His ad

but before he died, he conformed to the establishment. herents were numerous. "I am afraid," said Sir Walter Raleigh, "there are near twenty thousand of these men ; and, when they are driven out of the kingdom, who shall support their wives and children?"

Their order was improved by Mr. John Robinson, pastor of 'a church of Brownists in the north of England--a man of much learning and piety. From his establishment, all who followed him were called independents; though they did not differ materially from the Brownists. Both these churches were driven by oppression into Holland, where they established themselves at Amsterdam and Leyden. A part of Mr. Robinson's church removed to New-England in 1622, and settled Plymouth. The first independent church in England was formed in 1610 by Mr. Henry Jacob.

Elizabeth was succeeded by James VI., king of Scotland, who now assumed the name of James I. At his accession, the hopes of the puritans were greatly revived, for he had been educated a Scotch presbyterian, and had said, 'I thank God that I am king of the sincerest kirk in the world, sincerer than the kirk of England, whose service is an ill said mass in English, it wants nothing of the mass but the liftings," meaning the elevation of the host. On his way to London, the puritans met him, and presented him a petition called the millenary, because it contained the wishes of a thousand ministers. But the episcopalians, alarmed, frowned and courted the monarch. To quiet the parties, James appointed a conference of divines at Hampton court. The disputants were appointed by the king. He had already at heart taken sides with the episcopalians, and he shewed his feelings by appointing eight bishops, and as many deacons on the one side, and only four puritans on the other. James acted as moderator, though he did little but brow-beat the puritans; for, finding that puritanism was unfriendly to monarchy, he became its inveterate foe-avowing the maxim: No bishop, no king. He also renounced Calvinism, it being too puritanical, and went over with his court and bishops to the principles of Arminiusnot altering but giving an Arminian interpretation to the thirtynine articles. He also published a declaration, encouraging sports on the Lord's day, as the puritans insisted upon its sacred observance, and had the book of sports drawn up by Bishop Moreton, recommending dancing, archery, leaping, vaulting, May-games, Whitson ales, morrice games, or setting up of maypoles, and carrying rushes into the churches, &c. But of these, neither papist nor puritan was to have the benefit.

CHAP. 18. KING JAMES' TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE. 307

Under King James, Bancroft became archbishop of Canterbury. He brought himself into notice by asserting, in a sermon, that bishops were an order distinct from priests, and this by divine right, and that those only who were episcopally ordained, were regular ministers. Advanced to power, he caused the puritans to feel terribly the rigour of the ecclesiastical laws. Every nonconformist was rejected from the pulpit, and every layman favouring nonconformity, was excommunicated from the church. Such persecution could no longer be borne. Many puritan families left their native soil, and emigrated to NewEngland and Virginia. Others were preparing to follow, but were forbidden by severe laws.

While James was thus persecuting the puritans, he and his court were threatened with a tremendous destruction from the catholics. Thirty six barrels of gunpowder were concealed under the parliament-house with a design of blowing up the king, lords and commons when assembled, and thus overthrowing entirely the protestant cause. But this awful plot was happily discovered in season to prevent its execution. It occasioned new and severe measures against the Catholics, and confirmed the puritans in their belief in the importance of relinquishing entirely the Romish forms and ceremonies. This plot was fathered upon the puritans, that they might become more the objects of public indignation.

In 1610, the furious Bancroft departed this life. He was succeeded by the mild and pacific Abbot, who was ever disposed to treat the puritans with lenity and kindness.

But

King James died, not without suspicion of poison, March 27th, 1625. One of the most important events of his reign was the formation of that translation of the sacred scriptures, which is now in common use. Nine translations into English had been previously made; viz. Wickliff's new testament in 1380. Tyndall's do. 1526-first edition of the bible 1535; Matthew's Bible 1537; Cranmer's, 1539. Geneva 1559, (the first that was printed with numerical verses,) Bishop's 1568; Rhenish testament 1582, and Bible 1609, 1610 by the Catholics. the English language was continually changing, and many things existed in the above which were viewed as incorrect by the puritans, and they requested the King, at the Hampton court conference, to order a new translation. The King complied with their request, and appointed fifty-four of the chief divines of both universities to undertake the work, under the following regulations. "That they keep as close as possible to the Bishop's Bible; that the names of the holy writers be retained

according to vulgar use; that the old ecclesiastical words be kept, as church not to be translated congregation, &c. That the division of chapters be not altered; that when a word has divers significations, that be kept which has been most commonly used by the fathers; no marginal notes, but for the explication of a Hebrew or Greek word; marginal references may be set down." As some died after their appointment, only 47 engaged in the translation. These were divided into six companies. The first translated from Genesis to the first book of Chronicles; the second to the prophecy of Isaiah; the third translated the four greater prophets, with the Lamentations and twelve smaller prophets, the fourth bad the Apocrypha; the fifth had the four Gospels, the Acts and the Revelation, and the sixth, the Canonical Epistles. The whole being finished and revised by learned men from the two universities, was published by Bishop Wilson and Dr. Smith, with a dedication to king James, A. D. 1611.*

James was succeeded by his son, Charles I. This prince pursued the same policy as his father, and laboured with the whole power of his kingdom to subject England, Scotland, and Ireland to his bishops, and to extirpate puritanism and Calvinism. His primate and chief counsellor, was Archbishop Laud, a man who is said to have gone as far as he could go toward Rome without being a papist, and who laboured with all his might to bring the nation to receive Arminianism, and to submit to absolute despotism. But to popery, Arminianism, and arbitrary power, the nation were hostile; and the king and archbishop found themselves involved in inextricable difficulties with parliament. The king published a declaration like his father, encouraging sports on the Lord's day, and Archbishop Laud introduced new and pompous ceremonies, that the English might be like the Gallican church. The Lord's Supper had been celebrated at a table in the midst of the church. This, Laud removed, and placing an altar against the east wall, he fenced it round with a rail way, to keep the profane laity at a respectful distance. He required the people to pay great reverence on

*The books of the Old and New Testament were originally written without any division into chapters and verses. In the thirteenth century of the Christian era, Cardinal Hugo divided them into chapters for the purpose of forming a concordance. These chapters he subdivided into sections, to which he affixed the letters of the alphabet. In 1445, Nathan, a Jew, refined upon him, and divided the Old Testament into verses. These however were marked in no printed Bible, until 1661. But in 1551, Robert Stephens printed the New Testament, and divided it into verses which are now used. Though the division is in some respects useful, the scriptures should always be read without any reference to it.

entering and leaving consecrated buildings, to bow to the altar, the only place, he said, where God resided, and to pay great homage to the priests. Against all nonconformists, he exercised the most awful severities;* driving multitudes into exile. During twelve years of Laud's administration, four thousand emigrants passed to America. "The sun," said they, "shines as pleasantly on America as on England, and the sun of righteousness much more clearly. We are treated here in a manner which forfeits all claims upon our affection The Church of England has added to the ceremonies and habits of popery, the only marks of Antichrist which were wanting, corruption of doctrine and a bloody persecution of the saints. Let us remove whither the providence of God calls, and make that our country which will afford us what is dearer than property or life, the liberty of worshipping God in the way which appears to us most conducive to our eternal welfare."

Those that remained behind were far from being submissive. A spirit of religious liberty is not to be confined or suppressed. A sense of right and a conviction of duty will disregard despotism, with its bars and bolts. The puritans felt that their cause was the cause of God. Their teachers were experimental, serious, learned, affectionate, and faithful. Their people were exemplary. In general they had no objection to royalty. They feared God and honoured the King. But they detested the hierarchy and the laws which required conformity to the episcopal rites. The severities of the High Commission Court, and the contumely and reproach of Laud, exasperated them to the highest degree. Their numbers greatly increased. Parliament and the sword of the nation passed into their hands. An assembly of divines was convened by Parliament at Westminster, by whom a directory of worship was framed, which superceded the prayer hook, and the famous Assembly's catechism was formed, and other acts passed, destructive to the old establishment. Laud was accused of treason, and brought

* One Dr. Leighton, a puritan, was condemned in the Star Chamber, at Laud's instigation, for publishing an appeal to the Parliament against prelacy: When sentence was pronounced, the Archbishop pulled off his cap and gave thanks. This is his own cool record of its execution: "Nov. 6. 1. He was severely whipped before he was set in the pillory. 2. Being set in the pillory, he had one of his ears cut off. 3. One side of his nose was slit up. 4. He was branded on the cheek with a red hot iron, with the letters S. S. On that day, sen'night, his sores upon his back, ear, nose, and face, not being cured, he was whipped again at the pillory in Cheapside, cutting off the other ear, slitting the other side of his nose, and branding the other cheek; was then imprisoned with peculiar severity for about eleven years, and when released by the parlia ment, he could neither hear, see, nor walk,"

to the block. Episcopacy was abolished throughout the kingdom. Every thing dear to the church party was swept away. And the king himself, amazing to tell! expiated his attachment to unlimited civil and religious power on a scaffold, January 30, 1648.

Three weeks after the King's death the Assembly of divines at Westminster was terminated. It had continued 5 years, 7 months and 22 days, and had had 1163 sessions. It was originally composed of ten lords, twenty commoners, and one hundred and twenty-one divines; seven only were independents. Ten of the episcopal divines who were appointed attended, and such as did soon withdrew, for the King by his royal proclamation had forbidden its convening. Richard Baxter, who knew most of them, says, those who transacted its business "were men of eminent learning, godliness, ministerial abilities, and fidelity."

The season of trouble in England was used by the Jesuits in' Ireland to suppress the Protestants. Under the labours of Archbishop Usher, Bishop Babington, and others, these had flourished greatly. But the Jesuits infused into the minds of the catholics the most ferocious feelings towards them; and the moment when the troops were employed in the contest between the king and parliament, they rose in mass and with savage fury massacred above 200,000 Protestants. The day on which this awful scene was transacted was the 23d of October, 1641. The innocent objects of hellish rage rose from their beds in perfect ignorance of the dread design. Astonishment seized them as they beheld their nearest neighbours, with whom they had lived in friendly intercourse, approach them armed with the weapons of death; not to threaten and terrify, but deliberately to execute upon every age, sex, and condition, the most horrid assassinations. Pleas, resistance, flight, all were vain. If they escaped from one, the next catholic who met them was sure to knock out their brains or plunge a dagger in their bosom. As the power of the catholics increased, they delighted in inventing new modes of torture. Not only the weaker sex but the very children entered into the measure and plunged the knife into the breasts of their playmates, or the dead carcasses of the massacred Protestants. Yea, the cattle of the Protestants were destroyed as tainted by the religion of their owners, and their habitations levelled in the dust as unfit to be occupied again by human beings. The province of Ulster, where they chiefly resided, was nearly depopulated. Thus did they shed the blood of the saints. But in the year 1648 Cromwell subdued the