five hundred hostages out of York, and leaving there | enemies: them discovered, such the duke causing to one hundred and fifty of their own, retired to their be led about, and after well filled with meat and drink, ships. But the fifth day after, King Harold with a sent back. They not otherwise brought word, that the great and well-appointed army coming to York, and duke's army were most of them priests; for they sa at Stamford bridge, or Battle bridge on Darwent, astheir faces all over shaven; the English then using sailing the Norwegians, after much bloodshed on both let grow on their upper lip large mustachios, as d sides, cut off the greatest part of them, with Harvager anciently the Britons. The king laughing answered, their king, and Tosti his own brother. But Olave the that they were not priests, but valiant and bardy solking's son, and Paul earl of Orkney, left with many diers. Therefore said Girtha his brother, a youth soldiers to guard the ships, surrendering themselves noble courage and understanding above his age, “Fe with hostages, and oath given never to return as ene- bear thou thyself to fight, who art obnoxious to dake mies, he suffered freely to depart with twenty ships, William by oath, let us unsworn undergo the bazara and the small remnant of their army. 8 One man of of battle, who may justly fight in the defence of our the Norwegians is not to be forgotten, who with incre- country; thou, reserved to fitter time, mayst either dible valour keeping the bridge a long hour against reunite us flying, or revenge us dead." The king not the whole English army, with his single resistance hearkening to this, lest it might seem to argue fear in delayed their victory; and scorning offered life, till in him or a bad cause, with like resolution rejected the the end no man daring to grapple with him, either offers of duke William sent to him by a monk before dreaded as too strong, or contemned as one desperate, the battle, with this only answer hastily delivered, he was at length shot dead with an arrow; and by his “Let God judge between us." The offers were these, fall opened the passage of pursuit to a complete victory. that Harold would either lay down the sceptre, or bold Wherewith Harold lifted up in mind, and forgetting it of him, or try his title with him by single combat in now his former shows of popularity, defrauded his sol- sight of both armies, or refer it to the pope. These rediers their due and well-deserved share of the spoils. | jected, both sides prepared to fight the next morning, While these things passed in Northumberland, duke the English from singing and drinking all night, the William lay still at St. Valerie; his ships were ready, Normans from confession of their sins, and communica but the wind served not for many days; which put the of the host. The English were in a strait disadvanta soldiery into much discouragement and murmur, geous place, so that many, discouraged with their ill taking this for an unlucky sign of their success; at last ordering, scarce having room where to stand, slipped the wind came favourable, the duke first under sail away before the onset, the rest in close order, with their awaited the rest at anchor, till all coming forth, the battleaxes and shields, made an impenetrable squadron · whole fleet of nine hundred ships with a prosperous the king himself with his brothers on foot stood by the gale arrived at Hastings. At his going out of the boat royal standard, wherein the figure of a man fighting by a slip falling on his hands, to correct the omen,1 a was inwoven with gold and precious stones. The soldier standing by said aloud, that their duke had Norman foot, most bowmen, made the foremost front, taken possession of England. Landed, he restrained on either side wings of horse somewhat behind. The his army from waste and spoil, saying that they ought duke arming, and his corslet given him on the wrong to spare what was their own. But these things are side, said pleasantly, "The strength of my dukedom related of Alexander and Cæsar, and I doubt thence will be turned now into a kingdom." Then the whole borrowed by the monks to inlay their story. The army singing the song of Rowland, the remembrance duke for fifteen days after landing kept his men quiet of whose exploits might hearten them, imploring lastly within the camp, having taken the castle of Hastings, divine help, the battle began; and was fought sorely or built a fortress there. Harold secure the while, and on either side: but the main body of English foot by proud of his new victory, thought all his enemies now no means would be broken, till the duke, causing bis under foot: but sitting jollily at dinner, news is brought men to feign flight, drew them out with desire of purhim that duke William of Normandy with a great suit into open disorder, then turned suddenly upa multitude of horse and foot, slingers and archers, be- them so routed by themselves, which wrought ther sides other choice auxiliaries which he had hired in overthrow; yet so they died not unmanfully, but turning France, was arrived at Pevensey. Harold, who had oft upon their enemies, by the advantage of an upper expected him all the summer, but not so late in the ground, beat them down by heaps, and filled up a great year as now it was, for it was October, with his forces ditch with their carcasses. Thus hung the victory much diminished after two sore conflicts, and the de- wavering on either side from the third hour of day to parting of many others from him discontented, in great evening; when Harold having maintained the fight haste marches to London. Thence not tarrying for with unspeakable courage and personal valour, shot supplies, which were on their way towards him, hurries into the head with an arrow, fell at length, and left into Sussex, (for he was always in haste since the day his soldiers without heart longer to withstand the unof his coronation,) and ere the third part of his army wearied enemy. With Harold fell also his two bro could be well put in order, finds the duke about nine thers, Leofwin and Girtha, with them greatest part miles from Hastings, and now drawing nigh, sent spies the English nobility. His body lying dead a knighte before him to survey the strength and number of his soldier wounding on the thigh, was by the duke pre f Camd. g Malms. h Sim. Dun. sently turned out of military service Of Normans and French were slain no small number; the duke himself that day not a little hazarded his person, having had three choice horses killed under him. Victory obtained, and his dead carefully buried, the English also by permission, he sent the body of Harold to his mother without ransom, though she offered very much to redeem it; which having received she buried at Waltham, in a church built there by Harold. In the mean while, Edwin and Morcar, who had withdrawn themselves from Harold, hearing of his death, came to London; 25 sending Aldgith the queen their sister with all speed to West-chester. Aldred archbishop of York, and many of the nobles, with the Londoners, would have set up Edgar the right heir, and prepared themselves to fight for him; but Morcar and Edwin not liking the choice, who each of them expected to have been chosen before him, withdrew their forces, and returned home. Duke William, contrary to his former resolution, (if Florent of Worcester, and they who follow him, i say true,) wasting, burning, and slaying all in his way; or rather, as saith Malmsbury, not in hostile but in regal manner, came up to London, met at Barcham by Edgar, with the nobles, bishops, citizens, and at length Edwin and Morcar, who all submitted to him, gave hostages and swore fidelity, he to them promised peace and defence; yet permitted his men the while to burn and make prey. Coming to London with all his army, he was on Christmas-day solemuly crowned in the great church If these were the causes of such misery and thralat Westminster, by Aldred archbishop of York, having dom to those our ancestors, with what better close can first given his oath at the altar, in presence of all the be concluded, than here in fit season to remember this people, to defend the church, well govern the people, age in the midst of her security, to fear from like vices, maintain right law, prohibit rapine and unjust judg-without amendment, the revolution of like calamities? ment. Thus the English, while they agreed not about the choice of their native king, were constrained to take the yoke of an outlandish conqueror. With what minds and by what course of life they had fitted themselves for this servitude, William of Malmsbury spares not to lay open. Not a few years before the Normans came, the clergy, though in Edward the Confessor's days, had lost all good literature and religion, scarce able to read and understand their Latin service; he was a miracle to others who knew his grammar. The monks went clad in fine stuffs, and made no difference what they eat; which though in itself no fault, yet to their consciences was irreligious. The great men, given to gluttony and dissolute life, made a prey of the common people, abusing their daughters whom they had in service, then turning them off to the stews; the meaner sort tippling together night and day, spent all they had in drunkenness, attended with other vices which effeminate men's minds. Whence it came to pass, that carried on with fury and rashness more than any true fortitude or skill of war, they gave to William their conqueror so easy a conquest. Not but that some few of all sorts were much better among them; but such was the generality. And as the long-suffering of God permits bad men to enjoy prosperous days with the good, so his severity ofttimes exempts not good men from their share in evil times with the bad. i Sim. Dun. OF TRUE RELIGION, HERESY, SCHISM, TOLERATION; AND WHAT BEST MEANS MAY BE USED AGAINST THE GROWTH OF POPERY. [FIRST PUBLISHED 1673.] : Ir is unknown to no man, who knows aught of concernment among us, that the increase of popery is at this day no small trouble and offence to greatest part of the nation; and the rejoicing of all good men that it is so the more their rejoicing, that God hath given a heart to the people, to remember still their great and happy deliverance from popish thraldom, and to esteem so highly the precious benefit of his gospel, so freely and so peaceably enjoyed among them. Since therefore some have already in public with many considerable arguments exhorted the people, to beware the growth of this Romish weed; I thought it no less than a common duty, to lend my hand, how unable soever, to so good a purpose. I will not now enter into the labyrinth of councils and fathers, an entangled wood, which the papists love to fight in, not with hope of victory, but to obscure the shame of an open overthrow: which yet in that kind of combat, many heretofore, and one of late, hath eminently given them. And such manner of dispute with them to learned men is useful and very commendable. But I shall insist now on what is plainer to common apprehension, and what I have to say, without longer introduction. True religion is the true worship and service of God, learnt and believed from the word of God only. No man or angel can know how God would be worshipped and served, unless God reveal it: he hath revealed and taught it us in the Holy Scriptures by inspired ministers, and in the gospel by his own Son and his apostles, with strictest command, to reject all other traditions or additions whatsoever. According to that of St. Paul, Though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be anathema, or accursed." And Deut. iv. 2: “Ye shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish aught from it." Rev. xxii. 18, 19: " If any man shall add, &c. If any man shall take away from the words," &c. With good and religious reason therefore all protestant churches with one consent, and particu larly the church of England in her thirty-nine articles, artic. 6th, 19th, 20th, 21st, and elsewhere, maintain these two points, as the main principles of true religion; that the rule of true religion is the word of God only and that their faith ought not to be an implicit faith, that is to believe, though as the church believes, against or without express authority of Scripture. And if all protestants, as universally as they hold these two principles, so attentively and religiously would observe them, they would avoid and cut off many debates and contentions, schisms and persecutions, which too oft have been among them, and more firmly unite against the common adversary. For hence it directly follows, that no true protestant can persecute, or no tolerate, his fellow-protestant, though dissenting frot him in some opinions, but he must flatly deny and renounce these two his own main principles, whereon true religion is founded; while he compels his brother from that which he believes as the manifest word God, to an implicit faith (which he himself condents to the endangering of his brother's soul, whether by rash belief, or outward conformity: for whatsoever is not of faith, is sin." I will now as briefly shew what is false religio heresy, which will be done as easily: for of contra”és the definitions must needs be contrary. Heresy the fore is a religion taken up and believed from the t ditions of men, and additions to the word of Go Whence also it follows clearly, that of all known sects or pretended religions, at this day in christendom, p pery is the only or the greatest heresy: and he wh so forward to brand all others for heretics, the obst nate papist, the only heretic. Hence one of their ow famous writers found just cause to style the Res church" Mother of errour, school of heresy." A whereas the papist boasts himself to be a Roman ( tholic, it is a mere contradiction, one of the pope's bris, as if he should say, universal particular, a cath schismatic. For catholic in Greek signifies universal and the christian church was so called, as consisting all nations to whom the gospel was to be preached, in contradistinction to the Jewish church, which consisted for the most part of Jews only. Sects may be in a true church as well as in a false, when men follow the doctrine too much for the teacher's sake, whom they think almost infallible; and this becomes, through infirmity, implicit faith; and the name sectary pertains to such a disciple. in Schism is a rent or division in the church, when it comes to the separating of congregations; and may also happen to a true church, as well as to a false; yet in the true needs not tend to the breaking of communion, if they can agree in the right administration of that wherein they communicate, keeping their other opinions to themselves, not being destructive to faith. The Pharisees and Sadducees were two sects, yet both Let together in their common worship of God at Jerulem. But here the papist will angrily demand, What! are Lutherans, Calvinists, anabaptists, Socinians, Arminiaus, no heretics? I answer, all these may have some errours, but are no heretics. Heresy is in the will and choice professedly against Scripture; errour is against the will, in misunderstanding the Scripture after all sincere endeavours to understand it rightly hence it was said well by one of the ancients, " Err I may, but a heretic I will not be." It is a human frailty to err, and no man is infallible here on earth. But so long as all these profess to set the word of God only before them as the rule of faith and obedience; and use all diligence and sincerity of heart, by reading, by learning, by study, by prayer for illumination of the Holy Spirit, to understand the rule and obey it, they have done what man can do: God will assuredly pardon them, as he did the friends of Job; good aud pious men, though much mistaken, as there it appears, some points of doctrine. But some will say, with Christians it is otherwise, whom God hath promised by his Spirit to teach all things. True, all things absolutely necessary to salvation: but the hottest disputes among protestants, calmly and charitably inquired into, will be found less than such. The Lutheran holds consubstantiation; an errour indeed, but not mortal. The Calvinist is taxed with predestination, and to make God the author of sin; not with any dishonourable thought of God, but it may be overzealously asserting his absolute power, not without plea of Scripture. The auabaptist is accused of denying infants their right to baptism; again they say, they deny nothing but what the Scripture denies them. The Arian and Socinian are charged to dispute against the Trinity: they affirm to believe the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, according to Scripture and the apostolic creed; as for terms of trinity, triniunity, coessentiality, tripersonality, and the like, they reject them as scholastic notions, not to be found in Scripture, which by a general protestant maxim is plain and perspicuous abundantly to explain its own meaning in the properest words, belonging to so high a matter, and so necessary to be known; a mystery indeed in their sophistic subtilties, but in Scripture a plain doctrine. Their other opinions are of less moment. They dispute the satisfaction of Christ, or | rather the word "satisfaction," as not scriptural: but they acknowledge him both God and their Saviour. The Arminian lastly is condemned for setting up free will against free grace; but that imputation he disclaims in all his writings, and grounds himself largely upon Scripture only. It cannot be denied, that the authors or late revivers of all these sects or opinions were learned, worthy, zealous, and religious men, as appears by their lives written, and the same of their many eminent and learned followers, perfect and powerful in the Scriptures, holy and unblamable in their lives and it cannot be imagined, that God would desert such painful and zealous labourers in his church, and ofttimes great sufferers for their conscience, to damnable errours and a reprobate sense, who had so often implored the assistance of his Spirit; but rather, having made no man infallible, that he hath pardoned their errours, and accepts their pious endeavours, sincerely searching all things according to the rule of Scripture, with such guidance and direction as they can obtain of God by prayer. What protestant then, who himself maintains the same principles, and disavows all implicit faith, would persecute, and not rather charitably tolerate, such men as these, unless he mean to abjure the principles of his own religion? If it be asked, how far they should be tolerated: I answer, doubtless equally, as being all protestants; that is, on all occasions to give account of their faith, either by arguing, preaching in their several assemblies, public writing, and the freedom of printing. For if the French and Polonian protestants enjoy all this liberty among papists, much more may a protestant justly expect it among protestants; and yet sometimes here among us, the one persecutes the other upon every slight pretence. But he is wont to say, he enjoins only things indifferent. Let them be so still; who gave him authority to change their nature by enjoining them? if by his own principles, as is proved, he ought to tolerate controverted points of doctrine not slightly grounded on Scripture, much more ought he not impose things indifferent without Scripture. In religion nothing is indifferent, but, if it come once to be imposed, is either a command or a prohibition, and so consequently an addition to the word of God, which he professes to disallow. Besides, how unequal, how uncharitable must it needs be, to impose that which his conscience cannot urge him to impose, upon him whose conscience forbids him to obey! What can it be but love of contention for things not necessary to be done, to molest the conscience of his brother, who holds them necessary to be not done? To conclude, let such a one but call to mind his own principles above mentioned, and he must. necessarily grant, that neither he can impose, nor the other believe or obey, aught in religion, but from the word of God only. More amply to understand this, may be read the 14th and 15th chapters to the Romans, and the contents of the 14th, set forth no doubt but with full authority of the church of England: the gloss is this; "Men may not contemn or condemn one the other for things indifferent." And in the 6th article above mentioned, "Whatsoever is not read in Holy Scripture, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man as an article of faith, or necessary to salvation." And certainly what is not so, is not to be required at all; as being an addition to the word of God expressly forbidden. Thus this long and hot contest, whether protestants ought to tolerate one another, if men will be but rational and not partial, may be ended without need of more words to compose it. Let us now inquire, whether popery be tolerable or no. Popery is a double thing to deal with, and claims a twofold power, ecclesiastical and political, both usurped, and the one supporting the other. remove their idolatry, and all the furniture thereof, whether idols, or the mass wherein they adore their God under bread and wine: for the commandment forbids to adore, not only "any graven image, but the likeness of any thing in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them, for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." If they say, that by removing their idols we violate their consciences, we have no warrant to regard conscience which is not grounded on Scripture: and they themselves confess in their late defences, that they hold not their images necessary to salvation, but only as they are enjoine them by tradition. Shall we condescend to dispute with them? Th Scripture is our only principle in religion; and by the only they will not be judged, but will add other prin But ecclesiastical is ever pretended to political. The pope by this mixed faculty pretends right to kingdoms and states, and especially to this of England, thrones and unthrones kings, and absolves the people from their obedience to them; sometimes interdicts to whole na-ciples of their own, which, forbidden by the word of tions the public worship of God, shutting up their churches and was wont to drain away greatest part of the wealth of this then miserable land, as part of his patrimony, to maintain the pride and luxury of his court and prelates: and now, since, through the infinite mercy and favour of God, we have shaken off his Babylonish yoke, hath not ceased by his spies and agents, bulls and emissaries, once to destroy both king and parliament; perpetually to seduce, corrupt, and pervert as many as they can of the people. Whether therefore it be fit or reasonable, to tolerate men thus principled in religion towards the state, I submit it to the consideration of all magistrates, who are best able to provide for their own and the public safety. As for tolerating the exercise of their religion, supposing their state-activities not to be dangerous, I answer, that toleration is either public or private; and the exercise of their religion, as far as it is idolatrous, can be tolerated neither way: not publicly, without grievous and unsufferable scandal given to all conscientious beholders; not privately, without great offence to God, declared against all kind of idolatry, though secret. Ezek. viii. 7,8: "And he brought me to the door of the court, and when I looked, behold, a hole in the wall. Then said he unto me, Son of man, dig now in the wall: and when I had digged, behold a door; and he said unto me, Go in, and behold the wicked abominations that they do here." And ver. 12; “Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark ?" &c. And it appears by the whole chapter, that God was no less offended with these secret idolatries, than with those in public; and no less provoked, than to bring on and hasten his judgments on the whole land for these also. God, we cannot assent to. And [in several places of the The next means to hinder the growth of popery be, to read duly and diligently the Holy Scriptare Having shewn thus, that popery, as being idolatrous, which, as St. Paul saith to Timothy, who had know is not to be tolerated either in public or in private; it them from a child," are able to make wise unto salvamust be now thought how to remove it, and hinder the tion." And to the whole church of Colossi; "Let th growth thereof, I mean in our natives, and not foreign-word of Christ dwell in you plentifully, with all wis ers, privileged by the law of nations. Are we to punish them by corporal punishment, or fines in their estates, upon account of their religion? I suppose it stands not with the clemency of the gospel, more than what appertains to the security of the state: but first we must dom," Col. iii. 16. The papal antichristian chur permits not her laity to read the Bible in their› tongue: our church on the contrary hath proposed to all men, and to this end translated it into Englis with profitable notes on what is met with obscu |