This story was taken from J.C Ryle’s ‘Five English Reformers’ which I encourage you to purchase from Banner Of Truth. We continue now on the rest of Foxes report on the life of Rowland Taylor.
“Rowland Taylor’s quiet days at Hadleigh were soon brought in an end when Queen Mary came to the throne.”
“There were men who hated him, because his doctrine condemned their own lives and opinions; and soon as they had an opportunity of doing him an injury, they eagerly seized it. Two of these men,” “Conspired to bring the worthy Rector into collision with the higher powers, by hiring one John Averth, Rector of Aldham, to come to Hadleigh church and celebrate the Popish Mass.” “Rowland Taylor with righteous indignation, rushed into the church as the Mass was about to begin, and protested warmly against the whole proceeding, as illegal and idolatrous.”
“All this was duly reported to Stephen Gardener, Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor of England; and the upshot of the affair, as the malignant had foreseen, was a summons from Gardener to Dr Taylor, to appear before him in London without delay. This summons the gallant Reformer prompltly obeyed, and left Hadleigh, never to return till the day of his death”
His “many friends tried in vain to persuade him to fly to the Continent to save his life”
He replied “What will ye have me to do? I am now old, have already lived too long, to see there terrible and most wicked days. Fly you, and do as your conscience leadeth you. I am fully determined, with Gods grace , to go to the Bishop, and to tell him to his beard that he doth naught. God shall well hereafter raise up teachers of His people, which shall, with much more diligence and fruit, teach them than I have done. For God will not forsake His Church, though now for a time He trieth and correcteth us and not without just cause.
As for me, I believe before God I shall never be able to do God so good a service as I may do now, nor shall I ever have so glorious a calling as I have now, nor so great mercy of God proffered me, as is now at this present. For what Christian man that the Papacy is the kingdom of Antichrist, altogether full of falsehoods; so that all their doctrine is nothing but idolatry, superstition, error, hypocrisy, and lies”
Rowland Taylor, with this mind, went to London.
The first interview is described by Foxes :
“when Gardener saw Dr Taylor, according to his common custom, he reviled him, calling him knave, traitor, heretic, with many other villainous reproaches. All this Dr Taylor heard patiently, and at last said, ‘My lord, I am neither traitor nor heretic, but a true subject, and a faithful Christian man; and I am come according to your commandment, to know what is the cause why your lordship hath sent for me’.
“Then said the Bishop ‘Art thou come, thou villain? How darest thou look me in the face for shame? Knowest thou not who I am?’
“Yes!’ said Dr Taylor, ‘I know who you are: you are Dr Stephen Gardener, Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor, and yet but a mortal man. If I should be afraid of your lordly looks, why fear you not God, the Lord of us all? How dare you for shame look any Christian man in the face, seeing you have forsaken the truth, denied our Savior Christ and His Word, and done contrary to your own oath and writing? With what countenance will you appear before the judgement seat- of Christ, and answer to your oath made first to King Henry VIII, and afterward unto King Edward VI, his son’? ”
“The Interview, which began in this extraordinary manner, terminated as might have been expected. After several sharp arguements and wrangles, in which the Suflock Rector showed himself more than a match for the Bishop of Winchester, Taylot was committed to the Kings Bench prison. On hearing his committal, he kneeled down,…”
“and holding up both his hands, said ‘Good Lord, I thank Thee. From the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome, and all his detestable errors, idolatries, and abominations, good Lord, deliver us. And God be praised for good King Edward’.
Rowland was in prison for two whole years and spent most of the time in prayer, Bible reading and writing.
to be continued…
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