Chap. V. The HISTORY of the PuRil'ANs. · I5~ people groundlefs fears and jealoufies of popery, and to ca£1: afperfions on K. Charles I. the governors of the church ; that therefore if he did fay, hh arm fhould ~ reach Mr. Davenport in New-England, he fees no harm in it, for there is no reafon that the plantations ihould fecure offenders againfl: the church of England, from the edge of the law; and he meddled with none except fuch as were puritanical, fatlious,fchijmatical, and enemies to the gGod orders of the church. As to the juppr~f!ing afternoonftrmons, the inftructions for turning them Prynne, p. into catechizing was before his time, and he could not but approve of the 388. defign, as a proper expedient for preferving peace between minifters and people, the lecturers being for the mofl: part factious, and the occafion of great contentions in the parifhes where they preached. He confeffed that he overthrew the defign of buying up impropria– tions, and thanked God he had deihoyed it, becaufe he conceived it a plot againft the church, for if it had fucceeded, more clergymen would have depended on thefe fedfees than the king, and on all the peers and bifhops befide ; but he proceeded againft them according to law, and if the fentence was not juft, it mufl: be the Judges fault and not his. The commons replied, that it was notorious to all men how cruel he M. reply had been towards all men who had dared to make a fiand againO: his pro- Pryn&', P· ceedings. They put him in mind of Prynne Burton and Bajhvick, and 535 ' c. of great numbers whom he had forced into Holland, and into the plantations ofAmerica, to avoid the ruin of tbemfelves and families; yea fo implacable was this prelate, that he would neither fuffer them to live in the land nor out of it, an embargo being laid on ail minifters going to New– England; and if any fuch got over clandeO:inely, he threatened his arm jhould reach them there. In vain does be fhelter his fevere proceedings under the authority of the court, for if this plea be admitted, no corrupt judges or counfel\ors can be brought to juftice for the mofl: arbitrary pro– ceedings; but in reality, the atl of the court is tbe atl qf every particular pe~fon that gives his vote for it, and every individual member is accountable. Many inftances of this might be produced; but there has been one very lately, in the cafe of /hip -money, wh ich is frefh in the memory of all men; and we do aver, that the fermons or books, for which the above– mentioned perfons fuffered fo feverely, were ncirher factious nor fedit ious, but nece!fary for thefe times, wherein the proteftant religion runs fo very low, and fuperO:ition and popery are comi ng in like a flood. As to the inftructions for Juppnfjing afternoon fermom, whenfoever Prynne, p. they were drawn up, 'tis evident he was the man that put them in execu- 370, 537> tien, and levell ed them againfl: thofe confcientious perfons who fcrupled 53 8 · readi ng the pray.:r; in theirJitrplice and hood, or taking a living with cure of fo uls, all fuch perfons, how orthodox foever in doCtrine, or how diliVoL. li. X gent
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