them from idleness, wandering, gaming, &c. 3. Some afore suspected in doctrine, are brought hereby to the open confession of the truth. 4. Ignorant ministers are driven to study, if not for conscience, yet for shame and fear of discipline. 5. The opinion of laymen touching the idleness of the clergy is hereby removed. 6. Nothing, by experience, beateth down popery more than that ministers (as some of my brethren do certify) grow to such a good knowledge by means of these exercises, that where afore were not three able preachers, now are thirty, meet to preach at St. Paul's Cross; and forty or fifty besides, able to instruct their own cures." "I trust when your Majesty hath considered, and well weighed the premises, you will rest satisfied, and judge that no such inconveniences can grow of these exercises, as you have been informed, but rather the clean contrary. And for my own part, because I am very well assured by reasons and arguments taken out of the Holy Scriptures, and by experience, the most certain seal of sure knowledge, that the said exercises for the interpretation and exposition of the Scriptures, and for the exhortation and comfort drawn out of the same, are both profitable to increase knowledge among the ministers, and tend to the edifying of the hearers, I am forced with all humility, and yet plainly, to profess, that I cannot, with safe conscience, and without the offence of the majesty of God, give mine assent to the suppression of the said exercises, much less can I send out any injunction for the utter and universal subversion of the same; I say, with St. Paul, I have no power to destroy, but only to edify; and with the same Apostle, I can do nothing against the truth, but with the truth. If it be your Majesty's pleasure for this, or any other cause, to remove me out of this place, I will with all humility yield thereunto, and render again unto your Majesty, that which I have received of the same. I consider with myself, quod terrendum est inci dere in manus Dei viventis: 'that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.' I consider also, quodqui facit contra conscientiam, (divinis in rebus,) œdificat ad gehenam: 'that he who acts against his conscience, (resting upon the laws of God,) edifies to hell.' And what should I win, if I gained, I will not say a 'bishoprick, but the whole world, and lose my own soul? Bear with me, I beseech you, Madam, if I choose rather to offend your earthly Majesty, than to offend the heavenMy majesty of God." The archbishop then concludes by reminding her majesty, in a strain of honest eloquence, that though she was a great and mighty princess, she was, nevertheless, a mortal creature, and accountable to God." This plain and faithful expostulation of the worthy prelate only served to irritate the queen, whose haughty disposition could not brook resistance or reproof. She therefore sequestered the archbishop, and peremptorily ordered the Prophesyings to be every where discontinued. Some faint attempts were afterwards made to revive them in the diocese of Chester, by Bishop Chadderton, but without effect: and in the diocese of London, Bishop Aylmer attempted to promote religious knowledge among the clergy, by enjoining in his visitation, in 1586, 1. That every parson should have a BIBLE, in Latin and English. 2. That they should have Bullinger's Decads. 3. That they should have a paper book, and write in it the quantity of a sermon every week. 4. That such as could not preach themselves, should be taxed at four purchased sermons a year. But after all, there were at this time almost 8000 parishes without preaching ministers, the unhappy deficiency being occasioned, partly by the mistaken notions of Queen Elizabeth, who supposed that knowledge and learning in the laity would (34) Strype's Life of Archbishop Grindal, B. ii. Appendix pp. 79–82. Lond. 1710, fol. only endanger their peaceable submission to her absolute will and pleasure; and partly by the exclusion of the Puritan divines from the different churches; to which may be added the restrictions on the press, and the destruction of the monastic schools and libraries. About this time several metrical versions were composed, of separate books of the Scriptures, especially of the PSALMS, SOLOMON'S SONG, and ECCLESIASTES, though not of sufficient excellence, or importance, to deserve particular notice. One of these versified translations, of ECCLESIASTES, by HENRY LOK, presents, in the title of it, a singular opinion respecting the original design of Solomon in composing that book: "ECCLESIASTES, otherwise called the Preacher. Containing Solomon's Sermons, or Commentaries, (as it may probably be collected) upon the 49 Psalme of David, his father. Compendiously abridged, and also paraphrastically dilated in English poesie, according to the analogie of Scripture, and consent of the most approued writers thereof. Composed by Henri Lok, gentleman. Whereunto are annexed sundrie Sonnets of Christian Passions heretofore printed, and now corrected, with other affectionate Sonnets of a feeling conscience, of the same authors." London, printed by Richard Field, 1597, 4to. Lok's versification of the LORD'S PRAYER, included among his "Sonnets," has been considered as one of the closest versions that has been made: we therefore copy it for the gratification of the reader. Our Father, which in heaven art, our trespasses forgive, As we for other men's offence do freely pardon give. (35) Neal's Hist. of the Puritans, I. ch. vi. pp. 309–315; ch. vii. pp. 404, 417, 418, Into temptation leade us not but 'liver us from ill; For thine all kingdome, glory, powre is now, and ever will.86 A copy of this rare work was valued at £28. by Longman and Co. in their catalogue of English Poetry, entitled "Bibliotheca Anglo-Poetica." 1815. No English Biblical writer, however, attracted so much notice towards the close of the sixteenth century, and the commencement of the seventeenth, as the famous HUGH BROUGHTON, whose uncommon skill in the Hebrew language occasioned a learned Jew to say to him, "O that you would set over all your New Testament into such Hebrew as you speak to me, you should turn all our nation." This design he entertained, and actually translated the APOCALYPSE into that tongue, but not meeting with proper encouragement, never completed the work. He was born at Oldbury, in Shropshire, in 1549. He was indebted for his education to the excellent Bernard Gilpin, who sent him to Cambridge, where he was chosen fellow of Christ's College, and elected one of the taxers of the university. He was afterwards prebendary of Durham, and reader of divinity. From the university he removed to London, and distinguished himself by the intenseness of his studies and his abilities, as a preacher. In 1588, he published a work, entitled THE CONSENT OF SCRIPTURE. It was the fruit of immense labour, and is a kind of system of Scripture Chronology and Genealogy, designed to show from the Scriptures, the chronological order of events from Adam to Christ. It was dedicated to Queen Elizabeth, to whom it was presented, by himself, on her inauguration day, November 17th, 1589. Mr. Dibdin mentions a copy on vellum, formerly in Mr. Tutel's possession, which may probably have been the presentation-copy. The printing of this work was super(36) Longman and Co.'s Bibliotheca Anglo-Poetica. Lond. 1815. Sir E. Brydges' Restituta, No. xxii. pp. 44-54. intended by Mr. John Speed, the author of " Genealogies of Scripture, &c.," prefixed to the old Bibles, in which he was assisted by Mr. Broughton. The "Consent of Scripture" no sooner made its appearance, than it met with violent opposition, and obliged the author to flee into Germany, to avoid the High Commission. Before his departure for Germany, he mostly resided in the house of Mr. William Cotton;* whose son, afterwards Sir Rowland Cotton, he instructed in the Hebrew language; and who so early obtained an exact knowledge of it, that at the age of seven or eight years, he could translate almost any chapter of the Bible into English, and converse with the greatest ease in Hebrew. The method of instruction which Mr. Broughton pursued was singular. He had his young pupil constantly with him, and invariably required him to speak in Hebrew. He also drew up a vocabulary, which young Cotton constantly used. In this vocabulary he fixed on some place, or thing, and then named all the particulars belonging to it; as heaven, angels, sun, moon, stars, clouds, &c.; or, a house, door, window, parlour, &c.; a field, grass, flowers, trees, &c. Mr. William Cooper, afterwards bishop of Galloway, was another of his pupils. Whilst abroad, he had a public disputation with R. Elias, at Frankfort, on the truth of the Christian religion; and that some impression had been made on the mind of the rabbi, appeared from his desire for further instruction. An account of this conference was carried to Constantinople, where it excited considerable attention among the Jews. Mr. Broughton mentions three Jews who had embraced the Gospel, from the perusal of his writings; though it must be acknowledged his disputations were not always conducted with prudence and politeness. In 1591, he * Mr. Roger Cotton, brother to this person, was one of Mr. Broughton's true scholars. He read the whole Bible through twelve times in one year. |