* *

approved through the miracles of the Holy Ghost, and men be servants only, and Christ is the head, and we all his brethren; and when we call men our heads, that we do, not because they be shorn or shaven, or because of their names, parson, vicar, bishop, pope, but only because of the word which they preach. Wherefore the Apostles following and obeying the rule, doctrine, and commandment of our Lord Jesus Christ their master, ordained in His kingdom and congregation two officers, one called after the Greek word Bishop, in English an overseer, which same was called priest (presbyter) after the Greek, Elder in English, because of his age, discretion, and sadness” (gravity). “Another officer they chose and called him deacon after the Greek, a minister in English, to minister the alms of the people to the poor and needy.”

He translated presbuteros, elder, and speaking of Timothy he says, "I durst not call him episcopas properly, for those overseers which we now call bishops after the Greek word, were always biding in one place to govern the congregation there." Ecclesia he interpreted, congregation, and says, "now is ecclesia a Greek word, and was in use before the time of the Apostles, and taken for a congregation among the heathen, where was no congregation of God or of Christ. * * Wheresoever I may say a congregation, then I may say a church also.”

Tyndale was joined by John Frith, student of Cambridge and professor at Oxford, and with great diligence continued to print Testaments, books, and tracts for distribution in England. In 1525 an association of Christian Brothers, so-called, was formed in London, by tradesmen, artisans, and clergymen, who contributed regularly of their means for the purchase and dissemination of Bibles and tracts among the people. It was a regularly organized Bible and Tract Society, with its colporteurs and preachers, after the Wycliffe pattern somewhat, with the advantage of printing. Thomas Garrett, a curate, disseminated these books at Oxford, and John Clark, professor at that university, became deeply interested. Frith suffered in 1533, Clark in 1528. Tyndale was betrayed and slain in 1536. Sir Richard Fox, Masters Maxwell and Stacey, Richard Bayfield, Thomas Bilney, and Miles Coverdale are names that appear at this time, and meetings were held

where these men read and preached. Miles Coverdale translated and printed the first complete printed English Bible, 1535.

John Lambert was a companion of Tyndale, and an eminent scholar. He contended for the authority of the Word, the equality of the clergy, and their right to preach anywhere, and he was condemned by Cromwell (as Frith had been by Cranmer), in 1538. Wolsey fell in 1529. Cranmer was made Archbishop in 1533, and Thomas Cromwell lord vicegerent in ecclesiastical matters in 1534. King Henry VIII. assumed the title of Supreme Head of the Church of England 1535, in which year he executed Cardinal Fisher, and Lord Chancellor More, for denying his supremacy. The king was now pope. The Church of England merely changed masters, but Cromwell for a time permitted the circulation. of reformed writings, perhaps for political reasons, possibly from better motives.

Francis Lambert of Avignon, and theological professor at Marburg, had said in 1524, in a treatise written by him, "The church is the congregation of those who are united by the same spirit, the same faith, the same God, the same mediator, the same word, by which alone they are governed, and in which alone they have life. The Word of God is the true key. Whoever therefore truly possesses the Word of God, has the power of the keys, all other keys, all the decrees of Councils, and Popes, and all the rules of the monks are of no value. * The church can only be taught and governed by the word of the Chief Shepherd. Let no one believe that by a bishop we understand anything more than a simple minister of the word of God. Let the faithful assemble, and choose their bishops and deacons. Each church should elect its own pastor. If a bishop causes scandal let him be deposed by the church."

This Lambert at this time dedicated a treatise to Anne Boleyn, in which he says:

"Every preacher of the truth is a true bishop. Every parish ought to have its proper bishop, chosen of the people, and confirmed of the commonalty of the church of every place. Deacons of the church are those that the faithful choose to gather and distribute to the poor. The church hath no other official members, besides those of bishops and deacons."

In 1535 the Clergy of Convocation protested "that it is

preached and taught that the church is the congregation of good men only. The church hath no official members besides bishops and deacons." Melancthon was invited to England, but did not come. A convocation was held, and in 1536, Cromwell, with the two archbishops, eleven bishops, and twenty divines and canonists, signed a declaration regarding "the functions and divine institution of Bishops and Priests," in which occurs the following very remarkable statement:

"The truth is, that in the New Testament there is no mention made of any degrees or distinctions in orders but only of deacons or ministers, and of priests or bishops."

The king being now Pope, of course persecuted the saints. "Our king," says Hooper, "has destroyed the Pope, but not popery." In 1540 he executed Cromwell for being a heretic and dispersing erroneous books among the king's subjects. Many people were persecuted for having and reading a “seditious epistle" of Melancthon, in which he says:

"Thus St. Jerome teacheth that the difference between the degree of a bishop, and another priest or pastor, was made by man's authority. For else they have like power and authority in the Scripture. The degree of a bishop and a pastor do not differ by the law of God. The church must needs retain authority to call, choose, and ordain ministers, and this authority is a gift properly given unto the Church, which no man's authority can take away from it, for in old time the common people did choose pastors and bishops."

Henry died in 1547. Three years after, under Edward VI., Hooper says, "The Church is bound to no sort of people, or any ordinary succession of bishops, cardinals, or such like, but unto the only Word of God. I call the visible church a visible congregation, unto the which I would all Christian men should associate themselves." And for such sentiments he was afterwards martyred under Bloody Mary in 1555. The Commonalty, in a petition for more frequent preachings, very significantly say, "the providence of God hath cast us into some other place, by occasion of our calling, where we have heard the word preached." Evidently referring to voluntary congregations down-come from Wycliffe. Strype says

that "Sectaries appeared now in Essex, and Kent," (John and James Brewster were Essex men, whence came Elder William Brewster in after days, and Agnes Greville was a Kentish woman) "sheltering themselves under the profession of the Gospel. These were the first that made separation from the Reformed Church of England, having gathered congregations of their own. Contributions were made for the maintenance of their congregations, and the members of that in Kent went over unto that in Essex to instruct and join with them."

By permission of the King, churches of foreign refugees were formed in England, "in which they could freely regulate all things wholly according to apostolical doctrine and practice, in which they appointed elders to assist the minister, and deacons to take charge of the poor." John A'Lasco, a Polish nobleman, converted under Zwingle, was their best preacher.

Bloody Mary became Queen, 1553. Notwithstanding all her persecutions, the "Gospellers" lived. There was a congregation at Stoke in Suffolk, and another at Bow-Churchyard. During all her reign, there was a congregation in Colchester (Essex) which was regularly ministered unto by Lawrence and others. Congregations also met at London and elsewhere. In 1554-5 a congregation of thirty, with their minister, Master Rose, were arrested and committed to prison in London. At Islington John Rough was pastor and Cuthbert Sympson deacon, in 1557, of what was called "the secret society and holy congregation of God's children." Rough was burnt in 1557, and Sympson in 1558. Rough was one of a series of pastors of a church of several hundred members which existed in London in Mary's reign In April, 1558, a congregation of forty men and women were seized at Islington and condemned to death. Craume was burnt in 1556. In his questions and answers, he says, "Bishops and priests (presbyters) were not two things, but both one office, in the beginning of Christ's religion."

Mary died in 1558, and Elizabeth became pope in her own right, and sought to repress all Congregationalism, but with

out success; although some claimed that they had more liberty under Mary even, than under her. Congregations met at Plumbers Hall in London, and in 1567 a Congregational church was formed, with Richard Fitz as minister, and Thomas Rowland deacon. They called themselves "a poor congregation whom God had separated from the Church of England." Eleven men, sixteen women constituted the original number. Fitz and Rowland died in prison. In 1570 Cartwright, professor, and 1573 Deering, lecturer, at Cambridge, held that all clergy should be of the same degree, and church officers should be only bishops or ministers, and deacons. John Brown, Chaplain of the Duchess of Suffolk, and Robert Browne, who recanted in 1586, were Separatists. The latter wrote very clearly regarding the Congregational way, so that the separatists were, from him, called "Brownists." John Penry, Henry Barrow, and John Greenwood, martyrs all, appear soon after. In 1592 a church was organized and Francis Johnson chosen Pastor, and Nicholas Lee and Christopher Bowman, Deacons, and Daniel Studley and George Kniston, Elders, and John Greenwood, Teacher. This church was surprised at one of its meetings, and forty-six persons were sent to jail. Seventeen died of prison plague. Johnson was banished and died in exile. John Smyth, a pupil of Johnson, formed a Christian Society at Gainsboro in 1602. Through the influence of Smyth, Richard Clifton identified himself with the Separatists, and Bishop Hale says the same was true of John Robinson, who was a member of the Gainsboro church, in 1604. In 1606 a second church was formed at Scrooby at the house of William Brewster. This church. had for its first pastor Richard Clifton, and for its second John Robinson. This was that church which removed to Leyden in Holland, and thence to Plymouth in New England, and of that church William Brewster was elder and Samuel Fuller deacon.

We have not named a tithe of those precious saints, of whom the world was not worthy, who received into good and honest hearts, and retained in meekness and long suffering,