Page images
PDF
EPUB

expofed them to the cenfure of the high

commiffion,

"(1613) fhipped for New-England, and were not suffered to go; though afterwards, they were upon bet"ter thoughts permitted." (g) — In fhort James (g) Willon, heartily hated the people of this denomination; and to P. 74. be a puritan, was with him to be every thing odious and abominable. How mifchievous an effect this prejudice of his majesty had, will beft appear from a letter written to the illuftrious Usher, from Emanuel Downing, out of Ireland, who is ftiled a worthy divine, by Dr. Parr:

"Reverend Sir,

"I hope you are not ignorant of the hurt that is "come to the church by this name Puritan, and how

his majesty's good intent and meaning therein is "much abufed and wronged; and efpecially in this ἐσ poor country where the pope and popery is fo much "affected. I being lately in the country had confe

rence with a worthy, painful preacher, who hath been an inftrument of drawing many of the meer "Irish there, from the blindness of popery to embrace the gofpel, with much comfort to themfelves, and "heart-breaking to the priests, who perceiving that "they cannot now prevail with their jugling tricks, have forged a new device: They have now stirred

[ocr errors]

up fome crafty papifts, who very boldly rail both at "minifters and people, faying, they feek to fow this "damnable herefie of puritanifm among them; which "word, though not understood, but only known to "be most odious to his majefty, makes many afraid of "joining themselves to the gofpel, though in confe"rence their confciences are convicted herein: so to

66

prevent a greater mifchief which may follow, it "were good to petition his majefty to define a puritan, "whereby the mouths of thofe fcoffing enemies would "be ftopt; and if his majefty be not at leizure, that he "would appoint fome good men to do it for him.” (b) (b) Parr's Had life of Usher,

commiffion, who fufpended, deprived and excommunicated them, notwithstanding the interceffion

-Had a puritan been truly defined, the world would have been at a loss to have known the reason of the feverity used towards thofe who were reproached with that title.The puritans had their fancies, as well as their adverfaries. The furplice, the crofs in baptism, the ring in marriage, bowing at the name of Jefus, and fome other articles of equal importance were the objects of their averfion; they thought they fmelt of popery, which they could not bear with. The bishops on the contrary had a very great fondness for thefe, as well as for the whole hierarchy. A difpute therefore on these fubjects was natural; and had it been managed fairly, no ill confequences could have happened. But the bishops were in power; the king was their friend, and a foe to those who opposed them; and they were determined to carry their point at all adventures. The fhortest way therefore was taken. The puritans were filenced, deprived, excommunicated, and all for trifles. I will not fay but the bishops might have more fense, but the puritans had more honefty. The first were persecutors, the latter were perfecuted; and confequently were entitled to the pity and compaffion of the humane and (i) Hartley's benevolent.- James and his clergy did not underobfervations ftand the use of fects," to purify religion, and also to "fet the great truths of it in a full light; and to shew "their practical importance." (i) Nor did they know the best way to ftop the rifing of new fects and fchifms, by reforming abufes, compounding smaller "differences, proceeding mildly, and not with fanguinary perfecutions; and taking off the principal au"thors by winning and advancing them, rather than [c] Lond. enraging them by violence and bitterness ;” (k) anl 1751. 8vo. confequently inftead of crushing, they increased them. (k) Bacon's elay on the For lord Shaftesbury justly remarks, "that there is noviciffitude of thing fo ridiculous in refpect of policy, or fo wrong things. "and odious in refpect of common humanity, as a mo,

on man, p. 377. Vol. II. 8vo.

Lond. 1749. torical and

See alfo hif

critical account of

Hugh Peters, note

66

derate

Interceffion made for them by many perfons of quality, and by one of his parliaments.

In

derate and half-way perfecution; it only frets the "fore; it raises the ill-humour of mankind; excites "the keener fpirits; moves indignation in beholders; " and fows the very feeds of schifm in men's bofoms. "A refolute and bold faced perfecution leaves no time or fcope for thefe engendring diftempers, or gathering ill-humours. It does the work at once; by extirpation, banifhment, or maffacre: and like a bold ftroke "in furgery, dispatches by one short amputation, what "a bungling hand would make worfe and worse, to "the perpetual sufferance and mifery of the patient." (1)- -But let us leave these reflections and return to (1) Characteristics, fames, who was as much fet on the ruin of puritanifm Vol. III. p. in Scotland, as in England. In the Parliament at 95. Perth, in the year 1606, he got an act paffed entituled the restitution of the estate of bishops: afterwards they were declared perpetual moderators, and had the high commiffion put into their hands. In 1610, the king fent for three of the bishops elect, in order to have them confecrated in England, which was done without first giving them deacons or priefts orders; and confequently the validity of their former orders were acknowledged. Soon afterwards they had great power committed unto them, to the no small uneafiness of minifters and people. (m) In the year 1617, James made a progress into (m) SpotfScotland, in order to bring the Scots nearer to conformity wood, pa 406. with the church of England. Calderwood,

[ocr errors]

"But his majefty, fays Heylin, gained nothing by p. 616. "that chargeable journey, but a neglect of his com"mands, and a contempt of his authority. His ma"jesty therefore took a better course, than to put the "point to argument and difputation; which was to

beat them by the belly, and to withdraw thofe aug❝mentations which he had formerly allowed them out of his exchequer: which pill fo wrought upon this indigent and obftinate people, that the next year, in an

affembly

Laud, p.

74.

() Spotf

wood, P. 538.

In Scotland he pursued them with rigour, and was not contented till he fet up epifcopacy, though contrary to the inclinations of ministers

"affembly at Perth, they paffed an act for admitting "the five articles, for which his majesty had been (2) Life of courting them for two years together." (n) These articles which his majefty had courted them fo long to admit, it must be owned, were very important. The firft requires the bleffed facrament to be celebrated meekly and reverently upon their knees. The fecond allows the lawfulness of private communion. The third permits private baptifm. The fourth commands confirmation. The fifth the obfervation of fome feftivals. (o) "These articles being thus fettled, order was given to "read them in all parish churches; the minifters were "likewise obliged to preach upon the lawfulness of "them, and exhort their people to fubmiffion. And ❝to give them the greater authority, the king ordered "them to be published at the market crofs of the prin"cipal burroughs, and commanded conformity under "pain of his displeasure. But all this not being enough to enforce fuch a conformity to the ceremonies as was "expected, it was thought further necessary to establish "them by the fanction of an act of parliament, and to "give them the force of a law, this was done accordingly in the year 1621." (p) A prince must be ftrangely infatuated, and ftrongly prejudiced to employ his power and influence in establishing fuch matters as thefe! Let us grant epifcopacy to be the most expedient

(p) Craw.

ford's Lives,

P. 174.

[ocr errors]

government of the church (and expedient enough it (9) See fpi- must be acknowledged in proper places (q) and rightly sit of laws, executed, by overfeeing the manners of the clergy, and Vol. II. p. keeping them within the bounds of decency and regula

150.

rity;) yet what man of fenfe will think it worth establishing at the risk of the peace of the community? Let rites and ceremonies be deemed ever fo decent; who will fay they are fit to be impofed by methods of feverity and constraint? yet by thefe ways, we fee, thefe mat

7

ters

minifters and people. Being feized with an ague, he died March 27, 1625, in the 59th year of his age [4 F] not without fufpicion

of

ters were introduced among the Scots; to the difgrace of humanity, and the eternal blemish of a prince who boafted of his learning, and was forever difplaying his abilities.

[4 F] He died not without fufpicion of having been poisoned by Buckingham.] "The king that was very much impatient in his health, was patient in his fick"ness and death. Whether he had received any thing "that extorted his aguifh fits into a fever, which might

the fooner ftupify the fpirits, and haften his end, can"not be afferted; but the countefs of Buckingham had "been tampering with him, in the abfence of the doc"tors, and had given him a medicine to drink, and

laid a plaifter to his fide, which the king much com"plained of, and they did rather exafperate his distemper than allay it: and these things were admitted

66

by the infinuating perfuafions of the duke her fon, "who told the king they were approved medicines, and "would do him much good. And though the duke after

έσ

ftrove to purge himself for this application, as having "received both medicine and plaifter from Dr. Remington, at Dunmow, in Effex, who had often cured "agues, and fuch diftempers with the fame; yet they 66 were arguments of a complicated kind not eafy to

unfold; confidering that whatfoever he received "from the doctor in the country, he might apply to the "king what he pleafed in the court. Befides, the act

itfelf (though it had been the best medicine in the "world) was a daring not juftifiable; and fome of the "king's phyfitians muttered against it, others made a "great noife, and were forced to fly for it; and "though the ftill voice was quickly filenced by the duke's power, yet the clamourous made fo deep im66 preffions, that his innocence could never wear them

66 out.

« PreviousContinue »