and Dr. Lawrence Humphreys, regius professor of divinity at Oxford, and president of Magdalen College,-" men of high renown throughout the nation, for learning, piety, and zeal for the Reformation, and exiles for religion in queen Mary's reign,”—were summoned before the highcommission court, and told peremptorily, that they must conform to the habits, i. e.-wear the square cap and long gown, and the surplice and non-regent's hood, and must kneel and receive the wafer-bread at the sacrament, or lose their preferments. They replied, that their consciences would not allow them to do these things, let the consequences be what they might. Upon which they were immediately imprisoned, and lost their preferments.

About the same time, the Puritan clergy of London were summoned before the commissioners, and thus addressed : "My masters and ye ministers of London, the council's pleasure is, that ye strictly keep the unity of apparel, like this man who stands here canonically habited with a square cap, a scholar's gown priest-like, [and] a tippet; and in the church, a linen surplice. Ye that will subscribe, write Volo; those that will not subscribe, write Nolo: Be brief, make no words."* When the ministers offered to speak, they were commanded to hold their peace; their names were immediately called over, and they were bid to say, yea, or nay, at once. Out of 100, there were 61 who subscribed Volo, and 37 who absolutely refused; and among them, some of the best preachers in London; all of whom were immediately suspended, and forbidden to exercise their ministry. Archbishop Parker was the leader in these iniquitous prosecutions against the nonconforming Puritans.

* Neal, Vol. I. p. 236.—A clergyman was placed before them, dressed out in full canonicals, as a pattern to which the, Puritans were required to conform.

The consequences of these proceedings were, that many of the churches of London were shut up, and thousands of the people were deprived of the Word of Life. The silenced ministers were compelled to preach privately and without authority, to abandon their profession and turn their attention to secular pursuits; or to go out of the kingdom. Some few of them became chaplains in private gen. tlemen's families, and there sowed the seed in the minds of the rising generation,-the fruit of which was seen in after years. Some of the ministers who had large families were reduced to absolute beggary.

By these severities the people were irritated against the - prelates almost to rebellion; and scoffed and railed upon them as they went by; Whitgift says, actually "spit in their faces." But little did archbishop Parker care for all these things.

To make clean work of it, the archbishop soon called in all the licences to preach the gospel, throughout his province, and required all preachers to take out new ones. And before he would grant them, he demanded an oath of entire, and slavish submission to the queen, to the privy council, to his grace of Canterbury, and " to the articles and mandates of their bishop, archdeacon, chancellors," etc.--" in a word," says Mr. Neal," to be subject to the control of all their superiors with patience."* To carry out his plans, his grace appointed spies and informers in every parish; to watch the Puritans-both minister and people—and to give information under oath respecting all deviations from strict ecclesiastical conformity.

Notwithstanding all, Puritanism increased-both among the learned, and the common people. Cambridge became

66

a nest of Puritans," and the people flocked by hundreds to hear the suspended ministers, whenever and wherever they ventured to preach.

In the year 1566, these sufferers for conscience sake published to the world a vindication of their conduct, in refusing the Popish habits and ceremonies. This was answered by the archbishop, or some of his partizans. Other pamphlets followed from the Puritans. At length the bishops finding that the controversy was extending the evil which they sought to suppress, that the people were eagerly reading the pamphlets and books of the suspended ministers, and imbibing their principles,-procured a decree of the star-chamber,* forbidding any person to print or publish any Puritan books or pamphlets, and requiring "all stationers, booksellers, and merchants trading in books," to enter into bonds to observe the decree of the council.t

The Era of Separation.

These violent proceedings, instead of forcing the objects of them into conformity, drove many of them further than ever from the persecuting hierarchy.

*The Star-chamber Court, was composed of some 20 or 30 noblemen, bishops, judges and counsellors. These were nominated by the queen. When she was present, the others were mere counsellors; in her absence, all questions were decided by a vote of the majority. This court sustained very nearly the same relation to the civil affairs of the kingdom which the high-commission court did to the ecclesiastical affairs. Both courts were downright inquisitions. They were the curse and terror of the nation during this, and the two following reigns. Hume says: "The courts, alone, of high-commission and the star-chamber, were sufficient to lay the whole kingdom at the mercy of the prince."-See Appendix to James I. p. 267, and App. III. to Elizabeth, p. 245. Also Neal, Vol. I. Chap. 8. pp. 503, 504.

↑ Neal, Vol. I. pp. 250, 251.

Near the end of August 1566, the suspended, disfran chised, and silenced Puritans met to debate the question, whether, in their present situation, shut out as they were from the national church, and silenced, and persecuted by her governors-it was not their duty to withdraw entirely from the church of England, and set up separate congregations, in private places, as they should have opportunity; there to worship God with simple and scriptural rites and ceremonies, such as their consciences approved. "After prayer and a serious debate," they came to an affirmative decision of this important question; and thus introduced a new era in the ecclesiastical history of England,―The Era of Separation.

The persecuted ministers found multitudes ready to follow them to the woods, or any place of concealment, where they might worship God without "idolatrous geare." The queen and her bishops were soon upon the scent; and in June of the next year, (1567,) a congregation of 100 persons was discovered at Plumber's Hall, London, most of whom were taken into custody; and, after an examination before the bishop of London, between 20 and 30 of them, with Bolton one of their elders were sent to Bridewell; where they remained- -men and women-in close confinement for more than a year."

The next year, (1568,) the queen was brought to the verge of death by sickness; and the Protestant religion was in the greatest peril; for the queen of Scots, the presumptive heir to the English crown, was a zealous Papist. Still Bridewell, and the other prisons were full of Puritans. The queen recovered, and the work of persecution went on. The reins of government were drawn more tightly, and the lash of discipline was applied more freely and severely.

* See Prince, New Eng. Chronology, Sec. 11. p. 302.

These violent efforts of the queen and her hierarchy to force men's consciences, made, doubtless, many hypocrites; but still increased the number of the Puritans. Another effect of these courtly measures, was, to open the eyes of men to the inconsistency of the entire establishment with the teachings of Christ and his apostles. From the days of John Wickliffe, there had been floating among the English people, the detached principles of Congregational dissent. These principles, though smothered by the persecution of the Lollards, as already related-were not extinguished. The partial Reformation under Henry VIII, gave them new life. The more thorough Reformation under Edward VI, recognizing some of these very principles of dissent, served, probably, to reconcile those who had embraced them, to the established Church; while, at the same time, it confirmed them in the belief of their favorite principles.

Mary's persecuting reign drove back the quieted Dissenters, to their first principles again. The probability that there were secret congregations of these persons, in different parts of the kingdom during the reign of Popery, has already been considered. Abroad, among the English exiles, some of these principles were certainly developed, as we have already seen.

On the return of the exiles to England, after the accession of Elizabeth, the force of education and the spirit of the times, which ran so strongly for national establishments, -would doubtless have drawn most of those who preferred a simple form of church government and worship, into the establishment, had there been a suitable regard manifested for the conscientious scruples of the Puritans. Elizabeth, however, had no notion of framing her establishment to accommodate men of squeamish stomachs, as the Puri