420 / 846
386
2he
,:L_I
FAI
pf
the
,:''
1L I
B.
I.
M
the
Interef
of
the Church.and
Caufd.of Chrift,ihe.Lánd;was prepared for that
further Inundation of
Calamities,^(by
WarAna
:Plague,,ançl.;;Scarcity)
which
hach
Mice
b
ought
it
near to Defolation.
§z8r.
IE-
fel('out one
day.
in Mr.
Cdam?
Church
at.
Elldermanbury,that the
Preacher
filed,
and
the
People delired
Mr.
Calamy
to preach:
Which
he
did up-
He was im
an
confidence, that the
A
&
did not extend
to
filch an
Occafional Sermon ( tome
pn[oned L'
awyers
had told him fo).
But for this
he
Was
lent
tq
Ngy{gate,Jail,
where
he
con
-
3,a.4.
tinned in the Keeper's Lodgings, many daily,flacking
to
vilit
him,,
till
the Lord
e
56e. zed
Bridgman
(as
is
Paid)
had given it
as
his
Judgment,
Thar.,bie Sermon
was
not
within
lmini
alai
Penalty
el
the Abt.
And
O
what inlulting there was;bythat Party, in the News.
J
o.s
5
book,
and in
their
Difcourfes,.That
Calamy that
would
not
be
a
Brftiop
wa,
us
foil
r
And whenhis
Sermon
was
printed,
an Ìnveetive
aping
him came
put,. in Lan.
gorge
like
an
Inquilitor, that
(hewed
a
vehement
thirlt
jor:
Broo,
d.
But
pressons
in
the
fight
of
the
Lord, ù
the
Blood
of
his
holy
Ones,
:..
Ir
282. Abondance more were laid in Jails
in
maeiy'Çounties for preaching,
and
the vexation
of
the
Peoples
Souls was
increafed.
At
St. 4Ibans,
Mr.
fat
snake
the
ejected
Minifter, being
delired to preach
a.Funeral
Sermon.,ra
Captain
or,
Lieute-
nant
came in with
his
Piftol charged, and
(hot
one
of
rho
hearers dead
,
and the
Preacher
was
lent to
Prilon.
§
z83
.
There
were many Citizens of
London,
who
had
tliea
a
great Compatriot'
on
the
Minifters, whole Families were
utterly
deftitnte of. ..Maintenance, and
fain
they
would have relieved them, and
had
filch a
Method,çhat the Citizens
of
each
County
should help
the Minifters
of
that County
:
But
theydurlt
not do
it ,
left
it
were judged
a
c;onfpiracy
:
Wherefore
I
went for them
to
the Lord
Chancel-
lour,
and told him plainly
of
it,
thatCompaffron movedthem, but the
Sufpicions
of
thefe
Diftempered Times deterred them, and I
defined
to have
his
Lordfhip's
Judgment,
Whether
they
might venture to
be
fo
charitable without mifinterpreta-
tionor
danger?
And he anfwered, [Aye,
Gad.
forbid
but
Menfhouldgsvetheir
own
aCcerding as
their Charity
leads
them].
And
fo
having
his
precanlent
,1
gave it
them
for Encouragement.
But
they would
not
believe
that it
was.
Cordial, and
would be
any
Security
to
them,
and
fo
they never Muff venture upon
fuch
a
Method which
might
have made
their Charity
effeótual
;
but
a few
that
were
molt
willing,
did
much more than
all
the rett, and folicited thine
of
their
own
Acquaintance,for their
Counties Relief.
{{84:
And
here I think
it
meetbefore
I
proceed, to open the true
date
of
the
Conformi(is
and
Nonconformists in
England at this time.
I.
The
Conformifts
were
of
three
forts
:
'I,
Some
of
the
old Minifters
called
Presbyterians
formerly,
that
Conformed at
Bartholomew
Tide,
or after, who had been in poffeflïon
before the
King
came
in
:
Theft
were
all:,
of
feveral
forts:
Come
of
them were
very able
worthy Men
,
who
Conformed
did
Suhfcrihed upon this
Inducement
,
that
the Bithop
bid them
[
Do
Thin
their own
fence]:
And
fo
they Subfcribed to the Parliament's
words, and
put
their
own
fence
upon them
only by word
of
mouth, or
in
force
by.paper.
Some
of
them
read Mr.
Fullwood's
and
Stilemae's Books,
and could
not
anfwer them, and
tflërefore
Conformed:
For
no
Man ventured
to put forth
a full and fatisfaCtory
rlrifwer to them
for
fear
of
some
(Though
fomewhat was written before by Mr.
Crrjlos
,
and
"after
ly
Mr. Cawdry and others
):
Some were young raw
Men
that
were never verfed in
filch
kind
of
Controverfies
:
Some
were pertwaded
of
the`Gnfulnefs
of
the Parliaments War, and thence gathered that the Covenant,
be-
lt]
gg
in
order to
it, was
a
Rebellious
Covenant
,
and therefore not obligatory
:
And
ätf
br`,
things they thought were
finali.
Some had
Wives
and
Children
and Pover-
iY,'tvhich were great
Temptations to
them:
And molt
that
I
knew, when once
they inclined ro
Conformity,
slid
avoid
the Company
of their
Brethren,
and
never
asks' hem what
their
Reafons-were
againft Conformity.
'A'fecondtiòrfof
Conforinitts were
thofe called
Latitudinarians,
who were
tgo$fy
Coml
rsrlg
mÈn,
PI tse
f$s
or
Carte/ians,
and many
of
them
Armin an,
with
fine'
Adt
?ititins,
having mdre charitable
Thoughts than
others
of
the Salvation
of
fleáihens
and Infidels, and
fumeof them holding the Opinions
of
Origen,
about the
PfæeXiItence
of
Souls,
&r.
Thefe were ingenious Men
and
Scholars,
and
of Uni-
v f Fffir
}}'hciples,
and
free
abhorring
at
find
the
Impotitíon
of
thefe
little things,but
thíftkfhggthem'not
great enough
to flick at when Impofed.
Of
thief;
force
(with
Dgr
ara.
rhëit'i4.eader)
t?ved
privately
in Colledges and
fought not any Prefer
-
rltt{éñ4S
ii
he
VVbtid
ättrl
dthers
(et
themflves
to
rife.
Thefo