Parr 111. Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter. o r.n perfonal Knowledge of him, that ilfher, had he lived, would never have done.) 211. This Year the King began, the War upon the butch, in Ma cl, 1671:. About the 16 or 17 Day was a ho Sca-fight, while our Ships Affair lted their Smin:a Heet of Merchants, and many onboth fdes were killed, wbuh ..vas molt that was done. And about the i8th. Day the King Publifhed a, proclamation for War by Sea and land : The French, the EleEtor of Cologne, and theBithop of Munfter? be- ing with dreadful Preparations to invade themby Land. -. 4 >1 z. Now came forth aDeclaration giving,fome fuller EK.holitlon (ed'fha'fe that' doubted of it) of the Tranfac`tions of thefe; }yplve Wars lait, viz.., His Ma-. jelly, byVirtue of. His. Supreme Power in Matters Ecclefiaftical, fuf pendeth all P cal Laws thereabout, and Declareth, That he will grant a convenient number of Publick Meeting -Places to Men of all forts that Conform not ; fobe it, t. The Perron be byHim approved. a. That they nevermeet in any Place not approvedby Him. 3. And there let open theDoors toall Comers. q. And Preach not Seditioufly. .: s. Nor against the Difcipline or Government of the Church of England, faving thatthe Papu to (hall have no other publick Places, buttheir Houfes (any where, un- der their own Government,) without Limitation or Reftrietion, to any number of Places or Perfons, or any neceffityof getting Approbation; fo that they are im- mediately in poflèlfionof a fearer and fuller Liberty, than the Proteftant-Noncon- forrnif hope for; for how, or when they will get Churches built, we know not, till that be done they are more terribly reftrained fromMeeting than before : And who will build Churches that have no Security to enjoy them one Week, time will thew: And all this is faid to be foravoiding the danger of Conventicles inpri- vate, &c. when yet the Papilla are allowed fuels Conventicles in as many Houfes as they pleafe. § 213. A Paper fent from one'Mr. Edwards, a Lawyer of Kingjton, received from a Papi/i, (Mr. Longhorn) as a Challenge, was fent to me as by him, with deftres of an Anfwer which occafioned my Book, called, The Certainty ofthe Pi o teftant Religion without Popery. § 214. When the Kings Declaration for Liberty wasout, the London Noncon- formable Minifters were incited to return His Majefty their Thanks. At their Meeting Dr. Seaman, - andMr. yenkins (who had been till then molt diftant from the Court) werefor aThankfgiving in fuch high applaudingTernis, as Dr. Manton; and almoft all the relt diffentedfrom; and fort were for avoidingTerms of Appro- . batioiy left the Parliament Ihonld fall upon them and fore becaufe they had far . rather have had any tolerable Rate of Unity with the publick Miniftery, thana Toleration ; fuppofng, I. That the Toleration was not chiefly for their fakes, but for the Papifir, and that they Mould hold it no longer than that Interelt requiredjt, which, is incon- fiftent with the Interelt of the Proteftant's Religion and theChurch of England:, And that theyhad no fecurityof it, but it might be taken from them at any time in a Day. z. Becanfe they thought that it tended to continue our Divifions, and to weaken the Proreftarlt Miniftery and'Clìurfli, and that while theBody ofthe Prateftant People were in all places divided, one part was Bill ready tobeufed againit the other, and many Sins and Calamities kept up. And theprefent Generation of Nottcont`ormiits like to be food wôrii but, and the Publick Affemblies to be lamentably difadvan- raged by young, raw unqualified Minifters, that were likely to be introduced., They concluded therefore on acautelous and moderate Thankfgiving for theKing's Clemency and their own Liberty: Andwhen they could not come toAgreement about their Form, the Lord. Arlington Introduced them to a ve bal Rxtemporate Thankfgiving, and fo their Difference was ended as tothat. N nnn'i §'ztÿ.This
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