carry all at last, and that the king had told him he meant to treat them more mildly for the future," had an information lodged against him, by order of Laud, in the Court of Star-Chamber, was fined 11,000l. deprived of his bishopric in the High Court of Commission, and imprisoned in the tower during the pleasure of the king. Upon the discovery of an obscure letter amongst his papers, received 1633, from one of his friends, he had a new bill filed against him, was fined 8,000l. 5000 to the king and 3000 to Laud, and for non-payment, his confinement continued in the tower to the meeting of the Long Parliament. These persecutions multiplied emigrations so rapid. ly, that the king became alarmed, seeing he was about to loose all, or most of his best subjects, who fled to the continent of Europe, or to New England, for succour and for safety. To prevent this, his majesty ordered, "the officers of his ports, to suffer none to emigrate without license from the commissioners of plantations and a testimonial from their minister, of their conformity to the orders and discipline of the church." And to prevent the emigration of ministers, the following order of council was published.

"Whereas it is observed, that such ministers who are unconformable to the discipline and ceremonies of the Church of England, do frequently transport themselves to the plantations, where they take the liberty to nourish their factious and schismatical humours, to the hindrance of the good conformity and unity of the church; We therefore expressly command you in his majesty's name, to suffer no clergyman to depart or transport himself, without a testimonial from the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, or Bishop of London."

What if this order of council had been issued at the commencement of these troubles, say as early as 1600, or even 1608-12, or 20, what would have been the situation of NewEngland at this time? and what would have been the state of the Puritan Church, and who would have built up the church in the wilderness and peopled the modern Canaan of God? It would have been a wilderness still, and instead of becoming vocal

with the praises of the true God, it would have continued to resound with the sound of the war-whoop, and the yells of the savage But it was now too late; the church was planted in the wilderness; the wilderness had become vocal with the praises of the true God, and the church was established in her modern Canaan. Let us remember that when Pharaoh said "Who is the Lord that I should obey him? I will not let the people go," then the plagues multiplied thick upon him, hail, fire, blood, and death.

CHAPTER V.

CAUSES THAT PROMOTED THE SETTLEMENT OF NEW-ENGLAND.HISTORY OF THE PILGRIMS CONTINUED.

In our last chapter, we noticed the attempt of the king to bring the Kirk of Scotland to the standard of the Church of England, by introducing the Liturgy and Book of Canons, and that this raised a storm in Scotland. We have also in a former chapter noticed that king James made the same attempt, which then failed; the Scots resisted with great indignation. This attempt of his father, was the very reason Charles assigned for his own attempt at this time. When the new Service Book was first read in the great church at Edinburgh, all was riot, tumult, and confusion; the bishop was pelted with stones, until the civil authority interfered and protected the clergy; the meeting was broken up, and the service suspended until further orders from England. The Kirk of Scotland claimed that she was a free, independent kirk, and therefore her own pastors were the best judges what was most for her interest. They abhorred this Romish, antichristian worship, and here the parties were at issue. The whole city of Edinburgh sent up a petition to the king against the liturgy and canons. This petition was answered by a proclamation from the king, published at Sterling, expressing his high displeasure against the petition,

as well as the proceedings in Scotland, and strictly forbade all assembling of the people to frame petitions hereafter. The nobles, barons, ministers, and burghers of Scotland, met, and entered a solemn protest against this proclamation, with firm and decisive reasons; and the fire was kindled. This year, 1638, they renewed their confession of faith, and their solemn league and covenant of 1580 and 1590. This covenant goès all lengths in protesting against the whole host of corruptions and abuses (which they enumerate) in the Romish Church, (most of which were then in use in the English Church, and about to be introduced into the Kirk of Scotland.) They go all lengths to pledge themselves to defend the king and the kirk against these corruptions and innovations. They then proceed to frame a new bond of defence, adapted to the spirit of the times, in which they pledge themselves to support and defend the king, and the authority of parliament, upon which the security of their lands, livings, rights, and properties depend, and without which neither any law nor lawful judicatory can be established. They concluded the whole, with a solemn appeal to the Searcher of hearts, to witness to their sin cerity, as they shall answer it to Christ in the day of account, and under pain of the loss of all honours and respect in this world, and of enduring God's everlasting wrath in the next." This protest and covenant were a manifesto, and a declaration of war, against Arch-Bishop Laud, and the Courts of Star-Chamber and High Commission, as well as against the innovations in religion, and the scene was opened.

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As soon as the king found this mass of force against him, he sent down the Marquis of Hamilton to assure them, that his majesty was willing to discharge the Canons and the Service Book, dissolve the Court of High Commission, and allow the kirk the use of her General Assembly, as often as necessary, &c. But it was now too late, they demanded the abolition of the order of bishops, (which was established 1618, by King James.) and maintained the independence of the general assemblies of the kirk. The Marquis of Hamilton attempted to dissolve the assembly; they remonstrated, and continued their sitting; this

inflamed the rage of Laud, who prepared to use military force; but the assembly proceeded to disannul all the innovations King James had made, to abjure Episcopacy, the Service Book, Book of Canons, Book of Ordination, the High Commission, &c. and to restore the Presbyteries, and General Assemblies of the kirk. They next deposed all the bishops, and they fled the country, and they concluded the whole with a petition to the king, and an address to the good people of England.

Here the war opened. Glorious was this war for New-England; the colonies which had already formed, as has been noticed, were stocked abundantly with settlers of the first rank and character, who fled from the ravages of war, and the sufferings of their bleeding country, to take refuge in the bosom of the church in the wilderness. New towns were now laid out and settled in rapid succession in all the colonies, and this land of Canaan was filling up fast with the people of God.

In 1639, the king took the field in person, and marched against the Scots The two armies met, but no blood was shed; the king relented, a pacification took place, both parties disbanded their armies, and the Scots confirmed their covenant, with the establishment of their kirk, and the abolition of Episcopacy. Here opened a paper war upon the divine right of Episcopacy, which led to a second war with Scotland, and the king called a Parliament to provide for the exigencies of the times, and the people of England became mutinous and riotous, and the nation was convulsed. An ecclesiastical convention was called to consult and deliberate on the affairs of church and state, and to co-operate with the Parliament. Very little was done at this Parliament, they were dissolved, and both parties took the field; the Scots entered England to meet the king, and took the town of Newcastle, and the king retired to York; this opened the way for another parley, and the king appointed commissioners to treat with the Scots at Rippon. In this treaty, the king granted to the Scots full pay for their ar my, whilst in service, and the commissioners adjourned to London, where a free Parliament was immediately to be called.

The conduct of the king through all this affair is below all comment and deserves no other notice than what will appear from the proceedings of the Parliament.

We are now come to a development of those civil and religious principles, which commenced with Wickliffe, the reformer of the 14th century, and which God by his providence, has been cultivating in the Puritan Church in England, and from which he has been supplying the little church in the wilderness, and peopling and building up his modern Canaan, in the wilds of New-England.

Before we return to the particulars of the history of the pi'grims in the colonies of New-England, let us continue to examine the causes that promoted their settlements, and examine the proceedings of the approaching Parliament. The king and his court. as well as the judges of the realm, had lost the confidence of the nation, and of the world, and were now sunk below contempt, under the terms of accommodation dictated by the Scots.

CHAPTER VI.

'CAUSES THAT PROMOTED THE SETTLEMENT OF NEW-ENGLAND. CHARACTER OF THE LONG PARLIAMENT.

HERE opens a scene, at the commencement of this Parliament, November 3, 1640, which discloses the feelings of a people, borne down with the weight of civil and ecclesiastical oppres sion; a people who now appeared in this Parliament in the majesty of themselves, firm to their rights, and determined to be heard. They were firm friends to the Crown and Church of England, but haters of Popery and Popish rites and superstitions and to confirm this they passed an order, "that none should sit in their houses, but such as would receive the communion according to the usage of the Church of England.' They went further; they passed a remonstrance against the free notions of the free congregations of the Puritans. The same principles prevailed in their fleets and armies, at the

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