occafions they failed of being there, and if they had not they had been apprehended; for two juftices of the peace came with a ferjeant at arms to feize them, and fearched the house, and even the fick gentlewoman's chamber. Many excellent minifters quickly after were laid in gaols in many counties for the heavy crime of preaching and praying. In June 1663, the old peaceable Abp. of Cant. Dr. Juxon, died, and Dr. Sheidon Bp. of London fucceeded him. About that time there was a fresh report of liberty for the filenced minifters. They were blamed by many, for not petitioning the parliament; tho' they had reafon enough against it. Many members encouraged the expectation of either an indulgence, or a comprehenfion; and it was warmly debated, which of the two would be more defirable. Some were for petitioning for a general indulgence; but others declared they would fuffer any thing rather than promote Popery. Mr. Baxter, when confulted by a person of diftinction, declared for a comprehenfion. But instead of indulgence or comprehenfion, on the 30th of June, the act against private meetings (called the conventicle act) paffed the house of commons, and soon after was made a law, viz. " that every per"fon above 16 years of age, prefent at any meeting under "pretence of any exercife of religion, in other manner than "is the practice of the church of England, where there are five "perfons more than the houfhold, fhall for the first offence, "by a justice of peace be recorded, and fent to gaol 3 months, "till he pay 51. and for the 2d offence, 6 months, till he pay "10l. and the 3d time being convicted by a jury, shall be ba"nifhed to fome of the American plantations, excepting New"England or Virginia." It was a great hardship attending this act, that it gave fo much power to juftices of the peace to record a man an offender without jury and if they did it without caufe, there was no remedy, seeing every justice was made a judge. Before, the danger and fufferings lay on the minifters only, but now the peopie alfo were forely tried. In the year 1665, the plague broke out, which carried off about an hundred thoufand perfons in the city of London. The ejected minifters had till this time preached very privately, and but to a few: but now, when the minifters in the city-churches Aled, and left their flocks in the time of their extremity, feve ral of them pitying the dying and diftreffed people, who had none to help them to prepare for another world, nor to comfort them in their terrors, when about 10,000 died in a week; E 4 were were convinced that no obedience to the laws of man could justify their neglecting men's fouls and bodies in fuch extremities. Thereupon they refolved to stay with them, enter the forfaken pulpits, and give them what affiftance they were able, under fuch an awakening providence; vifit the fick, and get what relief they could for the poor, especially fuch as were fhut up. The persons that set upon this work were Mr. T. Vincent, Mr. Chester, Mr. Janeway, Mr. Turner, Mr. Grimes, Mr. Franklyn, and fome others. The face of death fo awakened preachers and hearers, that the former exceeded themfelves in lively fervent preaching; and the latter heard with a peculiar ardour and attention. And thro' the bleffing of God, many were converted, and religion took fuch hold on their hearts, that it could never afterwards be loofed. Whilst God was confuming the people by this judgment, and the Nonconformifts were labouring to fave their fouls,, the parliament, which fat at Oxford, was bufy in making an act to render their cafe incomparably harder than it was before, by putting upon them a certain oath *, which if they refufed, they muft not come (unless upon the road) within five miles of any city or corporation, any place that fent burgeffes to parliament, any place where they had been ministers, or had preached after the act of oblivion. The main promoters of this act among the clergy were, Abp. Sheldon and Bp. Ward. And tho' fome vehemently oppofed it, the lord chancellor Hyde and his party carried it. When this act came out, those minifters who had any maintenance of their own, found out fome dwellings in obfcure villages, or in fome few market-towns that were not corporations. Some who had nothing, left their wives and children, and hid themselves abroad, and fometimes came fecretly to them by night. But the most, refolved to preach the more freely in cities and corporations till they went to prifon. Their ftraits were great; for the country was fo impoverished, that thofe who were willing to relieve them, had generally no great ability. And yet God did mercifully provide fome fupplies for them; fo that fcarce any of them perifhed for want, or were expofed to for- * The oath was this, "I, A. B. do fwear, that it is not lawful, upon any pretence whatsoever, to take arms against the king: and that I do abhor the traiterous pofition of taking arms by his authority against his person, or against those that are commiffionated by him, in pursuance of fuch commiffion: and that I will not at any time endeavour any alteration of the government, either in church or state." did beggary: but fome few were tempted against their former judgments to conform. The Nonconformifts being charged in this new act, with feditious doctrines and heinous crimes, many were much concerned and hereupon endeavoured to find out a fenfe in which the oath might be taken fafely, to prevent their paffing under that brand to pofterity. Dr. Bates confulted the lord keeper Bridgeman about it; who promised to be at the next feffions, and on the bench to declare openly, that by endeavour, in the oath, to change church government, was meant only unlawful endeavour. Upon which declaration, he and other Nonconformifts, to the number of twenty, took it. This year orders were sent from the Abp. of Canterbury to the feveral Bishops of his province, that they should make a return of the names of all ejected Nonconformist minifters, with their place of abode, and manner of life. The number of minifters who were imprisoned, fined, or otherwise fuffered for preaching the gofpel, was very great. The dreadful fire in London, which happened the next year, made the way of the Nonconformists plainer to them. For the churches being burnt, and the parish minifters gone, for want of places and maintenance, the people's neceffity became unquestionable; they having no places now to worship God in, except a few churches that were left ftanding, which would not hold any confiderable part of them. Whereupon the Nonconformifts opened public meeting-houses, which were very full; but ftill agreed fometimes to communicate' with the established church. In the year 1667, the lord chancellor Hyde was impeached and difcarded: and it seemed a remarkable providence of God, that he who had been the grand inftrument of ftate in the foregoing tranfactions, and had dealt so severely with the Nonconformifts, fhould at length be caft out by his own friends and banished. The duke of Buckingham fucceeded him as chief favourite; under whom the Nonconformists in London were connived at, and people went openly to their meetings without fear. This encouraged the country minifters to do the like in moft parts of England, and crowds of the most religious people were their auditors. In Jan, 1668, the lord keeper Bridgeman fent for Mr. Baxter and Dr. Manton, and treated with them about a comprehenfion and toleration. A few days after, he fent them his propofals, and they met with Dr. Wilkins and Mr. Burton to confer about them Mr. - Mr. Baxter and his brethren moved for other things to be added. Dr. Wilkins profefied himfelf willing for more, but faid that more would not pass with the parliament. After a long debate, a bill was drawn up by judge Hale, to be prefented to the parliament. But they no fooner fat, than the High-church party made fuch an intereft, that, upon putting it to the vote, it was carried that no man should bring an act of this nature into the house. In September, 1669, Sir John Baber informed Dr. Manton, that the king was inclined to favour the Nonconformists, and that an addrefs now would be accepted. An addrefs was agreed on, and prefented by Drs. Manton, Bates, Jacomb, and Mr. Ennis. The king met them in lord Arlington's lodgings, received them graciously, and promifed to do his utmost to get them comprehended within the public establishment. But after all, the talk of liberty did but occafion the writing many bitter pamphlets againft toleration.* This year Sir Wm. Turner was lord mayor of London, who never disturbed the Nonconforming minifters, or troubled men for religion: and their liberty in London encouraged many preachers thro' the land. The next year, (1670,) the act against conventicles was renewed, and made more fevere than ever. Several new clauses were put in, viz. " that the fault of the mittimus should not disable it; that all doubtful clauses in the act should be interpreted as would moft favour the fuppreffion of conventicles; that they that fled, or removed their dwelling into another county, should be purfued by execution, &c." Mr. Baxter was apprehended at Acton, and committed to Clerkenwell prifon for fix months; and having obtained an habeas corpus, the fame juftices, as foon as they heard of his release, made a new mittimus to fend him to Newgate: but he kept out of their reach. Dr. Manton, tho' he had great friends and mighty promifes of favour, was fent prifoner to the Gatehoufe, for preaching in his own house in the parish where he had been minifter, and for The next year came out a far more virulent book, called Ecclefiaftical Policy, written by Sam. Parker, who was afterwards a bishop: A man of extraordinary parts, who was bred up among the zealous enemies of prelacy, but feeing fome weaknesses among them, and being of an eager fpirit, was turned with the times into the contrary extreme. He wrote the moft fcornfully and rafhly, the moft prophanely and cruelly against the Nonconformists, of any man that ever affaulted them. He was first anfwered by Dr. Owen, and afterwards to handled by the ingenious Mr. Andrew Marvel, that he grew much tamer. coming within 5 miles of a corporation, not having taken the, Oxford oath; and he continued there fix months. All that time the meetings in London were disturbed by bands of foldiers, to the death of fome, and the terror of many. In 1672 the Dutch war began, which made the court think it necellary to grant an indulgence to the Diffenters, that there might be peace at home, while there was war abroad. The declaration bore date March 15, 1672. It was now publicly owned" that there was very little fruit of all thofe forcible methods which had been ufed, for reducing erring and diffenting perfons, &c. His majefty therefore, by virtue of his fupreme power in matters ecclefiaftical, took upon him to fufpend all penal laws about them, declaring that he would grant a convenient number of public meeting places to men of all forts that did not conform, provided they took out licences, &c." This was applauded by fome among the Nonconformifts, while others feared the confequences: for they well knew, that the toleration was not chiefly for their fakes, but for the Papifts; and that they should hold it no longer than their intereft would allow it them. However they concluded on a cautious and moderate address of thanks. The minifters of London were now generally fettled in their meeting-houses. The merchants at this time set up a weekly lecture on Tuesday morning at Pinners-ball, Mr. Baxter being one of the preachers. But fo ill a fpirit was now got among them, that they were much offended at his preaching, parti cularly for laying fo much stress upon union among chriftians; fo that he fet up a lecture by himself, which he preached gratis, on Fridays in Fetter-lane, with great convenience, and a confiderable bleffing for his pains. He refufed any settled place on the Lord's days, and preached only occafionally. In February, 1673, the parliament met, and voted the king's declaration illegal, and the king promised it fhould not be brought into prefident. At length the commons brought in a bill nem. con, for the ease of Proteftant Diffenters; [but it went no farther than a second reading, because (as Mr. Coke fays) the dead weight of bishops joined with the king and the, caballing party against it :] so that the Diffenters, having the fhelter of the king's declaration taken off, were left to the ftorm of the fevere laws in force against them, which by fome country juftices were rigouroufly exécuted, tho' the moft forbore. The parliament grew into great jealoufies of the prevalence of Popery, and paffed an act for preventing danger |