since presented by a citizen of London to King James and the high court of parliament then sitting, I allow to be reprinted; and so to some of Saltmarsh's books, Smoak in the Temple; Groans for Liberty; Reasons for Unity; Love and Peace. In the reprinting Busher's book for general toleration, he made some material alterations, and wrote in the margins of such places in the book where some special passages were for toleration, that they should be printed in a larger letter, no doubt that the reader might better observe them."

This intolerant author also adds: "John Batchelor treads in the steps of some licensers who went before him. The man hath justified and acquitted the former licensers, Dr. Baker, Dr. Bray, Dr. Hayward, Dr. Weeks, and the rest of that race, who, in the point of licensing, were saints to him. He hath licensed such books and things, that I am confident none of them durst have done, for fear the people would have risen up and torn them in pieces; and certainly the people would never have borne with such books in the bishops' days. If any man, before the sitting of this parliament, had written or licensed such books, he would without doubt have been questioned and proceeded against by this parliament. This Batchelor is such a desperate licenser, that nothing now in that kind can stick with him, having swallowed down those wicked' Queries' upon the ordinance against heresies and blasphemies; and," says my author, "I am afraid that if the devil himself should make a book, and give it the title, ' A Plea for Liberty of Conscience, with certain Reasons against Persecution for Religion,' and bring it to Mr. Batchelor, he would license it, not only with a bare imprimatur, but set before it the commendations of a useful treatise, a sweet and excellent book, making for love and peace among brethren."

Such are the reproaches cast upon our divine, who was greatly celebrated for christian moderation, liberty of conscience, and free inquiry. He was living in 1646; but where he preached, or when he died, we have not been able

to ascertain.

JOHN GREENE had a principal hand in raising a baptist congregation in Crutched-friars, London, in the year 1639, and was chosen to the office of minister. He was by trade * Edwards's Gangræna, part iii. p. 102-105, +Crosby's Baptists, vol. iii. p. 26, 42.

a felt-maker or hat-maker, but he became a zealous and popular preacher. In the year 1641, there was published a quarto pamphlet, entitled, "The Brownists' Synagogue; or, a late Discovery of their Conventicles, Assemblies, and places of meeting; where they preach, and the manner of their praying and preaching; with a relation of the names, places, and doctrines of those which do commonly preach. The chief of which are these: Greene, the felt-maker; Marler, the button-maker; Spencer, the coachman; Rogers, the glover which sect is much increased of late within this city. A kingdom divided cannot stand." In this work, Greene and Spencer are called the two arch-separatists, and are said to be "accounted as demi-gods, who were here and every where." It shews the manner of their worship, which we extract, because it gives some idea of the spirit of the times, and proves that the voice of slander could not attribute any improper conduct to them in their public assemblies. "In the house where they meet," it is said, "there is one appointed to keep the door, for the intent to give notice, if there should be any insurrection, warning may be given them. They do not flock together, but come two or three in a company; and all being gathered together, the man appointed to teach stands in the midst of the room, and his audience gather about him. The man prayeth about the space of half an hour; and part of his prayer is, that those' which come thither to scoff and laugh, God would be pleased to turn their hearts; by which means they think to escape undiscovered. His sermon is about the space of an hour, and then doth another stand up, to make the text more plain; and at the latter end he entreats them all to go home severally, lest the next meeting they should be interrupted by those which are of the opinion of the wicked. They seem very steadfast in their opinions, and say, rather than turn, they will burn.”

During the above year came forth another pamphlet, entitled, "New Preachers, New;" in the epistle to which, the writer, addressing Mr. Greene, says, "Do not these things come from proud spirits, that he, (Mr. Spencer,) a horse-keeper, and you, a hat-maker, will take upon you to be ambassadors of God, to teach your teachers, and take upon you to be ministers of the gospel in these days of light. Consider, I pray you, that our Lord would not have had the ass, (Matt. xxi. 3,) if he had not stood in need of

Brownists' Synagogue, p. 5, 6.

him. Now the truth is, the church hath no need of such as you, an unlearned, self-conceited hat-maker. It is true, that, in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, the popish priests and friars being dismissed, there was a scarcity for the present of learned men; and so some tradesmen were permitted to leave their trades, and betake themselves to the ministry; but it was necessity that did then constrain them so to do. But thanks be to God, we have now no such necessity; and therefore this practice of you and your comrades casts an ill aspersion upon our good God, that doth furnish our church plentifully with learned men; and it doth also scandalize our church, as if we stood in need of such as you to preach the gospel. This you call preaching, or prophesying; and thus, as one of them told the lords of the parliament, that they were all preachers; for so they practise and exercise themselves as young players do in private, till they be by their brethren judged fit for the pulpit, and then up they go, and, like mountebanks, play their part.-Mr. Greene, Mr. Greene, leave off these ways: bring home such as you have caused to stray. It is such as you that vent their venom against our godly preachers, and the divine forms of prayers; yea, against all set forms of prayers all is from antichrist; but that which you preach is most divine; that comes fresh from the Spirit: the other is an old dead sacrifice, composed (I should have said killed) so long ago, that now it stinks. It is so old, that in the year 1549 it was compiled by Doctor Cranmer, Doctor Goodricke, Doctor Scip, Doctor Thirlby, Doctor Day, Doctor Holbecke, Doctor Ridley, Doctor Cox, Doctor Tailor, Doctor Haines, Doctor Redman, and Mr. Robinson, archdeacon of Leicester; but what are all these? They are not to be compared to John Greene, a hat-maker; for he thinketh what he blustereth forth upon the sudden, is far better than that which these did maturely and deliberately compose." It is not at all wonderful, that, when the church had lost its power to persecute nonconformists, those who still retained the spirit of persecution should indulge in this kind of defamation and ridicule.

However, during this year, Mr. Greene, together with several of his brethren, was complained of to the house of commons, for lay-preaching. He was convened before the house, when he was reprimanded, threatened to be severely punished, if he did not renounce the practice, and then dismissed; but whether he obeyed their orders, or still

Nalson's Collections, vol. ii. p. 265, 270.

continued to exercise his talents in preaching, we are not able to learn.

Mr. Edwards, in reproaching all who dissented from his presbyterian bigotry, observes of Mr. Greene, that he was one of the first mechanics, who, presently after the meeting of the long parliament, preached publicly in the churches in London; and that afterwards, in the year 1644, he accompanied Colonel Hemstead to Trinidad. After his return, he statedly preached in Coleman-street, once on the Lord's day, and once on a week day; where, in the year 1646, to use the words of our author, "there is so great a resort and flocking to him, that yards, rooms, and house are all so full, that he causes his neighbours' conventicles, and others, to be oftentimes very thin, and independents to preach to bare walls and empty seats, in comparison of this great rabbi.” Crosby mentions one Mr. John Green, who survived the restoration, and who endured cruel persecution with the rest of his brethren; but it does not appear whether this was the same person.t

JOHN PRICE was a zealous preacher among the independents, during the civil wars. Edwards styles him "an exchange-man, a beloved disciple of Mr. John Goodwin, and one of his prophets; who used to preach for him when he had any book to answer, or some libertine tractate to set forth." He then gives the following account of him: "This Master Price contents not himself to preach only in London, but I hear that he was lately at Bury St. Edmunds; that he there preached in a house, and maintained certain dangerous and heretical opinions; as, that men might be saved who were not elected, and that if men improve nature well, God will surely give them grace. So that it seems this exchangeman sells other wares besides independency and separation, and does with feigned words make merchandize of men's souls." This scurrilous writer adds: "Master Price was also at a meeting here in London, where some of several sects, seekers, antinomians, anabaptists, brownists, independents, met with some presbyterians, to consider how all these might live together, notwithstanding their several opinions; and he was, as all the sectaries were, for a general toleration; and they agreed together like buckle and thong, only the presbyterians were not satisfied.”

* Edwards's Gangræna, part iii. p. 248, 249. +Crosby's Baptists, vol. iii. p. 82,

In the year 1646, Mr. Price published several pamphlets on the controversies of the day. One was written in defence of independency; two others were replies, one to the City Remonstrance, the other to a Vindication of the Remonstrance. In politics he seems to have been of republican principles, ascribing the supreme power of the kingdom to the house of commons; and this is all that we know of him.*

Mr. SYMONDS was beneficed at Sandwich in Kent, during the civil wars; styled by Edwards, "a great independent, and a great sectary." If we are to give credit to this writer, he was of a high and imperious spirit, and, in his views of church discipline, remarkably rigid and severe. He relates of him what he calls "a merry story," which is as follows: While he was at Sandwich, a person came to him to be catechized; but, instead of performing the duty of his office, he sent him to a mechanic of the town to do it for him; and when he was expostulated with, and asked why he had done so, he replied, " that one goose might best teach another to eat." The author applies and improves this story by adding, so merry are our most demure independents."

The following account of Mr. Symonds we give in the words of this writer. "There is one Mr. Symonds, a great sectary," says he, "who came to London since the wars, and preached at little Alhallows, Thames-street, and at the Tower, where I have been informed, that he hath preached several strange things: as, for toleration, and liberty for all men to worship God according to their consciences, and in favour of antipadobaptism. Also preaching once at Andrew's, Undershaft, for Mr. Goodwin, he preached high strains of antinomianism: as, that Christ was a legal preacher, and lived in a dark time, and so preached the law, but afterwards the gospel came to be preached. Afterwards, preaching at Lawrence Poultney, on the day of thanksgiving for taking Sherborn castle, he spake of the great victories the saints, meaning the independents, had obtained; and yet the parliament was now making laws against these saints. As at London he hath preached thus; so since he left London, this last summer, he preached at Bath before the General strange stuff, viz. against presbytery, saying it was a limb of antichrist, pleading for liberty of conscience, and for those who ✦ Edwards's Gangræna, part iii. p. 160, 161. + Ibid. p. 108, 109.

Ibid. p. 76.