1 posed them to the censure of the high com died, and was succeeded by George Abbot, a man of a more gentle and merciful disposition, who was much more favourable to the puritans than his predecessor. But the rigour against them was far from being wholly remitted. They were so ill used, that they preferred dwelling in a wilderness to their native soil, and chose the perils of waters before the perils they were in among their brethren; though for a time even this was denied them. "Some of the bishops," says Wilson, were not contented to suppress many pious and religious men; but I know not for what policy, restrained their going beyond sea: for there were divers families, about this time, (1613) shipped for NewEngland, and were not suffered to go; though afterwards, they were upon better thoughts permitted"." -In short, James heartily hated the people of this denomination; and to be a puritan, was with him to be every thing odious and abominable. How mischievous an effect this prejudice of his majesty had, will best appear from a letter written to the illustrious Usher, from Emanuel Downing, out of Ireland, who is styled a worthy divine, by Dr. Parr: 66 REVEREND SIR, "I hope you are not ignorant of the hurt that is come to the church by this name Puritan, and how his majesty's good intent and meaning therein is much abused and wronged; and especially in this poor country where the pope and popery is so much affected. Į being lately in the country had conference with a worthy, painful preacher, who hath been an instrument of drawing many of the meer Irish there, from the blind mission, who suspended, deprived and ex ness of popery to embrace the gospel, with much comfort to themselves, and heart-breaking to the priests, who perceiving that they cannot now prevail with their jugling tricks, have forged a new device: They have now stirred up some crafty papists, who very boldly rail both at ministers and people, saying, they seek to sow this damnable heresie of puritanism among them; which word, though not understood, but only known to be most odious to his majesty, makes many afraid of joining themselves to the gospel, though in conference their consciences are convicted herein: so to prevent a greater mischief which may follow, it were good to petition his majesty to define a puritan, whereby the mouths of those scoffing enemies would be stopt; and if his majesty be not at leizure, that he would appoint some good men to do it for him a.”Had a puritan been truly defined, the world would have been at a loss to have known the reason of the severity used towards those who were reproached with that title. The puritans had their fancies, as well as their adversaries. The surplice, the cross in baptism, the ring in marriage, bowing at the name of Jesus, and some other articles of equal importance, were the objects of their aversion; they thought they smelt of popery, which they could not bear with. The bishops, on the contrary, had a very great fondness for these, as well as for the whole hierarchy. A dispute therefore on these subjects was natural; and, had it been managed fairly, no ill consequences could have happened. But the bishops were in power; the king was their friend, and a foe to those who opposed them; communicated them, notwithstanding the ta and they were determined to carry their point at all adventures. The shortest way, therefore, was taken. The puritans were silenced, deprived, excommunicated, and all for trifles. I will not say but the bishops might have more sense, but the puritans had more honesty, The first were persecutors, the latter were persecuted; and consequently were entitled to the pity and compassion of the humane and benevolent. James and his clergy did not understand the use of sects, "to purify religion, and also to set the great truths of it in a full light; and to shew their practical importance." "Nor did they know the best way to stop the rising of new sects and schisms, by reforming abuses, compounding smaller differences, proceeding mildly, and not with sanguinary persecutions; and taking off the principal authors by winning and advancing them, rather than enraging them by violence and bitterness b ;” and consequently instead of crushing, they increased them. For lord Shaftesbury justly remarks, "that there is nothing so ridiculous in respect of policy, or so wrong and odious in respect of common humanity, as a moderate and half-way persecution; it only frets the sore; it raises the ill-humour of mankind; excites the keener spirits; moves indignation in beholders; and sows the very seeds of schism in men's bosoms. A resolute and bold faced persecution leaves no time or scope for these engendring distempers, or gathering illhumours. It does the work at once; by extirpation, banishment, or massacre and like a bold stroke in surgery, dispatches by one short amputation, what a * Hartley's Observations on Man, p. 377. vol. II 8vo. Lond. 1749. See also Historical and Critical Account of Hugh Peters, note [c] Lond. 1751. intercession made for them by many persons of quality, and by one of his parliaments. In Scotland he pursued them with bungling hand would make worse and worse, to the perpetual sufferance and misery of the patient ""But let us leave these reflections and return to James, who was as much set on the ruin of puritanism in Scotland, as in England. In the Parliament at Perth, in the year 1606, he got an act passed, entituled the restitution of the estate of bishops: afterwards they were declared perpetual moderators, and had the high commission put into their hands. In 1610, the king sent for three of the bishops elect, in order to have them consecrated in England, which was done without first giving them deacons or priests orders; and consequently the validity of their former orders were acknowledged. Soon afterwards they had great power committed unto them, to the no small uneasiness of ministers and people ". In the year 1617, James made a progress into Scotland, in order to bring the Scots nearer to conformity with the church of England. "But his majesty," says Heylin, "gained nothing by that chargeable journey, but a neglect of his commands, and a contempt of his authority. His majesty therefore took a better course, than to put the point to argument and disputation; which was to beat them by the belly, and to withdraw those augmentations which he had formerly allowed them out of his exchequer: which pill so wrought upon this indigent and obstinate people, that the next year, in an assembly at Perth, they passed an act for admitting the five articles, a Characteristics, vol. III. p. 95. ▸ Spotswood, p. 406. Calderwood, rigour, and was not contented till he set up episcopacy, though contrary to the inclinations of ministers and people. Being for which his majesty had been courting them for two years together"." These articles, which his majesty had courted them so long to admit, it must be owned, were very important. The first requires the blessed sacrament to be celebrated meekly and reverently upon their knees. The second allows the lawfulness of private communion. The third permits private baptism. The fourth commands confirmation. The fifth the ob servation of some festivals. "These articles being thus settled, order was given to read them in all parish churches; the ministers were likewise obliged to preach upon the lawfulness of them, and exhort their people to submission. And to give them the greater authority, the king ordered them to be published at the market-cross of the principal burroughs, and commanded conformity under pain of his displeasure. But all this not being enough to enforce such a conformity to the ceremonies as was expected, it was thought further necessary to establish them by the sanction of an act of parliament, and to give them the force of a law, this was done accordingly in the year 1621." A prince must be strangely infatuated, and strongly prejudiced, to employ his power and influence in establishing such matters as these! Let us grant episcopacy to be the most expedient government of the church (and expedient enough it must be acknowledged in proper places and rightly executed, by overseeing the manners of the clergy, and keeping them within the bounds a Life of Laud, p. 74. c Crawford's |