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cular Cafes, and upon particular neceffary Rea- 1686. fons. Thirdly, That of thofe Reafons and Neceffities the King is the fole Judge; and which is a Confequence thereupon, Fourthly, That this is not a Trust invested in, or granted to the King, but the ancient Remains of the Soveraign Power of the Kings of England, which never was yet taken from them, nor can be. Thus it fignified little to the Nation, that the Majority of their Law-makers remain'd firm and unfhaken, whilft thofe Men, whofe Office it was to keep the Laws uncorrupted, profituted them to the ambitious Luft of the Prince. And now this mighty Point being gain'd, the Papists were not wanting in improving it to their own Advantage. The free and open Exercife of their Religion was fet up everywhere; and Jefuit Schools and Semina- Growth of ries erected not only in London, but alfo in the Popery. moft confiderable Towns. The Church of England had now but a precarious Title to the National Church, and began to fee the impending Dangers, which the flavifh Complaifance of fome few of her Members had drawn upon the whole Body. Romish Candidates had fwallow'd up Ecclefiaftick Preferments and Dignities already in their Hopes; Four Roman Catholick Bishops were publickly Confecrated in the Royal Chappel, and dif patch'd down, under the Title of Vicars Apoftolical, to exercise their Epifcopal Functions in their refpective Dioceffes; their Paftoral Letters, directed to the Lay-Catholicks of England, were openly difpers'd up and down, and printed by the King's own Printer, with publick License; the Regular Clergy appear'd in their Habits at White-Hall, and St. James's, and made no Scruple to tell the Proteftants, They hop'd in a little time to walk in Proceffion through Cheapfide. A mighty Harveft of new Converts was now expected; and that Labourers might not be wanting, Shoals of Priefts and Regulars were fent over from beyond Sea to reap it. In fhort, the only Step to Preferment was to be of the King's Religion, fince all important Affairs were manag'd in the Privy Council by the Earl of Powis, the Lords Arundel, Bellafis and Do

ver,

1686. ver, the Earls of Tyrconnel, Caftelmain and Peterbo rough, who all profefs'd the Romish Perswasion, and by Edward Petre, Clerk of the Clofet, and Father-Confeffor to His Majefty.

Order against Preachers.

The King's Belides the Difpenfing Power, another Project was Letter to fet on Foot to advance the Romish Caufe, which was the Bishops. an Order by way of Letter,directed to the Proteftant Bithops, ti difcharge all their inferiour Clergy from Preaching upon controverted Points in Divinity, and which in effect was forbidding them to defend their Religion in the Pulpit, when it was at the fame time attack'd by the Romish Prients, with all the Vigour they were capable of; and their Sermons and other Difcourfes printed by Authority. This Order was taken from a Precedent in Queen Mary's time; for the first Step the made to reftore Popery, (notwithstanding her Promiles to the Gentlemen of Suffolk and Norfolk to the contrary, upon their appearing firft of any for her Intereft) was to iffue out a Proclamation, forbidding the Preaching upon controverted Points of Religion; for fear, it was faid, of railing Animofities among the People. But this enfnaring Letter of King James was fo far from being regarded, that the major and foundest part of the Proteftant Clergy, redoubled now their pious Efforts to vindicate the Orthodoxy of the Church of England, and to expofe the Errors of Rome, both in their Sermons and Writings, with fuch Foice of Reafoning, and in fuch a Perfwafive Stile, as are only peculiar to Truth.

The Eccle

1686.

To flop the Progrefs of thefe Apoftolical Chamfiaftical pions of the Church of England, King James Commifion, granted a Commiffion of Ecclefiastical Affairs, which Aug. 3. yet was not open'd till the 3d of August, 1686. tho' it had been feal'd fome Months before. It was directed to the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Jefferies, Lord Chancellor of England, the Earl of Rochester, the Earl of Sunderland, the Bifhops of Durham and Rochester, and the Lord Chief Juftice Herbert, or any Three of them, whereof the Lord Chancellor was always to be one; devolving the whole Care of Spiritual Affairs upon

them

them, in the largest Extent that ever had been known in England. By it they had Power to regulate all Matters, and correct and punish all Abufes. To make new Laws, to reform or abolish any ancient Conftitution, notwithstanding any Priviledges, Exemptions, Rights or Customs whatsoever; and all the Acts were to pafs under a peculiar Seal, in the Cuftody of Mr. Bridgeman their Secretary, with this Infcription, Sigillum Regie Majefta tis ad Caufas Ecclefiafticas, The Royal Seal for Ecclefiaftical Caufes. The Archbishop of Canterbury refus'd to act in it from the beginning; and the Bifhop of Rochester, tho' a great Courtier, excus'd himfelf affoon as he came to understand that it was levell'd against the Proteftant Religion.

1686.

That the World may know upon what Foun- Foundation dation, or rather Pretence, this Ecclefiaftical Court of the Ecwas erected, it must be obferv'd, that before an clefiaftical Act made in the firft Year of Queen Elizabeth's Commiffion. Reign, all Ordinaries and Ecclefiaftical Judges ought to have proceeded according to the Cenfures of the Church, and could not in any Cafe have punifh'd any Delinquent, by Fines or Imprisonment, without Parliamentary Authority. But by virtue of a Branch of the faid Act, which reffor'd to the Crown the ancient Ecclefiaftical Jurifdiction, Queen Elizabeth, to restrain the Growth of Popery, and to countenance the Church of England, let up a High-Commiffion-Court. Now because the Commithioners did proceed in all Cafes to Fine, Imprifon, and Opprefs, not only Popish Recufants, but alfo other Diffenters; therefore for Repreffing vindicatiSee The and Preventing of the aforefaid Abuses, Mischief's on of the and Inconveniencies, the Parliament in the Seven- Ecclefiateenth Year of Charles I. repeal'd the faid Branch, fticalComforbidding all Ecclefiaftical Judges to proceed to Fine miffioners, Imprifon the King's Subjects, or tender the Oath printed in ex Officio.

or

The High-Commiffion-Court being thus put down, it was concluded by the Papifts and Diffenters, that all ordinary Jurifdiction was taken from the Archbishops, Bishops, Vicar-Generals, or any other

Per

1688.

1686. Perfons exerciling Spiritual Jurifdiction, by any Grant or Commulion of the King's Majefty; but it was declar'd and enacted (13 Carol. 2. c. 12.) That neither the faid Ac, (of 17 Car. 1.) nor any thing therein contain'd, does, or shall take away any fuch ordinary Power or Authority; but that they may Proceed, Determine, Sentence, Execute, and Exercife all manner of Ecclefiaftical Jurifdiction, and all Cenfures and Coercions appertaining and belonging to the fame, before the making of the Act, (17 C.I.) in all Caufes and Matters belonging to Ecclefiaftical Jurifdiction, according to the King's Majefty's Ecclefiaftial Laws, ufed and practis'd in this Realm.

From this Act (13 Car. II.) the Popish Party inferr'd, That there was no other Power taken from the Ecclefiaftical Commiffioners, than that of Fining, Imprifoning, or tendering the Oath ex Officio; That fo much was fupprefs'd by 17 Car. I. and no more; That an Ecclefiaftical Court exercifing this Power was put down, and the erecting the like for time to come trictly forbidden; but that the Court now fet up by King James, was not like to that, fince it pretended not to Fine, or Imprifon, or tender the Oath ex Officio, but kept within the Bounds of Ecclefiaftick Cenfures. Nay, they did not ftick to averr, That the Court beld by His Majefties Ecclefiaftical Commiffioners, was more legal than Doctors-Commons, and the Bishops Courts, the first being in the King's Name, the others in the Archbishops and Bishops Name only. Thus the Papifts, fupported by a King of their Religion, beat the Proteftants with their own Weapons, and made ufe against them of thofe very Statutes which were chiefly intended to discountenance Popery. But to purfue my Narrative, these Ecclefiaftical Commiflioners were directed by the Court to exercise their new Authority with the Character Sufpenfion of Dr. Compton, Lord-Bishop of London. of the Bi- This Prelate, by his diffufive Charity, and wife fhop of Conduct, had gain'd the Love and Efteem of all London. the Proteftant Churches both at home and abroad; and contented with that Diftinction which his noble Birth, and his eminent Station gave him, had difdain'd thofe mean and fervile Arts, where

by

by fome other Clergymen had recommended them- 1686. felves to the King's Favour,; all which made him the Mark of the Envy and Hatred of the Romish Party at Court. Befides, the King had a particular Pique against this Reverend Prelate upon the following Account: When the Lords, in the laft Parliament had voted an Addrefs of Thanks to His Majefty, for his Speech, he mov'd in his own, and the other Bifhops Name, that the House might debate the King's Speech; which as it was extraordinary and unufual in the House, for the Clergy to thwart the Court; fo it was no lefs furprizing to the King, who now dreaded the Lords would concurr with the Commons in their Addrefs, and conftrued this Step to be a piece of unpardonable Prefumption in the Bifhop. Nothing therefore was wanting, but an Occation to ennoble the Ecclefiaftical Commiffion with the Sacrifice of this illu- Proceedftrious Prelate; and fuch an Occafion was rather ings againft him and taken than given in the Bufinefs of Dr. Sharp, at that time Rector of St. Giles's, and now Archbishop of York.

Dr. Sharp.

The Romish Priefts about the King had prevail'd with His Majefty to fend to theProteftant Bishops the Letter or Order, already mention'd, containing Directions about Preachers. Dr. Sharp, a learned Divine, and principally admir'd for his great Talents for the Pulpit, and eafie, tho' manly Eloquence, taking Occafion in fome of his Sermons to vindicate the Church of England, in Oppofition to the Frauds and Corruptions of Popery; this, by the Court Emiffaries was interpreted to be, the endea vouring to beget in the Minds of his Hearers an ill 0pinion of the King and his Government, by infinuating Letter to Fears and Jealoufies to difpofe them to Difcontent, and the Bishop to lead them into Difobedience, Schifm and Rebellion; of London, and confequently, a Contempt of the Order about june 14. Preachers. Whereupon the King fent a Letter to 1686. the Bishop of London, containing an Order to Sufpend Dr. Sharp from Preaching in any Parish or Chappel in his Diocefs, until the Doctor had given Satisfaction, and His Majefties further Pleasure fhould be known. The Bishop of London perceiving

what

The King's

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