244 Wiltshire Vuhuitarii Associatiun of Paritan Ministers, 1653. _ 



Cojjy of a Letter sent out of Wiltshire . . . By a true Friend to the 

 PMique Interest and to all Peaceable Men. London: Printed for 

 Livevjell Chapman, at the Croione, in Pope's^ Head- Alley, 1654-" 

 He complains that the (puritan) " Clergie . . . exceedingly 

 bestirred themselves " at the parliamentary election, " to promote 

 and carry on their Scottish Interest." They were led by Dr. 

 [Humphrey] Chambers [of Pewsey], Mr. [Adoniram] Byfield [of 

 Collingbourne Ducis], [J.] Strickland [B.D. of St. Edmund's, Sarum], 

 with "the rest of their Brethren of the Association," towhichweshall 

 presently refer. Their aim was " to bring us againe into Egyptian 

 bondage, to keep up and maintain the oppression of Tithes, and to 

 setup themselves and their Classicall Diana by Civil Sanction " by 

 a "subtill combination" in Parliament "for an Assembly or 

 Convention of Ministers, to make Cannons for inthralling the 

 consciences of good men ; where Adoniram may be one of the 

 Scribes,"^ who indeed was an exceeding busie man, and acted like a 

 Pharisee at the election, his carriage not becoming a minister of 

 Christ." The author notes, a propos of these Wilts Puritan 

 Ministers, that " these Politique state Parsons neglected the 

 Preaching of their Lecture at Sarum." ^ 



In his " liemains," the presbyterian divine, Pilchard Baxter 

 (popularly known as " Bishop of Kidderminster," where he was 

 lecturer in 1641 — 4, and where he again resided about 1646 — 60), 

 has recorded the formation of a Puritan Association for Wiltshire. 



Baxter states that William Eyre, or Eyres, the author of 

 " Vindiciw Justifcationis Gratuitw," written in 1653 and printed 

 in 1654 (and again in 1695), "was a ])i-ea,chev in Salisbury,'^ oi 

 Mr. Crandoiis Opinion ; who having preached there for Justification 

 before Faith {i.e. the Justification of Elect Infidels), was publicly 

 confuted by Mr. Warren " [minister at Hougliton, Hants], " and 

 Mr. Woodbridye (a very judicious minister of Neicbury, who had 



' Printed " Pepe's." 

 - Cf. I. Kinf/s, iv., 6, &c. Adoniram Byfield was in fact Clerk to the 

 Westminster Assembly. See above, p. 177. 



^ Shaw, Ch. Hist., ii., 437—8. 

 ^ W. Eyres was " minister of [St.] Thomas in the city of Sarum " about 

 650 — 62. See above, p. 179. 



