would wholly shake off their canonical obedience to their Ordinaries, and neglect their citations and censures, and refuse to sue in their courts, for all the peace of the church' which they commend to us for so sacred a thing! Could they but obtain license from the magistrate to use the liberty' which they are persuaded Christ hath given them, they would soon shake off the prelates' yoke, and draw no longer, under the same, in spiritual communion with all the profane in the land; but would break those bonds of iniquity, as easily as Sampson did the cords wherewith Dalilah tied him, and give good reasons also, from the Word of God for their so doing. And yet the approbation of men and angels makes the ways of God, and works of religion, never a whit the more lawful, but only the more free from bodily danger. Whereupon we, the weakest of all others, have been persuaded to embrace this truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, though in great and manifold afflictions, and to hold out His testimony as we do, though without approbation of our Sovereign, knowing that as his approbation, in such points of God's worship, as his Word warranteth not, cannot make them lawful; so neither can his disallowance make unlawful such duties of religion as the Word of God approveth; nor can he give dispensation to any person to forbear the same. Dan. iii. 18. Acts v. 29."

Feeling that he could not stand in his old course, without submitting his will to human authority, Bernard found it needful to give as one of his Counsels, "Omit no evident and certain commandment imposed of God. If there be nothing but probability of sinning, in obeying the precepts of men, set not opinion before judgment." Robinson answers, "Woful counsel, God knoweth; and indeed such as directs a course to harden the heart of him that follows it, in all impiety. For he that will, at the first, do that by man's precept, which is like, or which he thinks to be sin, will, in time, do that upon the like regard which he knows to be sin; and so fall into all presumption against God !"b

Another phrase borrowed from the enemies of reform, and one whose echo truculent time-serving dependants have never ceased to reverberate, is," Never presume to reform others, before thou hast well-ordered thyself." There is nothing more true or necessary to be considered;" but continues Robinson, "that is not all, for if, by God's commandment, we ought to bring back our enemy's ox or ass that strayeth,' Exod. xxiii. 4, how much more to bring into order our brother's soul and body wandering in by-paths? And here Mr. Bernard brings to mind a practice usual with many of the preachers in their sermons. They will advance prayer, namely, their service-book, that they may extenuate preaching; commend peace, that they may smother truth; plead much for Cæsar's due to be given him, that they may detain from God his due; and everywhere send men back into themselves, that they may keep them from looking upon others, and so make them careless of such duties towards their brethren, as God's word binds them unto. Lev. xix. 17. 1 Thess v. 14.: as though the commandments of God were opposite one to another, and could not stand

together; whereas they are all most holy and good, and all helpful one to another, and all to be practised in their places; whether they concern ourselves or our brethren; they of the one sort ought to be done, and they of the other not to be left undone."a

On Bernard claiming for his party "Godliness of life, and truth of doctrine, "Robinson writes, "I do indeed confess, to the glory of God and my own shame, that a long time before I entered this way I took some taste of the truth in it, by some treatises published in justification of it, which, the Lord knoweth, were sweet as honey unto my mouth; and the very principal thing which for a time quenched all further appetite in me, was the over-valuation which I made of the learning and holiness of these and the like persons; blushing in myself to have a thought of pressing one hairbreadth before them in this thing, behind whom I know myself to come so many miles in all other things; yea, and even of late times, when I had entered into a more serious consideration of these things, and, according to the measure of grace received, 'searched the Scriptures' whether they were so or not; and by searching found much light of truth, yet was the same so dimmed and over-clouded with the contradictions of these men, and others of the like note, that had not the truth been in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones,' Jer. xx. 9, I had never broken those bonds of flesh and blood wherein I was so straitly tied, but had suffered the light of God to have been put out, in my own unthankful heart, by other men's darkness. This reverence every man stands bound to give to the graces of God in other men, that in his differences from them he be not suddenly nor easily persuaded; but that being jealous of his own heart, he undertake the examination of things, and so proceed with fear and trembling; and so having tried all things, keep that which is good,' 1 Thess. v. 21. So shall he neither wrong the graces of God in himself, nor in others. But on the other side, for a man so far to suffer his thoughts to be conjured into the circle of any mortal man's judgment as either to fear to try' what is offered to the contrary, in the balance of the sanctuary, or finding it to bear weight, to fear so give sentence on the Lord's side, yea, though it be against the mighty, this is to honour men above God, and to advance a throne above the throne of Christ, who is Lord and King for ever... To your marginal note, namely, that none of us,' whom you call 'guides,' did fall to this course before we were in trouble and could not enjoy our liberty, as we desired;' I only answer this one thing, that all and every one of us might have enjoyed both our liberty and peace, at the same woful rate with you and your fellows." b

Concerning dissensions," Robinson instances the "stir about moonshine in water, as we speak, betwixt the east and west churches," respecting the time of keeping Easter; the bitterness between the Lutherans and others; and the case of the exiled church at Franckfort, "the very height of human frailty this way;" besides "the state of the Reformed churches amongst which we live, whose violent oppositions and fiery contentions do far exceed all ours: but I take," he

adds, "no delight in writing these things; neither do I think the needless dissensions which have been amongst us, the less evil because they are so common to us with others; but these things I have laid down, to make it appear that Mr. Bernard here useth none other weapon against us than Jews and pagans might have done against Christians, and papists against such as held the truth against them; yea, and than atheists.. might take up against all the professions and religions in the world... Touching the heavy sentence' of excommunication by which 'the father and brother were delivered up to the devil,' as Mr. Bernard speaketh, I desire the reader to consider.. the Church of England is in heavy case, which plays with excommunications as children do with rattles. And to allude to the word Mr. Bernard useth, in what a 'devilish' case are either the prelates and convocation-house which have ipso facto excommunicated all that speak or deal against their state, ceremonies, and service-book, since the curse causeless falls upon the head of him from whom it comes; or the Reformists, whereof Mr. Bernard would be one by fits, and such as seek for and enterprise reformation ?"a

"For Mr. Smyth, as his instability and wantonness of wit is his sin and our cross, so let Mr. Bernard, and all others, take heed that it be not their hardening in evil. Mr. Bernard, in proceeding to point out the hand of God writing heavy things against us, chargeth us, by Mr. White's testimony, with such notable crimes, and detestable uncleannesses, as from which they in the Church of England, either truly fearing God, or but making an apparent show thereof, are so preserved by God as they cannot be tainted with such evils as some of us ofttimes fall into.' As the witness well fits the cause and person alleging him, who, according to the proverb, may ask his fellow, &c.,' so have his slanders been answered, as Mr. Bernard knows; whereof it seems the party himself is ashamed, and so might Mr. Bernard have been, had he not been shameless in accusing the brethren."

"b

In allusion to Bernard's seventh Likelihood, "The ill success" the Separatists' way "hath had,' Robinson writes, " He spares no ungodly means in this his book, and otherways, by slandering our persons; by falsifying our opinions; by exaggerating our infirmities; by incensing the magistrate against us to suppress us; and yet, reproacheth us because we grow no faster! Dealing with us much as the Jews did with Christ when they blindfolded him first, and then bade him prophesy who smote him. Luke xxii. 64. But let it be, as Mr. Bernard would have it, that the cause of religion is to be measured by the multitude of them that profess it, yet must it further be considered, that religion is not always sown and reaped in one age. One soweth and another reapeth.' John iv. 37... The many that are already gathered, by the mercy of God, into the kingdom of his son Jesus, and the nearness of many more through the whole land, for the regions are white unto the harvest,' do promise within less than a hundred years, if our sins and theirs make not us and them unworthy of this mercy, a very plenteous harvest!".. "There is no truth of doctrine, nor ordi

a P. 56.

b P. 58. See back, p. 99, note (*)

c P. 61, 62.

blames me that I thank him not;' but if he never get greater victory in other battles, it will be long ere he wax rich with the spoils... If he deceiveth the world with ambiguous words, and intendeth that fine stuff of trees, which by writers may be called wool, or linen, or silk; though, properly, it be none of these, but a fine silken cotton, and such as, by Tremellius, was the only matter whereof the garments were made; let wise men judge of his dealing, and how great a conquest he hath won; and let him joy in his prowess, I will not envy his glory, nor make any further strife...

"And is it not a worthy argument, that he mentioneth for upholding his idol Temples, That all Christian laws would put me to death!' And, therefore, sobriety' should be more in me than to require one man to teach' me. Could not the Turk himself, with this bloody reason, quickly confute all Christendom? And did not his predecessors, the Papists, fight with these weapons against God's former witnesses in their several ages? I perceive now, if the Magistrate's sword will not maintain these holy buildings,' we shall have no defence for them from Mr. Broughton! Well then let Baal plead for himself against them that shall ruinate his houses and altars! And whereas he thinketh it will be no joy for him, a man,' to tread down' me that am a worm,' let him go on to rejoice in his manhood: I will rest contented with my portion in my Saviour's lot, who was, before me, 'a worm, and not a man; the shame of men, and contempt of the people..."

a Psalm xxii. 6.

Ben. Jonson, a pander and pensioner of James, must have referred to the above passage when he composed his play called "The Staple [or mart] of News," but which was not exhibited, or performed, before 1625.

Doper. Ha' you, in your profane shop, any news

O' the Saints at Amsterdam?

Register. Yes, how much would you?

Dop. Six-pennyworth.

Reg. Lay your money down. Read, Thomas.

Thomas. The Saints do write, They expect a prophet shortly,

The prophet Baal, to be sent over to them,

To calculate a time, and half a time,

And the whole time, according to Naometry.

P. Jun. What's that?

Tho. The measuring o' the Temple: a cabal

Found out but lately...

Dop. Peace be with them!

Reg. So there had need, for they are still by the ears

One with another.

Dop. It is their zeal.

Reg. Most likely.

"It seemeth, because the Archbishop is dead, this man thinketh he payed the price of his curse; and if himself had first died, the Reader must have judged his curse killed himself. Well, let him beware he curse not many, lest some of them do outlive him, and he dying, without repentance, give the world occasion to think he died accursed, and surely miserable.'..

"As for me, I have otherwise learned Christ than to 'fear the curse causeless;'a or to be afraid of vain man, whose breath is in his nostrils."

The remainder of the pamphlet is little more than a mere altercation about Hebrew terms, between wranglers of no mean distinction; and though it were conceded that the one was the more profound, it is indisputable that the other was incomparably superior in all those qualities which constitute the more liberal scholar. Whether or not, it became any man to treat Ainsworth in the contemptuous manner which Broughton used, is left for those to say who are competent judges of their respective merits: "He cannot," said Broughton, "as an Ebrician or Grecian in learned schools would, grammatically expound one line of either Testament."b And the Letter addressed "To the company of folk that hold Mr. Ainsworth of worth to teach Divinity," contains this passage,-" He taught you, unless his hearers be impudent, That Israel was four hundred and thirty years in Egypt; as our English translation goeth. So Moses should be dead forty before the Law; and all his writing should be fables!" "A mere slander of me," Ainsworth replied, "as is known unto God and my own heart, and many witnesses who heard and can testify how, from Exodus vi. and other Scriptures, I showed, the Israelites could not Dop. I am not sure

That man is good.

Reg. Read from Constantinople,

Nine-penn'orth.

Tho. They give out here, the Grand-Signior

Is certainly turn'd Christian: and, to clear

The controversy 'twixt the Pope and him,

Which is the Antichrist, he means to visit

The church at Amsterdam, this very summer,
And quit all marks o' the Beast!

Dop. Now, joyful tidings!

Who brought in this?-which emissary?
Reg. Buz,

Your countryman.

Dop. Now blessed be the man

And his whole family, with the nation.

Reg. Yes! for Amboyna, and the justice there!

This is a Doper, a she-anabaptist :

Seal and deliver her her news; despatch."

Broughton, who returned from Middleburgh in 1611, and died in 1612, is said to be represented under the name of John Ball, or Baal, a priest in the reign of Richard II. and styled a Leveller: Docuit et perversa dogmata perfidi Johannis Wicklef, et opiniones quas tenuit et insanias falsas, et plura, quæ longum foret recitare. Hist. Angl. Walsinghami. 1574. fol. p. 292. Hans Buz was a Dutchman employed by the merchants as an "emissary-exchange." See Gifford's edition of Jonson, 1816. 8vo. ; and Hume's Hist. app. to James I. for the massacre of the English by the Dutch, at Amboyna, in 1623. a Prov. xxvi. 2. b P. 30. c P. 32.