302 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. II. King/King /627eI. a treaty with Lewis XIII. king of France, for his filter Henrietta Maria. ) Upon this occafion the archbifhop of Ambrun was fent into England; who told the king, the belt way to accomplifh the match for bis fon, was to grant a full toleration to catholicks. The king replied, that he intended to grant it, and was willing to have an affembiy of divines to compromife the difference between proteftants and papifts, and promifed to fend a letter to the pope to bring him into the projeét. In this letter, rays monfieur Deageant in his memoirs, the king Riles the pope, Chritt's vicar, and head of the church univerfal, and affures him, he would de- clare himfelf a catholick as loon as he could provide againft the inconve- niences of fuch a declaration; but whether this was fo or not, it is certain he immediately relaxed the Renal laws againft papifts, and permitted Am- brun to adminifter confirmation to ten thoufand catholicks at the door of the French ambaffador's houle, in the pretence of a great concourfe of people. In the mean time, the treaty of marriage went forwards, and was at lait figned November so. in the thirty-three publick articles, and three fecret ones, wherein the very fame, or greater advantages, were ftipulated for the catholicks than in thofe of Madrid; but before the difpenfation The king from the pope could be obtained, his majefty fell rick at Theobalds of a dies. tertian ague, which put an end to his life, not without fufpicion of poifon, March 27. 1625, in the 59th year of his age. Summary To review the courfe of this reign; it is evident that both popery and fare of reli- puritanifm encreafed prodigioufly, while the friends of the hierarchy funk gin in this into contempt ; this was owing partly to the fpiritual promotions, and reign. partly to the arbitrary maxims of Rate that the king had advanced. In promoting of bithops the king difcovered a greater regard to fuch as would yield a fervile compliance tohis abfolute commands, than to fuch as would fill their fees with reputation, and be an example to the people of reli- gion and virtue, of which number were bifhop Neile, Buckeridge, Harf- net, Laud, &c. The fafhionable dodtrines at court were fuch as the king had condemned at the fynod of Dort, and which in the opinion'of the old En fh clergy, li g were fubverfive of the reformation. The new bishops admitted the 'church of Rome to be a true church, and the pope the firi bifhop of Chriftendom. They declared for the lawfulnefs of images in churches ; for the real prefence ; and that the doctrine of tran- fubftantion was a fchool nicety. They pleaded for confefíion to a prieR; for facerdotal abfolution, and the proper merit of good works. They gave up the morality of the fabbath, and the five diftinguifhing points of calvinifm, for which their predeceffors had contended. Theyclaimed an uninterrupted fucceflion of the epifcopal charades from the apoftles through the church of Rome, which obliged them to maintain the vali- dity of her ordinations, when they denied the validity of thofe of the foreign
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=