22
April 1672 A.D. Oh wow,
a licence to preach inside his own home! Rev. George Griffiths—choking and
oppressive life in the post-1662 era of Stuart Absolutism and Anglican
Imperialism.
It wasn't easy to be an
independent pastor in 17th century England when there was but one church the
government approved. Yet George Griffiths handled the role so well that he was
always being asked to lend a hand in some important work or another. For
example, he sat on a governmental committee that determined which men were
suitable candidates for church positions. He was one of the ministers chosen to
advise Parliament when it condemned a Socinian confession of faith. (Socinians
deny the divinity of Christ.) He was on a committee which promoted missions to
American Indians, and worked on various committees to unify Protestants and a
committee to provide relief to persecuted French Protestants. In 1658,
Griffiths was an organizer of the Savoy Conference which produced A Declaration
of Faith and Order Owned and Practiced in the Congregational Churches of
England. The letters summoning pastors to the meeting went out in his name.
Later in life, he was on a committee which managed a common fund to relieve
impoverished Congregational pastors.
A leading non-conformist (one who
did not accept Church of England ways), Griffiths pastored a large congregation
and is credited with helping to keep Congregationalism alive in England during
the ferment of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate and the Restoration of Charles
II. He was respected enough that Parliament and Cromwell had him preach to them
on several occasions, and they even authorized money to print the sermons he
gave on those occasions. It seems he never took them up on that offer. But
because of his association with the Parliament, he was later described as
"a notorious independent."
Following the Restoration, he
lost his official positions, but continued to preach and to attempt
reconciliation between Congregational and Presbyterian churches as well as
lending a hand to needy pastors of other persuasions. For the most part, the
government ignored him, although they did search his house once, looking for
Richard Cromwell, the fugitive son of Oliver Cromwell.
In 1672, Charles II issued his
declaration of indulgence, which eased restrictions on those who did not
conform to the Church of England. This included Griffiths and resulted in him
receiving on this day, April 22, 1672 a license to preach in his own home.
However, he suffered additional harassment in 1682 and 1684.
John Bunyan is thought to have
visited Griffiths' church when he was in London. (For many years, Griffith's
congregation met in a hall on Sunday afternoon, another independent
congregation using it in the morning.) Griffiths also worked with Richard
Baxter, an influential pastor and one of the most prolific religious authors of
that day.
After the Rye House Plot (a plan
to assassinate Charles II and his brother James), Griffiths was placed under
surveillance which led to him being fined £20 on March 22, 1684 for preaching
illegally. Later King James II sought Griffiths' backing when he was about to lose
his throne. Griffiths and others would only promise peaceableness and dutiful
obedience.
Such were the difficulties of
pastors in those troubled times. But George Griffiths surmounted them all. He
died in 1702.
Bibliography:
1. Dexter, Henry Martyn. The Congregationalism
of the Last 300 Years as Seen in its Literature. London: Hodder &
Stoughton, 1970, p.669 footnote.
2. Greaves, Richard L. Saints and
Rebels; seven nonconformists in Stuart England. Mercer University Press, 1985.
3. Jones, R. Tudur. Congregationalism
in England, 1662-1962. London: Independent Press, 1962.
4. Lacey, Douglas Raymond. Dissent
and Parliamentary Politics in England, 1661-1689; a study in the perpetuation
and tempering of parliamentarianism. New Brunswick, N.J., Rutgers University
Press, 1969, pp. 219-220.
5. Walker, Williston. Creeds and
Platforms of Congregationalism. Philadelphia and Boston: Pilgrim Press, 1969.
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