Note 1052 — PART IV. From the Reformation to the present time. (continued 7)

The loose livers, (or whores and rogues of the parish, as some would call them) used to bring their bastard children to him to christen, or make them christians, although they discovered no desire or inclination to live soberly, righteously, and godly, or become christians themselves. This he thought very improper and objectionable, and no less than a direct profanation of a religious rite; and therefore refused to christen such children, unless their parents made a profession of repentance, and solemnly promised to forsake those irregular and vicious courses, and lead for the future virtuous and pious lives. Some willingly complied with his requirement, upon whose children therefore he performed the said rite. Others could not be prevailed upon to submit to this requirement, for which reason he left their children unchristened, which gave great umbrage, not only to their parents and such like folk, but even to his own ecclesiastical superiors, up to the very bishop—all blamed him for having any scruples about such frivolous, harmless, and indifferent matters as these. Some also even of the most decent among his parishioners disapproved of his refusing to christen the said bastard children, it being, as they said, punishing the poor things for the sins of their parents. Forbidding those of loose or immoral lives to come to the Lord’s Table was another circumstance that gave great offence, and caused him no small trouble. One of these was the greatest man in the parish, or head Squire of the place; and a very fierce and dashing fellow he certainly was. He, by way of retaliation and revenge, set himself about picking holes in Mr. R’s coat. They were not indeed of an immoral, but rather an uncanonical nature. Mr. R. had allowed a certain worthy person to partake of the Lord’s Supper sitting instead of kneeling. He also had not made a point of wearing the surplice while performing the burial service and some other duties. He had likewise taken the liberty of using the word honour instead of worship in the marriage service, and moreover of curtailing occasionally the liturgic part of the public service. These deviations were magnified into serious misdoings, and looked upon by his superiors in a very unfavourable light. Wherefore his conduct was afterwards more closely scrutinized; and from the examination and confession of his church-wardens the following articles of accusation were extracted, upon which he was proceeded against in the ecclesiastical court—1. That he did not read the Litany on Wednesdays and Fridays: 2. That he did not constantly wear the surplice in all his administrations: 3. That he did not usually administer the communion on Christmas-day, unless it fell on Sunday. Nor on Whit-Sunday. 4. That he did not read over the Canons and Articles twice a year. 5. That there were two children unbaptiz’d in the parish, which he refused to baptize. 6. That he was in the habit of conversing (or was on friendly terms) with one Mr. Richardson, an excommunicate person.—[Now this person was a worthy, pious dissenting minister, who had been persecuted for conscience sake, or for nonconformity, and excommunicated: and it was expected that no clergyman would converse or associate with him, unless he recanted: which was a sort of morality or religion which Rastrick did not approve, and therefore did not choose to practise.] The first time he appeared before the spiritual Court at Lincoln to answer to the above articles or charges, he had nothing to do but only to retain a Proctor against the next court-day. When that time came, it fell out to be the very day when king James’s Declaration for liberty of conscience came first down into the country, which must have been in the spring of 1687. At this his second appearance he found the court very much down in the mouth (as he expresses it) and far from the heat and violence in their proceedings that he expected. They did however proceed to business, and went over each of those charges, but came to no determination: not thinking perhaps the then aspect of things favourable enough to warrant a rigorous decision. However that was, Rastrick was now becoming more and more dissatisfied with the terms of conformity, and began soon to think of availing himself of the royal Declaration of liberty of conscience to quit his public station in the church, as he actually did before the close of that same year. After which he seems to have continued disengaged till 1701, when he settled with the Presbyterian congregation in this town.