Chap. VU. 7Ze HISTORYof the PuRTTAN!r. 647 '' formity, moll: of them (fay they) would at this j 1 unCl:ure have con.: King '' formed." A notorious miltake! the contr~ry t? this being evident to Cha;~~z:r. a demonflration throughout the courfe of thts re1gn. The conformity, ~· of honeft men does not depend upon the will, but the underibnding; and 'tis very ungenerous at this diftance to impeach men's.integrity, who underwent a long courfe of the feverell: trials to retain it, Some of the ejected preibyterians, who were men of piety and learn- Rife if ccca– ing, complied as far as they could, and made a difiinCl:ion between lay-.ftc~al ccnfor– conformit;•, ~nd 1~iniflerial; they praCl:ifed the forme:, and ~ent .ro.me- B~~;er's /if•. times to thetr panlh churches, before or after the exerc1fe of thetr mmlil:rypart II. p. in feme private houfes: and this they did, not for intereft or advantage, P· 435· . but to all appearance, to exprefs their catholicifm and brotherly love. Here Con6pl. Hdt. was the rife of occafi.ona! co1iformity, praClifed by Dr. Bates, Mr. Baxter, p. 2 7• and others, to their death ; but this, inll:ead of being well taken, was the occa!ion of bringing fome of them into trouble ; for M r. Galamy Tbe •·evmnd' late minifter of Aldermanbury, being at his pariih church December 2 8, Mt·. Calamy the preacher happened to difappoint them ; upon which, at the importu.fent 10 New– nity of the parifhioners, Mr. Ca!amy went up into the pulpit, and preach- gate. ed a fermon upon Eft's COIJCern for the ark of God; a fubject m uch upon their thoughts at that time; but this was fo highly refented at court that he was fent to Newgate next week for (edition, in breaking the king's laws. It was done in terrorem, fays my author, but there was fuch a Ca!amy, clamour among the people, annd fuch a refort of perfons of diftinCl:ion Vol.IJ. P· 6. to vifit the prifoner, that his rnajefty thought fit to releale him in a few days, which not being done by due courfe of law, the commons refen ted it, and prefented an addrefs, that the laws for the future might have their free courfe. T his difgufted the king who was willing to aifert his prerogative, and !hew feme favour to the presbyterians, that he might cover the papifis; but lord Clarendon who was their implacable enemy, Rapin, p. and at the head of that party which meditated their ruin, oppofed the 312, 313. court meafures, and encouraged his friends in both houfes to abide by the laws. The following fummer there was a freih di(courfe of liberty for the x663. file need minill:ers; and the court was fo far in the de!ign, as to encourage Sham plot in h · · c l 1 · • !i . h' b h l tbe mrtb, t em to petltwn 10r a genera toterattou, m muatmg t 1s to e t e on y method of relief, aud that the legillature would go on to encreafe their burdens, and lay them in gaols till they complied . The independents went up to c?11rt to fpeak for themfelves, but the prejhyterians refufed > upon wh1ch Mr. Ba_xter fays, the independent brethren thought it owingBaxter, part to them that they miffed of their intended liberty. The court being dif- II. p. 430, ple~fed, lord C!arendon and. his friends took the opportunity to awaken 433· their refentments, by fathenng upon the non-conformifis fome new plots againft
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