his proteftant fubjects, who were independant Vol. I. p. with many other made public, there were private ones, by which great liberty was given to thofe of the Romish church. For by thefe James promifed that the laws in being against them, fhould not be commanded to be put in execution; that no new laws for the future should be enacted to their hurt, that there fhould be a perpetual toleration of the Roman catholic religion, within private houfes, throughout all his dominions; and that he would do his endeavour, that the parliament fhould ratifie all and fingular articles, in favour of the Roman catholics. (i) About the fame time a declaration was (i) See figned by lord Conway, and others in his majefty's Rushworth, name, dated Aug. 7, 1623, touching pardons, fufpen- 86-89. fions, and difpenfations for the Roman catholics, which, Frankland's in the opinion of the earl of Bristol, the great negotia- annals, p. 78-80. tor of the Spanish match, in effect was little less than a toleration. (k) And" the king directed the lord keeper (4) Rush"(Williams) and other commiffioners, to draw up a worth, Vol "pardon for all offences paft, with a difpenfation for 1. p. 283. "those to come, to be granted to all Roman catholics, "obnoxious to any laws againft recufants; and then to "iffue forth two general commands under the great "feal of England: the one to all judges and juftices of "the peace; and the other to all bishops, chancellors, 101. and commiffaries, not to execute any ftatute against "them." (The Spanish match took not place; () Id. pi but prince Charles was married to Henrietta Maria, of France; and James, before his death, figned articles equally as favourable to the English catholics, as conditions to that match. (m) This cardinal Richlieu boasts (m) Id. of. "The Spanish match, fays he, was broken off, P. 162. and foon after it, that of France was treated of, con(*) Political "cluded and accomplished, with conditions three times teftament, "more advantageous for religion, than those which p. 7. See also his were defigned to be propofed in the late king's letters, Vol. "(Henry the fourth) time." (n) This was the man who 1. p. 2. 265. never intended to grant a toleration to papifts, who 8vo. Lond. would 1698. (0) Cabala, P. 242. dant of the court, approved, and many greatly would spend the last drop of his blood before he would bufinefs, as it would much comfort you to fee it, and "her there to hear it. Here are all things prepared "upon our parts; priefts and recufants all at liberty; "all the Romam catholics well fatisfied; and, which "will feem a wonder unto you, our prifons are emptied "of priests and recufants, and filled with zealous mini❝fters, for preaching against the match; for no man ¢ can fooner, now, mutter a word in the pulpit, tho' "indirectly against it, but he is presently catched, and "fet in ftreight prifon. We have alfo publifhed orders, "both for the univerfities, and the pulpits, that no "man hereafter fhall meddle, but to preach Chrift cru"cified; nay, it fhall not be lawful hereafter for them "to rail against the pope, or the doctrine of the church "of Rome, further than for edification of ours: and "for proof hereof, you fhall herewith receive the or"ders fet down and published." (o)-This great liberty given to the catholics was highly offenfive to the proteftants, as we may learn from what follows, which was greatly murmured at. The church of England, under James, was in a happy ftate, being was written by archbishop Abbot, to James on occafion of it." Your majefty hath propounded a toleẻ "ration of religion: I befeech you, to take into your "confideration, what your act is, and what the con fequence may be. By your act you labour to fet up "that most damnable and heretical doctrine of the "church of Rome, the whore of Babylon, how hate ful will it be to God, and grievous to your fubjects, "(the true profeffors of the gofpel) that your majesty "who hath often defended, and learnedly written "against those wicked herefies, should now fhew your"felf a patron of thofe doctrines, which your pen hath "told the world, and your confcience tells yourself, 66 are fuperftitious, idolatrous, and deteftable.-Be"fides, this toleration you endeavour to fet up by your "proclamation, it cannot be done without a parlia❝ment, unless your majefty will let your fubjects fee, "that you now take unto yourself a liberty to throw "down the laws of the land at your pleafure. What "dreadful confequences these things may draw after, I "beseech your majefty to confider. And above all, left by this toleration, and difcountenance of the true profeffion of the gofpel (wherewith God hath bleffed ❝us, and under which this kingdom hath flourished thefe many years) your majesty doth draw upon the kingdom in general, and yourfelf in particular, God's heavie wrath and indignation. Thus, in difcharge "of my duty to your majefty, and the place of my "calling, I have taken the humble boldnets to deliver 66 my confcience. And now, Sir, do with me what "you pleafe." (p) I will not here enter into the quef- (p) Cabala, tion whether the intolerant principles of the Roman ca p. 114. Rushworth, tholics do not render them unfit to be tolerated amongst vol. I proteftants. All I fall fay, is, that it has been the p. 85. opinion of fome of the best friends to liberty, that they are to be excluded from it, for the prefervation of liberty 86 e itfelfi (9) See ton, note [o] being highly praised, protected, and favoured by him, [4 D] yea, moreover advanced to itfelf; with which it is thought their principles are Bayle's dict. article Mil. incompatible. (9) But be this as it will, it cannot be at all wondered at, that the proteftants in James's reign fhould be alarmed at an open toleration of those of the communion of the church of Rome. For they could not but remember the bull of pope Pius the fifth, concerning the damnation, excommunication, and deposition of queen Elizabeth, and the plots which in confequence thereof, were laid against her life: They could not but remember the deteftable powder treafon; nor could they forget that James himself had publickly avowed that the pope of Rome was antichrift, the man of fin, the mother of harlots, and abominations, who was drunk with the blood of the faints and the martyrs of Jefus. And remembering these things, could they chufe but murmur against the toleration of fo bloody a fect, or look on Buckingham the fuppofed inftrument of it, but as a betrayer of king and country, and as odious, (~) Cabala, as he himself declares they did. (r) P. 244. [4 D] The church of England under James was in a flourishing flate, being highly praised, protected, and favoured by him.] When I fpeak of the church, I would not be understood to mean " a congregation of 'faithful men," as our articles in an antiquated man(a) See arti- ner define it; (a) but the clergy, who have for a long cle the 19th. time appropriated that term to themselves, and the places in which they officiate: And when I speak of the church as in a flourishing ftate, I mean, what I think churchmen generally mean by it, their poffeffing power, honor and wealth; and not the increase of unfeigned piety, and real virtue.-That in this fenfe the church of England flourished under James, is beyond all contradiction. In a fpeech in the ftar-chamber, in the year 1616, his majefty complains, "that churchmen were had in too much contempt, I muft fpeak trewth, fays "he to riches, honor, and power; whereby the became he, great men, lords, judges, and people of all de26 grees from the higheft to the loweft, have too much contemned them. And God will not blefs us in our "own laws, if we do not reverence and obey Cod's law; which cannot be, except the interpreters of it be refpected and reverenced, and it is a fign of the "latter day's drawing on; even the contempt of the church, and of the governors and teachers thereof "now in the church of England, which I fay in my "confcience of any church that ever I read or knew of, "prefent or paft, is moft pure, and neareft the primitive and apoftolical church in doctrine and difcipline, and is furelieft founded on the word of God, of any church in Chriftendome." (b) In the fame fpeech (6) King he tells the judges, "God will blefs every good bufi- James's works, Pi "nefs the better, that he and his church have the pre- 554. "cedence." (c) And again, addreffing himself to the.(c) Id. p. judges, he fays, "Let not the church nor churchmen 565. પ be difgraced in your charges ;-countenance and encourage the good churchmen, and teach the people "by your example to reverence them: for if they be "good, they are worthy of double honor for their of"fice fake; if they be faultie it is not your place to ad"monish them; they have another Forum to answer to for their misbehaviour." (d) And in another (d) Id. p place, he tells us, "that as foon as a perfon hath made 59. his choice what church to live and die in, audi cam, ઠંડ as Chrift commands: for his confcience in this must "only serve him for a guide to the right church, but "not to judge her, but to be judged by her." (e) (e) Id. pa This is very good, and what moft churchmen would 577. be very glad their flocks did believe. For they then might teach authoratively, and a blind fubmiffion would be yielded. Profane wits would not think themselves at liberty to examine the reasonablenefs of the churches doctrine, but fwallow down glibly the moft myfterious unintelligible points, to their own great edification, and the |