glory to God and to the Lamb evermore, in the city of the new Jerusalem, because their works and labors of love are appreciated by those whom they left on earth;-what aspirations of gratitude will there not be heard from him, who to the God of all mercies, during the days of his mortal existence, was enabled to sing of that divine Saviour, "the expectation of all nations," and of that mighty plan of redemption into which the angels desire to look with prying study, and ever-increasing wonder and delight! And if, in fine, the imperfect essay of the writer of this sketch shall be received with approbation, most willingly does he dedicate it to the memory of him whom he loved while he lived, and whom, now dead, he shall not cease to regard with respect and veneration.

London, July, 1828.

J. P. L.

PREFACE.

THE lives and memories of our Christian ancestors, who suffered so much for the blessings of that civil and religious liberty, which the inhabitants of Britain now enjoy, ought, one would think, to be peculiarly interesting and sacred to us their posterity. Yet so it happens, that while the warrior, who has drained his own country of its wealth, and emptied it of its bravest people, to carry devastation and ruin over other nations, attracts the historic pen minutely to record his deeds, and the genius of poetry, in lofty verse, to sing his praise, those glorious sufferers, who exposed themselves to the fury of persecution, and, like the true soldiers of Jesus Christ, patient, persevering, and zealous, fought in behalf of all that is dear to man, are wholly forgotten by many,-their characters ridiculed, and their actions misrepresented by others,

and the courage with which they suffered for our good, too little admired by all. The patriot, who takes the sword in his hand, and, at the head of his countrymen, makes extraordinary efforts to repel the invasion of an enemy, or to shake the guilty despot from the strong holds of his tyranny, becomes, as he deserves, the subject of warmest eulogy; and there is not a passage in his history which the young and old of his country cannot relate. But if the patriot, who has saved his country from an enemy, or rid it of oppres sion, is worthy of his laurels, is he less worthy, who abandons the comforts of plenty, submits to every privation, and offers himself to every trial, that he may do his duty to God while he lives, and hand down religion in its purity to after generations? With more pomp, indeed, are the steps of the patriot soldier attended; but the sufferings of the persecuted Christian bring more glory to God, and more good to man. The one fights, that he may secure our possessions from plunder, and our bodies from slavery: the other suffers, that he may preserve for us an inheritance which fadeth not away, a peace which passeth understanding, a liberty which is spiritual, and a life which is eternal. The one fights for the reputation of his country, and our rights as men: the other suffers for the glory of God, and our privileges as immortal beings. Every sigh, we know, of our persecuted ancestors is recorded in heaven; every tear which they shed is preserved in the bottle of God. Why, then,

should their memories not be dear to us, for whom they bled and for whom they died?

But it is not only that we may pay them our debt of gratitude that we ought to acquaint ourselves with their lives; it is, that we may gather humility from their lowliness; faith from their trust in God; courage from their heaven-sustained fortitude; warmth from the flame of their devotion, and hope from their glorious success. In this age of peace to the church, the love of many hath waxed cold. Because God requires less hard service of us than he did of our forefathers, we seem to grudge the performance of it. To rekindle the dying embers of zeal, and warm the heart of coldness, we know nothing better than to peruse the lives of those who suffered so much, and with such willingness of heart, for those religious privileges which we now enjoy in peace and security. Youth, especially, have need to make themselves well acquainted with their lives; for they can scarcely fail to meet with books in which heedless genius has held them forth to laughter; and if they are not taught to revere them, they will soon be taught to hold them in ridicule. Many of their lives, however, are either written in so antiquated and ungainly a phraseology, as to be no ways inviting to the youthful mind; or are blended with circumstances so extraordinary, as to discredit and destroy the effect of what is true. It is a belief of this which has induced me to lay before the

public the following narrative; the different parts of which, although I do not pretend to say they happened in the very same relation which I have given them, are all severally true, and such as require no credence in those miracles which have so hurt and discredited the character and actions of our persecuted ances

tors.