•'*0 
G I L 
difficiilty he w<is prevailed upon te accept ; but before 
he. went to refidc on,it, he was appointed to preach be¬ 
fore his majcfty at Greenwich. While Mr. Gilpin was 
in London, he frequently vifited Tonftal bilhop of Dur- 
Jiani, who was his uncle, and at that time a prifoner in 
the Tower under a fentence of mifprifion of treafon. 
From London Mr. Gilpin repaired to his parifli, where 
he made it his principal endeavour to incu.lcate moral 
vii'tue, and to dill'iiade from thofe vices wl'.ich he ob- 
fervcd mod prevalent. Yet a“ diffidence of himfelf 
-aiofe, whicli gave him fome uneafincfs. He thought 
tlial he had engaged too foon in his office ; and tliat he 
could not fufficiently difeharge it. He therefore re¬ 
signed his living, and determined to go abroad. He 
went firft to Mechlin, and tlien to I.ouvain ; and made 
frequent excurfions to Antwerp, Ghent, Bruffels, and 
other places in ilie Low-countries, but chiefly refided 
at Lovivain, where he was introduced to perfons of the 
greatefl: reputation for their learning. 
After Mr. Gilpin had refided two years in Flanders, he 
left Louvain and went to Paris, where his firfl: care was 
to faperintend the printing of bifliop Tonffal’s Treatife 
on tlie Kuchaiilf, which he did to that prelate’s entire fa- 
tisfaftion. In Paris he continued about twelve months ; 
and liaving fully fatisfied all his fcruples on the fiibjeiit 
of religion, and being firmly convinced of the truth of 
the general doiflrines of the Reformation, he returned 
to Lngland in 1556. Immediately upon his arrival he 
hatlened to vifit bifliop Tonftal, who received him with 
great friendfliip, and gave liim the archdeaconry of Dur¬ 
ham, to which the reiflory of Fiafington was annexed. 
He now repaired to his parifli, which he ftumd in great 
diforder ; but with a firm refolution of doing what good 
lie could ill it, he fet himfelf in earneft to reprove vice, 
to encourage virtue, and to explain the nature of true*" 
religion, with a freedom by no means iuited to tliofe 
dangerous times. Againll: non-relidence and pluralities 
he inveiglied with the greatefl earneftnefs, and renfured 
with equal freedom the vices of the clergy, by "which 
they difgraced their order, and efl’entially injured the 
iiitereflsof religion. This fo much irritated the clergy 
in the diocefe, that a charge of hercly, cotifilling of 
thirteen articles, v. as drawn up agaiiifl him ; and he was 
accufed in form before the bifliop of Durham. But 
'I'onflal, by (kilful management, found a method of dif- 
mifling tlie caufe fo as to protect his nephew, without 
endangering himfelf. The n alice of his enemies, how¬ 
ever, would not fiiffer Mr. Gilpin to remain in peace, 
and tiicy made ufe of the baieft arts to inflame tl-e peo¬ 
ple againll him. By thefe means they created him fo 
smicli trouble, that he found himfelf incapable of un¬ 
dergoing the fatigue of both his place.s, and begged 
leave of tiie bifliop to refign either his archdeaconry or 
liis parifli ; but his lorufliip would not futt'er them to be 
feparated, which occafioned Mr. Gilpin to refign them 
both, and to enter the bifliop’s family in the capacity of 
his doineftic diaplain. Mr. Gilpin did not itmciin long 
unbeneficed ; tor a vacancy taking place about this time 
jn the rich reClory of Houghton-le-fpring, he was pre- 
lented to that incumbency, d'his living was of coiili- 
derable value, but the duly of it was proportionally la¬ 
borious. It was fo extenfive, tliat it contained no lefs 
than fourteen villages; all of which had been fliame- 
fiilly negleited. Upon his arrival, the people crowded 
about him, and heard him witit great atteution, per¬ 
ceiving him to be a teaclier of a very ditferent kind 
trom tliofe to whom they had hitherto been accuflomed ; 
and by his truly paltoral and ali'edtionate treatment, he 
quickly g.lined tlieir confidence, refpeCl, and attacli- 
ment. Mr. Gilpin had not been long fettled at Hoiigli- 
ton, before bilhdp 'I'onflal was defirous of ftill farther 
improving his fortune, by preleming him to a vacant 
prebend m the cathedral of Durham. But Mr. Gilpin, 
irefolving not to accept of it, told the bifliop, “That 
by his bounty he had already more wealth, .than, hg 
PIN, " < 
rvas afraid, lie could give a good account of. He beg¬ 
ged, therefore, that his lordfiiip would bellow tliis pre¬ 
ferment on one by wliom it was more wanted.” Mr, 
Gilpin now lived in a reiired manner, devoting himfelf 
with unwearied indu flry to the inflrudlion and reformation 
pf his flock, and cautioufly avoiding every opportunity 
of giving offence fo the neigh.bouring cleryy. Tlie ex- 
emplarinefs of his conduct and manners, iiowever, was 
a flriking fatire on their negligence and irregularities ; 
and their malice determined them, if ppfiible, to re¬ 
move fo difagrocable a contrail. With thisdefign they 
drew up a fecond fet of articles againll him, and brought-, 
him once more before the bifliop of Durliam ; who 
again found means to protect his nephew. But from 
tills period the bifliop’s favour towards him vifioly de¬ 
clined ; probably, becaufe he apprelicnded that his far¬ 
ther patroniling liis kinf'man, who, he thought, in iiiany 
iaflances, carried his piety and zeal to excels, might 
tend to involve himfelf in iufpicions and .inconveni. 
dices. To (hew his diflike of his condiibl, he (truck 
him out of his will, of vvhicli lie'had before made him 
the executor. 'Fhis was not lefs than Mr. Gilpin ex- 
pefted. He was forry, indeed, to fee TOe bifliop dif- 
gufted ; acknowledged Ids great obligations to liim ; 
and would have given up any thing to fatisfy him, ex¬ 
cepting his co'nfcience. 'Fhe malice of Mr. Gilpin'.s 
enemies had now its full force. Knraged at their fe¬ 
cond defeat, they caufed thirty-two articles to be drawn 
up againll him, and tranlmitted them to the mercilefs 
Bonner, bifliop ol London. Mr. Gilpin was fpeedily 
apprifed ot tlie meafiires taken againll him, and ear- 
neltly entreated to provide for his lafety by withdraw¬ 
ing from tlie kingdom. But their perfuafions were in¬ 
effectual ; for having long been preparing himfelf to 
lulfer for tlie truth, he now determined not to flirink 
from it. He therefore waited with great coinpofure for 
tlie arrival of Bonner’s meffengers, after having ordered 
his fervant to provide along garment for him, in which 
he might go decently to the flake. Within a few days 
he was. apprehended ; but before he reached London 
an account of queen Mary’s death met liim on the road, 
by which event he was delivered from any farther per. 
fecution. Mr. Gilpin, thus providentially refciied from 
his eneinies, returned to Houghton througli crowds of 
people, who exprefl'ed the utmofl jo'y on Ills deliverance. 
Upon the accefflon of queen Elizabeth, Mr. Gilpin’s 
friends at court thought it a good opportunity to ufe 
their intercfl in his favour. He was accordingly recom¬ 
mended to the queen, and nominated by her inajelly to 
the bifliopric of Carliflc; but Gilpin, wlio knew nothing 
ol ivhat was going forwards in his favour, could not by 
any means be perfuaded to accept it. In 1561 he had 
an ort'er made iiiiti of the provoftihip of Queen’s col¬ 
lege, Oxford ; but this likewife he declined, and con,* 
tented himfelf with his living of Houghton, wliere he 
bellowed an unwearied application to his paftoral du¬ 
ties. He was not fatisfied with giving iiis advice in 
public, but infhuCted frequently in private, and encou¬ 
raged his parifliioiiers to come to him tor the I'olution 
of their doubts and difficulties. Towards thofe whom 
he thought well-difpoled, his manner was moll engag¬ 
ing ; and even his reproofs were urged with fuch gen- 
tlenefs, that they rarely gave offence, and always ap¬ 
peared to be the eft'edls of friendfhip. He well knew, 
however, that it was an eafier talk to prevent vice, than 
to eorredl it ; to form the young to virtue, than to re¬ 
form the bad habits of the old. Fie therefore employed 
much of Ills time in endeavouring to improve the minds 
of the younger part of his parifh ; fuffering none to 
grow up in an ignorance of their duty, but prelling it, 
as the v. ilell part, to mix religion with their labour, and 
amidll tlie cares of this life to have aconllant eye upon 
tlie next. He was alfo very afliduous in preventing 
law-fuits among his parilhioners. His hall was often 
tliionged with people who came to him to fettle their 
diflerenc.es, 
