Neal - Houston-Packer Collection BX9333 .N4 1754 v1

Chap. V. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 167 them the liberty of their. own mode of worfhip, and as they brought their dueen manufaCtures over with them, they proved very beneficial to the trade and Elizabeth, r68 commerce of the nation. s Even in England the hearts of all good men were ready to fail, for Dangerous fear of the return of popish idolatry ; the queen being fuddenly feizedita :e of the with a fevere fit of ficknefs this fummer, which brought her to the very reformarton. point of death, and the prefumptive heir, MARY, late queen of Scots, being a bigotted papift. The queen, together with her bodilydistemper, was under great terror of mind for her fins, and for not discharging the duty of her high ftation as the ought : She Paid, fie had forgotten her God, to whom she had made many vows, and been unthankful to bins. Prayers were compofed, and publickly read in all churches for her ma- jefty's recovery, in which they petitioned, that God would heal ber foul, and cure her mind as well as her body. The papifts were never more linguine in their expeâlations, nor the reformation in greater danger, than now ; and yet Bridewell, and other priions, were full of puritans, as appears by amanufcript letter of Mr. Thomas Lever, now before me, dated December 5, 1568. in which he endeavours to comfort the pri- Ng p. g, Toners, and declares, that though the popish garments and ceremonies were not unclean in themfelves, yet he was determined for himfelf, by God's grace, never to wear the square cap and surplice, becaufe they tended neither to decency nor edification, but to offence, diffenfion and divifion, in the church of Chrift : Nor would he kneel at the commu- nion, becaufe it was a fymbolizing with popery, and looked too much like the adoration of the host. But at length, it pleafed Almighty God to difipate for the prefent the clouds that hung over the reformation, by the queen's recovery. This year was published the bible in folio, called the Bops Bible, BifhopsBibre. with a preface by archbifhop Parker. It was only Cranmer's tranflation reviled and correEted by several bithops and learned men, whole names may be feen in the records ofbishop Burnet's hifory of the reformation. The deign was to set afide the Geneva translation, which had given. offence. In the beginning, before the book of Geneis, is a map of the land of Canaan; before the New Tellament, is inferted a map of the places Mentioned in the four evangelists, and the journeys of Christ and his apoftles. There are various cots difperfed through the book,. and leveral genealogical and chronological_ tables, with the arms of divers no- blemen, particularly thofe of Cranmer and Parker._ There are allo forne Strype's Lis- references and marginal notes, for the explication of difficult pafages..nats, p.2 :6> This was the Bible that was read. in the churches, till the lift transa- of king James I.. took place. But

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