T H E I -S T 0 R y 0 F THE p u R I TAN s 0 R Protef!ant Non-Conformifts, V 0 L. II. CONTAINING Part of the Reign of King Charles I. from the commencement of the Civil War; the Period of the Common-wealth; Protetl:orfhip of Oliver Cromwe!l; the Reigns of King Charles II. James II. And PART of King WILLIAM and Queen MARY: By DANIEL NE A L, M A. The S E c o N D E D t T I o N CorreCted. Think not I am come to .fend peace on earth, I came not to find peace but a fword, Matth. x. 34· L 0 N D 0 N: ' Printed for J. BucKLANo, at the Buck in Pater-Nofler-Row, and J. WAUGH and W. FENNER, at the 'I'urk's-Head in Lombard-Street, MDCCLIV.
T H E p R E F A c E· T 0 THE Third Volume of the 0 c T A v o Edition. 0 period of civil hijl:ory has Ulzdergone a more critical ex~ amination than the la/l fiven years of king CHARLES I. which was aflene of.Jitch cotif"!fion and inconf!flent manage– ment between the king and parliament, that 'tis very dif– ficult to difcover the motives of action on either .fide; the king fiems to have been diretled by ficret jprings from the queen, and her council of papijls, who were fir advancing the prero– gative above the laws, and vijling his majejl,v with fuch an abfolute flv_e– reignty, as might rival his brother of France, and enable him to iftablijh the roman catholic religion in England, or flme how or other blend it with the protejtant. 'This gaw rifi io the unparalelled Jeverities if the fiar-chamber and high commifilon, which, qftcr twelve )'ears triumph o– ver the laws and liberties of the jitbjetl, brougbt on a fierce and bloody ~var, and alter tbe lqfs of above a hundred thouji:md lives, ended in the fa-. crijice of the ki11g himfelf, and the fitbvojion if the whole co11jtitution. Though all men had a veneration fir the perfon if the king, bis M r– N ISTERs had rendered themfilves jujtly obnoxious, not only by Jetting up a new form of government at home, but by extending their jur!fditlion to a neighbouring kingdom, under the government of diftintl laws, and en– dined to a form if church di(cipiine very different from the engli!h : 'This raifid fuch a florm in the North, as diftrejjed his majifty's adminiftraA z tion;
lV P R E F A C E. tion ; exhaujted his treafure ; drained all his arbitrmy JPrings of .fupply; and (after an intermijjion of twelve years), reduced him to the neceffity of returning to the conJlitution, and calling a parliammt ; but whm the pub– lic grie7.'anm came to be opened, there appeared .Jitch a colleflion of ill hu– mours, a11d Jo general a d!ftrufl between the king and his two boz!fes, as threatened all the mifcbief and defolation that followed. Each party laid the blame on the other, and agreed in nothing, but in throwing ofl the odium qf the civil war from tbemjelves. <Jhe affairs of the church bad a very conjiderable influence on tbe wd– fare if the jlate: The epijcopal cbara!Jer was grown into contempt, not from any drjr!J of learning in the bijbops, but from tbeir cloje attachment to the p~trogative, and their o~vn infatiahle thirfl of power, which tbey jlrained to the utmrjt in their fpiritual courts, by reviving old and obfolete cu/loms, leV)'ing large fines on the people for contempt qf their canons, and projecuting good men and zealous prote/lants, for rites and ceremonies tend. ing to fuperjlition, and not 'Wan-anted by the laws qf the land. <Jbe king .Jitpported them to the utmoji; but was obliged, after Jome time, to give way firjf to an aB: for aboltfhing tbe high commiG1on, by a clauje in which tbe po~ver of tbe bijbops fpiritual courts was in a manner dtjirored; and at la)f to an a!J depriving them qf their feats in parliament. If at this time any methods cou!rl have been tbougbt if, to reflore a mutual corifidence be– tween tbe king and bis two boz!Ji!s, tbe remaining diflerenets in the church might ea.Jily bave bem compromijl:d; but the .JPirits qfmen ~vere heated, and as ti-e flames of the civil ~var grew fiercer, and Jpread wider, the wounds cf tbe church were enlarged, till the di/lrefs of the parliament's qfj'airs obliging them to call in the fcots, with their folemn league and covenant, they became incurable. When the king bad lojl bis caufe in the field, he put himfe!f at tbe hMd qf his divines, and dre-w his learned pen in defence qf his prerogative, and the church qf England ; but his arguments ~vere no more .fuccefifid thtm his Jword. I have brought the debates between the king and Mr. Hender– fon, and between the divines qf both fides at the treaties of Uxbridge and Newport upon the head of epijcopacy, into as narrow a compa(s as pof fiNe ; my chiif d:ftgn being to trace the proceedings qf the parliament and their ajfembly at Weftminfl:er, which (whether jujlifiable or not), ought to be placed in opm view, thougb none of the hijlorians of thrfe times have ventured to do it. 'Ihe Wefl:minfter ajJembly was the parliament's grand council in matters. tj' religion, and made a very co1?Jiderable figure both at bome am/ abroad tbrough the courfe of the civil war, 'till they difputcd the power of the– keys with their Juperion, and Jplit upon the rocks of divine right and co– venant u11iformity. <Jhe records of tbis wnerab!e ajfembly ~vere lofl in the }ire
P R E F A C E. fire qj London, but I ha~e given a large. and jzijl account if their pro– ceedings, from a manufcrzpt if one of thezr members, and.fome ~ther p~pers that have fallen into my hands, and have entered as far znto th~zr debates with the eraftians, independents, and others, as was conf!flent wzth tbe life and fi;irit of the hijlort . . Whatever views the [cots mzght have from the begmmng of the war, the parliament would certainly have agreed with the king upon the foot of a limited epijcopacy, till the calling the qjjembly if divines, after which· the folemn league and covenant became the llandard of all their treaties, and qvas dejigned to introduce the prejbyterian government in its full ex– tent, as the ejlablijhed religion if both kingdoms. T'his tied up the parlia– ment's hands, from yielding in time to the king's moft reafonable conci!Jjions at Newport, and rendered an accommodation impraClicab!e; 1 have there– fore trarifi:ribed the covenant at large, with the reafonsfor and againjl it; qvhether .fuch obligations upon the corifciences if men are jziflijiable fro11z· the neceility of affairs, or binding in all events and revolutions of govern– ment, Ijhall not determine; but the impqfing them upon others qvas certain– ly a very great hardjhip. 'The remarkable trial of arcbbijhop Laud, in which the antiquity and ufl if the flveral innovations, complained of by the puritans, are flated and argued, has never been publijhed entire to the world. 'The archbijhop· left in his diary a fummary if his mlj1ver to the charge of the commons, and Mr. Prynne in his Canterbury's doom, has pub!ijhed the Jirfl part if. his grace's trial, relating principally to points of religion ; but all is im– perfttl and immethodical. 1 have therefore compared both accounts toge– ther, and jitpplied the dijeCls of one with the other; the whole is brought' into a narrow compafs, and throqvn into fuch a method, as will give the reader a clear and dijtinCl view if the equity if the charge, and how far· the archbijhop deferved the z!fage he met with. · I have drawn out abflraCls q/ the feveral ordinances relating to the rife · aud progrifs of prejb)'tery, and traced the proceedings if the committee for pbmdered _and fcanda!o~s minifi:rs,. as far _as was nec~lfary to my general dtflgiZ, wtthout ~e{cendzng too jar mto partzculars, or attempting to jzijtifj the whole if thetr. co11duCl ; and though I am if opinion, that the number if clergy '(l.!bo fujjered purely on the account if religion, was not very confiderable, 'tis certain that many able and learned divines, who were content to lz'1Je quietly, anti mind the duty of their places, had very hard meafure– from the violence of parties, and deferve the compa!Jionate regards if po– flerity; Jome being dzJCharged their livings fir rifufing the covenant, and others plundered o/ ~very . thing the unruly .foldiers could lay their hands upou, for not complyzng ~vzth the change if the times. ]JZ, V
Vlll Vol. V. P· 258. ,P R E F A C E. formity they were contending for. 1f his majejly had yielded at firfl what .be did at lafl, with an appearance if fincerity; or, if the t1vo houfes had complied with his concejjzons while Cromwell was in Scotland; or if the army had been made eaf; by a general indulgence and toleration, with the diflribution qfJome honours and bounty-money among the olficers, the crown and conflitution might have been faved; " but Jo many miraculous circum– " fiances contributed to his majeflj's ruin ([ays lord Clarendon), tbat mm " ndght 1vell think that heaven and earth conjpired it. 'The objeClions to the fir!l: volume of the hiitory of the puritans, by the author if the vindication of the government, doCl:rine and wor!hip of the church of England, obliged me to review the principal jaCls in a fmall pampblet, wherein I have endeavoured to difcharge myfe!f as an hiflorian, q;;ithout undertaking the d€fence of their .fevera/ principles, or making my– feif an advocate for the whole of their conduCl. I took the liberty to point out the miflakes of our fir/t riformers, as I pajs'd along, but 1vith no difign to b/a(ken their memories ; for, ~vith all their foibles, they were glorious in/lruments in the hand if providence, to deliver this nation from anti– chri!lian bondage; but they were free to confefs, the work was lift imper– feff ; that they had gone as far as the times qvould admit, and hoped their ji1ccejfors would bring the riformation to a greater petjeffion. But the jfate if tbe contrcverfi was entirely changed in tbe time of. the civil wars; for after tbe coming in if the feats, the puritans did not fight for a reformation if tbe hierarchy, nor for tbe generous principles if religious liberty to all peaceable fubjeCl:s; but for the fame jpiritual power the bi– jhops had exercijed; for 7Vhetz they had got rid if the opprejjion of the JPi– rituo.l courts, under u•hicb they had groaned a/moll j our{core )'ears, they were for jetting up a number of prefbyterian confiO:ories in all the parijhes of England, equally burdenjome and opprejjive. Unhappy extream! <J'hat ~mje and good men jbou!d not diji:over tbe beautiful conjiflency of truth and liberty! Dr. Barrow and others bave obferved, that in the jirfl and purefl ages qf chrijlianity, the churcb bad no coercive power, and apprehend tbat it may /fill fubfifl very qvelf without it. 'The body of proteflant di!Jimtm of tbe prefent age have a jzijl abhorence if tbe per/ecuting jpirit of their predeceifors, and are content that their aClions be jet in a fair light, as a . warning to poflerity. Tbey have no l~Js a dread of r·cturning into the hands if fpiritu al courts, founded on the bottomfe/s deep if tbe canon law, and .fee no reajon why tbey jhould not be equa!~v expqfed, till tbty are put upon a better foot; thougb it is mz unpar– donable .crime in the opinion of fome churchmen, to take notice, even in the mo{t rejpeffjid manner, if the lcafl blemijh in our pre.fent ejiablifhment, which, how valuable foever in itje!f, is allo7ved by all to be capable of amendments. Some little eJ!ays of this kind have fired the zeal if tbe bijhop
P R E F A C E. vii meeting-houfes if protejlant dijfenters, mzd burnt the m~terials in the open jlreets, in maintenance of the doclrines if pqfjive-~bedzence and non-~e- . jijlance, which their pious corifeflor had been preachmg up; " a bol~ ?n- Hr!l:. p. 537· "fo/ent man (jays bijhop Burnet), with a very Jmall mea{ure if reltgzon~ " virtue, learning, or good jenje :" but to Juch extreams do m:n's pqfjions carry them, when they '<~rite to ferve a cauft ! I ~ave had occajton to make fome ufe if Dr. Walkers corifufed heap of materzals, but have endeavoured carifit!ly to avoid his [pirit and language. No man has declaimed Jo bitterly againfl the proceedir.gs if parliament upon all occa/iom, as this clergyman; nor complaimd more loudly of the un.JPeakable damage the liberal arts and Jciences .fuflained, by their purging the two univerjities; the ?te7v heads and fellows if Oxford are called," a colony Walker's " if prejby•terian and independent novices from Cambridge; a tribe iflntroduCl:. " ignorant enthzffiafls and Jchifrnatics; an illiterate rabble fwept from the P· 139• 14°• " plough-tail, from jhops and grammar flhoo!s, &c." The univerjity of Cambridge is reported by the fame author, " to be reduced to a meer Mun- Walker's " fter by the knipper-dolings if the age, 1vho broke the heart-(lrings iflntro~. " learning and learned men, 1vho thru(t out one if the eyes if the king- Su~~~J~ " dom, and made eloquence dumb, philofophy .fotti/h, widowed the arts, Cant. " drove away the mufes from their ancient habitation, and plucked the re- " verend and orthodox prife/Jors out if their cha~rs.-'They turned reli- " gion into rebellion, and changed the apq/lo/ical chair into a drjk fir " blafphemy.--'They took the garland from off the head if learning, and " placed it on the dull brows if ignorance. --And having zmbived a ?lU- " merous Jwarm of labouring bees, they placed in their room /Warms qj "·Jenfeiefi drones.-" Such is the language of our hiflorian, tranfcribed ji·om D r. Berwick ! I have carefully looked into this qlfair, and collefled the charaflers of the old and new prifejfors from the mq/l approved writers, that the dijintm:fted reader may judge, how far religion and learning fiif– fired by the exchange. The clqfl if this volume, which relates the difputes between· the parlia– ment and army; the ill fuccefS if his majf!fiy's arms and treaties; the j~izure of his royal perfon a fecond time by the army ; his trial before a pre– tende~ high court of juflice,. ~nd his unpar~lelfed execution befo~e tbe gates of hz~ royal_pa!a~e by the mtlttary power, zs. a mq/l melancholy and a.Jj'eff– zng jcene ;. zn 7vhzch, next to the all-difpojing provid~nce of' God, one cart– not b_ut :~mark the ~ing's. ilif!.ex_ible temper,_ together with the indifcretion if bts jrzends, efpectally hr_s dtvme~, at a tune when his crown was loft by the fortune qf war, and hts very life at the mercy of his enemies ; nor is the unwa~mtt~ble fli.Jfnefs of _the parliament lefi unaccountable, when they fow the vzflonous army drawzng t9wardr London, jlajhed with the difi:at of the [cots and engli{h loyalifls, and d~termined to .fet ajide that very uniformity.
PREFACE. " t~ tht legal toleration if them, while they lmp within due bounds; that " is, while they do not break in upon the privileges, and rights of th~ " ellablifhed church, by declaring againft all legal ijlablijbments, or the legal " eflablijbment qf the church if England in particular, or by not being ·~ quiet with the preflnt limits of their toleration, or by qffe/Jing pofls of " authority, and thereby breaking down the fences of the church, and plac– e< ing themfllws on a level with it." But whether this would remain a point of prudrnce with his lordjhip, if the boundaries of his epifcopal po~uer were enlarged, is not very difficult to determine. The dijjenters have no envy nor ill-will to the churches if England or Scotland, eftablijhed by la~u (attended with a toleration if all peaceable dif flnters), any jitrther than they encroach on the natural or Jocial rights of mankind; nor are they Jo weak, as not to diftinguijb between high digm·– ties, great authority, and large revenues fecured by law, and a poor main– tmance arijing from the voluntary contributions if the people, that is, be– tween an eftablilhment and a toleration. Hifi. Pur. But I am to attend to the charge of inconftjiency brought againjl myfl!f: Vol. I. P· 55· I had ob(erved, upon the reign of the bloody queen Mary, that an abfolute fu- . premacy over the confciences of men, lodged with a flngle perfon, might as well be prejudicial as ferviceable to true religion : And in the beginning lb. P· 85, if the reign if queen Elizabeth, that the powers then claimed by the ll 6 • kings and queens of England, were in a manner the fame with thofe claimed by the popes in the times preceding the reformation, except the adminiftration of the fpiritual ofiices of the church. This ~vas THAT suPREMACY, which was the gromzd-work if the re[ormatio11; if wbich ! fay, let the reader judge how far theje H 1G H POWERs are agreeable or confijlent ~uith the natural rights if mankind. His lordjhip calls this a prif~!Jed exp?Jing the royal Jupremacy, and the rather, becaufe " THAT " su PR EM ACY was acknowledged, andjworn to by tbe old puritans them– " felves, tbough no1v inconjijlently enough difowned and condemned by their '' hijlorirm." ButJi•rely his lordjl:ip fhould have iliformed his clergy at the fame time, in what Jenje the puritans took the oath, when it was bifore his . eyes, in thefame page; and my words are thefl: " '!'he whole body if the H'~gPur. " papijls refufed the oath if ji1premacy, as inconfiflent with their allegiance Yid:Strype's " to tbe pope, but the puritans took it zmder all theje difadvantages, with the ann. Vol. I. " queen's explication in her injunfliom, that is, that 120 more was intended, P· 159· " than that ber mqjejly, under God, had the Jovereignty and rule over all '' perfons born i?z her realm, either ecclejiajlical or temporal, fo as no fo– " reign power had, or ought to have any Juperiority over them." Where is the inco??ftflency of this condu/J of-the old puritans, or their new hijlorian? Or, where is the d~(fenter in England, who is not ready to fwear to it witb this explication? But
P R · E F A C E. fbop if Litchfield andCoventry*, who, in a la~e charge to ~he clergy of his diocefe, is pleqjed to lament over the times tn the fillowmg mournful language: " At fo critical a juncture (fayr his lordjhip) 1 whm common '' chriflianity is treated with an avowed contempt and open profanenefs ; Cba~~c·4~· « when an undifguifed immorality prevails .fo very generally ; when there is 41 ' ' • " fcarce honefty enough (o .(clve the nation from ruin; ~vhen, w_ith r~gard " to the eftablifhed church t1t particular, the royal fupremacy ts prqfe.lfed- " ly expojed, as incof!liftent with the rights of con(cience, even THAT su- " PREMACY, ~vhich 'Uias the ground-work of the riformation among us "from popery, which was ackno7vledged, andfworn to by the old puritans, " though now, incoif!flently enough, difowned and condemned in the new h!f- " tory, and vindication of them and their principles.--When .fo de- " jlruCiive an attempt has been made o1z the legal maintenance of the clergy, " by the late tithe bill, and confequently, on the fate of the chriftian re- " , ligion among us.--When an attempt has been lately made on the im- " ,portant out-works of our eccld£aflical eflablijhment, the corporation and '' te!l: aCts, with the greatd/ iifolences towards the church, and mojl undu- " tiful menaces to the civil government.--When the epifcopal authority " has been well nigh undermined, under a pretence if r~forming the eccle- " jit!flical courts; and if that order had been rendered u_felefs, as it muft " have been, when it had loft its authority, then the revenues would have " been foon thought ufelefs ; and in the r€fult of things, the order itfelf " might have been confidered as Juperjluous, and perhaps in due time, " thought .fit to be abolijhed.--When churches have been put into foch a '' method qj repair, as would end in their ruin in a little time; and whm " the correCiion of the abtifes if the matrimonial lice1!fes has been laboured " in fo aijurd a manner, as to permit the marriage qf. minors without COIZ- '' fent qj' tbeir parents or guardians: When thefe melancholy circumjlances " have fo lately concurred, it is natural to irifer, our zeal for the church '' fhould be in proportion to its danger; and if tbtfe are not proper occajions " for zeal fo1· our eccliftajlical conjlitution, it is not eojy to aj)ign circum- " fiances that may jujlly demand it."-How .fine and jitbtile are tbfje foeculations ! I have not olfer?Jed any infolmm towards tbe church, or undutiful menaas to the civil government, in the late writings of the dijfenters; but if one pin qj' the hierarchy be removed by the wzfdom af the legijlature, Vid.~ l<>t~ the wbole building is fuppojed to fail, and all religion along ~vith it. His exce_llmt e~·/ordjbip tberefore advifes his clergy to }ludy t the bijhop qf Lond0n's codex, ahmmadtw,_of · d J j d · d · J h . J. • t eeo exJU– tn or er to ue en tt; an zt can uo t em no real pre;ut~tce to examzne at ris eccl. the fame time, the principles if law and equity, on which it is founded. Angl. As to the diff'enters, his lordjhip adds, " ho·wever, it will become us if the Charge, P• ~· clergy, in point of prudence, not to give anyjujl fufpicions of our difgu!l: 46 • VoL. H. b " to * Dr. Smallbrook. t Dr. Gibfon.
:xii Charge, p. 22. Ibid. P R E F . A c · K The bifh_op_ goes on; " let us now tra~sfer this power of jewijh kings " and chn{ban emperors to our own kmgs, and the cafe will admit of " an eafy decifion-" If indeed an abfolute Jitpremacy in matters if religion, is the natural and unalienable right of ev~ry chrijlian king and emperor, the dijpute is at an end; but if it depe'nds upon a transfer, we mu/J beg pardon, if we dtjire his lordjhip to produce his commijjion for tranf– firring the fame powers, that Almighty G~dgave the jewilh kings of his own appointment, to the fir!l chriil:ian emperors, who were neither chqfe1z by God, nor the people, nor the fenate if Rome, but ufurped the Jitpreme authority, by the a./Jiflance of the military arm, and were /ome if them the greateft tyrants and ji:ourges qf mankind. His lordjhips adds, " have not the englifh kings, fince the reformation, " aCtually been invefted with the SAME SUPREMACY, as the jewijh " kings and chriil:ian emperors were ?'' 1 anfwer, fuch a fupremacy is, in my judgment, inco'!fiflent with our prefent conflitution, and the laws ilz being. The fupremacy claimed by king Henry VIII. and his fucce/Jors, at the reformation, was found by experience too excejfroe,. and therefore abridged in the reigns if king Charles I. and king William IlL No one doubts, but the kings if. Englar.d are obliged to protee! religion, and defend the eftabliihment as long as the legiflature think /it to continue it ; but as they may not fiifpend or ch,znge it by their .fovereign pleafure, (o neither may they publijh edie!s if. their 07r.:n to enforce it, as was the cafe of the fitjl chrijlian emperors. The reader will excuje this digrdfion, as necejfary to Jupport a principal fae! of my hijlory. I am Julficiently moare of the delicacy of the a.fj'airs treated if in this 'VOiumf, and rf the tendernefs if' the ground 1 go over ; and though I have been very careful of my temper and language, and have endeavoured to look into the mJ:Jierious condue! qj the ji:veral parties, with all the indifference!of .t1 fpee!ator, I find it ~.;ery difficult to form an exae! judgment of the mofl important events, or to ,[peak freely without qffence; therqore if any paf– jionate or angry writer j bould appear againfl this, or any o/' the former vo– lumes, I humbly requefl the reader to pay no regard to per:fonal refiee!ions, .or to ir!/i11Uations qf any ill dejigns againfl the ~flablijhedreligion, or the pub– lic peace ; •wbich are entirely groundlefs. I am as far from vindicating the jpirit and condue! of the warmer puritans, as if the governing prt– lates of thife times; there was hard meafure on both fides, though, if we Jeparate politics f rom principles of pure religion, tht balance will be very much in favcur of the puritans. In hijlorical debates, nothing is to be re– ceived upon truft, but faCts are to be examined, and a jydgment formed upon the authority by 7vbich thofe faC!s are {ztpported; by this method we · j1;all
foal! arrive at truth; and if it foal! appear, that in the courfe if this long hijtory, there are any confiderable mijlakes, the worldmay be aJfured, I will take the Jir:ft opportunity to retraCl or amend them ; having no private or party · views, no prqjpeCf if preferment, or other reward .for my labours, than the fatisfaClion if doing fome firvice to truth, and to the religious and civil liberties of mankind; and yet after all, I mujl bejpeak the indul– gence and candor if my readers, whifk thofe, who are fi'!ftb!e if the labour and toil if col!eCfing Jo many materials, and ranging them in their proper order, will readily allow to one, who jincere!y wijhes the prqjperity and wel– fare of all good men, and that the violence and outrage of thve unhappy times, which brought .fuch confujion and mifery both on king and people, may_ never be imitated by the prejent, or any future age. London, Nov. 4· 1735• . ~"-. ~ '\ . ,, '• DA NI EL N E AL. • > ' 1 ~· }. . I . THE xiii
( xiv ) s ,\ . ,( • ,, \_ . . t,·, . ' T H E p F A c E· T 0 THE Fourth Volume of the 0 c T A v o Edition. (7""'H IS volume brings the hiftory of the fufferings of the puritans .L down to its period; for though the proteftant diifenters have fince complained if Jeveral dijficulties and diftouragements, yet mqft if the penal laws have been jitjpended; tbe prrfecutions l!f the fpiritual courts have been co1Y,derably reflrained by the kind interpqfition if the civil powers, and liberty if confcience enjoyed without the hazard if fines, imprifonments, and other terrors if this world. '!he times now in review were ftormy and boijlerous : Upon the death of king Charles I. the conflitution ~!!as dijjolved: '!he men at the helm had niJ legal authority to change the governft!ent into a commonwealth; the pro– teelorjhip oj' Cromwell was an ufurpa'tion, becaujegrafted only on the mi– litary power; and Jo were a/[ the misfo.apen forms into which the adminijlra– tion was cafi till the re/loration l!f the kzng. In order -to pa.fs a right judg– ,ment upon tbeje extraordinary revolutions, the temper .and circumjlances of ,fbe nation are to be duly conjidered; for tho(e actiom, which in j ome cir– .cum/lances are highly criminal, may in a dilfermt jituation of qtfairs be– .come neceflary. 'Ihe parties engaged in the civil wars were yet living, and tbeir r-efentments agai1!fl each otber fo much enjlamed, as to cttt qfj' all hopes if a reconciliation ; each dreaded the otber's fuCC!js, well knowing .they mr.t/l fall a facrijice to thrfe wbo jhould prevail. All prifent views 'of' tbe king's recovering his father's throne, were defeated at the battle of Worcefrer, the loyalifis being then entirely brokm and difperferl.; fo that if
P R E F A C E. fire qj London, but I ha~e given a large. and jzijl account if their pro– ceedings, from a manujcnpt qf one of thezr members, and.fome ~ther pa_– pers that have fallen into my hands, and have entered as far znto th~zr debates with the eraftians, independents, and others, as was conf!ftent wrth tbe life and jpirit of the hijlorr . . Whatever views the {cots mzght have from the begmmng of the war, the parliament would certainly have agreed with the king upon the foot of a limited epifcopacy, till the calling the qffembly if divines, after which· the folemn league and covenant became the /tandard of all their treaties, and 1vas dejigned to introduce the prejbyterian government in its .full ex– tent, as the eflablijhed religion of both kingdoms. This tied up the parlia– ment's hands, from yielding in time to the king's mofl reafonab/e concqjions at Newport, and rendered an accommodation impracticable; 1 have there– fore tranfcribed the covenant at large, with the reafomfir and againjl it; ~vhether .fuch obligations upon the conJCimces if men are jzijlijiable from the neceffity of affairs, or binding in all events and revolutions qf govern– ment, I ]hall not determine; but the impq/ing t.bem upon others 'was certain– ly a very great hardjhip. 'The remarkable trial of arcbbijhop Laud, in which the antiquity and ufl if the ftveral innovations, complained of by the puritans, are jlated and argued, has never been publijhed entire to the world. 'The archbijhop· left in his diary a fummary if his mif~ver to the charge of the commons, and Mr. Prynne in his Canterbury's doom, has pub!ijhed the firjl part qf. his grace's trial, relating principally to points if religion ; but all is im– perfect and immethodical. 1 have therefore compared both accounts toge– ther, and Jupplied the dijects of one 'With the other ; the 1vhole is brought· into a narrow compa(s, and thro~vn into fuch a method, as will give the reader a clear and dijtinct view if the equity if the charge, and how far· the archbijhop deferved the z!fage he met with. · I have drawn out abftracts q/ the feveral ordinances relating to the rife· aud progrfjs of prejbytery, and traced the proceedings if the committee jor pbmdered .and Jcandalous mini.fte_rs,. as far .as was nec~!fary to my general difign, wzthout ~e{cendmg too jar mto parttculars, or attempting to jujtify the whole if thezr conduct ; and though I am if opinion, that the number' if clergy who ftifj'ered purely on the account if religion, was not very con– fiderable, 'tis certain that many able and learned divines, who were content to live quiet?, antf mind tke duty of their places, had very hard m~afurefrom "the vzolence if parttes, and deflrve the compa!Jionate regards rif po– flerity; Jome being dzjf:harge~ their livings fir rifufing the covenant, and others plundered if every thmg the unruly .foldiers could lay their hands upon, jor not complying ~vith tbe change qf the times. .bz. V
P R · E F A C E. may give light to the affairs of religion; ·and I could ha·ve wijhed, that t!x memory if both had been entirely blotted out qf the records if time, zf the animqjities if the flveral parties, and their unchri(tian principles, .had been buried with them; but as the remembring them may be a warning tfJ pofle– rity, it ought to give no qffence ·to ' any . denomination of chrijlians qf the prefent age, who are no ~vays anfwerable for the .conduE! if their anctjlors, nor can othtrwife jhare ·in a-.cenfore if it, than as they maintain the fame principles, and imitate the fame unchriflian behaviour. At th( end of each year I have added the cbaraE!ers of the principal non-con– formift minifl:ers as they died, partly from the hi;1orians of thqfe times, but chiefly from the writings if the late reverend doE!or Edmund Calamy, ~vhoje integrity, moderation, a;zd ilzdtijlry· de/erve a peculiar .commendation. My dt:Jign was to preferve the memory if the reverend a!fembly of divines at Wefl:minfl:er, as well as of the little"army of.confe!fors, 1vho afterwards .fiifj'ered fo deeply in the cau.fe if non-conformity. In pq!Jing a judgment on the fh,eral parties in church and flate, I have cart:Jully diflinguijhed between thofo who went into all the arbitrary meajures of the court, and fuch as flood .ftrin by the proteftant religion and the li– berties of their .country; for it mujl be allowed, that in the reign if king Charles ·II. there were e·ven among ·the cler._rry, Jome of the wor/l, ' as well ·as bifl if men, as will appear to a demonjlration in the cour.fe if this hif– tory; but I dejire no greater flrefS .may be lciid upon facts or charaC!ers, than the quality if the vouchers in tbe margilz. will jitpport. Where thefe have been differently related, I have relied on the. bejt authorities, andfome– . times reported from both fides, leaving the reader to choqje for himfi!J : for if facts are fairly reprifented, the h1jtorian is difcharged. I am not Jo vain as to imagine this hiftory free f'rom errors; but if any miftakes of confequence are made to appear, tbey jhall be acknowiedged with thanliful– nejs to thofe, who jhall point them out in a civil and friendly manner; and, as I aim at nothing but truth, IJI!e no recifon to engage in a warm dife1zce of' any parties if chrijtians who paji bt:Jore us in revie~v, but leave their conduC! to the ce'1fure qf the world. Some few remarks if my own are here and there interjperjed, 1vhich the reader will receive according as he apprehends them to fol/o~v from the pmmji:s ; but I flatter myfe!f, that when he has carefully perufed the fiveral volumes qf this hijtory., he will .agree with me in the following condujions. . FIRsT, that VNIFORMITY of fentiments in re)igion is not to be ·attained among chrL!l:ians; nor wili'a coMPREHENSION within an efl:a– blilhrnent, be of fervice to .the caufe of truth and liberty, without a TOLERATION of all other dutiful fubjects. .Wffo and good men, cifter their mofl diligent .fearches '!fter.truth, have Jem things in a different light, tWhich is not to be avoided, as long as tbey bave liberty to judge for,themJelves.
P R E F A C E. .[elves. If Cbrijt bad appoin~ed ~?~ inf~l!ib(e ju~ge upon. earth ; or mm r,vere to be determined by an tmp!lC1t fcuth m thetr fuperzon, there would be an end ifJuch differences; but all the engines o/ human policy that have beenJet at work to obtain it, have hitherto f ailed if foccefs. Suf:Jjri~tions, and a variety if oaths a?Jd other t~(ts, have occaftoned great mifclmfs to the church ; by Jkife. memp men qf weak morals, and ambitious vie'U}f, ha'l!e 6een raifed to the higbejt preferments, while !_t~ers if.flriCler virtue, and jitperior talents, have been neg!eCled and (at~ ajide; an~ p_ower has been lodged in the hands of thofe who have ufed tt m an unchrifttan man– ner, to force men to an agreement ilz fou nds and outward appearances, . contrary to the true conviClion andjen_(e if their minds ; and thus a la fling · reproach has been brought on the chrijtian name, and on the genuine prin– ciples if a protejtant church. SEcoNDLY, All..2ar~es of.chriflians, when in power, have been ' guilty of perfecutioQ for confc1ence fake. The annals if the church are · a mofl melancholy demonjlration if this truth. Let the reader call to mind ' the bloody proceedings if the popifh bifhops in queen Mary's reign; and · the account that has been given if the il:ar-chamber and high commiffion– court in later times; what numbers o/ ujful minijlers have bem Jequefler– ed, imprifoned, and their families reduced to poverty and dijgrace, for re- · f¥fing to wear a white furplice, or to comply with a few indifferent ceremonies! What havock did the preiliyterians make with their covmant miiformity ; their jure divino dijcipline, and their rigid prohibition if reading the old fervice book! And though the independents had a better notion of the rights of confcience, how difeC!ive was their il!flrument if government under Cromwell! How arbitrary the proceedings of their tr_yersI How narrow their lift offundamentals I And bo'iv jevere their rejlraints of the prefs I And though the rigorous proceedings of the puritam o/ this age, did by no means rival thoje qj the prelates before and cifter the civil wars, yet they are Jo many Jpecies qf per{ccution, and not to be}l!jlified, . even by the conjitjion if the times in which they were atled. THIRDLY, It._ is .unfafe and dangerous to in troll: any fort of clergy · wi~h the power of the fword; for our Saviour's kingdom · is not of tbis world, if it were (jays be), then would my fervants fight; but now is my kingdom not from hence. The church and }late fhould .fl,wd on a diflintl bajis, and their jurij(iitlion be agreeable to the nature of their c~i~tes; thoft qf t~e church pu.rely fpiritual, a~d thofe if the }late purely c1v1l; as the kmg zs fupream m the /late, he zs alfo head, or guardian o/' the church, in thofe /piritual rights that Chrijl has intrujled it ·with. When the church in former ages Jirfl a/Jumr:d the Jecular power, it not omy · VoL. II.. c ~ rivalled ' xvii
xviii P R E F A C E. rivalled the flate, but in a little time lifted up its head above emperors and kings, and all the potentates of the earth: 'Ihe thunder of its anathema's was heard in all nations, and in her Jkirts was found the blood of the prophets, and faints, and of all that were flain upon the earth. And whenever it recovers the qvound that was given it at the reformation, it will undoubtedly rifume the fame abfolute coercive dominion. It is tbere– fore the intere/l qj all Jovereign princes, to keep their clergy within the li– mits that Cbrijl bas prejcribed them in the new tefl:ament, and not to trujl them with the power qf inflicting corporal pains or penalties on their fub– jects, which ha~;e no relation to the chriflian methods of convnjion; FouRTHLy, Reformation of religion, or a redrefs of grievances in the church, has not in fact ari'fen from the clergy. I would not be thought to reflect upon that venerable order, which is of great ufefulnefl, and de– firved honour, when tbe ends of its in/litution are purfued; but Jo /lrange has been the iifatuation, jo enchanting the lujl if dominion, and the charms of riches and honour, that the propagation if piety and virtue has been very much neglected, and little e!fe thought oj; but how they might rife higher in the authority and grandeur of this world, and fortify their jfrong holds againfl all that jhou!d attack them. In the dawn of the refor– mation, the clergy mai11tained tbe pope's fupremacy againfl the king, till they were cafl in a prremunire. In the reign of queen ELIZABETH there ·was but one if the whole bench, who would join in the conftcration of a protefiant biihop ; and when the reformation was eflablifhed, how cruelly did thrfe proteftant bifhops, who themfelves had fu.lfered for religion, vex the puritans, becaife they could not come up to their jlandard. How un– frimdb• did they behave at the Hampton- Court conference! At the refl:o– ration of king Charles II. a11d at the late revolution of king William and queen Mary ! wben the mqjl Jolemn promifes were broken, and the maft hcpejul opportunity if accommodating differences among proteftants loll, by the perverjenefl if the clergy towards thofe very men, who hadjaved them from ruin. So little ground is there to hope for an union among chrifliam, or the prcpagation of truth, peace, and charity, from councils, fynods, general a!femblies, or convocations of the clergy, if any fort whatjo– tver. FIFTHLY, Upon thife principles it is evident, that freedom of reli– gion, in fubordination to the civil power, is for the benefit of fociety, and no ways inconfiil:ent with a public efl:abli!hment. 'The king may create dignitaries, and give jitjjicient encouragement to thrfe if the public religion, without invading the liberties if his dijfenting fubjeC!s. If r·eli– gious eflablijhments were j!ript if their judicial proceffes, and civil jurifdittion,
P R E F A C E. diCtion, no harm could be flared from them. And, as his mqjejiy is de– fender of the faith in Scotland, as well as England, and equally the guar– dian of both churches, he will, no doubt, hold the balance, and prevent either from ri)ing to foch a pitch if greatnefs, as to afl independently on the jlate, or become formidable and opprdfive to their neighbours; the former •would create imperium in imperio; and there is but one fl:ep between the church's being independent on the STATE, and the sTATE becoming dependent on the church. Bifides, as freedom if religion is for the true honour and dignity of the CROwN, it is no le(s for the flr'l•jce of the com– munity; for the example of the neighbouring natiom may convince us, that uniformity in the church, will always be attended with abfolute and de– fpotic power in the sTATE. '!'he meetings of diffenting protefl:ants were formerly called feditious, becaz!fe the peace of the public was falfily jup– pqfed to conjijl in uniformity of wor!hip; but long experience has taught us the contrary; for, though the non-conformifl:s in thofl times ga·ve no dijlurbance to the adminijlration, the nation 7eJas far from being at peace ; but 7eJhen things came to a crijis, their joining with the church againft a corrupt court and mini!lry, faved the ·religion and liberties of the nation. It mt.Jl tberifore be the intertjl of a free people to .fopport and encourage liberty if confcience, and not to fojfer a;1y one great and powerful religious body to opprefs, devour, and .fwal/ow up the re/l. FINALLY, When protrfl:ant ditfenters recolleCt the fufferings of their fathers in the lafl: age, for the freedom of their confciences, let them be thankful, that their lot is cafl: in more fettled times. The liberties of England are the price, if a great deal of blood and treajitre; wide breaches were made in the conjlitution in the four reigns of the male line of the STUARTS, perflcution and arbitrary po~e;er went band in hand; tbe co1!fiitution was often in convu!five agonies, when the patromof liberty ap– peared boldly in the noble cauji:, and Jacrificed their iftates and liveJ in itJ defence. '!'he puritans Jiood firm by the protefl:ant religion, and by the liberties of their country, in the reigm of king Charles IT. and king James II. and received the fire ol the enemy from all their batteries, with– out moving .[edition, or taking adva11tage of their perfecutors, when it was after~vards in their power. Some amendments, in my bumble opi– nion, are .(till w~nting to flttle the cm!fe of' liberty on a more equal bqjis, and to delzver 'Wife and good men from the fitterJ if oaths, fubfcriptions, and religious tetl:s of all forts. But whether jitch dijirable bldfingJ are in refor"ve for this nation, muft be lift to the determination if an all-wife pro– r..;tdence. In the mean time, may protefl:ant diffenters exprrfs their grati– tude for the proteflion and eaji: they enjoy at preftnt, by an undif!i:mb/ed c 2 piety :xi"
XX P R E F A C E. piety towards God! By a firm and unjhakm loyalty to his majefty's per· fon, and wife ~dminiftration ! By. a'?oiding. everY. ~hing that tends toperjec~· tion, or cenforzou.ftzefs for mere differences tn relzgzon! And by the tntegrzty of tbeir own lives and manners! And while they think it their duty to ji!pcirate from the national eftablilhment, may they dif!inguijh themfelves by the exercife if all Jocial virtues, and fland jqt in the liberty where· with thl prOIIJiqence of God has made them free! By fuch a conduCl they will preftr.rve their charaClers w~th all Jober ~rfons, and will tranfmit the blejjings of the prejent age to thetr /at eft pojtenty. London, Mar&h 1. 1737-81 DANIEL NEA!h THE
T H E H I s T 0 R y 0 F T H E p u R I T A N s. C H A P T E R I. From the battle of Edge-Hill, to the calling the Aifembly of Divines at WeHminfier. H E king having recruited his army at Oiford, after the K. Charles I. battle of Edge-Hill, by the affifl:ance of the univerfi ty, 1642 • , who now gave his majefl:y all their money, as they had :n:;;;;;;p;:_ before done their plate, refolved to purfue his m archjues his to London, in order to break up the parliament, and fur- march ta prize the city; while the earl of EJ!ex imagining the London. campaign was ended, lriy quiet about Warwick, till being informed of the king's defigns, he pofted to London, and ordered his forces to follow with all expedition. The earl arrived November 7, and was honourably received by both houfes of parliament, who prefented him with a gray OL. II. B tbity
2 Tbe HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANs. VoL. U. K. Charles I.tuity of five thoufand pounds, and to ftrengthen his army paffed an or– ~ dinance, that fuch apprentices as would lift in t-heir fervice fhould be en– titled to a freedom of the city at the expiration of their apprenticeihip, equally with thofe who continued with their mafters. In the beginning of November, the king took poffeffion of Reading without the leaft re– lifl:ance, the parliament garrifon haviqg abandoned it, which alarmed both houfes, and made them fend an exprcls to de fire a fafe conduct for a comRu!hw. Vol. V. P· ss. mittee of lords and commons, to attend his majefty with a petition for peace; the committee waited on his majefl:y at Colnbrook, fifteen miles fromLondon, and having received a favourable anfwer, reported it to the two houfes, who– immediately gave orders to forbear all acts of ho!l:ility, and fent a mef– fenger to the king, to defire the like forbearance on his part; but the committee had no fooner left Colnbrook, than his majefty taking the adWhitlock, vantage of a thick mill:, advanced to Brentford about feven miles from P· 62. London, which he attacked with his whole army, Nov. 13. ami after a fierce and bloody rencounter with the parliament garrifon, wherein con– fiderable numbers were driven into the Thames and ilain, he got poffef– fion of the town, and took a great many prifoners. The conflernation of the citizens on this occaGon was inexpreffible, imagining the king would be next morning at their gates; upon which the lord mayor ordered the trained bands immediately to join the earl of E/Jex's forces which were ju!l: arrived at 'Iurnham-Green, under the command of major general ' Skippon; and there being no further thoughts of peace, every one fpirited up his neighbour, and all refolved as one man to live and die together. Major Skippon went from regiment to regiment, and encouraged his troops with fuch fhort foldier-like fpeeches as thefe; come my boys! my brave boys ! I will run the jame hazards with ;·ou; remember the caufe is for God and the diftnce of yourfelves, your wives and children. Come my honffi brave boys! let us pray heartily, and fight heartily, and God will hlefs us. When they were drawn up they made a body of about twenty four thoufand men eager for battle, but their orders were only to be on the Ru!hw. VoL V. P• 93· defenGve, and prevent the king's breaking through to the city. The two armies having faced each other all day, his maje!l:y retreated in the night to King/ton, and from thence to Reading, where h aving left a garrifon, he returned to Oxford about the beginning of December with his Brmt– fird prifoners, the chief of whom were condemned to die, and had been executed for high treafon, if the two houfes had not threatened to make reprifals. The parliament, to prevent a like fm·prize of the city for the future, impowered the lord-mayor to caufe lines of circumval– lation to be drawn around it, and all the avenues fortified. Motives of it It was not without reafon that the two houfes complained of the king's extraordinary conduct on this occaGon, which was owing to the violent counfels of prince Rupert and lord Dighy, animated by fome of his ma– jell:y's
Chap. I. The HIST 0 RY of the PuRITANs. 3 jefly's friends in the city, who imagined, that if the royal army appeared K. ChariesT. in the neighbourhood of London, the parliament would accept of his ~ majefty's pardon and break up; or elfe t~e confufions wo.uld be !o gre~t, that he might enter and carry all before h1m ; but the project havwg fmled his majefty endeavoured to excufe it in the beft manner he could: he' alledged, that there being no celfation of arms agreed upon, he might jufily take all advantages againfi his enemies. He infified further upon his fears of being hemmed in by the parliament's forces about Colnbrook, to prevent which, it feems he marched feven miles nearer the city. Lord Clarendon fays, prince Rupert haYing advanced to Hounj!ow without order, his majefty at the defire of the prince marched forward, to difengage him from the danger of the forces quartered in that neighbourhood; which is fo very improbable, that in the opinion of Mr. R apin, it is need- Rapin, le(s to refute it. Upon the whole, it is extreamly probable, the king Vol. XII. came from Oxfordwith a defign of furprizing the city of L ondon before P· 3 8 · the earl of Ejfex's army could arrive; but having milfed his aim, he framed the befi pretences to perfwade the people, that his marching to Brentford was only in his own defence. Though his maje!l:y took all occafions to make offers of peace to his Remarks, parliament, in hopes the nation would compel them to an agreement, by leaving him in poifeffion of all his prerogatives, it is fufficiently evident he had no intentions to yield any thing to obtain it', for in his letter to duke Hamilton, dated December 2, I 642, he fays, " He had fet up his Hamil. M. " reft upon the jujtice if his cauft, being refolved that no extremity or Book IV· " misfortune fbould make him yield, for (fays his majefty) I will be ei- P· 203· " ther a glorious king or a patient martyr; and as yet not being the firft, "nor at this prefent apprehending the other, I think it no unfit time to " exprefs this my refolution to you," The jufiice of the caufe upon which his maje!l:y had fet up his reft, was his declaration and promije to g()'Uern for the future according to the laws if the land; but the point was, to know whether this might be relied upon. The two houfes admitted Rapin, the laws of the land to be the rule of government, and that the execu- P· 44, 45· tive power in time of peace was with the king; but his maje!t:y had fo often difpenfed with the laws by the advice of a corrupt minifi ry, aft er repeated alfurances to the contrary thereof, that they durfi not confide in his royal word, and infifled upon fame additional fecurity for themfelves, and for the confiitution. On the other hand, his majefty averred the confiitution was~n no danger f:om him, .but.from themfelves, who were aCting every day mdefiance of 1t. To wh1ch it was anfwered, that it was impoffible the laws fhould have their due cou rfe in time of war as in the height of peace, becaufe this mull: effeCtually tie up their hands. Neither party by law could raife money upon the fubject, without each others confent; the B 2 k~g
4 The HISTORY of the PuRITANS. VoL. rr. K. Charles I. king could not do it without confent of parliament, nor the parliament ~ without the royal alfent, and yet both had prap:ifed it fince the opening of the war. To have recourfe therefore to the laws of a well fettled govern– ment in times of general confuilon , was weak and impracticable. Befides; his majefty refufed to give up any of his late minifl:ers to the jnftice of par– liament ; for in his letter to duke Hamilton he fays, that his abandoning the earl if Stratford had gone fo near him, that be was refolved no cor!fi".. deration jhou!d make him do the like again. Upon the le refolutions, be de– clined the mediation of theJcots commiffioners, which gave the fev eral parties engaged againft him, a fair opportunity of uniting their interefts with that nation. This was a nice and curious affair; the friends of the parliament, who were agreed in the caufe of civil liberty, were far from being of one mind in points of church difcipline; the major part were for epifco– pacy, and defired no more than to fecure the conftitution, and reform a few exorbitances of the bithops; fame were era/lians, and would be content with any form of government the magiftrate fhould appoint; the real prejbyterians, who were for an entire change of the hierarchy up– on the foot of divine right, were as yet but few, and could carry no– thing in the houfe; it was neceli~1ry therefore in treating with the ]cots, who contended earneftly for their kirk government, to deliver themfelves in fuch general expreffions, that each party might interpret them as they were inclined, or as fhould be expedient. This contented the]cots for the prefent, and left the parliament at full liberty, till they faw what terms they could make with the king. Nor could the church-men be dilfatisfied, becaufe they knew if they could put a period to the war without the fcots, the two houfes would not call in their affifiance, much lefs fubmit to a kirk difcipline they bad no manner of acquaintance with; and therefore lord C!arendon was of opinion, that even at the treaty of U:xbridge, if the parliament could have obtained an act of oblivion for what was paft, and good fecurity for the king's governing by law, the ajj"air if religion might eafily have been compromifed; but it re– quired all the prudence and fagacity the two houfes were mafters of, to keep fo many different interefl:s in points of religion, united in one com– mon caufe of liberty and the conftitution, at a time when great num– bers of the king's friends in the very city of London, were forming con– fpiracies to reftore him without any terms at all. EncouraThe king's affairs had a promifing afpeCl: this winter; his forces in ging projp~a the north under the earl of N er,vcajtle, were fuperior to thofe of lord of thdmg s Ferdinando Faiifax. In the weftern and mid-land counties there were tu"ib:: feveral fieges and rencounters with various fuccefs, but nothing decifive. Vol. V. Divers counties entered into alfociations for their mutual defence on both P· 66. fides,
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