ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY used,*"^ those desiring to communicate being examined, and ' ignorant and scandalous persons ' being debarred from participation in the Sacrament.*"' Incessant changes of ministers took place in the London parishes between 1645 and 1660. For example, at St. Peter's Westcheap in December 1646 the parishioners elected two ministers to officiate alternately, ' that both the ministers and people may live in love as becometh saints.' *°^ After three changes they met again in December 1647, to choose a new minister. Several candidates ' preached for the place,' as the phrase went, and the majority of the vestry decided in favour of a Mr. Weller, who gave a formal undertaking to perform certain specified duties."" For three years, however, he remained undecided whether or not finally to accept the living, and in the end yet another minister was chosen in his place.*^^ At St. Martin Orgar six different ministers were appointed between 1645 and 1657, and for five years of that time the living was vacant.*'^ This kind of thing went on in the great majority of parishes, though here and there, as in the cases of St. Magnus *^' and St. Stephen Walbrook,*^* one minister held the church from 1645 to 1660, and lived in peace and harmony with his parishioners. From time to time fierce disputes took place as to who was the rightful parson of a given parish,"^ and quarrels about the payment of tithes were very frequent. "° Meanwhile, although for a time the Puritan party carried things with such a high hand in the City, loyalty to the Anglican Church had not com- pletely died out. Various members even of the Corporation itself refused to subscribe the Covenant.*" The Anglican clergy preached whenever oppor- tunity offered,*^' and the use of the Book of Common Prayer was by no means discontinued.*'*' Racket's house was made into a meeting-place of the clergy ;*"" Dr. Hewett performed the Church services in St. Gregory's, where Cromwell's own daughters attended ; *^^ Jeremy Taylor was preaching in 1654, and after his release from the Tower he ministered in a private house ; *'" and in spite of Cromwell's protests, Dr. Gunning ministered in the chapel of Exeter House, Strand.*'^ One of the weapons of the Puritans was turned against themselves. The law forbidding the use of the Prayer Book in churches was not binding on lecturers, so that many of the clergy were able to evade it by acting in that capacity.*^* As above stated, certain parishes totally refused to elect
- "' St. John Zachary Accts. 1646-7 ; St. Mary Magdalen Milk Street Vest. Min. 1646-7 ; St. Michael
Bassishaw Accts. 1646-7 ; St. Laurence Jewry Vest. Min. 1656; St. Michael Wood Street Accts. 1643 ; St. Martin Ludgate Accts. 1644 ; Bodl. Lib. Rawlinson MS., D, 796, a, fol. I 20, 228. "' St. Mary Magdalen Milk Street Vest. Min. 1646 ; St. Dunstan West Vest. Min. 1645 ; St. Laurence Jewry Vest. Min. 1653 ; St. Katharine Cree Vest. Min. 1645. «' Vest. Min. 1646.
- '*' Ibid. 1647—8. Such undertakings were very frequently given at this period by incoming
ministers. ^" Ibid. 1648-50. *'Ubid. 1645-57. See below.
- " Chwdns.' Accts. *" Vest. Min.
"' Allhallows the Less Vest. Min. 165 1 ; AUhallows Barking Vest. Min. 1640 ; St. Peter Westcheap Vest. Min. 1647 ; St. Bride Fleet Street Vest. Min. 1658 ; St. Peter Cornhill Vest. Min. 1656 ; St. Stephen Walbrook Accts. 1642, &c.
- '* St. Martin in the Fields Vest. Min. 1654 ; and Par. Rec. generally.
- " Corp. Rec. Letter Bk. QQ, fol. 214. *" See AUhallows Barking Vest. Min. 1657.
- " Register Bk. of Fourth Classis, ut sup. ig July 1647 ; 30 Mar. 1648 ; Sharpe, LonJ. and the Kingdom,
ii, 271 ; D. and C. Westm. parcel 54, cert. "» Overton, Life in the Engl. Ch. 3, 4. "' Ibid.
- ^' Heber, Life (ed. 1839), p. xxxix. "' Overton, loc. cit. ; Pepys, Diary, Jan. 1659-60.
- " E. Churton, Pearson's Minor If^orks (ed. 1 844), p. xxxi.
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