The History of the Puritans, Or Protestant Non-conformists

1. which relates to the rise and progress of the civil war; here the writers on both sides have blown up their passions into a flame, and instead of history, have given us little else but panegyric or satire. I have endeavored to avoid extremes, and have represented things as they appeared to me, with modesty, and without any personal reflections. The character I have given of the religious principles of the LONG PARLIAMENT was designedly taken out of the earl of Clarendon's History of the GRAND REBELLION, that it might be without exception: and I am of opinion, that the want of a due acquaintance with the principles of the two houses with regard to church discipline, has misled our best historians, who have represented some of them as zealous prelatists, and others as cunning presbyterians, independents, sectaries, &e. whereas in truth they had these matters very little at heart. The king was hampered with notions of the divine right of diocesan episcopacy, but the two houses [excepting the bishops] were almost to a man of the principles of ERASTUS, who maintained, that Christ and his apostles had prescribed no particular form of discipline for his church in after ages, but had left the keys in the hands of the civil magistrate, who had the sole power of punishing transgressors, and of appointing such particular forms of church government from time to time, as were most subservient to the peace and welfare of the commonwealth. Indeed these were the sentiments of our church reformers, from archbishop Cranmer down to Bancroft. And though the puritans in the reign of Queen Elizabeth wrote with great eagerness for the divine right of their book of discipline, their posterity in the next reigns were more cool upon that head, declaring their satisfaction, if the present episcopacy might be reduced to a more primitive standard. This was the substance of the ministers' petition in the year 1641, signed with seven hundred hands. And even those who were for ROOT and BRANCH were willing to submit to a parliamentary reformation, till the Scots revived the notion of divine right in the assembly of divines. However, it is certain, the TWO HOUSES had no attachment to presbytery or independency, but would have compromised matters with the king upon the episcopal scheme, as long as his majesty was in the field; but when victory had declared on their side, they complied in some measure with their northern friends, who had assisted them in the war; but would never part with the power of the KEYS out of their own hands. If the reader will keep this in mind, he will easily account for the several revolutions of church government in these unsettled times.

It is not to be expected, that the most disinterested writer of these affairs should escape the censures of different parties; I thought I had already sufficiently expressed my intentions in publishing the History of the Puritans; but because it has been insinuated in a late pamphlet, that it looked like a plot against the ecclesiastical constitution,* I think it proper to assure the world once for all, that what I have written is with no ill spirit or design against the peace of the church or nation; that I have no private or party views; no patron; no associates; nor other prospect of reward, than the pleasure of setting_the English reformation in a true light, and of beating down some of the

fences and inclosures of conscience. Nor can there be any inconvenienee in remembering the mistakes of our ancestors, when all the parties concerned are gone off the stage, and their families reconciled by intermarriages; but it may be of some use and benefit to mankind, by enabling them to avoid those rocks on which their forefathers have split. When I am convinced of any mistakes, or unfair representations, I shall not be ashamed to retract them before the world; but FACTS are stubborn things, and will not bend to the humors and inclinatious of artful and angry men; if these have been disguised or misreported, let them be set right in a decent manner, without the mean surmises of plots and confederacies; and whoever does it, shall have mine as well as the thanks of the public.

I have no controversy with the present church of England, which has abandoned, in a great measure, the persecuting principles of former times; for though I am not unacquainted with the nature and defects of religious establishments, yet neither my principles nor inclinations will allow me to give them the least disturbance, any further than they impose upon conscience, or intrench upon the rights of civil society If the presbyterians or independents have been guilty of such practices in their turns, I shall freely bear my testimony against them, and think I may do it with a GOOD GRACE, since I have always declared against restraints upon conscience among all parties of christians ;* but if men will vindicate the justice and equity of oaths ex officio, and of exorbitant fines, imprisonment, and banishment, for things in their own nature indifferent; if they will call a relation of the illegal severities of council-tables, star-chambers, and high-commissions. A SATIRE AGAINST THE PRESENT ESTABLISHMENT, they must use their liberty, as I shall mine, in appearing against ecclesiastical oppression, from what quarter soever it comes.

I have freely censured the mistakes of the puritans in queen ELIZABETH's reign, nor will I be their advocate any longer than they have scripture, reason, and some degree of good manners on their side. If it shall at any time appear, that the body of them lived in contempt of all lawful authority, or bid defiance to the laws of their country, except in such cases wherein their consciences told them, It was their duty to obey God rather than man; if they were guilty of rebellion, sedition, or of abandoning the queen and the protestant religion, when it was in danger, let them bear their own reproach; but as yet I must be of opinion, that they were the best friends of the constitution and liberties of their country; that they were neither unquiet nor restless, unless against tyranny in the state, and oppression upon the conscience; that they made use of no other weapons during a course of fourscore years, but prayers to God, and petitions to the legislature for redress of their grievances, it being an article of their belief, that absolute submission was due to the supreme magistrate in all things lawful, as will sufficiently appear by their protestations in the beginning of the reign of king James I. I have admitted that the puritans might be too stiff and rigid in their behavior; that they were unacquainted with the rights of conscience; and that their language to their superiors the bishops was not always

* Expostulatory Letter p. 12.

decent and mannerly: Oppression maketh wise men mad. But surely, the depriving, imprisoning, and putting men to death for these things, will not be vindicated in our times.

In the preface to the first volume of this history, I mentioned with pleasure the growing sentiments of religious liberty in the church of England, but complained of the burthen of subscriptions upon the clergy; and of the corporation and test acts, as prejudicial to the cause of religion, and virtue, among the laity; for which reasons the protestant dissenters throughout England intended to petition for a repeal or amendment of these acts, the ensuing session of parliament, if they had met with any encouragement from their superiors, or had the least prospect of success. The SACRAMENTAL TEST is, no doubt, a distinguishing mark of reproach which they have not deserved; and, I humbly conceive, no very great security to the church of England, unless it can be supposed, that one single act of occasional conformity can take off the edge of all their imagined aversion to the hierarchy, who worship all the rest of the year among non-conformists. Nor can the repeal of these acts be of any considerable advantage to the body of dissenters, because not one in five hundred can expect to reap any private benefit by it to himself or family; their zeal therefore in this cause must arise principally from a regard to the liberties of their country, and a desire of rescuing one of the most sacred rites of christianity from the profanation to which it is exposed.

But it seems this will not be believed, till the dissenters propose some other pledge and security by which the end and intent of the sacramental test may be equally attained, for (says a late writer*) the legislature never intended them any share of trust or power in the government; and he hopes never will. till they see better reasons for it than hath hitherto appeared. Must the dissenters then furnish the church with a law to exclude themselves from serving their king and country? Let the disagreeable work be undertaken by men that are better skilled in such unequal severities. I will not examine into the intent of the legisla ture in this place; but if protestant non-conformists are to have no share of trust or power in the government, why are they chosen into such offices, and subject to fines and penalties for dectining them? Is it for not serving? this, it seems, is what the legislature never intended. Is it then for not qualifying? surely this is a penalty upon conscience. I would ask the warmest advocate for the sacramental test, whether the appointing protestant dissenters for sheriffs of counties, and obliging them to qualify against their consciences under the penalties of a premunire, without the liberty of serving by a deputy, or of commuting by a fine, is consistent with so FULL A TOLERATION, and exemption from penal laws, as this writert says they enjoy? It is true a good government may take no advantage of this power, but in a bad one men must qualify, or their liberties and estates be at the king's mercy; it seems therefore but reasonable, (whatever the intent of the legislature may be) that protestant dissenters should be admitted to serve their country with a good conscience in offices of trust as well as of burthen, or be exempted from all pains and penalties for not doing it.‡ +Ibid. p. 25.

History of the Test, p. 16, 23. 25.

It should be mentioned to the honor of Bishop Warburton, who was an advocate for a test,

It is now pretty generally agreed, that receiving the holy sacrament merely as a qualification for a place of civil profit or trust. is contrary to the ends of its institution, and a snare to the consciences of men ;§ for though the law is open, and "they who obtain offices in the state know 'beforehand the conditions of keeping them," yet when the bread of a numerous family depends upon a qualification which a man cannot be satisfied to comply with, it is certainly a snare. And though I agree with our author, that "if the minds of such persons are wicked, the law 'does not make them so," yet I am afraid it hardens them, and makes them a great deal worse. How many thousands come to the sacrament of the Lord's supper with reluctance! and, perhaps, eat and drink judgment to themselves; the guilt of which must be chargeable either upon the imposers, or receivers, or upon both. Methinks therefore charity to the souls of men, as well as a concern for the purity of our holy religion, should engage all serious christians to endeavor the removal of this grievance; and since we are told, that the appearing of the dissenters at this time is unseasonable, and will be ineffectual, I would humbly move our right reverend fathers the bishops not to think it below their high stations and dignities, to consider of some expedient to roll away this reproach from the church and nation, and agree upon some security for the former (if needful) of a civil nature, that may leave room (as King William expresses it in his speech to his first parliament) FOR THE ADMISSION OF ALL PROTESTANTS THAT ARE ABLE AND WILLING TO SERVE THEIR COUNTRY. The honor of Christ, and the cause of public virtue, seem to require it. And for as much as the influence of these acts affects great numbers of the laity in a very tender part, I should think it no dishonor for the several corporations in England, as well as for the officers of the army, navy, customs, and excise, who are more peculiarly concerned, to join their interests in petitioning the legislature for such relief. And I flatter myself that the wise and temperate behavior of the protestant dissenters in their late general assembly in London; with the dutiful regard that they have always shewn to the peace and welfare of his majesty's person, family, and government, will not fail to recommend them to the royal protection and favor; and that his MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY, in imitation of his glorious predecessor King WILLIAM III. will in a proper time recommend it to his parliament to strengthen his administration, by taking off those restraints which at present disable his protestant dissenting subjects from shewing their zeal in the service of their king and country.

London, March 6, 1732-3.

DANIEL NEAL.

though not a sacramental test, that to this proposal, that "dissenters should be exempted from all 'pains and penalties for not serving their country in offices of trust," he gave his hearty assent by adding in the margin, most certainly!

Ed.

History of the Test, p. 22.

CHAPTER I.

From the death of Queen ELIZABETH to the death of Archbishop

BANCROFT.

OF the house of the Stuarts. King James's behavior in Scotland.

Expectations of the puritans, and of the papists. Early application of

the bishops to the king; of the Dutch and French churches. Millen-

ary petition presented. Abstract of the answer of the university of Ox-

ford, and of the university of Cambridge. Proclamation for a confer-

ence. Conference at Hampton-court. First day's conference between

the king and the bishops only. The oath of a midwife. Remarks on