February - the Free Presbyterian church of Scotland

The Great Ejection of 1662 53
any scruple upon his spirit. In which, when he saw these clauses [in the Act]
of assent and consent, and renouncing the Covenant, he was fully satisfied
[about his duty].
“But he seemed so moderate before that both myself and others thought
he would have conformed: he often saying he would not leave his work for
small and dubious matters. But seeing his way so plain for quitting the
public station that he held, and being thoroughly persuaded of this, that the
ejection of the ministers out of their places did not disoblige them from
preaching the gospel, he presently took up a firm resolution to go on with his
work in private, both of preaching and visiting from house to house, till he
should be carried to prison or banishment.”
She tells that “multitudes flocked into the meeting . . . either by day or
night” as he went about preaching, visiting and catechising. He also travelled
to other places whose ministers were no longer preaching, and “wherever he
went, the Lord was pleased to grant him great success: many were converted
and the generality of those [were] animated to cleave to the Lord and His
ways”. 8 Pondering a time when it might no longer be possible for him to
preach in England, he considered the possibility of going to China with the
gospel. But it was never a real possibility; he died in 1668, aged just 34.
Immediately after the Act of Uniformity became law, the King encouraged
the nonconformists to petition him to protect them from its full force. Charles
was keen to add to his power, but his Council opposed him, and the efforts
of the petitioners came to nothing; Bishop Sheldon of London, later Archbishop
of Canterbury, was particularly adamant in his opposition.
Three reasons have been given for Sheldon’s hatred of nonconformists:
“As a man of the world, he was averse to the profession of spiritual religion,
being totally unable to understand it – looking at it, as he did, through the
medium of prejudices which caricatured its nobler qualities. And he was
also exasperated at what he deemed a pharisaical assumption on the part of
Christians who advocate . . . evangelical views, and who insist upon . . .
purity of communion. As a Royalist, Sheldon identified his opponents with
the cause of Republicanism and believed, or professed to believe, that they
were all bent upon doing to Charles II what some of them, or their predecessors,
had done to Charles I. And lastly as an Episcopalian, who had himself
suffered from Presbyterians and Independents, he determined to pay back in
full what he owed, both capital and interest.” 9 And he was no doubt typical
of many among the clergy.
8 R Baxter, Life & Letters of Joseph Alleine, Reformation Heritage Books reprint, 2003,
p 66-67.
9 Stoughton, History of Religion in England, vol 3, pp 460-61.