spoken of me the thing that is right, as my But the word of God is

servant Job hath.' not so to be turned into the reproach of man, though the allusion may seem never so happy; nor have I instanced thus far, otherwise than to show the frivolousness, though too usual, of that practice.

"But therefore I would advise Mr. Howe, though not to that excusable sullenness and silence, with which some have chastised the world for having used them unworthily; nor to that tacite contempt of his adversaries, in which he was hitherto justified; yet, that, having made a laudable attempt, of which several good men are it seems not capable, he would, for peace sake, either wholly surcease this contest, or forbear at least till they have all done. For it is more easie to deal with them all than single; and, were they once imbodied, come to consistence among themselves, or had agreed who should speak for them, they had right to his answer. But until then, Mr. Howe is no more obliged in whatsoever is called honour, reason, or conscience, than if every hair of T. D that stands on end, should demand particular satisfaction. It is the same for such a divine as he, to turn common disputant, as for an architect to saw timber, or cleave loggs; which, though he may sometimes do it for health or exercise, yet to be constant at it, were to de

base and neglect his vocation. Mr. Howe hath work enough cut out of a nobler nature, in his Living Temple,' in which, like that of Solomon, there is neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron to be heard,' nothing that can offend, all to edifie. And this I heartily wish that he may accomplish but therefore, as he hath not hitherto sought, so that he would avoid all contention; lest, as David, for having been a man of blood, was forbid to build the temple, so he, as being a man of controversie.

"As for my self, I expect in this litigious age, that some or other will sue me for having trespassed thus far on theological ground: but I have this for my plea, that I stepped over on no other reason than (which any man legally may do) to hinder one divine from offering violence to another. And, if I should be molested on that account, I doubt not but some of the Protestant clergy will be ready therefore to give me the like assistance."

CHAPTER VII.

FROM 1677 TO 1680.

SEVERITIES EXERCISED UPON THE

NONCONFORMISTS

DURING THIS PERIOD.-HOWE'S EARNEST DESIRE FOR AN ADJUSTMENT OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CHURCH AND THE DISSENTERS. THE POPISH PLOT.-CURIOUS INTERVIEW WITH A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN. .-HIS REPLY TO STILLINGFLEET.- EXTRACTS. HIS EXPOSTULATION WITH TILLOTSON FOR HIS SERMON BEFORE THE KING.-ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT COMPREHENSION.-BILL OF EXCLUSION.-PROCEEDINGS OF THE PARLIAMENT OF 1680.

DURING this period, and, indeed, till the close of Charles's infamous reign, the Nonconformists were generally persecuted with great rigour; the king himself, in open mockery of the principles of his late hollow indulgence, urging the utmost severities. The numerous laws which had been enacted against them were all strictly enforced; their families and assemblies were infested by the vilest informers, the very refuse of society,-men who did not scruple to assume even the mask of religion, to enable them more effectually to play the traitor; while the prisons in many cases were literally crowded with victims.

It is true that circumstances, local or temporary, often afforded partial protection to indi

viduals. Some of the Nonconformists were less obnoxious than others; some more prudent; in many cases the magistrates connived at their proceedings, or, when compelled to take notice. of them, mitigated the penalties to which the parties were exposed,-while a few, at their own proper risk, refused to exercise their odious office, or to receive the depositions of the infamous creatures who lived upon the spoil of innocence and piety.

There were, also, short intervals in which the whole body of the Nonconformists were favoured with some mitigation of their sufferings-moments when the blast of persecution, having blown its fill, seemed for a while to have spent itself. These pauses, however, were short and of rare occurrence; the general condition of the Nonconformists during the remainder of this reign, and the commencement of the next, was most deplorable.

The intervals of comparative quiet to which I have adverted, were, generally, during the prevalence of those alarms of Popery, which were not infrequent in the reign of the Second Charles, and which reached their height at the time of the celebrated "Popish Plot," in 1678-9. During such alarms, the schismatics were in some measure forgotten, and even regarded with some favour, as valuable allies in case of need; and though some of the high

church bigots would have contemplated even the restoration of Popery with less displeasure than a relaxation of the terms of conformity, a majority of the clergy, at such periods, held very different sentiments. On more than one occasion of this kind, some overtures had already been made towards a "comprehension," especially in one memorable attempt in 1674-5, -in which the leading men on the side of the Church were Bishops Morley and Ward, and Dean Tillotson; those on that of the Nonconformists, Baxter, Pool, and Bates. This occurred just before Howe returned to England. Like every other scheme of the kind, it came to nothing.

Howe had never abandoned all hopes of an adjustment between the Church and the Nonconformists; and now, in the same spirit of charity which had induced him, twenty years before, to toil with Baxter in the fruitless schemes of "comprehension," he never failed to avail himself of every favourable opportunity of urging on persons of influence or authority in the Church, the desirableness of some attempt at accommodation. At the time of the Popish Plot especially, as well as during a considerable part of the following year, when the nation was frantic with the strangest and most absurd terrors of Popery, he never ceased to maintain -what was, indeed, to every unprejudiced understanding, so obvious-that the best method