.the HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. IT: king that all the churches were crouded where he preached. His fame foon Edward S'L.reath'd the court, where Dr. Poynet and he were appointed to preach all the Lent fermons. He was alto fent to preach throughout the counties of Kent and Flex, in order to reconcile the people to the reformation. At length, in the month of 7uly s55o. he was appointed bishop of Glouce.fler, by letters patents from the king, but declined it for two reafons, s. Becauje of theform ofthe oath, which he callsfoul and impious. And, 2. By reafon of the Aaronical habits. By the oath, is meant the oath of fupremacy, which was in this form, Vf IRefar.' by God, by the Saints, and by the Holy Ghofl; which Hooper thought im- p. 203, pious, becaufe God only ought to be appealed to in an oath, for as much as he only knows the thoughts of men. The young king being convinced the objeëtion was juft, ftruck out the words with his own. pen. He refufes However, the fcruple about the habits was not fo eafily got over. The the Habits. king and council were inclined to difpenfe with them; but Ridley and the reft of the bishops that had wore the habits, were of another mind, .laying, The thing was indèrent, and therefore the law ought to be obeyed. This had fuch an influence upon the council, that all Hooper's objeaions were afterwards heard with great prejudice. It difcovered an ill fpirit in the re- formers, not to fuflèr Hooper to decline his bifhoprick, nor yet to difpenfe with thofe habits which he thought unlawful. Hooper was as much for the clergy's wearing a decent and diftinét habit from the laity, as Ridley, but prayed to be excufed from the old fymbolizing popifh garments. His Reafons. s. Becaufe they had no countenance infcripture or primitive,antiquity. 2. Becaufe they were the inventions of Antichr, andwereintroduced in to the church, in the corruptefl ages f cbriflianity. 3. ,Becaufe they hadbeen abufèd to fuperfiition and idolatry; particularly in the pompous celebration of the ma; and therefore were not indifferent. g. To continue the ufe of thefe garments, was in his opinion, to fymbolize with 1Antichr, to mead the people, and was .inconßJlent with theiimplicity of the chrifian religion. Cranmer was inclined to yieldto thefe reafons; but Ridley and Goodrick infrfted ftrongly on obedience to the laws, affirming, that in matters of rites and cremonies, cuflomwas a good argumentfor the continuance of tbrif that bad been long ufed. But this argument proved too much, becaufe it might be ufed for the retaining .many-other rites and ceremonies of po- pery, which had been long ufed in the church, andwere now abolifhed by thefe reformers themfelves. of Hooper not willing to rely upon his own judgment, wrote to . Buser at foreign Di- Cambridge, and to Peter Martyr at Oxford, whogave their opinions againfì vines. the habits, as inventions of antichrift, and wifhed them removed, as will appear more fully in the reign of queenElizabeth.; but were of ,opinion fine'
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