Chap. XII. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 8o3 goodnefs they were unacquainted with the rights of confeience, and whenK. Charles I. they got the fpiritual fword into their hands managed it very little better 'l 2- than their predecefrors the bithops. The clergy who efpoufed the king's caufe were the bench of b4ops, Ofthe king's the whole body ofthe cathedral, and the major part of theparochial clergy,eteJ3y. with the heads and meft of thefellows of both univerfties, among whom were men of the firffrank for learning, politenefs, piety, and probity of manners, as archbifhop Ufher, bifhop Hall, Moreton, Weftfseld, Brownrigge, Prideaux, Dr. Hammond, Saundeofn, &c. who joined theking, not merely for the fake of their preferments, but becaufe they believed the unlawful- fulnefs of fubjeds rejfting theirfbvereign in any cafe whatfoever. Among the parochial clergy were men or no lets name and character ; lord Cla- rendon lays, " that if the fermonsof thofe times preached at court were voi. I. collected together and publifhed, the world would receive the belt P. 77 °' bulk of orthodox divinity, profound learning, convincing reafon, natu- << ral powerful eloquence, and admirable devotion, that bath been corn- municated in any age fince the apoftles time." And yet in the very fame page he adds, " there was fometimes preached there, matter very unfit for the place, and fcandalous for the perlons." I fubmit this pa- ragraph to the reader's judgment; for I mutt confefs, that after having read over feveral of thefe court fermons, I have not been able to difcover that learning and'perfuafive eloquence which his lordfhip admires; nor can much be laid for their orthodoxy, if the thirty nine articles be the flandard. But whatever decency was obferved at court, there was hardly a ferrnon preached by the inferior clergy within the king's quarters, where- in the parli.talentdivines were not feverely expofed and ridiculed, under the character of puritans, precifians, formalifts, fabbatarians, cant- ing hypocrites, &c. Such was the fl.arpnefs of men's fpirits on both fides! Among the country clergy there was great room for complaints, ma- ny of them being pluralifts, non-refidents, ignorant and illiterate, negli- gent oftheir cures, feldom or never vifiting their parithioners, or difcharg ing any more of their funy`tion than would barely fatisfy the law. They took advantage of the book of_fports to attend their parithioners to their wakes and revels, by which means many of them became fcandaloufly immoral in their converfations. Even Dr. Walker admits, that there were Sufferings of among them men of wicked lives, and filch as were a reproachand fcgn- the clergy, dal to their function; the particulars of which had better have been bu 'P' 72. tied than left upon record. The common people that filled up the king's army were of the loofa of the king's fort ; and even the chief officers, as lord Goring, Granville, Wilmot, and army others, were men of profligate lives, and made a jeft of religion ; the $ K 2 private 111111Nre
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