XS+ The HISTORY of the PURITAN'S. Chap. W. .Zseen this, infomuch that the good old man was obliged to tell his friends, that Lhz bath, he durft not inform themany more of his preaching, for fear of offending 66 his fuperiors. At length, after having waited about eight weeks, to fee if Otbers fepa- the queen would have compafliots on them, feveral of the deprived mi- rate. niters had a folemnconfultation with their friends, in which after prayer, and a ferious debate about the lawfulnefs and' necefiïty of feparating from the effablifhed church, they came to this agreement. Thatlance they could not have the wordof Godpreached, nor thefàcraments adminjred without IDOLATROUS GEAAE, as they called it, and lime there had been afepa- rate congregation in London, and another at Geneva, in queen Mary's time, which u/id a book and order ofpreaching,, admini/lration of faeraments and difcipline, that the great Mr. Calvin had approved of,. and which wasfree from the fuper/iitions of the Englifh fervice ; that therefore it was their duty in their preJ'nt ctrcwn/lances, to break offrom the publick churches, and to a /emble, as they had opportunity, in private houfs, or elféwhere, to worfhip God in a manner that might not ofend again/I the light of their Life of Par- con/èiences. Had the ufeof habits and a few ceremonies been left difcre- ker, p, z4' tionary, both minifters and people had been eafy; but it was the com- polling thefè things by law, as they told the archbifhop, that made them feparate. Rife of the It was debated among them, whether they fhould ufo as much of the jparaaion.. common prayer and fervice of the church as was not offenfive, or refolve at once, fence they were cut off from the church of England, to let up the ',melt and bed form of worlhip, molt confonant to the holy fcrip- tnires, and to- the practice of the foreign reformers ;. the latter of thefe was concluded upon, and accordingly they laid afide the Englifh liturgy, and made ufe of the Geneva fervice book. Sad eonfi. Here was thedERA or date of the SEPARATION; a moll unhappy event, gaeneer of it. fays Mr. 5-trype, whereby " people of the fame country, of the hanse reli- " gion, andof the fame judgment in doétrine, parted communions; one part being obliged togo afide into fecret houfes, and chambers,, to. ferve " ° God by themfelves, which begat ftrangenefs between neighbours, " chriftians,, and protellants. And not only ftrangenefs, but unfpeakabie mifchicfs to the nation, in this and the following reigns. The breach: might eafily,havebeen made up at firft, but it widened by degrees; the pafÏ'ìons of the contending parties encreafed, till the fire, which for fome years was burning under ground, broke out into a civil war, and with unfpeakable fury deftroy'd the conftitution both of church and Efate._ .Remarks, I leave the reader to judge at whole door the beginnings of thefe for- rows are to be laid, each party calling the blame on the other. The- confor -mitts charged the deprived minifters with dilobedience to-the queen,, with, obftinacy, precifenefs, and with breaking, the peace of the church,, for
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