Chap. V. The HISTORY of the PURITANSa 219 tained ; only Parkhurft, bifhop of Norwich, lamented the cafe, and Queen wifhed to God , that all the Englifh people would follow the church of Ehzabetb, Zurich, as the moft abfolute pattern. " The papifts, Pays he, lift up ..,^ " their crab, while proteftants walk about the ftreets dejeéted and for- " rowful ; for at this time there are not a few preachers, that have laid " down their cures of fouls, and left them to fools and idiots, and that " for this reafon, becaufe they would not ufe the linen garment, called " a furplice. New and fevere edicts are lately publifhed here, againft fuch " as refute to obferve our ceremonies : Pray God give a good iffue, and " have mercy upon all the churches of Chrift." The prophefyings of the clergy, begun in the year toryi, had by this /5b7 r time fpread into the diocefes of York, Che/ter, Durham, and Ely; the of the clergy bifhop of London let them up in feveral parts of his diocefe; as did molt increafe. of the other bithops. The clergy were divided into cla//es, or ofoociá- tions, under a moderator appointed by the bifhop; their meetings were once a fortnight; the people were prefent at the fermon; and after they were difmifl'ed, the members of the affociation whole names were fub- fcribed in a book, cenfured the performance. There exert/es were of great fervice, to expofe the errors of popery, and fpread the knowledge of the fcriptures among the people. But the queen was told by the archbifhop, that they were no better Suppr #d in than feminaries of puritanifm; that the more averle the people were to Ne or dcf of popery, the more they were in danger of non-conformity That thefe Life w Par- exercifes tended to popularity, and made the people fo inquifitive, that ker, p 464 they would not fubmit to the orders of their fuperiors, as they ought. It was Paid further, that fome of the miners difufed the habits, and difcourfed on church difcipline; and that others were too forward to Phew their abilities, to the difcouragement of honed men of lower capa- cities ; and that all this was notorious in the diocefe of Norwich. Here- upon the queen gave the archbifhop private orders, to put them down every where, and to begin with Norwich; his grace accordingly wrote to Matchet, one of his chaplains in that diocefe, requiring him to repair to his ordinary, and Chew him, how the queen had willed him to fup- preis thole vain prophefyings ; and that thereupon he fhould require the faid ordinary, in her majefty's name, immediately to difcharge them from any further fuch doings. This was very unacceptable news to the good old bifhop, who taking hold of the word vain, wrote to the archbifhop, defiring to be refolved, whether hemeant thereby the abufe, or fome vain fpeeches ufed in fome of thefe conferences; or in general, the whole order of thole exertfes ? Of which he freely declared his own approbation, Paying, " That they had, `" and dill did bring fingular benefit to the church of God, as well in F f2 " the
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