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. Anglia The archbishop of Canterbury's letter to his suffragans about the increase of sects, etc.-Ex lib. instrum. episc. Lincoln. THE 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 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 ΤΟ The archbishop of Canterbury's letter] When the act of uniformity was in 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, selves and officers you will at all seasonable time reinforce the execution of such laws and constitutions, as enable us to enjoin the use and exercise of our said catechism. And that (by the most effectual remedies 5 that may be) such as, without license, either publicly or privately teach school within your lordship's or their jurisdiction, be forthwith proceeded against, according to such rules as are prescribed unto us for their restraint. And to the end that this mischief may be prevented for the Io future, he moreover strictly chargeth us, that none be admitted to that office without such subscription, oaths, and declaration, as are exactly requisite. But in the mean time I desire that your lordship and they will, with the first conveniency, let me know, how far we are already 15 defective in these particulars, that I may be able to give such satisfaction as hereafter will be necessary. I bid your lordship heartily farewell. Your lordship's very affectionate friend and brother, 20 Lambeth house, Feb. 6. MDCLXXII. GILB. CANT. 66 en and so on from time to time in many subsequent impressions, and was used generally in schools, as Strype informs us, down to his own time, the end of the 17th century. (Strype's Parker, vol. ii. p. 18.) So 25 strongly was the subject felt at this time, that during the same month of February, the attorney general was desired to prepare a bill, joining all persons possessed of ecclesiastical preferment, under a penalty, to catechise and instruct the youth every Sunday in the afternoon in the church catechism, and to explain the same and expound 30 thereupon to the congregation." Commons' Journals. Comp. Nos. LVI. CIX. CXXXII. Canons 77 and 79. CLVI. Archiepisc. Cant. Anno Christi Reg. Angliæ The archbishop of Canterbury's letter to the bishop of London concerning the number of dissenters. I Right reverend and my very good lord. HAVE thought fit, for some reasons me thereunto especially moving, to pray and require your lordship (and by you the rest of my brethren the bishops) that forthwith, upon receipt hereof, you send letters both to your archdeacons and commissaries within your respective 5 dioceses, willing and straitly charging them, that as well The archbishop of Canterbury's letter] From the time of the removal of lord Clarendon, in the year 1667, various attempts had been made to comprehend dissenters, more especially the presbyterians, within the pale of the church of England. In the year 1673 a bill for their relief 10 passed through the house of commons, and was read a third time, with amendments, in the upper house, but was not finally adopted by both houses before the parliament was prorogued. In the year 1675 several divines of the church of England, with Tillotson and Stillingfleet at their head, had private conferences with Baxter, Manton, and other non- 15 conformists, for the purpose of arranging terms of accommodation; but meeting afterwards with great opposition from the bishops, they abandoned their plan, and Tillotson expressed their reason for doing so in the following manner: "It cannot pass in either house without the concurrence of a considerable part of the bishops, and the countenance 20 of his majesty, which at present I see little reason to expect." Nevertheless the non-conformists had powerful arguments on their side, and were supported by able advocates. The duke of Buckingham proposed a bill for their relief in November 1675, urging the importance of the 25 measure for promoting the wealth, strength, and greatness of the nation. Bishop Wilkins, who died in 1672, had been indefatigable in their favour, having spoken in the house of lords against the conventicle act in the year 1670, although the king had endeavoured to prevent by conference with the ministers, as churchwardens of each parish within their jurisdiction, or such others as may best give them the most punctual satisfaction, they particularly inform themselves as to the several points 5 and queries hereafter mentioned; and that having gained the most certain information therein that they are able, they presently after their next visitation of Easter ended, transmit their account thereupon in writing unto their several diocesans, and they unto your lordship, to be com10 municated to me with your first conveniency. And to the end that they may be the more circumspect and sudden in the performance of this business, I think it not unnecessary that there be some advertisement intimated unto them, that the matters inquired of may nearly con15 cern them in the exercise of their jurisdictions. So not doubting of your lordship's care in the premises, etc. him; and bishop Croft published anonymously (in 1675) an address to the lords and commons, under the title of "The naked truth," which recommended that "peace should be made with lesser enemies, in 20 order to resist more successfully the encroachments of the greater." Among the topics urged at that period in favour of a comprehension, great use was doubtless made of the supposed number and influence of the dissenters, and this letter was issued by the archbishop for the purpose of ascertaining what was the degree of credit to which it was 25 entitled. We learn from a pamphlet, written by bishop Sherlock in vindication of the test act, what was the result. "The non-conformists of all sorts (including papists as well as others) were computed to be in proportion to the members of the church of England, in the year 1676, as one to twenty; a number in proportion too small to have any 30 natural strength to hurt the constitution." (p. 44. edit. 1790.) It is evident however that such a proportion of discontent was too great to continue stationary. State Tracts, 1693. p. 62. Neal, Purit. vol. iii. p. 198. Baxter, Life, p. 345. North's Examen, p. 44. Hallam, vol. ii. p. 266. Common's Journals. Lingard, vol. vii. p. 552. 35 In the copy of this letter preserved in the Tanner MSS. (vol. cclxxxii. p. 104.) is the following note on the words What number of persons:' Bishop of Norwich doubts whether the word was to be restrained to such only as were of years fit to communicate; sc. above the age of 16." |