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In the year 1605, on the fifth day of Nov.

was

(4) A vindication of

as muft neceffarily give them but a poor opinion of his understanding and juftice. Nor will I give the opinion of Barlow or Heylin: the first had his court to make, the other was a bigot in the greatest degree a man of sense (for fuch he was) could be; and therefore the judgment of neither of them is much to be regarded. I will give the fentiments of a clergyman, zealous enough for the church; and a ftatefman, who cannot be thought partial to the puritans, when 'tis known that he most zealoufly promoted the occafional conformity, and fchifm bills. "Had there not been too stiff an adherence (fays the

reverend writer) to fome few things at this confer"ence at Hampton-Court, which, without danger, "might have been altered, had not the bishops then

had fuch an afcendant throughout the whole con"ference over the king, which he was well pleased "withal, having by the contrary party in Scotland "been fo roughly handled all his time; I fay, certainly "that conference had terminated in a great advantage "to the church of England; for the puritan party was "not fo numerous, nor confequently fo ftrong as afterwards; nor yet their difaffections fo great as they "have been fince, a very little and eafy condefcenfion had fpoiled the market of the defigning men, both gentry and minifters too (a)." "Learning, fays "the other writer, was the part upon which James va▾ their majeflued himself; this he affected more than became a in the nomi- king, and broached, on every occafion, in such a nation to the manner as would have mifbecome a fchoolmaster. His pedantry was too much even for the age in which " he lived. It would be tedious to quote the part he "took in the conference at Hampton-Court.Let us "only observe that the ridicule which arose from hence, " and which fixed on him was juft, because the merit "of a chief governor is wifely to fuperintend the "whole, and not to fhine in any inferior class, because different, and in fome cafes perhaps, oppofite talents,

ties wisdom

vacant bishopricks, P. 7. 4to.

Lond. 1691.

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was that most deteftable confpiracy against

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"both natural and acquired, are neceffary to move, and "to regulate the movements of the machine of govern"ment; in fhort, because as a good adjutant may make "a very bad general; fo a great reader, and a writer "too, may be a very ignorant king (b)." And in an- (6) Oldother place the fame fine writer obferves, " that in haste "to fhew his parts, he had a conference between the 237. "bishops and the puritan minifters at Hampton-Court, " where he made himself a principal party in the dif << pute. But furely fuch a conference, however it might frighten and filence, could neither inftruct nor "perfuade, and the king was fo far from trusting, like "his predeceffor, to the force of truth and aid of time, "that in this very conference he threatened to employ "another kind of force, if he did not meet with "compliance in a time to be limited. The bishops

66

were at first to admonish paternally, and to confer "amicably; but left they should not fucceed by preach"ing, writing, living men into conformity, (the fole "means they ought to defire, or, if they defired "others, the fole means they ought to be suffered to em"ploy) they were to have recourse to compulsion after"wards. On these principles he proceeded, and the "confequence of this conduct was, that those fects "who were not dangerous at first, became fo at last. "They became fo, in fome degree, from the very mo "ment the declarations we have mentioned were made; "for nothing is found more true in nature and experi "ence than this, that they who are oppreffed by go❝vernments, will endeavour to change them; and that he who makes himself terrible to multitudes, will have multitudes to fear (c).”

If thofe of (c) Id. p.

"them [the puritans] who were friends to order, had 278, 279 "been once incorporated with the established church, "the remaining fetaries would have been but of little "moment, either for numbers or reputation; and the means which were proper to gain thefe, were

very

8

likewife

(d) Id. p. 217.

P. 149.

the proteftant religion, known by the name of the powder-plot difcovered; which, tho' difowned

"likewise the most effectual to hinder the increase of "them, and of the other fetaries in the mean time. "Upon the whole matter we think it plain, that king

James I. had an eafy and fecure opportunity of pre66 venting any bad confequences, which might be ap"prehended from the divifions of his proteftant fub

jects; and that the improvement of that opportunity "confifted in giving neither alarm to the well affected, "nor pretence to the factious (d)." That the reader may the better be able to judge of the juftness of these cenfures, I will add what was requested by the puritans at this conference: and this was,

1. That the doctrine of the church might be preferved in purity, according to God's word.

2. That good paftors might be planted in all churches to preach the fame.

3. That church government might be fincerely miniftred, according to God's word.

4. That the book of Common Prayer might be fitted (e) Barlow, to more increase of piety (e). This was all that was asked, and one would have thought, as the difference in doctrine was little, that it had been a very easy matter to have reconciled things. But James's hatred of the puritans, the stiffness of the bishops, and their unwillingness to own any thing in the conftitution of the hierarchy to be wrong, though feen to be fuch by all indifferent obfervers, hindered a coalition of parties, and produced the troubles and perfecutions of a great number of honeft, well-meaning men. May the fame temper never again prevail! but may it be the ambition of princes and prelates, to reform whatever is amifs in the church; that it may be fo pure and fpotlefs that every honeft and fincere chriftian may be looked on as a member of it, and entitled to all its privileges. Then will our church indeed be the bulwark of the reformation, the glory of the nation, the promoter of truth

difowned and disbelieved by many, yet cannot, I think, reasonably be (PP) doubted of. Every body knows, that in confequence

of

and virtue. Infidelity will fail; fchifm and heresy, those ecclefiaftical scarecrows (ƒ), be no more heard of (ƒ) See among us, but peace, unity, and love flourish and pre- Hales of vail among all thofe who profess the religion of the meek and holy Jesus.

(PP) The powder plot-cannot, I think, reasonably be doubted of.] The hiftory of this is fo well known, that 'tis needlefs to relate it in this place. I will only observe, that the writers of the narratives of this affair, pay a compliment to James's understanding at the expence of truth; for it was not he that gueffed from the expreffion in the letter to lord Monteagle, "that they should receive a terrible blow this parlia

Schifm,

wood, Vol.

ment, and yet they should not fee who hurts them." I fay, it was not he who gueffed that it should be some fudden danger by blowing up of powder, but the earl of Suffolk, lord chamberlain, and the earl of Salisbury, as the latter himself relates in a letter to Sir Charles Cornwallis, dated Nov. 9, 1605. (a) However, the wri- (a) Winters on this fubject are excufable, having authority to II. p. 171. rely on. For fuch was the flattery of James's courtiers, that they got it inferted into the preamble of the act for a public thanksgiving to almighty God, every year on the fifth of November, that "the confpiracy would have "turned to the utter ruin of this whole kingdom, had "it not pleased almighty God, by inspiring the king's "most excellent majefty with a divine fpirit, to inter"pret some dark phrafes of a letter fhewed to his ma"jefty, above and beyond all ordinary conftruction, "thereby miraculously discovering this hidden treason." This appears to be grofs flattery, and 'tis amazing how any man, who knew it to be fuch, could thus publicly receive it, much more the most great, learned, and religious king that ever reigned in this kingdom, as in

the

of the discovery, feveral of the chief confpirators were executed, and an annual thanksgiving ordained. And in order the better

the faid preamble James is ftiled. But the drawers of this act, I dare fay, knew his tafte, and were willing to gratify it, though thereby they expofed him to the laughter of those who were in the fecret, as great numbers must have been. However, by the way, it ought never to be permitted to recite falfhoods for truths in Statutes; for these being enacted by the highest authority, the facts in them declared should be strictly true; otherwife whatever obedience may be yielded, the enactors will have little esteem or regard from the people, to whom the dealers in untruths feldom appear in an amiable light.'Tis well known, that many of the papifts then and now have denied the fact, and imputed the whole of the affair to the artifice of Salisbury; and we are told, that others of oppofite principles have confidently afferted, "that there never was any fuch thing "really as the gunpowder plot, but that it was a plot "of king James's contriving, to endear himself unto (6) Cafaubon "the people (b)." But whether this is not all idle talk of credulity will appear, if we confider a few confeffions of Roman lity, Vol. I. Catholics themselves. That worthy good-natured man, p. 202. 8vo. Dr. Tillotson, speaking of this horrid affair, fays, "Sir Lond. 1668. Everard Digby, whofe very original papers and let

and incredu

"ters are how in my hands, after he was in prison, "and knew he muft fuffer, calls it the beft caufe; and "was extreamly troubled to hear it cenfured by catho"lics and priests, contrary to his expectation, for a "great fin. Let me tell you (fays he) what a grief it "is, to hear that so much condemned which I did be"lieve would have been otherwife thought of by ca"tholics. And yet he concludes that letter in these "words in how full of joy fhould I die, if I could "do any thing for the cause which I love more than my life. And in another letter he fays, he could "have said something to have mitigated the odium of

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