Page CHAP. II. From the death of archbishop Bancroft to the death of king James I. A. D. 1610—1625 CHAP. III. From the death of king James I. to the dissolu- tion of the third parliament of king Charles II. in the CHAP. IV. From the dissolution of the third parliament of CHAP. V. From the death of archbishop Abbot to the begin- ning of the commotions in Scotland in the year 1637 CHAP. VI. From the beginning of the commotions in Scot- land, to the long parliament in the year 1640 CHAP. VII. The character of the long-parliament-their argu- ments against the late convocation and canons-impeach- ment of Dr. William Laud, archbishop of Canterbury— votes of the house of commons against the promoters of CHAP. VIII. The antiquity of liturgies and of the episcopal order, debated between bishop Hall and SMECTYMNUUS -petitions for and against the hierarchy-root and branch petition-the ministers' petition for reformation CHAP. IX. From the impeachment of the earl of Stafford, to the recess of the parliament upon the king's progress into Scotland. A. D. 1640-41 · CHAP. X. From the reassembling of the parliament to the king's leaving his palace of Whitehall, Jan. 10, 1641-2. 428 CHAP. XI. From the king's leaving Whitehall to the beginning of the civil war. A. D. 1642 . CHAP. XII. The state of the church of England-religious HISTORY OF THE PURITAN S. PART II.-CHAP. I. FROM THE DEMISE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH TO THE DEATH OF ARCHBISHOP BANCROFT. THE royal house of the Stuarts has not been more cala mitous to the English church and nation, in the male descendants, than successful and glorious in the female. The four kings of this line, while in power, were declared enemies of our civil constitution; they governed without law, levied taxes by the prerogative, and endeavoured to put an end to the very being of parliaments. With regard to religion; the two first were neither sound Protestants nor good Catholics, but were for reconciling the two religions, and meeting the Papists half way; but the two last went over entirely to the church of Rome, and died professedly in her communion. The female branches of this family being married among foreign Protestants, were of a different stamp, being more inclined to Puritanism than Popery; one of them [Mary, eldest daughter of king Charles I.] was mother of the great king William III. the glorious deliverer of these kingdoms from Popery and slavery; and another [Elizabeth daughter of king James I.] was grandmother of his late majesty king George I. in whom the Protestant succession took place, and whose numerous descendants in the person and offspring of his present majesty, are the defence and glory of the whole Protestant interest in Europe. King James was thirty-six years of age when he came to the English throne, having reigned in Scotland from his infancy. In the year 1589, he married the princess Anne, sister to the king of Denmark, by whom he had three children living at this time, Henry prince of Wales, who died before he was nineteen years of age [1612], Elizabeth married to the elector palatine 1613; and Charles, who succeeded his father in his kingdoms. His majesty's behaviour in Scotland raised the expectations and hopes of all parties; the Puritans relied upon his majesty's education; upon his subscribing the solemn league and covenant; and upon various solemn repeated declarations, in particular one made in the general assembly at Edinburgh 1590; when standing with his bonnet off, and his hands lifted up to heaven, "he praised God that he was born in the time of the light of the gospel, and in such a place, as to be king of such a church, the sincerest [purest] kirk in the world. The church of Geneva (says he) keep Pasche and Yule [Easter and Christmas], what have they for them? They have no institution. As for our neighbour kirk of England, their service is an evil-said mass in English; they want nothing of the mass but the liftings. I charge you, my good ministers, doctors, elders, nobles, gentlemen, and barons, to stand to your purity, and to exhort the people to do the same; and I, forsooth, as long as I brook my life, shall maintain the same."* In his speech to the parliament 1598, he tells them, "that he minded not to bring in Papistical or Anglicane bishops."+ Nay, upon his leaving Scotland, to take possession of the crown of England, he gave public thanks to God in the kirk of Edinburgh, “ that he had left both kirk and kingdom in that state which he intended not to alter any ways, his subjects living in peace."+ But all this was kingcraft, or else his majesty changed his principles with the climate. The Scots ministers did not approach him with the distant submission and reverence of the English bishops, and therefore within nine months Calderwood's Hist. of the Church of Scotland, p. 256. Ibid. p. 418. James, when settled on the English throne, talked a different language. Dr. Grey quotes different passages to this purport, with a view to invalidate Mr. Neal's authority. The fact is not, that Calderwood falsified, and Mr. Neal through prejudice adopted, his representations, but that James was a dissembler; and, when he wrote what Dr. Grey produces from his works, had thrown off the mask he wore in Scotland. See Harris's Life of James I. p. 25-29.-ED. Calderwood, p. 473. |