History of the Church of England from 1660

Front matter

BX 5081 .M64 1882 Molesworth, William Nassau,

1816-1890.

History of the Church of

Preface

THERE can be no doubt that questions relating to the Church are day by day being brought into greater prominence, and demanding more and more imperatively the attention of the English people and of their representatives. At present there are no fewer than seventeen Bills before Parliament dealing with ecclesiastical questions, and the number is more likely to increase than to diminish in future sessions. It seems to me, therefore, that there is need for a work which will describe with truthful impartiality and energetic brevity the leading influences which have presided over the evolution of the English Church, and have brought her into the relation which she now occupies on the one hand to the State and on the other to the various nonconforming communions, and so help us to forecast some of the varieties of untried being through which she has yet to pass.

This need I have endeavoured to supply in the present volume, by carefully tracing the course of the viii

PREFACE.

English Church from the restoration of the monarchy and the passing of the Act of Uniformity down to a period which most of us remember, and at which all the chief questions that now agitate the Church had already come into distinct prominence, and might be regarded as "burning."

I was not made aware of the existence of the very elaborate essays of Abbey and Overton, until a great part of this book was already in type, and consequently it was altogether out of my power to make any more than mere verbal alterations. I will, therefore, content myself with remarking that their work is of a different character from mine, and intended for a different class of readers.

I wish to take this opportunity of explaining that if I have made use of such terms as Popish, Papist, Puritan, Quaker, etc., which may seem calculated to hurt the feelings of the members or officers of any religious communion whatsoever, I trust it will be evident, from the general tenor of the work, to every reader of it that I have made use of such terms simply because they were in common use in some portion of the period to which my work relates, and because they enabled me to convey my meaning with greater vivacity and clearness, avoiding needless circumlocutions. I would also remind the reader that they are words that belong to periods in which such terms were much more commonly employed

PREFACE.

IX than in our day, and were almost regarded as a matter of course.

I shall perhaps be blamed for giving so many minute details of the lives of Sheldon, Sancroft, Penn, Sacheverell, etc. I would, therefore, submit that the opinion we form with regard to the great events in which they took a leading and influential part must in a great degree be determined by the judgments we form of their characters, and consequently of the motives by which we suppose them to have been actuated.

I fear that I shall be still more strongly censured by those persons who regard the stipend of a clergyman as a retaining fee, the acceptance of which binds him to conceal or at least to palliate the abuses of the Church of which he is a minister. Such is not my belief. I regard the emoluments I receive as intended to enable me to be a teacher of truth and righteousness, and that so far from obliging me to conceal or defend the abuses of the communion to which I belong, they make it more imperatively my duty to detect and display them.

W. N. M.

Spot-land, Rochdale, April 20, 1882.

Contents

CHAPTER L

THE ACT OF UNIFORMITY.

Prevalent Non-conformity ... ... ... ... 4

Chapter II. The Popish Plot

Coleman, secretary to the Duchess of York ... ... ••• 91

Denounced by Titus Oates ... ... ••• ••• 9>

Burns his papers with one exception ... ... ••• ••• 91

The great fire attributed to the Papists ... ... ... ... 93

The year 1678, a new point of departure ... ... ••• 94

The prejudice against the Roman Catholics ... ... ... 9°

Sir Edmundsbury Godfrey ... ... ••• ••• ••• 97

He states his forebodings to Burnet ... ... •■• 98

Unsuccessful search for him ... ... ••• ••• 99

The funeral 100

Disgraceful conduct of Charles II. ... ••• ••• ••• 101

Trials of the persons denounced by Oates and his confederates ... 102

Sancroft succeeds Sheldon ... ... ••• ••• «•• io3

His friendship for young Bonest ... ... ••• ••• io4

His dutiful behaviour to his father ... ... ... ••• 106

He leaves the University ... ... ••• ••• ••• I07 xiv

CONTENTS.

Death of his father

His works ...

Obtains various preferments

Appointed to be Dean of St. Paul's, London"

Ruinous condition of the Cathedral

Letter to Sir Christopher Wren

Sancroft's contributions ...

His appointment to the Primacy

Prosperous condition of the Church

His appointment unexpected ...

Probable explanation of it

His advocacy of the royal prerogative ...

Sancroft's attempt to convert the Duke of York

Failure of the attempt

Sancroft endeavours to augment small livings Alarm of the Protestant part of the nation William of Orange The Church opposed to him ...

Importance of having her assistance Correspondence between Sancroft and Dr. Covel Attempt to exclude James from the succession Sudden illness of Charles Several bishops attend him

He receives the Sacrament from a Roman Catholic priest Death of Charles

Chapter III. James II

James proclaimed without resistance ... Anxiety of the clergy and laity of the Church

Sancroft and some of the bishops present an address to James "' . He officiates at the Coronation

James causes Roman Catholic services to be performed* Whitehall Prints and distributes the paper found in Charles' box

Monks and priests appear in their habits

General indignation and alarm

CONTENTS. XV

PACE

The clergy generally preach against Popery ... ... ... 132

Treatment of Nonconformists in the reign of James II. ... 135

Trial of Baxter before Jeffreys ... ... ... ... 136

Probable policy of Charles and James ... ... ... ... 141

Declaration of liberty of conscience ... ... ... 141

He promotes Roman Catholics ... ... ... ... 142

His relations with William Penn ... ... ... ... 143

Penn and Pennsylvania ... ... ... ... ... 144

Penn's letter to the Indians ... ... ... ... 145

James adopts Penn's views of toleration .. ... ... 147

But also listens to Roman Catholic advisers ... ... ... 148

Folly and obstinacy of James ... ... ... ... ... 149

Revives the Court of High Commission ... ... ... 151

Refusal of Sancroft to take part in its proceedings ... ... 152

Mary writes to Sancroft ... ... ... ... ... 157

James exasperates the prejudices of his subjects ... ... 158

Sprat, Cartwright, and Crewe ... ... ... ... 161

The declaration of liberty of conscience ... ... ... 162

Consternation of the Clergy ... ... ... ... ... 162

Edward Fowler's courage ... ... ... ... ... 164

Perplexity of Sancroft ... ... ... ... ... 166

His zeal for the doctrine of passive obedience ... ... ... 167

He writes to the bishops of his province ... ... ... 169

Six bishops obey his summons ... ... ... ... 171

Petition of the seven bishops ... ... ... ... 172

Six bishops present the petition to James II. ... ... ... 173

He shows symptoms of yielding ... ... ... ... 177 xvi

CONTENTS.

The petition is printed and sold in the streets of London ... '177

Action of the Nonconformists ... ... ... ... j^g

Irritation of James ... ... ... ... I?9

General refusal of the clergy to read the king's declaration ... 180

The seven bishops appear before the king and his Council ... 181

Sancroft refuses to criminate himself ... ... ... ... t$2

He yields at length, and admits his handwriting under protest ... 183

The seven bishops are committed to the Tower by warrant ... 183

The public indignation ... ... ... ... ... ,g4

It is aggravated by other tyrannical acts ... ... ... 184

Especially by the treatment of the Fellows of Magdalen College,

Sancroft's Articles ... ... ... ... ...

His overtures to the Nonconformists ... ... ... ... 196

His schemes of comprehension ... ... ... ... 198

Uneasiness of Lord Chancellor Jeffreys ... ... ... 200

The king consults the bishops ... ... ... ... 2o8

The advice they give to the king ... ... ... ... 203

Critical position of the bishops ... ... ... ... 206

Birth of a son to James ... ... ... ... ... 208

William conceals his designs ... ... ... ... ... 209

Delicacy and difficulty of Sancroft's position ... ... 211

Advice given to James by the bishops ... ... ... ... 212

Pusillanimous indecision of James ... ... ... ... 213

Rapid progress made by William ... ... ... ... 213

He enters the metropolis and takes possession of the throne ... 214

Sancroft retires to Lambeth ... ... ... ... ... 214

The position of Sancroft and the other Nonjurors ... ... 215

Chapter IV. William And Mary

Effects produced on the clergy by the Revolution ... ... 217

Proclamation of the new sovereigns ... ... ... 218

Sancroft refuses his blessing to Mary ... ... ... ... 219

CONTENTS. xvii

William's forbearance towards the Nonjurors ... ... ... 220

Sympathy of many of the clergy with the Nonjurors ... ... 222

Fresh schemes of comprehension ... ... ... ... 222

William devolves on Mary the care of Church affairs ... ... 224

Selects Burnet and Tillotson ... ... ... ... ... 225

His confidence in Burnet ... ... ... ... ... 226

Tillotson designated by William to be Archbishop of Canterbury ... 227

His qualifications for the office of Archbishop ... ... 227

Is put forward to be prolocutor ... ... ... ... 229

The defeat of Tillotson ... ... ... ... ... 230

Address of the Convocation ... ... ... ... 233

Compton's dissatisfaction ... ... ... ... ... 234

The new oath of allegiance ... ... ... ... 236

Expulsion of the Nonjurors ... ... ... ... ... 238

Deprivation of Sancroft ... ... ... ... ... 240

Tillotson's magnanimity ... ... ... ... ... 242

His reputation as a preacher ... ... ... ... 244

Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury ... ... ... ... 245

Decisions of Chief Justice Holt ... ... ... ... 246

Illness and death of Queen Mary ... ... ... ... 247

Tenison's funeral sermon ... ... ... ... ... 248

Bishop Ken's severe reply ... ... ... ... ... 248

Unpopularity of William ... ... ... ... ... 253

Tenison's early history ... ... ... ... ... 254

Changes in the province of York ... ... ... ... 255

XVU1

CONTENTS.

Chapter V. The Good Queen Anne

Anne's accession

Her religious and political principles Defoe

Tenison disgraced

Effects of this change

The Occasional Conformity Bill ...

Tenison's speech on the Bill ...

Queen Anne's bounty

Popularity of the Queen

Her intimacy with the Duchess of Marlborough

They quarrel

Abigail Hill

Henry Sacheverell ...

His impeachment

His trial ...

He is found guilty

The sentence

Riotous conduct of the Sacheverell mob Sacheverell's progress

The excitement spreads through the kingdom Triumph of the Church party ...

Sacheverell preaches before the Commons ... The Schisms Bill

Proposed union of the Anglican and Prussian Churches

Chapter VI. The Georges

The Test and Corporation Acts Walpole's ejaculation Suspicions of a plot ...

Atterbury arrested He is examined

CONTENTS.

xix

Bill of pains and penalties ... ... ... ... 293

Convocation suppressed ... ... ... ... ... 2<jj

Neglect of education ... ... ... ... ... 2gj

Wesley 2gg

The Church affected by Wesleyanism ... ... ... 300

The Evangelical party ... ... ... ... >#> ^oi

General spirit of persecution ... ... ... ... 302

Lord Mansfield's exceptional liberality ... ... ... ... ^3

The Lord George Gordon riots ... ... ... ... ^04

Lord Mansfield's courageous conduct ... ... ... ... 305

The riots suppressed ... ... ... ... ... ^06

New position of the Church ... ... ... ... ... ^

Cobbett's history of the Reformation ... ... ... 309

The effects it produced ... ... ... ... >ti ^12

Chapter VII. The Oxford Tracts

The Canterbury party ... ... ... ... . _ .J17

The Oxford Tracts ... ... ... ... ... 3lg

Effects produced in the metropolis ... ... ... ... 321

The Court of Delegates ... ... ... ... ... 323

Lord J. Russell's reply to the bishops ... ... ... ... 335

The election of Dr. Hampden to the see of Hereford... ... 337

The confirmation of the election ... ... ... ... j^g

The question once more raised before the Court of Queen's Bench 339

Induction of Mr. Gorham ... ... ... ... ... ^4$

Bishop Blomfield's Bill ... ... ... ... ... ^

The Papal aggression ... ... ... ... mj 248

XX

CONTENTS.

The Ecclesiastical Titles Bill ... ... ... ... 353

Gradual development of Ritualism ... ... ... ... 355

The Broad Church party ... ... ... ... ... 3^9

Position of the Evangelical party ... ... ... ... 362

Controversy between the Evangelicals and the Tractarians ... 364

The Rev. Charles Voysey ... ... ... ... 372

Esthetic developments of Tractarianism ... ... ... 375

Ritualistic evolution ... ... ... ... ... 375

The Church Union and the Church Association ... ... ... 378

Five distinct parties in the Church ... ... ... ... 381

Maurice and Kingsley ... ... ... ... ... 383

Appropriation of pews ... ... ... ... ... 385

The free and open Church system ... ... ... ... 386

The National Society ... ... ... ... ... 30x5

Bell and Lancaster ... ... ... ... 291

Dr- Kay 392

Tithes and Church Rates ... ... ... ... ... 395

HISTORY

OF THE

CHURCH OF ENGLAND.