674 'Jhe HISTORY of tbe PuRITANS. Vot. II. King pulhed on vehemently by their jpiritual guides; for this purpofe archbiCha(,les II. i110p She/don fent another circular letter to all the bi!hops of his province · ~datedMay 7• I 67o, in which he direCts all ecclefiafrical judges and offi: .tlbp. She!- cers, " to take notice of all non-conformi(l:.s, holders, fi·equenters, main– den's l~tter " tainers, and abettors of conventicles, efpecially of the preachers or ~the bijhops, " teachers in them, and of the places wherein they are hdd ; ever keepc~iamy's " jog a n1ore watchful eye over the cities and greater towns, from whence Abridg. " the mifcbief is for the moit part derived unto the leffer villages and V 2 t II. P• " ha.mlets. And whe~·efocver they fin.d fu cb wilful offenders, that then 3 " with an hearty affeehon to the wor!h1p of God, the honour of the king " and his laws, and the peace of the church and kingdom, they do ad– " drefs themfelves to the civil magiftrate, jufiices, and others concerned, " imploring their help and alliftance for preventing and fuppreffing the '' fame, according to the l11te aCl: in that behalf made and fet forth - " And now my lord, what the fuccefs will be we mull leave to God AI– " mighty ; yet, my lord, I have this confidence under God, that if we " do our parts now at firfi ferioufly, by God's help, and the a!Jjflance if the " civil power, .confidering the abundant care and provijion the ael contains "for our advantage, we i11all in a few months fee fo great an alteration " in the diftraCl:ions of thefe times, as that the feduced people returning '' from their feditious and felf-feeking teachers to ~he unity of the church, " and uniformity of God's wor!hip, it will be to the glory of God, the we!– " fare of the church, the praife of his majetl:y and government, and " the happinefs of the whole kingdorn.1." Can this be the language of a chrifiian and protellant bi!hop; or is not more like a father of the inqui– fition, or the dragooning commiffion of Lewis XIV when he revoked the edict of Nantz? Zeal ofbifhop Copies o.f this l:tte.r were. fe~t ?Y .th~ archdeacons to the of!1cers of the Gunning feveral pan!hes w!thm their JUnfdichons, earnefily exhortmg them to and others. take efpecial care, to perform whatfoever is therein required, and t<> give an ~;;~my, p. account at the next vifitation. IV! any of the 'bia10ps chafe to !ie. behi~d the curtain, and throw off the odlllm from themfelves to the czvtl magif– trate; but fome of the more zealous could not forbear appearing in per– fen , as bifhop Ward already mentioned, and bi01op Gunning, who often difturbed the meetings in perfon ; once finding the doors !hut, he ordered. the conllable to break them open with a fledge; another time he fat up– on the bench at the quarter feffions, upon which the chairman defired his lord!hip to give the charge, which he refufing, received a very handCalamy's Abridg. Vol. 11. p. 334· fame rebuke; it being hardly confiftent with one that is an ambaffi1dor of the prince of peace, to fet in judgment upon the confciences of his p~or countrymen and neighbours, in or.der to plunder and tear the~ to pie– ces, The bi!hop was !o zealous 1n the caufe, that he funk h1s character
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