The history of Maryland : from its first settlement, in 1633, to the restoration, in 1660 ; with a copious introduction, and notes and illustrations, Part 23

Author: Bozman, John Leeds, 1757-1823
Publication date: 1837
Publisher: Baltimore : J. Lucas & E.K. Deaver
Number of Pages: 1062

USA > Maryland > The history of Maryland : from its first settlement, in 1633, to the restoration, in 1660 ; with a copious introduction, and notes and illustrations > Part 23

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1527.

* Du Pin's Hist. of the Church, Cent. xvi. ch. 6. Mod. Univ. Hist. vol. 29, p. 500.

+ Du Pin's Hist. of the Church, Cent. xvi. ch. 7, 11.

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1536.

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his minor prophets to preach to the people, that it was one of the privileges granted by God to the saints, to have a pleurality of wives. To set the example, he himself married three. As he was allured by beauty or the love of variety, he gradually added to the number of his wives, until they amounted to fourteen; nor was any private man allowed to remain with one only. As it was instant death to disobey this tyrant in any thing, one of his wives having uttered certain words that implied some doubt con- cerning his divine mission, he immediately called the whole num- ber of them together, and commanding the blasphemer, as he called her, to kneel down, he cut off her head with his own hands; and so far were the rest from expressing any horror at this cruel deed, that they joined him in dancing, with a frantic joy, around the bleeding body of their companion .* It is but justice, however, to the modern Anabaptists to add, that these extravagant and fanatic notions have been long since relinquish- ed by them. t

Next in order came the grand reformer of the reformed, John Calvin. He seems to have been more remarkable for his talents as a controversial writer, than as a preacher. As the heresies of the before mentioned reformers did not find a ready access into France, of which Calvin was a native, he was forced into a kind of voluntary exile to other coun- tries, to propagate such doctrines as he might think conve- nient to propose. The glory of being the founder and head of a religious sect, is scarcely less intoxicating than that of being at the head of an empire. With a mind filled, without doubt, with this sort of ambition, he wandered to Geneva. As this city formed in itself a little independent republic, being but a few years before emancipated from the tyranny of the dukes of Savoy, and as the heresies of Luther and Zuinglius, by the preaching of William Farel, a French Protestant refugee, and other reform- ers, had gained so much ground in this city, that the Gospellers, as they were there called, had driven the catholic bishop out of the city, and seized both the ecclesiastical and temporal power into their own hands, it became the great asylum for all the French refugees, who were discontented with the established religion of their own country. Here John Calvin was per- suaded by his friend Farel to fix his abode. Calvin was to write

* Robertson's Hist. of Charles V. book 5th, Du Pin's Hist. of the Church, Cent. xvi. ch. 8 and 10, Bayle's Hist. Dict. art. Anabaptists,

¿ See note (L) at the end of this volume,

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SECT. and Farel was to preach, and thus they were jointly to defend VIII.

1536.

1541.

their possession of the temporal as well as ecclesiastical powers of the little state. They soon found cause of disagreement with their friends and allies the Bernese, who were Lutherans. They abominated the practices of these Bernese Lutherans, in making use of unleavened bread in their sacrament, and of women being married with their hair dishevelled. The inhabitants of Geneva still retained also their fondness for other holydays besides Sun- days; and their reformation in manners did not keep pace ex- actly with their reformation in doctrines. To punish these pro- pensities to sin, Calvin and his coadjutor refused to administer the sacrament to them. The citizens enraged rose in a body, and drove them both out of the city. Calvin, however, soon contrived to raise a powerful faction in his favour, and in a year or two, (1541,) he was solicited to return. He returned, indeed, with redoubled influence and power. The first thing he did was to establish a form of discipline and a consistorial jurisdic- tion, with power to exercise canonical censures and punish- ments, even to excommunication. He shut up all taverns, prohi- bited all profane dancing and singing, and put a stop to all sports.

1551.

1553.

In vain, did the more rational part of the citizens complain, that this was re-establishing the tyranny of the church of Rome. . Calvin| had the syndics on his side; and the contumacious were threatened with excommunication, if they did not submit. A member of the council, however, had the courage to impeach his doctrine as being unsound : but the magistrates, without further inquiry, committed him to prison, and condemned him to do pen- ance for his accusation, by walking through the city with a torch in his hand; probably intimating thereby, that he deserved to be burnt as a heretic. One Bolsec, a physician who had denied Cal- vin's doctrine of predestination, and said that he made God the author of sin, was first imprisoned and then banished the city, un- der the penalty of being whipped if he ever returned there again. But the most impious abuse of the secular power, in matters of religion, happened in the case of the famous Michael Reves, commonly called Servetus, a Spaniard, and one of the most learned physicians of the age. He had been imprisoned for his opinions, at Vienna; but making his escape from thence he took refuge at Geneva. It was natural for him to hope for an asylum amongst a people who had founded their liberties upon their right

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of thinking for themselves on religious subjects, and disclaiming SECTION authority in points of conscience : he was fatally deceived. On VIII. his arrival at Geneva, he was thrown into prison, and accused 1553. by Calvin of some heterodox opinions with regard to the Trinity, and other articles of faith. He was at the same time robbed by the magistrates of a gold chain, and a considerable sum of mo- ney, which never were returned to him; so that he was in great danger of perishing during his imprisonment, for want of the common necessaries of life. Being called upon to make his de- fence, he did it with so much freedom and learning, that Calvin could oppose him with nothing but the secular power, which condemned him to be burnt alive. Servetus suffered this sentence without retracting his opinion, to the indelible infamy of all those who were concerned in it. As an explanatory supplement to the sentence against Servetus, may be added that which was given in, about two years afterwards, against Philibert Bertellier, 1555. who was a native of Geneva, and register there of one of the inferior courts of justice. He was first excommunicated by Calvin's consistory, and then a criminal sentence against him by the syndics and council, was publicly given and pronounced, ac- companied with sound of trumpet: "That the said Philibert, for the horrid and detestable crimes of conspiracy against the holy in- stitution and christian reformation, and against this city, and the public good and tranquility thereof, be condemned to be bound and brought to the place of execution, there to have his head cut off, his body to be quartered, and his members to be set up in the four most eminent places round about this city, for an ex- ample to others, who shall commit such crimes." But having secretly fled out of the city, he was so fortunate as to escape the terrible punishment that awaited him. As Calvin, un- questionably, had the civil as well as the ecclesiastical power of Geneva under his direction, to him principally, may be attri- buted these dreadful persecutions. A little while before the death of this arch persecutor, two citizens were put to death for adul- tery: nor did these bloody deeds cease with his breath; his suc- cessors in his consistory, appear to have carefully copied his in- tolerant practices. A poor miserable maniac, in the succeeding century, professing himself a Jew, and perhaps, as his religion dictates, speaking contemptuously of Christ, was strangled and burnt. In short, the rack and the faggot became familiar modes

VOL. I .- 26

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SECTION of punishment, as well for heresy as for treason, with the citi- VIII. zens and syndics of this petty republic .*

Amidst all this religious uproar throughout the continent of Europe, it was not to be expected that England would remain quiet; especially as there still subsisted in that kingdom consi- derable remains of the Wickliffites, commonly called Lollards, whose principles resembled those of Luther. But Henry VIII., among the most arbitrary tyrants that ever sat upon a throne, was at first more unusually strenuous against the reformation than any other monarch in Europe. He not only used his pow- er to suppress its entrance into England, but turned author, and wrote a book against Luther and his doctrines, for which he re- ceived from Pope Leo the glorious title of Defender of the Faith, But what the fanatic zeal of the Lollards and the Lutherans could not effect, was soon produced by the youth, beauty, and charms of the accomplished Anne Boleyn. Finding that her virtue and modesty, prevented all hopes of gratifying his pas- sion for her in any other manner than by marriage, Henry formed the resolution of being divorced from his then wife, Catherine of Arragon. Some scruples, which had been before that time, suggested about the propriety of marrying a brother's wife, as Catherine had been, afforded some plausible grounds for him to go upon. But as Pope Clement, who had succeeded Leo, was entirely under the awe and influence of the emperor Charles V. who opposed the divorce, on account of the honour and inte- rests of queen Catherine, who was his aunt, Henry found more difficulty than he expected, in obtaining the formal consent of the holy pontiff to annul his marriage. His passions, always violent, not admitting of such delay, rather than wait such slow proceedings in untying the knot, he chose to cut it, by throwing off at once, all subjugation to the papal power. He caused his own clergy to try the validity of the marriage, and to annul it as unlawful, while at the same time, if not prior to it, he married Anna Boleyn. Meanwhile, the Lutheran doctrines had, as it were, stole into his dominions, and had gradually disposed his parliament and his subjects, so far to join in the reformation as to renounce all submission to the power and authority of the see of Rome. With this dispositon of the nation, Henry in some

* See Robertson's Hist. of Charles V. b. 11. Mod. Univ. Hist. vol. 37, p. 292, 300. Bayle's Hist. and Crit. Dict. artic. Calvin, Bolsec, Bertellier. And note (M) at the end of this volume.

1531. Its intro- duction into Eng- land.

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measure coincided, and connived at the introduction of the refor- SECTION mation into England. But, as the reformers on the continent VIII. had exhibited many symptoms of a republican spirit, especially 1531. in the furious insurrections of the Anabaptists in Germany, there was little probability, that so absolute a king would ever give favour or countenance to any doctrine, which lay under the im- putation of encouraging sedition. Besides, this political jea- lousy having gained much honor, as he thought, in his polemical writings against Luther, and elated with the most lofty opinion of his own erudition, he received with impatience, mixed with contempt, any contradiction to his own religious sentiments. He seemed, therefore, to play together the two factions of Protest- ants and Catholics so as to suit his own purposes. The con- sequence was, that during his reign, few innovations on the doctrines of the ancient Catholic religion were allowed by him, except the renunciation of all papal authority in England, the dissolution of the monasteries and nunneries, and some little al- teration in the mass-book .*

On the death of Henry, his crown descended to his son Ed- ward VI. who was then a minor of about nine years old. As he was incapable at that age of exercising the powers of royalty, his father had endeavoured to provide for that incapacity by ap- pointing persons to administer the affairs of the government until his arrival at age. But the relations of Edward, by his mother's side, particularly Edward Seymour, duke of Somerset, his uncle, contrived to set that appointment aside, and to have the wardship of young Edward, as well as the administration of the government, vested solely in him as lord protector. The duke was a zealous reformer, and consequently was careful that no other religious principles should be instilled into his nephew's mind, than those which he himself approved. The young king, therefore, as he grew up, manifested much zeal for the reforma- tion. As the majority of men in most countries are apt to adopt those religious opinions to which preferment and profit are an- nexed, those early inclinations of young Edward had a power- ful effect in converting the bulk of the nation to the modern heresies, especially among the courtiers, who with every pro- bability, had now fairly calculated upon a total abolition of the ancient religion. The protector, therefore, aided by the zeal of young Edward, who, it is said, exhibited an uncommon under-

* Hume's Hist. of England, chap. 29, 30, 31, 32.

1547.

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SECTION standing for so young a man, found but little difficulty in effect- VIII. ing his design of establishing a hierarchy in England, which 1547. should partake, in a moderate degree, of the doctrines of the re- formers in the rest of Europe. In these schemes he usually had recourse to the counsels of Cramner, archbishop of Canterbury, who being a man of moderation and prudence, was averse to all violent changes, and advocated the mode of bringing over the people by insensible innovations, to that system of doctrines and discipline which he deemed the most pure and perfect. It is a feature of the reformation easily traced throughout its history, that whenever it prevailed over the opposition of the civil au- thority, it raged, like a torrent, disregarding any bounds. Such reformers, to show their detestation of the numerous and bur- thensome superstitions with which the Romish church was load- ed, proscribed all rites, ceremonies, pomp, order, and exterior observances, as impediments to their spiritual contemplations, and obstructions to their immediate converse with heaven. But where it was introduced by the rulers of the government, as in England, the transition was more gradual ; much of the ancient religion was still preserved; and a reasonable degree of subordi- nation was retained in discipline, as well as some pomp, order, and ceremony in public worship. With this spirit, the English reformers proceeded ; and by the aid of acts of parliament, during the short reign of Edward, completely established that hierarchy, denominated the Church of England, nearly in the same doc- trines and form of worship in which it exists at this day.

1553.

But, unfortunately for the English reformers, the life of Ed- ward was but of short duration : he died in the year 1553, in the sixteenth year of his age. The crown descended to his sister Mary, who, notwithstanding all the earnest importunities of her brother, as well as of the reformed bishops, had still persisted in adhering to the ancient religion. Being educated by her mother, Catherine of Arragon, she had imbibed the strongest attachment to the Catholic communion, and the highest aversion to the new tenets. Naturally of a sour and obstinate temper, she was well fitted in mind to become a bigot; and her extreme ignorance rendered her utterly incapable of doubt in her own belief, or of indulgence to the opinion of others. It was not long, therefore, before she discovered her intentions of not only abolishing the newly established religion, but of persecuting its professors. The good old christian principle of " compelling men to come in, that

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the house may be filled,"* not a little recommended by Luther in SECTION Germany,t and ardently adopted and enforced by Calvin in Ge- VIII. neva, was now as zealously revived in England by Mary. She 1553. disliked the tedious mode of punishing heretics by prescribing to them oaths and declarations of belief, and depriving them in that manner of all political as well as religious liberty, as mod- ern protestants do in another quarter of the world, than either Europe, Asia, or Africa. She took the shorter method of roast- ing them alive; by which means the faithful got rid of them at once. The beneficial effects of this mode of christian compul- sion were soon perceived, in the general return of the English nation to the good old way of thinking in religious matters ; ex- cept indeed a few, who made their escape into Germany, Swit- zerland, and Geneva, and whom we shall presently see returning again from their foreign travels, much improved in their religious opinions, according to their own estimation.}

The triumph of the Catholics, and the sufferings of the re- formers in England, were not however destined to be long. The cruel reign of Mary was short, and as she died without issue, her crown descended to her sister Elizabeth, whose mother be- ing of the reformed religion, she herself adopted it with as ar- dent zeal, as Mary had that of the Catholic. In this singular series of events the English nation had to turn round again, and to try, if the heretical coat, which Mary had lately obliged them to put off, would still fit them, and once more become fashiona- ble among them. Elizabeth found little difficulty in making this reconversion of the nation. Although the Catholics had in the preceding reign, by the bigotry of Mary, obtained the reins of power completely into their own hands, and had apparently re- duced the nation back to the communion of the Catholic church, yet it seems to be clearly established by the concurrent events of the times, that a majority of the people were attached to the reformed religion. The queen proceeded cautiously and grad-

* See the parable of the great supper, Luke xiv. 23.

+ Luther allowed of persecution, as far as banishment ; but Calvin thought it lawful to put heretics to death. Tindal's Cont. of Rapin's Hist. vol. 15, p. 274. See also an account of Luther's Persecution of his friend Carlostadt ; Roscoe's Pontificate of Leo X. ch. 19.

# Leave was given to the celebrated Peter Martyr, and other reformers, who were foreigners, to quit the kingdom. Under this leave, many English, to the amount of a thousand, it is said, under pretence of being foreigners, withdrew from England, Rapin's Hist. of England, (Tindal's edit.) vol. 7, p. 117, and vol. 15, p. 276.

1558.

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SECTION ually in the alteration, and, like her predecessor, availed herself VIII. of the authority of a parliament chosen to her own mind for that 1558. purpose. By their sanction the obnoxious statutes of the former reign were repealed, and such re-enacted as were necessary to place the reformed Church of England nearly, if not precisely, in the same situation as her brother Edward had left it, and as we now see it. Prior to the session of parliament, however, and soon after her accession to the throne, she had deemed it re- quisite to discover such symptoms of her intentions, as might give encouragement to the protestants, so much depressed by the late violent persecutions. She therefore recalled all the exiles who had fled out of the kingdom, as before-mentioned, and or- dered all persons confined in prison on account of religion to be immediately discharged. As it is natural for those, who have been persecuted for their zeal in any particular object, to feel a more inveterate animosity to the usages and practices of those from whom they receive the persecution than they would other- wise have done, had their zeal been left to itself to spend its first fury, so the most zealous reformers in England, after Mary's reign, became more anxious to push the reformation to a much greater excess than it had been carried to in the reign of Ed- ward. The English exiles also, especially those who had resid- ed at Geneva, came back to England, full fraught with all the splenetic inveteracy of John Calvin, against the superstitions of the church of Rome. Added to this also, the reformation had commenced in Scotland, shortly after the accession of Eliza- beth, under the patronage of John Knox, who had just then ar- rived from Geneva, where he had passed some' years in banish- ment, and where he had imbibed from his commerce with Cal- vin the highest fanaticism of the Calvinistic sect, augmented by the native ferocity of his own character. The contagion of that spirit, which dictated the outrages committed by Knox and his followers, in that neighbouring kingdom, could not be prevented from spreading itself also into England. The English exiles, thus impressed with Calvinistic principles, were not a little dis- appointed, on their return, in finding, that the reformed Church of England, as settled by Elizabeth, still retained so much of what they denominated the abominable idolatry of the Catholics. Being regarded with general veneration on account of their zeal and past sufferings, they were emboldened to insist, that the re- formation should be established on that model which they deem-

Origin of the Puri- tans.

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ed most pure and perfect. The vestments of the priest, the sign SECTION of the cross in baptism, the use of the ring in marriage, with se- VIII. veral other rites which long usage had accustomed the people to . 1568. view with reverence, were deemed by the moderate English re- formers, inoffensive observances, which they were willing to re- tain ; but the fanatics rejected them with horror, as "badges of idolatry and the dregs of the Romish beast." Elizabeth her- self, however, so far from being willing to strip the church of the few ornaments and ceremonies which remained in it, and which at least served, in a very innocent manner, to amuse, al- lure, and engage the attention of the vulgar, was rather inclined to bring the public worship still nearer to the Romish ritual. The consequence was, that a schism took place among the re- formers in England; and the zealots, who were for carrying the reformation to the greatest extent, were, on account of their pre- tending to a superior purity of worship and discipline, denomi- nated Puritans .*

These Puritans, however, were far from being united among themselves, as to a uniformity of principles. The more sober Divisions 1580. and learned among them, inclined to that form of ecclesiastical among the policy, which is known by the name of Presbyterian : but, such Puritans. as were more thoroughly possessed with the spirit of innovation, reprobated the authority which the Presbyterian system vests in various judicatories, descending from one to another in regular subordination, as inconsistent with christian liberty. Of this latter sort of Puritans, one Robert Brown, a popular declaimer in high estimation, modelled a distinct sect, which from him took the name of Brownists .* He taught, that the Church of Eng- land was corrupt and anti-christian, its ministers not lawfully ordained, its ordinances and sacraments invalid, and therefore he prohibited his people to hold communion with it in any religious function. He maintained, that a society of christians, uniting together to worship God, constituted a church, possessed of complete jurisdiction in the conduct of its own affairs, indepen- dent of any other society, and unaccountable to any superior; that the priesthood was neither a distinct order in the church, nor conferred an indelible charter ; but that every man qualified

* Hume's Hist. ch. 40, who cites Camden, as fixing upon the year 1568, for the period when the Puritans began to make themselves considerable in Eng- land.

* He was a man, it seems, of a good education, being brought up at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Tindal's Cont. of Rapin's Hist. vol. 15, p. 278.

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SECTION to teach, might be set apart for that office by the election of the VIII. brethren, and by imposition of their hands ; in like manner, by 1592. their authority, he might be discharged from that function, and reduced to the rank of a private christian ; that every person, when admitted a member of the church, ought to make a pub- lic confession of his faith, and to give evidence of his being in a state of favour with God; and that all the affairs of a church were to be regulated by the decision of the majority of its mem- bers .* As the tenets of this new sect wore a threatening as- pect, not only to the established religion, but to the government itself, it began to be deemed necessary, that some more effectual checks than they had hitherto experienced, should be given to their progress. Some peculiar acts of sedition, blended with an extraordinary religious fanaticism, occurring about this time in the city of London, seem to have accelerated the interposition of the legislature. To this cause, among others, is attributed the statute of the 35 Eliz. ch. 1, made towards the latter end of her 1593. reign ;} by which it was enacted, "If any person, refusing to repair to the established church," (as was required by preceding statutes, viz. 1 Eliz. ch. 2, 23 Eliz. ch. 1, 29 Eliz. ch. 6,) "shall, by printing or writing, advisedly or purposely, practice, or go about to move or persuade any one to deny, withstand, and impugn her majesty's power and authority, in cases eccle- siastical, united and annexed to the imperial crown of this realm; or to that end or purpose, shall advisedly and malicious- ly, move or persuade any other person whatsoever, to forbear or abstain from coming to church, according to her majesty's laws and statutes aforesaid; or to come to, or to be present at any un- lawful assemblies, conventicles, or meetings, under colour or pretence of any exercise of religion ; or if any person, so refus- ing to repair to some established church, as aforesaid, shall, either of himself or by the persuasion of any other, willingly join, or · be present at any such conventicles, under pretence of religion, aforesaid; every such person, so offending, and being thereof lawfully convicted, shall be imprisoned, without bail or main- prise, until they shall conform, and make such open submission and declaration of their said conformity, as hereafter in this act is declared and appointed." "Every such person, so not con- forming himself, shall abjure and depart the realm; and in case of refusing to abjure, or of not departing after abjuration,

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The history of Maryland : from its first settlement, in 1633, to the restoration, in 1660 ; with a copious introduction, and notes and illustrations, Part 23

Author: Bozman, John Leeds, 1757-1823 Publication date: 1837 Publisher: Baltimore : J. Lucas & E.K. Deaver Number of Pages: 1062

Author: Bozman, John Leeds, 1757-1823
Publication date: 1837
Publisher: Baltimore : J. Lucas & E.K. Deaver
Number of Pages: 1062