is of age to defend himself. And as for the book, I think your lordship will not utterly condemn it.

B. I confess there is something in it godly. It is a very evil book that hath no good thing in it. But I say the book is wicked, and is the cause of error and dissention in the church.

Catlin. Wilt thou condemn the Book of Common Prayer? Is it antichristian?

S. For these five years, I have not served in any church; but when I have attended, I have resorted to common prayer, which, if I had condemned it, I would not have done. Yet if I should allow of all things in our ministry, I should allow of those things which his lordship has denied. For he said, in his sermon at Paul's cross, that there were certain evils in our ministry."

B. Indeed, I said there were. Yet ought they not to be removed by private, but by public authority.

S. That is granted. But are those things to be removed? B. Though they may be removed, they are such things as cannot offend the church; and every true christian ought to bear with them until they be removed.

S. I have borne with them, or I should not have resorted to the church, as I have done.

B. Have you been a minister, and now given it up? Every one laying his hand to the plough, ought not to look back, without some special cause.

S. About five or six years since, I was called before my ordinary, who told me I must subscribe, or lose my living, and be discharged from the ministry. Accordingly, Í refusing to subscribe, he deprived me of my ministry.

C. Wilt thou receive the communion according to the order prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer?

S. I have never refused to receive it according to the word of God; and where I have resorted, I have received it more than six times in the year.

Goodman. Name one church where thou hast received the communion.

S. You seek to injure me,

G. Nay; we seek to save thee.

S. I have refused to attend upon idle shepherds; and, as you said they were dumb dogs, there can be no good received from them. Therefore, I beseech you to endeavour to get them removed.

G. Why, every member of the church of Christ is a

sinner.

B. Shall we then receive no communion?

Dyer. What sayest thou of the order of baptism? Wilt thou have thy child baptized according to the order prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer?

S. I have no child to baptize.

D. Dost thou condemn the order of the sacrament of the Lord's supper, the order of churching women, the burial service, or the ceremonies of the church?

S. If I had condemned them, I would not have resorted to the church, as I have done.

B. Thou wilt then agree to these three things:-1. "That thou hast offended against the law in printing Cartwright's book.-2. That Cartwright's book is neither godly, nor lawful.-3. That thou dost not condemn the Book of Common Prayer, but wilt receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper, according to the order prescribed."

S. I say as I have said before, if I had condemned the Book of Common Prayer, I would not have resorted to the church, as I have done.

Garret. But wilt thou subscribe ?

S. I will..

Upon Mr. Stroud's submission to subscribe, he returned to his beloved exercise, and became minister at Cranbrook. But his troubles were not ended. For, upon the translation of Whitgift to the see of Canterbury, his nonconformity exposed him to the displeasure of the new archbishop, who deprived him of his ministry, and commanded him to leave the country. But the good man was so universally beloved, that multitudes of persons in Kent signed petitions to the archbishop, earnestly soliciting his continuance. In one of these petitions, they address his lordship as follows:

"We know, most reverend father, that Mr. Stroud has been several times beaten and whipt with the untrue reports of slanderous tongues, and accused of crimes whereof he has most clearly acquitted himself. Most of us have heard him preach Christ truly, and rebuke sin boldly, and have seen him, hitherto apply to his calling faithfully, and live among us most peaceably so that, by his diligence and doctrine, not only has our youth been instructed, and ourselves have been confirmed in true religion and learning; but we are daily allured by his holy conversation and example, to a christian life, and the exercises of charity. And no one of us, most reverend father, hath hitherto heard

* MS. Register, p. 194–195.

from his own mouth, nor by the credible relation of others, that he has publicly in his sermons, or privately in conversation, taught unsound doctrine, or opposed the discipline, about which, alas! there is now so great a controversy. And as he hath given a faithful promise to forbear handling any questions concerning the policy of the church; so we think in our consciences, he has hitherto performed it.

"In consideration of these things; and that our country may not be deprived of so excellent a labourer in the Lord's harvest; that the enemies of God's truth, the papists, may not have cause of joy and triumph; and that the man himself may not be thus discouraged and wounded to the heart, in receiving condemnation without examination : We, therefore, most humbly beseech your grace, for the poor man's sake, for your own sake, and for the Lord's sake, either to take judicial knowledge of his cause, that he may be confronted by his adversaries; or, of your great wisdom and goodness, to restore him to his liberty of preaching the gospel among us. So we shall heartily thank God, and shall continually pray for you."

Besides the above petition, signed by many worthy persons, another was signed by twenty-four ministers and others; a third by George Ely, vicar of Tenderden, and his parishioners; a fourth by Thomas Bathurst, minister of Stapleherst, and his parishioners; a fifth by William Walter, vicar of Gouldhurst, and parishioners; a sixth by Matthias Water, minister of Frittenden, and parishioners; a seventh by Anthony Francis, minister of Lamberhurst, and parishioners; an eighth by Alexander Love, minister of Rolvenden, and parishioners; a ninth by Christopher Vinebrook, minister of Helcorne, and parishioners; a tenth by Matthew Walton, curate of Benenden, and parishioners; an eleventh by William Cocks, minister of Marden, and parishioners; a twelfth by William Vicar, minister of Tisehurst, and parishioners; and a thirteenth by William Hopkinson, minister of Salehurst, and his parishioners.+

of

So high a reputation had Mr. Stroud among persons true piety, and holy zeal for the protestant religion. All these petitions, signed by numerous persons respectable both for learning and piety, were presented to Whitgift; but whether they proved the happy means of procuring his lordship's favour, is extremely doubtful. Mr. Stroud was a man of most exemplary piety, and universally beloved,

and a most excellent and peaceable divine, but continually molested and vexed in the ecclesiastical courts.

JOHN BROWNING, D. D.-This learned divine was senior fellow of Trinity college, Cambridge, and afterwards domestic chaplain to the Earl of Bedford, but was deprived of his fellowship for his puritanical opinions. Having delivered a sermon in St. Mary's church, in which were contained certain heretical opinions, as they were called, he was convened, February 1, 1572, before the heads of colleges, and commanded to abstain from preaching, till he should be purged from his dangerous heresy. Under these circumstances, he looked upon it to be his duty to obey God, rather than men, and therefore refused to obey their command, and still continued in his beloved work of preaching; on which account he was cast into prison for contempt. Whatever were the pretended charges of his enemies, his principal crime was his nonconformity.*

Dr. Browning having remained for some time in prison, was at length released, upon giving bond of two hundred marks, and obtaining two sureties bound in forty pounds each, for his appearance to answer such charges as should be alleged against him, and to abstain from preaching till further leave should be granted. Being called before his spiritual judges, they resolved, "that if the said John Browning shall from time to time appear and answer, when and wheresoever he shall be lawfully called within the realm of England, to all such matters as shall be objected unto him, touching certain words uttered by him in two sermons, for which he hath been convened before the said vice-chancellor, until he shall be lawfully discharged; and also shall abstain from preaching, until he shall be permitted or called by the said vice-chancellor, or his deputy, or successors: And further, shall behave himself quietly and peaceably towards the queen's majesty, and all her subjects, and especially. within the university of Cambridge, that then the recognizance to be void and of no effect, or else to stand and remain in its full power and strength." The day following, Dr. Bying, the vice-chancellor, sent a statement of his crimes, with an account of the above proceedings, to Lord Burleigh the chancellor.

* Baker's MS. Collec. vol. iv. p. 55.

+ Strype's Parker, p. 390.—Whitgift, p. 46.-Annals, vol. ii. p. 189. Baker's MS. Collec. vol. iii. p. 392. Ibid. vol. iv. p. 55.

Dr. Browning himself, after his release from prison, appeared before the chancellor, subscribed a submission with his own hand, and was so far acquitted that he was sent back to the university, and the vice-chancellor and heads were urged to re-admit him to his former office and preferment. But this will best appear in Burleigh's own words, addressed to the vice-chancellor and heads, which were as follows:-"Having received from you a declaration of two errors committed by this bearer, John Browning, in his sermons, one of them containing matter of heresy, and the other tending to sedition, I have caused him to be further examined hereupon, in the presence of Sir Thomas Smith, her majesty's principal secretary; and finding as well by the relation of Mr. Secretary, as by his own confession subscribed with his hand, that he utterly abhorreth them both, and affirmeth that he hath been much mistaken in the same, I thought it best, for preserving the university's reputation, and for the reverence of the church of God, wherein he is a minister, to suppress the memory and notice of the said errors, especially that which may be drawn to an interpretation that he should be justly thought seditious and offensive. Therefore, my advice is, that you should receive him again into his place; and if he shall willingly acknowledge before you the same doctrine, and misliking of the foresaid errors, whereof I mean to send you his confession under his hand, and then he may continue quietly among you."

Though he returned to his office in the college, and to his public ministerial exercise, his troubles were not over. Having taken his doctor's degree at Oxford, two years earlier than he ought to have done, brought upon him many fresh trials. For this singular offence, which some deemed a mere trifle, and others accounted a very grievous crime, he was deprived of his fellowship, and in effect expelled from the university. This oppressive sentence was inflicted upon him in a most clandestine and illegal manner by Dr. Still, and even above four years after taking his degree at Oxford. This was done a long time after Dr. Still had signified his approbation of his taking the degree, by allowing him to deliver public lectures in the chapel, according to the statute of the university, and by allowing him to be incorporated in the same degree at Cambridge. He also confirmed to Dr. Browning his fellowship and place in the

* Baker's MS. Collec. vol. xxix. p. 368.