CHAPTER IX.

THE VISITATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD STATE OF RELIGION AT THE END OF THE YEAR 1547.

SAD and deplorable was the condition of the university of Oxford when it fell into the hands of the parliament; the coleges and halls were gode to ruin, five of them perfectly deserted, and the rest in a very shattered cccditive. The poble acts had been discontinued for some years, the schools were turned into marazines for the king's army, and the chambers filled with officers and soldiers, or let out to to women: there was little or no instruction for youth, nor hardly the face of a university: poverty, desolation, and plunder, the sidefects of war, were to be seen in every corner; the biranes were empoed of the puble money, the plate meited down for the king's service, and the ellleges involved in debts which they were but able to satisfy; there were few beads of colleges or sch.ars remaining, except such as were strony prejudiced against the pantament, having employed their wits during the course of the war, in writing weesly mercuries, and satirical pamplets, in which they aspersed the proceedings of the two houses, and treated their divines as the most infamous ignorant, and hypocritical traitors; nor were their tempers in the least softened, though their lives and fortunes were in the hands of their adversaries. It was therefore thought necessary to put the education of youth into such hands as the parliament could confde in, a power being reserved for that purpose in the articles of surrender.

But before they proceeded to extremes, the two bouses, about the beginning of September 1646, appointed seven of their most divines to repair to Oxford, with authority to preach in popular any pulpits of the university for six months, in order to soften the spirits of the people *, and give them a better opinion of their cause, viz. the reverend Mr. Robert Harris, of Hanwell, Oxfordshire: Mr. Edward Reynolds, afterward bishop of Norwich: Mr. Henry Wilkinson, of Magdalen-college; Mr. Francis Cheynel, Mr. Edward Corbet, of Merton-college: Mr. Henry Cornish, of New-Inn, and Mr. Henry Largey, of Perabroke-cclege; men of reputation and character sober divines and percar preachers, though A. Wood, the Oxford historian, is pleased to say, “ Their sermons were the contempt and scorn of the university, because

Saf. Cer. p. 1:25. + Dr. Grey would Wood to support his ters of Mr. Robert

again come Ser to Dr Cal

impeach the truth of this enjogtum, and refers to Anthony invitious reflections on these men. The names and charac Harris. Dr. Reyacids. M: F. Chernel, and Mr. Carnet, will der in Mr. Neal's next volume and we would refer him "Liner's Nonconformist's Memorial, for biography. —Ex

they were too long and had too little learning; because they prayed very coldly for the king, but were very earnest for a blessing upon the councils and arms of the parliament, and did not always conclude with the Lord's prayer; because they reflected on some of the heads of the university, calling them dumb dogs, having a form of religion without the power; and, because their manner of delivery was rather theatrical than serious: nevertheless, their auditories were crowded, though none of the heads of colleges or senior scholars attended."

The ministers were very diligent in the discharge of their trust, preaching twice every Lord's day; and that they might gain the affections of the people, set up a weekly conference every Thursday, in which they proposed to solve such objections as should be raised against their new confession of faith and discipline, and to answer any other important cases in divinity: the question or case was to be propounded the week before, that it might be well considered; a moderator also was appointed to keep order, who began and concluded with a short prayer, and the whole was conducted with decency and gravity. But several of the scholars ridiculed their proceedings, and by way of contempt called their place of meeting, the scruple shop; however, it was frequented by great numbers of people, some of whom were prevailed with to renounce the Oxford oath; and others to take the solemn league and covenant. They met with some little disturbance from one Erbury, a turbulent Antinomian, and chaplain in the garrison; but upon the whole, when the ministers returned to London, they declared, the citizens shewed them a great deal of respect, although the university poured all the contempt upon them imaginable, so that they apprehended themselves to have the same lot as Saint Paul had at Athens, Acts xvii. 32. 34, "Some mocked them, others slighted them, but certain clave to them, and believed t.”

There being no prospect of reforming the university by these methods, the two houses resolved to proceed upon a visitation, which they apprehended they might undertake without the king, by virtue of the fourteenth article of their recapitulation, which says "that the chancellor, masters, and scholars, of the university, and all heads, governors, masters, fellows, and scholars, of the colleges, halls, bodies corporate, and societies, of the said university, and the public professors, readers, and orators, thereof, and all other persons belonging to the said university, shall and may, according to their statutes, charters, and customs, enjoy their ancient form of government, subordinate to the immediate autogrity and power of parliament, and that all the rights, privargen, franchises, lands, tenements, houses, rents, revenues. low, debts, goods, and chattels, &c. belonging to the sauc unity,

hall be entered by them respectively as aforesaid, free from eshghborg, Bass, tax, and all other molestations whatsoever,

edom of any thing relating to the present war. And if tomoval shall be made by the parliament of any head or other water of the moversy, that they shall enjoy their profits for moule pro pe arrendering of Oxon, and shall have con****** Cand phem far the removal of themselves and their རྒྱ॰རུ། 6: than the chệch nor excend to retard any reformavý mnadad by the Meing more, or give them any liberty to Sue the heads of colleges

(s) meriye abhor de chis epicpIcon, nor any

members, or officers, have committed any of the offences above mentioned, and the quality and condition of the offenders, that such farther proceedings may be had thereupon as the committee of lords and commons shall think fit. The visitors are farther empowered to examine and consider all such oaths as are enjoined by the statutes of the university, or any of the halls and colleges, as are not fit to be taken, and present their opinion to the committee above mentioned; provided always, that if any of the masters, scholars, fellows, &c. shall find themselves aggrieved by any sentence given by the visitors, it shall be lawful for them to appeal to the committee of lords and commons, who are authorised finally to hear and determine every such case brought before them."

Before the visitation could take place the vice-chancellor, Dr. Fell, summoned a convocation [June 1], wherein it was agreed not to submit to the parliament-visitors. A paper of reasons against the covenant, the negative oath, and the directory, drawn up chiefly by Dr. Sanderson, was also consented to, and ordered to be published to the world both in Latin and English, against the time the visitors were to come down, under the title of "Reasons of the present judgment of the university of Oxford, concerning the solemn league and covenant, the negative oath, and the ordinances concerning discipline and worship, approved by general consent in a full convocation, June 1, 1647;" an abstract of which I shall now set before the reader †.

TO THE PREFACE OF THE COVENANT [transcribed under the year 1643].

They declare, "We cannot say the rage, power, and presump tion, of the enemies of God (in the sense there intended) are creased. Nor that we have consented to any supplication r remonstrance to the purposes therein expressed. We do not think the taking the covenant to be a lawful and probable nears to preserve ourselves and our religion from ruia: ur 10 we believe it to be according to the commendable prices of these kingdoms, or the example of God's people in other minis

TO THE COVENANT IN GENER

"We are of opinion, that a covenant cuir umary contract, and not imposed. Now we can artery onset to this covenant without betraying our Teresa vila 5. not to be obliged to take any oath but its stel jy ki

of parliament; and without acknowledging in the imposers a greater power than has been challenged in former time, or can subsist with our former protestation. But if the covenant were not imposed, but only recommended, we apprehend the taking it to be inconsistent with our loyalty to the king, especially since he has by proclamation forbid it,”

Ogiretions TO THE SEVERAL ARTICLES OF THE COVENANT. To the first Article.

“We cannot swear to preserve the region of another kingdom, Sogland, whereof we have very little understanding, which, dom,Sodland, as far as we are acquainted with it, is much worse than our own in wordia disenine, and government, and in doctrine not at all boctor; whorela there are some things so far tending to superstinon and sobom, that it seems rogsonable to as that we should call kaon them to reform, rather than we should be bound to preserve