Chap. VF. the HISTORY of the PURITANS. 235 s the handling any queftions concerning the policy of the church, and Queen s' we think in our confciences, he has hitherto performed it. In confide- Eóis`,51'. ration whereof, and that our country may not be deprivedof fo diligent V1, " a labourer in the Lord's harveft ; nor that the enemies of God's truth, " the papifts, may find matter of joy and comfort ; nor the man him- P0 felf in receiving a kind of condemnation without examination, be thus wounded at the heart and difcouraged: We moft humbly befeech your grace for the poor man's fake, for your own fake, and the lord's fake, Y0 either to take judicial knowledge of his caufe, to the end he may be " confronted with his adverfaries; or elfe of your great wifdom and good- " ° nefs, to reflore him to his liberty of preaching the gofpel among us. " Andwe as in duty bound 'hallever pray, &c." This petition was figned by nineteen or twenty hands; another was MS,p.196. figned by twenty -four minifters ; and a third by George Ely vicar of Ten- urden, and twenty -one parifhioners ; Tho. Bathurfi, fen_ minifter of StaplehaiJ, and nine parifhioners; William Walter of Frittenden, and fourteen of his parifhioners; Antony Francis minifter of Lamberhurfl, and four parifhioners; Alexander Love minifter of Rolenden, and eighteen pa- rithioners; Chriflopher T/inebroke minifter of Helcorne, and nine parifh- ioners; William Vicar of*fhurfi, and ten parifhioners; MatthewWolton curate of Beneden, and eleven parifhioners; William Cocks minifter of Marden, and thirteen parifhioners; TYilliam Hopkinfon minifter of Sale- burfl, and eight parifhioners. Such a reputation had this good man among all who had any tafle for true piety, and zeal for the proteftant religion! He was a peaceable di- vine, and by the threatning of Aylmer, bithop of London, had been prevailed with to fubfcribe with fome referve, for the fupport of a Starving family ; and yet he was continually molefted and vexed in the ¡piritual courts. Two eminent divines of puritan principles died this year ; one was Dearh ofbl-1 yames Pilkington, B. D. and bithop of Durham; he was defcended from' P'ixin a confiderable family near Bolton in Lancafhire, and was educated in St, ton, 'ohn's College, Cambridge, of which he was matter. In the reign of queen Mary, he was an exile, and confeffor for the gofpel ; upon the acceffion of queen Elizabeth, he was nominated to the fee of Durham, being efleemed a learned man and a profound divine; but could hardly be prevailed with to accept it, on account of the habits, to which he ex- preffed a very great diflike; he was always a very great friend and fa- vourer of the non-conformifts, as appears by his letters, and a truly Ati, ox pious and chriftian bithop. He died in peace at his houfe at B/hops Azikland, ran. 23, 1575'6, in the 56th year of his age ; Dr. Humphreys and Mr. Fox themartyrologift, adorning his tomb with their funeral vertès. H h a The.
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