XVI.

SECT. III.

PART II.

never be brought to an entire compliance with CENT. the ecclesiastical laws of Geneva, and which retained, but for a short time, even those which it adopted. It is well known, that the greatest part of those English, who first threw off the yoke of Rome, seemed much more inclined to the sentiments of Luther concerning the eucharist, the form of public worship, and ecclesiastical government, than to those of the Swiss churches. But the scene changed after the death of Henry VIII. when, by the industrious zeal of Calvin, and his disciples, more especially Peter Martyr, the cause of Lutheranism lost ground considerably; and the universities, schools, and churches became the oracles of Calvinism, which also acquired new votaries among the people from day to day [i]. Hence it happened, that when it was proposed, under the reign of Edward VI. to give a fixed and stable form to the doctrine and discipline of the church, Geneva was acknowledged as a sister church; and the theological system, there established by Calvin, was adopted and rendered the public rule of faith in England. This, however, was done without any change of the form of episcopal government, which had already taken place, and was entirely different from that of Geneva; nor was this step attended with any alteration of several religious rites and ceremonies, which were looked upon as superstitious by the greatest part of the Reformed. This difference, however, between the two churches, though it appeared at first of little consequence, and, in the judgment even of Calvin, was esteemed an object of toleration and indulgence, was, nevertheless, in after-ages, a source of many calamities and dissensions, that were highly detrimental

CC 2

[i] Loscheri Ilist. Motuum, part II. lib. iii. cap. vii. p. 67. -Salig. Hist. Aug. Confession. tom. ii. lib. vi. cap. iii. p. 317,

CENT. trimental both to the civil and ecclesiastical conXVI. stitution of Great Britain.

SECT. III.

XVII. The origin of these unhappy dissensions, PART II. which it has not as yet been possible entirely to The rise of heal, must be sought for in the conduct of those the Puri- persecuted fugitives, who, to save their lives,

tans.

their families, and their fortunes, from the bloody rage and inhuman tyranny of Queen Mary, left the places of their nativity in the year 1554, and took refuge in Germany [k]. Of these fugitive congregations

[k] I cannot help mentioning the uncharitableness of the Lutherans, upon this occasion, who hated these unhappy exiles, because they were Sacramentarians (for so the Lutherans called those who denied Christ's bodily presence in the eucharist), and expelled from their cities such of the English Protestants as repaired to them, as a refuge from popish superstition and persecution. Such as sought for shelter in France, Geneva, and those parts of Switzerland and Germany where the Reformation had taken place, and where Lutheranism was not professed, were received with great humanity, and allowed places of public worship. But it was at Frankfort that the exiles were most numerous: and there began the contest and division which gave rise to that separation from the church of England which continues to this day. It is, however, a piece of justice due to the memory of the excellent Melancthon, to observe, that he warmly condemned this uncharitable treatment, and more especially the indecent reproaches which the Lutherans cast upon the English martyrs who had sealed the Reformation with their calling them the Devil's Martyrs. "Fociferantur quidam (says this amiable reformer) Martyres Anglicos esse Martyres Diaboli. Nolim hac contumelia afficere sanctum spiritum in Latimero, qui annum octogesimum egressus fuit, et in aliis sanctis viris, quos novi." These are the words of this truly Christian Reformer, in one of his letters to Camerarius, Epist. lib. iv. p. 959. and in another of his letters, speaking of the burning of Burgius at Paris, he thus severely censures Westphal's intolerant principles: "Tales viros ait Westphalus esse Diaboli Martyres. Hanc judicii perversitatem quis non detestetur?" Ep. lib. ii. p. 387. Such were the humane and liberal sentiments of Melancthon, which have rendered his name so precious to the lovers of piety, probity, and moderation; while the zealots of his own church have treated his memory with obloquy, and composed dissertations de Indifferentismo Melancthonis. N.

The

XVI.

SECT. III.

PART II.

congregations some performed divine worship CENT. with the rites that had been authorized by Edward VI.; while others preferred the Swiss method of worship as more recommendable on account of its purity and simplicity. The former were called Conformists, on account of their compliance with the ecclesiastical laws enacted by the prince now mentioned; and the denominations of Non-conformists and Puritans were given to the latter, from their insisting upon a form of worship, more exempt from superstition, and of a more pure kind, than the liturgy of Edward seemed to them to be. These denominations became permanent marks of distinction, which still continue to denote those different religious communities which divide the British nation. controversy concerning the ceremonial part of divine worship that had divided the exiles abroad, changed scenes, and was removed with them to England, when the auspicious succession of Queen Elizabeth to the throne permitted them to return to their native country. The hopes of enjoying liberty, and of promoting each their respective systems, increased their contents instead of diminishing them; and the breach widened to such a degree, that the most sagacious and provident observers of things seemed to despair of seeing it healed. The wise queen, in her design to accomplish the reformation of the church, was fully resolved not to confine herself to the model exhibited by the Protestants of Geneva, and their adherents to the Puritans; and, therefore, she recommended to the attention and imitation of the doctors, that were employed in this weighty and important matter, the practice and institutions of the primitive ages [1]. When her plan was

put

[1]Mr. Mosheim seems disposed, by this ambiguous expression of the primitive ages, to insinuate that Queen Eli

сез

zabeth

PART II.

CENT. put in execution, and the face of the church was XVI. changed and reformed by new rules of discipline, SECT. III. and purer forms of public worship, the famous Act of Uniformity was issued forth, by which all her subjects were commanded to observe these rules, and to submit to the reformation of the church on the footing on which it was now placed by the queen as its supreme visible head upon earth. The Puritans refused their assent to these proceedings; pleaded the dictates of their consciences in behalf of this refusal; and complained heavily, that the gross superstitions of popery, which they had looked upon as abrogated and abolished, were now revived, and even imposed by authority. They were not, indeed, all equally exasperated against the new constitution of the church; nor did they in effect carry their opposition to equal degrees of excess. The more violent demanded the total abrogation of all that had been done towards the establishment of a national religion, and required nothing less than that the church of England should be exactly modelled after that of Geneva. The milder and more mo

derate

zabeth had formed a pure, rational, and evangelical plan of religious discipline and worship. It is, however certain, that, instead of being willing to strip religion of the ceremonies which remained in it, she was rather inclined to bring the public worship still nearer the Romish ritual *, and had a great propensity to several usages in the church of Rome, which were justly looked upon as superstitious. She thanked publicly one of her chaplains, who had preached in defence of the real presence; she was fond of images, and retained some in her private chapel +: and would undoubtedly have forbid the marriage of the clergy, if Cecil, her secretary, had not interposed. Having appointed a committee of divines to review king Edward's liturgy, she gave them an order to strike out all offensive passages against the pope, and to make people easy about the corporal presence of Christ in the sacrament **

*Heylin, p. 124. + Id. ibid. 108, 109.

Strype's Life of Parker, p. 107, ** Neal's Hist. of the Puritans, vol. i. p. 158.

XVI. SECT. III.

PART H.

derate Puritans were much more equitable in CENT. their demands, and only desired liberty of conscience, with the privilege of celebrating divine worship in their own way. The queen did not judge it proper to grant to either the object of their requests, but rather intent upon the suppression of this troublesome sect (as she was used to call it,) permitted its enemies to employ for that purpose all the resources of artifice, and all the severity of the laws. This was that form of religion established in Britain, which separated the English equally from the church of Rome, on the one hand, and from the other churches which had renounced popery on the other: but which, at the same time, laid a perpetual foundation for dissensions and feuds, in that otherwise happy and prosperous nation [m].

doctrine of

tans.

XVIII. The incident that gave rise to these The sentiunhappy divisions, which were productive of soments and many and such dreadful calamities, was a matter the Puriof very small moment, and which did not seem to affect, in any way, the interests of true religion and virtue. The chief leaders among the Puritans entertained a strong aversion to the vestments worn by the English clergy in the celebration

CC 4

[m] No writer has treated this part of the Ecclesiastical History of Britain in a more ample and elegant manner than Daniel Neal, in his History of the Puritans, or Protestant Nonconformists, in four volumes 8vo. The first part of this laborious work was published at London, in the year 1732, and the latter part in 1738. The author, who was himself a non-conformist, has not indeed been able to impose silence so far on the warm and impetuous spirit of party, as not to discover a certain degree of partiality in favour of his brethren. For, while he relates, in the most circumstantial manner, all the injuries the puritans received from the bishops, and those of the established religion, he in many places diminishes, excuses, or suppresses, the faults and failings of these separatists. See also, for an account of the religious history of these times, Strype's Lives of the archbishops of Canterbury under Queen Elizabeth, viz. Parker, Grindal, and Whitgift.