ally Separatists, like the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth. "We separate," they said, "not from the Church of England, but from its corruptions. We came away from the Common Prayer and ceremonies in our native land where we suffered much for Nonconformity. In this place of liberty we cannot and will not use them." The result was, they became free Churchmen and zealous Independents. Certainly the establishment of such a system as Independency was a great advance upon the idea of reforming the Church of England; yet, as a well-known American writer says, the mere change of surrounding conditions made it seem not a revolution in Church government, but the only natural and possible thing to do.1 1 1 Historic Towns: Boston, by Henry Cabot Lodge, pp. 25, 26. "How Puritanism glided into a state of separation, and the Nonconformist in the Church became a Dissenter outside its pale, is curiously illustrated in the records of the Church assembling in Broadmead, Bristol." See Dr. Stoughton's History of Religion in England, vol. i. (new and revised edition) pp. 99, 100. Corrupt state of the Church-Illiteracy of the Clergy-Character of the Bishops-Notes on Latimer's Sermon of the Plough-Child's answer to Canon Dixon-Arber on corruption of Clergy-Martin Marprelate Controversy-Interest of this Controversy-Note on works dealing with-The Epistle-Style of-Assumption of-Con- ditions of Peace-Effect of Epistle-Restrictions on printing—The Epitome The four Bishops attacked On their defence Hay any worke for Cooper-Press seized-Martin renounced by Puritans CHAPTER VIII THE CORRUPT STATE OF THE CHURCH: THE MARTIN MARPRELATE CONTROVERSY I THE CORRUPT STATE OF THE CHURCH We have seen how Archbishop Whitgift objected to the contention of Cartwright, that ministers ought to be openly and fairly chosen by the people, on the ground that “in this state of the Church such practice were pernicious and hurtful. In the apostles' time all, or most that were Christians, were virtuous and godly, and such as did sincerely profess the word, and therefore the election might be safely committed to them; now, the Church is full of hypocrites, dissemblers, drunkards, and whoremongers, so that if any election were committed to them, they would be sure to take one like to themselves. Now, the Church is full of Papists and atheists." This description of the then existing condition of the Church was only too true. Among the clergy there was ignorance and licentiousness; among the bishops, sordid greed, sycophancy, and truckling to power. That "lying, cheating, theft, perjury, and whoredom were the complaints of the times," 1 is abundantly testified by such Churchmen as Bucer and Sanday. The picture which the latter draws of patrons gaping for gain, and hungry fellows, destitute of all good learning and godly zeal, yea, scarcely clothed with common honesty, who found ready entrance to the Church, is surpassed even by Bishop Jewel: 2 «The poor flock is given over to the wolf; the poor children cry out for bread, the bread of life, and here is no man to break it unto them. . . View your universities, view your schools, which have ever been nurseries to this purpose. Alas! how many shall you find in both the universities and in all the schools throughout England, not only that are already able, but also that are minded to the ministry? If they be not found there, alas! where think you to have them? Where think you they will be found? Think you they will spring out of the ground or drop down from the heavens? No, no, they be of you, and must be bred and reared amongst you. I speak not of the curates, but of the parsonages and the vicarages; that is, of the places which are the castles and towers of defence for the Lord's temple. They seldom pass nowadays from a patron, if he be no better than a gentleman, but either for the lease or for present money. Such merchants are broken into the Church of God, a great deal more intolerable than were they whom Christ chased and whipped out of the temple. Young men that are toward and learned see this. They see that he which feedeth the 1 Collier's Ecclesiastical History, vol. ii. p. 294. 2 Hunt's Religious Thought in England, vol. i. p. 77, note. See Zurich Letters (1588–79) p. 33, 85. |