A. Nay, you care not for mine authority. Swinborn. That is not likely, Mr. Wilson, seeing you have so much disobeyed. W. And that disobedience is no likely argument to disprove my reverence of his authority. If your argument were good, few subjects would be found who reverence even the queen's authority. A. You can speak for yourself I warrant you. But what say you of your calling? The scripture mentions only the offices of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and doctors. Which of these then have you? W. The office of a doctor or teacher. A. Where do you exercise it? W. At Kildwick. A. Who called you? W. The minister and the people of that place earnestly entreated me to teach and instruct them. A. Tush! that is nothing. W. But it hath been something in time past.. A. Lo! this fellow would have ministers to be elected by consent of the people! W. My lord, the word of God is plain enough upon that point, and this you know well enough yourself. Your grace made this sufficiently manifest in refusing me to be at Skipton, unless the people would consent to receive me. A. That I did, because I would not intrude you upon them. W. Then it follows, that you think intrusion is not the right calling; and on the contrary, that the right calling is by the consent or choice of the people. A. There is no end to your talk. W. Yes, my lord, but I had the license of your own word for that place. A. That is true; but it was a donor. W. And when the donor came, I stayed. A. Yes, but you have preached there since that time. W. I have, indeed, preached there once; which, I hope, is not so great a crime, but that your grace will deal favourably with me, and thus cause me the more to revere and esteem you.* Mr. Wilson's first examination being concluded, the good man was taken away and sent to prison, where he remained *MS. Register, p. 782-784. for some time. At length, he was brought to a second examination at Bishopsthorp, when the archbishop opened the business by affirming, that Mr. Wilson had been guilty of the most wilful disobedience, and malicious contempt. His lordship used very opprobrious language, as if he had been arraigned for treason or rebellion, exulting, at the same time, in his own favourable dealing with him. Also, he declared that before Mr. Wilson should be discharged, he should confess both in open court, and publicly in the church, how greatly he had offended; to which Mr. Wilson made the following reply: W. My lord, I hope you will find it more difficult to prove me guilty of those odious crimes which you say I am guilty of, than to charge me with them. And as to your favour, when I find it, I shall acknowledge it. Hitherto I have felt nothing but extremity, bringing my ministry into open disgrace, and my person into public reproach. A. You see the stubbornness of this fellow. I purposed to have discharged him, the second day of his imprisonment, and would have done it, if he had sued for it. And though he hath now been a week in prison, the pride of his heart would not let him once sue for his liberty. W. It was neither my pride, nor my stubbornness, as you uncharitably misrepresent, and slanderously magnify against me; but my ignorance of the prisoner's duty, that I did not sue to your grace for liberty. A. We shall never make an end, if we babble with him thus. Will you yield to the conditions ?* W. My lord, I beseech you consider those conditions with impartiality, and, I hope, your grace will not urge me. My imprisonment will greatly injure my ministry, and bring reproach upon my person; but to do open penance before the people, will be worse than all. Therefore, I beseech your lordship not to reward one evil, by inflicting another which is much greater. A. These are only your imaginations. Tell us plainly: Will you subscribe the bond? W. My lord, I must take all the care in my power to preserve my ministry from the contempt of the wicked. And seeing how much harm it would be likely to do to the church of God, I cannot in any wise subscribe unto it. The conditions here referred to, and afterwards often mentioned, were, that he should confess before the archbishop, and publicly in the church where he had preached, the great offence he had committed, and enter into a bond to fulfil the same. A. See again the stubbornness of this arrogant fool! But I tell thee, thou may and shalt subscribe unto it. W. And I answer, that, by the help of God, I neither may, nor ever will, subscribe unto it. Such unmerciful and cruel dealings are too bad among professing christians. The Lord grant me patience, and I shall be satisfied. . A. I always thought what a stir we should have with him. But thou persuadest people to meetings and private conventicles. W. My lord, you now remind me of a duty which I have hitherto neglected; but by the grace of God I will remember it hereafter, and will exhort the people of God to meet together, and to edify and comfort one another with what they have learned. And this, by the help of God, I mean to do; though I hear that for so doing, one of the Lord's servants is committed a close prisoner. A. Will you then defend his doings to be lawful? W. I will defend the lawfulness of God's people meeting together, to confer upon the points of religion or the doctrines taught them out of the word of God, to sing psalms, and to pray together. I hear of no other things for which he was committed. And I am sure your grace will not deny these things to be lawful. A. But he gathered night-assemblies, contrary to law, Will you defend them also? W. Certain religious householders requested him and others to meet at night in their houses. Shall we then say that he collected night-assemblies? I do defend by the word of God, that to meet together for the above purposes, whether in the night or the day, is lawful. Yet I would have persons to satisfy the law of the realm, as much as they can with a good conscience. A. If we follow him thus, we shall never come to an end. Will you subscribe the bond? W. I have answered that already. I refuse not to do any thing that is lawful. If you can prove out of the word of God, that I may do it with a good conscience, I am ready to yield; otherwise I cannot, and I will not, subscribe. I will be bound, however, to leave your province in a fortnight. S. You had then better go out of his grace's province to make your submission. W. That is more than I say, Mr. Swinborn: but I would rather go out of his province and twenty others; 1 yea, out of the world, and this soul out of this body, than I would subscribe to that submission. A. I hear that in prison thou hast great liberty, and that thou lovest it. It is that which maketh thee so bold and stubborn, but I will remove thee thence. W. I have no cause to complain of my keeper. And as to my liberty, it is confined within the walls of the castle. I know not how you would have me handled, unless you would have me into the lower prison, where you would soon have my skin for your fees: But you can do nothing,. except it be given you from above. A. I tell thee plainly, that if thou wilt not yield, I will remove thee to Hull jail, and afterwards to other places. W. My lord, the word of God will strengthen and comfort me, more than your threatenings can hurt me or make me afraid. I care not for all your prisons. Remove me where you please. God will strengthen me against all your extremities. I will not yield so long as I live, and so long as the word of God persuades me to the contrary. A. Thou art an arrogant puritan. W. Gross errors and slanderous abuses have been cast upon the godly in all ages. Your charges against me are uncharitable and unjust. A. Thou art a rebel, an enemy to her majesty, and an underminer of the state. W. These speeches savour not of the spirit of God. I am as true a subject, and as good a friend to her majesty and the state, according to my ability, as you are. A. I tell thee, the queen said, that these puritans are greater enemies to her than the papists. W. What just cause she had so to say, all the world knoweth; and the Lord will one day judge the numerous traitorous conspiracies that have been detected. When did any, who are slanderously called puritans, give the least cause of any such suspicion? Their lives and writings testify to all the world, how far they are from such things. Therefore, they who charge them with these things, have the greater sin. A. If we suffer thee to prattle, thy tongue will never cease. Therefore, that we may make an end of it, I counsel thee to admit the conditions proposed. W. If your grace will shew me the least warrant from the word of God, I am ready to submit. Though you call my answers by what name you please, they are not deserving of your reproach. A. Will you yield to the conditions? W. My mind is so well settled already, that I can see no reason to alter it. Therefore, I cannot yield to the conditions. A. Perhaps you think it is very hard dealing to be tied to read it. Will you then yield, if we give you liberty to use your own words? W. I strive not about the manner, but the matter; and I utterly refuse to do any such thing, either in my own words or any others. A. What! surely you can say two words, even that you have preached without license. In so doing, you shall have my favour more than you think of. W. My lord, let me have your favour only according to my behaviour in a good and just cause; but the word of God will persuade more than either your threatenings or promises. So while I see the word of God favouring me in the present case, I will never yield to speak two words, nor even one word, to any such purpose. A. Choose then for yourself, whether you will be excommunicated out of my diocese, or return to prison, or yield to the conditions required. W. My lord, I hope that christian charity and brotherly dealing will not bring me into any of those extremities. A. No! but you shall observe one of them.* Mr. Wilson's second examination being thus concluded, he was immediately sent back to prison. After confinement for some time, by the appointment of the archbishop, he appeared before the commissioners at the dean's house in the city of York, his grace being absent. Upon the commencement of his third examination, a new bond was produced, in which he was required not to exercise any part of his ministry within the archbishop's province, without further license; nor, during his silence, allowed to come within Kildwick church, the place of his ordinary labours. This being read, he was addressed as follows: D. Mr. Wilson, what say you of this? W. I say it is marvellously strange dealing, that one extremity must drive out another. Excommunication from Kildwick church must drive out the public confession before required. Will you neither suffer me to preach * MS. Register, p. 784-786. |