pos

mixed with afflicting bitterness; but as the sun ascending the horizon dispels without noise the darkness of the night, so your serene presence has, without tumults and disorders, chased away the darkness that invaded us. In the sense of this astonishing deliverance we desire with all sible ardency of affection to magnify the glorious name of God, the author of it, by whose entire efficacy, the means have been successful; and we cannot without a warm rapture of thankfulness recount our obligations to your majesty, the happy instrument of it. Your illustrious greatness of mind, in an undertaking of such vast expence, your heroic zeal in exposing your most precious life in such an adventurous expedition, your wise conduct, and unshaken resolution in prosecuting your great ends, are above the loftiest flights of language to exceed all praise. We owe to your majesty the two greatest and most valuable blessings that we can enjoy, the preservation of the true religion, our most sacred treasure; and the recovery of the falling state, and the establishing it upon just foundations. According to our duty, we promise unfeigned fidelity, and true allegiance to your majesty's person and government. We are encouraged by your gracious promise upon our first address, humbly to desire and hope, that your majesty will be pleased, by your wisdom and authority, to establish a firm union of your protestant subjects in matters of religion, by making the rule of christianity to be the rule of conformity. Our blessed union in the purity and peace of the gospel will make this church a fair and lovely type of heaven, and terrible to our antichristian enemies: This will make England the steady centre from whence a powerful influence will be derived for the support of reformed christianity abroad. This will bring immortal honor to your name, above the trophies and triumphs of the most renowned conquerors. We do assure your majesty, that we shall cordially embrace the terms of union which the ruling wisdom of our Savior has prescribed in his word. We shall not trespass further on your royal patience, but shall offer up our fervent prayers to the King of Kings, that he will please to direct your majesty by his unerring wisdom, and always incline your heart to his glory, and encompass your sacred person with his favor as with a shield, and

make your government an universal blessing to these kingdoms."

To which his majesty was graciously pleased to make the following answer;

“I TAKE kindly your good wishes, and whatever is in my power shall be employed for obtaining such an union among you. I do assure you of my protection and kindness." To the QUEEN.

"May it please your Majesty,

"YOUR happy arrival into your native country, and accession to the crown, has diffused an universal joy through this kingdom. It is an auspicious sign of public felicity, when supreme virtue, and sepreme dignity, meet in the same person. Your inviolable firmness in the profession of the truth, and exemplary piety, are the most radiant jewels in your crown. The lustre of your conversation, unstained in the midst of tempting vanities, and adorned with every grace, recommends religion as the most honorable and amiable quality, even to those who are averse from hearing sermons, and apt to despise serious instructions and excitations to be religious. We humbly desire, that your majesty would be pleased, by your wisdom and goodness, to compose the differences between your protestant subjects in things of less moment concerning religion. We hope those reverend persons who conspire with us in the main end, the glory of God and the public good, will consent to the terms of union wherein all the reformed churches agree. We shall sincerely address our request to God, that he will please to pour down in a rich abundance his blessings upon your majesty's person and government, and preserve you to his heavenly kingdom."

Her majesty was graciously pleased to answer,

"I WILL use all endeavors for the obtaining an union that is necessary for the edifying of the church.* I desire your prayers."

*This was in the spirit of a noble answer, which her majesty made to Dr. Increase Mather, who was introduced to her to solicit a new charter for New England. He represented that her subjects in that country

Though the joy that accompanied the revolution had a considerable influence on the choice of representatives in parliament, yet there being no court to make interest among the people, it appeared that the late king had a party in both houses sufficient to perplex the government, who first proposed the choice of a new parliament, in order to throw the nation into a ferment;† but this being overruled, a bill was brought in, and passed, Jan. 23, to turn the present convention into a parliament, it being wisely concluded, that those who had set the king on the throne, would be most zealous to maintain him there; but when the house was called over, and the members required to take the oaths, eight bishops absented, (viz.) Dr. Sancroft archbishop of Canterbury, Turner of Ely, Lake of Chichester, Kenn of Bath and Wells, White of Peterborough, Thomas of Worcester, Lloyde of Norwich, and Frampton of Gloucester; however, that they might recommend themselves by a shew of moderation, before they withdrew they moved the house of lords for a bill of toleration, and another of comprehension, which were drawn up accordingly by the earl of Nottingham, and were much the same with those prepared for the house of commons in King Charles the second's time, during the debates about the bill of exclusion.

The clergy in general took the oaths, but it became visible that many among them took them only as oaths of submission to usurpers, with this reserve, that it was still lawful to assist King James, if he should attempt to recover the crown, and that he was still their king de jure, though the prince of Orange was king de facto, contrary to the plain meaning of the words; but the clergy broke through all these fetters, (says the bishop‡) to the reproach of their profession and the prevarication of so many in so sacred were generally non-conformists, but carried it with all due respect to others and added, that this nation had cause to bless God for the indulgence it now enjoyed under the king and her majesty. The queen answered, “It is what I am for. It is not in the power of men to believe what they please; and therefore, I think. they should not be forced in matters of religion, contrary to their persuasions and their consciences. I wish all good men were of one mind; however, in the mean time, I would have them live peaceably, and love one another." Increase Mather's Life, p. 49 Ed.

+ Burnet, vol. iv. p, 7, 8. Edin. Ed. 12mo.

Ibid. vol. iii. p. 303.

a matter, contributed not a little to the atheism of the age. Indeed they had embarked so far in their doctrines of absolute submission, and the divine right of monarchy, that they knew not how to disengage themselves with honor or conscience. Many suffered the time limited for taking the oaths to elapse, and yet officiated afterwards contrary to law. They threatened the church with a new separation, which terrified the moderate clergy, and put a stop to all amendments of the liturgy for the ease, of dissenters, lest the non-jurors should gain over great numbers of the laity, by pretending to abide by the old liturgy, in opposition to the reformed one. Thus the non-conformists were sold to the jacobites, by the timidity of their real friends; for the high church party discovered an irreconcilable enmity to an accommodation, and seemed only to wish for an occasion to renew old severities. Those who had moved for a comprehension, and brought the bill into the house of lords acted a very disingenuous part, (says Burnet*) for while they studied to recommend themselves, by seeming to countenance the bill, they set on their friends to oppose it, representing the favorers of it, as enemies to the church.

When the king came to the house, March 16, he made the following speech :†

"My lords and gentlemen,

"NOW I have occasion of coming hither to pass these bills, I shall put you in mind of one thing which will conduce much to our settlement, as a settlement will to the disappointment of our enemies. I am, with all the expedition I can, filling up the vacancies that are in the offices and places of trust, by this late revolution. I hope you are sensible there is a necessity of some law to settle the oaths to be taken by all persons to be admitted to such places. I recommend it to your care to make a speedy provision for it; and as I doubt not but you will sufficiently provide against papists so I hope you will leave room for the admission of all protestants that are willing and able to serve. This conjunction in my service, will tend to the better uniting you among yourselves, and the strengthening you against your common enemies." It appears by this, that + Gazette, No. 2436.

Burnet, vol. iii. p. 303.

king William was for taking off the test, and abrogating the penal laws, as far as related to dissenting protestants, though the parliament were of another mind.

When a bill was brought into the house of lords, for abrogating the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, and framing other oaths in their stead, a committee was appointed to insert a clause to take away the necessity of receiving the sacrament in order to make a man capable of enjoying any office, employment, or place of trust; but when the clause was reported to the house, it was rejected by a considerable majority, the earls of Stamford, and Chesterfield, the lords Lovelace, Delamere, North and Grey, Wharton and Vaughan, entering their protests.*

After this another clause was offered, by which it was provided, that such should be sufficiently qualified for any office, who within a year before, or after their admission, did receive the sacrament, either according to the usage of the church of England, or in any other protestant congregation, and could produce a certificate under the hands of the minister, and two other creditable persons, members of such a congregation. The question being put, whether this clause should be a part of the bill, it passed in the negative; the lords Oxford, Lovelace, Wharton, Mordaunt, Montague, and Paget, entering their protests.†

The protests of the dissentient peers were grounded on the following reasons: "That an hearty union amongst protestants is a greater security to the church and state, than any test that could be invented: that this obligation to receive the sacrament is a test on protestants rather than on papists: that so long as it is continued, there could not be that hearty and thorough union amongst protestants as has always been wished, and is at this time indispensably necessary and lastly, that a greater caution ought not to be required from such as were admitted into offices, than from the members of the two houses of parliament, who were not obliged to receive the sacrament to enable them to sit in either house." A Complete Collection of Protests, p. 62, 63, and Birch's Life of Tillotson, p. 170, 171. Ed.

† One reason on which the lords protested, was, "That mysteries of religion and divine worship are of divine original, and of a nature se wholly distant from the secular affairs of public society, that they cannot be applied to those ends and therefore the church, by the law of the gospel, as well as common prudence, ought to take care not to offend either tender consciences within itself, or give offence to those without, by mixing their sacred mysteries with secular interests." A Complete Collection of Protests, p. 64, 65. Ed.