the Lord knoweth. We here persuade ourselves of nothing but great extremity. The Lord grant us patience and strength in his truth for ever. The godly here desire your earnest prayers to the Lord for them, and heartily_salute you in the Lord, especially my brother Edmunds, the Lord's prisoner, unto whom you promised, at my being with you, to write some letter of comfort. Surely a letter from you to him would much encourage him in the ways of the Lord; and, therefore, I desire you at your convenient leisure to write somewhat as it shall please the Lord to move you. "Dr. Whitgift's book is not yet come out, but we look for it daily. Our brother Cartwright is escaped, God be praised, and departed this land since my coming up to London, and, I hope, is by this time at Heidelberg. The Lord bless him, and direct him in all things by his Holy Spirit, that he may do that which may serve for the advancement of his glory, and the profit of his church. His carnest desire is, that you and all the godly should remember him in your earnest and hearty prayers; therefore, I the more boldly and willingly now make mention of him. "The commissioners caused Beza's Confession, translated into English, to be burnt in Stationers'-hall, on Thursday the 28th of January last. The pretence was, that it was ill translated but I suppose rather because it over plainly dissolveth the popish hierarchy, which they yet maintain. From my house in Coleman-street, this 2d of February, 1574. Yours assured in the Lord, "THOMAS WILCOCKS." Many of the letters written by Mr. Wilcocks were answers to cases of conscience. He was highly celebrated for his knowledge of casuistical divinity. Multitudes who applied to him under spiritual distress, obtained, through the blessing of God, both peace and comfort. Most of his epistles were written particularly to promote family and personal religion among his numerous connexions. Our author observes, that he had seen a large folio volume of his letters in manuscript; and, from the long list now before me, it appears that many of them were addressed to persons of quality. Mr. Wilcocks was intimate with the celebrated Sir Peter Wentworth, who had the highest respect and esteem for him.* * Sir Peter Wentworth, member in several of Queen Elizabeth's parliaments, was a man of great piety, strong resolution, excellent abilities, and always zealous for the privileges of parliaments and a further reformation VOL. II. Though our divine was a decided nonconformist, he was a person of great moderation. He acknowledged the church of England to be a true church, and her ministry to be a true ministry, but greatly encumbered with the superstitions and corruptions of popery. He also occasionally attended the public service of the church, and was a divine of great learning and piety; yet, for the single sin of nonconformity, he was often prosecuted in the ecclesiastical courts, and often suspended and deprived. In the year 1581, he was convened before his superiors and suspended from his ministry; and, in 1591, he was cast into prison. He died in the year 1608, and the fifty-ninth of his age. Wood, not knowing that he was a puritan, gives a very high character of him, styling him a frequent writer and translator, a laborious preacher, a noted casuist, a grave divine, and a person greatly esteemed in his day.+ His WORKS.-1. An Exposition on the book of Canticles, or Solomon's Song, 1585.-2. An Exposition on part of Romans viii., 1587.-3. A short and sound Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon, 1589.-4. An Exposition on the whole book of Psalms, wherein is contained the division and sense of every Psalm, &c., 1591. (These four articles were collected and published, in 1624, under the care of Dr. John Burgess, who married the author's daughter. It was in one volume folio, entitled, "The Works of the Reverend Divine, Mr. Tho. Wilcocks.");-5. A Summary of short Meditations, touching certain Points of the Christian Religion, 1579.-6. A Concordance or Table, containing the principal Words and Matters which are comprehended in the New Testament, 1579.-7. An Answer to Banister the Libertine, 1581.-8. A Glass for Gamesters, or such as delight in Cards and Dice, wherein they may see not only the Vanity, but also the Vileness of those Plays, plainly discovered and overthrown by the Word of God, 1581.-9. A Form of Preparation for the Lord's Supper, 1581.-10. The Substance of the Lord's Supper shortly and soundly set forth, 1581.-11. A comfortable Letter for afflicted Consciences, written to a godly Man greatly touched that way, 1584.-12. Three large Letters for the Instruction and Comfort of such as are distressed in Conscience, 1589.-13. The Narration of a fearful Fire at Woburn in Bedfordshire, 1595.— He also published the following translations into English:-1. A Catechism, 1578, by Fountein.-2. Three Propositions, 1580, by Calvin. 3. A Treatise of the Church, wherein the_godly may discern the true Church from the Romish, 1582, by Bertrand de Loques.-4. A Discourse of the true visible Marks of the Catholic Church, 1588, by Beza.-5. Two Sermons on the Sacrament of the of the church. In the year 1592, for making a motion in the house of commons for entailing the succession, he was, by the queen's tyrannical order, committed to the Fleet, and three other members to the Tower, for the same offence.-MS. Chronology, vol. ii. p. 417. (20.) 617. (2.) * Ibid. p. 617. (4.) Wood's Athenæ Oxon. vol. i. p. 261. ‡ Ibid. Lord's Supper, 1688, by Beza.-6. Bertram the Priest concerning the Body and Blood of Christ, 1582.-7. Meditations on Psalm ci., 1699, by Phil. Morney Lord of Plessis. JOHN SMYTH, A. M.-This zealous puritan was fellow of Christ's college, Cambridge, and a great sufferer for nonconformity. He was a popular preacher; and having, in one of his sermons before the university, maintained the unlawfulness of sports on the Lord's day, he was summoned before the vice-chancellor. During his examination, he offered to prove, that the christian sabbath ought to be observed by an abstinence from all unnecessary worldly business, and spent in works of piety and charity; though it does not appear what punishment was inflicted upon him.* A divine of his name, beneficed at Mitcham in Surrey, was a member of the presbyterian church erected at Wandsworth in that county, in the year 1572; but it is not easy to ascertain whether he was the same person.+ Mr. Smyth afterwards separated from the established church, and embraced the principles of the Brownists. In the year 1592, he was one of their leaders, and cast into prison, with many of his brethren, for their nonconformity. After being confined more than eleven months, he was called before the tribunal of the high commission, when he expressed his great surprise, that in matters of religion and conscience, his spiritual judges should censure men with imprisonment and other grievances, rather than some more christian and equitable methods. In the course of his examination, one of the commissioners asking him, whether he would go to church, he answered, that he should dissemble and play the hypocrite, if he should do it to avoid trouble; for he thought it was utterly unlawful. The commissioner then said, "Come to church and obey the queen's laws, and be a dissembler, an hypocrite, or a devil, if thou wilt." Upon his refusal, he was sent back to the Marshalsea, some of his brethren to the Clink, and others to the Fleet; where they were shut up in close rooms, not being allowed the common liberty of the prison. Here they died like rotten sheep, some through extreme want, some from the rigour of their imprisonment, and others of infectious distempers. Though Mr. Smyth Strype's Annals, vol. iii. p. 341. +Fuller's Church Hist. b. ix. p. 103. Strype's Annals, vol. iv. p. 134. Ibid. p. 134-136. survived these calamities, it does not appear at what period he was released from prison. Previous to his total separation from the church of England, he spent nine months in studying the grounds of conformity and nonconformity; and held a disputation with Messrs. Dod, Hildersham, and Barbon, on the points of conformity, and the use of prescribed forms of prayer.+ He was preacher in the city of Lincoln, and afterwards beneficed at Gainsborough. In the county of Lincoln, and on the borders of Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, the principles of the Brownists gained considerable ground. Two churches were formed, over one of which Mr. Smyth was chosen pastor; and over the other Mr. Richard Clifton, who was succeeded by Mr. John Robinson. After enduring numerous hardships and incessant persecution from the high commission, they fled from the storm, and went to Holland. Mr. Sinythi and his followers settled at Amsterdam, in the year 1606, and joined themselves to the English church at that place, of which Mr. Francis Johnson was pastor, and Mr. Henry Ainsworth teacher. It was not long, however, before a very serious breach took place. The subjects of debate, which gave rise to this division, were certain opinions very similar to those afterwards espoused by Arminius. Mr. Smyth maintained the doctrines of freewill and universal redemption; opposed the predestination of particular persons to eternal life; as also the doctrine of original sin; and maintained that believers might fall from that grace which would have saved them, had they continued in it. He seems, indeed, to have entertained some very singular notions: as, the unlawfulness of reading the scriptures in public worship; that no translation of the Bible was the word of God; that singing the praises of God in verses, or set words, was without authority; that flight in time of persecution was unlawful; that the newcreature needed not the support of scripture and ordinances, but was above them; and that perfection was attainable in this life. Mr. Smyth differed also from his brethren on the subject of baptism. The Brownists, who denied the church of England to be a true church, maintained that her ministers acted without a divine commission; and, consequently, that p. 6. Life of Ainsworth, p. 36. + Cotton's Congregational Churches, p. 7. Prince's Chron. Hist. vol. i. p. 19, 20.--Moise and Parish's New Eng. every ordinance administered by them, was null and void. They were for some time, however, guilty of this inconsistency, that while they re-ordained their pastors and teachers, they did not repeat their baptism. This defect was easily discovered by Mr. Smyth; whose doubts concerning the validity of baptism, as administered in the national church, paved the way for his rejecting the baptism of infants altogether. Upon further consideration of the subject, he was led to conclude, that immersion was the true and only meaning of the word baptism; and that the ordinance should be administered to those only who appeared to believe in Jesus Christ. But the absurdity of Mr. Smyth's conduct certainly appeared in this, that, refusing to apply to the German baptists, and wanting a proper administrator, according to his views of the ordinance, he baptized himself; on which account he was stigmatized by the name of a Se-baptist. This is related as a fact by most of our historians; and one of them affirms, that he was baptized no less than three times. Crosby has, however, taken great pains to vindicate him from the charge of having baptized himself; yet it does not appear that he has been very successful.+ Mr. Smyth's principles and conduct deeply involved him in public controversy, and soon drew upon him an host of opponents, the chief of whom were Messrs. Robinson, Ainsworth, Johnson, Jessop, and Clifton. The controversy commenced soon after his settlement at Amsterdam, and was carried on with too much asperity by both parties. Many writers observe, that soon after this unhappy controversy broke out, Mr. Smyth and his followers removed from Amsterdam, and settled at Leyden; whereas it is extremely obvious, from the testimony of persons who lived in those times, and even in those places, that both he and his people continued at Amsterdam till the day of his death,§ which happened about the close of the year 1610. The year following appeared," A Declaration of the Faith of the English People remaining at Amsterdam, in Holland," being the remainder of Mr. Smyth's company: with an appendix, giving some account of his sickness and death. *Paget's Heresiography, p. 66.-Neal's Puritans, vol. ii. p. 46.-Life of Ainsworth, p. 38-42.-Clark's Lives annexed to Martyrologie, p. 56. +Crosby's Hist. of Baptists, vol. i. p. 95-98. p. 27. Life of Ainsworth, p. 42. Cotton's Congregational Churches, p. 7.-Prince's Chron. Hist. vol. i. |