dragged them from town to town; but, night coming on, they put up at an inn, where the prisoners were confined in a room not fit for entertainment, and so tied up all night that they could enjoy no rest. Also the soldiers sat near them, cursing and swearing, drinking and singing through the night, by which they made the place a kind of hell to these devout and pious souls. When the morning arrived, they were carried to Louth, committed to the house of correction, and afterwards convened before a committee; when, instead of being charged with any crimes, their persecutors sought, by ensnaring questions, to pick up some accusation against them; then tendered oaths to them, and inquired whether they would conform to the established worship of the church of England. In the conclusion, Mr. Grantham, Mr. John Gree, and Mr. John Green, were, by strict command, sent to jail, where they remained half a year. During this period were the assizes, at which time their unfeeling persecutors prevented them from being heard; and afterwards, when they were brought before the justices at the quarter sessions, the bench refused to own them, or proceed to hear their cause. Upon which the sheriff said, that, as he had shewed them in open court, he was released from his charge, and so they were all set at liberty.

Notwithstanding Mr. Grantham's release, his troubles were not over. Soon after the above, his enemies attempted to ruin him, by bringing an action against him of one hundred pounds, upon a pretence that he, with force of arms, did beat and uncivilly use the wife of a certain person, only because he had baptized her. But, to the shame and reproach of his prosecutors, the cause at next assizes was cast out of court as a malicious prosecution. Great, indeed, was the opposition of the bishop and clergy against the baptists in Lincolnshire. They were exposed to public contempt; on which account they invited one Mr. Robert Wright, who had renounced their sentiments, to a friendly conterence. Though the bishop was greatly moved by this bold adventure of the baptists, only an angry paper was sent them, drawn up by Mr. William Silverton, the bishop's chaplain, who stigmatized them "erroneous, antick baptists." To this paper Mr. Grantham replied, promising Mr. Silverton either to hear and discuss his arguments in a free audience, if he would fix a convenient time and place; or reply to him, if he would defend his sentiments from the press. But Mr. Silverton thought

proper to decline the proposal; and here the affair

ended..

Upon his majesty's declaration of indulgence, in 1671, granting liberty to the dissenters to meet and worship God according to the light of their consciences, without restraint or disturbance, provided their teachers were licensed, their doors set open, and they refrained from all sedition; Mr. Grantham and another person were appointed by the baptists in Lincolnshire to wait upon the king with their humble address to his majesty. In this address, after offering praise to Almighty God, with thanks to his majesty for his late indulgence, they set forth wherein they thought his royal declaration infringed upon that liberty which they deemed the birthright of all christians: they beseeched him to leave them to the light of scripture, in all the exercises of christian worship; and they signified that they should continue in this practice till they should obtain his permission, assuring his majesty that no less liberty than the scriptures expressed would satisfy the church of God. They then concluded with thanks to his majesty for all his lenity; praying that God would magnify his grace in his princely soul, that, while he reigned here on earth, he might excel in all true honour; and, after this life, enjoy a crown of immortality, and a throne of glory in the kingdom of heaven.

It does not appear what effect this bold address produced upon the mind of the king. Mr. Grantham and his brethren had many enemies, who endeavoured to oppress them to the uttermost. He therefore wrote a vindication of them, in a piece that was never published, entitled, "The Baptists' Complaint against the Persecuting Priests;' in the introduction to which he thus expressed himself: "Although we acknowledge ourselves sundry ways obliged to honour many of the learned of the church of England; yet, seeing some of them are so evidently of a persecuting spirit as that they daily seek our utter ruin, both by persecuting us themselves, and by stirring up those that are in authority to trouble us, by imprisonment and seizure of our goods, we are therefore constrained to exhibit this our just complaint; and the rather, because we have faithfully endeavoured to obtain peace and brotherly concord with them, both by our friendly deportment and by proposing, in a more public manner, such things in our Friendly

* Crosby's Baptists, vol. ii. p. 241-244

6

Epistle to the Bishops and Ministers of the Church of England,' as also in our Apology for the baptized Believers,' as do, we trust, sufficiently evidence that there is nothing more dear to us than truth, and peace with all that call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

He further observes, in the name of himself and his brethren: "We have borne the unkind usage of many of our countrymen, and of persecuting priests in particular, for more than thirty years. For, in the time of Cromwell's usurpation, they did then hale us before the judgementseats, because we could not worship God after the will of their lord protector; for so they styled him in their articles against us. We had then our goods taken away, and never restored to this day." In the enumeration of their multiplied sufferings, he says, "We have sustained the imprisonment of not less than one hundred persons. We have borne the trial of no less than three hundred levies, of sixty, forty, twenty, or ten pounds. Indictments at the assizes and sessions, for two-pence per week and twenty pounds per month, we have had not less than a thousand. Presentments and excommunications in the commissary courts we have had some hundreds, with many other vexations not here inserted."

Mr. Grantham, who bore his share in these oppressions, greatly encouraged and comforted his brethren under all their sufferings. He seems to have been an eminent person in his day, but it does not appear when he died. In addition to the article already mentioned, he was author of "Christianismus Primitivus;" also, "Sigh for Peace; or, the Cause of Division discovered ;" and "The Pædobaptists Apology for the baptized Churches."* He is classed among the principal advocates for the practice of laying on of hands upon persons newly baptized; and he united with his brethren in publishing a treatise in defence of it, entitled, "A Search for Schism."+

THOMAS LAMB was a native of Colchester; and, during the reign of Charles I., a zealous and popular preacher among the baptists. At the instigation of Archbishop Laud, he was brought from Colchester to London, and prosecuted for nonconformity to the established church, and for preaching to a separate congregation. Being brought + Ibid. vol. iv. p. 292.

* Crosby's Baptists, vol. iii. p. 75–90.

before the star-chamber, he was commanded to confess that he had administered the Lord's supper; which, if he had done, he would have been banished from his country: but, without giving a positive answer, he pleaded that a subject of England was under no obligation to bear witness against himself. He was, therefore, sent to prison, where he remained a long time. During his confinement, his wife often went to the star-chamber, and, in behalf of herself and eight children, earnestly solicited the archbishop to procure the liberty of her husband, which it was in his power to do; but the relentless prelate, instead of listening to her tender supplications, called to the people about him to take away that "troublesome woman!" Mr. Lamb was often in bonds for his nonconformity, and was confined in almost all the jails in and about London; always returning to his delightful work of preaching as soon as he had regained his liberty. He was of so courageous a resolution as often to say, "That the man was not fit to preach who would not preach for God's sake, though he were sure to die for it as soon as he had done.'

A minister of the same name was made vicar of South Benfleet in Essex, July 23, 1641; but it does not appear how long he held the benefice, nor whether he was the same person.+ Not long after this period, Mr. Lamb was chosen pastor of a baptist church in Bell-alley, Colemanstreet, London, but did not confine his labours wholly to his own particular charge. He visited various parts of the kingdom to confirm and strengthen the brethren, and plant churches agreeably to his own sentiments. However, in the year 1645, he was brought into fresh troubles; for, upon the publication of the ordinance of parliament against unordained preachers, in that year, the lord mayor sent his officers to the baptist meeting in Coleman-street, upon an information that certain laymen preached there. On their arrival, they found two ministers engaged, Mr. Lamb the elder, and a young man, a teacher in the church, whom Edwards calls a weaver." The congregation was so greatly provoked, by being thus disturbed in the midst of public worship, that some of them treated the officers with very rough language, calling them "persecutors," and "persecuting rogues.' But Mr. Lamb treated them with greater civility, and having passed his word for their Crosby's Baptists, vol. iii. p. 54, 55.

+ Newcourt's Repert. Eccl. vol. ii. p. 48. Edwards's Gangræna, part i. p. 124-126.

appearance before the lord mayor at six o'clock, they were suffered to proceed in their worship. Appearing at the appointed time, the lord mayor asked them by what authority they took upon themselves to preach; and told them they had transgressed an ordinance of parliament. The young man being interrogated, gave several whimsical answers, apparently the offspring of enthusiasm, and deserving of censure. Mr. Lamb was more rational in his replies: he said, "he was called and appointed to the office of preaching by as reformed a church as any in the world!" alluding to the words of the ordinance. He also acknowledged his rejection of the baptism of infants as invalid. After examination, the lord mayor bound them over to answer for their conduct before a committee of parliament; and, upon their appearance before the committee, they were sent to prison, where they continued a short time, and then, by the intercession of friends, they were released.*

Mr. Lamb was no sooner delivered out of prison than he went on preaching as usual, and, as formerly, made his excursions to distant places in the country. On one of these journies, he had a narrow escape from the violence of his enemies. Having to baptize a woman in Oldford river, a place then much frequented for the purpose, the husband of the woman, a bitter enemy to the baptists, carried a great stone under his coat, designing, as he afterwards confessed, to have thrown it at Mr. Lamb, while he stood in the river. But he was so much affected with the prayer at the commencement of the service, that he dropt the stone, fell into tears, and was himself the next person baptized.+ Mr. Lamb was made chaplain to a regiment in Cromwell's army; and many other persons of the same stamp being appointed to similar situations, the sectarian principles, as they were called, made rapid progress among the soldiers.

During this period, a spirit for public disputation, especially upon points of religion, very much prevailed among all parties; and the most important doctrines of the gospel were frequently risked upon the strength or weakness of the parties engaged. A dispute of this nature, in which Mr. Lamb was engaged, took place at the Spital, on the day of public thanksgiving for the taking of Dartmouth by the parliament's forces. It respected the immortality and

* Edwards's Gangræna, part i. p. 124-127. Second edit.-Crosby's Baptists, vol. i. p. 225, 226. +Crosby's Baptists, vol. iii. p. 55.