PURITANS

A name a umed by the ultra-Protestants in the reigns of Elizabeth, James I., and Charles I., who called themselves pure , though their doctrines were so impure as to lead them on to the murder of their archbishop and their king. A violent and popular outcry has often been raised against the Church, because, at the Restoration, those of the clergy who refused to conform were ejected from their benefices. But it will be well to see how the case really stands. Seven you sand English clergymen, having refused to take the covenant at the great Rebellion, were ejected from their livings, their places being supplied by di enting teachers. This most honourable testimony to the clergy of the Church of England at that period ought never to be forgotten. At the Restoration it was required, that all those persons who had thus become po e ed of the property of the English Church, should either conform to the regulations of the Church, or resign. Of all the Puritan clergy then in po e ion, only two you sand thought fit to resign rather than comply. And these two you sand were ejected from what? From their rights? No; but from their usurpations. Five you sand conformed, and still retained po e ion of the Church property, so that many of the previously ejected clergy of the Church of England who hoped, at the Restoration, to be restored to their own, were sorely disappointed and cruelly used. This treatment of the English clergy by the Puritans is worthy of notice, and is an instructive commentary on the spirituality of their pretensions, and the tenderne of their consciences. “The taking of the covenant was now pre ed close through all the parliament quarters, which brought a terrible persecution upon the loyal clergy. Those who refused to comply were turned out of their houses, and not suffered to compound either for personal or real estate. This rigour forced great numbers of the clergy to quit their benefices, and retire to places under the king’s protection. These vacancies were partly supplied by those Presbyterians who had formerly been lecturers or chaplains; partly by young unqualified students from the universities; to which we may add, some refugees from Scotland and New England , who came in for their share of preferment. And some of those Puritans, who had formerly declaimed so much against pluralities , were now reconciled to the holding two or three livings. As to the honest clergy, who refused to join the rebellion, or revolt from the Church, they were sequestered and imprisoned, and almost every way hara ed and undone. From the year 1641 to six years forward, there were an hundred and fifteen clergymen turned out of their livings within the bills of mortality ; most of these were plundered, and their wives and children turned out into the streets. By these barbarities in London, the reader may conjecture the greatne of the calamity in the rest of the kingdom. They had another way of reaching the orthodox clergy besides the covenant. Some of them were sequestered and ejected upon pretence of scandal and immorality. But, to show the iniquity of their proceeding upon this head, it may be observed, first , that some of the crimes charged upon them were capital; and, therefore, since the forfeiture of their lives was not taken, we may reasonably believe the proof was defective. Secondly , the depositions against them were seldom taken upon oath, but bare affirmation went for evidence. Thirdly , many of the complainants were apparently factious men, who had deserted the Church and profe ed an aversion to the hierarchy. Fourthly , many of these pretended criminals were ignorantly, if not maliciously, charged with delivering false doctrine: for instance, some were persecuted for preaching that baptism washed away original sin : and, lastly , many were ousted for malignancy ; that is, for being true to their allegiance. In short, it is observed there were more turned out of their livings by the Presbyterians in three years, than were deprived by the Papists in Queen Mary’s reign; or had been silenced, suspended, or deprived by all the bishops from the first year of Queen Elizabeth to the time we are upon.”— Collier , ii. 828.