Neal - Houston-Packer Collection BX9333 .N4 1754 v1

Chap. II. The HISTORY of the PURITAtss. 503 foreign proteftants. Further, they began to imitate the church of Rome Kingjánesl, in her gaudy ceremonies, in the rich furniture of their chapels, and the 6 pomp of their worfhip. They complimented the roman catholick priefts with their dignitary titles, and fpent all their zeal in ftudying how to corn- promife matters with Rome, while they turned their backs upon the old proteftant doctrines of the reformation, and were remarkably negligent in preaching, or inftrui1ing the people in chriftianknowledge. Thingswere cone to loch a pals, that Gondamar the Spanifh ambaffador writ to Spain, that there never was more hopes of England's converfion, for " there are " more prayers, fays he, oJèred to the mother than to thefon [of God.." The prietis and jefuits challenged the efiablifhed clergy to publick dif putations ; the duke of Buckingham's mother'being a papid, a conference was held in her prefence between Fber a jefuit on the one part, and Dr.. White, Williams, and Laud on the other. Each of them difputed with the jefuit a day before a great concourfe of people, but not to the coun- tefs's converfion, which was not at all Eirange upon their principles. AmongEt other popifh books that were publithed, one was entitled, a newgag for the oldgolpel; which Dr. Montague, redor of Stanford Rivers anfwered in fuch a manner, as gave great offence to the old clergy, yielding up all the points above-mentioned, and not only declaring for Arminianfm, but making dangerous advances towards popery itfelf. The book occa- fioning a great noife, Mr. Ward and Yates, two minifiers at Ipfwich, made a colleEiion of the popifh and arminian tenets it contained, in or- der to lay them before the next parliament; but the author, with the king's leave, took flicker under the royal wing, and prepared for the preis,: his Apello Cafarem, or a juft appeal from two unjufi informers; which White bifhop of Carlifle, licenfed in thefe words, that there was nothing contained in the fame but what was agreeable to the publickfaith, doctrine, anddifcipline e/labli/hed in the church ofEngland. However before the book was publifhed the king died. Thefe advances of the court divines towards popery, made mod of the C!ark'r people fall in with the puritans, who being confiant preachers, and of ex- Life of emplary lives, wrought them up by their awakening, fermons to an abhor- Roch6g wei,... rence of every thing that looked that way. Many of the nobility and P. gentry favoured them: Lady Bowes, afterwards lady Darcy, gave a thou - fand pounds per annum, to maintain preachers in the north, where there were none, and all her preachers were filenced non-conformifts. Almoft all the famous praEtical writers of this reign, except bifhop Andrews, were puritans, and fufferers for non conformity, as Dr. Willet, Mr. fer, Dyke, Dr. Prelim, Sibbs, Byfield, Bolton, Hilderfham, .Dad, Ball, Whately and o- thers, whofe works have done great fervice to religion. The charaEter of thefe divines was the reverie of what the learned Seiden gives of the clergy ?n pref, of

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