186 The L1F E of the Part III, vindicatingthem from the<Charge of Schifm. Another to prove it their duty to continue preaching tho forbidden, ere. § 44. The Earl of Argyle told me that being in company with fume very great men, one of them faid, that he went once to hear Mr. Baxter preach, and he faid nothing but what might befeem the King's Chappel ; and conclud- ed that it was his Judgment that I ought to be beaten with many 'tripes, becaufe it could nor be through ignorance, but meer faaion that I conformed not And the Bithops and Clergy to this day, make unftudied Noble Men and Gen- tlemen believe, that we confefs all to be lawful, and meer Inconveniences which we deny Conformity to .(O inhumane Impudence ! A Plot of Satan to tempt men never more to believe Clergy men's Hiftory ! ) Hereupon the raid Earl of Argyle (after many others) delring me to writedown the points that we deny Conformity to, I wrote. i. The cafe of the Nonconformifts in a brief Hiftory. a. An Index of .about 4o or so of the- points that we can- . not conform to : but barely naming them without proof to avoid prolixity, which may expofe them to any Pretender's Confutation. And at the impor- tunity of a friend, this week (May z.) I permitted the nerving them to the Bilhop of Lincoln Dr. Barlow : who is a Man firmly zealous againft Popery, of great Reading and Learning, long a publick Profelfor of Divinity in Oxford, and efteemed of as equal at leant with the belt of the Bithops ; And yet told my friend that got my rapers for him, that he could hear of nothing that we judged to be fin, but sneer inconveniences : When as above 17 years ago, we publickly endeavoured to prove the finfulnefs even of many of the old Impolii- tions ; and our petition for peace was printed, in which we folemnly profetfed that nothing fhould hinder us from Conformity, did we not believe it to be fin againft God, and endangering our falvation. Yet thus talk the belt and Learnedeft of them, as if they had dwelt a thoufand Miles from us, and had never heard our Cafe. Some would perfuade us that they are all meer har- dened impudent Worldlings that know all to be Lies, which they thus fpeak t Bat I am perfuaded that this is too hard Genfure, and that ione, yea many of the Clergy think as they thus fpeak, becaufe the Schifm of the Age cloth make them meer Irrangers to us, knowing little mort of our minds than what they bear from one another by fuch Reports : And yet we never had leave to (peak or write our Cafe, to tell men what it is that we think fin in the New- Conformity, much lefs to give our Regions. § 45 The firing fury going on Hill (God leaving the Papiles to felf-defroy- ing madnefs) on Fridaynight May 9. SomePapift prifoners bribingthe Porter, they net the prifon on fire, and burnt much of it down; the Porter and they efcaping together: which put the Parliament to appoint the drawingup of a ftri&er Law to prevent more firing : But what can Laws do to it ? 5 46. On the Lord's day May 1102 i 679. The Commons fate extraordinari- ly, and agreed in two Votes, fin i that the Duke of Turk was uncapable of fun- ceeding in the Imperial Crown of England. a. That they would Rand by the King and the Protestant Religion with their Lives and Fortunes, and if the King came to a violent Death, which God forbid, would be revenged on the Papilts. § 47. The Arch-Bilhop of St. Andrews in Scotland, lames Sharp was Mur- dered this Month. The AElors (a Servant hardly ufed by him (or a Te- nant) drew in. fome Confederates ) fine fuffered. § 48. The Parliament fhortly difiblved while they infifted on the tryal of the Lord Treafurer. § '49. The Scots being forbidden to preach and Meet in the open Fields, being led by a few rani men, at a Meeting being allaulted defended them- felves, and fo were many drawn into refinance of the Magiftrate, and were deltroyed. § so. There came from among the Papilla more and more Converts that dete£ted the Plat againft Religion and the King: After Oates, Bedlor, Eve- rard, Dugdale, Franfe,, tame jenrifon a Gentlemanof Grays..Inn, Smyth aPrieft, and others o But nothing ftopt then more than a Plot difeovered to have turned all the odium on the Presbyterians and Proteftant Adverfaries of Po- pery ; They hired one Dangcrfield to-manage the matter , bat by the indu-. ftrq
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