Mary. From this book, the archbishop, after so many years, collected certain dangerous and seditious articles, as they are called; and required Mr. Goodman to revoke his opinions. Though he refused for some time, yet, before his release could be procured, he was obliged to subscribe the following recantation: "For as much as the extremity of the time, wherein I did write my book, brought forth alteration of religion, setting up of idolatry, banishment of good men, murdering of saints, and violation of all promises made to the godly; I was, upon consideration of present grief, moved to write many things therein, which may be, and are, offensively taken, and which also I do mislike, and wish they had not been written. And notwithstanding the book, by me so written, I do protest and confess, That good and godly women may lawfully govern whole realms and nations; and do, from the bottom of my heart, allow the queen's majesty's most lawful government, and daily pray for the long continuance of the same. Neither did I ever mean to affirm, that any person or persons, of their own authority, ought or might lawfully have punished Queen Mary with death. Nor that the people, of their own authority, may lawfully punish their magistrates, transgressing the Lord's precepts. Nor that ordinarily God is the head of the people, and giveth the sword into their hands, though they seek the accomplishment of his laws.' Wherefore, as many of these assertions as may be rightly collected out of my said book, them I do utterly renounce and revoke, as none of mine, promising never to write, teach, nor preach, any such offensive doctrine. Humbly desiring, that it may please your lordships to give me your good and favourable allowance; whereby I shall, by God's grace, endeavour to labour in furthering the true service of God, and obedience to her majesty, to the utmost of my power, during my whole life: to the satisfaction of all good men, and to the contentment of her majesty and your good lordships. "CHRISTOPHER GOODMAN."+ "This is a lame recantation," says one of our learned historians." For Goodman founds the queen's title upon her moral, and not upon her civil qualifications. Godly women," he says, "may lawfully govern. By this doctrine, where there is no virtue, there can be no claim to authority; and when their godliness is at an end, their government must Strype's Parker, p. 325, 326. + Strype's Annals, vol. i. p. 126. be so too: this is founding dominion on grace. And when the prince has so precarious a title, and the subjects are made judges of the forfeiture, peace and public order must be weakly established. The next part of the recantation is not one jot better. For by only denying that private people may execute their princes, he seems to allow that magistrates and parliaments may do it. And by saying, that God does not ordinarily put the sword into the hands of the people, what can be inferred, but that in some cases it is lawful for the people to rise against their sovereign, and reform the church and state at discretion."* How much better would the learned writer have ordered this recantation, if he had fortunately been one of the high commissioners at Lambeth! If the form of it was really faulty, surely this attaches no evil to Mr. Goodman. He only complied with the impositions of his ecclesiastical judges. In this, as in numerous other instances, we see the extreme madness of any man, or any body of men, attempting to impose their own opinions upon their fellow-creatures. When Mr. Goodman was cited before the archbishop and other commissioners, he was required to subscribe, not only the above recantation, but the following protestation of his loyalty to the queen and government: "I, Christopher Goodman, preacher of God's word in this realm of England, have protested, the day and year above written, before the reverend fathers aforesaid, and in this present writing, do unfeignedly protest and confess before all men, that I have esteemed and taken Elizabeth, by the grace of God Queen of England, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. ever since her coronation, as now, and shall during life, and her grace's government, for my only liege lady, and most lawful queen and sovereign. Whom I truly reverence in my heart, love, fear, and obey, as becometh an obedient subject, in all things lawful; and as I have at sundry times in the pulpit, willingly and of mine own accord, declared in great audience, who can and will bear me sufficient record, exhorting and persuading all men, so far forth as in me did lay, to the like obedience to her majesty. For whose preservation, and prosperous government, I have earnestly and daily prayed to God, and will, being assisted by his holy spirit, during my life. In witness whereof, I the said Christopher, * Collier's Eccl. Hist. vol. ii. p. 440. have subscribed this protestation with mine own hand, the 26th day of April, 1571, by me, "CHRISTOPHER GOODMAN."* In the year 1584, Mr. Goodman, we find, lived in his native county, where he was most probably silenced for nonconformity. During that year, Archbishop Whitgift having pressed subscription to his three articles, upon the godly ministers in those parts, Mr. Goodman wrote to the Earl of Leicester, informing him how the papists in Cheshire and elsewhere, rejoiced at the proceedings and severities of the archbishop. This the archbishop, indeed, resented and denied, and charged Mr. Goodman with perverseness, in refusing subscription, and an exact conformity to the established church.+ We have not been able to obtain any further account of this excellent divine, till the pious and learned Mr. James Usher, afterwards the famous archbishop, came to England to purchase books for the college library at Dublin, when he visited him on his death-bed. Usher was so deeply impressed with the holy conversation of this venerable divine, that, when he himself became an old man, and the Archbishop of Armagh, he often repeated the wise and grave speeches which he had heard from him. Mr. Goodman died in 1602, aged eighty-three years, and his remains were interred in St. Werburg's church, in the city of Chester. Fuller denominates him a leader of the fierce nonconformists. Wocd says, he was a most violent nonconformist, and more rigid in his opinions than his friend John Calvin, who speaks of him in his epistles. Mr. Leigh calls him a learned, good, and holy divine. Dr. Bancroft says, that he, with the rest of the Geneva accomplices, urged all estates to take up arms, and by force to reform religion themselves, rather than to suffer superstition and idolatry to remain in the land.** Mr. Thomas Merburie of Christ's college, Cambridge, in his last will and testament, dated December 1, 1571, and proved the same month, appointed "his well-beloved in Christ, his father-in-law, Mr.Christopher Goodman, preacher Strype's Annals, vol. i. p. 95, 96. + Ibid. vol. iii. p. 245, 246. Edit. 1656. Wood's Athenæ Oxon. vol i, p. 273. Leigh's Religion and Learning, p. 211. ** Bancroft's Dangerous Positions, p. 62. Edit. 1640. Mr. of God's word," one of the supervisors of his will. Goodman published the two following articles: "How Superior Powers ought to be obeyed of their Subjects, and where they may be lawfully, by God's Word, disobeyed and resisted," 1548.-" A Commentary on Amos." Wood ascribes to him, "The first Blast of the Trumpet against the Menstrous Regiment of Women," 1558: But it is well known that Mr. John Knox, the celebrated Scotch reformer, was its author: our divine only wrote the preface to that work. WILLIAM PERKINS was born at Marton in War wickshire, in the year 1558, and educated in Christ's college, Cambridge. For some time after his going to the university, he continued exceedingly profane, and ran to great lengths in prodigality. While Mr. Perkins was a young man, and a scholar at Cambridge, he was much devoted to drunkenness. As he was walking in the skirts of the town, he heard a woman say to a child that was froward and peevish," Hold your tongue, or I will give "you to drunken Perkins, yonder." Finding himself become a by-word among the people, his conscience smote him, and he became so deeply impressed, that it was the first step towards his conversion. After he was called by divine grace, and become a preacher of the gospel, he laid open the workings of sin and vanity in others, exercised a spirit of sympathy over perishing sinners, and upon their repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, led them to the enjoy ment of substantial comfort. He gave, at the same time, strong proofs of his great genius, by his deep researches into nature, and its secret springs of operation. When the Lord was pleased to convert him from the error of his ways, he immediately directed his attention to the study of divinity, and applied himself with such uncommon diligence, that in a short time, he made an almost incredible proficiency in divine knowledge. At the age of twenty-four, he was chosen fellow of his college, when he entered upon the sacred function. Having himself freely received, he freely gave to others; and in imitation of our Lord, he went and preached deliverance to captives. Feeling bowels of compassion for the poor prisoners confined in Cambridge, he prevailed upon the jailer VOL. II. * Baker's MS. Collec. vol. iii. p. 314. to collect them together in one spacious room, where he preached to them every sabbath, with great power and success. Here the prison was his parish; his love to souls, the patron presenting him to it; and his work, all the wages he received. No sooner were his pious labours made known, than multitudes flocked to hear him from all quarters. By the blessing of God upon his endeavours, he became the happy instrument of bringing many to the knowledge of salvation, and to enjoy the glorious liberty of the sons of God, not only of the prisoners, but others, who, like them, were in captivity and bondage to sin. His great fame, afterwards known in all the churches, was soon spread through the whole university; and he was chosen preacher at St. Andrew's church, where he continued a laborious and faithful minister of Christ, till called to receive his reward. Mr. Perkins being settled in this public situation, his hearers consisted of collegians, townsmen, and people from the country. This required those peculiar ministerial endowments which providence had richly bestowed upon him. In all his discourses, his style and his subject were accommodated to the capacities of the common people, while, at the same time, the pious scholars heard him with admiration. Luther used to say, "that ministers who preach the terrors of the law, but do not bring forth gospel instruction and consolation, are not wise master-builders : they pull down, but do not build up again." But Mr. Perkins's sermons were all law, and all gospel. He was a rare instance of those opposite gifts meeting in so eminent a degree in the same preacher, even the vehemence and thunder of Boanerges, to awaken sinners to a sense of their sin and danger, and to drive them from destruction; and the persuasion and comfort of Barnabas, to pour the wine and oil of gospel consolation into their wounded spirits. He used to apply the terrors of the law so directly to the consciences of his hearers, that their hearts would often sink under the convictions; and he used to pronounce the word damn with so peculiar an emphasis, that it left a doleful echo in their ears a long time after. Also his wisdom in giving advice and comfort to troubled consciences, is said to have been such, "that the afflicted in spirit, far and near, came to him, and received much comfort from his instructions."* * Fuller's Abel Redivivus, p. 431-434.-Clark's Marrow of Eccl. Hist. p. 851. |