thousand minifters admitted into the church, who were unfit to teach because of their youth; of fifteen hundred debauched men ordained; of the ordination of many illiterate men; of one thoufand three hundred forty-two factious ministers, a little before ordained; and that of twelve thousand church livings, or thereabouts, three thousand or more being im propriate, and four thoufand one hundred fixty-five fine cures, there was but a poor remainder left for a painful and honest ministry.

86

Such were the fpoils of uniformity! And though Mr. Eachard fays, there was more fenfe and found doctrine preached in one twelve-month after the prefbyterian minifters were turned out, than in nigh twenty years before; yet another church writer, who knew them better, calls the young clergy" florid and genteel preachers, of a more romantick " than true majestick and divine ftile, who tickled and capti"vated people at first, but did little fervice to the fouls of men, and in process of time had fewer admirers and friends "than at firft. He adds, that in the late times they all spake "the fame things, and carried on the fame work, which was "the inftruction, converfion, confolation, and edification of "fouls, not biting one another, nor grudging at one another. "I never heard (fays he) in many hundreds of fermons, di"versities of opinions either fet up by fome, or pulled down "by others; we heard indeed that fome were independants, "others prefbyterians, and others epifcopal, but we heard no "fuch things from the pulpits. Some men think that the preaching of thofe days was mere fanaticism, bleffing the "ufurpation, railing against bishops, or deifying Calvin with "an infallibility; but Calvin was preached no farther than "Chrift fpake in him; Non Calvinum fed Chriftum prædi "cabant."*

The truth of this obfervation will appear further, by mentioning the names of fome of those minifters, whofe learning and piety were universally acknowledged, and who were capable of preaching and writing as good fenfe, and to as good purpose, as most of their fucceffors; as Dr. Gilpin, Bates, Manton, Jacomb, Owen, Goodwin, Collins, Conant, Grew, *Conformift Plea, part I. in pref. and p. 53.

VOL. IV.

Сс

Burgess,

Burgess, and Annefly; Mr. Bowles, Baxter, Clarkson, Woodbridge, Newcomen, Calamy, Jackson, Pool, Caryl, Charnock, Gouge, Jenkins, Gale, Corbet, Cradock, Matth. Mead, Howe, Kentish, Alfop, Vincent, Greenhill, S. Clark, Flavel, Phil. Henry, and others of like character, "whom I have heard vili"fied, and reprefented according to the fancies, paffions, or "interests of men, (fays a learned conformist) but I dare not "but be just to them, as to eminent profeffors of the christian "faith, and think that common christianity has fuffered much

by their filencing and difparagement. A great part of the "world is made to believe, that the non-conformists are not fit "to be employed in the church, nor trusted by the ftate; but what they are God knows, and the world may know, if "they please to confult their writings-They are not to them “that know them, what they are reported by them that "know them not I know them fufficiently to make me be"wail their condition, and the vaft damage to thousands of "fouls by their exclufion, not only in the outskirts, but in

the very heart of England, who are committed in many parts ❝ to them that neither can nor will promote their everlast"ing interefts. Upon the whole, though I do not pretend that all the ejected minifters were equally learned, pious and deferving, yet upon a calm and fedate view of things I cannot help concluding, that in the main they were a body of as eminent confeffors for truth and liberty as this or any other nation has produced.

Many complied with the terms of conformity, not because they approved them, but for the fake of their families, or be caufe they were unwilling to be buried in filence, as bishop Reynolds, Wilkins, Hopkins, Fowler, &c. Several young students, who were defigned for the pulpit, applied themselves to law or phyfick, or diverted to fome fecular employment. Bishop Kennet, in order to extenuate their calamities,§ has Conform. Plea, in pref. part i.

To fuppofe that more than 2000 men could be equal in worth and piety, would be to admit an impoffibility; but it deferves notice, that bishop Kennet is fo candid as to limit the charge of fcandalous lives and characters, or of a conduct which was at least no credit to the cause for which they suffered, to fome few only. Grey's Examinatión, p. 332. ED.

Kennet's Chron. p. 888, &c.

taken

taken pains to point out the favours the ejected minifters received from private perfons:* Some (fays he) found friends among the nobility and gentry, who relieved their neceffities, some were taken as chaplains into good families, or officiated in hospitals, prifons, or chapels of ease; fome became tutors, or school-masters; fome who went beyond fea were well received in foreign parts; fome became eminent phyficians and lawyers; some had good estates of their own, and others married great fortunes: But how does this extenuate the guilt of the church or legislature, who would have deprived them of these retreats if it had been in their power? The bishop adds, Therefore we do ill to charge the church with perfecution, "when the laws were made by the civil government with a view "to the peace and safety of the state, rather than to any honour or intereft of the church." It seems therefore the load of perfecution must lie wholly upon the legislature: but had the bishops and clergy no hand in this affair; did they not push the civil government upon these extremities, and not only concur, but prosecute the penal laws with unrelenting rigour throughout the greatest part of this reign? The church and state are faid to be fo incorporated as to make but one conftitution, and the penal laws are shifted from one to the other till they are quite loft; the church cannot be charged with perfecution, because it makes no laws; nor can the civil government be charged with it, because it makes them not against confcience, but with a view to the safety of the state; with fuch idle fophifms are men to be amufed, when it is to cover a reproach!

ર

Dr. Bates fays, "they (the minifters) fell a facrifice to the "wrath and revenge of the old clergy, and to the fervile compliance of the young gentry with the court, and their "diftaste of serious religion. That this is no rafh imputa❝tion upon the ruling clergy is evident (fays the doctor) not

* Dr. Grey has given the paffage of bishop Kennet at length, which Mr. Neal has here noticed. But the amount of the bishop's statement, which runs out into 31 particulars, only fhews, that fome men were more equitable and kind than was the legislature; and that they who fuffered under the operation of an iniquitous law, met with relief from the kind difpofals of Divine PROVIDENCE, ED.

"only from their concurrence in paffing these laws, (for "actions have a language as convincing as thofe of words) "but from Dr. Sheldon their great leader, who expressed "his fears to the earl of Manchester left the presbyterians "fhould comply. The act was paffed after the king had engaged his faith and honour in his declaration from Breda "to preserve liberty of conscience inviolable; which promise "opened the way for his restoration; and after the royalifts "had given public affurance, that all former animofities fhould "be laid afide as rubbish, under the foundation of univerfal "concord."

Sad were the calamities of far the greater part of these unhappy fufferers, who with their families must havé perished, if private collections in London, and divers places of the country, had not been made for their fubfiftence.* Bishop Burnet fays, they caft themselves on the providence of God, and the charity of friends. The reverend and pious Mr. Thomas Gouge, late of St. Sepulchre's, was their advocate, who with two or three of his brethren, made frequent application to several worthy citizens, of whom they received confiderable fums of money for fome years, till that charity was diverted into another channel; but nevertheless “ many "hundreds of them, (according to Mr. Baxter§) with their “wives and children, had neither house nor bread;† the peo"ple they left were not able to relieve them, nor durft they "if they had been able, because it would have been called a "maintenance of fchifm or faction. Many of the minifters,

being afraid to lay down their miniftry after they had been "ordained to it, preached to fuch as would hear them, in "fields and private houses, till they were apprehended and caft into gaols, where many of them perifhed.The people were no less divided, some conformed, and others were

Kennet's Chron. p. 838, 192. § Life, part ii. p. 385.

+ The obfervation made, not long before he died by the excellent Mr. Philip Henry, who furvived these times, deferves to be mentioned here. It was, that "though many of the ejected minifters were brought very low, had many children, were greatly harraffed by perfecution, and their friends "generally poor and unable to fupport them; yet in all his acquaintance he "never knew nor could remember to have heard of any non-conformist minifter in prison for debt." P. Henry's Life, p. 74, 2d ed. ED.

"driven

"driven to a greater diftance from the church, and refolved "to abide by their faithful pastors at all events: They mur"mured at the government, and called the bishops and conforming clergy cruel perfecutors; for which, and for their frequenting the private affemblies of their minifters, they "were fined and imprisoned, till many families left their na❝tive country, and fettled in the plantations."zi

The prefbyterian ministers, though men of gravity, and far advanced in years, were rallied in the pulpits under the opprobrious name of fchismaticks and fanaticks; they were expofed in the play-houfe, and infulted by the mob, infomuch that they were obliged to lay afide their habits, and walk in difguife. "Such magiftrates were put into commiffion as ex"ecuted the penal laws with feverity. Informers were encouraged and rewarded. It is impoffible (fays the Conformift Plea for the Non-Conformist) to relate the number of the "fufferings both of minifters and people; the great trials, "with hardships upon their perfons, eftates and families, by "uncomfortable feparations, difperfions, unfettlements and "removes; difgraces, reproaches, imprisonments, chargeable: journies, expences in law, tedious fickneffes, and incurable "difeafes ending in death; great difquietments and frights to "the wives and families, and their doleful effects upon them. "Their congregations had enough to do befides a fmall "maintenance, to help them out of prifons, or maintain them "there. Though they were as frugal as poffible they could hardly live; fome lived on little more than brown bread "and water; many had but eight or ten pounds a year to "maintain a family, fo that a piece of flefh has not come to "one of their tables in fix weeks time; their allowance could "fcarce afford them bread and cheefe. One went to plough "fix days and preached on the Lord's day. Another was "forced to cut tobacco for a livelihood. The zealous juf "tices of peace knew the calamities of the minifters, when "they iffued out warrants upon fome of the hearers, because "of the poverty of the preachers. Out of refpect to the "worth and modesty of fome of them, (fays my author§) I forbear their names." Upon thefe foundations, and with

* Part iv. p. 40.

Ibid. part

iv.

P. 43.

thefe

: