406 LIVES OF THE PURITANS. was restored to his ministry.. He and Mr. Feake are styled " two of the chief captains of the anabaptists, who preached most scornfully against Cromwell's government."t Mr. Erbery, in his piece entitled " The Bishop of London ; being a brief Narrative of what passed at London-house among church Ministers, Mr. Simpson at. Bishopsgate, and others, on Monday night, November 22, 1652," has given us the following very curious information, which, because Mr. Simpson took an active part on the occasion, and it may afford the reader some amusement, we shall give in the author's own words :-" The churches of London," says he, " both independent and baptized, having formerly associated and girt themselves with a sword, or martial power ; I mean some army preaching men, joined in a body at Great Alhal- lows, to pray for a new representative, and to preach against the CIld : for which they received no countenance, but rather a check from those in authority. Having there laboured in vain, and spent their strength for nought,' not finding the spirit in a presbyterial or parochial church, they changed their quarters, and came to seek it in the episcopal see at London-house. There, as men who would again build up Babylon, they founded a structure of two stories high : not a pulpit and reading pew, but a stately frame of wood to preach.and pray in two distinct forms. The one being the 'highest, I conceive, is for the independent fellowship ; the other is the baptized footstool. The Lord brought me there to behold their order, but seeing their confusion, I heard one prayino. 6 below, afterwards another above, Captain Spenser ; at whose loud and long prayer, my spirit was stirred : I could scarcely refrain from crying, A noise and nothing else.' The first man that I heard preaching was Mr. Feake, who, I thought, spake to the purpose concerning prayer, even that the saints should now return to their old spirit of prayer in gospel times, whick was not in loose requests, and long confessions of sins, but in short breathings, of their present desires to God, with abundance of fervency and faith to obtain a blessing. Lookinc, up on high, I spied Mr. Simpson, Mr. Cockayn and others, preparing themselves to do something. The first, instead of praying, began to preach, or prophesy, as he terms it. Before Mr. Simpson would name his text, he opens himself in a large preface; and, as if lie stood on the stool of repentance, he confesseth his faults before us all. Whitlocke's Meru. p. 230. t Thurloe's State Papers, vol. ii. p. 67.
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