502 LIVES OF THE PURITANS. and a most excellent and peaceable divine, but continually molested and vexed in the ecclesiastical courts. JOHN BROWNING, D. D. - This learned divine was senior fellow of Trinity college, Cambridge, and afterwards domestic chaplain to the Earl of Bedford, but was deprived of his fellowship for his puritanical opinions. Having delivered a sermon in St. Mary's church, in which were contained certain heretical opinions, as they were called, he was convened, February 1, 1572, before the heads of col leges, and commanded to abstain from preaching, till he should be purged from his dangerous heresy. Under these circumstances, he looked upon it to be his duty to obey God, rather than men, and therefore refused to obey their command, and still continued in his beloved work of preaching; on which account he was cast into prison for contempt. Whatever were the pretended charges of his enemies, his principal crime was his nonconformity. Dr. Browning having remainedfor some time inprison, was' at length released, upon giving bond of two hundred marks, and obtaining two sureties bound in forty pounds each, for his appearance to answer such charges as should be alleged against him, and to abstain from preaching till further leave should be granted.+ Being called before his spiritual judges, they resolved, " that if the said John Browning shall from time to time appear and answer, when and wheresoever he shall be lawfully called within the realm of England, to all such matters as shall be objected unto him, touching certain words uttered by him in two sermons, for whichhe bathbeen convened before the said vice-chancellor, until he shall be lawfully discharged ; and also shall abstain from preaching, until he shall be permitted or called by the said vice-chancellor, or his deputy, or successors : And further, shall behave himself quietly and peaceably towards the queen's majesty, and all her subjects, and especially within the university of Cambridge, that then the recog- nizance to be void and, of no effect, or else to stand and remain in its full power and strength.'1 The day following, Dr. Bying, the vice-chancellor, sent a statement of his crimes, with an account of the above proceedings, to Lord Burleigh the chancellor.s .1. Baker's MS. Collet. vol. iv. p. 55. + Strype's Parker, p. 390.-Whitgift, p. 46.-Annals, vol. ii. p. 189. t Baker's MS. Collet. vol. ill. p. 392. I Ibid. vol. iv. p. 55.
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