Government of the Church of England, and withstand their defire.

upon them.

64. It was therefore high time for the Archbishop and State to look frictly to The Archbishop thefe Perturbers of our Churches happy and State's vi gilant watch quiet. But if we fhall take a further view of thofe enormous, and defperate Courses, which after enfued (tho' all Branches growing out of the famè Root) we fhall be far from accufing either the Archbishop of too much Vi gilancy, or the Civil Magiftrates of overmuch Severity, in cutting off fome of thofe outragious and unbridled SeЄtaries.

65. Three Principal there were among them deeply infatuated with this reforming Spirit; William Hacket, Yeoman; Edmund Coppinger, and Henry Arthington, Gentlemen; all of them ftrongly poffeffed, at the first, with an earnest defire of the late invented Difcipline, and carried violently with the ftrength of their erroneous Fancy, into à defperate and lamentable Course whereof, though I will fuppofe that many are innocent, who were led with the fame Spirit and defire of Reformation with them in the beginning; yet am induced by juft and weighty Rea

E

;

foris

and Arthing

ton their

Cart in

Cheapfide, Julii 16. 1591.

fons to conceive, that, unless the Vigilancy of the Magiftrates had timely prevented their Courfes, the intemperate Zeal of these Novelifts, finding no certain ground to stay it felf upon, nor any determinate end where it might finally reft, would have broken out into fome like Combustion, and Flame, as these aforenamed did, whereof I will give you but a little tafte. Two of thefe, Coppinger Edmund Coppinger and Henry Arthington, came into Cheapfide, and there in a preaching in a Cart proclaimed News from Heaven, to wit, That one William Hacket, Teoman, reprefented Chrift, by partaking his glorious Body in his principal Spirit; and that They were two Prophets, the one of Mercy, the other of Judgment, called and fent of God to affift him in his great work, c. But because the weight of the Matter requireth a larger Difcourfe than is fit to be inferted in this Work, I refer the Reader for the reft unto the perufal of Doctor Cofin his Book, intituled, Confpiracy for Confpiracy for Pretended Reformation: pretended Re- Where he fhall find their Purpofes, Plots, and Defignments, with many other markable things at large difcourfed, and taken truly out of their Conference and Writings under their own

That Hacket

represented Christ, and Themselves Prophets from

God.

formation,

wrote by Dr. Cofin,

hands,

hands, with their Confeffions and Examinations, fubfcribed by themfelves before fundry honourable and worshipful Perfonages, of great gravity and wif dom, employed in thofe Affairs. By all which, together with their temperate, direct, and pertinent Speech, and congruity of Phrafe and Matter; both before, and after their Apprehenfion, it will clearly appear, that the faid Confpirators were not Mad-men (unless it be a kind of Madness to be a violent * Profecutor of This Reformation; as indeed it is) howfoever fome of that Fraternity, and Sect, have fo given it out; chufing thereby rather to accufe the honourable Juftice of the Realm, and all the Minifters thereof, than that any, profeffing defire of pretended Reformation, fhould be noted with deep Difloyalty, as they were charged withal.

66. When the Queen and State faw the incredible height of these audacious Attempts, fo dangerous to the Com monwealth, thus knotted and countenanced under pretence of reforming the Church, they found it necessary to stop the Fountains of thefe Proceedings; left it might grow to the like outrage. E 2 Amongst

Amongst whom there were very forward to the like prefumption Henry Barrow, Gentleman, and John Greenwood, Clerk, who were convented before the High Commiffioners for Caufes 1587. Ecclefiaftical, in November 1587. for Barrow and their Schifmatical and Seditious OpiniGreenwood ons, viz. That our Church is no Church, their Schifmatical and Sedi- or at the leaft, no true Church; yieldious Pofitions. ing these Reasons therefore. First, That the Worship of the English Church is flat Idolatry. Secondly, That we ad mit into our Church Perfons unfanctified. Thirdly, That our Preachers have no lawful Calling. Fourthly, That our Government is ungodly. Fifthly, That no Bishop, or Preacher, preacheth Chrift fincerely, and truly. Sixthly, That the People of every Parish ought to chufe their Bifhop; and that every Elder, though he be no Doctor, nor Paftor, is a Bishop. Seventhly, That all the Precife, which refufe the Ceremonies of the Church, and yet preach in the fame Church,ftrain at a Gnat and fwallow a Cammel, and are clofe Hypocrites, and walk in a left-handed Policy; as Mafter Cartwright, Wiggington, &c. Alfo in Norwich, Mafter Moare, Pamone, and Burges, that all which

make

make Catechisms, or teach and expound printed and written Catechifins,are Idol Shepherds; as Calvin, Urfin, Nowell, &c. That the Child of ungodly Parents ought not to be baptized, as of Ufurers, Drunkards, &c. nor any Bastards; That Set-Prayer is blafphemous.

67. The fore faid Brochers of these The RingOpinions at this their firft Convention, leaders on be made fhew of their conformity, upon ing convened, make thew of conference with fome Divines; and in Conformity, hope thereof, were enlarged upon bonds; but afterwards but all in vain. For after their liberty go back. they burst forth into further Extremities, and were again committed to the were re-comFleet, July 20. 1588. where they pub mitred July, lifhed their Scandalous and Seditious 1588. and Writings; for which they were pro- gainst March, ceeded withal at Justice-Hall, near New- 1592, gate in London, March 21. 1592.

proceeded a

68. For fuppreffing this kind of People (which as you fee were grown unto a great height of violence and outrage) the State held it fit at the next Parlia- An At of Ab.. ment following to make a Law of Ab juration, or Banifhment, of fuch as fhould either perfuade others, or be present themselves at these their Conventicles, or Meetings, which Law is entituled,

E 3

juration and Banishment made against Schifmaticks.