in with the puritans, greatly oppreffed on

ac

will appear in the eyes of moft, in this age, as very trifling and infignificant, and very unworthy of the attention which was formerly paid it. They were a ftiff kind of men, many of them, of both fides; of weak capacities or uninform'd understandings; who impos'd unreasonably, and refifted obftinately. But on the behalf of the puritans, it must be obferv'd that they always pretended confcience for their nonconformity, and, probably, as they were very great fufferers, they were fincere. This recommended them, as well as their regular behaviour, to the favour of the friends of civil liberty, and the lovers of virtue. Thefe gentlemen, probably, faw many of their weakneffes, but they approv'd their honefty and integrity, us'd their intereft to bring them out of trouble, and generously help'd them in their difficulties. Another thing there was, which added not a little to their worth in the eyes of many of the most confiderable perfons of thofe times, namely, an adherence to the doctrinal articles of the church of England, in the fenfe of the compilers, and a ftrong averfion to popery. The gentry then read and wrote books of religious controverfy, and very many of them became converts to their party.- -But however, this is certain, the puritans were fufferers; fufferers for confcientiously refusing to practise things which, in the opinion of their adverfaries, were of no worth or value; fufferers from men who pretended to be rulers and governors in a Proteftant church, whofe doctrines they dif own'd in many points; and fufferers from men whose pride, ambition, avarice, and cruelty had render'd them odious to the people in general, as well as to wife and confiderate men. These perfons here meant were courtprelates, in the times of James and Charles I.

Such as for their bellies fake Creep, and intrude, and climb into the fold.

Of

account of their nonconformity, and appear'd

Of other care they little reck'ning make,
Than how to fcramble at the fhearers feaft,
And fhove away the worthy bidden guest.

as

Blind mouths! that scarce themselves know how to hold
A fheep-hook, or have learn'd ought elfe the leaft
That to the faithful herdsman's art belongs!
What recks it them? what need they? They are fped;
And when they lift, their lean and flashy songs
Grate on their scrannel pipes of wretched ftraw;
The hungry fheep look up, and are not fed,
But fwoln with wind, and the rank mift they draw,
Rot inwardly, and foul contagion spread;
Befides what the grim wolf with privy paw
Daily devours apace, and nothing faid.

MILTON.

This is not meerly a poetical exaggeration. Soon after these lines were written, a polite writer, who declares himself no puritan, fpeaks of thefe bifhops in the following terms. The more our prelates enjoy, the more ftill they feek; and all our three kingdoms are grown fo fick of their pride, injuftice, and pragmatical faction, that scarce any remedy but blood-letting can cure them. We find in Scripture the most • high and holy offices of religion performed by princes, even amongit and above the greatest of priests; but ⚫ we scarce find any inftance at all where priests inter• medled with any ftate affairs, either above or under princes: and yet with us now the employing and entrufting of clergymen in temporal bufinefs, is held as politick as it was in the times of popery: although no <time could ever juftly boaft of that ufe. But to pass • over temporal bufineffes, how violently have our bi⚫ shops been in their own canons about ceremonies, and • indifferencies? and what disturbance hath that violence produced? They ftrive as for the beauty and glory of religion, to bring in the fame forms of liturgy, the fame posture of the communion-table, the fame gefture at the communion, &c. in all our three • do

6

as their advocate both in the country and the

par

⚫ dominions; as if uniformity were always beautiful : and yet we see all men are created with several faces, voices, and complexions, without any deformity to the universe.'-This is a fine thought, and has been frequently made ufe of by our best advocates for toleration. The fame writer, fpeaking of the fame men, afferts that in the high commiffion, at the council table, in the ftar chamber, and the chequer, churchmen are now more active than in their own confiftories, and < yet their ambition further aims (as 'tis faid) to the chanC cery, court of requests, &c. which could not chufe to redound to the fcandal of religion, the obstruction of juftice, and vexation of the fubject. If there were not learned and skilful men enough in policy and law to ferve the King, unlefs divinity were depriv'd of ' fome of her followers, there were fome feeming umbrage why the King might borrow of God; but when God's more holy office is neglected, that the King's be the worse adminiftred, the world much gazes and wonders at it (e).' We may naturally 36. 4to. Lond. prin- enough imagine men thus ambitious of power and wealth ted for Ro- were not overftocked with real religion! and we may, bert Bof- with like probability, conclude that pretences to conscience in their eyes had but an odd and ridiculous appearance! and confequently that the perfons who made ufe of them to juftify their oppofition to their injunctions would fare little the better for them. I will not enter here into the particulars of the hardships and oppreffions which the puritans underwent from the prelates, and the high hand which was carried by these latter over all who oppofed them. I have given a sketch of (f) Hifto- it elsewhere, and must refer fuch as may be uninform'd thither (). However, the following fhort litany may count of the not be unacceptable even to those who are beft acquainted with their tranfactions. It fhews their behaviour, and the fenfe men then had of it.

(e) Difcourfe concerning Puritans, p.

tock, 1641.

rical and

critical ac

Life of

Charles I. P. 222.

meaner may

A

parliament; that he cenfur'd and oppos'd

A Short LETA NIE.

the

From this prelatical pride and their lordly dignities;
From all their fuperftitious vanities, and Popish cere-

monies;

From their late innovations and mifchievous policies; From the curfed oath ex officio, and high commiffion cruelties;

From their Romish clergy, and the peoples unfufferable miferies;

From their greedy gainful vifitations, and the churchwardens enforced perjuries;

From their moft corrupt courts, and their vexing flaveries;

From all their fruitless fhadows, and hypocritical formalities;

From their hatred and malice against Christ's appointed ordinances;

From their needlefly devifed and troublesome conformities;

From all their illegal proceedings, and oppreffing ty

rannies ;

From their finful fynods, and all their papal hierarchy;

From Abaddon and Apollyon, with their priests, jefuits, their favourites, and all their furious blafphemers; Good Lord, deliver us (g).

(g) Short View of the prelatical From this little fatyr appears how ill beloved, yea church of hated, these men were, how tyrannical and cruel they England, p. were deem'd! To oppose these then must have been 39. 4to. meritorious; to fcreen fuch as were opprefs'd by them, humane and charitable. Cromwell did this as much as lay in his power. When the puritans were like to come into trouble, he would attend on Dr. Williams, bishop lips's Life of (b) See Philof Lincoln, at Bugden, and speak in their behalf (). Williams, What his fuccefs was appears not: probably but small, P. 29. 8vo. Cambridge for Williams being joftled out of favour by the arts of 1700.

E

Laud,

1

the court-prelates; and even preferr'd freedom in a foreign land (M) to the flavery and oppreffion

Laud, and Buckingham, to the latter of whom he had been a fervile tool, was fearful of fhewing favour, left his adverfary might get a farther advantage over him.— In the parliament 1628, we find Cromwell in a com⚫mittee concerning the pardons granted by the King [Charles] fince the laft feffion, to certain perfons queftioned in parliament. And we are told that he inform'd the houfe what countenance the bishop of Winchefter did give to fome perfons that preached flat popery, and mentioned the perfons by name, and how by this bifhop's means, Manwaring (who by cenfure the laft parliament, was difabled for ever holding any ecclefiaftical dignity in the church, and confeffed the juftice of that cenfure) is nevertheless preferred to a rich living. If these be the fteps to church-preferworth's Col-ment (faid he) what may we expect (i)?' But these lections, vol. efforts of his, as well as of the greatest and best men i. p. 655. folio. Lond, in the house of commons, were ineffectual. They were protected by Charles, who would rather diffolve a parliament, than degrade a court-prerogative-bishop.

(i) Rush

1659.

.

(M) He preferr'd freedom in a foreign land to the flavery and oppreffion which were continually increasing at home.] Charles I. and his minifters were bent on introducing uniformity in religion, and defpotifm in the ftate. They met with oppofition in parliaments-and therefore parliaments for a long courfe of years were laid afide. Private perfons fpoke and wrote againft the meafures purfued; but they got nothing for their pains but fines, imprifonments, or barbarous corporal punishments. The courts of law indeed were open-but they were properly the King's courts. The prerogative was what they maintain'd and enlarged to the utmoft of their power, and no man had a chance to fucceed in them, who would not fubmit to it. In fhort, the judges declared in effect that the King's will was law, and that the property of the fubject, was indeed his. After Hampden's

ftand