Chap. VI. The HISTORY of thé PURITAINS. 233 " Provincial fynods muff continually forefee indue time to appoint Queen " the keeping of their next provincial fynods ; and for the fending of Et'1 566th, " chofen perlons, with certain inftruétions to the national fynod, to be " holden whenfoever the parliament for the kingdom (hall be called, at " fome certain time every year." The defign of thefe conclufions was to introduce a reformation into the Remarks. church, without a feparation. The chief debate in their affemblies was, How far this or the other conclufion might confifl with the peace of the church, and be moulded into a confi/lency with epifcopacy. They ordained no minifters; and though they maintained the choice of the people to be the ¢ntial call to the paftoral charge, yet moft of them admitted of ordination and induelion by the bifhop only, as the officer appointed by law, that the minifter might be enabled to demand his legal dues from the parifh. In the room of that pacifick prelate Parkhurß, bifhop of Norwich, the Mínißersde- queen nominated Dr. Freke, adivine of a quite different fpirit, who in his Prized. primary vifitation, made fad havock among the puritanminifters. Among others who were fufpended in that diocefe, were, Mr. fohn More, Mr, Richard Crick, Mr. George Leeds, Mr. Thomas Roberts, and Mr. Richard Dowe, all minifters in or near the city of Norwich : They addreffed the queen and council for relief ; but were told, that her majefty was fully bent to remove all thofe, who would not be perfuaded to conform to eftablifhed orders. The reverend Mr. Gawton, minifter of Goring, in MS. p. 253. the fame diocefe, being charged with not wearing the fierplice, nor ob- Strype'r An- war., the order of the queen's book, he confeffed the former, but Holt p. 445 faid that in other things he was conformable, though he did not keep exaftly to the rubrick. When the bifhop charged him with holding di- vers errors, he anfwered, We are here not above half a dozen uncon- formable minifters in this city [Norwich] ; and if you will confer with us by learning, we will yield up our very lives, if we are not able to prove the doctrines we hold, to be confonant to the word of God. After his fuf- penfion, he fent his lordfhip abold letter, in which he maintained, that Chrift was the only lawgiver in his church. " If any king or prince in the world ordain or allow other officers, than Chrift has allowed, we " will, Pays he, rather lay down our necks on the block, than confent ° thereunto; wherefore do not objeét to us fo often the .name of our " prince, for you ufe it as a cloak to cover your curled enterprizes. Have you not thruft out thofe, who preached the lively word faithfully ' and fincerely ? Have you not plucked out thofe preachers where God let VoL. L H h " them
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