An account of the Establishment of the Dissenting
Interest, Winsham
This account was copied from another book , not
in the possession of the Winsham Chapel. It reflects a passionate belief
in the rightness of the non-conformist cause.
*****.jpg)
At the Restoration of Charles the 2nd to the Regal authority
of this Kingdom many truly pious and learned Divines who had with much
honour filled the chairs of the Doctors in the Universities, and the
Pastoral charge in the churches during the Interregnum of Commonwealth
of England, were ejected to the number of 2,000 according to the account
of the very worthy Dr Calamy, deprived of their livings, and by the
power of the King, Nobles and Commons passing the Act of Uniformity in
1662 were set aside as public teachers and silenced on pain of great
penalty touching their person property and life.
Under this tyranny many godly families for conscience sake, were
forced to secede from the Episcopal Church as established by the laws of England: and suffer the lot of their
truly honourable, well beloved, venerable sequestered Pastors.
This moved the jealousy of the Crown so that these excellent and
reverend persons with all their adherents were roughly handled by both
church and state. Monarchy rode
rampant and the mitre triumphant, while the sweet twins of Heaven
Religious and Civil Liberty lay expiring under the wounds of tyranny and
bigotry; Temporal and Spiritual power combining to effect the
irrevocable fall of all that is dear to Christians and enlightened men.
This reign brought forth the Book of Sports a God dishonouring
production, an eternal stain upon the hand that wrote it, and the power,
which suffered it to appear.
Indeed Satan sat enthroned in his glory all the life of this Prince he
died 1685. James Duke of York
succeeded him, was crowned 1685, was a brave and intrepid warrior, but a
timid and pusillanimous Prince, he held out false lights of freedom
while the core of his heart was foul and rotten papistry: in this year
the Duke of Monmouth and his followers faintly stirred for freedom, but
unsupported he fell a sacrifice with many of his worthy men. William of
Nassau Prince of Orange under divine favour assisted by the Nobles and
gentry of England was raised to accomplish the glorious ends of
delivering the Protestant interest from the tyranny of James and
entanglements of the Church of Rome: Nov 4th 1688 religious
and civil freedom set her foot on British ground, shook the throne of
James, and roused the spirits of the free born sons of Britain.
On Dec 12th
1688 James the 2nd abdicated the British throne,
went off to Ireland
and at the battle of the Boyne was
completely routed and disrobed of all his royalty: after troubling the
land 3 years he fled and became a pensioner on
France
and Rome.
Thus ended the unhappy reign of the Stuarts, and tyranny of the
Papal power. William the third
mounted the throne
April 11th 1689 with these peerless jewels in his
royal diadem Religious and Civil Liberty.
May the crown of
Britain
long shine illustrious in these
splendid ornaments. King
William of glorious memory, the most noble Peers with the right
honourable the commons of the realm (in parliament assembled) these
three great estates of the British Empire by virtue of their separate
prerogatives in the constitution of the Kingdom did by an Act of
Parliament unite the royal most noble and right honourable authority in
solemn confirmation of the rights and privileges of the Nation, that all
subjects enjoy universal toleration in matters of religion, this
extended to all Protestant members of the British Empire to pay Divine
worship to Almighty God, where and how their consciences might direct
them. On this memorable
event many honourable and wealthy families of Winsham and its vicinity
took shelter under the Act, licensed a house, congregated together
called and settled a Pastor, and worshipped God under their own vine and
fig tree, none daring to make them afraid God, the King, the Nation, and
the Law allowing it.
This church leaves this declaration on record.
We do not object Kings we do not object most noble Peers, we do not
object puissant Princes, we do not object right honourable Persons we do
not object the gentry of the land.
We do heartily object Tyranny, slavery, papacy and its remains
Protest against it, and are
Dissenters
March 25 1791
|