Dr. Jeremy Taylor survived his consecration six years: but though his exemplary piety illustrated his celebrated treatise of "Holy Living and Dying," he contributed but little to the advancement of religion in Ireland.

Godliness evidently prevailed in a far superior degree among the presbyterians in the province of Ulster they retained much of their simplicity and evangelical piety; and though they were not in the most flourishing condition, they increased in intelligence, education being promoted among their youth; and the use of the Scriptures was held sacred, as their puritan forefathers had practised in England and Scotland.

BOOK VIII.

FROM THE REVOLUTION TO THE CLOSE OF THE
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.

CHAPTER I.

ENGLAND UNDER WILLIAM AND MARY.

Character of William and Mary-Dissenters' Address to their Majesties - Opposition of the clergy-Act of Toleration - Nonjuring bishops - New bishops-The king wishes to comprehend the Dissenters - Review of the liturgy for that purpose Alterations proposed - The convocation oppose the king- Preferment in the church bestowed by the queen - Religion hindered - Religious SocietiesState of religion.

"THE Glorious Revolution" introduced a new series of things, as regards both politics and religion, in England. The liberty of the subject was now placed upon its proper basis by the "Bill of Rights," passed in the first year of William and Mary, securing him from the tyranny of ecclesiastical courts. Religion was partially recovered from oppression, and a foundation laid for its perfect emancipation from prelatical bigotry, by the famous "Act of Toleration.”

William and Mary deserve the sincerest gratitude of all generations of Britons, for their generous services in these respects but their personal characters must be understood, to form a right estimate of their immortal services for this country.

Mary was a daughter of James II; but a woman of opposite principles to those of her father: she was a person of rare and various excellencies, by which she adorned her royal dignity as queen of England. Bishop Burnet, from many years intercourse with both the king and queen, describes her as not merely amiable and a patron of religion, but endowed with every Christian virtue, a cordial believer in the gospel, and a sincere disciple of Jesus Christ.

William was altogether worthy of so excellent a queen. From the peculiar condition of Europe at that period, William was necessarily a martial prince: yet he presided over the Dutch republic with remarkable wisdom, and exercised his sovereign power in England with singular moderation, in circumstances most critical and extraordinary.

William was a decided Protestant; an enemy to persecution; and, as is evident, a man of personal piety. Burnet speaks of his principles and character in perfect agreement with the following testimony of the historian Belsham :"He firmly believed in the truth of religion, and entertained a high sense of its importance. But his tolerant passions, and his indifference to the forms of church government, made him obnoxious to the great body of the clergy. He appeared born for the purpose of opposing tyranny, persecution, and oppression; and for the space of thirty years, it is not too much to affirm, that he sustained the greatest and most truly glorious character of any prince whose name is recorded in history. In his days, and by his means, the first firm and solid foundations were laid of all that is most valuable in civil society. Every vindication of the natural and unalienable rights of mankind was, till he ascended the throne of Great Britain, penal and criminal. To him we owe the assertion and final establishment of our constitutional privileges. To sum up all, his character was distinguished by virtues rarely found amongst princes- moderation, integrity, simplicity,

beneficence, magnanimity. Time, which has cast a veil over his imperfections, has added lustre to his many great and admirable qualities. His political views were in the highest degree laudable and upright. He had true ideas of the nature and true end of government, and the beneficial effects of his noble and heroic exertions will probably descend to the latest generations; rendering his name justly dear to the friends of civil and religious liberty, and his memory ever Glorious and Immortal."

Mr. Belsham's portraiture of the character of William, is confirmed by his wise policy regarding religion. In Holland he had witnessed the benefits of Christian union, the genuine fruits, not of compulsory uniformity enforced by grievous penalties, but of religious liberty. Having seen the harmony of different Christian communions under the same civil government in his own country, William avowed his determi. nation, before accepting the throne of Britain, to protect all his subjects from the demon of bigotry.

"Ad

Dr. Bates, in the name of the Dissenting ministers in and about London, who waited on their majesties with an dress of Congratulation," desired his "majesty, by his wisdom and authority, to establish a firm union of his Protestant subjects in matters of religion, by making the rule of Christianity to be the rule of conformity:" adding, "We do assure your majesty, that we shall cordially embrace the terms of union which the ruling wisdom of our Saviour has prescribed in his Word*" The king, in his answer, graciously promised, "My power shall be employed for obtaining such a union:" but his generous and enlightened purpose was defeated by the operations of ecclesiastical opposition to this divine rule of our blessed Saviour. Several propositions, submitted by the king's ministers for abolishing the Test and Corporation Act, his majesty opposing the prostitution of the Lord's Supper as the necessary qualification for civil office, were rejected.

Burnet says, "The clergy began now to show an implacable hatred to the nonconformists, and seemed to wish for an

* Neal's History of the Puritans, vol. v, p. 72, 73.

occasion to renew old severities against them *." Though foiled in three plans to relieve the nonconformists, by the rigid episcopalians, who stigmatized the king and queen as Presbyterians in their hearts, the king yet brought forward the "Act of Toleration,” entitled, “An Act for exempting their majesties' Protestant subjects dissenting from the church of England from the penalties of certain laws." This was suffered to pass both houses, and received the royal assent, May 24, 1669, forming an epoch in the ecclesiastical annals of England, and deservedly considered as the religious Magna Charta of Great Britain.

Great and beneficial to the nation as the Act of Toleration doubtless was, considering the rivers of blood which had been shed by prelatical intolerance, it was imperfect, and a dishonour to Britain. In our enlightened Christian country, religion is the only thing that is thus insulted and degraded, oppressed and persecuted! Nothing of the kind in the letter or spirit is found in the New Testament; and as a violation of the fundamental principles of the Reformation, and repugnant to the inspired institutes of Christianity, even this comparatively glorious Act of Toleration, night with great propriety have been called "An Act to permit Almighty God to receive the worship of his creatures according to his own Word!†"

Bishop Kennet remarks, that "the archbishops and bishops, with many of the clergy, had been so addicted to the high notions of passive obedience, non-resistance, and the divine right of an hereditary monarchy, that they knew not how to reconcile the revolution to those bigoted principles t." Sancroft, archbishop of Canterbury, with seven bishops, retaining their high notions, refused to take the oath of allegiance to William, and hence they were called "Nonjurors." Their vacant sees were filled with men of moderate principles. Dr. Gilbert Burnet, who had been an exile in Holland, being persecuted by James II, returned with William, was made bishop of Salisbury. Dr. Tillotson was promoted to the arch* Life and Times, vol. iv, p. 16. + Brook's Religious Liberty, vol. ii. History of England, vol. iii, p. 518.

bishopric of Canterbury, and Dr. Sharp to that of York; these being accounted the best preachers of their time in the church of England. Dr. Patrick was made bishop of Ely, Dr. More of Norwich, Dr. Cumberland of Peterborough, and Dr. Fowler of Gloucester. Fifteen bishops were made by the king in the course of two years; and they were esteemed the most learned, wise, and exemplary men that had ever sustained that high dignity. They constituted "the golden age of episcopacy in England;" and feeling the imperious necessity of rendering the establishment respectable in the eyes of the nation, that they might maintain its superiority over the Dissenters, whose ministers were men of great eminence, they submitted to become "preaching bishops," which was a happy and edifying novelty; though it exposed them to much vexation from the nobility, who denounced their pious zeal as a kind of puritanism!

Toleration merely did not satisfy the enlightened and generous mind of William : he desired to unite the Dissenters with the church, and while a special Act was under consideration, a commission was appointed consisting of thirty divines, ten of whom were bishops, “to prepare such alterations of the liturgy and canons, and such proposals for, the reformation of ecclesiastical courts, and to consider of such other matters as in their judgments may most conduce to the ends of good order, edification, and unity of the church of England.” Intolerant bigotry, the spirit of persecution through ages, defeated the benevolent purpose of the king. Bishop Burnet was one of the commission, of whom he says, "Great care was taken to name these so impartially, that no exceptions could lie against them. They sat closely to their work for several weeks, having before them all the exceptions, that either the puritans before the war, or the nonconformists since the restoration, had made to any part of the church-service. They had also many propositions and advices that had been offered, at several times, by many of our bishops and divines, upon those heads: matters were well considered, and freely and calmly debated: and all was digested into an entire correction of every thing that seemed liable to any just objection. We had some very rigid, as well as very learned men among