458 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. L KingjamesI. bles he met with from his adverfaries, and the attacks made upon his i6 charaéter and reputation, broke his fpirits, fo that he funk into a melan_ lancholy diforder, attended with a complication of diftempers, which haflened his end, after he had been profeffor fix years, and had lived forty-nine. He is reprefented as a divine of confiderable learning piety and modefly, far from going, the lengths of his fucceffors, T7orJlius, Epif_ copius, and Curcellxus; yet his doEtrines occafioned fuch confufion in that country, as could not be terminated without a national fynod, and pro- duced great diftraEtions in the church of England, as will be Peen hereafter. Proceedings In the parliament which met this fummer the fpirit of Englifh li- ofparka- berty began to revive ; one of the members made the following bold went. fpeech in the houle of commons, containing a particular reprefentation boo h a ainjl of the grievances of the nation, and of the attempts made for the redrefs tbeip courts. of them. " It begins with a complaint againti the bithops in their ec- clefiaftical courts, for depriving, difgracing, filencing, and imprifoning fuch of God's meffengers (being learned and godly preachers) as he has furnifhed with mofi heavenly graces to call us to repentance, for no other caufe, bat for not conforming themfelves further, and otherwife than by the fubfcription limited in the flatute of the r3th Elizabeth theyare bound to do, thereby making the laws of the church and commonwealth to jar, which to reform, fays he, we made a law forfubfeription, agreeing to the intent of the aforefaid ftatute, which would have efiablifhed the peace both of church and Rate ; and if it had received the royal agent, would have been an occafion that many fubjeits might be well taught the means of their falvation, who now want fufficient knowledge of the word of God to ground their faith Recordof proceedings of " parliament, et 1611. cc CC CC CC it CC tt tt tt et UPÚn.- And whereas by the laws of God and the land, ecclefiaflical perlons St fhould ufe only the fpiritual (word, by exhortation, admonition, and ex " communication, which are the keys of the church, to exclude impe- r` nitent finners, and leave the temporal fword to the civil magiflrate, °` which was always fo ufed in England, till the fecond year of the reign of king Henry IV: at which time the popilh prelates got the tern- 4g " poral fword into their hands ; which ftatute was fonce by feveral ads " of parliament made void ; yet by virtue of that temporal authority CC once for a fhort (pace by them ufed, force ecclefaflical perfons do ufe " both (words, and, with thofe two (words the oath ex officio, which " began heft in England by the flatute of the fecond of king Henry IV. tt being contrary to the laws of England, and as I verily think, con- e, trary to the laws of God. Where-
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