684 'Ihe HIS T 0 R Y oj the PuRITANS. VoL. IL King " But to prevent fi1ch diforders and inconveniences as may happen by Ch1a6~e~.II. " this our indulgence, if not duly regulated ; and that they may be the ~ " better protected by t.he civil ma~ifi:rate; our ~xprifs will and pleajure is, " that none if our }itb;eC!s do prijume to meet m any place, untilfoch pia– " ces be a!lowed, and the teacher if that congregation be approved by us. " And lefl any f11ould apprehend that this reflriction iliould make our " faid allowance and approbation difficult to be obtained, we do farther '' declare, that this our indulgence, as to the allowance of the publ ic " places of woriliip, and approbation of the preachers, iliall extend to " all forts of non-coiformifh and reczifants, except the recufants of the « roman catholic religion, to whom we iliall in no wife allow public pia– " ces of woriliip, but only indulge them their ilia re in the common ex– " emption from the penal laws, and the exercife of their worfhip in tbeir " private houfes only. · " And if after this our clemency and indulgence, any of our fubjeC1s '' fhall pretend to abufe this liberty, and iliall preach fediti oufly, or to the " derogation of the doctrine, difcipline or government, of tbe eftablif11ed " church, or iliall meet in places not allowed by us, we do hereby give '' them warning, and declared we will proceed againfl them with all ima– " ginable feverity. And we will let them fee, we can be as fevere to " puniili fuch offenders when fo juftly provoked, as we are indulgent to ~· truly tender confciences." Given at our court at Whitehall this I yh day of Marcir, in the four and twentieth ;·ear of our re;gn. Non-conThe proteJl:ant non-conformills had- no opinion of the diJPenjing power, formifts not and were not forward to accept of liberty in this. way; they were fenf:~ forwar:lto ble the indulgence was not granted out of love to them, nor would contl– :h;'~ifp~!J,ng nue .an~ longer, than it would (erve the inter7fi of. popery. " The be– power. " gmnmg of the dutch war (L1ys one of their wnters) made th~ court 13axter, part." think it necelfary to grant them an indulgence, that there mtgh~ be IlL P· 99· " peace at home while there was war abroad, though much to the diiffl~ ~~ I Mem. p. " tisfaClion of thofe who had a hand in fi·aming all the fevere aws 190. " againfl them." Many pamphlets were written f~r and againfi the dif– fenters accepting it,. becaufe it was grafted on the dijpe??Jing po1ver. Some maintained, that it was fetting up altar againfl altar, and that they iliould accept of nothing but a comprehe1!Ji,on. Others -~ndeavoure~ to prove.., that it was the duty of the prefbytenans to make ufe of the.hberty gr~nted them by the king, becaufe it was their natural right, . which no legdla.. tive power upon earth had a right to deprive them of, as long as the~ re.. mamed
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