Mr. Rigby delivered their report to the house, when the house passed the following resolutions:

1. "That the four commissioners, Dr. Duck, Dr. Worral, Dr. Sams, and Dr. Wood, proceeded unjustly and illegally in suspending Mr. Burton from his office and benefice, for not appearing upon the summons of the first process.

2. "That the breaking up Mr. Burton's house, and arresting his person without any cause shewed, and before any suit depended against him in the star-chamber, and his close imprisonment thereupon, are against the law and the liberty of the subject.

3. "That John Wragg hath offended in searching and seizing the books and papers of Mr. Burton, by colour of a general warrant dormant from the high commissioners; and that the said warrant is against law and the liberty of the subject; and that sergeant Dendy and alderman Abel have offended in breaking open the house of Mr. Burton, and ought respectively to make him reparation for the same.

4. "That Mr. Burton ought to have reparation and recompence for the damages sustained by the aforesaid proceedings of Dr. Duck and others, who suspended him from his office and benefice.

5. "That the warrant from the council-board, dated at Whitehall, February 2, 1637, for committing Mr. Burton close prisoner, and the commitment thereupon, is illegal, and contrary to the liberty of the subject.

6. "That the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London, the Earl of Arundal and Surrey, the Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery, Sir H. Vane, Sir J. Coke, and Sir Francis Windebank, do make reparations to Mr. Burton for his damages sustained by this imprisonment."

The 24th of the same month, Mr. Burton's case being again brought before the house, it was further resolved:

1. "That the sentence in the star-chamber against Mr. Burton is illegal, and without any just ground, and ought to be reversed, and he ought to be freed from the fine of £5000, and the imprisonment imposed upon him by the said sentence, and to be restored to his degrees in the university, orders in the ministry, and to his ecclesiastical benefice in Friday-street, London.

2. "That the order of the council-board for transferring Mr. Burton from the castle of Lancaster to the isle of Guernsey, and his imprisonment there, are against law and the liberty of the subject.

3. "That the said Mr. Burton ought to have reparation

and recompence for the damages sustained by the said imprisonment, loss of his ears, and other evils sustained by the said unjust and illegal proceedings."*

On the 20th of April, the house of commons voted Mr. Burton to receive six thousand pounds for his damages. sustained, but the confusions of the times prevented the payment of the money. And by an order of the house, dated June 8, 1641, he was restored to his former ministry and benefice in Friday-street.+ Mr. Prynne and Dr. Bastwick also presented their petitions to the house, when their cases were taken into consideration, and the house passed similar resolutions in their favour.

On Mr. Burton's restoration, he formed a church after the model of the independents; and he appears to have greatly prospered in his public ministry. Wood represents him as severe in the exercise of church discipline; that he would admit none to the Lord's supper besides members of his own church, or any to baptism besides the children of such; that he challenged a power of examination into the lives and conversation of members, casting out whom he pleased, and not admitting them till they gave satisfaction to the church; and that he would not administer the Lord's supper at Easter.§ But this author further observes, that towards the close of his life, he became more moderate; and he lived till after the beheading of his old master, King Charles I. Herein,

* Prynne's Prelates' Tyranny, p. 139-141.-Rushworth's Collect. vol.v. p. 207, 213.-Nalson's Collec. vol. i. p. 787, 794.

+ Prynne's Prelates' Tyranny, p. 145.

Mr. Prynne was afterwards chosen member of the long parliament. He was a man of a courageous spirit, and boldly stepped forwards to correct every enormity in church and state. He was, perhaps, one of the hardest students that ever existed. He was called one of the greatest paper-worms that ever crept into a library. Wood supposes that he wrote a sheet for every day of his life, computing from the time of his arrival to man's estate to the day of his death. He says, "his custom was, when "he studied, to put on a long quilted cap, which came an inch over his 66 eyes, serving as an umbrella to defend them from too much light; and "seldom eating a dinner, would every three hours, or more, be mounching a roll of bread, and now and then refresh his exhausted spirits with ale." This voluminous writer was author of about two hundred books, which he gave, in forty volumes folio and quarto, to the public library of Lincoln'sinn. On the restoration of Charles II., some one asked the king what must be done with Prynne, to make him quiet. "Why," said his majesty," let him amuse himself with writing against the catholics, and in "poring over the records of the Tower." To enable him to do the latter, Charles made him keeper of the records of the Tower, with a salary of five hundred pounds a year. He died October 24, 1669.-Wood's Athena Oxon. vol. ii. p. 311-327.

66

§ Ibid. p. 460.

however, he is mistaken; for Mr. Burton was buried January 7, 1647, aged sixty-eight years.*

The memory of this zealous and faithful servant of Christ has suffered the reproach and contempt of most of our bigotted historians; but, from the foregoing narrative, his manifold and painful sufferings stand as a monument of disgrace to the government under which he lived, and especially as a lasting reproach to Archbishop Laud. Some, indeed, have not been ashamed to assert, that his heavy sentence, with that of his fellow-sufferers, was just and necessary. But, says Granger, "The punishment of these men, who were of the three great professions, was ignominious and severe. The indignity and severity of their punishment gave general offence; and they were no longer regarded as criminals, but confessors."§

His WORKS, in addition to those already mentioned. — 1. A Censure of Simony, 1624.-2. Israel's Fast, or Meditations on the seventh Chap. of Joshua, 1628.-3. Truth's Triumph over Trent, or the great Gulph between Sion and Babylon; that is, the irreconcileable Opposition between the Apostolic Church of Christ and the Apostate Synagogue of Antichrist, in the main and fundamental Doctrine of Justification, 1629.-4. The Law and the Gospel reconciled against the Antinomians, 1631.-5. The Christian's Bulwark, or the Doctrine of Justification, 1632.-6. Exceptions against Dr. Jackson's Treatise of the Divine Essence and Attributes, 163..7. Jesu Worship Confuted: or, certain Arguments against Bowing at the Name of Jesus, proving it to be Idolatrous and Superstitious, and so utterly unlawful: With Objections to the contrary fully Answered, 1641.-8. The Sounding of the two last Trumpets: or, Meditations on the ninth, tenth, and eleventh Chapters of Revelation, 1641.9. The Protestation Protested; or, a short Remonstrance shewing what is principally required of all those who take the last Parliamentary Protestation, 1641.—10. England's Bondage and Hopes of Deliverance, a Sermon preached before the Parliament, 1641.-11. A Narration of his own Life, 1643.-12. A Vindication of Independent Churches, in Answer to Mr. Prynne, 1644.-13. Parliament's Power for Laws in Religion, 1645.—14. Truth Vindicated against Calumny, in a brief Answer to Dr. Bastwick's two books, entitled, Independency not God's Ordinance,' 1645.— 15. Truth shut out of Doors; or, a brief Narrative of the Occasion and Manner of Proceeding of Aldermanbury parish in shutting their Church-door against him, 1645.-16. Truth still Truth, though shut out of Doors, 1646.-17. Conformity's Deformity, in a Dialogue between Conformity and Conscience, 1646.-18. Relation of Mr. Chillingworth.

6

* Peck's Desiderata Curiosa, vol. ii. b. xiv. p. 22. ›

+ The portraits of Archbishop Laud and Mr. Burton, both whole lengths, were published in one print. The prelate is represented as vomiting up his own works, and Mr. Burton holding his head. The print is extremely scarce and curious.-Granger's Biog. Hist. vol. ii. p. 152.

Vernon's Life of Heylin, p. 91. Edit. 1682.

Granger's Biog. Hist. vol. ii. p. 192, 193.

HENRY WILKINSON, B. D.-This worthy divine was born in the vicarage of Halifax, Yorkshire, October 9, 1566, and educated in Merton college, Oxford. He was a near relation to Sir Henry Savile, by whose favour he was elected probationer fellow of the college; and in the year 1601, he became pastor of Waddesdon in Buckinghamshire, where he continued in the laborious and faithful exercise of his ministry forty-six years. He married the only daughter of Mr. Arthur Wake, another zealous puritan divine, by whom he had six sons and three daughters. She was a person of most amiable character, and they lived together in mutual affection upwards of fifty years. He was a man of considerable learning and piety, and being an old puritan, says Wood,* was elected one of the assembly of divines. But it is said that he spent most of his time among his parishioners, by whom he was exceedingly beloved and revered.

Mr. Wilkinson was author of "A Catechisme for the use of the Congregation of Waddesdon," oftentimes printed. Also "The Debt-book; or, a Treatise upon Rom. xiii. 8. wherein is handled the civil debt of money or goods," 1625; and several other articles. The celebrated Dr. Henry Wilkinson, Margaret professor at Oxford, and ejected at the restoration, was his son.t Mr. Neal very much confounds the one with the other. Mr. Wilkinson died at Waddesdon, March 19, 1647, aged eighty-one years. His mortal remains were laid in the chancel of his own church, where, against the south wall, was a monumental inscription erected, of which the following is a translation :§

HENRY WILKINSON,

forty-six years the faithful pastor of this church,
was born the ninth day of October, 1566,
and died the nineteenth day of March, 1647.
He married SARAH

the only daughter of ARTHUR WAKE
of Sawey Forest in the county of Northampton,
with whom he lived in holy concord fifty-three years,
and by whom he had nine children,

six sons and three daughters.

The remains of the aforesaid SARAH WILKINSON,
who lived to the age of seventy years,
were laid by the side of her husband,
leaving us an example

of a most upright and holy life,

* Wood's Athenæ Oxon. vol. ii. p. 59. + Palmer's Noncon. Mem. vol. i. p. 241. Neal's Puritans, vol. iii. p. 54.

§ Ward's Gresham Professors, p. 213, 214.

and a reputation scarcely to be exceeded.
JOHN WILKINSON, son of the above,
who died December 18, 1664,
aged sixty-one years,
was also interred
near them.

THOMAS COLEMAN, A. M.-This learned and pious divine was born in the city of Oxford, in the year 1598, and educated in Magdalen college, in that university. Having -entered upon the ministerial work, he became vicar of Bliton in Lincolnshire; but he was persecuted, and afterwards driven from the place for nonconformity. On the com

mencement of the civil wars, he fled for refuge to London, was made rector of St. Peter's, Cornhill, and chosen one of the assembly of divines. He frequently preached before the parliament; and, October 15, 1643, when both houses took the covenant, he preached before the lords, giving some explanation of it. He observed on this occasion," that by prelacy, as used in the covenant, was not meant all episcopacy, but only the form therein described."* In 1644, he was appointed one of the committee of examination and approbation of public preachers. The year following, in the grand debate of the assembly, concerning the divine right of the presbyterian made of church government, he gave opinion against it; and openly declared, both in the assembly and from the pulpit, that if the divine right of presbyterianism should ever be established by public authority, he was apprehensive it would prove equally arbitrary and tyrannical as the prelacy had been. He therefore proposed that, under present circumstances, the civil magistrate should have the power of the keys till the nation should be brought into a more settled state.t

his

Mr. Coleman was of erastian principles respecting church government; but he fell sick during the above debate; and some of the members waiting upon him, he desired they would not come to any conclusion till they had heard what he had further to offer upon the question. But his complaint increasing, he died in a few days, and the whole assembly paid the last tribute of respect to his memory by attending his funeral solemnities, March 30, 1647. Wood says, " he was so accomplished an Hebrean, that he was commonly denominated Rabbi Coleman," and adds, " that he behaved * Sylvester's Life of Baxter, part i. p. 49.

+ Neal's Puritans, vol. iii. p. 261.