don; and there he failed in the hour of trial, apostatized, and preached Antichrist as zealously as Lawrence Saunders protested against him. "Wherefore," saith Fox, "let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall; and let us pray continually to Almighty God, though we have faith, that he will help and increase our faith; that in him it may be made strong, which of itself is so weak that it is soon overthrown."

CHAPTER XIII.

BISHOP HOOPER.

HITHERTO have we seen persons of various degrees in rank and bearing, and of different orders in society, enabled to resist unto the shedding of their blood the sin of conforming to the requirements of a church plainly denounced in Holy Scripture as idolatrous and antichristian. It now becomes our duty to record the barbarous immolation on that sanguinary shrine of one who held the high station of a chief pastor in the fold. DR. JOHN HOOPER, bishop of Worcester and Gloucester, had graduated in the university of Oxford, where he not only acquired a full share of human learning, but was, by the secret vocation of God, stirred up with fervent desire to the love and knowledge of the Scriptures. He searched them with diligence and prayer: and, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, attained to the light of true divinity. About the time of enacting the six articles, in Henry's reign, Mr. Hooper, by his evident growth in spiritual understanding, excited the displeasure of certain pharisaical doctors, who found means to drive him from the university. He then entered the household of sir Thomas Arundel, who retained him as his steward, until he discovered Hooper's religious opinions, to which he was exceedingly averse, while entertaining the utmost esteem and affection for his person. Accordingly, sir Thomas wrote a private communication to Stephen Gardiner, stating his anxiety to have Hooper convinced of his errors by the bishop; and of this letter he made him the bearer.

Winchester conferred with him for four or five days on

disputed points, but being unable to make any impression on Mr. Hooper, he sent him back to sir Thomas with commendations of his learning and wit. The failure, how. ever, of his attempts at convincing him of error, left a resentful bitterness against him on Winchester's spirit, who never forgot or forgave any opposition to his will. Not long afterwards, information was conveyed to Mr. Hooper that danger was working against him; insomuch that he left sir Thomas Arundel's house, and after travelling in France, and being for a short time with another gentleman in England, he was again compelled to flee to France, Germany, and other places. At Zurich, where he lived on terms of great friendship with Bullinger, he also married, and diligently applied himself to the study of Hebrew.

At length when God saw good to place the pious young Edward on the throne, and so to stay the persecution against his little flock, and give them peace and rest, Mr. Hooper took leave of his German friends, and returned to help forward the Lord's work at home. It is remarkable that when his dear friend Bullinger, with an affectionate farewell, entreated to hear of his future progress, Hooper, giving a ready promise to that effect, added, " But the last news of all I shall not be able to write: for there (taking Bullinger by the hand) where I shall take most pains, there shall you hear of me to be burned to ashes; and that shall be the last news, which I shall not be able to write to you; but you shall hear of me."

Coming to London, he made it his unfailing practice to preach, generally twice, at least once, every day. His sermons were sharp; correcting sin, inveighing against the iniquity of the world, and the corrupt abuses of the church. He was very popular, the people flocking daily in such large numbers to hear his discourses, that oftentimes the church would be thronged to the very doors. In doctrine he was earnest, in tongue eloquent, in the Scriptures perfect, and in labours indefatigable. His character was singularly consistent, and his deportment always the same. Grave, even to austerity; in life so irreproachable that no slander was able to fix a stain upon his conduct; of a healthful, vigorous body, pregnant wit, sound judgment, invincible patience, and inflexibly just. Spare of diet, sparer of words, sparest of time. Neither could labour or adversity break, nor promotion elate, or dainty fare corrupt him. Liberal in hospitality, to the utmost extent of his means; 16

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and altogether fitly answering to the apostle's description of a good bishop. Such he appeared to the young king; for having been called to preach before him, he was very soon, by his majesty's desire, appointed to the see of Gloucester; and after two years' exemplary discharge of his duties, to that of Worcester.

Dr. Hooper, however, entertained certain scruples on the subject of the episcopal vestments, which he considered as retaining too much of the vain show of the popish church, and contrary to the simplicity best becoming the preachers of Christ's gospel. He also objected to the oath usually administered to bishops at their consecration; and with characteristic honesty he stated his difficulties to the king, humbly requesting to be either discharged of his bishoprics, or excused from conforming to these customs. Edward, rather than deprive the national church of such a pillar and ornament, immediately issued his royal sanction for dispensing with all that Hooper objected against. The other bishops, however, strenuously contended for the uniformity of apparel, and of all the rites and ceremonies which were retained, as harmless and decorous, when the destructive errors of the popish church were purged away. Both parties exerted themselves as zealously as though some essential point of saving faith had been involved in the discussion, instead of a thing so immaterial. It injured the cause of the gospel, and furnished occasion to its enemies to blaspheme. In the end, Hooper was overborne, and induced to compromise the matter by consenting to appear occasionally in the vestments so uncongenial to his sober and severe taste. Those who chiefly opposed and pressed him, were afterwards made willing to tread in his steps of constant suffering, unto martyrdom. Fox concludes his account of this bitter controversy with a striking remark : admonishing the reader," how wholesome and necessary the cross of Christ is sometimes in the church of Christ, as by the sequel hereof afterward did appear. For as in a civil governance and commonwealth, nothing is more occasion of war than overmuch peace, so in the church, and among churchmen, as nothing is more pernicious than too much quietness, so nothing more ceaseth private contentions oftentimes rising among them than the public cross of persecution." He also considers it expedient to have on record these examples: for as it appertains to our consolation to have in the Scriptures the account of Paul's fall, and Da

vid's aggravated sin, so may it be profitable for posterity to hear the faults of these godly martyrs, that in time of infirmity, there may be the less occasion to despair.

It is certain, that as bishop Hooper carried to undue lengths his scruples against what he was afterwards induced to conform to, so did his opponents contend too stiffly for what was a small matter compared with the mighty battle in which they knew how important it was to stand together, and to present a united front to the enemy. The tumults concerning Hooper's vestments having subsided, he repaired to his diocese, and there employed his time during king Edward's reign, with such diligence as may furnish an example not only to all his successors in that see, but throughout England. Abhorring alike to labour for filthy lucre's sake, and to lord it over God's heritage, he left no pains untaken, no ways unsought, to train up his flock in the true word of salvation. Intrusted with two diocesses, he so ruled and guided them both, as though he had in charge but one family. No father in his household, no gardener in his garden, no husbandman in his fields, was more constantly occupied than bishop Hooper among the people of his charge; whom he visited in all their towns and villages, preaching the gospel. The rest of his time was devoted to hearing public causes, or to private study, prayer, and visiting schools. In nothing was he more remarkable than in the total absence of that respect of persons which would spare a rich man the rebuke wherefrom a poor man would not have escaped. He was hated by evil doers; but not one among them could make out a reproach against his life, so perfectly did it accord with the gospel that he preached. His house was the very abode of piety and peace: no idleness, no pomp, no revelling, or impropriety in word or deed, could there be discovered. One beautiful rule of this house must not be passed over. Every day, a certain number of the poor of the city were supplied with a dinner of whole and wholesome meats, in the great hall. They were entertained by four at a mess, having been previously examined by the bishop or his de puties, on the creed, the Lord's prayer, and the ten commandments: nor did this exemplary pastor sit down to table until his poor guests had been served.

But the days of the church's peace were soon numbered: king Edward went to receive a brighter crown, and with Mary came in popery again, the bitter enemy of Christ

and his gospel. The good bishop Hooper was one of the first marked out, by summons; and the charge was to be answered before Heath and Bonner, for having accepted the diocess from which the former had been expelled for popery, and for having joined in accusing the latter to king Edward, for non-conformity to the purified ritual. The bishop was counselled to flee, but declared his resolution to live and die with his flock, However, on his way to appear before Bonner and Heath, he was intercepted and forced to repair to the queen's council, where Winchester, after many opprobrious and railing words on the score of his religion, falsely charged him with a debt to the queen. Hooper fully and boldly cleared himself, but was nevertheless committed to ward for six months, on this groundless ac

cusation.

On the 19th of March, 1554, the bishop was called to appear before the queen's commissioners, the bishops of Winchester, London, Durham, Llandaff, and Chichester, when, on his entrance, Winchester asked if he were married. "Yea, my lord," he replied, "and will not be unmarried till death unmarry me." Upon which Durham remarked that speech was enough to deprive him. They then proceeded to revile him, one bishop calling him a hypocrite, another a beast, and so forth; nor was he allowed, either by reason or scripture, to make good his cause. After much tumultuous and violent talk against him on the subject of marriage, the bishop of Durham asked him if he believed the corporeal presence in the sacrament: Dr. Hooper plainly answered that there was none; nor did he believe any such thing. Being asked, after another uproar, what authority he had for disbelieving it, he alleged the text-"Whom the heavens must receive until the latter day." Winchester denying the applicability of that passage, he would have entered further into the discussion, but was silenced with clamour and abuse; and finally they had it recorded that he should be deprived of his bishopric for refusing to be separated from his wife, and for disbelief of the corporeal presence.

The treatment of this good man in prison had been most infamous. Every indignity, every hardship, that the malice of the keeper and his wife, creatures of Winchester, could combine to afflict him with, was his portion, during the first three months when some liberty had been allowed him but at the end of that time, they quarrelled with him