APPENDIX A. CHAPTER I. CAUSES THAT PROMOTED THE SETTLEMENT OF NEW-ENGLAND. We We have noticed the character of James I. the promise he made to the Kirk of Scotland at his accession to the throne of England-"That he would spend the last drop of his blood before he would change their religion, and charged them to stand to their purity, and gave public thanks to God that he had left both kirk and kingdom in that state which he intended not to alter in any ways, his subjects living in peace and prayed that if any of his issue should maintain any other religion than this his own, that God would take them out of the world." have witnessed the imperious and tyrannical character of James upon his accession to the throne of England, surrounded with an imperious Hierarchy, clothed with all the despotic powers of the Courts of Star-Chamber and High Commission. We have witnessed the cruel and vindictive persecu. tions that he tolerated, (to say the least of it,) against the Puritan Church, both in England and Scotland, and his final attempt to subvert the Kirk of Scotland, by introducing the Church of England with all its Hierarchy, under a pretence of establishing a uniformity of worship in the two kingdoms. We have witnessed the sufferings of the Puritan Church, their voluntary banishment in support of the religion of their hearts, particularly that of the little colony under the pastoral care of the Rev. John Robinson, who removed first to Holland, and thence to New-England, in North America. We have witnessed the sufferings of this band of brothers in their passage to America, in the distresses of their first winter's residence, and in their intercourse with the savages of that howling wilderness. We have witnessed the protecting hand of God towards this his little church in the wilderness, in all their wonderful preservations and deliverances. We have witnessed also, the great and powerful instruments God was pleased to raise up from time to time, to carry forward his great work of planting his true church in this modern Canaan, this wilderness of the west. We have fully surveyed the causes that led to this glorious event; we will now pursue the subject, and consider the same train of causes that God was pleased to continue, to carry forward his work, and build up his little church in the wilderness. In 1625, Charles I. son of James I. succeeded to the throne of his father, and upon his first accession to the throne, he married Henrietta-Maria, daughter of Henry IV. king of France, who was a bigotted Catholic, and a splendid woman. Charles inherited the high prerogative principles of his father, and the same bitterness against the Puritans; these comported exactly with the principles of the queen, and their united influence fixed the destinies of this reign. Charles committed the primacy of his kingdom, first to the Duke of Buckingham, who was a splendid courtier, but no statesman; and upon his death he committed it to Bishop Laud, who was no courtier, but a vindictive ecclesiastical bigot, who favoured the high prerogative principles of the king, and hated the Puritans. Under this administration, the severities of the Courts of Star-Chamber and High Commission, (which were very much softened down, under the primacy of Arch-Bishop Abbot,) were again renewed, and became worse than the Romish Inquisition. The following specimen of the character of Arch-Bishop Laud, (then Bishop of London,) may lead to clearer views of the character of this reign, and the trials of the Puritan Church. When the Arch-Bishop Abbot, had close the coronation of King Charles I. by placing the crown upon his head, Bishop Laud approached the king with this extraodinary address. "Stand, and hold fast, from henceforth the place to which you have been heir by the succession of your forefathers, being now delivered to you by the authority of Almighty God, and by the hands of us, and all the bishops, and servants of God. And as you see the clergy to come nearer the altar than others, so remember that in all places convenient you give them greater honour, that the Mediator of God and man, may establish you in the kingly throne, to be a mediator between the clergy and laity, that you may reign forever with Jesus Christ, the King of kings, and Lord of lords." With this view of the character of this reign, let us pursue the history of the Puritan Church. At this time, a controversy sprang up between the Armenians and Calvinists, "upon the possibility of the elect's falling from grace," which occasioned some warmth, and bitterness; the king interfered and put down the controversy by the following proclamation. "That the king will admit no innovations in the doctrine, discipline, or government of the Church, and therefore charges all his subjects, and especially the clergy, not to publish or maintain, in preaching or writing, any new inventions or opinions contrary to the received doctrine or discipline, established by law, assuring them that his Majesty will proceed against all offenders of this order, with all that severity their contempt shall deserve," &c. This order became a new instrument of oppression in the hands of Laud. Amidst these scenes of ecclesiastical persecution, a new rod of tyranny sprang up. Charles had dismissed his first parliament before they had granted him supplies to carry on the Spanish war, in which he was then engaged, and he had levied assessments by way of loan, upon the wealthy gentlemen of his kingdom, with promissory notes for the payment in 18 months; at the expiration of the time the notes were not paid, and the king was constrained to continue the loans; but they were not to be obtained. This opened the way for a stretch of arbitrary power, that was terrible to the subjects of a free government. Characters of the first distinction for wealth and respectability were torn from their families and friends, and imprisoned in remote parts of the kingdom, or on board the fleet, at the command of the king, in order to force from them the loans required. Knights, Esquires and Gentlemen, became the subjects of this moneyed persecuVOL. I. 52 tion; this joined to the religious persecution, opened a scene of distress in the nation, that drove out the best blood of the kingdom to join the pilgrims in America. Thus we see how God makes use of his own means to accomplish his own ends, and how the distresses in England were overruled for the promotion of the Puritan cause, to people this modern Canaan, and build up the little church in the wilderness. At this time it became the intention of the king to call a Parliament, which gave rise to the following letter from a Jesuit in England, to his friend, the Rector of the College in Brussels. "Let not the damp of astonishment seize upon your ardent and zealous soul, in apprehending the unexpected call of a Parliament, we (the Papists) have not opposed; but rather favoured it. You must acknowledge the council is engaged to assist the king by the way of prerogative, in case the Parliament fail. You shall see this Parliament will resemble the pelican, who takes pleasure with her beak, to dig out her own bowels. "The electors have been in such confusion, and apparent faction, as that we were wont to procure with much art and industry, when the Spanish match was in treaty. "We have now many strings to our bow, and have strongly fortified our faction, and have added two bulwarks more, for when King James lived, he was very violent against Armenianism and interrupted our designs in Holland.-Now we have planted that sovereign drug Armenianism, which we hope will purge the Protestants from their heresy, and it flourishes and bears fruit in due season. "The materials that build up our bulwark, are the projectors, and beggars of all ranks and qualities; however, both these factions co-operate to destroy the Parliament, and to introduce a new species of government, which is Oligarchy. These serve as mediums and instruments to our end, which is the Universal Catholic Church, and Monarchy; our foundation must be mutation, and mutation will cause a relaxation. "We proceed now by counsel and mature deliberation, how and when to work upon the Duke's (Buckingham) jealousy and revenge; and in this, we give the honour to those who merit it, which are the Catholics of the Church. There is another matter of consequence which we must take much into our consideration, and tender care, which is to stave the Purijans off, that they may not hang in the Duke's ears. They are an impudent, subtle people, and it is to be feared lest they should negociate a reconciliation between the Duke and the Parliament, at Oxford and Westminster; but now we assure ourselves that we have so handled the matter, that both the Duke and Parliament are irreconcilable. "For the better prevention of the Puritans, the Armenians have already locked up the Duke's ears, and we have those of our own religion, (Catholics,) who stand continually at the Duke's chamber, to see who goes in and out. We cannot be too circumspect on this account, and I cannot but laugh to see how some of our own coat have accoutred themselves; and 'tis admirable how in speech and gesture, they act the Puritans. The Cambridge scholars, to their woful experience shall see, that we can act the Puritans a little better than they have done the Jesuits. They have abused our sacred patron in jest; but we will make them smart in earnest. "But to return to the main fabrick, our foundation is Armenianism; the Armenians and Projectors affect mutation, this we second and enforce with all probable arguments. We shew how the king may free himself of his word, and raise a vast revenue, without being beholden to his subjects, by way of excise. Then our church Catholics shew the means how to settle the excise, which must be by a mercenary army of foreigners and Germans; their horse will eat up the country when they come, though they be well paid, but much more if they be not paid. We hope to dissolve trade, to hinder the building of shipping, and to take away the merchant ships, &c. in short it is our design to work up the Protestants as well as the Catholics, to welcome a conqueror." Here is the key to the whole mystery; the Puritans were the only bar to the restoration of Popery; this part of the plan failed; the conqueror appeared, but not according to the |