762 The HISTORY oj the PuRITANS. VoL. !14 Ki,zg 1 concealed. Bifhop Burnet fays, " the king ordered them to enquire into James I. " 11 t · ji · · h' I h d'tr h d 686 a vexa tous zttts, mto w IC 1 t e menters a been brought in the ~ " JPiritual courts, and into all the compojitions they had been forced to I?· 715· " make, to redeem themfelves from further trouble, which, as ~vas [aid " ~vould have brought to light a Jcandalous dijl:overy of all the ill praCli: " jes if thqfe courts; for the ufe that many who belong to thofe courts, " had made of the laws with relation to dilfente:s, was, to draw pre– cc jentsfrom fuch as could make tbem, threatening them with a procefs in •• in cafe they failed to do that, and upon doing it, leaving them at full " liberty to neglect the laws as much as they pleafed. The commijfio1z " fubfil1ed till the re·rolution, and it was hoped (fays his lordfhip), that " this would have animated the dijlenters to turn upon the clergy with " fame of that fiercenefs, with which they them fdves had been lately " treated." But they took no advantage of the difpofition of the court, nor of the opportunity that was put into their hands of making repri– ·fals on their adverfaries; which fbews the truly generous, and cbrifl:ian fpirit of thofe conft.lfors for religion; arid deferved a more grateful ac– knowledgment. , .lfn eccle}iajTo humble the clergy yet further, his majefl:y, by the advice of Jtf– tical commif- feries, erected a new ecc!~jiajlical commijfion, though the act which took { 0 " ereCJed. away the high commifjion in 164r, had provided, that no court of th at na6~~~et, p. ture fhould be erected for the future; but the king, though a papifl:, af- :>- fumed the fztpremacy, and directed a commiffion to the archbifhop of Cant~rbur)', Jdferies the chancellor, the bifi1ops of Durham and Ro– cbo/fer; to the earl of Sunderland prefidcnt of the council; H erbert and Wrigbt, lord chief jufti<:es, and J enner recorder of London, or any three of them, provided the chancellor was one, " to exercife all manner of ju– " rifdietion and pre-eminence, tou ching any fpiritual or ecclefiafl:ical ju– " rifdictions, to vifit, reform, redrefs, and amend all abufes, offences, " contempts, and enormities, which by the fpiritual or ecclefi a fl:i~allaws " might be corrected. They were alfo to enquire into all mifdemeanors " and contempts which might be punilhed by the cen(ures of the church, " and to call before them all ecclefiat1ical perfons, of what degree and dig– " nity foever, and punif'h the offenders by excommunications, fufpe n– cc fions, deprivations, or other ecclefiafl:ical cenfures, &c." This was a terrible rod held out to the clergy, and if the commi!Jioners had had time to proceed in their enquiries, according to the mandates fent to the chan– cellors and archdeac~ns of the feveral diocefes, they would have felt more of the effects of that arbitrary power, which their indifcreet conduct had brought on the nation; but providence was kinder to them, · than they M had been t6 their brethren. The commiffion was granted the beginning Wel. 8 em. of A'Pril but was not opened till the beginning of Augufl; the archbi1?· 19 • ' 11.. wop
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