A. See again the stubbornness of this arrogant fool! But I tell thee, thou may and shalt subscribe unto it. W. And I answer, that, by the help of God, I neither may, nor ever will, subscribe unto it. Such unmerciful and cruel dealings are too bad among professing christians. The Lord grant me patience, and I shall be satisfied. A. I always thought what a stir we should have with him. But thou persuadest people to meetings and private conventicles. W. My lord, you now remind me of a duty which I have hitherto neglected; but by the grace of God I will remember it hereafter, and will exhort the people of God to meet together, and to edify and comfort one another with what they have learned. And this, by the help of God, I mean to do; though I hear that for so doing, one of the Lord's servants is committed a close prisoner. A. Will you then defend his doings to be lawful? W. I will defend the lawfulness of God's people meeting together, to confer upon the points of religion or the doctrines taught them out of the word of God, to sing psalms, and to pray together. I hear of no other things for which he was committed. And I am sure your grace will not deny these things to be lawful. A. But he gathered night-assemblies, contrary to law. Will you defend them also? W. Certain religious householders requested him and others to meet at night in their houses. Shall we then say that he collected night-assemblies? I do defend by the word of God, that to meet together for the above purposes, whether in the night or the day, is lawful. Yet I would have persons to satisfy the law of the realm, as much as they can with a good conscience. A. If we follow him thus, we shall never come to an end. Will you subscribe the bond? W. I have answered that already. I refuse not to do any thing that is lawful. If you can prove out of the word of God, that I may do it with a good conscience, I am ready to yield; otherwise I cannot, and I will not, subscribe. I will be bound, however, to leave your province in a fortnight. S. You had then better go out of his grace's province to make your submission. W. That is more than I say, Mr. Swinborn: but I would rather go out of his province and twenty others; yea, out of the world, and this soul out of this body, than I would subscribe to that submission. A. I hear that in prison thou hast great liberty, and that thou lovest it. It is that which maketh thee so bold and stubborn, but I will remove thee thence. W. I have no cause to complain of my keeper. And as to my liberty, it is confined within the walls of the castle. I know not how you would have me handled, unless you would have me into the lower prison, where you would soon have my skin for your fees: But you can do nothing, except it be given you from above. A. I tell thee plainly, that if thou wilt not yield, I will remove thee to Hull jail, and afterwards to other places. W. My lord, the word of God will strengthen and comfort me, more than your threatenings can hurt me or make me afraid. I care not for all your prisons. Remove me where you please. God will strengthen me against all your extremities. I will not yield so long as I live, and so long as the word of God persuades me to the contrary. A. Thou art an arrogant puritan. W. Gross errors and slanderous abuses have been cast upon the godly in all ages. Your charges against me are uncharitable and unjust. A. Thou art a rebel, an enemy to her majesty, and an underminer of the state. W. These speeches savour not of the spirit of God. I am as true a subject, and as good a friend to her majesty and the state, according to my ability, as you are. A. I tell thee, the queen said, that these puritans are greater enemies to her than the papists. W. What just cause she had so to say, all the world knoweth; and the Lord will one day judge the numerous traitorous conspiracies that have been detected. When did any, who are slanderously called puritans, give the least cause of any such suspicion? Their lives and writings testify to all the world, how far they are from such things. Therefore, they who charge them with these things, have the greater sin. A. If we suffer thee to prattle, thy tongue will never cease. Therefore, that we may make an end of it, I counsel thee to admit the conditions proposed. W. If your grace will shew me the least warrant from the word of God, I am ready to submit. Though you call my answers by what name you please, they are not deserving of your reproach. A. Will you yield to the conditions? W. My mind is so well settled already, that I can see no reason to alter it. Therefore, I cannot yield to the conditions. A. Perhaps you think it is very hard dealing to be tied to read it. Will you then yield, if we give you liberty to use your own words? W. I strive not about the manner, but the matter; and I utterly refuse to do any such thing, either in my own words or any others. A. What! surely you can say two words, even that you have preached without license. In so doing, you shall have my favour more than you think of. W. My lord, let me have your favour only according to my behaviour in a good and just cause; but the word of God will persuade more than either your threatenings or promises. So while I see the word of God favouring me in the present case, I will never yield to speak two words, nor even one word, to any such purpose. A. Choose then for yourself, whether you will be excommunicated out of my diocese, or return to prison, or yield to the conditions required. W. My lord, I hope that christian charity and brotherly dealing will not bring me into any of those extremities. A. No! but you shall observe one of them.* Mr. Wilson's second examination being thus concluded, he was immediately sent back to prison. After confinement for some time, by the appointment of the archbishop, he appeared before the commissioners at the dean's house in the city of York, his grace being absent. Upon the commencement of his third examination, a new bond was produced, in which he was required not to exercise any part of his ministry within the archbishop's province, without further license; nor, during his silence, allowed to come within Kildwick church, the place of his ordinary labours. This being read, he was addressed as follows: D. Mr. Wilson, what say you of this? W. I say it is marvellously strange dealing, that one extremity must drive out another. Excommunication from Kildwick church must drive out the public confession before required. Will you neither suffer me to preach *MS. Register, p. 784-786. there, nor to hear others? This is very hard dealing. God willing, I will never yield unto it. D. Do as you please. Do as you please. W. I was born and brought up in that parish, and I am bound to attend there by the laws of the realm. Do you then sit here to execute the law, and will you bind me to act contrary to the law? Palmer. Erase it, erase it, for shame! It is a thing never before heard of, that a man should be bound from attending at his own parish church. Proctor. I will put this in its place, " that he shall never come there to preach." W. Will you put in that, Mr. Proctor? Will you first exclude me from his whole province, and then exclude me from that particular place? D. What else have you for him to do? P. He must confess that before us, which he would not acknowledge publicly in the church. D. Then read it unto him. W. I will confess these things neither publicly, nor privately. But if you allow me, I will separate those things which are true, from those which are false. D. Giye him the paper. He then took the paper, and told them what was true, and what was false. This being done, and the good man having bound himself to preach no more in the archbishop's province, he was released, ascribing honour and praise to God for his merciful deliverance.* Mr. Wilson having obtained his liberty, though excluded from all usefulness in the province of York, went to London, and, during the same year, frequently preached at Alhallows in Thames-street. Also, by the allowance of the minister of St. Michael's, Cornhill, he delivered a sermon there; for which Bishop Aylmer silenced him the very next day, and summoned him, and the church-wardens of Alhallows, to appear before him the Saturday following. Mr. Wilson not seeing the bishop's officer when he left the information at his lodgings; nor knowing what warrant he had for what he did, refused to appear. But one of the church-wardens appeared, when, though the bishop was not present, Dr. Stanhope pronounced upon them both the sentence of excommunication; upon the one for not appearing, and upon the other for suffering Mr. Wilson to * MS. Register, p. 784-786. preach without a license. This excellent minister was thus exercised with tribulations in the south, as well as in the north. At length, our divine finding that the high commissioners, with Aylmer and Whitgift at their head, were anxious to apprehend him; that they had issued several warrants for this purpose; that a printed order was sent to all the churches in London and its vicinity, that none should preach without a license; and that his name, with several others, was par ticularly mentioned, he wisely concealed himself for a season, and retired into the north. Towards the close of the year, he returned to London; and after his arrival, Mr. Glover and Mr. Weblin, two of his cordial friends living in the parish of Alhallows, waited upon Archbishop Whitgift at Lambeth, soliciting his favour in behalf of Mr. Wilson. They had no sooner mentioned his name, than his lordship asked, "What that factious fellow who intruded himself into the church in Cornhill, and there delivered a seditious sermon ?" "Yes," said Mr. Glover," that is the man; but he hopeth to clear himself of all faction, intrusion, and sedition." "Let him then come to me any day after tomorrow," said the archbishop," and I will say more about him." Therefore, December 1st, Mr. Wilson and his friends : 66 * The worthy divines whose names accompanied this order, were Mr. Wilson, Mr. Davison, Mr. Barber, Mr. Wigginton, Mr. Gifford, Mr. Carew, and some others. The order itself, dated August 16, 1587, being descriptive of the spirit of the times, was the following:-" Whereas sundry "ministers, preachers, have lately come into the city of London and "the suburbs; some of them not being ministers, some having no suffi"cient warrant for their calling; and others having been detected in "the country, have taken upon them to preach publicly in the city, to the great infamy of their calling: and some of them in their preaching, "have stirred up the people to innovation, rather than sought the peace of "the church. These are, therefore, in her majesty's name, by virtue of "her high commission for causes ecclesiastical to us and others directed, strictly to enjoin, command, and charge, all parsons, vicars, curates, and "church-wardens, of all churches in the city of London and the suburbs "thereof, as well in places exempt as not exempt, that neither they nor any of them, do suffer any to preach in their churches, or to read any lectures, they not being in their own cures; but only such whose licenses "they shall first have seen and read, and whom they shall find to be "licensed thereto, either by the queen's majesty, or by one of the univer"sities, or by the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, or the Bishop of "London, for the time being. And that this may be published, and take "the better effect, we will that a true copy thereof shall be taken and delivered to every curate and church-warden of all the churches afore"said. Signed, 66 "JOHN CANTERBURY, ED. STANHOPE, RIG. COSINS." "VAL. DALE, MS. Register, p. 835. |