326 The HISTORY of the PuRtrANS. Chap. VII. seem " and hearing the ignorance, the profane fpeeches, and. evil examples of Elizabeth, , thofe thruft upon our charges, while we our (elves are defamed, re- t^ " proached, fcoffed at, and called feditious and rebellious; cited, accufed, and indicted, and yet no redrefs to be found. All this we have patient- " ly bore, tho' we come daily to the congregations to prayers, to bap_ " tifins, and to the facrament, and by our examplesand admonitions, have " kept away many from exceffes, whereunto rafhnefs of zeal would have " carried them. And though to fuch as you who fwarm with deanries, ". with double benefices, pensions, advowfons, rever/lons, &c. thefe moleftati- ons feem light ; yet finely, upon every irreligious man's complaint in " fuch things as many times are incredible, to be fent for by purfuivants, " to pay two pence for every mile, to find mefl'engers to defray our own " charges, and this by fuch as can hardly with what they have, clothe and " feed themfelves and their families, it is not only grievous, but as far as as well can be a very heart - burning. It is grievous to a freeman, (4 to a free- minifler, for a light caule, as, for an humble fupplica- " tion to her majefly and the whole parliament, and to the fathers of " the church, to be Phut up in dole prifon ; or upon every trifling Anjwer to . " complaint, to be brought into a devil') fubjeslion to a commlary, fo Dr. Bridges, " as at his pleafure to be fummoned into the fpiritual courts, and coming P. 45' 46' " thither, to be fent home again at lead with unneceffary expences, " mafler-like anfwers, yea, and fometirnes with open reviling;. We will not juflify ourfelves (lays Mr. Fenner) in all things, but acknow- ledge, that when coming by dozens and fcores before the bifhop, after " half a day's diforderly reafoning, fome not being heard to the full, " force railed on and .mif-called, none with lenity fatisfied, but all ful " pended from our office, becaufe we would not fubfcribe his two laft " articles, there might pars from us fame infirmities afterwards; this and uret beha- " many other things we are willing to impute to ourfelves ." But v:our of the puritans. after all it may be queflioned, whether the hiflory of former ages can furnifh an example of fo many feverities againft divines of one and the fame faith, for a few trifling ceremonies; or of a more peaceable and chriftian behaviour under fufferings. At the ap Camden indeed complains of their difperfing pamphlets againft the preach of the church and prelates, in a time of common danger, when the nation was Sppan m `n- in arms againft the Spanifh invalion ; but thefe pamphlets were only. to Phew, that the danger of the return of popery (which all men were now apprehenfive of) arofe from flopping the mouths of thcfe minifters, who were mod zealous againft it. It had been eafy at this time to have diflreffed the government and the hierarchy, for the cry of the people was againft the bifhops; but the puritans both here and in Scotland were more afraid of the return of popery than their adverfaries: Thofe in Scot- land
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