6oo The HISTORY of the PuRITANS~ VoL. 1!. King " I A. B. do declare, that there lies no obligation upon me from the Ch:~~~.II. " folemn league and covenant, and that the fame was an unlawful oath ~ " impofed on the fubjeet, againfi: the laws and liberties of the king- '' dom." " Provided alfo, and be it enaCted by the authority aforefaid, that " no perfon !hall hereafter be eleCted, or chofen into any of the offi– ce ces or places aforefaid, that !ball not have within one year next before '' fuch eleCtion or choice, taken the facrament of the Lord's fupper, ac– u carding to the rights of the church of England; and that every per– " fon fo eleCted ihall take the aforefaid oaths, and fubfcribe the faid " declaration at the fame time when the oath for the due execution of " the faid places and offices, !ball be refpectively adminifiered." Rtmarla. 'thus all non-tonformifis were tUrned out of all the branches of the magifiracy at once, and rendered incapable of ferving their country in the offices of a common-cOtfncil..maiJ, or a burgefs or bailiff of the fmal– lefi corporation. The oath impofed in this aCt robbed them of their right asfuijeels; Mr. Eachard cor\feifes that it feems at once to give up the whole confiitution; and no wonder (fays he) if many of the cler– gy as well as laity, on the account of this aCt, efpoufed a doCtrine which if rigidly taken, was hard to be reconciled to thegreat deliverance p. 287, 310. afterwards. . Mr. Rapin adds, that to fay that it is not lawful on any pre– tence whatjoever to refz.fl the king, is properly fpeaking to deliver up the liberties of the nation into his hands. The high churchmen had then elevated ideas of the royal authotity, but even this parliament did not think fit afterwards, to admit the dangerous confequertces of their own maxims. Commiffioners were appointed, and employed during this and the following ye:Jr, to vifit the feveral corporations in England, and to turn out of office fuch as were in the leafi: {ufpected ; who executed their commiffions with fo much rigor, that the corporations had not one member left, who was not entirely devoted to the king and the church. C H: A P.
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