ing the gospel had done a great deal towards
instructing men in religion, by giving great numbers of books in
practical divinity; by erecting libraries in country parishes; by
sending many able divines to the foreign plantations, and founding
schools to breed up children in the christian knowledge; though to
this expense very little had been contributed by those who appeared so
wonderfully zealous for the church. The archbishop of York expressed
his apprehension of danger from the increase of dissenters, particularly
from the many academies they had instituted; he moved, that the judges
might be consulted with respect to the laws that were in force against
such seminaries, and by what means they might be suppressed. Lord
Wharton moved, that the judges might also be consulted about means of
suppressing schools and seminaries held by non-jurors, in one of which
the sons of a noble lord in that house had been educated. To this
sarcasm the archbishop replied, that his sons were indeed taught by
Mr. Ellis, a sober virtuous man; but that when he refused the oath of
abjuration, they were immediately withdrawn from his instructions. Lord
Wharton proceeded to declare, that he had carefully perused a pamphlet
entitled "The Memorial," which was said to contain a demonstration that
the church was in danger; but all he could learn was, that the duke of
Buckingham, the earls of Rochester and Nottingham, were out of place;
that he remembered some of these noblemen sat in the high commission
court, and then made no complaint of the church's being in danger.
Patrick, bishop of Ely, complained of the heat and passion manifested
by the gentlemen belonging to the universities, and of the undutiful
behaviour of the clergy towards their bishops. He was seconded by
Hough of Litchfield and Coventry, who added, that the inferior clergy
calumniated their bishops, as if they were in a plot to destroy the
church, and had compounded to be the last of their order. Hooper of Bath
and Wells, expatiated on the invidious distinction implied in the terms
"high church," and "low church." The duke of Leeds asserted, that the
church could not be safe without an act against occasional conformity.
Lord Somers recapitulated all the arguments which had been used on both
sides of the question: he declared his own opinion was, that the nation
was happy under a wise and just administration; that for men to raise
groundless jealousies at that juncture, could mean no