without Reordination but no Protestant Minister not Episcopally ordain'd but is required to be reordain'd as much as in us lies unchurching all the forreign Protestants that have not Bishops though the contrary was both allowâ—d and practis'd from the beginning of the Reformation till the time of that Act and several Bishops made of such as were never ordain'd Priests by Bishops Moreover the Vncharitableness of it was so much against the Interest of the Crown and Church of England casting off the dependency of the whole Protestant partie abroad that it would have been bought by the Pope and French King at a vast summ of Money and it is difficult to conceive so great an advantage fell to them meerly by chance and without their help so that he thought to endeavor to alter and restore the Liturgy to what it was in Queen Elizabeths days might consist with his being a very good Protestant As to the Catachisme he really thought it might be mended and durst declare to them it was not well that there was not a better made For the Homilies he thought there might be a better Book made and the 3. Hom. of Repairing and keeping clean of Churches might be omitted What is yet stranger then all this The Canons of our Church are directly the old Popish Canons which are still in force and no other which will appear if you turn to the Stat. 25. Hen. 8. cap. 19 confirmed and received by 1. Eliz. where all those Canons are establish'd untill an alteration should be made by the King in pursuance of that Act which thing was attempted by Edward the 6th but not perfected and let alone ever since for what reasons the Lords the Bishops could best tell and it was very hard to be obliged by Oath not to endeavour to alter either the English Common-Prayer book or the Canon of the Mass. But if they meant the latter That the Protestant Religion is contein'd in all those but that every part of those is not the Protestant Religion then â—e apprehended it might be in the Bishops Power to declare ex post facto what is the Protestant Religion or not or else they must leave it to every man to judge for himself what parts of those books are or are not and then their Oath had been much better let alone Much of this nature was said by that Lord and Others and the great Officers and Bishops were so hard put to it that they seemed willing and convinced to admit of an Expedient The Lord Wharton and Old and Expert Parliament Man of eminent Piety and Abilities beside a great Friend to the Protestant Religion and Interest of England offer'd as a cure to the whole Oath and what might make it pass in all the 3 parts of it without any farther debate the addition of these words at the latter end of the Oath Viz. as the same is or shall be establish'd by Act of Parliament but this was not endured at all when the Lord Grey of Rollston a worthy and true English Lord offered another Expedient which was the addition of words by force or fraud to the beginning of the Oath and then it would run thus I do swear not to endeavor by force or fraud to alter this was also a cure that would have passed the whole Oath and seemed as if it would have carried the whole House The Duke of York and Bishop of Rochester both secondâ—ng it but the Lord Treaâ—urer who had privately before consented to it speaking against it gave the word and sign to that party and it being put to the question the major Vote answered all arguments and the L. Grey's Proposition was laid aside Having thus carried the question relying upon their strength of Votes taking advantage that those expedients that had been offered extended to the whole Oath though but one of the 3 Clauses in the Oath had been debated the other two not mentioned at all they attempted strongly at nine of the Clock at night to have the whole Oath put to the question and though it was resolutely opposed by the Lord Mohun a Lord of great courage and resolution in the Publick Interest and one whose own personal merits as well as his Fathers gave him a just title to the best favors of the Court yet they were not diverted but by as great a disorder as ever was seen in that House proceeding from the rage those unreasonable proceedings had caused in the Country Lords they standing up in a clump together and crying out with so loud a conâ—inued Voice Adjourn that when silence was obtain'd Fear did what Reason could not do cause the question to be put only upon the first Clause concerning Protestant Religion to which the Bishops desired might be added as it is now established and one of the eminentest of those were for the Bill added the words by Law so that as it was passed it ran I A. B. do swear that I will not endeavor to alter the Protestant Religion now by Law established in the Church of England And here observe the words by Law do directly take in the Canons though the Bishops had never mentioned them And now comes the consideration of the latter part of the Oath which comprehends these 2 Clauses viz. nor the Goverment either in Church or State wherein the Church came first to be considerd And it was objected by the Lords against the Bill that it was not agreeable to the King's Crown and Dignity to have His Subjects sworn to the Government of the Church equally as to Himself That for the Kings of England to swear to maintain the Church was a diffeâ—ent thing from enjoyning all His Officers and both His Houses of Parliament to swear to them It would be well understood before the Bill passed what the Government of the Church we are to swear to is and what the Boundaries of it whether it derives no Power nor Authority nor the exercise of any Power Authority or Function but from the King as head of the Church and from God as through him as all his other Officers do For no Church or Religion can justify it self to the Government but the State Religion that ownes an entire dependency on and is but a branch of it or the independent Congregations whilest they claim no other power but the exclusion of their own members from their particular Communion and endeavor not to set up a Kingdom of Christ to their own use in this World whilest our Saviour hath told us that His Kingdom is not of it for otherwise there would be Imperium in imperio and two distinct Supream Powers inconsistent with each other in the same place and over the same persons The Bishops alâ—eadged that Priesthood and the Power thereof and the Authorities belonging thereunto were derived immediately from Christ but that the license of exercising that Authority and Power in any Country is derived from the civil Magistrate To which was replied that it was a
dangerous thing to secure by Oath and Act of Parliament those in the exercise of an Authority and power in the King's Country and over His Subjects which being received from Christ himself cannot be altered or limitted by the King's Laws and that this was directly to set the Mitre above the Crown And it was farther offered that this Oath was the greatest attempt that had been made against the King's Supremacy since the Reformation for the King in Parliament may alter diminish enlarge or take away any Bishoprick He may take any part of a Diocess or a whole Diocess and put them under Deans or other Persons â—or if this be not lawful but that Episcopacy should be jure divino the maintaining the Government as it is now is unlawful since the Deans of Hereford and Salisbury have very large tracts under their jurisdiction and several Parsons of Parishes have Episcopal jurisdiction so that at best that Government wants alteration that is so imperfectly settled The Bishop of Winchester affirmed in this debate several times that there was no Christian Church before Calvin that had not Bishops to which he was answered that the Albigenses a very numerous People and the only visible known Church of true beleivers of some Ages had no Bishops It is very true what the Bishop of Winchester replyd that they had some amongst them who alone had power to ordain but that was only to commit that power to the Wisest and Gravest Men amongst Them and to secure ill and unfit Men from being admitted into the Ministery but they exercis'd no jurisdiction over the others And it was said by divers of the Lords that they thought Episcopal Government best for the Church and most suitable for the Monarchy but they must say with the Lord of Southampton upon the occasion of this Oath in the Parliament of Oxford I will not be sworn not to take away Episcopacie there being nothing that is not of Divine Precept but such circumstances may come in humane affairs as may render it not Eligible by the best of Men. And it was also said that if Episcopacy be to be received as by Divine Precept the King's Supremacy is overthrown and so is also the opinion of the Parliaments both in Edw. 6. and Queen Elizabeths time and the constitution of our Church ought to be altered as hath been shewd But the Church of Rome it self hath contradicted that Opinion when She hath made such vast tracts of ground and great numbers of Men exempt from Episcopal jurisdiction The Lord Wharton upon the Bishops claim to a Divine Right asked a very hard question viz. whether they then did not claim withall a power of Excommunicating their Prince which they Evading to answer and being press'd by some other Lords said they never had done it Upon which the Lord Hallifax told them that that might well be for since the Reformation they had hitherto had too great a dependance on the Crown to venture on that or any other Offence to it and so the debate passed on to the third Clause which had the same exceptions against it with the two former of being unbounded How far any Man might meddle and how far not and is of that extent that it overthrew all Parliaments and left them capable of nothing but giving Money For what is the business of Parliaments but the alteration either by adding or taking away some part of the Government either in Church or State and every new Act of Parliament is an alteration and what kind of Government in Church and State must that be which I must swear upon no alteration of Time emergencie of Affairs nor variation of humane Things never to endeavor to alâ—er Would it not be requâ—site that such a Government should be given by God himself and that withall the Ceremonie of Thunder and Lightening and visible appearance to the whole People which God vouchsafed to the Chrildren of Israel at Mount Sinaj and yet you shall no where read that they were sworn to it by any oath like this nay on the Contrary the Princes and the Rulers even those recorded for the best of them did make severâ—l variations The Lord Stafford a Noble Man of great Honor and Candour but who had been all along for the Bill yet was so far convinced with the debate that he freely declared there ought to be an addition to the Oath for preserving the freedom of debates in Parliament This was strongly urged by the never to be forgotten Earl of Bridgwater who gave reputation and strength to this Cause of England as did also those worthy Earls Denbigh Clarendon and Aylisbury Men of great Worth and Honor. To Salve all that was said by these and the Other Lords The Lord Keeper and the Bishops urged that there was a Proviso which fully preserved the Priviledges of Parliament and upon farther enquiry there appearing no such but only a Previous vote as is before mention'd they allowâ—d that that Previous vote should be drawn into a Proviso and added to the Bâ—ll and then in their opinion the Exception to the Oath for this cause was perfectly removed but on the other side it was offered that a positive absolute Oath being taken a Proviso in the Act could not dispence with it without some reference in the body of the Oath unto that Proviso but this also was utterly denied untill the next day the debate going on upon other matters the Lord Treasurer whose authority easily obtained with the major Vote reassumed what was mentioned in the Debates of the proceeding days and allow'd a reference to the Proviso so that it then past in these words I A. B. do swear that I will not endeavor to alter the Protestant Religion now by Law Establisht in the Church of England nor the Government of this Kingdom in Church or State as it is now by Law established and I do take this Oath according to the meaning of this Act and the Proviso contain'd in the same so help me God There was a passage of the very greatest observation in the whole debate and which with most clearness shewd what the great Men and Bishops aimed at and should in order have come in before but that it deserved so particular a consideration that I thought best to place it here by it self which was that upon passing of the Pâ—oviso for preserving the Rights and Priviledges of Parliaments made out of the Previous Votes It was excellently observ'd by the Earl of Bullingbrook a Man of great Abilitie and Learning in the Laws of the Land and perfectly stedfast in all good English Principles that though that Proviso did preserve the freedom of Debates and Votes in Parliament yet the Oath remain'd notwithstanding that Proviso upon all Men that shall take as a prohibition either by Speech or Writing or Address to endeavor any alteration in Religion Church or State nay also upon the Members of both Houses otherwise then as they speak and vote in
A LETTER From a Person of QUALITY To His FRIEND In the COUNTRY Printed in Year 1675. A Letter from a Person of Quality to His Friend in the Country SIR THis Session being ended and the Bill of the Test neer finished at the Committee of the whole House I can now give you a perfect Account of this STATE MASTER-PIECE It was first hatch't as almost all the Mischiefs of the World have hitherto been amongst the Great Church Men and is a Project of several Years standing but found not Ministers bold enough to go through with it unâ—il these new ones who wanting a better Bottom to support them beâ—ook themselves wholly to this which is no small Undertaking if you consider it in its whole Extent First to make a distinct Party from the rest of the Nation of the High Episcopal Man and the Old Cavalier who are to swallow the hopes of enjoying all the Power and Office of the Kingdom being also tempted by the advantage they may recieve from overthrowing the Act of Oblivion and not a little rejoycing to think how valiant they should prove if they could get any to fight the Old Quarrel over again Now they are possest of the Arms Foâ—ts and Ammunition of the Nation Next they design to have the Government of the Church Sworne to as Vnalterable and so Tacitely owned to be of Divine Right which though inconsistent with the Oath of Supremacy yet the Church Men easily break through all Obligations whatsoever to attain this Station the advantage of which the Prelate of Rome hath sufficiently taught the World Then in requital to the Crown they declare the Government absolute and Arbitrary and allow Monarchy as well as Episcopacy to be Iure Divino and not to be bounded or limited by humane Laws And to secure all this they resolve to take away the Power and opportunity of Parliaments to alter any thing in Church or State only leave them as an instrument to raise Money and to pass such Laws as the Court and Church shall have a mind to The Attempt of any other how necessary soever must be no less a Crime then Perjury And as the topstone of the whole Fabrique a pretence shall be taken from the Jealousies they themselves have raised and a real necessiâ—y from the smallness of their Partie to encrease and keep up a standing Army and then in due time the Cavalier and Church-man will be made greater fools but as errant Slaves as the rest of the Nation In order to this The first step was made in the Act for Regulating Corporations wisely beginning that in those lesser Governments whiâ—h they meant afterwards to introduce upon the Governâ—ent of the Nation and making them Swear to a Declaration and beleif of such propositions as themselves afterwards upon debate were enforced to alter and could not justifie in those words so that many of the Wealthyest Worthyest and Soberest Men are still kept out of the Magistracy of those places The next step was in the Act of the Militia which went for most of the cheifest Nobility and Gentry being obliged as Lord-Lieutenants Deputy-Lieutenants c. to Swear to the same Declaration and Belief with the addition only of these words In persuance of such Military Commissions which makes the Matter rather worse then better Yet this went down smoothly as an Oath in fashion a testimony of Loyalty and none adventuring freely to debate the matter the humor of the Age like a strong Tide carries Wise and good Men down before it This Act is of a piece for it establisheth a standing Army by a Law and swears Us into a Military Government Immediately after this Followeth the Act of Vniformity by which all the Clergy of England are obliged to subscribe and declare what the Corporations Nobility and Gentry had before Sworn but with this additional clause of the Militia Act omitted This the Clergy readily complyed with for you know That sort of Men are taught rather to obey then understand and to use that Learning they have to justify not to examine what their Superiors command And yet that Bartholomew day was fatal to our Church and Religion in throwing out a very great Number of Whorthy Learned Pious and Orthodox Divines who could not come up to this and other things in that Act And it is an Oath upon this occasion worâ—h your knowledg that so great was the Zeal in carrying on this Church affair and so blind was the Obedience required that if you compute the time of the passing this Act with the time allowed for the Clergy to subscribe the Book of Common Prayer thereby established you shall plainly find it could not be Printed and distributed so as one Man in forty could have seen and read the Book they did so perfectly Assent and Consent to But this Matter was not compleat until the Five Mile Act passed at Oxford wherein they take an opportunity to introduce the Oath in the terms they would have it This was then strongly opposed by the L. Treasurer Southampton Lord Wharton L. Ashley and others not only in the Concern of those poor Ministers that were so severely handled but as it was in it Self a most Unlawful and Unjustifyable Oath however the Zeal of that time against All Nonconformists easily passed the Act. This Act was seconded the same Sessions at Oxford by another Bill in the House of Commons to have imposed that Oath on the whole Nation and the Providence by which it was thrown out was very remarquable for Mr. Peregrine Bertie being newly chosen was that morning introduced into the House by his Brother the now Earl of Lindsey and Sir Tho. Osborn now L. Treasurer who all Three gave their Votes against that Bill and the Numbers were so even upon the division that their three Votes carried the Question against it But we owe that Right to the Earl of Lindsey and the Lord Treasurer as to acknowledg tâ—at they have since made ample Satisfaction for whatever offence they gave either the Church or Court in that Vote Thus our Church became Triumphant and continued so for divers years the dissenting Protestant being the only Enemy and therefore only persecuted whilest the Papists remained undisturbed being by the Court tâ—ought Loyal and by our Great Bishops not dangerous they differing only in Doctrine and Fundamentalls but as to the Government of the Church that was in their Religion in its highest Exaltation This Dominion continued unto them untill the L. Clifford a Man of a daring and ambitious spirit made his way to the cheif Ministery of Affairs by other and far different measures and took the opportunity of the War with Holland the King was then engaged in to propose the Declaration of Indulgence that the Dissenters of all sorts as well Protestants as Papists might be at rest and so vast a number of People not be made desperate at Home while the King was engaged with so potent an Enemy abroad This was no
sooner proposed but the E. of Shattsbury a Man as daring but more Able though of principles and interest Diametrically opposite to the other presently closed with it and perhaps the opportunity I have had by my conversation with them both who were Men of diversion and of free and open Discourses where they had a confidence may give you more light into both their Designs and so by consequence the aimes of their Parties then you will have from any other hand My L. Clifford did in express Terms tell me one day in private Discourse That the King if He would be firm to Himself might settle what Religion He pleased and carry the Government to what height He would for if Men were assured in the Liberty of their Conscienceâ— and undisturbed in their Properties able and upright Iudges made in Westminster-Hall to judg the Causes of Meum and Tuum and if on the Other hand the Fort of Tilbury was finished to bridle the City the Fort of Plymouth to secure the West and Armes for 2â—000 in each of these and in Hull for the Northern parts with some addition which might be easily and undiscernedly made to the Forces now on foot there were none that would have either Will Opportunity or Power to resist But he added withall he was so sincere in the maintenance of Propriety and Liberty of Conscience that if he had his Will though he should introduce a Bishop of Durham which was the Instance he then made that See being then vacant of another Religion yet he would not disturb any of the Church beside but suffer them to dye away and not let his change how hasty soever he was in it overthrow either of those principles and therefore desired he might be thought an honest Man as to his part of the Declaration for he meant it really The L. Shaftsbury with whom I had more freedom I with great assurance asked what he meant by the Declaration for it seemed to me as I then told him that it assumed a Power to repeal and suspend all our Laws to destroy the Church to overthrow the Protestant Religion and to tolerate Popery He replyed half angry That he wondered at my Objection there being not one of these in the Case For the King assumed no power of repealing Laws or suspending them contrary to the will of his Parliament or People and not to argue with me at that time the power of the King's Supremacy which was of anoâ—her nature then that he had in Civills and had been exercised without exception in this very case by His Father Grand Father and Queen Elizabeth under the Great Seal to Forreign Protestants become subjects of England nor to instance in the suspending the Execution of the two Acts of Navigation and Trade during both this and the last Dutch War in the same words and upon the same necessity and as yet without Clamour that ever we heard But to pass by all that this is certain a Government could not be supposed whether Monarchical or other of any sort without a standing Supream Executive power fully enabled to Mitigate or wholly to suspend the Execution of any penal Law in the Intervalls of the Legislative power which when assembled there was no doubt but wherever there lies a Negative in passing of a Law there the address or sense known of either of them to the contrary as for instance of either of our two Houses of Parliament in England ought to determine that Indulgence and restore the Law to its full execution For without this the Laws were to no purpose made if the Prince could annull them at pleasure and so on the other hand without a Power always in being of dispensing upon occasion was to suppose a constitution extreamly imperfect and unpracticable and to cure those with a Legislative power always in being is when considered no other then a perfect Tyranny As to the Church he conceived the Declaration was extreamly their Interest for the narrow bottom they had placed themselves upon and the Measures they had proceeded by so contrary to the Properties and Liberties of the Nation must needs in short time prove fatall to them whereas this led them into another way to live peaceably with the dissenting and differing Protestants both at home and abroad and so by necessary and unavoidable Consequences to become the Head of them all For that place is due to the Church of England being in favor and of neerest approach to the Most powerful Prince of that Religion and so always had it in their hands to be the Intercessors and Procurers of the greatest Good and Protection that partie throughout all Christendom can receive And thus the A. Bishop of Canterbury might become not only Alterius Orbis but Alterius Religionis Papa and all this addition of Honor and Power attaind without the least loss or diminution of the Church It not being intended that one living Dignity or Preferment should be given to Any but those that were strictly Conformable As to the Protestant Religion he told me plainly It was for the preserving of That and that only that he heartily joyned in the Declaration for besides that he thought it his Duty to have care in his Place and Station of those he was convinced were the People of God and feared Him though of different persuasions he also knew nothing else but Liberty and Indulgence that could possibly as our case stood secure the Protestant Religion in England and he beg'd me to consider if the Church of England should attain to a rigid blind and undistputed Conformity and that power of our Church should come into the hands of a Popish Prince which was not a thing so impossible or remote as not to be apprehended whether in such a case would not all the Armes and Artillery of the Government of the Church be turned against the prâ—sent Religion of it and should not all good Protestants tremble to think what Bishops such a Prince was like to make And whom those Bishops would condemn for Hereticks and that Prince might burn Whereas if this which is now but a Declaration might ever by the Experience of it gain the Advantage of becoming an Established Law the true Protestant Religion would still be kept up amongst the Cities Towns and Trading places and the Worthyest and Soberest if not the greatest part of the Nobility and Gentry and People As for the toleration of Popery he said It was a pleasant Objection since he could confidently say that the Papists had no advantage in the least by this Declaration that they did not as fully enjoy and with less noise by the favor of all the Bishops before It was the Vavity of the L. Keeper that they were named at all for the whole advantage was to the dissenting Protestants which were the only Men disturb'd before and yet he confest to me that it was his opinion and always had been that the Papists ought to have no other
reverence towards the Crown but they alleadged they were to be excused when all was concerned And without speaking thus plain it is refused to be understood and however happy we are now either in the present Prince or those we have in prospect yet the suppositions are not extravagant when we consider Kings are but Men and compassed with more temptations then others And as the Earl of Salisbury who stood like a Rock of Nobility and English Principles excellently replyed to the Lord Keeper who was pleased to term them remote Instances that they would not hereafter prove so when this Declaration had made the practise of them Justifiable These Arguments enforced the Lords for the Bill to a change of this part of the Declaration so that they agreed the second and thrid parts of it should run thâ—s And I do abhorr that Trayterous position of taking Armes against by His Authority against his Person or against those that are commissioned by Him according to Law in time of Rebellion or War acting in pursuance of such Commission Which mends the matter very little for if they mean the King's Authority and his lawful Commission to be two things and such as are capable of Opposition then it is as dangerous to are the Liberties of the Nation as when it run in the former words and we only cheaâ—ed by new Phrasing of it But if they understand them to be one and the same thing as really and truly they are then we are only to abhorr the Treason of the position of taking Armes by the King's Authority against the King's Authority because it is Non-sense and not practicable and so they had done little but confest that all the Clergy and many other Persons have been forced by former Acts of this present Parliament to make this Declaration in other words that now are found so far from being Justifiable that they are directly contrary to Magna Charta our Properties and the Establish'd Law and Government of the Nation The next thing in course was the Oath it self against which the Objection lay so plain and so strong at the first entrance Viz. That there was no care taken of the Doctrine but only the Discipline of the Church The Papists need not scruple the taking this Oath for Episcopacy remains in its greatest Lustre though the Popish Religion was introduced but the King's Supremacy is justled aside by this Oath and makes better room for an Ecclesiastical One in so much that with this and much more they were inforced to change their Oath and the next day bring it in as followeth I do swear that I will not endeavour to alter the Protestant Religion or the Government either of Church or State By this they thought they had salved all and now began to call their Oath A Security for the Protestant Religion and the only good design to prevent Popery if we should have a Popish Prince But the Countrey Lords wondred at their confidence in this since they had never thought of it before and had been but the last preceeding day of the Debate by pure Shame compell'd to to this Addition for it was not unknown to them that some of the Bishops themselves had told some of the Roman Catholick Lords of the House that care had been taken that it might be such an Oath as might not bear upon them But let it be whatever they would have it yet the Countrey Lords thought the addition was unreasonable and of as dangerous consequence as the rest of the Oath And it was not to be wondred at if the addition of the best things wanting the Authority of an express divine Institution should make an Oath not to endeavor to alter just so much worse by the addition For as the Earl of Shaftsbury very well urg'd that it is a far different thing to believe or to be fully persuaded of the truth of the Doctrine of Our Church and to swear never to endeavor to alter which last must be utterly unlawful unless you place an Infallibility either in the Church or Your Self you being otherwise obliged to alter when ever a clearer or better light comes to you and he desir'd leave to ask where are the Boundaries or where shall we find how much is meant by the Protestant Religion The Lord Keeper thinking he had now got an advantage with his usual Eloquence desires it might not be told in Gath nor published in the Streets of Askalon that a Lord of so greats Parts and 〈…〉 himself for the Church of England should not know what is meant by the Protestant Religion This was seconded with great pleasantness by Divâ—rs of the Lords the Bishops but the Bishop of Winchester and some others of them were pleased to condescend to instruct that Lord that the Protestant Religion was comprehended in 39 Articles the Liturgie the Catechisme the Homilies and the Canons To this the Earl of Shaftsbury replied that he begg'd so much Charity of them to believe that he knew the Protestant Religion so well and was so confirmed in it that he hoped he should burn for the witness of it if Providence should call him to it But he might perhaps think some things not necessary that they accounâ—ed Essential nay he might think some things not true or agreeable to the Scripture that they might call Doctrines of the Church Besides when he was to swear never to endeavor to alter it was certainly necessary to know how far the just extent of this Oath was but since they had told him that the Protestant Religion was in those 5 tracts he had still to ask whether they meant those whole Tracts were the Protestant Religion or only that the Protestant Religion was contained in all those but that every part of these was not the Protestant Religion If they meant the â—ormer of these then he was extreamly in the dark to find the Doctrine of Predestination in the 18. and 17. Art to be owned by so few great Doctors of the Church and to find the 19. Art to define the Church directly as the Independents do Besides the 20. Art staâ—ing the Authority of the Church is very dark and either contradicts it self or says nothing or what is contrary to the known Laws of the Land besides several other things in the 39 Articles have been Preached and Writ against by Men of great Favor Power and Preferment in the Church He humbly conceived the Liturgie was not so sacred being made by Men the other day and thought to be more differing from the dissenting Protestants and less easy to be complyd with upon the advantage of a pretense well known unto us all of making alterations as might the better unite us in stead whereof there is scarce one alteraâ—ion but widens the breach and no ordination allowâ—d by it here as it now stands last reformed in the Act of Vniformity but what is Episcopall in so much that a Popish Priest is capable when converted of any Church preferment
pressure laid upon them but to be made uncapable of Office Court or Armes and to pay so much as might bring them at least to a ballance with the Protestants for those chargable Offices they are lyable unto and concluded with this that he desired me seriously to weigh wheâ—her Liberty and Propriety were likely to be maintained long in a Countrey like Ours where Trade is so absolutely necessary to the very being as well as prosperity of it and in this Age of the World if Articles of Faith and Matters of Religion should become the only accessible ways to our Civil Rights Thus Sir You have perhaps a better account of the Declaration then you can receive from any other hand and I could have wisht it a longer continuance and better Reception then it had for the Bishops took so great Offence at it that they gave the Alarum of Popery through the whole Nation and by their Emissaries the Clergy who by the Connexture and Subordination of their Government and their being posted in every Parish have the Advantage of a quick dispersing their Orders and a sudden and universal Insinuation of whatever they please raised such a cry that those good and sober Men who had really long feared the Encrease and continuance of Popery had hitherto received began to believe the Bishops were in earnest their Eyes opened though late and therefore joyned in heartily with them so that at the next meeting of Parliament the Protestants Interest was run so high as an Act came up from the Commons to the H. of Lords in favor of the dissenting Protestants and had passed the Lords but for want of time Besides another excellent Act passed the Royal Assent for the Excluding all Papists from Office in the Opposition of which the L. Treasurer Clifford fell and yet to prevent his ruine this Sessions had the speedier End Notwithstanding the Bishops attain'd their Ends fully the Declaration being Cancelled and the great Seal being broken off from it The Parliament having passed an Act in favor of the Dissenters and yet the sense of both Houses sufficiently declared against all Indulgence but by Act of Parliament Having got this Point they used it at first with seeming Moderation there were no general Directions given for prosecuting the Non-conâ—ormists but here and there some of the most Confiding Justices were made use of to try how they could receive the Old Persecution for as yet the Zeal raised against the Papists was so great that the worthyest and soberest of the Episcopal party thought it necessary to unite with the dissenting Protestants and not to divide their Party when all their Forces were little enough In this posture the Sessions of Parliament that began Oct. 27. 1673. tound Matters which being suddenly broken up did nothing The next Sessions which began Ian 7. following the Bishops continued their Zeal against the Papists and seem'd to carry on in joyning with the Countrey Lords many excellent Voâ—es in order to a Bill as in particular That the Princes of the Blood-Royal should all Marry Protestants and many others but their favor to dissenting Protestants was gone and they attempted a Bargain with the Countrey Lords with whom they then joyned not to promote any thing of that nature except the bill for taking away Assent and Consent and renouncing the Covenant This Session was no sooner ended without doing any thing but the whole Clergy were instructed to declare that there was now no more danger of the Papists The Phanatique for so they call the dissenting Protestant is again become the only dangerous Enemy and the Bishops had found a Scoth Lord and two new Ministers or rather Great Officers of England who were desperate and rash enough to put their Masters business upon so narrow and weak a bottom and that old Covenanter Lauderdale is become the Patron of the Church and has his Coach and table fil'd with Bishops The Keeper and the Treasurer are of a just size to this affair for it is a certain rule with the Church Men to endure as seldom as they can in business Men abler then themselves But his Grace of Scotland was least to be executed of the Three for having fall'n from Presbitery Protestaant Religion and all principles of Publick good and private friendship and become the Slave of Clifford to carry on the Ruine of all that he had professed to support does now also quit even Clifford's generous Principles and betake himself to a soâ—t of Men that never forgive any Man the having once been in the right and such Men who would do the worst of things by the worst of means enslave their country and betray them under the mask of Religion which they have the publick Pay for and charge off so seething the Kid in the Mothers milk Our Statesmen and Bishops being now as well agreed as in Old Land's time on the same principles with the same passion to attain their end they in the first place give orders to the Judges in all their Circuits to quicken the Execution of the Laws against Dissenters a new Declaration is published directly contrary to the former most in words against the Papists but in the Sense and in the close did fully serve against both and in the Execution it was plain who were meant A Commission besides comes down directed to the principal Gentlemen of each country to seize the Estates of both Papists and Phanatiques mentioned in a Liâ—t annexed wherein by great misfortune or skill the Names of the Papists of best quality and fortune and so best known were mistaken and the Commission render'd ineffectual as to them Besides this the great Ministers of State did in their common publick assure the partie that all the places of Profit Command and Trust should only be given to the old Cavalier no Man that had served or been of the contrary Party should be left in any of them And a direction is issued to the Great Ministers before mentioned and Six or seven of the Bishops to meet at Lambeth-House who were like the Lords of the Articles in Scotland to prepare their compleat Modell for the ensuing Session of Parliament And now comes this memorable Session of Aprill 13. 75. then which never any came with more expectation of the Court or dread and apprehension of the People the Officers Court Lords and Bishops were clearly the major Vote in the Lords House and they assured themselves to have the Commons as much at their dispose when they reckoned the number of the Courtiers Officers Pensioners encreased by the addition of the Church and Cavalier party besides the Address they had made to Men of the best quality there by hopes of Honor great employment and such things as would take In a word the French King's Ministers who are the great Chapmen of the World did not out-doe ours at this time and yet the over ruling hand of God has blown upon their Politicks and the Nation is escaped this