866 A Review of the principal fads objeEled to the firft bithops that were made, and who were but newly returned out of Ann. V. " exile (lays Mr. Strype) as Cox, Grindal, Horne, Sandy; jewel, Park- p. r»' " hur/i, Benthorn, upon their firft return, laboured all they could, againft receiving into the church the papiftical habits, but could not obtain it " from the queen and parliament. When the habits were enacted they " confulted what todo, being in Tome doubt whether to enter upon their funaions, but they concluded not to defert their miniftry." They Burnet's plainly exprefred their diflike of the habits (lays bifhopBurnet), and with- Lett. p. 46. ed them thrown out of their churches. " All the bithops that had been " beyond fea (lays Grindal) dealt with the queen to let the habits fall, p. qa. " but the was inflexible." However if this ggentleman will vindicate her majefty'sfiign f, and argue for the wifdomWind prudence of continuing the habits for the fake of the populace, efpecially when it was declared, that no holinefs was imputed to them ; he may do it without any difturbance from Mr. N. at prefent, becaufe it has little relation to the hiftory, and we than meet with the return of this argument in his appendix. Of the d, i- Our author concludes his firft chapter, with a defence ofthe DISCIPLINE Pl f the of the church, which he confef3'es is not fo perfect as good menw h, and P. 9, as the hops frequently and earneftly endeavoured to render it. May not this then ferve as Tome apology for the zeal ofthe puritans ? Why might not they endeavour to render the difcipline of the church more perfect as well as the bithops ? or, if the bithops deferted the cause, why Burnet'r might they not purfue it in a legal magner ? for " if the abufes which Hit}. Refor. " g ave occafion to the malecontents to com lain, had been effeftuall re- in I. " dreffed (fáys bifhop Burnet), that party muff have had little to work " upon." If it be Paid the abufes were not worth contending for let us hear the abovementioned hiftorian, who having mentioned feveral ob- jections againft the englifh reformation, admits, that " there are a great Ibid, " many other abufes brought in, in the worft times, and now purged " out of Come of the churches of the romancommunion, which yet con- " tinue, and are too much in ufe among us, fuch as pluralities, non-refi- " denies, &c. fo that it may be faid, that /ime of the manifeft corruptions " f popery, where they are recommended by the advantages that accompany " them, are not thoroughly purged out. The want of publick penance, " and penitentiary canons, is indeed a very great defect; our church does " not deny it, but acknowledges it, in the preface to the office of com- " urination. --- A platformwas made ofan ecclefiaftical difcipline, but " it was not profecuted with that zeal that the thing required in queen " ELIZABETH'S time." Strange 1 that none of thefe man ff corruptions ofpopery thould be removed in almoft two centuries; or that it fhould be fuch an unpardonable crime in the puritans to attempt it in a peacea- ble manner :" gut fä11 (fays our author) the hierarchy of the church, imperfect
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