his will, made not long before his last sickness (and which being taken as a death-bed profession of faith, may gain the greater credit) to transcribe the words following:-" As for my religion, I die in the Holy Catholic and Apostolic faith, professed by the whole church before the disunion of East and West; more particularly I die in the communion of the Church of England, as it stands distinguished from all papal and puritan innovations, and as it adheres to the doctrine of the cross:" but likewise to adjoin a letter from the present Bishop of Sarum, written to him just before his deprivation, which, together with our Bishop's answer, may not only show that Bishop's opinion of the honour he had been to, and the service he had done the Church, but likewise the caution our Bishop used towards others, in regard to their taking the oaths, and his good wishes for the prosperity of our Church. "MY LORD, "This gentleman who is presented to a living in your lordship's diocese came to me to receive institution but I have declined the doing of it, and so have sent him over to your lordship that you being satisfy'd with relation to him may order your chancellor to do it. I was willing to lay hold on this occasion to let your lordship know that I intend to make no other use of the commission that was sent me than to obey any orders that you may send me in ferred to all the communities and Churches of Christians in the world; concluding with a kind of prophesy, that whatever it suffered, it should after a short trial emerge to the confusion of her adversaries, and the glory of God.-vol. i. page 637. C such things as my hand and seal may be necessary. I am extremely concerned to see your lordship so unhappily possess'd with that which is likely to prove so fatal to the Church if we are deprived of one that has served in it with so much honour as you have done, especially at such a time when there are fair hopes of the reforming of several abuses. I am the more amazed to find your lordship so positive; because some have told myself that you had advised them to take that which you refuse yourself, and others have told me that they read a pastoral letter which you had prepared for your diocese, and were resolved to print it when you went to London. Your lordship it seems changed your mind there, which gave great advantages to those who were so severe as to say that there was somewhat else than conscience at the bottom. I take the liberty to write this freely to your lordship, for I do not deny that I am in some pain till I know whether it is true or not. I pray God prevent a new breach in a church which has suffered so severely under the old one. 66 My lord, Your lordship's most faithful "I am obliged to your lordship, for the continued concern you express for me; and for the kind freedom you are pleased to take with me; and though I have already in public fully declared my mind to my diocese concerning the oath, to prevent my being misunderstood; yet since you seem to expect it of me, I will give such an account, which if it does not satisfy your Lordship will at least satisfy myself. I dare assure you, I never advised any one to take the oath; though some, who came to talk insidiously with me, may have raised such a report: so far have I been from it, that I never would administer it to any one person, whom I was to collate. And therefore, before the Act took place, I gave a particular commission to my Chancellor, who himself did not scruple it; so that he was authorized, not only to institute, but also to collate in my stead. If any came to discourse with me about taking the oath, I usually told them, I durst not take it myself. I told them my reasons, if they urged me to it, and were of my own diocese: and then remitted them to their study and prayers, for farther directions. It is true, having been scandalized at many persons of our own coat, who for several years together preached up passive obedience to a much greater height than ever I did, it being a subject with which I very rarely meddled, and on a sudden, without the least acknowledgment of their past error, preached and acted the quite contrary; I did prepare a pastoral letter, which, if I had seen reason to alter my judgment, I thought to have published; at least that part of it, on which I laid the greatest stress, to justify my conduct to my flock: and before I went to London, I told some of my friends, that if that proved true, which was affirmed to us with 1 The Bishop was about this time confidently assured, that King James had by some special instrument made over the kingdom of Ireland to the French King. all imaginable assurance (and which I think more proper for discourse than a Letter) it would be an inducement to me to comply. But when I came to town, I found it was false; and without being influenced by any one, or making any words of it, I burnt my paper, and adhered to my former opinion. If this is to be called change of mind, and a change so criminal, that people who are very discerning, and know my own heart better than myself, have pronounced sentence upon me that there is something else than conscience at the bottom, I am much afraid, that some of these who censure me, may be chargeable with more notorious changes than that; whether more conscientious or no, God only is the Judge. If your Lordship gives credit to the many misrepresentations which are made of me, and which, I being so used to can easily disregard, you may naturally enough be in pain for me: for to see one of your brethren throwing himself headlong into a wilful deprivation, not only of honour and of income, but of a good conscience also, are particulars, out of which may be framed an idea very deplorable. But though I do daily in many things betray great infirmity, I thank God, I cannot accuse myself of any insincerity: so that deprivation will not reach my conscience, and I am in no pain at all for myself. I perceive, that after we have been sufficiently ridiculed, the last mortal stab designed to be given us, is, to expose us to the world for men of no conscience; and if God is pleased to permit it, His most holy will be done; though what that particular passion of corrupt nature is, which lies at the bottom, and which we gratify, in losing all we have, will be hard to determine. God grant such reproaches as these may not revert on the authors. I heartily join with your Lordship in your desires for the peace of this Church; and I shall conceive great hopes, that God will have compassion on her, if I see that she compassionates and supports her sister of Scotland. I beseech God to make you an instrument to promote that peace, and that charity, I myself can only contribute to, both by my prayers, and by my deprecations, against schism, and against sacrilege. "My lord, Your Lordship's very faithful "October 5. 1689. "THO. BATH & WELLS." And because I have lately seen some reflections in a pamphlet, lately crept into the world under the suspicious title of a Secret History', wherein Dr. Ken is by name mentioned to teaze the Duke of Monmouth in vain on the scaffold, to profess the doctrine of passive obedience: I think it proper here in this place boldly to affirm, that our Bishop (for such he was at that time, and did attend on the scaffold) never acted or assisted there, but in the devotional part only. And this, though a Negative, may be proved to satisfaction. 2 And as to what is so confidently mentioned a little after, concerning the subscription of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, among many others, to the invitation of the Prince of Orange; was there any such subscription any where to be produced, it must not have been denied; but there are very 1 Vide Secret History of Europe, part ii. page 27. |