CHARLES received them very affably; and soon after issued a "declaration" which though not equal to their just expectations, was yet so favourable as to draw from the Presbyterians about London, an address of thanks to his majesty, which was "signed by Samuel Clark, William Cooper, Thomas Case,* Jo. Rawlinson, Jo. Sheffield, Thomas Gouge, Gab. Sanger, El. Pledger, Matthew Pool, Jo. Gibbon,* William Whitaker, Thomas Jacomb, Thomas Lye, John Jackson,* John Meriton, William Bates, with many others." The three marked * were members of the Assembly.

That the disposition to a compromise with the church of England, conceding some pretty important points to her Episcopal predilections, and stipulating merely for toleration and forbearance on other matters of external order, did not flow from transient impressions, but from mature conviction and settled judgment, is proved by subsequent events. Fourteen years afterwards, i. e. in 1675, when the rigours of the establishment on the one side, and the sufferings of the ejected ministers and their people on the other, might be supposed to have produced mutual repugnance and exasperation, Mr. BAXTER drew up, at the request of a large portion of the puri

+ ID. Ib. p. 568-584.

tan interest, a "Profession of Religion," containing, among other things, the following clause; "I do hold that the book of Common Prayer, and of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, containeth in it nothing so disagreeable to the word of God, as maketh it unlawful to live in the peaceable communion of the church that useth it."* Which accords entirely with the spirit of the English divines in the Assembly, who were generally against abjuring Episcopacy as simply unlawful.t Consequently, it never could have been their intention to subject the communion of the church to such rigorous limitations as have since been adopted under the sanction of their

name.

These professions were not idle words. Not only did the Puritans in general commune with each other, as they had opportunity, but also, at least to a great extent, with the church of England-with their brethren who hated them, and cast them out, for their master's name's sake; and who said, as some others have said in the act of beating their fellow servants, "Let the Lord be glorified!" Take, as examples, the following eminent divines.

SAMUEL CLARK, father of the authour of "An

*BAXTER'S LIFE, Part iii. p. 161,

+ NEAL, Vol. ii. p. 50.

4

notations on the Bible," unable to subscribe the act of uniformity, "laid aside his ministry, and attended the church of England both as a hearer and a communicant. For, as he himself says, he durst not separate from it; nor was he satisfied about gathering a private church out of a true church, which he judged the Church of England to be."*

ZACHARY CROFTON, a warm advocate for the solemn league and covenant, was sent a prisoner to the Tower for his non-conformity; and while there, "he attended the chapel service, being against separation from the parish-churches, though he himself (as a minister) could not use the common prayer or the ceremonies." And® when thus suffering for the truth's sake, by the hand of the establishment, he actually wrote, in the Tower, a tract entitled, "Reformation not Separation; a Plea for Communion with the Church," &c.t

HENRY JESSEY, after his ejectment, turned Baptist; "and it proved no small honour and advantage to the Baptists to have such a man among them. But notwithstanding his differing from his brethren in this, or any other point, he maintained the same Christian love and charity-to-all

* NON-CONFORMIST'S MEMORIAL, Lond. 1802. Vol. i. 101. + Ib. 103, 4.

saints as before, not only as to friendly conversation, but also in regard to church-communion: and took great pains to promote the same Catholick spirit among others."*

Dr. THOMAS GOUGE, of whom it has been said. by a distinguished prelate, that "all things considered, there have not, since the primitive times of Christianity, been many among the sons of men to whom that glorious character of the Son of God might be better applied, 'that he went about doing good;' although persecuted for preaching, constantly attended the parish-churches, and communicated there.†

RICHARD WAVEL," was of congregational principles, but of extensive charity. It was his principle and constant practice to receive all whom Christ had received, without any debate about things of a doubtful nature."‡

Dr. EDMUND STAUNTON, President of Corpus Christi college, Oxford, and a member of the Westminster Assembly, "always accommodated himself to those that differed from him, as far as his love of truth would permit, saying, All men must have their grains of allowance; the most knowing Christians know but in part. He would freely con

* Ib. 130.

+ TILLOTSON's Sermons, Vol. ii. p. 135. 8vo. Lond. 1757.

NONCONF. MEM. i. 213.

verse, and communicate also, with those that held the Head, though in other things erroneous." Yet, notwithstanding this latitude of charity, "his zeal for God (to use the words of David) did eat him

JOHN JONES," a bold reprover of sin, was of the congregational persuasion, of a Catholick spirit, and for holding communion with all that agreed in the main points of Christianity, though they entertained different sentiments about lesser matters. He told some of his friends who were for separating from their brethren because they were not altogether of their own principles, that, "for his part, he would be one with every body that was one with Christ." Admirable sentence! worthy to be written, as a motto, in letters of gold, over the doors of every place of Christian worship.

WILLIAM BAGSHAW. "His administration of the sacraments, especially that of the Lord's Supper, was very solemn. As he would not admit the grossly ignorant and profane to that sacred feast, so he durst not exclude those in whom he saw any thing of the image of Christ, though they were of different sentiments from him in lesser matters of religion."‡

EDMUND CALAMY, "abhorred a close and nar