William Bartlet facts for kids
William Bartlet was an English minister who lived a long time ago, in the 1600s. He was an "independent minister," which meant his church was not controlled by the main Church of England. He believed churches should be free to make their own rules.
William Bartlet's Life Story
William Bartlet studied at New Inn Hall, Oxford, which is a famous university in England. By 1647, he was already leading a church group in a place called Wapping. A couple of years later, he became a lecturer in Bideford.
He was also chosen as a "commissioner" for Devonshire. This meant he was part of a group that helped manage local affairs, especially related to religion at that time.
In 1662, William Bartlet was one of many ministers who were "ejected" from their jobs. This happened because new laws were made that required ministers to follow strict rules of the Church of England. If they didn't agree, they lost their positions. Bartlet was even put in prison once because of his beliefs. He passed away in 1682.
What William Bartlet Wrote About
William Bartlet wrote books about his religious ideas. Here are two of his important works:
- Ichnographia, or a Model of the Primitive Congregational Way
- This book was published in London in 1647.
- In it, Bartlet tried to show how early Christians worshipped. He hoped that churches in his time could learn from these old ways and use them as a guide for their own services.
- Sovereign Balsam
- This book came out in London in 1649.
- Bartlet wrote it to challenge a group of people who believed they were so perfect that they didn't need to follow church rules or take part in regular worship.
- He listed many of their ideas that he disagreed with. For example, some believed they didn't need to pray with others or ask for God's help because they already "had" everything they needed. Others thought a religious person could stop following all rules and still be considered a good person. Bartlet wrote this book to explain why he thought these ideas were wrong.
