* CLIV. Archiepisc. Cant. GILB. SHELDON 9. Anno Christi Reg. Angliæ CAROL. II. 24. His majesty's declaration to all his loving subjects.-From an original in the Bodleian library. OUR JR care and endeavours for the preservation of the rights and interests of the church, have been sufficiently manifested to the world, by the whole course of our government, since our happy restauration, and by the many and frequent ways of coercion 5 that we have used for reducing all erring or dissenting persons, and for composing the unhappy differences in matters of religion, which we found among our His majesty's declaration] Lord Clarendon having gone into banishment at the end of the year 1667, and his administration being suc- 10 ceeded by that of the Cabal, the king was now at liberty to pursue his own projects, not only without restraint, but even with the aid of counsellors more fertile in expedients and more regardless about consequences than he himself was. And this was the darkest and most intricate period of a reign which may justly be called throughout the 15 greater portion of it a mystery of iniquity. Within the compass of a few years the king resolved to be independent of parliaments, entered into a war to which the nation was generally adverse, declared his treasury insolvent, united himself with France and became the pensioner of the French monarch, formed a secret compact to surrender 20 the liberties and the religion of his own kingdoms, and issued a declaration which directly dispensed with the observance of the law, and indirectly claimed the exercise of absolute power. The declaration issued on the 15th day of March 1672 is an instance, among many, of the dishonest and tortuous policy by which the 25 king endeavoured to accomplish his purposes. It seems to have been intended for the benefit of the non-conformists; but was really designed to relieve the Romanists. For the former he felt as much compassion as could belong to a temper easy and indulgent by nature, but rendered hard and reckless by profligate and irreligious habits; and as for his 30 subjects upon our return: but it being evident by the sad experience of twelve years, that there is very little fruit of all those forcible courses, we think ourself obliged to make use of that supreme power in eccle5 siastical matters, which is not only inherent in us, but hath been declared and recognised to be so by several statutes and acts of parliament: and therefore we do now accordingly issue this our declaration, as well for the quieting the minds of our good subjects in these points, To for inviting strangers in this conjuncture, to come and live under us, and for the better encouragement of all to a cheerful following of their trade and callings, from whence we hope by the blessing of God, to have many good and happy advantages to our government; as also for pre15 venting for the future the danger that might otherwise arise from private meetings and seditious conventicles. ΤΟ And in the first place, we declare our express resolu advisers, they had no sympathy except for atheists and Romanists, and would naturally treat with contempt a class of men who looked upon 20 their principles with abhorrence. Nevertheless it was only by conciliating or by bribing the non-conformists that he could hope to obtain more favourable conditions for the Romanists; and to this object he was now so far pledged, that he incurred the greatest hazard, and had recourse to the most unconstitutional methods, in order to accom25 plish it. The parliament, which had been prorogued since the 22nd day of April 1671, was at last allowed to assemble on the 5th of February 1673, and was addressed by the king, with reference to his Declaration, in the following manner: Some few days before I declared the war 30 I put forth my Declaration for indulgence to dissenters..... There is one part of it that is subject to misconstruction, which is that concerning the papists, as if more liberty were granted them than to the other recusants, when it is plain there is less. . . . In the whole course of this indulgence I do not intend that it shall any way prejudice the 35 church; but I will support its rights and it, in its full power. Having said this, I shall take it very, very ill, to receive contradiction in what I have done and I will deal plainly with you, I am resolved to stick to my Declaration." Nevertheless the commons proceeded to vote that "penal statutes in tion, meaning and intention to be, that the church of England be preserved, and remain entire in its doctrine, discipline, and government, as now it stands established by law; and that this be taken to be, as it is, the basis, rule and standard, of the general and public worship of 5 God, and that the orthodox conformable clergy do receive and enjoy the revenues belonging thereunto; and that no person, though of a different opinion and persuasion, shall be exempt from paying his tithes or other dues whatsoAnd further, we declare, that no person shall be 10 capable of holding any benefice, living, or ecclesiastical dignity or preferment of any kind in this our kingdom of England, who is not exactly conformable. ever. We do in the next place declare our will and pleasure to be, that the execution of all and all manner of penal 15. laws in matters ecclesiastical, against whatsoever sort of non-conformists or recusants, be immediately suspended. And all judges, judges of assize and gaol-delivery, sheriffs, matters ecclesiastical cannot be suspended, but by act of parliament," and stated in reply to the king's defence of his proceedings, "that no 20 such power was ever claimed or exercised by any of his predecessors." They shewed at the same time a readiness to grant relief to protestant dissenters, but a determination to oppose themselves to the additional dangers arising from the duke's open adoption of popery, and the king's secret attachment to it. It is now known from the Stuart 25 papers (Life of James II. vol. i. p. 442) that the king had decided in the year 1669 to bring in the Romish faith, and had arranged with his brother to " go about it as wise men and good catholics ought to do." The Test Act was passed in the session of 1673, and the country party to which the nation was afterwards so much indebted, was established 30 at the same period. The king assured the two houses that his suspension of penál laws "should not be drawn either into consequence or example," and the lord chancellor (Shaftsbury) stated, with his majesty's permission, that the Declaration under the great seal had been cancelled in his pre- 35 sence. Commons' Journals. Burnet, O. T. vol. ii. p. 5. Neal, Purit. vol. iii. p. 185. Baxter's Life, p. 334. North's Exam. p. 455. Hallam, vol. ii. p. 255. Lingard, vol. vii. p. 499. justices of the peace, mayors, bailiffs, and other officers whatsoever, whether ecclesiastical or civil, are to take notice of it, and pay due obedience thereunto. And that there may be no pretence for any of our sub5 jects to continue their illegal meetings and conventicles, we do declare, that we shall from time to time allow a sufficient number of places, as they shall be desired, in all parts of this our kingdom, for the use of such as do not conform to the church of England, to meet and 10 assemble in in order to their public worship and devotion; which places shall be open and free to all persons. But to prevent such disorders and inconveniencies as may happen by this our indulgence, if not duly regulated, and that they may be the better protected by the civil 15 magistrate, our express will and pleasure is, that none of our subjects do presume to meet in any place, until such place be allowed, and the teacher of that congregation be approved by us. And lest any should apprehend, that this restriction 20 should make our said allowance and approbation difficult to be obtained, we do further declare, that this our indulgence, as to the allowance of the public places of worship, and approbation of the teachers, shall extend to all sorts of non-conformists and recusants, except the recusants of 25 the Roman catholic religion, to whom we shall in no wise allow public places of worship, but only indulge them their share in the common exemption from the execution of the penal laws, and the exercise of their worship in their private houses only. 30 And if after this our clemency and indulgence, any of our subjects shall presume to abuse this liberty and shall preach seditiously, or to the derogation of the doctrine, discipline, or government of the established church, or shall meet in places not allowed by us, we do hereby give 35 them warning, and declare, we will proceed against them with all imaginable severity: and we will let them see we can be as severe to punish such offenders, when so justly provoked, as we are indulgent to truly tender consciences. Given at our court at Whitehall this fifteenth day of March, in the four and twentieth year of our reign. CLV. 5 Archiepisc. Cant. Anno Christi Reg. Angliæ The archbishop of Canterbury's letter to his suffragans about the increase of sects, etc.-Ex lib. instrum. episc. Lincoln. THE HE king's most excellent majesty being truly sensible, that the growing increase of the prevailing sects and disorders amongst us, proceeds chiefly from the general neglect of instructing the younger sort of persons (or their erroneous instruction) in the grounds and principles 10 of true religion, is therefore pleased to command me, that in his name I require your lordship (and by you the rest of my brethren the bishops of this province) that by your was in The archbishop of Canterbury's letter] When the act of uniformity progress, in the year 1662, the house of lords, in a conference 15 with the commons, proposed that the clause requiring subscription from schoolmasters should be withdrawn, but were induced to abandon their proposition, on being told of the force of education, and the danger of entrusting it to the hands of dissenters. In this letter the archbishop directs the power so obtained by the church to be employed 20 for the purpose for which it was given. The Catechism to which he refers, was probably the small Catechism of dean Nowel, which was printed originally in 1570, again in 1572, in Greek and Latin in 1573, |