many should leave their stations, they might find occasions to insinuate themselves again into the queen's favour.

It seems he wrote a letter in the same strain to Bullinger, as will appear by his answer of the 3d of November, which will be found in the Collection (No. lxxvi). "He writes, that he had heard of the division among them from others; but not knowing the whole state of the question, he was not forward to give his opinion, till he had his letter. He laments this unhappy breach among them: he approves their zeal, who wished to have the church purged from all the dregs of popery on the other hand, he commends their prudence, who would not have the church to be forsaken because of the vestments. The great end of the ministry was edification; and that was not to be abandoned but upon very good grounds; especially when the deserting their stations was like to make way for much worse things: and that they saw either papists or Lutherans would be put in their places, and then ceremonies would be out of measure increased. No doubt, they had brought many persons of all sorts to love the purity of doctrine; but what a prejudice would it be to these to open such a door, by which swarms of abuses might creep in among them: this they ought carefully to prevent. As for those who first made those laws, or were zealous maintainers of them, he confesses he is not pleased with them. They acted unwisely, if they were truly of the reformed side; but if they were only disguised enemies, they were laying snares with ill designs: yet he thinks every thing of that sort ought to be submitted to, rather than that they should forsake their ministry and since it was declared, that those vestments were to be used without any superstitious conceit, he thinks that ought to satisfy men's consciences. But in the mean while he proposes to them, to press the queen and nobility to go on and complete a reformation, that was so gloriously begun. He knew that in many places questions were at that time moved, concerning the extent of the magistrate's authority; he wishes these might be everywhere let alone certainly matters of that nature ought not to be meddled with in sermons; there may be an occasion to debate about them in parliament, and it may be proper to speak to the queen, and to her counsellors, in private about them. Upon the whole matter he concludes, that as on the one hand he would be tender in dealing with men of weak consciences; so on the other hand he proposes St. Paul's rule in such cases, of becoming all things to all men :' he circumcised Timothy, that he might not give offence to the Jews; though at the same time he condemns those who were imposing the yoke

of the Judaical law, as necessary in the beginnings of Christianity."

When Sampson and Humphreys understood in what a strain Bullinger and Gualter had written concerning the vestments, they wrote, on the 16th February, a copious account of the grounds on which they founded their refusal to obey these orders. Their letters came to Bullinger on the 26th of April; and he answered them on the 1st of May. This will be found in the Collection (No. lxxvii). "He puts them in mind of Peter Martyr's opinion in a like matter, when he was at Oxford; to which he could add nothing. He could not approve of any person officiating at an altar on which there was a crucifix; and in a cope on the back of which there was a crucifix. He tells them how both he and Gualter had answered Horn's letter on the subject: and he sent them copies of these letters. He would be extreme sorry if these did not give them satisfaction. He prayed earnestly to God for them. He had a great dislike to all controversies of that sort; and did not willingly meddle in them he did think that laws might be made prescribing decent habits to the clergy, which may be reduced to that branch of St. Paul's character of a bishop, that he ought to be Kooμios, which may be rendered decent, as well as we have it of good behaviour. Nor was this the reviving the Levitical law. Every thing is not to be called Levitical, because it was practised by the Jews. The apostles commanded the converts to Christianity to abstain from things strangled, and from blood.' The maintaining the clergy by the tithes, came from laws given to Jews; and from them we have the singing of psalms among us: so things are not to be rejected because of some conformity to the Mosaical institution. Nor can this be called a conformity to popery: nor is every thing practised among them to be rejected on that account; otherwise we must not use their churches, nor pronounce the Creed; nor use the Lord's Prayer; since all these are used by them. It was in this case expressed, in the orders set out lately by them, that the habits were not enjoined on the superstitious conceits of the papists: they were only to be used in obedience to the law. It savours too much of a Jewish or of a monastic temper, to put religion in such matters: if it is pretended that the obeying laws in matters indifferent was the giving up our Christian liberty, that would go a great way to the denying all obedience, and might provoke the magistrate to lay yet heavier loads on them. Habits peculiar to the clergy was an ancienter practice than popery itself: St. John is said to have carried on his head somewhat like a mitre: and mention is made of

St. Cyprian's having a peculiar garment, called a dalmatica. St. Chrysostom speaks of their white garments. Tertullian tells us, that the heathens converted to Christianity, quitted their toga, the Roman upper garment, and used the pallium, or cloak. He wishes there were no impositions on the clergy in such matters: yet since this was an ancient habit, and was now enjoined, without making it a matter of religion, he wishes they would not set too great a value upon it, but yield somewhat to the present time; and that they would consider it as a thing indifferent, and not affect to dispute too subtilly about it; but to behave themselves modestly. They had put a question to him, Whether any thing may be prescribed that is not expressed in Scripture? He did not approve of laying on a load of such things on people's necks; but some things might be appointed for order and discipline. Christ kept the feast of the dedication, though appointed by no law of God. If it is said, The things commanded are not necessary, and are of no use, yet they are not for that to be condemned, nor are schisms to be raised on that account: many things are again repeated in this letter that were in his letter to Horn.'

A copy of this was sent to Horn, and both Grindal and he apprehending the good effect that the printing it might have, in settling the minds of many that were much shaken by the opposition that was made to the orders that had been sent out, printed it here. So that it was not necessary for me to put it in the Collection (No. lxxviii), if I did not intend to lay the chief papers relating to this matter so together, as to set it all in a clear light.

Upon this Sampson and Humphreys wrote over to Zurick, complaining of the printing of their letter, and carrying their complaints against the constitution of the church much further than to the matter of the vestments: they complain of the music, and organs; of making sponsors in baptism answer in the child's name; of the cross in baptism; of the court of faculties; and the paying for dispensations; all which will appear fully in a letter of theirs in the Collection, which they wrote to them in July. "They acknowledge their letter had not fully satisfied them: they do not think the prescribing habits to the clergy merely a civil thing; they think St. Paul's Kooμios belongs to the ornaments of the mind. And add, How can that habit be thought decent, that was brought in to dress up the theatrical pomp of popery? The papists gloried in this our imitation of them. They do approve of setting rules concerning order, but that ought not to be applied to this, that overturns the peace and quiet of the church, in things that are not either necessary or useful; that do not VOL. III, PART I.

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tend to any edification, but serve to recommend those forms which all do now abhor. The papists themselves glory in this, that these habits were brought in by them; for which they vouch Otho's constitution, and the Roman pontifical. They were not against the retaining any thing that was good, because it had been abused in popery.

They affirm, that in King Edward's time, the surplice was not universally used, nor pressed; and the copes then taken away are now to be restored. This is not to extirpate popery, but to plant it again; and instead of going forward is to go back. It was known how much virtue and religion the papists put in the surplice; and at this day it is held in as great esteem as the monks' habits were wont to be. The use of it may, by degrees, bring back the same superstition. They did not put religion in habits; they only opposed those that did and they thought, that it gave some authority to servitude, to depart from their liberty. They hated contention, and were ready to enter into friendly conferences about this matter. They do not desert their churches, and leave them exposed to wolves; but, to their great grief, they are driven from them. They leave their brethren to stand and fall to their own masters; and desire the same favourable forbearance from them, though in vain hitherto. It was by other men's persuasion that the queen was irritated against them and now, to support these orders, all that is pretended is, that they are not unlawful: it is not pretended, that there is any thing good or expedient in the habits. The habits of the clergy are visible marks of their profession; and these ought not to be taken from their enemies. The ancient fathers had their habits; but not peculiar to bishops, nor distinct from the laity. The instances of St. John and Cyprian are singular. In Tertullian's time, the pallium was the common habit of all Christians. Chrysostom speaks of white garments, but with no approbation: he rather finds fault with them. They had cited Bucer; but he thought, that the orders concerning habits, by reason of the abuse of them in the church of England, ought to be taken away, for a fuller declaration of their abhorrence of antichrist, for asserting the Christian liberty, and for removing all occasions of contention. They were far from any design of making a schism, or of quarrelling. They will not condemn things indifferent as unlawful: they wish the occasion of the contention were removed, that the remembrance of it might be for ever buried. They who condemned the papal pride could not like a tyranny in a free church. They wish there might be a free synod, to settle this matter; in which things should not be carried according to the mind of one or two

persons. The matter now in debate had never been settled by any general decree of a council, or of any reformed church. They acknowledge the doctrine of this church was now pure; and why should there be any defect in any part of our worship? Why should we borrow any thing from popery? Why should they not agree in rites, as well as in doctrine, with the other reformed churches? They had a good opinion of their bishops, and bore with their state and pomp: they once bore the same cross with them, and preached the same Christ with them: Why are they now turned out of their benefices, and some put in prison, only for habits? Why are they publicly defamed? The bishops had printed the private letter that they had written to them, without their knowledge or consent. The bishops do now stand upon it, as if the cause was their own. But to let them see that the dispute was not only about a cap, they sent them an abstract of some other things, to which they wish some remedy could be found (which is in the Collection, No. lxxix); and conclude with some prayers to God, to quiet those dissensions, and to send forth labourers into his vineyard."

To this I have joined the answer that Bullinger and Gualter wrote to them (Collect. No. lxxx). In it they tell them, "that they did not expect that their letters should fully satisfy them: they only wrote their opinion to them because they desired it. They were heartily sorry to find that they could not acquiesce in it. They would engage no further in that matter: they could answer their arguments, but they would give no occasion to endless disputations. They thought it would be more expedient to submit to those habits, and to continue in the church, than, by refusing to use them, to be forced to leave their churches. They went no further, and did not approve of any popish defilements or superstitions. Nor did they in any sort enter into those other matters, of which they do now complain, and of which they knew nothing before. These were matters of much greater consequence than either the surplices or the copes: so that it was to be hoped, that the letter they had written about the habits could not be stretched to these matters. There was nothing left to them, but to commend them to God, and to pray that he would quiet this unhappy dissension among them, and give his church the blessings of peace. They only desire them to remember, that the ministers of the gospel ought not only to hold fast the truth, but likewise to be prudent stewards, having a due regard to the times, bearing many things with patience and charity, and so maintain the peace of the church and not to prejudice it by an over-eager or morose temper, nor think it