"but deserved to be rejected, without hesitation, "as impious and profane. Such, in their estima"tion, were the religious ceremonies of ancient "times, whose abrogation was refused by the queen, "and her council."

XXIX. 3.

Division of the English Puritans into Pesbyterians, Independents, and Baptists.

1. SUCH were the tenets of the original puritans: the Presbyterians are usually considered as their legitimate descendents.

2. The Independents sprang from the Brownists, the most distinguished of the sects, into which the puritans divided. Brown, the founder of this denomination of puritans, was a man of talent. His aim was, to model his party into the form of the christian church, in its infant state. Being dissatisfied with the treatment, which he received in England, he retired to the continent; and founded churches in Middleburgh, Amsterdam, and Leyden. Thus abandoned by him, his English followers mitigated the extreme simplicity of his plan, in its leading feature---that each congregation is itself a separate, and independent church, acknowledging no superiority, or right of interference, in any man, or in any body of men. This gave them the name of Independents, or of congregation-brethren. A fuller account of them may be seen, in the writer's Confessions of faith, ch. 12.

3. In the same work may be found a succinct account of the Baptists. It is too long for insertion in this place; but cannot, it is apprehended, be very much abridged. For the present purpose, it is sufficient to say, that, in their discipline and worship, as well as in the independency of their particular congregations, they very nearly resemble the independents; but differ from them in the administration of baptism. It is observable, that this denomination of christians,-now very respectable, but in their origin, little intellectual,-first propagated the principles of religious liberty.

The separation of the puritans from the church of England began with the act of uniformity; but was not discernible, till the year 1566,—the period assigned for it by Neale, in his History of the Puritans, ch. IV. Some writers, term this,-the first separation: The second, they say, took place, soon after the assembly of the clergy was convened at Lambeth, by the order of James I, in 1604.

The principal cause assigned for these separations, was, the use of certain ceremonies, still practised by the ministers of the established church; particularly the retention of the surplice. In proportion, as the controversy grew warm, more importance was annexed to these circumstances. Cartwright, and his brethren, admitted them to be indifferent, in substance; though, on many accounts, seriously objectionable: At the time of the second separation, they were pronounced to be unlawful; and neither to be imposed, nor endured.

XXIX. 4.

The Act of Uniformity.

ON the accession of queen Elizabeth, the greater part of the exiles returned to their native country. Their distinction, into conformists, and non-conformists, followed them, on their return; and the liberty, which they then enjoyed, rather increased, than diminished, their animosities. A temporary peace was, however, signed; and letters of mutual : forgiveness passed between the leaders of the contending parties. It has been mentioned, that queen Elizabeth wished the national creed and discipline to be as comprehensive as possible; but, being once established, she determinately resolved, that all should conform to it. With this view, the act of uniformity, (1 Eliz. ch. 2.), was passed. It enjoined, as we have already shortly stated, that all. ministers of the church should use the book of common prayer, authorised by the statute of the 5th, and 6th years of Edward the sixth, with the addition of certain lessons, to be used, on every Sunday, and holiday, in the year; and with an alteration in the form of the litany; and the insertion of two sentences in the delivery of the sacrament to the communicants. All persons were enjoined to attend divine service, at their parish church; or at some accustomed chapel, on every Sunday, and also on every other day prescribed by law, under the penalty of one shilling for each abThis statute was generally called the Act. of Uniformity.

sence.

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XXIX. 5.

The Court of High Commission.

MENTION has been already made of the statutes, which, in the first year of the reign of queen Elizabeth, conferred upon her the spiritual supremacy of the church of England. A clause, inserted in that statute, was attended with the most serious effects; and, in the reign of her second successor, convulsed, both the church, and the state to their centres. It empowered, "the queen, and her successors, to appoint commissioners, to exercise any manner of spiritual, or ecclesiastical, jurisdiction, "in England, or Ireland; to visit, reform, redress, "order, correct and amend all heresies, schisms, contempts, offences, and enormities whatsoever:" -With a proviso, that they "should determine nothing to be heresy, but what had been adjudged "to be so, by the canonical scripture, or by the "first four general councils, or any other general "council, wherein the same had been declared heresy, by the express, and plain, words of scripture; or such as should, thereafter, be declared to be heresy, by the high court of parliament, with the "consent of the clergy in convocation."

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Agreeing in little else, Hume*, and Neale†, perfectly accord in their accounts of the unconstitutional

* History of England, c. 41.

+ History of the Puritans, vol. i. p. 10.

VOL. I.

BB

and arbitrary rules of this tribunal; and of the enormity of its proceedings. By the former, they are described in the following words:

"The first primate after the queen's accession, “was Parker; a man, rigid in exacting conformity "to the established worship, and in punishing, by fine, or deprivation, all the puritanical clergymen, "who attempted to innovate any thing in the habits, ceremonies, or liturgy of the church. He died, in 1575; and was succeeded by Grindall, "who, as he himself was inclined to the new sect,

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was, with great difficulty, brought to execute the "laws against them, or to punish the non-conform"ing clergy. He declined obeying the queen's "orders for the suppression of prophesyings, or "the assemblies of the zealots, in private houses, "which, she apprehended, had become so many "academies of fanaticism; and, for this offence, "she had, by an order of the star-chamber, seques"tered him from his archiepiscopal function, and "confined him to his own house. Upon his death, "which happened in 1583, she determined not to "fall into the same error in her next choice; and "she named Whitgift, a zealous churchman, who "had already signalized his pen in controversy, and "who, having in vain attempted to convince the puritans by argument, was now resolved to open "their eyes by power, and by the execution of "penal statutes. He informed the He informed the queen, that all "the spiritual authority, lodged in the prelates, was "insignificant, without the sanction of the crown; "and, as there was no ecclesiastical commission, at