4I0 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. i. KingJarnes L c, thefuprente mag(rate fhould only be a maintainer of their proceedings, " but not a commander in them ; thefe are but petty abridgments of the " prerogative royal, while the king fitbmits his fceptre to the fceptre of Chrift, and licks the duff of the churches feet." They then commend the prefent church government as the great fupport of the crown, and calculated to promote unlimited fubjeEtion; and aver, " that there are " at this day more learned men in this land, in this one kingdom, than VtryPUjtAnn ", are to be found among all the minifters of religion in France, p. 374, " Flanders, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Geneva, Scotland, or (to fpeak " in a word) all Europe befides." Such a vain-glorious piece of felf- applaufè is hardly to be met with. They muft have a mean opinion of the king's acquaintance with the learned world, to ufe him in this manner, at a time when though there were forne very confiderable divines among ourfelves, there were as many learned men in the foreign univerfities, as had been known fince the reformation, witnefs the Beza's, Scaliger's, Cafaubon's, &c. whole works have tranfmitted their great names down to pofterity. Atndatshe And that the divines of Cambridge might not come behind their vniverfry of brethren of Oxford, the heads of that univerfity wrote a letter of thanks. Cambridge to the Oxonians, for their anfwer to the petition, in which `° they ap- " plaud and commend their weighty arguments, and threaten to, battle " the puritans with numbers; for if Saul has his thou/ands (fay they.). " David has his ten thoufands. They acquaint them with their decree of " june 9, and bid the poor pitiful puritans [homunciones miferrimi] anfwer their almoft a, thoufand books in defence of the hierarchy,. " before they pretend to difpute before fo learned and wife a.king"' A mean and pitiful triumph over honeft and virtuous men, who aimed at- nothing more than to bring the difeipline of the church a Iittle nearer the ftandard of fcripture ! Proclamation But that his majefty might part with his old friends, with force decen. for a confe- Cy, and feem to anfwer the revel of the petitioners, he agreed to rence.. Whit- have a conference with the two parties at Hampton Court, for. which. , of gift, 13. Iv. purpofe he publifhed a proclamation from Wilton, ()Haber 24th, ;603, 3'r touching a meeting for the bearing, and for the determining things pre-. tended, to be amifs in the church. In which he declares, " that he was " already perfwaded, that the conftitution of the church of England was " agreeable to God's word, and near to the condition of the primitive " church ; yet becaufe he had received information, that force things in " it were fcandalous, and gave offence, he had appointed a meeting to be had before himfelf and council, of divers bithops and other learned " men, at which confultation he hoped to be better informed of the. (late " of the church, and whether there were any fuch: enormities in, it; in " .the
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