684 The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. VIII. K. Charles I. " be obilinate and perpetual recufants. , While mats has been faid in fe- 164o. " curity, a conventicle has been a crime ; and which is yet more, the " conforming to ceremonies has been more exalted than the conform- " ing to chriftianity ; and while men for fcruples have been undone, " for attempts of fodomy they have only been admonifhed. " Mr. Speaker, they have refembled the dog in the fable, they have " neither pradifed themfelves, nor employed thofe that (hould, nor fuf- ` ferred thofe that would. They have brought in catechizing only. " to thruft out preaching ; cried down lectures by the name of faction, " either becaufe other men's induftry in that -duty appeared a reproof to their neglect, or with intent to have brought in darknefs, that they " might the eafier low their tares while it was night. " In this they have abufed his majefly as well as his people, for when " he had with great wifdom filenced on both parts thofe opinions, " ° that will always trouble the fchools, they made ufe of this decla- " ration to tie up one fide and let the other lode. The truth is, Mr. " Speaker, as fome minifters in our fiate firft took away our money, " and afterwards endeavoured to make our money not worth taking, s` by depraving it; fo thefe men firft deprefled the power of preaching,. " and then laboured to make it fuch, as the harm had not been much if " it had been deprefl d; the chief fubjeEts of the fermons being the jus " divinum of bifhops and tithes; the facrecdnefs of the clergy; the fa- " crilege of impropriations; the demolifhing of puritanifm ; the build- " ing up of the prerogative, &c. In fhort, their work has been to try " how much of the papift might be brought in without popery, and to " deftroy as much as they could of the gofpel, without bringing them- `° felves in danger of being deftroyed by the law. <` Mr. Speaker, thefe men have been betrayers of our rights and Ii- betties, by encouraging fuch men as Dr. Beal and Manwaring; by " appearing for monopolies and (hip-money; force of them have labour- " ed to exclude all perlons and caufes of the clergy from the temporal' " magiftrate, and by hindering prohibitions, to have taken away the only " legal bonnets to their arbitrary power ; they have encouraged all the " clergy to fuits, and have brought all fuits to the council table, that " having all power in ecclefiaftical matters, they might have an equal " power in, temporals; they have both kindled and blown the common " fire of both nations, and have been the firft and principal caufe of the " breach fence the pacification at Berwick. " Mr. Speaker, I. have reprefented no fmall quantity, and no mean de- " gree of guilt, but this charge does not lie againft epifcopacy, but againft " the perfons who have abufed that facred function; for if we confider, " that the firft fpreaders of chriftianity, the firft defenders ofit, both with " their
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