William Parkins, to the sheriffs of London and Middlesex, at Tyburn, the place of execution, April 3, MDCXCVI.” and being also certainly informed of the most irregular behaviour of Mr. Cooke, Mr. Collier, and Mr. Snatte, in 5 pretending to absolve the said criminals at their execution, to the great scandal of the church, and of our holy religion, have therefore thought ourselves obliged to declare our sense of the same, as here followeth :

I. As to the paper before mentioned, we cannot but 10 observe, that in that part, to which sir John Friend is entituled, among many other things there delivered as his private opinion (for which we must leave him to God) there are mingled some things concerning the church of England to the great dishonour and reproach of it. That 15 venerable name is by the author of that paper appropriated to that part of our church, which hath separated itself from the body; and more particularly to a faction of them, who are so furiously bent upon the restoring of the late king, that they seem not to regard by what 20 of all the people; a strain of impudence that was new as it was wicked; since these persons died, owning the ill designs they had been engaged in, and expressing no sort of repentance for them. So these clergymen, in this solemn absolution, made an open declaration of their allowing and justifying these persons in all they had been concerned in. 25 Two of these were taken, and censured for this in the king's bench; the third made his escape." (Own Times, vol. iv. p. 313.) Mr. Cook and Mr. Snat were indicted by order of the court of king's bench and committed to Newgate, but were afterwards released without a trial. Mr. Collier, having a scruple about putting in bail, absconded and 30 was outlawed. He afterwards published several tracts in his own vindication, and in answer to the declaration of the bishops. Hallam, vol. ii. p. 477. Kennet, vol. iii. p. 712. Biog. Brit. art. Collier. Baxter's Life, p. 550. Evelyn, vol. iii. p. 350. Impartial Acc. of the horrid Conspiracy, 1696.

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a Shadrach Cooke, A.M. lecturer of Islington.

b Jeremiah Collier, A. M. lecturer or afternoon preacher at Gray's Inn.

c William Snatt, A. M. prebendary of Chichester and vicar of Cookfield, Sussex.

means it is to be effected.

d

We have a sad instance of it in this very person, who (as was deposed at his trial) was privy to the horrid design of assassination, and yet neither discovered it, nor shewed any dislike of it, but as he was afraid it might ruin king James, and his affairs; and was 5 ready also, together with others of the same Christian principle (as the author of his paper is bold to call it) to act in conjunction with an army of French papists, for the ruin of their country, and extirpation of that religion, which they themselves do profess.

10

II. As for sir William Parkins, who also professed to die in the communion of the church of England, we cannot think he meant any thing else by it, than that he adhered to the same violent faction; being assured (as we are by very good information) that both he and sir 15 John Friend had withdrawn themselves from our public assemblies some time before their death. Which makes us the less wonder to find in both their papers so light, and even favourable, a mention of that most inhuman design of assassinating his sacred majesty; especially in 20 that of sir William Parkins, who, though he was publicly convicted of his having engaged so many in that horrible sin, yet after all could think to clear himself of it with this wretched excuse: "It is true, I was privy to the design upon the prince, but was not to act in it." Blessed 25 be God, there never was any of our church, that in any change of times could have this laid to his charge, that he was so much as privy to a design of assassination.

Lastly, For those clergymen that took upon them to absolve these criminals at the place of execution, by lay- 30 ing, all three together, their hands upon their heads, and publicly pronouncing a form of absolution; as their manner of doing this was extremely insolent and without precedent either in our church, or any other that we know of, so the thing itself was altogether irregular.

d Tryal, p. 17.

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The rubric in our office of the visitation of the sick, from whence they took the words they then used, and upon which, if upon any thing in our liturgy, they must ground this their proceeding, gave them no authority nor 5 no pretence for the absolving these persons; nay, as they managed the affair, they acted in this absolution far otherwise than is there directed.

That rubric is concerning sick persons, and it is there required, first, that "the sick person shall be moved to To make a special confession of his sins, if he feel his conscience troubled with any weighty matter, and then after such confession, the priest shall absolve him, if he humbly and heartily desire it." But here they absolved, and that publicly, persons condemned by law for execrable crimes, 15 without so much as once moving them at that time to make a special confession of their sins, at least of those sins for which they were condemned. And on the other side, here were persons absolved that did not humbly desire absolution, as feeling any such weighty matter to 20 trouble their conscience; but on the contrary, in sir John Friend's paper it is declared, that he had a great deal of satisfaction in suffering for that cause which he firmly believed to be the cause of God and true religion.

If these ministers knew not the state of these men's 25 souls, before they gave them absolution, as it is manifest two of them Mr. Snatt and Mr. Cooke, did not, as to sir William Parkins, (they having since declared, that they had not spoke with sir William till they were at the place of execution,) how could they without manifest 30 transgression of the church's order, as well as the profane abuse of the power Christ has left with his ministers, absolve them from all their sins?

If they were acquainted with these men's sentiments declared in their papers, then they must look upon them, 35 either as hardened impenitents, or as martyrs.

We are so charitable to believe that they would not

absolve them under the former notion; for that had been, in effect, sealing them to damnation; but if they held these men to be martyrs, then their absolving them in that manner was a justification of those grievous crimes, for which these men suffered, and an open affront to the 5 laws both of church and state.

Upon the consideration of these things, and for the doing of right to our church, which may otherwise suffer, among such as are strangers to our constitution, by the evil principles and practices, both of the aforesaid cri- 10 minals, and the three clergymen that assisted them, who all pretended to be members of the church of England; we do declare that we disown and detest all such principles and practices; looking upon them as highly schismatical and seditious, dangerous both to the church and 15 state, and contrary to the true doctrine and spirit of the Christian religion. And we also take this occasion to warn and exhort all the people committed to our charge, to beware of such seducers and to avoid them; lest (as the apostle St. Peter speaks)" they be led away with the 20 error of the wicked," and fall from their steadfast adherence to the principles of the true church of England, as it was established at the blessed reformation of religion, and as by God's especial providence it continues to this day.

April 10, MDCXcvi.

25

Archiepisc. Cant.
THO TENISON 5.

His

grace the lord archbishop of Canterbury's letter to the right reverend the lords bishops of his province. (From an original in the Bodleian.) 4to. W. 45 Theol.

To the right reverend the lord bishop of

REVEREND BROTHER,

MY writing to you and the rest of our brethren at this

time is occasioned by a sensible growth of vice and 5 profaneness in the nation: which, to the great affliction of all good men, appears not only in the corrupt practices of particular persons, but also in the endeavours that are used to subvert the general principles of our holy religion. And this with a boldness and openness, far beyond the examples of past times; so that if a speedy stop be not put to such national provocations, we have just cause to fear they may bring down the heaviest judgments of God upon us; the preventing whereof belongs more immediately to us, who are the ministers of Christ; and as 15 such, are obliged to the utmost care and watchfulness in opposing these instruments of Satan.

IO

I doubt not, but many of the parochial clergy are sufficient sensible both of their own duty and the danger we are in in the cities of London and Westminster, and 20 other places, I am sure the good effects of their diligence

His grace the lord archbishop] King William having ordered a general fast and humiliation to be observed on the 5th day of April, the archbishop took occasion to issue this letter of admonition to the bishops of his province.