een well received at the palace: but such was
now their style no longer. Divines who aspired to a high place in the
King's favour and confidence could not venture to speak with asperity
of the King's religion. Congregations therefore complained loudly that,
since the appearance of the Declaration which purported to give them
entire freedom of conscience, they had never once heard the Gospel
boldly and faithfully preached. Formerly they had been forced to snatch
their spiritual nutriment by stealth; but, when they had snatched it,
they had found it seasoned exactly to their taste. They were now at
liberty to feed: but their food had lost all its savour. They met by
daylight, and in commodious edifices: but they heard discourses far less
to their taste than they would have heard from the rector. At the parish
church the will worship and idolatry of Rome were every Sunday attacked
with energy: but, at the meeting house, the pastor, who had a few months
before reviled the established clergy as little better than Papists, now
carefully abstained from censuring Popery, or conveyed his censures in
language too delicate to shock even the ears of Father Petre. Nor was
it possible to assign any creditable reason for this change. The Roman
Catholic doctrines had undergone no alteration. Within living memory
never had Roman Catholic priests been so active in the work of making
proselytes: never had so many Roman Catholic publications issued from
the press; never had the attention of all who cared about religion been
so closely fixed on the dispute between the Roman Catholics and the
Protestants. What could be thought of the sincerity of theologians who
had never been weary of railing at Popery when Popery was comparatively
harmless and helpless, and who now, when a time of real danger to the
reformed faith had arrived, studiously avoided tittering one word
which could give offence to a Jesuit? Their conduct was indeed easily
explained. It was known that some of them had obtained pardons. It was
suspected that others had obtained money. Their prototype might be found
in that weak apostle who from fear denied the Master to whom he had
boastfully professed the firmest attachment, or in that baser apostle
who sold his Lord for a handful of silver. [258]

Thus the dissenting ministers who had been gained by the Court were
rapidly losing the influence which they had once possessed over their
brethren. On the other hand, the sectaries foun