frf Volume of the H ory of the Puritans-. 869 hands; and he mutt beg leave to add, it had been no les wifdom and goodnefs not to put them into the bands of the bithops. But fuppofing the puritans were toblame in attemptingthe eflablithment of their own difcipline, why might they not be indulged atoleration ? Our author replies,tbey did not dejre it; nay,they expre/ly refùfed a toleration,when p. 287. fómething ofthatfórtféems to be intendedfor them. Is it poffible to believe, that men (houldbe fufpended,deprived,and imprifoned,to the ruin of them - felves and their families, and not accept a toleration ? Would not Mr. Cartwright and his brethren have continued their miniftry in the church, if they might have been difpenfed with, as father Fox and Tome few others were ? No, fays this writer, for agreeably to their exhortation, ofyielding to no TOLERATION, nor accepting of any INDULGENCE, in all their p. 288, petitions, admonitions, flpplicationo, Sc.c. WE SEE NOTHING OF A TO- LERATION FOR THEMSELVES ONLY. This bold and peremptory affertion mull arife from great ignorance, or fomething worfe. It would; be too tedious to tranfcribe the numbers of petitions, which are before me, to the contrary ; the reader will find an abftra& of forne them in the hiflory of the puritans, Vol. I. p.271, &c. in which they declare their readinefs to fubfcribe to the do;Rrinal articles, and promife, if they may be difpenfed with as to the habits and ceremonies, they will make no diflurbance in the church, nor feparate from it. The minifters of Lon- don in the fame year [1584.] applied to the convocation in molt humble Hif . Purit. manner, to be a means to the queen, that they might not be preffed to Vol. I. an abfolute fubfcription to archbifhop Whitgft's articles, protefling before P. 3o8 God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrifl, that if ly any means they might continue their labours in the gofpel, they would do any thing that was not finful to procure it. Among thebills which were brought into par- liament for the reformation of certain abufes in the hierarchy, and in the fpiritual courts, one was touching liberty for godly preachers. In fhort, Mr. N. has not met with a tingle petition to the queen or bithops, for the firft twelve or fourteenyears of her majefly's reign, that defires any more than a difpenfation for the ufe of the habits, and three or four ceremonies, and a redrefs of a few notorious abufes; and 'tis fufficiently evident, that great numbers of thole puritans who fuffered throughout the courfe of this long reign, would thankfully have accepted filch a difpenfation, and given fecurity for their peaceable behaviour. Our author adds, that jomething like a tolerationfemed to be intend-P. 237 edfor them. Where does this appear ? or why is not tome authority produced for filchan important fad ? This writer knows, that if the par- liament had pafiéd fuch an ast, the queen would have rejeEìed it, be- caufe fhe was determined not to depart from her darling uniformity, but to oblige all her lubje is to comply outwardly with the laws, whate- VoL. I. ' 5 T ver
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=