John Hardyman

John Hardyman, D. D.—He was educated at Cambridge, where he took his degrees; and was made preacher nt St. Martin's church, Ironmonger-lane, London, in the reign of Henry VIII., when he came forwards openly and boldly in the cause of the reformation. He preached publicly, " That confession to priests, was confusion; that the ceremonies of the church being the superstitious inventions of men, ought to be abhorred; that to esteem any internal virtue in the sacrament, was mischievous and robbing God of his glory; and that faith in Christ, without any other sacrament, was sufficient for justification;" for which, in the year 1541, he was presented and most probably deprived. + The Oxford historian, with his usual bitterness against the puritans, says, that he ran with the mutable times of Henry VIII., Edward VI., Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth. However, the above account of his suffering persecution for the avowal of his principles, shews that this account is not altogether correct. Though it does not appear whether he ever changed his sentiments, it is certain that upon the accession of Elizabeth, he was still a zealous protestant, and still desirous to carry forwards the reformation. In the year 1560, the queen appointed him one of the twelve prebendaries of Westminster; and about the same time, he became famous for his puritanical principles, and distinguished himself in the cause of the reformation. He was not, indeed, like too many of the clergy, who rested in the reformation of King Edward, or even in that which fell short of it; but laboured to carry on the work to perfection. He wished, with the rest of the puritanical reformers, to have the church thoroughly purged of all the remnants of antichrist. But his zeal for nonconformity presently exposed him to the resentment and persecution of the ruling prelates; and in the year 1567, he was summoned

* MS. Chronology, vol. i. p. 135. (6.) f Fox's Martyrs, vol. ii. p. 450.

before the high commission, and deprived of his benefice. He is charged with breaking down the altars, and defacing the ancient utensils and ornaments belonging to the church of Westminster ;» but with what degree of justice we are unable to ascertain.