·718 King Charles II. z6.8o. ~ Oftht Whigs, Of the To– ries. Mem. P• 125. Burnet. Collect. of Debates. P· !6J. Zh~f:IISTORY o/ the PuRITANs. VoL. H. Th.e WHiqs or Low CHURCHMEN were the more ze:\lous preteflants, declared enemies of popery~ and willing to remove to a farther di fla<nce from th<;ir fupedl:itions; they were firm to the conll:itution and liberties of their counti'Y; and for an union, or at leafi a toleration of diifenting protefrants. The clergy of this perfuafion were generally men of larger principles, apd therefore were difling~ilbed by the name of latitudina– rian divi1w; their laity were rema.rkable for their zeal in promoting the .bill of exclujion, a£ the only expedient to fecure the protell:ant ell:ablilb– ment in this kingdom. They were for confining the royal prerogative within the limits of the law, for which reafon th~ir adverfaries charged ths:!ll with republican principles, and gave them the reproachful name o( wH 1 GS or four milk, a name firll: given to the mofi rigid fc.ots co– venanters. The TORIES or HIGH CHURCIJMEN ll:ood on the fide of the prero– gative, and were for advancing tbe king abov.e law; they went into all the arbitrary court meafures, and adopted into our religion (fays Dr. Tf7elwood)" a mt7/Jometan principle, under the names of pa[live-obedience and non-rif!flaf1,ce,. which fince the times of that impofior, who firl1 broached it, ha.s been the means lo enflave a great part of the world. Thefe;gentle~e;-n leaned more to a coalition with the papilh, than with the preibyteri?ns. They cried up the name and authority of the church, and were fon forcing the diifenters to conformity, by all kinds of coer– cive methods; but w.ith all their zeal, they were many of them perfons of lax and dilfolu'e morals, and would rifk the wh0le protefiant religion rather than go into any meafures of exclufion, or limitation of a popilb fucceifor. Mol1 of the clergy (fays a member of parliament), are in– fected with the Laudean principles of railing money without parliament; one or two bi!bops give m.ea{ures to the reil:, and they to their clergy, fo that a.ll qeri.ve their politics from one or two, and are under the in– fluence of an over-awing power. No men did more to enflave the na.– tion, and hrtr-oduce popery, into the efiabli£hment than they; their ad– verfaries therefore gave them the name of TORIES, a title firft given to irijh robper$, who lived upon plunder, aod were prepared for any daring er villainous enterprize. The non-confQrmifis fell in unanimoufly with the wbigs or low chztrch~ men, ii;J all poiilts relating to liberty and the civil coofritution, as they mull: always do if they are confillent with themfelves; but thefe with their allies were not a fufficieot ballance for the tories, the road to pre– ferment lying through the territories of power; but they were kept in heart wjth fom~:, fecret hopes, that by a fleady adherence to the conjlitu.– tion, they lbould one time or other obtain a legal toleration. But the fu– perior influence of the tories above the whigs) was the occafion of the the
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