LAUD, exemplary and distinguished: he was constant at his chapel Abp. Cant. and private devotions. His warm loyalty and zeal for uniformity brought him to his end. And, though he was far from warping towards popery, rightly understood, it is possible he might believe a good settlement capable of improvement; that some part of the Reformation might be burnished, and brought to a more beautiful and primitive state. That this was his opinion, may be collected from the preference he seems to have given the Scottish Liturgy, and from his wishing the foreign reformed Churches might be like the Church of England, "and Hist. of the as much better as God should please to make them.” Troubles, &c. of Abp. Laud, p. 134. 835. Lord Cla- Hist. of the vol. 1. p. 474. To proceed the earl of Clarendon describes his temper somewhat sudden, and says that his passion was too soon kindled; that he failed in a plausible application, neglected address, and believed bare honesty and vigorous pursuit sufficient to carry him through. Notwithstanding this abatement, the noble historian treats his memory with great regard at taking leave. He reports him a person of eminent learning and piety; that he behaved himself with great Christian courage and magnanimity on the scaffold; and that his good qualities were obtained "by a very few, and the greatest of his infirmities common even to the best of men." The archbishop died in the seventy-second year of his age. Amongst his public benefactions, besides those already mentioned, may be reckoned his annexing commendams to the small bishoprics of Bristol, Peterborough, St. Asaph, Chester, and Oxford. He procured a charter for Oxford, to confirm their ancient privileges, and enlarge them to an equal extent with those granted to the university of Cambridge. He settled two hundred pounds per annum upon a hospital at Reading, in Berkshire. By the way, the archbishop was born in this town, where his father was a clothier, of good substance and esteem; his mother was Lucy Webb, sister to sir William Webb, lord mayor of London. To go on with his benefactions: he founded an Arabic lecture in Oxford, and settled the impropriation of Cuddesden on that bishopric. He procured a new charter and a body of statutes for the college of Dublin. rest of his benefactions shall be omitted. And, besides what was finished this way, he had several other things in project. Amongst the rest, he resolved to find out a way and provide a Laud, p. 68. fund for the augmentation of poor vicarages, and for settling Hist. of the Troubles, &c. of Archbishop The I. the tithes of London between the clergy and city. He was CHARLES buried in Barking church, near the Tower, with the office appointed by the Liturgy. This was somewhat extraordinary, considering the same day the lords agreed to the archbishop's attainder they passed an ordinance that the Book of Common Prayer should be laid aside, and the Directory used instead of Rushworth's it. This Directory, drawn by the assembly of divines, was part 3. transmitted in parts to the parliament, where, after a debate in P. 839. both houses, it was confirmed, with some small alterations. The ordinance sets forth, Hist. Coll. setting aside the Di "That the lords and commons assembled in parliament, An orditaking into serious consideration the manifold inconveniences nance for that have arisen by the book of Common Prayer in this king- the Common Prayer, and dom, and resolving according to their covenant, to reform establishing religion according to the word of God, and the example of the rectory. best reformed churches; have consulted with the reverend, pious, and learned divines, called together for that purpose; and do judge it necessary that the said book of Common Prayer be abolished, and the Directory for the public worship of God, herein after mentioned, be observed in all the churches within this kingdom." After this they pretend to repeal the statutes by which the Common Prayer stood established. In the preface to their Directory they take notice, "It is evident from long and sad experience that the Liturgy, notwithstanding all the pains and religious intentions of the compilers, has proved offensive both to many of the godly at home, and the reformed abroad: that injoining the reading all the prayers, heightened the grievance. That the number and quality of the ceremonies, made them unprofitable and burthensome: that they have occasioned much mischief; disquieted the consciences of many godly ministers and people; deprived them of the ordinances of God, which they could not enjoy without conformity; thrown them out of their function and subsistence, and ruined their families. That the prelates and their faction have put too great a value upon it, as if God was to be worshipped no other way but in the service book; that in consequence of this opinion, the preaching of the word was much hindered and depreciated. Scobel's et deinc. A brief abstract of the Directory. "That the Papists made their advantage this way, boasted that the Common Prayer came up to a compliance with a great part of their service; and by this means were not a little confirmed in their superstitions. "That the Liturgy has given great encouragement to an idle and unedifying ministry; who choose rather to acquiesce in forms made to their hands, than to exert themselves in exercising the gift of prayer; a gift, with which our Saviour Christ furnishes all those called by him to that office. "For these, and many other resembling considerations, they have agreed to set aside the Common Prayer, not out of any affectation of novelty, not with any intention to disparage our first reformers, of whom they make honourable mention, but that they may, in some measure, answer the gracious providence of God, which now calls upon them for farther reformation that they may satisfy their own consciences, and come up to the expectation of other reformed churches: that they may make many of the godly among themselves easy, and give some public testimony of their endeavours for uniformity in divine worship, pursuant to what they had promised in their solemn league and covenant." And here the reader may observe, that this Directory of theirs gives only general rules, prescribes in minutes, and points out the heads for worship and pastoral function: so that, in short, the ministers were left to a great deal of discretionary latitude in filling up the lines, and beating out the form. To mention somewhat briefly the particulars. The Directory forbids all salutations and civil ceremony in churches: this is a commendable regulation: for the Church is the presence and therefore, according to the custom in princes' courts, no signs of submission or regard should be paid to any but the sovereign. The reading the Scriptures in the congregation is declared part of the pastoral office: however, those who design themselves for this calling, may read the word, and exercise their talent in preaching, provided they are allowed by the presbytery. All the canonical books of the Old and New Testament (but none of the Apocrypha) are to be publicly read in the vulgar tongue: and for this purpose the best allowed translation is to be used: but which that is, they do not tell us. How large a portion is to be read at once, is left to the minister. When the minister judges ex I. pounding necessary, he has the liberty of that exercise: but CHARLES then it must not be done till the chapter or psalm is ended. And over and above, care must be taken, that neither preaching nor any ordinance may be straitened, or grow tedious. For the prayer before sermon, the heads are struck out to a considerable length; part of the prayer for the king was, to "save him from evil counsel:" likewise to pray for the conversion of the queen, and for a blessing upon the high court of parliament then in open rebellion. For managing the sermon, these rules are delivered. The introduction to the text must be short and clear, drawn from the words, or context, or some parallel place of Scripture. In dividing the text, the minister is to regard the order of the matter, more than that of the words. Not to burthen the memory of the audience with too many parts, nor perplex their understandings with logical language and terms of art. If any difficulty arises from Scripture, from the nature of the discourse, or the prejudice of the hearers, it will be requisite to disentangle the knot, to reconcile the seeming contradiction, and remove the grounds of mistake; otherwise the starting and answering unnecessary objections, is rather a hindrance to edification. It is sometimes requisite to give some notes of trial for the congregation to examine themselves upon, whether they have attained those graces, or performed those duties to which they are exhorted: whether they are guilty of the sin reproved, in danger of the judgments threatened, or qualified for the privilege and comfort held forth. The minister is to decline an unprofitable use of learned languages, uncommon phrases, affectation of cadences and words: and seldom to make any citations from any ecclesiastical or other human writers, either ancient or modern. In the prayer after sermon, some of the most useful heads thereof are to be turned into petitions, that what has been delivered may prove serviceable to the hearer. The use of the Lord's Prayer is likewise recommended as a pattern and most comprehensive form of devotion. As baptism is not unnecessarily to be delayed, so neither is it to be administered in any case by any private and unordained person; neither is this sacrament to be administered any where but at church, in the face of the congregation. The child is to be offered to baptism by the father, or some VOL. VIII. U 836. Jan. 30, 1644-5. The king's instructions to his com missioners at Uxbridge. friend, in case of his necessary absence. And here the minister is to declare, that outward baptism is not so necessary as to bring the infant in danger of damnation through the want of it. At the receiving the Lord's supper, the table, being decently covered, is to be so placed that the communicants may sit about it; but the posture of the minister, or the order when he is to communicate himself, is not prescribed. Upon the Lord's-day, the intervals between public worship and the time after evening worship are to be spent in reading, meditation, repetition of sermons, catechizing their families, holy conferences, prayer for a blessing upon the public ordinances, singing psalms, visiting the sick, and relieving the poor. The dead are to be buried without any prayers or religious ceremony. However, they had the moderation to allow the use of escutcheons, and such other distinctions, suitable to the condition of the deceased. Matrimony, visitation of the sick, fasting, and thanksgivings, have little particular and extraordinary in the appointment, excepting that the forms in most of them are left to the minister's discretion. The latter end of this month, commissioners were sent from Oxford and the two houses at Westminster to endeavour an accommodation. The treaty opened at Uxbridge, in Middlesex. I shall only mention that part of it which relates to religion. The king's instructions to his commissioners upon this head are these: " And here"-to speak in his majesty's person and words-"the government of the Church will be the chief question, wherein two things are to be considered,conscience, and policy. For the first, I must declare unto you," says the king, "that I cannot yield to the change of the government by bishops, not only because I fully concur with the most general opinion of Christians in all ages in episcopacy's being the best government, but likewise I hold myself particularly bound by the oath I took at my coronation not to alter the government of this Church from what I found it; and, as for the Church's patrimony, I cannot suffer any diminution or alienation of it, it being, peradventure, sacrilege, and likewise contrary to my coronation oath. But whatsoever shall be offered for rectifying abuses, if any have crept in, or for the ease of tender consciences, (provided the foundation is not indamaged,) I am contented to hear, and willing to return |