried away a great part of his household furniture and his valuable library, and he suffered other considerable losses.* Mr. Benison, having obtained deliverance from his long and miserable confinement, solicited some remuneration for damages he had sustained, and presented, in 1584, the following petition to the Lords of the Council': "It pleased God of late to lay open very manifestly before all your honours, the great injury and wrong which of a long time I have sustained by the Lord Bishop of London: so all the godly men who have heard of his hard dealing towards me, think indeed that it will cause very many to give hearty thanks to God with me for him to make good compensation for what he has done; and also your honours due consideration of the same, when he shall understand how he is constrained, according to the equity both of the laws of God and of the realm, to make me some recompense, for the great expenses I have been very long put to by him, and so in many ways restrained through him. "May it please you, therefore, my good Lords, according to your accustomed goodness and charitable pity, that you have on the poverty of Christ's servants, to inform her Majesty while your suppliant's affliction is still fresh within her patient remembrance, that the loss and great imprisonment, especially over and besides his former harm done me; and that it may please her Majesty to take some pity on me in these three things: First, my charge of thirty-one weeks' close confinement in the Clink, having a man continually suing to your honours for me, whose expenses, besides his ordinary maintenance, have been great and chargeable to me; as is not unknown to some of your honours. It may easily be judged by you, that neither I nor any other poor student, who hath been tenderly brought up after my honest manner in learning, could any ways conveniently live in so costly a place, so long a time, under forty pounds cost at the least. Secondly, the unfaithful dealings of sundry men with me, who had the most part of my poor household stuff in their hands when I went into prison, and the utter spoil of my books, both at my chamber, and also in the prison, brought no less damage to me than was my cost in the Clink, with much grief; because I can get no such books again, and most of them I miss. Thirdly, my poor tenement of freehold, all the stay of my living that was ever left me by my father, is so ruined and utterly spoiled in my absence, that a hundred pounds will not in all things repair it again, and bring it to the same value for her Majesty's service. "Wherefore, these things briefly communicated to her Majesty by your honours, and my present poverty in some measure opened unto her; to wit, that it may please you to tell her that I am not now able, unless I could sell the whole of my poor apparel, to lay out forty shillings for the good recovery of what has been taken from me, and, by force is still kept from me. But I doubt not that God, who of his mercy towards me, made her Majesty before to pity me * Strype's Aylmer, pp. 209-212. |