7he HISTORy of the PuRITANS. VoL. n.· King i_ng large promifes of favour and brotherl_y affeCtion, if ever they came James Il. 1686 _ 10to power. ~ The king, notwithfl:anding the fl:ubbornnefs of the clergy, call ed a . 1~87. council, in which he declared his refolution to iifue out a declarati on, for ~~;~:/f!}~;: gen~ral liberty if confl:ience, to .all. perfons of what perjitajion Joever, liberty of con- ' wh1ch he was moved to do, by !1avmg obferved, that though an unifcience. " formity of worfhip had been endeavoured to be eilablifhed, within this ~:zette6 " kingdom in the fucceilive reigns of four of his predece!fors, affified - 222 • " by their refpetl:ive parliaments, yet it had proved altogether ineffeCtual. " That the refl:raint upon the confciences of diffenters, had been verv " prejudicial to the nation, as was fadly experienced by the horrid re~ " hellion in the time of his majefl:y's father. That the many penal Llws " made ' againft diffenters, had rather encreafed than leffcned the number '' of them; and that nothing could more con duce to the peace and quiet " of this kingdom, and -the increafe of the number, as well as of the " trade of his fubj eets, than an entire liberty of confcience, it having " always been his opinion, as moft fuitable to the principlt:s of chrifti– " anity, that no man jbould be perjecuted for cOJifcience fake; for he " thought confcience could not be forced, and that it could never be the « true intereft of a king of England, to endeavour to do it." His majejiy's This fpeech meeting with no oppofition in the council, his majefiy declaration on the 4th of April, caufed his gracious declaration for liberty of conif indulfcience, to be publifhed. In the preamble to which, his majefty does not gence. fcruple to fay, " That he cannot but heartily wi!h (as it will eafily be Gazette, No 2231 • " believed), that all his fubjeets were members of the catholic church, yet " it is his opinion, that con.fcience ought not to be forced, for the reafons " mentioned in the foregoing fpeech, which he rehearfes at large; and then adds. " By virtue of his royal prerogative, be thinks fit to ifiue " out his declaration if indulgmce, making no doubt of the concurrence " of his two houfes of parliament, when he !hall think it convenient " for them to meet. And, .firJf, he declares, that be will proteCt and cc maintain his archbi!hops, bi!hops and clergy, and all other his fu bjeets " of the church of E ngland, in the free exerci(e of their religion, as by c< law efiabli{hed, and in the quiet and full enjoyment of their po!fef– " fions. Secondly, that it is his royal will and pleafure, that all penal '' laws for -non-conformity to the religion eftablifhed, or by reafo n of " the exercife of religion in any manner whatfoever, be immediately " fufpended. And to the end, that by the liberty hereby granted, the " peace and fecurity of the government in the praCtice thereof, may not " be endangered, he ftritl:ly charges and commands all his fubjetl:s, that " as he freely gives them leave to meet, and ferve God after their own " way, be it in priva~e houfes) or places puriX>fely hired and built for " that
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