The Unreasonableness of Separation, Part 1 · Section 6
Sect. 6. But the Impressions which had been made on some of our Divines abroad, did not wear off, at their Return home, in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths Reign. For they reteined a secret dislike of many things in our Church; but the Act of Vniformity being passed, and the Vse of the Liturgy strictly enjoyned; I do not find any Separation made then on the account of it; no, not by the Dissenting Brethren, that withdrew from Frankford to Geneva; Knox was forbidden to Preach here, because of some Personal Reflections on the Queen; but Whittingham, Sampson, Gilby, and others, accepted of Preferment and Imployment in the Church. The Bishops, at first, shewed kindness to them, on the account of their forward and zealous Preaching, which at that time was very needful; and therefore many of them were placed in London. Where, having gained the People by their zeal and diligence in Preaching,Dialogue between a Soldier of Barwick, and a-English Chaplain, p. 5, 6. they took occasion to let fall at first their dislike of the Ceremonies, and a desire of farther Reformation of our Liturgy; but finding that they had gained ground, they never ceased, till by inveighing against the Livery of Antichrist, as they called the Vestments and Ceremonies, they had inflamed the People to that degree, that Gilby himself insinuates, That if they had been let alone a little longer, they would have shaken the Constitution of this Church. This was the first occasion of pressing Vniformity with any rigor; and therefore some examples were thought fit to be made for the warning of others. But as kindness made them presumptuous, so this severity made them clamorous; and they sent bitter complaints to Geneva. Beza, after much importunity, undertook to give an Answer to them; which being of great consequence to our present business, I shall here give a fuller account of it. We are then to understand, that about this time, the Dissenting Party being Exasperated, by the Silencing some of their most busie Preachers, Beza Epist. 23.began to have Separate Meetings; This Beza takes notice of in his Epistle to Grindal Bishop of London; and it appears, by an Examination taken before him, 20th of Iune 1567. of certain persons, who were accused not only for absenting themselves from their Parish Churches; Part of a Register, p. 23.but for gathering together and making Assemblies, using Prayers and Preachings, and Ministring Sacraments among themselves; and hiring a Hall in London under Pretence of a Wedding, for that Purpose.
The Bishop of London first Rebuked them for their Lying Pretences, and then told them, That in this Severing themselves from the Society of other Christians, they not only Condemned them, but also the whole State of the Church Reformed in King Edward's dayes, which was well Reformed according to the word of God; yea, and many Good Men have shed their. Blood for the same, which your doings Condemn. Have ye not, saith he, the Gospel truly Preached, and the Sacraments Ministred accordingly, and good order kept, although we differ from other Churches in Ceremonies, and in indifferent things, which lie in the Princes Power to Command, for Order sake? To which one of them Answered, That as long as they might have the Word freely Preached, and the Sacraments Administred, without the preferring of Idolatrous Gear about it, they never assembled together in Houses: but their Preachers being displaced by Law for their Non-conformity, they be thought themselves what was best for them to do; and calling to mind, that there was a Congregation there in the dayes of Queen Mary, which followed the Order of Geneva, they took up that, and this Book and Order, saith he, we hold. Another Answered, That they did not refuse Communion for Preaching the Word, but because they had tied the Ceremonies of Antichrist to it; and set them up before it, so that no Man may Preach, or Minister the Sacraments without them. Things being come to this height, and Separation beginn…ng to break out, the Wiser Brethren thought not fit to proceed any farther, till they had Consulted their Oracle at Geneva. Beza being often solicited by them, with doleful Complaints of their hard usage, and the different Opinions among themselves, what they were to do, at last resolves to Answer; but first he declares, How unwilling he was to interpose in the Differences of another Church, especially when but one Party was heard; and he was afraid, this was only the way to exasperate and provoke more, rather than Cure this evil, which he thought was not otherwise to be Cured, but Precibus & Patientiâ, by Prayers and Patience. After this General Advice, Beza freely declares his own judgment, as to the Reformation of several things he thought amiss in our Church; but as to the case of the Silenced Preachers, and the Peoples Separation, he expresses his Mind in that manner, that the Dissenters at this day, would have published their Invectives against him, one upon the back of another. For (1.) As to the Silenced Ministers, he saith, That if the Pressing Subscription continued, he perswades them rather to live privately than to yield to it. For, they must either act against their Consciences, or they must quit their Imployments; for, saith he, the Third thing that may be supposed, viz. That they should exercise their Function against the Will of the Queen and the Bishops, we Tremble at the Thoughts of it, for such reasons, as may be easily understood, though we say never a word of them. What! Is Beza for Silencing, and stopping the Mouths of such a number of Faithful and able Ministers; and at such a time, when the Church was in so great Necessity of Preaching, and so many Souls like to be famished for the want of it? when St. Antholins, St. Peters, St. Bartholomews, at which Gilby saith their great Preaching then was, were like to be left destitute of such Men? Would Beza, even Beza, at such a time, as that, be for Silencing so many Preachers, i. e. for their sitting quiet, when the Law had done it; And would not he suffer them to Preach, when they ought to have done it, though against the Will of the Queen and the Bishops? It appears that Beza was not of the Mind of our Adversaries, but that he was of the contrary, it appears plainly by this, That before he Perswades the Dissenting Ministers rather to live privately than to subscribe; and that he expresses no such terrible apprehensions at their quitting their Places, as he doth at their Preaching in Opposition to the Laws. (2) As to the case of the People, his Advice was, As long as the Doctrine was sound, that they should diligently attend upon it, and receive the Sacraments devoutly, and to joyn Amendment of Life with their Prayers, that by those means they might obtain a through Reformation. So that nothing can be more express against S…paration, than what is here said by Beza: for, even as to the Ministers, he saith, Though he did not approve the Ceremonies, yet since they are not of the nature of things evil in themselves, he doth not think them of that moment, that they should leave their Functions for the sake of them; or that the People should forsake the Ordinances, rather than hear those who did Conform. Than which words, nothing can be plainer against Separation.Beza Epist. 24. p, 148. And it further appears, by Beza's Resolution of a case concerning a Schism in the French Church then in London; That he looked on it as a Sin, for any one to Separate from a Church, wherein Sound Doctrine, and a Holy Life, and the Right use of the Sacraments is kept up. And, by Separation, he saith, he means, Not meerly going from one Church to another, but the Discontinuing Communion with the Publick Assemblies, as though one were no Member of them.
Beza's Authority being so great with the Dissenting Brethren at that time, seems to have put an effectual Stop to the Course of Separation, which they were many of them, then inclined to. But, he was not alone among the Foreign Divines, who, about that time, expressed themselves against Separation from the Communion of our Church, notwithstanding the Rites and Ceremonies herein used.Gualter. Ep. ded. ad Hom. in 1 Ep. ad C… rinth. For Gualter, a Divine of good Reputation in the Helvetian Churches, takes an occasion in an Epistle to several of our Bishops to talke of the Difference then about these things; and he extremely blames the Morose humor of those, who disturbed the Church for the sake of such things, and gave an occasion thereby to endless Separations. And in an Epistle to Cox Bishop of Ely, 1572. he tells him, How much they had disswaded them from making such a stir in the Church, about Matters of no moment: and he Complains grievously of the Lies and Prejudices against our Church, which they had sent Men on purpose to possess them with, both at Geneva and other places.
Zanchy,Zanchii, Epist. l. 2. p. 391. upon great Sollicitation, wrote an earnest Letter to the Queen to remove the Ceremonies; but withal he sent another to Bishop Iewel, to perswade the Non-conformists, if the Queen could not be moved, not to leave their Churches on such accounts, which, for his part, he did not understand how any could lawfully do; as long as they had otherwise liberty to Preach the Gospel, and Administer the Sacraments, although they were forced to do something therein, which did not please them; as long as the things were of that kind, which in themselves were neither good nor evil. And the same Reason will much more hold against the Peoples S…paration.