....

manners and new conditions. Yea, we are more slow to hear God's word, and to frame our lives thereafter, than we were when it was first preached, and we rather go backward than forward . . . there is no vice and wickedness, but it is daily committed amongst us. Marriage love decayeth, and whoredom's love increaseth. ... eating and drinking was never so much abused; to be brief, men are not ashamed of sin, neither do they care for honesty. . . . Truly, we that be here in this country be of all others, I fear, the farthest off from salvation. (Rom. xiii 11-14.) Such is the ungraciousness of this time, that unless the Lord shorten these wicked days, iniquity will have the upper hand, and no flesh shall be saved."*

Still more to the purpose is a passage in a sermon by Lawrence Chaderton, preached in 1578. He was a fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, and one of the leading Puritans in that University. His oratory was much esteemed, and overtures were made to induce him to become the preacher of Lincoln's Inn. This he declined, but was not unfrequently at Paul's Cross, on one of which occasions he spoke as follows:

"Where are the lips of those ministers which do preserve knowledge, or those messengers of God at whose mouths his poor people should seek his law? Nay, rather where be not whole swarms of idle, ignorant, and ungodly curates and readers, who neither can nor will go before the dear flock of Christ in soundness of doctrine and integrity of life? Our lives do testify this to our faces. We and the catholics (for so they love to be called) do most justly complain of it; we with sorrow and grief of heart desiring the speedy reformation hereof, they with gladness of mind and rejoicing to have so good an occasion to discredit the truth of our religion. And surely, to speak the truth, it is our shameless conversation that terrifieth both the ignorant and wavering catholics, and the simple sort of common people, being ready to embrace any religion (as appeareth by those which have received and embraced the erroneous doctrine of H. N. and his family, falsely termed the family of love) from the true profession of the gospel." (Matt. vii. 21.)†

John Chardon, a native of Devonshire, a fellow of Exeter College, Oxford, 66 was wonderfully followed for his edifying sermons." He was a frequent preacher at the Cross, and in 1596 became Bishop of Down and Connor. In preparing for the pulpit, he did not disdain to accept assistance from the published works of his brethren, or the coincidence of manners at Exeter and Lincoln suggested the same thoughts to him which had been uttered five years before by Cooper at the latter place. The imitation, however, if such it be, is not most evident in the passage that best answers the present purpose; the date of the sermon is 1580.

"If we compare the time present with that which is past, and set the manner of men before our eyes, we shall perceive wickedness to have his ripe ness, and to reign almost everywhere without controulment. For notwithstanding that God, through his unspeakable mercy in these latter days, hath given us the use of his most holy word, whereby we should frame our lusts and affections according to his most holy will, what desire of righteousness, what love of virtue, what care of godliness, or what zeal of religion is there to be found? yea, who is not in Christianity either cold or careless? We may now plainly see greatest vice to be counted for chiefest virtue, and those men

* Sermon on Rom. xiii. 11, 14.

Sermon on Matt. vii. 21.

Wood's Athenæ, art. Chardon.

to be most commended which of all other for impiety ought most to be dispraised. For the crafty deceitful men are counted wise, the covetous are called good husbands, the prodigal are called liberal, and rich men are deemed the best men. Besides, St. Paul foresheweth that in the last days perilous times shall come, for men, saith he, shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, cursed speakers, disobedient to fathers and mothers, unthankful, unholy, unkind, and so forth; and when did men more set by themselves, when were they more covetous, when were they more proud, when more given to cursed speaking, when more disobedient to father and mother, when more unthankful, when more unholy, when more unkind? and to be short, when more given over to work wickedness, and that with all kind of greediness, than at these days? and therefore it must needs follow, the coming of Christ to judgment to be near at hand."*

Stockwood, the Tunbridge schoolmaster, preaching at Paul's Cross the same year, speaks more rudely and plainly; but the facts he vouches for do certainly shew a horrible state of society. Declamation may often deceive, but unless his testimony can be invalidated, his anecdotes cannot mislead us.

Speaking of the reigns of Edward and Elizabeth in 1578, he says:

"We were unworthy of him then, we are unworthy of her now; we contemned the word preached under him then, we are weary of it preached under her majesty now; there was much teaching under him and small following, there is more teaching under her now and a great deal less following.

"It is set down by the prophet for one of the causes of the children of Israel's being led into captivity, for that they kept not the Lord's sabbath. We, notwithstanding, on the Lord's day must have fair kept, must have bearbaiting, bull-baiting (as if it were a thing of necessity for the bears of Paris garden to be baited on a Sunday), must have bawdy interludes, silver games, dicing, carding, tabling, dancing, drinking. And what, I pray you, is the penalty of the offenders herein? forsooth, a flap with a fox's tail; as if our Saviour Christ had come for his day to set us at liberty to do what we list. And truly a lamentable thing it is to tell, but a great deal more lamentable that it is not punished. I dare boldly stand to avouch it, that there is no day in the week wherein God is so much dishonoured as on that day, when he should be best served. .. Will not a filthy play with the blast of a trumpet sooner call a thousand than an hour's tolling of the bell bring to the sermon an hundred? Nay, even here in the city, without it be at this place [Paul's Cross], and some other certain ordinary audience, where shall you find a reasonable company?" (Acts, x.)

It appears it was impossible to attend the playhouse and the preacher too. The same speaker says—

"They will alledge that they play not in the time of the sermons, albeit that is no reason why they should be suffered on the Lord's day, which is wholly to be spent in his service; yet the people that resort thither, if they will have any convenient place to hear, must be there before the time of sermons, and also all the sermon while too, which is cause sufficient to restrain them. When God visiteth your city with the sickness, that they begin once to die in any number, then by-and-by cometh forth a prohibition to forbid them; but God once ceasing his heavy hand, and staying his plague among you, then by-andby again go the bills on every post, and on this Sunday and on that Sunday you shall have such a wanton matter at such a place and such a place, and

*Serm. on Luke xxi. 25.

thither run the people thick and threefold as they say, so that you shall have your churches in most places empty, whereas the theatres of the players are as full as they can throng."

Such were the troubles of the city incumbent. The rural clergyman, however, had his share.

"I likewise humbly desire the honourable and worshipful of her majesty's high commission, and all others whom it concerneth, to rid us of idle loiterers, fiddlers and minstrels, with whom we are on the Lord's day as much troubled as you are with players; for they pipe away all our audience in many places, so pleasant a thing it is to dance after the devil. . . . . There be not many places where the word is preached besides the Lord's day, yet even that day the better part of it is horribly profaned by devilish inventions, as with lords of misrule, morrice-dancers, May games, insomuch that in some places they shame not in the time of divine service to come and dance about the church, and without to have men naked dancing in nets, which is most filthy."

When the extent of London at that time as compared to this is considered, the avidity here described with which dramatic entertaiments were sought after, and the scarcity even in London of good preachers, the balance of influence between the playhouse and pulpit may be easily struck. Eight theatres, it seems, were open every Sunday. The Theatre, the Curtain, the Globe, and five others, "receiving with the least... by playing but once a week, whereas many times they play twice and thrice, it amounteth to 2000l. a year." With such a reservoir of moral ill continually emptying itself, yet always replenished, no wonder the preacher had to rebuke "swearing amongst all degrees and states of people, from the lord to the beggar, and from the courtier to the carter, yea to the young child of three years old;" the inundation of immoral books, "the Bandies de Gall, the Amadis, I trow it, the great Palace of Pleasure, and the Little Palace of Pleasure, with a number more such books with which this churchyard swarmeth;" "the usual putting away of wives upon slight dislikings," and all the train of depravity."

In answer to all this it will be said, that pure religion may have done much for a country where all these abominations existed. Wherever multitudes congregate in large cities, there will be sinks of iniquity, the being of which appears incredible to persons living within a street of them. Vice dwells everywhere, and only changes its aspect with the age; but clergymen are often brought into contact with it by their office; and every one feels on a first discovery as if some new monster, unknown in former days, had just started into being. Be it so-but the complaints of Stockwood relate to things that forced themselves on every eye, and jarred on every virtuous ear; and though we listen for every apology that can be made for them, we can scarcely

Serm. on Acts, x., and others, at Paul's Cross. The players, it would appear, repaid such censures with interest. "We are become," says Bishop Cooper, “a stage to the most vile and abject men at all times, and in all places, in streets, in shops, at tables, at feasts, at councils" (Beal, Clerk of the Council, who would publicly mock the preachers at the Cross, is probably aimed at), "even to the very playing scaffolds, which I speak with tears, and are scoffed at by the vile and contemptible players." Cowper's Admonition, p. 5.

shake off the impression that religion had declined as they advanced in popularity. Improved views of the object of faith had given no increased fervour to the act of faith, while that general respectful feeling towards religion, which, however delusive to the individual, answers the purposes of society, and witnesses to sincere Christians that they are the salt of the earth, had passed away.

The following passages-one from a discourse by John Tomkys, preached at Shrewsbury in 1584; another from a sermon at Paul's Cross, by Bishop Curtess, in the same year; a third by Knewstub; and a fourth, by Bishop Robinson, of uncertain date-describe a people whose religion had dwindled into a civil observance, who had substituted the love of party for the love of right, the hearing of sermons for the obedience of faith, before whom the preacher stood ineffectual and powerless.

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"If we compare age with age and fault with fault, we find that ignorance and superstition were the faults of the age past, and that the blemishes of our age are carelessness as well in learning God's will in his word, as in expressing the same in our life in some, and dissimulation counterfeiting love with men and zeal to God in others. How far these men are from the right imitation of Christ, which was eaten up with the zeal of God's house, in whose mouth was found no guile, God which knoweth the secrets of the heart doth know, and their consciences whenever they are guilty do bear them witHath God lit up the candle of his word, and do we contemn the benefit of the light? hath God delivered us in these days many talents, and do we deliver him none back with increase? What, then, must we look for?" &c.*

ness.

The Bishop of Chichester forms much the same opinion of the national religion.

"Our English church, God be blessed, is clothed with the robe of Christ's profession, and truly is crowned with infinite stars, and good professors of his word, and yet it is wonder to see how cold the zeal of it is, how little hate of sin it hath. In days past, whosoever did travel and was pained to bring forth the word of God and virtue and truth, was liked and furthered of all men; bad persons were generally hated and misliked, but now it is quite the contrary. I mean not to say, nor I cannot say, that there are so many or so great malefactors as hath been in other times; but this I may say, and this I must say, that there is not the devotion towards God, nor that love of virtue, nor that hate of sin that was in time of darkness.

"A man is not liked because he doth well, nor misliked because he doth evil; but now there is an art to heap and throng a sort into one faction, and they bind themselves to speak and do all the evil they can devise by such as they mislike be they never so good, and to speak and do all the good they can for such as they like be they never so bad, yea though the badness be marked to the eye."t

Knewstub, who cannot be suspected of undervaluing preaching, has given one reason of this absence of any energetic demonstrations of religion excellently well.

"I need not greatly to speak unto the most that be here that they should leave those foolish works of good meaning, as going on pilgrimage, setting up of shrines, and such like things received among the papists. His name be

Serm. on Eph. v. 12. Tomkys.

† Serm. at Paul's Cross, on Rev. xii. 1, 9.

VOL. XXI.-Jan. 1842.

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praised, that madness is descried, and a great number of themselves begin now to blush at it. But the outward ceremonies of religion, as resorting to common prayer, hearing of sermons, or such other; these have obtained now the title of the true service of God, and shut out obedience unto the duties commanded by the word. These hold men now from the care of duties appointed by the word, as devised devotion kept them in popery from true religion; these are the good intents of gospellers at this day, and as the Lord spake of his sacrifices, commanded in his word when men were holden in those without any care of good life, He that killeth a bullock is as if he slew a man,' &c, so may it be truly said of a great number, that the Lord hateth their resorting to prayer and sermons, they are now become their own ways which they have chosen, because they are sundered from Christian conversation and amendment of life."*

Nicholas Robinson, a moderate, eloquent and pious man, spoke to much the same effect. He had been sufferer in the reign of Mary; but like his venerable patron, Archbishop Parker, dismissed all revengeful feelings when he came into power. He was Chaplain to the primate, Archdeacon of Merioneth, and ultimately Bishop of Bangor. The following fragment of a discourse, preached in some great audience in London, was printed by Strype, from Parker's papers:

"It is a pitiful case to see abroad, in country and town, (and we may see it daily if we shut not our eyes,) godly preaching heard without remorse or repentance, lawful prayers frequented without any devotion, fastings kept without affliction, holy days kept without any godliness, almsgiving without compassion, Lent openly holden without any discipline. And what fruit may be looked for upon so simple a seed sowing? He will not come to church but that the law compelleth him, he will never be partaker of the most reverend mysteries if he might otherwise avoid shame, he heareth the chapters to jeer at them afterwards, he cometh to the sermon for fashion's sake only, he makes himself minister to get a piece of a living, he sings stoutly for the stipend only. Chrysostom, eloquently lamenting the corrupt manners of his days universally throughout all estates, high and low, rich and poor, man and wife, master and servant, judgeth all at length to spring of this root, that things in the church were done & xaтà cul, as it were for fashion's sake only, as church prayer, God's word, sacraments, service, &c. And, alas! among us for fashion's sake men of worship have chaplains, peradventure to say service; for fashion's sake simple men are presented to cures, and have the name of parsons; for fashion's sake some hear the Scripture to laugh at the folly thereof; for fashion's sake merchantmen have Bibles, which they never peruse; for fashion's sake some women buy Scripture books, that they may be thought to be well disposed; yea, for fashion's sake many good laws are lightly put in execution, and so forth; and many carry death on their fingers when he is never nigh their hearts. He abhorreth superstition, because he would live as he list; he is a protestant, because of his lands; I warrant you he hateth the pope, because he is married; he must needs be a favourer of religion, because of his promotions. From all these fashions, what ill fashions in manners and life must spring we may easily conjecture. I fear me (and pray God from my heart it be not so) many deal now with God's sincere religion publicly professed (for which the Lord's name be blessed) as Dionysius the younger in his time did with philosophy, who indeed, though he maintained many philosophers at his house right well, and sometimes reasoned with them of the divinity, and conferred with them, yet in his heart he said he neither regarded nor esteemed them a haw; saving that by that means he might be thought of

* II. Lecture on Exodus. Knewstub.