judge was pleased to summon him, and commonly without any previous notice."-" View him received with taunts and revilings, commanded to hear accusations brought forward by some secret enemy; not permitted to disprove any calumnies with which he might be charged, but required to turn or burn.""The judge might perhaps remand him for a short interval, or even try to work upon him by false professions of kindness; but when these efforts proved fruitless, his end was certain. He was condemned, and sent to the stake, probably within a few hours, there to be burned alive, often with protracted sufferings, subjected to insults and violence from ignorant, bigoted individuals, who were taught to believe that such proceedings were acceptable to a just and holy God."-" The martyr suffered not in his own person only."-" When called upon to give the short and important answer, which would seal his fate, he knew that every member of his family would have to share the bitter cup of persecution. Already the beloved of his soul were pining at home, supported only by the scanty remnants of the earnings of his former industry, or dependent on the charity of others, about to be cast helpless upon the world, doomed to bear the disgrace which would be attached to his name by a cruel and hardhearted generation."

General statements, however, never strike the mind like the detailed history of individuals. No one's imagination will fill up the outline given in this meagre general description. To obtain a just conception of these cruelties, one must read the simple narratives of the martyrologists. He must see the inhuman Bonner, tearing the hair, and lacerating the faces of the victims, who have been dragged from a long and dreary confinement in the prison which has received the name of Bonner's coalhouse. He must see that bloodthirsty bishop holding the hand of the humble Tompkins in the flame of a lamp, till the sinews shrink and the blood spurts forth into the faces of those who stand by. He must read the details of Rogers' imprisonment; and see him led to the stake forbidden even to say farewell to his wife and numerous family of children, who have come out, if possible, to take their last view of him on his way to execution. He must see Hooper, with green faggots piled around him, in a lowering morning, while the high wind blows the scanty flame away from his body; and the fire, for a long time, reaches only his extremities, and when this nearly dies away, we must see him. with his hand wiping the sweat of agony from his face, and mildly but earnestly entreating that more fire may be kindled ;and then continuing praying, till the operators see him “black in the mouth," and his tongue so swollen that he cannot speak; yet his lips moving till they shrink from the gums; and he

smiting his breast, till one of his arms falls off in the fire; and then continuing knocking with the other, while "the fat, and water and blood, drop out at his finger ends;" we must stand by him till the fire has been replenished the third time; and that hand at last cleaves fast to the hot iron upon his breast; and he falls over his chain, and expires.

From witnessing such burnings as these, he who would become acquainted with the sorrows of the martyrs, must go to the Lollards' tower, and elsewhere, to see the prisoners. He must see them with their feet or hands in the stocks; or fastened in some torturing posture, pining away the weeks and months in famine, cold, and darkness. As these prisoners are dragged to the stake, he must see little children following a beloved father, and begging with cries of distraction that they may be burned with him. But I will not-I cannot dwell further upon these horrid details.

Let us pass to the things in Queen Mary's reign, which more appropriately relate to the rise and progress of the Puritans.

It is not to be supposed that the multitudes of pious and enlightened people in the land, could, in these times of distress and terror, rest satisfied with the idolatrous rites of Popery. Kindred spirits would meet together, to pour their sorrows into each other's bosoms, and to pour out their complaints unto God. There were accordingly many secret congregations assembling in private houses, in the fields, or on board ships, or wherever they might find a place sufficiently concealed. Here we begin to observe how uniformly Christian people, when they are cut loose from human forms and restraints, and left to adopt for themselves such organization and order as simple piety finds in the light of nature and of God's Word, resort to the simple worship and discipline of Puritanism. Such were the principles laid down by Wickliffe. Such, of necessity, was the wor ship of the Lollards. Such must have been the worship and discipline of those congregations who are mentioned as meeting secretly for worship during the reigns of the Henrys, the Seventh and Eighth; which congregations were, in all probability, but the descendants and the successors of the early followers of Wickliffe. Such was the case with the pious men and women who gath ered secretly for the enjoyment of the worship and ordinances of pure religion, in the days of the Bloody Mary. “There were several congregations," says Neale, "up and down the country, which met together in the night, and in secret places, to cover themselves from the notice of their persecutors. Great numbers in Suffolk and Essex constantly frequented the private assemblies of the Gospellers, and came not at all to the public service; but the most considerable congregation was in and

about London.

It was formed soon after Queen Mary's ac

cession, and consisted of above two hundred members."

A seizure was made of Mr. Rough, who had been "elected" minister of this Church, and of Cuthbert Sympson, their deacon, who kept a book containing the names and accounts of the congregation. This, then, was a Congregational Church, with its minister and deacon, "elected" by the people. The Church of England knows no such popular election; it has no permanent unpreaching deacon, the officer of a particular Church. In spite of their familiarity with the prelatical organizations, these pious people who met to worship God at the hazard of their lives, were no sooner left to themselves, to the Bible and to nature, than the path was open and plain. They were led at once to the simple worship, discipline and organization, so manifestly used in apostolic times; and afterwards so faithfully copied by our Pilgrim Fathers.

To test a principle, I would fain ask those who talk so much about Apostolic succession, and the sin of schism, while they maintain the Church of Rome a true Church, and her Priests and Bishops to be ministers of the true Apostolic succession;-I would fain ask these, Of what sin were these pious men and women guilty, when they met in secret places to worship God, in the reign of the Bloody Mary? Lay your hand upon your heart and tell me which was the true Church, and with which was a true disciple of Christ to meet and worship; with which should he join in breaking the bread of the communion of the body of our Lord ?-With those devout people who met in secret, or with those who hunted them for their lives? Tell me, where does your soul go? Where does the Word of God bid you go? With Christ's truth and people, or with a wicked murderous succession, who have abandoned Christ's truth, and are persecuting his people to death? Suppose those times of darkness had continued for some centuries,-as they did continue over the Christian valleys of Piedmont,-might these Christians never meet to worship God or to enjoy his ordinances? Are they still bound to that "Succession, of atheistical, heathenish, bloody monsters wearing mitres, whose constant work it is to torture and destroy the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ? Are they still helplessly dependent-from generation to generation-upon those debauchees, infidels, and murderers, for the bread of life? Tell me,-When the Succession abandons Christ and his truth, which shall we follow; Christ and his truth; or a lying and heathenish succession? If there be schism at such a time, who is the true schismatic, the simple Christian who cleaves to Christ and his truth, or the mitred prelate who departs from both? Whatever be the doctrine of Prelatists on

this point, the doctrine of the Word of God is too plain to be misapprehended; "Though wE, or an ANGEL FROM HEAVEN, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." If we must follow GOD'S TRUTH rather than an APOSTLE or an ANGEL FROM HEAVEN; how much more must we abide by the truth, rather than by a persecuting murderous teacher of falsehood, even though he should wear a mitre, and claim to be official successor of the Apostles?

These pious brethren continued to assemble wherever they could hope to escape the bishop's spies; till at length a false brother, who perhaps had joined them for the purpose of treachery, betrayed them. The minister, the deacon and many others were seized. Sympson was put upon the rack three times in one day, because he would neither discover the register of the Church, nor the names of its members. He was sent to Bonner. "You see," said Bonner to the spectators, "what a personable man this is; and for his patience, if he was not a heretic, I should much commend him; for he has been three times racked in one day, and in my house has endured some sorrow, and yet I never saw his patience moved." Sympson, Rough, and others of the congregation ended their lives in the flames.

The exiles at Frankfort also organized themselves into a Congregational Church, electing their ministers and deacons. Deliberately considering the order of worship to be used, they laid aside the litany, the surplice, the responses, and many things in the communion service. The order of their worship was first a prayer, then a psalm, a prayer, a sermon, a prayer, at the close of which was joined the Lord's prayer, a rehearsal of the articles of belief, a psalm, and last the benediction. "Other exiles set up another Church of like descriptions at Embden in East Friesland; others did the same at Wesel in Westphalia." [Prince, N. England Chronology.]

The exiles were not, however, in all places of the same mind. The Church at Frankfort sending to certain divines at Strasburg to come to their aid and ministry, these refused except on condition that the Church should restore the Liturgy. The Church at Frankfort refused, saying that the Liturgy had been altered in King Edward's time as far as circumstances would permit, and that "If God had not in these wicked days hindered it by his Providence, they would have altered more;-and in our case," said they, "we doubt not but they would have done as we do." The Strasburg divines urging a compliance, the Church gave their decided answer in the negative. This answer was signed in behalf of the Church, by John Knox, the famous Reformer of Scotland, by Fox the martyrologist, and by several more.

In this juncture, willing to receive light, and wishing to follow the path of duty, the Church resolved to ask advice of Calvin,

who was at that day in the highest repute in England and throughout all countries where the Reformation had extended. Calvin having carefully examined the Prayer-Book, gave it as his opinion, that "There were many endurable weaknesses in it; which, because at first they could not be amended, were to be suffered. But it behooved grave and godly ministers of Christ to enterprise further, and set up something more filed from rust, and purer. If religion had flourished till this day in England, many of these things would have been reformed. But since the Reformation is overthrown, and a Church is to be set up in another place, where you are at liberty to establish what order is most for edification, I cannot tell what they mean who are so fond of the leavings of popish dregs."

The next year brought Dr. Cox to Frankfort, who broke through the order established in the Church, created a great disturbance, and caused Knox to be accused of high treason against the emperor, on account of some expressions in a book which Knox had some years before published in English, in which he had said that the emperor was not less an enemy to Christ than Nero. The magistrates, fearful of difficulty with the emperor, desired Knox to leave the city. The party of Cox, now strengthened by accessions from abroad, set up the Liturgy, and organized the church anew. Most of the old congregation left the city. It is remarkable that the new church, made up of men so strenuous for the Liturgy, gave the very first exhibition of a conflict between the clergy and the people, as to where lies the power of ultimate appeal; whether in the clergy or in the brethren of the church. The rector summoned one of the members to appear at the vestry before the officers of the church. The member appealed to the body of the church, who ordered the cause to be brought before them. The rector and officers chose rather to resign than to admit these rights of the church. The church maintained their ground, and formally determined that " In all controversies among themselves, and especially in cases of appeal, the last resort should be in the church."

Such was the strange issue of the contentions at Frankfort. Those who had strenuously opposed the Liturgy, went and submitted themselves to the Presbyterian discipline at Geneva. Those who had been ready to turn everything upside down for a Liturgy, remained and asserted the strongest principle of Congregationalism. So gradually dawned the light. So surely does abuse of power teach the injured their rights. Discussion-and even dissension-is made to lead to the discovery of truth. Old principles, though established in ancient precedents and ratified by law, are sifted. What can be shaken is laid aside. Truth is eternal; its opposers are mortal. Contests may await it; times of declension may leave it for a season depressed and ob