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Can any one, in our days, wonder that with such Ecclesiastics, and with such Courtiers, the Nation was already, to the last degree exasperated? Or, that when the Commons assembled, in March, 1627-8, they should discover the same independence of spirit which had actuated their predecessors? How they acted then, will be seen, in some respects, after it has been shown how, in one respect, the Parliament was endeavoured to be stimulated to act. For this purpose, and under the like impression of utility with which a work of the same author is introduced into this chapter, some notice is due to " Israel's Fast: Or, A Meditation upon the Seventh Chapter of Joshua; A fair Precedent for these Times.-By H. B., Rector of St. Matthew's, Friday-street.-Josh. vii. 13.-Lond. 1628." 4to. pp. 38.

The Epistle, consisting of twelve pages, and subscribed "Henry Burton, is addressed "To our Royal Joshua, and Lay Elders of Israel, now happily assembled in Parliament." The following passages from the Epistle furnish the best help towards revealing the enigmatical obscurity which characterises the "Meditation," delivered, it should seem, on occasion of a Fast, though the time when it was observed is not recorded; yet it must have been between the seventeenth day of March and the fourth day of April.d

"The mite which, here, I presume to offer into the rich treasury of your grave Wisdoms is Israel's Fast: a poor Meditation,-conceived formerly, but brought forth in this season, I hope in a good hour,-which though it be out of my penury for want of better means of expression, yet springeth it from the superabundance of my zeal and hearty well-wishing. And this Fast being performed by Joshua' and the Elders of Israel' upon Israel's discomfiture, I know not to whom more fitly to recommend it than to You our Royal Joshua and Noble Elders of Israel now assembled in one entire Body-Representative of this goodly Church and State. All this Fast was about the trespass of one' Achan: but if our Israel have many Achans in it, the more need is there of Israel's Fast! Yet not a Fast alone. It is but the preparative to the purgative potion, as here; not as Jezebel's Fast, to devour Naboth's vineyard; but Israel's Fast, to preserve God's Vineyard, by purging out the Troubler of Israel! This troubler was Achan, but unknown to Joshua and the Elders till found out by Divine lot and are the Troublers of our Israel so concealed as we need Divine lots to discover them? Yet, if so, God wants not his Divines, those of his 'lot;'e such as of whom the good King Jehoshaphat said to his people, Believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.' I am the least and unworthiest of all God's prophets' and some must speak, lest the crying of the senseless' stones's should convince us of unfaithful cowardice!"

Having described different sorts of Achans; as Papists, and Waverers, Burton says, "A third sort of Achans are Neutralizers, but so as the bias of their affection wheels and turns them round to Popery.

a Hume, an. 1627.

"They possessed such riches," says Hume, an. 1628, "that their property was computed to surpass, three times, that of the House of Peers!" d See Heylyn's Life of Laud, p. 178. f 2 Chron. xx. 20. Luke xix. 40.

e Prorogued June 26th.

• Κλήρος

These are so much the more pernicious plagues to Israel, in that, nnder the seemly veil and matron-like habit of the Church of England,' they labour to bring in the old Babylonish strumpet hoodwinked, that we should all re-acknowledge her for a Mother. As may appear in a certain book of Private Devotions,' so called, published by Authority. The main scope thereof all along being to reduce us all to one Church, and that none other but, forsooth,' the Holy Catholic Church' of Rome: but the whole mystery of iniquity' folded up therein would require a more particular unfolding. These Neutralizers, or Popish Arminians, or Arminian Papists, or what ye will! under the name of the Church of England,' dare vent any Arminian heresy. As in a book lately published by Authority too, there is this most blasphemous Arminian heresy, that There is a goodness objective in the creature, which, in order of nature, is precedent to the act or exercise of God's Will;' thus, by necessary consequence, making the creature,' a God, having a selfbeing independent but only upon God's bare prescience; upon which, and not upon that supreme cause of causes 'God's Will,' he hangeth the being and well-being of all the creatures! And this sort and confederacy of Achans have gotten such a high hand, that no Book may be set out, if it be directly against Popery and Arminianism; nor against Popery in special, but with some qualification or ingredient such as this, That the Church of Rome, though she have many errors, yet is a true Church!' And by this device they do, like Balaam, mightily prevail; and that with great ones, scholars and others, to draw us to some friendly commerce and correspondence with that 'whore.' And they are grown so much the more confident, because they have Authority in their hand either to approve or prohibit what Books they list. Whereas if the way were open, as formerly, freely to print Books by Authority' against Popery and her confederate Arminians, their Neutralizing Achans, as so many owls, would fly into their dark cells, as not able to withstand the sunbeams of the Truth. we hope and pray that Joshua and the Elders of Israel will take such order, that, instead of Popish and Arminian books, Orthodox books may be freely published by Authority.' And suffer me to speak, O noble Sages of Israel,-I am for God, and my King; for Religion and my Country, if you, O Joshua and the Elders of Israel, purge not out these pestilent Achans, or else clip their wings, they must needs bring utter confusion upon this State ere it be long. They daily creep into high favour in Court; they prevail mightily by their plausible, insinuating, intoxicating flattery. They go about, as the prophet Hosea speaks, to make the King glad with their lies.' Their themes and theorems are, that Kings are partakers of God's own Omnipotency;' though this be a Divine attribute, incommunicable to any creature : that justice can be no rule or medium whereby to give God, or

But

a "Which is in such request with the Jesuits, as they make it their usual pocket-book, as a fair bait, covering their Romish hook, to catch our simple fish." Margin.

b "God's eternal and blessed Will, Providence, Wisdom, Free-Grace, Glory, and consequently his whole essence, overturned by an Arminian trick; and that also backed with abused 'Authority.'" Margin. c Hos. vii. 3.

the King, his right.' As if'right' were not grounded upon 'justice' as the rule' of it! Take away 'justice,' and where is 'right'? Or, as if the service which we perform to God were not bounded [founded] upon God's laws, which are holy, just, and good!'a Yea, God neither commands nor accepts any other service at our hands but such as his Law prescribes and thus our service' becomes just and reasonable.' Yet with such-like glossings they think that Principibus placuisse viris non ultima laus est?

"Great Potentates thus to applaud,

They reckon it no little laud !"

"Nor do they blush not only to preach these things to the face of the Court, but dare, also, publish in print this their shame to the open view of the world, not without great disturbance both to God and the King.

Now the Lord Jesus deliver our good and gracious Joshua from these Achans, that his sweet disposition may not be enchanted with their Syren-songs. Herein the joint courage and zeal of you, Elders of Israel, is required. Take away these Achans from the King, and his throne shall be established in righteousness!

"Many other branches of the Achan faction there are, whom your Wisdoms can more easily find out: but the Master-piece of your wisdom is to find out,-if any such Monster be to be found in rerum natura,-where the main root and head of all these branches and members lurketh! That must be digged and stocked up; else, if it be but pruned, it will but sprout the thicker. If they go on thus, God's fearful judgments must needs fall heavy upon this Land."

The Meditation" is headed "Joshua vii, 6, &c.," but as the passages from the Epistle answer our end fully, and as the author had not as yet put himself in a complete position to be expelled from the pale of the Episcopal Church, we desist from giving anything from its contents. Let us, then, consider what relates to the Parliament now assembled.

Sir Francis Seymour asked, in the House, " Hath it not been preached in the Pulpit, or rather prated, that 'all we have, is the King's, by Divine Right? But," he continued to say, "when Preachers forsake their own calling, and turn ignorant Statesmen, we see how willing they are to exchange a good conscience for a Bishoprie!" To this Parliament it is that we owe the Bill of Rights. The Commons also impeached Manwaring, whose Sermon had been printed by special command of the King! "There is nothing," it has been remarked, "which tends more to excuse, if not justify, the extreme rigour of the Commons towards Charles, than his open encouragement and avowal of such general principles as were altogether incompatible with a limited government." But to prove the temper of the Court, remarks the same historian, "no sooner was the Session ended, than this man," Manwaring, "so justly obnoxious to both Houses, received a pardon,

and was promoted to a Living of considerable value :" and he subjoins, that, "if the Republican spirit of the Commons increased, beyond all reasonable bounds, the Monarchical spirit of the Court; this latter, carried to so high a pitch, tended still further to augment the former: and thus, extremes were everywhere affected; and the just medium was gradually deserted by all men,"

Manwaring having been disposed of, the Commons drew up a Remonstrance, representing to the King "That there was a general fear conceived in his People, of some secret working and combination to introduce into this Kingdom Innovation and Change of holy Religion." The King, soon after, dissolved the Parliament; and then gave order unto Laud, whom he found to be much concerned in the Remonstrance, to return an answer thereunto."e Laud forgot himself so much as to put into his paper, purporting to be the King's, this passage, "Our People must not be taught by a Parliament Remonstrance, or any other way, that We are so ignorant of truth, or so careless of the profession of it, that any opinion, or faction, or whatever it be called, should thrust itself so far and so fast into our Kingdom without our knowledge of it: this is a mere dream of them that wake, and would make our loyal and loving People think we sleep the while. In this Charge there is great wrong done to two eminent Prelates that attend our Person; for they are accused, without producing any the least show or shadow of proof against them; and should they, or any others, attempt Innovation of Religion, either by that open or any cunning way, We should quickly take order with them, and not stay for your Remonstrance."s

a Hume-Heylyn's remark is, "This was indeed, the way to have his Majesty well served; but such as created some ill thoughts amongst the Commons." P. 180. c Heylyn, p 180.

b Hume.

d s The worst word," says Hacket, that the king gave to the Remonstrance was, 'That no wise man would justify it.' .. "The chief Tribunes," he says, also, "spake their discontents aloud, That they had given a bountiful levy of five subsidies, and were called fools for their labour."" Pt. ii. p. 79.

• Heylyn, p. 182.

f Laud and Neile.

Heylyn, p. 182.-Some idea of the extent of Prelatical espionage and surveillance now in exercise may be gathered from the contents of Instructions, dated May 19th, 1628, from Dudley Carleton, at this time Ambassador Extraordinary at the Hague, and addressed "To the Synod of the English and Scottish Clergy in the Netherlands." The fifth Article of which, runs thus :--"His Majesty is well satisfied that they--the foresaid Clergymen-will carefully observe the Directions which his royal father, King James, formerly issued :namely, to prevent the assumption of the Pastoral Office by any who have not been legally clothed with that sacred character; that they examine into, severely censure, and endeavour effectually to repress, every known species of immorality; and his Majesty further enjoins them to keep a watchful eye upon those who write books or pamphlets derogatory to the Church or the State of England, and to use every means to prevent them." The Synod replied in a respectful but firm tone to the whole of this communication; but, in relation to the second Article, which orders" that they shall in nowise undertake to exercise the power of Ordination," they ask somewhat indignantly, "Are the Churches of England and Scotland to take upon themselves the sole privilege of ordaining ministers for Congregations in other Countries where they have no authority, and where the Churches are not dependent on them, being under another, and a Foreign State?" The History of the Scottish Church, Rotterdam: &c. By William Steven, M.A. 1833. 8vo. p. 262, 264.

Charles's ill-fated Minister, Buckingham, having fallen by an assassin's stroke, Laud, now Bishop of London, was called unto the helm, and steers the course of the Ship of State by his sage directions !"a This new accession of power, he exercised in endeavouring to effect the suppression of Biblical doctrinal investigation. In the name of the King, he issued a Declaration to be prefixed to the Book of Articles, which proved to be another false step, and "of great influence in the course of our story." It assumes "the settled continuance of the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England Established; from which We shall not endure any variation or departing in the least degree:" and, asserting the prerogative of a Vicegerent in the Kingdom of Christ, it directs authoritatively, that "in these both curious and unhappy differences which have, for many hundred years, in different times and places, exercised the Church of Christ, We will that all further curious search be laid aside, and these disputes be shut up in God's Promises, as they be generally set forth unto Us in Holy Scriptures, and the general meaning of the Articles of the Church of England according to them." Under this specious covert, all doctrinal controversy was confined to the Court party, and "the whole council of God" was restrained to "Our Princely care, that the Churchmen may do the work which is proper unto them.”d Such was the dread of Censure from their superiors, that they who were opposed to all the novel tenets of Arminius, drew up a Petition to his Majesty, stating the "evils and grievances under which they groaned;" but it was stopped on its way to the King!

The House of Commons, upon this, intervened, and voted, what the writer whom we are making use of called an Anti-Declaration concerning the Articles of Religion; rejecting "the sense of the Jesuits, Arminians, and all others, wherein they differ from us." Thus was brought into collision with the dominant Ecclesiastics, "a company of Lay persons, met together on another occasion, who, though they might probably be supposed for the wisest men, could not, in reason, be relied on as the greatest Clerks!"f Whatever they were, their power began to grow more formidable every day," and " nobody durst adventure a reply" to them, till Laud himself thought fit."

a

Heylyn, p. 187.-Laud betrayed his arbitrary disposition, when, during the solemn transactions at the Council Table," he so far forgot the Statesman and the Bishop, as to threaten Felton with the rack." Happily, "on reference to the Judges, it was unanimously declared by them, that no such punishment as Torture is known or allowed by our law. And the consequence," we are as happy to find, "was precisely what might be expected from this unfortunate eruption of violence and passion; namely, the immediate circulation of the saying, that Crown Law was more favourable to the Subject than Crown Divinity !" Rushworth, vol. i. p. 637, 639; cited by Le Bas, Life of Laud, p. 120; yet this writer has done all he could to extenuate this "Churchman's mistake," in this, and almost every other instance.

c lb. P. 189.

d Ib. p. 188.

e Ib. p.190.

b Heylyn, sup. Ib. p. 191.-Heylyn might have recollected here, what passed in the other House of Parliament, when, in 1529, Bishop Fisher, on being reminded of Chaucer's apothegm, "The greatest Clerks are not the wisest men," retorted, that "He did not remember any Fools, in his time, who had proved great Clerks." Hume, chap. xxx.