'Ihe HISTORY of the PuRITANs. VoL. II.- King " our fleet and of our armies, which with good management £hall conJa~SS.II. " fl:antly be the fame, an d greater, if the fafety or honour of the nation ~ " require it. We recommend thefe confiderations to all our fubjeCls " and that they will refleCl: on their eafe and happinefs, now that abov~ " three years, it has pleafed God to permit us to reign over thefe king– " doms, we have not appeared to be that prince our enemies would make " the world afraid of; our chitf aim having been not to be the oppref– " for, but father of our people, of which we can give no better evi– " dence, than by conjuring them to lay afide private animofities, as well " as groundlefs jealoufies, and to choofe fuch members of parliamen t as '' may do their parts, to fini{h what we have begun, for the advan t~ae " of the monarchy, over which almighty God has placed us, beiga " refolved to call a parliamen t that fi1all meet in November next a~ " farthefl:." Appointed to This declaration was publilhed in the ufual manner, and ordered to be read in all be read in time of divine fervice, in all churches and chapels in ~=:~~:~: and about London, May zoth and 27th ; and in all the refl: of Eng- . No 2 344 . land and Wales on the 3d and I oth of 'June following, upon penalty of being profecuted in the ecclefia!l:ical commiffion. For this purpofe, the bifhops were required to caufe it to be di!l:ributed throughout their re– fpeCl:ive diocefes; fome of them (fays llurnet), carried their compliance to a !hameful pitch, offering up their allegiance to the king without li– mitation or referve. Dr. Cre-w bifhop of Durham, Barlo-w of Lincoln, Cartwright of Chelter, Wood of Litcbfield and Co~ventry, Waifon of St. p. 715· With which Jome of the bijhops com· ply. David's, Sprat of Rochdfer, and Parker of Oxford, went all the lengths of the court, and promoted addreffes of thanks to his majefl:y, in the mofl: exalted language, for the promife he bad made in his late declaration, lb. 2374. to maintain tbe church if England, as by law tjtab!ijhed; though nothing was more evident than his defign to fubvert it. An addrefs came from the clergy of Chefler, jufiifying the declaration, as iffuing from the pre– rogative of the king's fupremacy, and infi!l:ing, that the clergy were obli– ged by what is called.flatute law, the rubric if their liberty, to publifh wbat was required by the king, or their bifhop, and therefore they were troubled to hear of the difobedience of fome of that bench, who tho' they tenderly promifed the difjenters fomething, yet refufed to do their part about the declaration, left they lhould be parties to it; which rea– fen we with due mode!ly efl:eem infufficient. Herbert Crqft bifhop of Hmjord, publilhed his reafons for reading the declaration, from that paf– fage of fcripture, " Submit yourfelves to every ordinance qf' man, for the ~~ Lord's fake, whether it be to the king as fupream, &c. - :: Now the
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