Acts and Monuments Volume 2 Part 2, Book 12 · Account 105 – Account 106
¶The Congregation in London.
The preseruation of the congregation at London.NO lesse maruellous was the preseruation of the congregation in London, which from the first beginning of Queene Mary, to the latter end thereof, continued notwithstynding whatsoeuer the malice, deuise, searching and inquisition of men, or streitnes of lawes could work to the contrary. Such was the mercifull hand of the Lord, according to his accustomed goodnes, euer working with hys people. Of this great bountifull goodnes of the Lord, many and great examples appered in the congregation whiche now I speake of. How oft, and in what great daūgers did he deliuer them?
The congregation at M. Cardens house.First at the Blacke Friers, when they should hauehave resorted to Syr Thomas Cardens house, priuy watch was layd for them, but yet through the Lordes vigilant prouidence the mischiefe was preuented, and they deliuered.
Agayne howe narrowly did they escape about Algate, where spies were layd for them,The congregation agayne deliuered. & had not Thomas Simson the Deacō espied them, and bid them disperse thēselues away, they had bene taken. For within two houres the Constable comming to the house after they were gone, demaunded of the wife what company had bene there. To whom she to excuse the matter, made aunswere agayne: saying that halfe a dosen good fellowes had bene there at breakefast, as they went a maying.
An other time also about the great conduit, they passing there through a very strayt Alley, into a Cloth workers loft, were espied, and the Sheriffes sent for but before they came, they hauing priuy knowledge thereof immediatly shifted away out of the Alley,The congregation agayne deliuered. The congregation in a shippe at Billinsgate. Iohn Auales standing alone in the Mercers Chappell staring at them.
An other like escape they made in a ship at Billinsgate belonging to a certayne good man of Ley, where in the open sight of the people they were congregated together, & yet through Gods mighty power escaped.
Betwixt Ratcliffe and Redriffe, in a ship, called Iesus Ship, twise or thrise they assembled hauing there closely,The congregation in a shippe betwixt Ratcliffe and Redriffe. after theyr accustomed maner, both Sermon, prayer & cō munion, and yet through the protection of the Lorde they returned, although not vnspied, yet vntaken.
Moreouer in a Coopers house in Pudding Lane, so neare they were to perill and daungers, that Iohn Auales comming into the house where they were,The congregation in a Couper… house in Pudding lane. talked with the good man of the house, and after he had asked a question or two, departed, God so working that either he had no knowledge of them, or no power to apprehend them.
But they neuer escaped more hardly, thē once in Thames street in the night time,The congregation in a house in Thamis streete where the house being besette with enemies, yet as the Lord would, they were deliuered by the meanes of a Mariner, who being at that present in the same cōpany, and seing no other way to auoyd, pluckt of his slops, and swam to the next boate, and so rowed the company ouer, vsing his shooes in steed of owres, & so the ieopardy was dispatched.
I hauehave heard of one who being sent to thē to take their names, and to espy theyr doinges, yet in being amongest them was conuerted and cryed them all mercy.
What should I speak of the extreame and present daū ger whiche that Godly companye was in at the taking of maister Rough theyr minister,An other notable example of Gods mercyfull prouidence. and Cutbert Simson their Deacon, had not the Lords prouidence geuen knowledge before to maister Rough in his sleepe that Cutbert should leaue behinde him at home the booke of all theyr names, which he was wont to cary about him? whereof mention is made before. pag, 2034.
In this Church or congregation were sometyme xl. sometymes an hundred, sometimes two hundred, sometymes mo, and sometymes lesse. About the latter tyme of Queene Mary, it greatly increased. From the first beginnyng, which was about the first entry of Queen Maries reigne, they had diuers ministers, first M. Scamler, then Thom. Fowle, after him M. Rough,The Ministers of this congregation. then M. Augustine Bernher, and last M. Bentham. Concerning the deliuerance of which M. Bentham (beyng now B. of Couentry and Lichfield) Gods mighty prouidence most notably is to be considered. For how is it possible by mans estimation, for the sayd M. Bentham to hauehave escaped, had not the present power of the Lord, passing all mens expectation, bene prest and redy to helpe his seruaunt in such a straite. The story and case is this.
At what tyme the vij. last burned in Smithfield,A story of Mayster Bentham. mentioned in this booke before, pag. 2039. were condemned & brought to the stake to suffer, came downe in the name of the king and Queene a proclamation, beyng twise pronounced openly to the people, first at Newgate,The Queenes proclamation, no man to pray for the Martyrs, nor to speake vntounto them. then at the stake where they should suffer, straightly charging and commanding, that no man should either pray for them, or speake to them, or once say God helpe them.
It was appointed before of the godly there standyng together, which was a great multitude, that so soone as the prisoners should be brought, they should goe to them to embrace and to comfort them, and so they did. For as the sayd Martyrs were comming toward the place in the peoples sighte, beyng brought with bils & glaues (as the custome is) the godly multitude and Congregation with a generall sway made toward the prisoners, in such maner, that the byllmē and the other officers beyng all thrust backe, could nothyng do, nor any thing come nigh.The congregation embracing the Martyrs contrary to the Proclamation. So the godly people meetyng and embracing, and kissing them, brought them in their armes (which might as easily hauehave conueied them cleane away) vntounto the place where they should suffer.
This done, and the people geuing place to the Officers, the proclamation with a loud voyce was read to the people, containyng (as is before sayd) in the K. & Queens name, that no man should pray for them, or once speake a word vntounto them. &c. Maister Bentham, the minister then of the congregation, not sparyng for that,M. Bentham Minister of the congregation. but as zeale and Christian charitie mooued hym, and seeyng the fire set to them, turnyng his eyes to the people, cried and sayd: We know they are the people of God, and therefore we cannot choose but wish well to them, and say: God strengthen thē: And so boldly he sayde: Almighty God for Christes sake strengthen them.Master Bentham speaketh and prayeth for the Martyrs without daunger. With that, all the people with a whole consent and one voice folowed and sayd: Amen, Amē. The noyse whereof was so great, and the criers thereof so many, that the Officers could not tell what to say: nor whom to accuse. And thus much concerning the congregation of the faythfull, assembling together at London in the time of Queene Mary.
The said M. Bentham an other time, as he passed thorow S. Katherines,An other deliuery of Master Bentham out of great perill. intending to walke and take the ayre abroad, was enforced by two or three men, approching vponupon him, needes to go with them to a place whether they would lead him. M. Bētham astonied at the sodeinnes of the matter, and maruelling what the thing shoulde be, required what theyr purpose was, or whether they woulde hauehave him. They aunswered, that by the occasion of a man there found drowned, the Crowners quest was called and charged to sit vponupon him, of the whiche quest he must of necessity be one. &c. He agayne, loth to medle in the matter, excused himselfe, alledging that in such kind of matters he had no skill, and lesse experience: if it would please them to let him goe, they should meete with other more meete for theyr purpose. But when with this they would not be satisfied, he alledged further, that he was a scholer of Oxford, and thereby was priuiledged from being of any inquest. The Crowner demaunded the sight of his priuiledge.Master Bentham forced agaynst his will to sit in the Crowners quest. He sayd, if he woulde geue him leaue, he would fetch it. Then sayd the Crowner: the queene must be serued without all delay, & so cōstrayned him notwithstanding to be with thē in hearing the matter.
Beyng brought to the house where the Crowner and the rest of the quest were sitting, as the maner is, a booke was offered him to sweare vponupon.Master Bentham refuseth to sweare vponupon a Popishe Primer. M. Bentham opening the booke, and seing it was a papisticall Primer, refused to sweare thereupon▪ and declared moreouer what superstition in that booke was conteined. What, sayde the Crowner? I thinke we shall hauehave here an hereticke among vsus. And vponupon that, after much reasoning amongest them, he was committed to the custody of an officer till further examination: by occasion wherof, to all mens reason, hard it had bene and ineuitable for M. Bentham to hauehave escaped, had not the Lord helped where man was not able. What folowed? Incontinent as they were thus contending and debating about matters of heresye,Meanes wrought wherby Master Benth…m escaped. sodeynly commeth the Crowner of the Admiralty, disanulling and repealing the order & calling of that inquest, for that it was (as he sayde) perteining to his office, and therefore the other Crowner and his company in that place had nothing to do: And so the first Crowner was discharged and displaced: by reasō whereof M. Bentham escaped theyr handes, hauing no more sayd vntounto him.
*English men preserued at the taking of Calice.
THe worthy workes of the Lordes mercy toward hys people be manifolde and can not be comprehended,English men at Calice preserued. so that who is he liuing in the earth almost who hath not experienced the helping hand of the Lord, at some time or other vponupon him? Amōgst many other, what a piece of gods tender prouidence was shewed of late vponupon our English brethren and country men, what time Calice was takē by the Tyrant Guise, a cruell enemy both to Gods truth and to our English nation? And yet by the gracious prouision of the Lorde, few or none at all, of so many that fauoured Christ and his Gospell, in that terryble spoyle miscaried. In the number of whome there was a godly couple, one Iohn Thorpe and his wife,Iohn Thorpe & his wyfe. which feared the Lord, and loued his trueth, who being sicke the same time, and cast out into the wild fieldes, harbourles, desolate, and despayring of all hope of life, hauing theyr young infant moreouer taken from them in the sayd fieldes, and caried awaye of the souldiors: yet the Lord so wrought, that the poore woman being almost past recouery of life, was fet and caried, the space welnigh of a mile, by straungers whome they neuer knewe, into a village, where both shee was recouered for that night, & also the next day comming toward England, they chaunced into the same Inne at the next town, where they found theyr young child sitting by the fire side.