Chap. III. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 533 " any way, but take them in the literal andgramaticalfenfe." Has the king R CharleS I. then a power, without convocation or parliament, to interpret anddeter- "#""-%') mine the fenfe of the articles for the whole body of the clergy r By the general meaning of the articles, the declaration feems to nnderfland no one determined fenfe at all. Strange ! that fo learned and wife a body of clergy and laity, in convocation and parliament, fbould eftablifh a num- ber of articles with this title, for the avoiding of diver/ity of opinions, and for the e/iablifhing of confent touching true religion, without any one deter- mined fenfe! The bithop goes on, and excepts againfl the current fenfe of expofitors, " becaufe they may, and perhaps do go againll the literal limp." Will his lordfhip then abide by the literal and grammatical fenfe ? No, but " if an article bear more fenfes than one, a man may choofe what fenfe his " judgment directs him to, provided it be A SENSE, according to the ana- " logyoffaith, till the church determinea [particular], SENSE ; but it is the " wifdom of the church to require confent tv articles in general as much as " may be, and not require ajint to particulars." His lordfhip had better have fpokenout and faid, that it would be the wifdom of the church to require no fubfcriptions at all. Towhat firaits are men driven to comply with the laws, when their fentiments differ from the literal and gram- matical fenfe of the articles of the church? Mr. Collyer Pays, they have no efablifhedfenfe ; king Charles in his declaration, that they are to he tin- derftood io a general fenfe, but not to be drawn afide to a particular de- termined fen fè; bithop Laud thinks, that if the words will bear more feules than one, a man may choofe what fenfe his judgment directs him to, provided it be A SENSE, according to the analogy of faith, and all this for avoiding diverfity of opinions : But I am afraid this reafoning is too wonderful for the reader ! While the parliament were expreffing their zeal againit arminianifm andArbitrary, popery, a new controverfy arofe, which provoked his majefty to diffolyeProccedingt them, and to refolve to govern without parliaments for the future ;. for wìtirhea though the king had fo lately fgned thepetition of right in full parliamentrparliament.. he went on with levying money by his royal prerogative. A bill was de- pending in the houle to grant his majefty the duties of tonnage and poun- dage; but before it was paffed, the Cullom-houfe officers feized the goods of three eminent merchants, Mr. Rolls, Mr. Chambers, and Mr. Paja?, for non-payment. Mr. Chambers was fined two thoufand pounds, betides the lofs of his goods, , and fuffered fix years imprifonrnent :_ Mr. Rollis warehoufes were locked up, and himfelf taken out of the houle of com- mons and imprifaned. This occafioned force warm fpeeches againfi the Cullom-houfe officers and farmers ofthe revenues ; but the king took all the blame on himfelf, and fent the houfe word, that what the ojicers had done, . was by his. fpecial direction and command,, and that it was not fo much.- their:
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