XVIII. "we do want. But we mind not to trouble your noble ho- CHAP. "nours with so long an enumeration of our griefs, as we "might make justly in this behalf. Anno 1584. "The truth of these our griefs touched, or others by us Visitors. "not touched, if it please you, be made fully known to you "by the relations of some such godly visitors, as may take "a view and trial of these causes: it shall suffice us at this "time to have declared thus much to your honours, that we "are as sheep scattered without a shepherd; on whom the Matth. ix. “Lord Jesus did take pity. We are left without teaching "in these abundant days of teaching. They on whom we "do complain do feed themselves, but we do famish. They The pastors "will be in place of our pastors, but they do bereave us of charged. "the fruit of the pastoral office. This they do, and this "they suffer, to the great dishonour of God, to our great "discomfort, and to the no small danger of the loss of our "souls. Remember, you noble and honourable, we do "humbly beseech you, that the loss but of one soul cannot "but be straitly required by the living God, in that dread"ful day of account at their hands, to whose government "his divine Majesty hath committed us. "We do now complain of the danger of the loss of our "souls and of our salvation, through this want of teach 66 ing which we now do suffer. There are whole thousands Thousands "of us left untaught; yea, by trial, it will be found, that untaught. "there are in England whole thousands of parishes desti"tute of this necessary help to salvation; that is, of dili"gent preaching and teaching. Salvation is promised to "them only which do believe; but we cannot believe on Rom. x. "him of whom we do not hear; we cannot hear without a preacher; as the apostle doth say. It is preaching, and "not simply reading, that is required for having of faith. "The reader may himself read without understanding, as Acts viii. "the eunuch did: and likewise may the hearer hear the "thing read, and not understand it. That eunuch had not "full faith wrought in him, but by hearing Philip's preaching to him, and opening to him the meaning of the scripture, which he had read before: for then the Holy Ghost 66 66 I. BOOK "did work faith in his heart. So when in preaching, the "holy scripture is so well handled, that it is both truly Anno 1584. “ opened, and also applied fitly to the minds and under Want of preaching. "standings of the hearers, then doth the Spirit of God "teach the hearts of the hearers to understand; and doth "work that faith in them by it: which is the understanding "of life and salvation. We must hear and understand, "before we receive and retain the seed of life, to bring "forth the fruits of it. Neither can we understand it, un"less we be rightly taught, both what it is, and how it is to "be understood of us. r "So of this want of preaching we do complain. This penury of preaching breedeth in us a penury of faith; "which doth both greatly pinch us, and put us in danger. "It doth also constrain us at this time to make this our "humble complaint. "In tender consideration whereof, and for redress of "these griefs, and of some other things which do need re"formation, we do most humbly beseech your highness, our 227" most gracious sovereign lady and queen, your lordships, our most honourable good lords of her majesty's privy"council, and your wisdoms, which are of the high court "of parliament, not only graciously to consider of the pre"mises, but also of these our humble petitions hereunto "annexed, and now following: which we do humbly pre"sent to your godly wisdoms; not as prescribers of that "which is to be done by you, but as most humble suitors, "most humbly beseeching you to be moved by your own "good consideration of the things which we do desire in "them, yourselves to think on; to devise and establish some such remedy for our miseries, and the disorders "which do hinder godly order among us, as to your godly "wisdoms shall be thought good and necessary. And we "shall pray God, our heavenly Father, even in the name "of Jesus Christ, both to pardon all former faults and "negligences, and to work in your hearts the right and full ❝ understanding and care of true godliness, which is to be “had. XVIII. "We do confess, that when God did first call you to CHAP. "take the affairs of the church in hand, you did find in it 66 many ruins and great gaps. He hath directed you by Anno 1584. "his grace to do much good, to the repairing of the same; "we do humbly praise him for it. And even so we pray "him still to lead you by his principal Spirit to do all that "which remaineth, and is yet to be done in the business of "his holy Majesty: that you may bestow yourselves, and "the power which he hath given to you, wholly in his ser"vice. And that both you may govern us, and we obey Which reyou, according to his blessed will, thoroughly." The pe- done. titions that are said to follow are set in the Appendix. Numb. 66 main to be ch. 10. But as for the petition consisting of sixteen articles XXXIX. brought into the house of parliament, for reformation or alteration of the customs and practices of the church established, and sent up to the house of lords, they are set down Life of Archbishop elsewhere at large; with the answers to them by both the Whitgift, archbishops, and also by Cowper, bishop of Winton. But book iii. besides, I meet with another answer, at good length, to those sixteen petitions, given in by the bishops in general; and seem to have been done at their convocation: which having not as yet seen the light, I cannot omit to insert this manu-Answer of the bishops script, being an important matter of the history of our to the 16 church at that time, when there was such a joint endeavour articles. of many, eager for another discipline to be brought in, and the former, with the public prayers and offices, to be laid aside. First, the articles are set down, and then the answers of the bishops to each article distinctly follow. But this paper being somewhat large, I refer the reader to the Appendix, where I have exemplified it. No. XL. the clergy at St. Paul's. As the year before [viz. 1583] the bishop of London visited his clergy at St. Paul's, Dr. Walker preaching before A call of them, and then all the ministers subscribed anew to the two books; [that is, I suppose, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Thirty-nine Articles;] so now this year there was another call of the city clergy again, to elect clerks for the convocation. When also a general subscription was made to the queen's supremacy. And certain Scotch ministers, BOOK exiled out of Scotland, were forbidden to preach, except I. they had lawful licences thereunto. There was also then a Anno 1584. call to relieve a bishop's widow of Ireland, who was there 228 killed; and likewise to gather money, to redeem one Mr. Rogers, a captive in the duke of Parma's hands. This, I suppose, was Daniel Rogers, that transacted the queen's business in Flanders. A convoca tion. Articuli pro clero. A convocation. CHAP. XIX. Articuli pro clero. The archbishop's cares. Comforted by sir Christopher Hatton. James Diggs, ordinary servant to the archbishop. Dr. Drurie's advices to him about a Melius inquirendum. Dr. Howland made bishop of Peterborough. The bishop of Lincoln's Admonition. A book called The Abstract, for bringing in another discipline: answered. The Counterpoison. Dr. Copcot's sermon at Paul's Cross. A brotherly and friendly counsel to the ministers for peace and concord. A CONVOCATION now sat, November 24: of which synods and meetings of the bishops and clergy there was a great use under queen Elizabeth; both for the maintaining of themselves and their privileges, and providing for religion and regulating abuses, and offering good bills to the parliament; as they used to be full of business in various and sundry such like matters. In this convocation the articuli pro clero were framed by the archbishop, bishops, and the rest of the clergy of the province of Canterbury, and established by the queen, and approved and confirmed by royal authority. These articles, in Latin, may be found in the Collection of articles, injunctions, canons, &c. collected by bishop Sparrow. Which articles were digested under these heads. I. That fit men be admitted to holy orders and ecclesiastical benefices. II. For the moderating the solemn commutation of penance, III. Concerning moderating certain indulgences for the celebra XIX. tion of matrimony, without thrice denouncing the banns. CHAP. IV. Concerning restraining or reforming some excesses about, excommunication. V. Concerning the pluralities of Anno 1584. benefices. VI. Of fees due to ecclesiastical officers, and their servants. Lastly, Concerning inquiries to be made by bishops. The making of which articles were no doubt occasioned by the bills put up this parliament for the reformation of many ecclesiastical abuses complained of. lect. p. 194. 229 The original of these articles I have seen among the lord treasurer Burghley's papers. Out of which I must note some lines, which are not in the printed articles, as we have them in bishop Sparrow's Collection; where, immediately Sparr. Colafter line the 10th, this paragraph follows: Quod si patronus quispiam clericum aliquem ad beneficium aliquod præsentaverit, qui prædictis qualitatibus non fuerit imbutus, licebit etiam episcopo ejusmodi præsentatum rejicere; nec brevi illo de Quare impedit, nec ulla alia ratione cogetur eundem instituere, aut eadem causa ullum legis periculum subire. But this indeed had a x set against it. But I find also the same period in the same book of articles in English without any x there. cares and for the Whitgift, archbishop of Canterbury, was aware of these The archbishop's bills and petitions that were preparing by the innovators, and their outcries against the state of the clergy, and against concerns non-residences, pluralities, &c. Nor was his diligence want-clergy. ing to provide answers, where complaints were ungrounded, and redress where need was. And in this weighty business he had the encouragement and cordial friendship of sir Christopher Hatton, vice-chamberlain to the queen, and one of her privy-council; who had sent to the archbishop a paper of notes containing, as it seems, the sum of those petitions for reformation that were to be brought into the parliament house, now ere long to sit; that so the archbishop might the better understand the import of them, and get replies ready upon occasion. The archbishop made use of Mr. Bancroft, his faithful chaplain, as his messenger to sir Christopher. From whom he repaired back with his advice and comfort; which was seasonable to the archbishop |