Francis Bampfield's Account of His Arrest and Examination for the Sabbath of the Lord
By W. A. S.
IN these days of stirring Sabbath reformation, many may read with interest some details of the trial of Francis Bampfield, one-time clergyman of the Church of England, who found the Sabbath truth in prison, and died in prison for the truth of God, two centuries ago and more. Bampfield was pastor of a Sabbath-keeping church which met in Pinner's hall, London. The hall was in an alleyway off Broad Street, in the heart of the old city, near the Bank of England. Nonconformity was being pressed especially hard in those times which followed the restoration of the monarchy after the end of Cromwell's Commonwealth. Francis Bampfield's brother Thomas, who also became a Sabbath keeper, was formerly a leading man in state affairs, as Francis Bampfield was formerly a leading light in the service of the state church. Thomas was for a time speaker, or presiding officer, of one of Cromwell's Parliaments. In a tract in the British Museum, entitled "The Lord's Free Prisoner," written in prison, Francis Bampfield tells the story of his arrest. He says:— On the seventeenth of the twelfth moon, according to the vulgar count, in the year 1682, whilst I was at our usual hour of convening, openly at my ministerial work in Pinner's hall, reading and interpreting of the Scriptures (Isa. 63:19), the constable, with his staff of office, attended with several other non-officers, with their old ruffly halberds, rushed in upon our assembly, "requiring in the king's name to give off, and to come down," to which I answered I was there in the discharge of my office, in the name of the King of kings. He mentioned that he had a warrant from the Lord Mayor to disturb our meeting. I replied I had a warrant from Christ, who was Lord Maximus, to go on; and so kept on my work. He commanded one of the underofficers to pull me down. I answered out of that scripture I was upon, "that Christ was traveling in the greatness of his strength, he speaks in righteousness, he was mighty to save, that the day of vengeance was in his heart, and the year of his redeemed ones was come, and that he would pull down his enemies." This was whilst the underofficer was pulling me from behind, from the place where I was speaking. This is in short what passed there, for the sum of it, so far as I can well remember, though it may not be expressed in the very same words. From thence they guarded me and about six more to the Lord Mayor's hall; who, when we were before him, demanded of the constable and other officers for what cause they had brought us before him. The constable answered they took us at a meeting, and that I would not give off when he commanded me to do so. The Lord Mayor applied himself to me, saying that we, and such as we, would bring in popery. I replied that we were more Christians, and more against popery, than those who would wrongfully accuse us; for we own Christ for our one and our only Lord over our consciences, and lawgiver to our souls, and the Scriptures of Truth for our one and only rule of faith, worship, and life; we declared against popery as being against God, against Christ, against Christianity, against the word of Christ, against the laws of Christ, against humanity. "You speak great words for yourselves," said the mayor. "Sir," I said, "we are ready to prove all this to any of your chaplains, or any other whatsoever, if we are called unto it." "Who shall be the judge?" said the mayor. I replied, "Sir, we will refer the determination of it to your own conscience if you will give us a fair hearing." "What calling or profession are you of?" said the mayor. "Sir, I am a minister of Christ, and this also I am ready to prove if any question my call." "Are you of any other profession or calling?" Answer.—"No, sir; nor never was." "It is under the pretense of such private conventicles that all the popish plots are hatched and carried on." Answer.—"Our assemblings are in one of the most open public places in all London for such meetings, where both doors stand wide open for any to come who will, and so it used to be in my private dwelling." "Do you keep Saturday Sabbath?" Answer.—"I observe the seventh day as the weekly Sabbath." "Do you keep the Sunday?" said one who stood next to the mayor. Answer.—"There is but one day in the week that is the weekly Sabbath day." "You break the king's laws," said the mayor. Answer.—"We observe, keep, and obey the Scripture laws of King Jesus, who is King of kings and Lord of lords." Upon this I was bid "to stand or sit by." In the meantime, Bampfield tells us, four other members of the congregation were examined, to learn if they had been at St. Omars, a Jesuit institution, in order to see if they had been Jesuitically educated. Two witnesses were called. One said he thought there was no congregation in London that bore fuller testimony against popery. Several of those arrested were fined ten pounds each, and Bampfield was sent home. In the afternoon the company met again at Pinner's hall, whereupon the constable came and led Mr. Bampfield out, cleared the hall, and closed the doors. On the next Sabbath again the congregation was worshiping at Pinner's hall. The constable came, and Bampfield was again pulled from the pulpit and taken to the mayor. This time Mr. Bampfield was sent to the Old Bailey, and then to Newgate prison, "where," he says, in closing his little tract, "my Lord is with me to the sweet feeding and satisfaction of my whole man." In this prison he died.