HISTORY OF CONGREGATIONALISM

FROM

ABOUT A. D. 250 TO THE PRESENT TIME

IN CONTINUATION OF THE ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN AND EARLIEST
HISTORY OF THIS SYSTEM OF CHURCH POLITY CON-

TAINED IN "A VIEW OF CONGREGATIONALISM ”

BY

GEORGE PUNCHARD

SECOND EDITION

REWRITTEN AND GREATLY ENLARGED

VOL. II.

NEW YORK

PUBLISHED BY HURD AND HOUGHTON
BOSTON: E. P. DUTTON AND COMPANY

1865

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1865, by

GEORGE PUNCHARD,

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE:

STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY

H. 0. HOUGHTON AND COMPANY.

CONTENTS OF VOLUME II.

CHAPTER I.

RÉSUMÉ OF ECCLESIASTICAL MATTERS PRIOR TO THE ENGLISH

REFORMATION.

The struggle of Congregational principles with ecclesiastical des-

potism, 1. Lollardism in England at the dawn of the Refor-

mation, 3. Lambert's congregational sentiments in 1538, p. 7.

Froude's mistake respecting the extinction of Lollardism after

1417, p. 8. The corrupt state of the English hierarchy to the

end of the fifteenth century, 14. The first twenty years of

Henry VIII.'s reign, 23. Wolsey's reformatory purposes, 24.

"The Supplication of Beggars," 1527, p. 26. An “Act of Ac-

cusation" against the clergy, 27. Petition of the clergy of

Bangor, 31. "A Supplication of the poor Commons,” 1546,

p. 33.

CHAPTER II.

THE ENGLISH REFORMATION.

The marriage of Henry VIII. and Catharine of Aragon, 37.

Henry begins to disclose his doubts about his marriage, 40.

First movement towards a divorce, 1527, p. 42. Persecution

of protestants, 44. The legates' court to try Henry's cause in

England, 48. Wolsey in trouble, 49. Dr. Cranmer's plan to

get the opinions of the learned about Henry's marriage, 52.

A parliament called Important reformatory measures, 54.

Summary of opinions on the king's marriage, 57. Bribery

freely employed, 58. Opinions laid before parliament and con-

vocation, 62. The statutes of Præmunire and Provisors, 63.

The pope's dilemma, 65. Important bills before parliament in

1531-32, p. 66. The people destroying images and crucifixes, 68.

The plotting and counterplotting of Clement VII., Charles V.,

Francis I., and Henry VIII., 69. Henry and Francis make a

league of friendship, 1532, p. 71. Henry marries Anne Bol-

eyn, January 25th, 1532-33 - Cranmer made archbishop of

Canterbury, 72. The divorce of Henry, May 23d, 1533, p. 73.

Appeals to Rome forbidden, 74. Sensation at Rome, 75. The

league between Henry and Francis broken, 76. Pope Paul

prepares his terrible bull against Henry, 79. Promulgated,

1538, p. 80. Reformatory measures pushed forward, 81. The

"Maid of Kent," 85. Henry pronounced supreme head of the

church of England, 90.

CHAPTER III.

THE FIRST ENTIRE BIBLE

PROGRESS OF THE REFORMATION.

IN ENGLISH PRINTED. SUBSEQUENT ISSUES OF THE SCRIP-

TURES IN ENGLISH.

acts - Visitation of the

Fisher and Sir Thomas

Coverdale's Bible, 1535,

Important reformatory measures and

monasteries, 1535-Fall of Bishop

More "A Goodly Prymer," 93.

p. 96. Act of parliament (1536) extinguishing the authority

of the bishop of Rome, 102. Royal proclamation against

holy-days-The first proclamation and injunctions in favor

of Tyndale and Rogers' English Bible, 1537, p. 103. Cran-

mer and Cromwell's interest in the movement, 108. Ex-

posure of clerical trickery, 113. Condemnation of "St.

Thomas à Becket," and demolition of his shrine, 114. Bishop

Hilsey's primer Publication of the "Great Bible," 117.

Taverner's Bible, 119. Bible era of the Reformation, 121.

Anthony Marler, the publisher of folio Bibles, 124. In six

years thirty thousand Bibles and forty thousand Testaments

published in English, 125.

CHAPTER IV.

OBSTACLES TO THE ENGLISH REFORMATION.

THE CHANGEABLE

COURSE OF THE KING. TRACT AND BIBLE DISTRIBUTORS.

The pope's efforts against the Reformation, 127. The Maid of
Kent, 128. The mendicant monks - Bishop Fisher and Sir

Thomas More, 130. The Irish rebellion

The fall of Anne

Boleyn, 131. "Pilgrimage of Grace - Threatened invasion

by Charles V., 132. Bishop Gardiner's doings - Retrogres-

sion of the king, 133. The terrible "Six Articles Act," 134.

Five hundred persons under indictment, 135. Resignation of

bishops Latimer and Shaxton, 136. Fall of Cromwell, 137.

Birth of Edward VI. - Death of Jane Seymour, 138. Anne

of Cleves Catharine Howard Catharine Parr, 139. Retro-

grade course of Henry, 141. The Six Articles Act slightly

modified, 142. A litany in English-" King Henry's Primer

in English and Latin, 144. English books prohibited, 145.

Death and character of Henry VIII., 146. Tract and Bible

distributors, 150.

CHAPTER V.

PROGRESS OF THE REFOR-

REIGN OF EDWARD VI., 1546-1553.

MATION. DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED.

Accession of Edward, January 31st, 1546-47- Carefully edu-

cated, 154. Henry's plan for governing during his son's minor-

ity, 155. Persecution stopped, 155. Exiles invited home, 156.

Cranmer's "slow and safe" plan of reformation, 157. Hom-

ilies published, 158. Injunctions, 159. Opposition of the pa-

pists, particularly Gardiner, Bonner, and the Lady Mary, 161.

The people outrun the government in reforming, 162. Ed-

ward's first parliament, 163. Act relating to "the sacrament

of the altar," 164. Proclamation against "irreverent talkers

of the sacrament," 165. Repeal of all the persecuting statutes,

168. Bishops to be made by the king's letters patent, 170.

Church revenues given to the king, 171. Commotion occa-

sioned by these measures, 172. Committee to prepare a book

of common prayer, etc., 174. The new service book adopted

by act of parliament, January, 1548-49, p. 176. The fatal

error of the Reformers to attempt to enforce absolute uniform-

ity, 180. Marriage of ecclesiastical persons authorized, 181.

David's Psalms in metre, by Sternhold and Hopkins, 181.

Troubles and anxieties of the Reformers, 182. Proclamations

against innovators-against preaching, 183. Open rebellion

caused by turning arable land into pastures, and fencing in