DOCSLIB.ORG

The Writings of Robert Harrison and Robert Browne Edited by Leland H

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Writings of Robert Harrison and Robert Browne Edited by Leland H ELIZABETHAN NON-CONFORMIST TEXTS ELIZABETHAN NON-CONFORMIST TEXTS VOLUME I Cartwrightiana Edited by Albert Peel and Leland H. Carlson VOLUME II The writings of Robert Harrison and Robert Browne Edited by Leland H. Carlson and Albert Peel VOLUME III The writings of Henry Barrow 1587-1590 Edited by Leland H. Carlson VOLUME IV The writings of John Greenwood 1587-1590 Edited by Leland H. Carlson VOLUME V The writings of Henry Barrow 1590-1591 Edited by Leland H. Carlson VOLUME VI The writings of John Greenwood and Henry Barrow 1591-1593 Edited by Leland H. Carlson ELIZABETHAN NON-CONFORMIST TEXTS VOLUME II The writings of Robert Harrison and Robert Browne Edited by Leland H. Carlson and Albert Peel ~~ ~~o~~~;n~R;up LONDON AND NEW YORK First published 1953 by George Allen & Unwin Ltd Published 2014 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 7 11 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10017, USA Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business O 1953 Leland H. Carlson and Albert Peel Typeset in Times by Keystroke, Jacaranda Lodge, Wolverhampton All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Lihray Coraloping in PubIication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress CataIoging in Publication Duta A catalog record for this book has been requested. ISBN 13: 978-0-415-31990-4 (hbk) ISBN 13: 978-0-415-86451-0 @bk) Publisher's note The Publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original book may be apparent THE WRITINGS OF ROBERT HARRISON AND ROBERT BROWNE BdUed by ALBERT PEEL LITT. ID. and LELAND H. CARLSON l'Ev D. Routledge Taylor &Francis Group LONDON AND NEW YORK This page intentionally left blank THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED TO CHARLES E. SURMAN RESEARCH SECRETARY OF THE CONGREGATIONAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY WITH GRATITUDE AND RESPECT This page intentionally left blank PREFACE HIS is the second volume in the series on Elizabethan T Nonconformist Texts. Volume I was issued as Gart­ wrightiana in 1951. Although Thomas Cartwright was not a Brownist, a Barrowist, an Independent, or a Congregation­ alist, the unpublished writings of this Presbyterian leader were so interlocked with those of the Independents that they were issued as the first in the series. Volume II presents for the first time the collected works of Robert Harrison and Robert Browne. There are five separate works of Harrison and ten separate works of Browne. Although this volume is as complete as we have been able to make it, there is always the possibility that some lost work may be discovered. This is especially true of Browne, whose writings, known to have been written but undiscovered, are listed in the present volume (p. 5). Inasmuch as Harrison was slightly older than Browne, and since his writings as t1. group antedate those of Browne, they have been placed first. It is the hope of the present editor that these writings of the early nonconformists will further the \vork of students of Tudor history. After the completion of a corpus of non­ conformist writings, Dr. Peel had planned to write a volume on Elizabethan Puritanism, but his untimely death precluded that hope. He took great satisfaction, however, in the know­ ledge that he was making available source materials that would facilitate the work of other scholars in the field of Elizabethan Nonconformity. The task of assuming the editorship upon the death of Dr. Peel has not always been easy. I have sought to con­ tinue his work in the same way that he would have planned, and I can only hope that the present volume would meet tJii Harrison & Browne with his approval. Where our judgments differ, I have preferred his to mine. For example, in the matter of putting the writings of Harrison before those of Browne, I should have preferred to have those of Browne come first, since they are more important, but I deferred to the judgment of Dr. Peel, whose knowledge is greater than mine. I have tried to make the text as accurate as possible, but the variants in the sources, the difficulties in the reading of manuscripts, and the peculiarities of Elizabethan writing, spelling, and abbreviations have made me painfully conscious of the possibility of errors. At the present time I am engaged in the work of editing the third and fourth volumes on the writings of Henry Barrow and John Greenwood. Volume V is to be devoted to the writings of John Penry, and Volumes VI- VII to A Parte of a Register. There remains the pleasant task of making acknowledg­ ments. To Mxs. Albert Peel and Miss Margaret Peel I feel deeply grateful. For their interest in this series, and their suggestion that I undertake it, I express my thanks to Pro­ fessor Herbert Heaton of the University of Minnesota, Pro­ fessor Marshall Knappen of the University of Michigan, and Professor J. E. Neale of the University of London. I owe a debt of gratitude to the attendants at the British Museum, the Public Record Office, the Lambeth Palace Library, Dr. Williams's Library, Union Theological Seminary Library, New York Public Library, Library of Congress, Northwestern University Library, Newberry Library, and the Huntington Library. Likewise, to the officials and staff of the Bodleian Library, the University Library, Cambridge, Trinity College Library, the Houghton Library at Harvard, and the Sterling Memorial Library at Yale, I wish to acknowledge my great indebtedness. My obligations to Northwestern University are heavy. To Dr. Gray C. Boyce, chairman of the department of history, I express my sincere thanks for assistance, encouragement, and unfailing kindness. I feel deeply grateful to Dean Simeon Preface E. Leland, who made possible my trip to England, and to Dean Arthur R. Tebbutt, who has given generous financial assistance to my research. To the Committee on Research of the Graduate School of Northwestern University, and to Dr. Moody E. Prior, Dean of the Graduate School, and to n:tY colleagues in the department of history, I wish to record my appreciation. I have drawn inspiration from the friendship and books and ideas of Professor Pieter Geyl, of the University of Utrecht, and to him I express my gratitude for his reading and correct­ ing the introduction. To the American Philosophical Society, and to its executive officer, Luther P. Eisenhart, I am deeply indebted for a gener­ ous grant which made possible my return to England, and which enabled me to complete this volume and see it through the press. It is a pleasure to acknowledge the many hours of unselfish toil which Charles E. Surman gave to the reading of this work. The dedication of this book to him is a joy to me personally, and a tribute to him for his work as research secretary of the Congregational Historical Society and for his close association and friendly co-operation with Dr. Peel. My obligations to my wife and family exceed the Miltonic sentiment that they also serve who not only stand and wait, but help in so many other ways. To Miss Dallas Fincham I tender my thanks for her expert typing of very difficult material. Lastly, I wish to thank Mr. W. Gunns and the sorely tried printers for their patience and courteous co-operation. To the publishers, George Allen and Unwin Ltd., and to the trustees of the Sir Halley Stewart Trust I express my sincere and heartfelt thanks for making this series possible. LELAND H. CARLSON Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois August 22, 1952 ix This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS PREFACE PAGE Vii INTRODUOTION Robert Harrison 1 Robert Browne 4 HARRISON's WoRKS: I. Preface to Lavater's Of ghostes and spirites walking by nyght. 1572 26 II. A Treatise of the Church and the Kingdome of Christ. [1580 1] 29 III. A Little Treatise vppon the firste Verse of the 122 Psalm. Stirring vp vnto carefull desiring & dutifull labourin~ for true church Gouernement. 1583 70 IV. Three Formes of Oatechismes. 1583 124 V. Letter on Robert Browne. [1584] 149 BROWNE's WoRKs: I. A Treatise of reformation without tarying for anie. 1582 150 II. A Treatise vpon the 23. of M atthewe. 1582 171 CONTENTS III. .A Booke which sheweth the life and manners of aU true Christians. 1582 221 IV. .A True and Short Declaration. 1584 396 V. .An .Anawere to Master Cartwright His Letter [1585 1] 430 VI. Submission and Commentary. 1585 507 VII. Fragments collected from Stephen Bred- well's Writings : (a) From a "Conference with M.F. and M. E [dmondes ]." [1586 1] 509 (b) From a "Replie for the doubts." [1586-7 1] 510 (c) From a " Raging Libell." [1586- 7 n 512 VIII. Fragment of " a treatise against one Barowe." [1588] 515 IX. An aunswere to Mr. Flowers letter. 1588/9 516 X. Letter to Lord Burghley. 1590 530 APPENDICES : (a) Notes owt of Harrysons booke 532 (b) Royal Proclamation of 1583 538 (c) The Will of Robert Browne 540 SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 545 INDEX 557 INTRODUCTION ROBERT BROWNE AND ROBERT HARRISON During the present century much has been written about Robert Browne and Robert Harrison, but he would be a bold man who claimed that the definitive word had been spoken about them -about their characters and personalities, or even their careers.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • John Robinson: the Man They Would Not Let Us Forget
    University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Master's Theses and Capstones Student Scholarship Winter 2009 John Robinson: The man they would not let us forget Kathleen C. Beliveau University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis Recommended Citation Beliveau, Kathleen C., "John Robinson: The man they would not let us forget" (2009). Master's Theses and Capstones. 124. https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/124 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses and Capstones by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. JOHN ROBINSON: THE MAN THEY WOULD NOT LET US FORGET BY KATHLEEN C. BELIVEAU MA Degree, University of New Hampshire, 2009 THESIS Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts In History December, 2009 UMI Number: 1481742 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT UMI 1481742 Copyright 2010 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This edition of the work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code.
    [Show full text]
  • PILGRIM and PURITAN: a DELICATE DISTINCTION by Richard Howland Maxwell Pilgrim Society Note, Series Two, March 2003
    PILGRIM AND PURITAN: A DELICATE DISTINCTION by Richard Howland Maxwell Pilgrim Society Note, Series Two, March 2003 Near the end of his term as president of the United States, Ronald Reagan delivered an address in which he sought to call the American people back to the values of - in his words - "that old Pilgrim, John Winthrop." Reagan's successor in office, George Bush - who, according to some, ought to have known better because he is a descendant of Mayflower passenger John Howland - compounded the historical error in his 1992 Thanksgiving proclamation by saying, "This Thanksgiving… let us renew the solemn commitment that John Winthrop and his fellow Pilgrims made more than 100 years ago." Mr. Bush not only had the Pilgrims and Puritans confused; he missed their dates by more than two centuries! And a bit more recently, the November 1994 issue of the Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine suggested that we include in our Thanksgiving that year "the Puritans in Plymouth, Massachusetts from whom most of our traditions come." The same article later described the "first Thanksgiving" as "the 1621 feast to celebrate the first long winter the Puritans survived in the New World." These illustrations of the apparent ignorance of many Americans concerning at least some parts of our own history have produced among some of us Mayflower descendants an emotional reaction. We become highly incensed if someone refers to the Plymouth settlers as "Puritans," and we become downright angry at the thought that Winthrop might be called a "Pilgrim." The purpose of my presentation today is to examine with as little prejudice as possible the shared history, similarities, and differences between the two groups we commonly call Pilgrims and Puritans.
    [Show full text]
  • Congregational Historical Society
    Congregational Historical Society _ Annual Meeting The usual Autumnal Meeting was held on Wednesday, 11th October, 1905, in one of the rooms of Trinity Congregational church, Leeds, Rev. J. Brown, D.D., in the chair, Rev. BRYAN DALE, M.A., of Bradford, read a paper on the "History of Early Congregationalism in Leeds.I' Hearty thanks were voted to Mr. Dale for his paper, and he was requested to place it in the hands of the secretary for publication. Rev. F. IVES CATER of Oundle then read an interesting paper on" Robert Browne at Achurch,'' illustrated witkphotographs of Browne's cottage, and of some pages of the Achurch register. It was shewn that Browne had not received prelatic ordination until after his appointment to Achurch ; that during his entire incumbency he had a licensed curate ; that local tradition, s~p­ ported by several facts, is to the effect that his conformity was little more than nominal ; and that the man whom, in his old age, he was supposed to have assaulted was one with whom he had long held strained relations. Some doubt was expressed as to his supposed insanity. A discussion followed, in which mention was made of recent· discoveries by Mr. Burrage (see "Notes and Queries"). Thanks were warmly accorded to Mr. Cater for the new facts he had brought to light, which appeared altogether favourable to Browne's chara~ter; and he was requested to place his paper in the hands of the secretary for publication. In complying with this request Mr. Cater intimated that he was hoping to clear up one or two still doubtful points by further examination of contemporary records.
    [Show full text]
  • What's in a Name?
    What’s in a Name? Pilgrims, Saints, Puritans... The original Plymouth colonists were called many things, but they never called themselves “Pilgrims”. Originally, the people we call Pilgrims were known as Saints, Strangers, Old Comers, Planters, Brownists, and Adventurers. It was much later that they were called Pilgrims So why do we call them Pilgrims? The name “Pilgrim” came from a letter written by William Bradford who was one of the first Plymouth residents. While writing a letter to a friend back in England, William Bradford was inspired by a quote from the Bible (Hebrews, 11:13-16) which describes “strangers and pilgrims on the earth” as those who had the opportunity to return to their old country but instead longed for a better, heavenly country. This seemed to be a very good analogy for the Separatists (Pilgrims) who were leaving Holland for America. William Bradford wrote: “So they lefte [that] goodly & pleasante citie, which had been ther resting place, nere 12 years; but they knew they were pilgrimes, & looked not much on these things; but lift up their eyes to y heavens...” Over 150 years later during Forefathers’ Day in Boston, a song composed for the occasion used the word “Pilgrims” and the participants drank a toast to “The Pilgrims of Leyden.” The term then became common in future Forefathers’ Day celebrations. In 1820, Daniel Webster referred to “the Pilgrims” several times in his speech at the bicentennial in Plymouth, Massachusetts commemorating the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock. In 1825 the term Pilgrim gained even more popularity in a poem by Felicia Hermans “The Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers”.
    [Show full text]
  • Editorial and Notes
    THE JOURNAL of the UNITED REFORMED CHURCH HISTORY SOCIETY (incorporating the Congregational Historical Society, founded 1899, and the Presbyterian Historical Society of England, founded 1913) EDITORS: Revd. Dr. R. BUICK KNOX, M.A., B.D., and Dr. CLYDE BINFIELD, M.A. VOL. 2. NO.6. OCTOBER 1980 CONTENTS Editorial and Notes . 165 Robert Browne and the Dilemma of Religious Dissent by Diane Willen, Ph.D. 166 Separatists in Prison: John Johnson's Petition on Behalf of his Sons to Lord Burghley, 1 July 1594 by Michael E. Moody, Ph.D. 175 Some Dutch Influences upon the Independents at the Westminster Assembly by Robert Norris, M. Th., Ph.D. 177 John Howe's Eclectic Theism by Alan P. F. Sell, M.A. B.D., Ph.D. 187 Review Article: The World of Philip Doddridge by R. Tudur Jones, D.D. 194 Reviews by John Derry, E. Gordon Rupp, John Huxtable, Stephen Mayor, Ann Phillips, Richard Carwardine, Haddon Willmer 196 Editorial and Notes There is an early flavour to this issue. If Robert Browne, John Howe and Philip Doddridge, the Westminster Assembly and the Westminster Confession are too easily taken for granted by us, some of the present articles may suggest otherwise. We welcome as contributors Diane Willen of Georgia State University and Robert Norris, who is Assistant Minister at the City Temple. A version of Professor Willen's article was first read at the Southern Conference on British Studies, New Orleans, 12 November 1977. That Tudur Jones, of Coleg Bala-Bangot, has not contributed more frequently is a reflection on us, which this issue in part remedies.
    [Show full text]
  • Springer MRW: [AU:0, IDX:0]
    D Dissenters from the Anglican and “Free Churchmen,” depending on the circum- Church stances and nature of their Dissent. Two different theological sources were at the Manuela Bragagnolo root of English Dissent, which mainly followed Max Planck Institute for European Legal History, two streams, one radical and the other Calvinist Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Watts 1978). The first one can be traced back to the pre-Reformation movement of the Abstract Lollards, based on the teaching of John Wycliffe English Dissenters were Protestant Christians (ca. 1330–1384) (McFarlane 1966), which who chose to worship outside of the was subsequently influenced by continental established Church of England in the early Anabaptism. This tradition then went under- modern period. English Dissent mainly ground, moving to the Netherlands with John followed two streams, one of which was Smyth (1554–1612), and reemerged in England radical and influenced by continental with the seventeenth-century “General Baptists.” Anabaptism, and the other was Calvinist and The second one streamed from Elizabethan Puritan. The freedom of religious practice Calvinistic Puritanism. This movement aimed at that was granted during the English Republic “purifying” the church of its Catholic elements was followed by a period of persecution and initially tried to reform the Anglican Church under the Restoration when the term from within. Some individual Puritans moved “Dissenter” emerged to stigmatize clergymen towards separation in the 1570s, founding and their followers who resisted the Act congregations first in England and then in of Uniformity and left the established the Netherlands (Hahn-Bruckart 2017). This Anglican Church. was the case of Robert Browne (ca.
    [Show full text]
  • The Works of John Robinson, Vol. 1 [1851]
    The Online Library of Liberty A Project Of Liberty Fund, Inc. John Robinson, The Works of John Robinson, vol. 1 [1851] The Online Library Of Liberty This E-Book (PDF format) is published by Liberty Fund, Inc., a private, non-profit, educational foundation established in 1960 to encourage study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals. 2010 was the 50th anniversary year of the founding of Liberty Fund. It is part of the Online Library of Liberty web site http://oll.libertyfund.org, which was established in 2004 in order to further the educational goals of Liberty Fund, Inc. To find out more about the author or title, to use the site's powerful search engine, to see other titles in other formats (HTML, facsimile PDF), or to make use of the hundreds of essays, educational aids, and study guides, please visit the OLL web site. This title is also part of the Portable Library of Liberty DVD which contains over 1,000 books and quotes about liberty and power, and is available free of charge upon request. The cuneiform inscription that appears in the logo and serves as a design element in all Liberty Fund books and web sites is the earliest-known written appearance of the word “freedom” (amagi), or “liberty.” It is taken from a clay document written about 2300 B.C. in the Sumerian city-state of Lagash, in present day Iraq. To find out more about Liberty Fund, Inc., or the Online Library of Liberty Project, please contact the Director at [email protected].
    [Show full text]
  • Henry Barrow V1.Qxp:Henry Barrow Separatist 26 12 2008 19:14 Page 1
    Henry Barrow v1.qxp:Henry Barrow Separatist 26 12 2008 19:14 Page 1 HENRY BARROW 1575?–1625 AND THE EXILED CHURCH OF AMSTERDAM (1593–1622) Henry Barrow v1.qxp:Henry Barrow Separatist 26 12 2008 19:14 Page 3 HENRY BARROW SEPARATIST (1550?–1593) AND THE EXILED CHURCH OF AMSTERDAM (1593–1622) by FRED. J. POWICKE, PhD Quinta Press Weston Rhyn 2008 Henry Barrow v1.qxp:Henry Barrow Separatist 26 12 2008 19:14 Page 4 Quinta Press Meadow View, Weston Rhyn, Oswestry, Shropshire, England, SY10 7RN Visit our web-site: http://www.quintapress.com ISBN 1 897856 xx x First published Layout copyright Quinta Press © 2008 4 Henry Barrow v1.qxp:Henry Barrow Separatist 26 12 2008 19:14 Page 5 FIRST PROOF READING DRAFT 5 HENRY BARROW, SEPARATIST HENRY BARROW SEPARATIST 1550?–1593 AND THE EXILED CHURCH OF AMSTERDAM (1593–1622) BY FRED. J. POWICKE, PH.D. Author of “John Norris of Bemerton,” &c. Henry Barrow v1.qxp:Henry Barrow Separatist 26 12 2008 19:14 Page 6 6 HENRY BARROW SEPARATIST (1550?–1593) LONDON JAMES CLARKE & CO., 13 &: 14, FLEET STR.EET 1900 TO REV. ALEXANDER MACKENNAL, B.A., D.D., OF BOWDON, IN RECOGNITION OF HIS INTIMATE ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE “ORIGINS” OF ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALISM, AND IN GRATITUDE FOR MUCH PERSONAL KINDNESS TO THE WRITER. PREFACE. THIS book has grown out of a series of twelve “Short Lectures on the Origin of Congregationalism,” delivered to my own people during the winter months of 1896–7, in connection with the “Ter-centenary Celebration.” Two of them dealt directly with Barrow and the Amsterdam Church.
    [Show full text]
  • On Submitted in -Oartial Fulfilment of Requirements for Ti'.E Degree of ?H. D. at Edinldurgh University by Dv/Ight CM Chester Sn
    A THESIS on RC33RT BROY/NE (15507-1653) as CHURCHMAN and THEOLOGIAN. Submitted in -oartial fulfilment of requirements for ti'.e degree of ?h. D. at EdinlDurgh University by Dv/ight CM Chester Snith, B.A., B.D. (Yale University). TABLE of CONTENTS. Page Preface PART ONE: ROBERT BROTOE and the ELIZABETHAN CHURCH CONTROVERSY. Chapter One The First Fifty Years af English Protestantism 1 Chapter Two The Primacy of John V/hitgift 35 Chapter Three Robert Browne: The Years of Open Revolt 81 Chapter Four Robert Browne: The Years of Submission. 136 PART TWO: THE Y/RITINGS of ROBERT BROWNE. Chapter Five A Treatise of Reformation ... 193 Chapter Six A Treatise Vpon the 23. of Hatthewe ... ... 209 Chapter Seven A Booke Y/hich Sheweth . .. 235 Chapter Eight A True and Short Declaration ... 251 Chapter Nine An Answer e to Master Cart-wright 353 Chapter Ten A Reproofe of Certeine Schismati- call Persons ... ... 294 Chapter Eleven A Letter to Mr. Flower ... 315 TABLE of CONTENTS (continued) Page PART THREE: EVALUATION and CONCLUSIONS. Chapter Twelve Browne's Views on Church and State 325 Chapter Thirteen Browne's Views on Church Discipline and Govern­ ment ... 341 Chapter Fourteen Browne as Theologian .. 364 Chapter Fifteen Summary ••• 386 Appendix ... 390 Bibliography 423 1. PREFACE.. For nearly two and a half centuries after his death, Robert Browne was known only by the unsympathetic accounts of those who were hostile to him and all for v/hich he stood. Even when Hanbury wrote his "Historical Memorials" in 1839, he knew of no evidence concerning Browne's life, other than the stories preserved by his opponents.
    [Show full text]
  • William Vassall and Dissent in Early Massachusetts
    WILLIAM VASSALL AND DISSENT IN EARLY MASSACHUSETTS By Dorothy Carpenter Another Look at the Founding of Massachusetts With special emphasis on a forgotten dissenter, William Vassall Copyright © 2001, 2004, Dorothy S. Carpenter. All rights reserved. AUTHOR’S NOTE This book is designed not only to show how the tolerance of South Scituate came into being, but also to attempt to answer questions such as the one brought up by Charles M. Andrews in his first volume of The Colonial Period of American History, entitled “The Settlement, Volume I.” On page 490, he states: “The general court, not unnaturally but probably not rightly, linked together the Hobart, Vassall, and Child complaints, as parts of a common movement, and believing the peril to be more imminent than it actually was, proceeded with the utmost caution and watchfulness.” After studying for my book it became apparent to me that these protests were linked, and that Vassall, in his desire to establish religious tolerance, was the major link. The only way to come upon this theory was to begin with the dissent to the Puritan autocracy at Massachusetts Bay, and this demanded an understanding of the religious trends of the time. For that reason it was necessary to write more about the Pilgrims and the Puritans than I had first intended in the story of William Vassall and the South Scituate Church. But, I think this is necessary for the understanding of the place that church took in the controversies that were to come. – ii– CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................V PILGRIMS AND PURITANS ................................................................................. 1 THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY 1630-1637................................33 WILLIAM VASSALL — NEW FRIEND OF THE OLD COLONY .....63 THE HOBART AFFAIR......................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • THE RISE of ELIZABETHAN SEPARATISM Introduction C ARL BECKER Once Remarked That a Professor Is a Man Who Thinks Otherwise. Eliza
    THE RISE OF ELIZABETHAN SEPARATISM Introduction ARL BECKER once remarked that a professor is a man C who thinks otherwise. Elizabethan Separatism was a consequence of men and women who thought otheiwise. These persons resisted the pressures to return to Catholicism in the reign of Bloody Mary, and they were willing to pay the penalty for their convictions. Many fled to the Continent, and others paid the supreme price in the fires of Smithfield. When the exiles returned, the fires continued to burn in their souls as they read and reread John Foxe's Book of Mat-tyrs. Nothing is so powerful as an idea whose hour has come. When ideas become suffused with emotional power, they are translated into ideals. The ideas and ideals of the exiles and martyrs constituted the real strength of the nonconformists who made possible the rise of Elizabethan Separatism. These ideas came partly from the currents of thought in Lutheran Saxony and Calvinistic Geneva, But ultimately and essen- tially they came from the same source that Luther and Calvin had used-the Bible. Tyndale's New Testament of 1526, Coverdale's Bible of 1535, Matthew's Bible of 1537 and its revision by Taverner in 1539, the Great Bible of 1539-40, Whittingham's New Testament of 1557, the Geneva Bible of 1560, the Bishops' Bible of 1568, and the Rheims New Testament of 1582 made available the Scriptures in English to the people of Elizabethan England. Printers, Protestants, and translators caused Englishmen to become "the people of a book, and that book was the Bible." The spirit of Wyclif and Tyndale had triumphed, and no longer was it necessary to suggest that "ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." The discovery of the pure Word of God provided a 15 The Rice Institute Pamphlet guide for faith, a pattern for worship, a standard for disci- pline, and a reason for separation.
    [Show full text]
  • Education and the Early Modern English Separatists
    1 EDUCATION AND THE EARLY MODERN ENGLISH SEPARATISTS submitted by DAVID WILLIAM GURNEY, BD, BA, MA for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION 1998 2 ABSTRACT This study reassesses the significance of education in the lives and thinking of the early modern English Separatists. For this purpose, 'early modern' is construed as the period from the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558 to the outbreak of the First Civil War in 1642. ,The thesis first describes the origins, nature and development of Separatism during this period, and then sets the study in context by delineating the nature of education in those eight or so decades. In order to facilitate the handling of the material germane to the study, the leading original proponents of the distinctive Separatist ideology are considered in chapters three and four. Chapter three deals with the three men who in the late Tudor years set the parameters for the subsequent groVV'ch of a comprehensive and self-consistent Separatist philosophy. Chapter four examines the contributions of the 1 7 most prominent men who built on their work in the early Stuart period. The very fact of their prominence, however, entails the likelihood that they were better-educated than the majority of their fellow­ believers, and perhaps to that extent unrepresentative of them. The resulting possible distortion is therefore corrected by investigating the educational levels of 52 Separatist prisoners in London gaols at the turn of the ninth and tenth decades of the sixteenth century.
    [Show full text]