Superstition begat hypocrisy the king. Hypocrisy the king begat lucre. Lucre begat purgatory. Purgatory begat the foundation of pensions, and the patrimony of the church. Pensions and patrimony begat the mammon of iniquity. Mammon begat abundance. Abundance begat fulness. Fulness begat cruelty. Cruelty begat dominion

in ruling. Dominion begat ambition. Ambition begat

simony. And simony begat the POPE, and his brethren the cardinals, with all their successors, abbots, priors, archbishops, lord-bishops, archdeacons, deans, chancellors, commissaries, officials, and proctors, with the rest of the viperous brood.

The pope begat the mystery of iniquity. The mystery. of iniquity begat divine sophistry. Divine sophistry begat rejection of the holy scriptures. Rejection of the holy scriptures begat tyranny. Tyranny begat murder of the saints. Murder begat despising of God, Despising of God begat dispensation of offences. Dispensation begat license for sin. License for sin begat abomination. Abomination begat confusion in matters of religion. Confusion brought forth travail of the spirit. Travail of the spirit brought forth matter of disputation for the truth; by which that desolator, antichrist the pope, hath been revealed, and all other antichrists shall in due time be revealed. And they are antichrists, who make laws for the church, contrary to the truth, and deprive, imprison, and banish the members of Christ, both preachers and others, refusing obedience thereunto. Most of the points in this curious genealogy, are supported by an appropriate portion of scripture. Though Mr. Toplady styles the author, "a very acrimonious puritan;" yet he adds, " that as far as matters of mere doctrine were concerned, it is in perfect harmony with the creed of the church of England."+

As Mr. Gilby was a zealous opposer of the ecclesiastical corruptions, and constantly desirous to obtain a more pure reformation, he could not escape the severe animadversion of the contrary party. For having said, "that the habits and ceremonies used in the church of England, were carnal, beggarly, antichristian elements," Dr. Nichols has treated him with much scurrility and abuse. But, surely, if the apostle might call the Jewish ceremonies carnal, when God himself had appointed them; why might not Mr. Gilby say

* Parte of a Register, p. 56, 57.

Toplady's Historic Proof, vol. ii. p. 356.

the same of the popish ceremonies, which he never appointed? If the one called Jewish ceremonies, weak and beggarly elements; why might not the other call the popish ceremonies, beggarly and antichristian pomps? The celebrated Bishop Ridley, once a zealous defender of the ceremonies, when the surplice was forced upon him, bitterly inveighed against it, calling it foolish, abominable, and not fit for a player on the stage. The excellent Bishop Jewel called the garments, relics of popery. Why then is Mr. Gilby so bitterly censured for saying, they were popish fopperies, Romish relics, rags of antichrist, and dregs of disguised popery 24 Mr. Gilby publicly declared, adds the above writer, "that if he was suffered to preach some time longer, being so conceited of his popular eloquence, he would shake the very foundations of the English church."+ Whether he was, indeed, thus conceited of his own superior eloquence, and whether he ever made any such declaration, it is not now very easy to ascertain. If Dr. Nichols had any authority for what he has asserted, he would certainly have done his own cause no injury, but have conferred a favour upon the public, by bringing it forwards. However, admitting the twofold charge, it reflects no great degree of honour upon the rulers of the church, that so eloquent, learned, pious and useful a divine, should be condemned to silence.

This worthy servant of Christ appears to have lived to a very great age, but we cannot learn the particular time of his death. The last of the letters addressed to him, that we have seen, is one from Dr. Sampson, dated March 8, 1584; when he must have been living.‡

His WORKS.-1. An Answer to the Devilish Detection of Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, 1547.-2. A Commentary on the Prophet Micah, 1551.-3. An Admonition to England and Scotland, to call them to Repentance for their Declension and Apostacy from the Truth, 1557.-4. A Viewe of Antichrist, &c. already mentioned. -5. A Godly and Zealous Letter written to Master Coverdale, M. Turner, M. Sampson, M. Doctor Humphrey, Mr. Lever, M. Crowley, and others that labour to roote out the Weedes of Poperie, 1570.—-6. A pleasant Dialogue between a Soldier of Berwick and an English Captain, wherein are largely handled and laid open such Reasons as are brought for Maintenance of Popish Traditions in our English Church.

* Peirce's Vindication, part ii. p. 8, 9. + Nichols's Defence, p. 21. Edit. 1740. Baker's MS. Collec. vol. xxxii. p. 443.

JOHN EDWIN was a man of great learning and piety, a zealous and constant preacher, and many years vicar of Wandsworth in Surrey, but was prosecuted for nonconformity. He was cited before the Bishop of Winchester; and, upon his appearance, April 30, 1584, he underwent the following examination :

Bishop. Where do you dwell?

Edwin. At Wandsworth in Surrey.
B. Where were you brought up?
E. For the most part at Wandsworth.
B. What in no school!

E. Never in any public school, only some time at Rochester. I have lived at Wandsworth forty-two years, and have been vicar of Wandsworth twenty-five years, during which time, I thank God, I have not been idle. B. Where were you made minister?

E. I was made minister when Dr. Parker was created Archbishop of Canterbury, by the Bishop of Bangor, who, by the command of the archbishop, made me minister in Bow-church, London.

B. Do you use to catechize? and how do you perform it ? E. I catechize every Lord's day before evening prayer, and in the midst of evening prayer.

B. Have you not subscribed?

E. No.

B. Why not?

E. My Lord, I perceive that you wish us to signify our allowance of the Book of Common Prayer. There is no cause why I should be called in question for this matter; for I use the book, and do not refuse it, and I speak not against it. These are manifest proofs that I allow of it.

B. Many of you who say so, will not confess what you have done, neither what you will do. Therefore you must subscribe.

E. I consider it a greater allowance to use a thing, than to subscribe unto it.

B. So you think and say it is unreasonable and unlawful to require you to subscribe.

E. Do you gather this, my lord, from what I have said ? B. No.

E. Then all is well.

B. But you must subscribe, or shew some cause why you will not.

E. My lord, if no excuse will serve, but I must subscribe,

or shew some cause why I refuse, I will shew your lordship three reasons: As, 1. There are some things in the Book of Common Prayer against the word of God, and, therefore, repugnant to the word of God.-2. My next reasonB. Nay, stop; let us talk of the first.

E. I like your order well. And to prove what I have said, I refer you to the words of the rubric, before the office of confirmation, where it is said, "That no man shall think any detriment will come to children by deferring their confirmation; he shall know for truth, that it is certain by God's word, that children being baptized have all things necessary to salvation, and be undoubtedly saved."

B. You must not take it as the words import.

E. No, my lord! Is it not your pleasure that we should subscribe to the things in the book? Or, is it your pleasure that we should subscribe to your interpretation of those things?

B. You must subscribe to the sense of what is contained in the book.

E. If we must subscribe to the sense, then must you amend your article. For your article, to which you require us to subscribe, saith, that there is nothing in the Book of Common Prayer repugnant to the word of God.

B. If you were to subscribe to the gospel, would you subscribe to the words, or the sense?

E. I would subscribe to the words-*

B. You lie.

E. My lord, I beseech you let us have good words. I say again, we must subscribe both to the words and to the sense. B. But I say nay. For where Christ saith, "I am the door," will you subscribe to the words?

E. My lord, mistake me not. I say we must subscribe to the sense and the words; and where the words are figurative, we must subscribe to the sense. But when the words and sense are the same, and without any figure, then we must subscribe to both.

B. What think you of the words of Christ, "My father is the husbandman," and, "the word was made flesh ?"

E. If you compare Gen. i. with the words going before those you have mentioned, you will see that we must subscribe to the sense of the words.

* Here, as Mr. Edwin attempted to proceed, his grace suddenly and passionately interrupted him.

B.

The word was made flesh:" I am sure you say, the Godhead of Christ was made flesh.

will not

E. No, my lord, and I am as sure you will not say, that the manhood of Christ was made flesh, without his Godhead. But, my lord, allow me to prove my assertion.

B. Tell me, what is the English of verbum?

E. I can prove out of the Greek, the Hebrew, and the Syriac, that the word verbum, as near as it can be rendered in English, signifieth a thing. Allow me to prove my

assertion.

B. I confess we must subscribe both to sense and words. E. Then in this we are agreed.

B. In the place you cited from the book, the meaning is, that those who are baptized, and therewith receive the grace of that sacrament, being of the number of the elect, are undoubtedly saved.

E. I beseech your lordship to read the words of the book, and let it be seen how you can give it that interpretation. But I wish to mention a second reason, and that is the administration of the communion to an individual person in private. How doth this agree with the word of God, and with the word communion?

B. The doctrine contained in the sacrament, belongeth to wise and learned men to determine. You had best exercise yourself in catechizing, and let this alone.

E. My lord, you must bear with me. For I think God requireth it at our hands, that we learn and teach all things revealed in his holy word.

B. In some parts of Saxony, there are various articles of religion prohibited from being taught; and we ought to be content and thankful for the liberty we enjoy.

E. I cannot, without tears, remember the marvellous benefits we enjoy by the freedom of the gospel, which I pray God may never be interrupted. I must, also, call to mind, and I do also remember, the innumerable comforts and benefits we enjoy under the government of our most gracious Queen Elizabeth, whom, I beseech God, long to continue and bless. But are these sufficient reasons for us to yield to any thing against the word of God?

B. The communion in private is a single communion. E. How can the words single and communion be made to agree?

B. I do not say they can.

E. Why then do you join them together?