0S LIVES Or THE PURITANS: JOHN KNEWSTUBR, B. D.-This learned divine was bora! at KirkbyStephen in Westmoreland, in the year 1540, and chosen fellow or St. John's college, in the university of Cambridge,* where he was much esteemed for his great piety, abilities, and learning. During his abode in -the university, lie united with Dr. Andrews, afterwards bishop. of Ely, Dr. Chadderton, Mr. Culverwell, Mr. Carter, and other distinguished persons, in the observance of weekly meetings for. conference upon certain portions of scripture. These meetings were conducted with great deCorum, and found of signal advantage to all. In the year 1579, Mr. Knewstubs, upon his removal from Cambridge, because minister at Cockfield in Suffolk. Here, he was labouring. in the vineyard of Christ, when sixty ministers, from the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cam- bridge, assembled in his church to confer about the Book of Common Prayer, with the view of coming to an agree- ment concerning what things might be tolerated, and what. were to be refused.' They consulted also about the clerical apparel, holidays, fasts, injunctions, and other matterm- Dr. Heylinsays, this meetingwas held May 8, I582.# In the year 1583, upon the publication of Whitgift's three articles, Mr. Knewstubs and sixty other ministers of Suffolk, whose names are now before me, were not resolved to subscribe, and, for further satisfaction, wrote to their diocesan, desiring the resolution of their doubts, some of which were the following :-" The administration of bleitism in private.-The use of the cross in baptism.- The interrogatories proposed to the- infants,-The burial service,, requiring us to commit to the ground all cha- racters, in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life.-And the reading of apocryphal books in public worship, to the exclusion of some parts of canonical scrip- ture."§ Their application, however, proved unsuccessful, and they were all suspended from their ministerial work, upwards of forty of whom received the ecclesiastical censure on one day.11 This excellent divine being laid aside from his beloved- work, the Lord Treasurer Burleigh wrote to him and Mr. John Oxenbridge, another suspended minister, requesting' them to declare, " That they would use the Book of Common Prayer; and that in their public ministry they Peck's HesiderataCuriosa, vol. is b. vi. p. 22. + Fuller's Church Hist. b. ix. p. 135. Heylin's IIist. of Pres. p. 292. MS. Register, p. 434, 435. f Ibid. p. 436, 437.
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