258

HISTORY OF ENGLAND.

CHAP.

XIII.

1689 .

OpinionsofWilliamaboutChurchgovern-ment inScotland.

almost impossible to obtain for him liberal terms of compromisewhere he was weak. Bishops must therefore be allowed to keeptheir sees in Scotland, in order that divines not ordained byBishops might be allowed to hold rectories and eanonries inEngland.

Thus the cause of the Episcopalians in the north and thecause of the Presbyterians in the south were bound up togetherin a manner 'which might well perplex even a skilful statesman.It was happy for our country that the momentous questionwhich excited so many strong passions, and which presenteditself in so many different points of view, was to be decided bysuch a man as William. He listened to Episcopalians, to La-titudinarians, to Presbyterians, to the Dean of Glasgow whopleaded for the apostolical succession, to Burnet who repre-sented the danger of alienating the Anglican clergy, to Carstairswho hated prelacy with the hatred of a man whose thumbs weredeeply marked by the screws of prelatists. Surrounded by theseeager advocates, William remained calm and impartial. Hewas indeed eminently qualified by his situation as well as by bispersonal qualities to be the umpire in that great contention.He was the King of a prelatical kingdom. He was the PrimeMinister of a presbyterian republic. His unwillingness tooffend the Anglican Church of which he was the head, and hisunwillingness to offend the reformed Churches of the Continentwhich regarded him as a champion divinely sent to protectthem against the Ereneh tyranny, balanced each other, andkept him from leaning unduly to either side. His consciencewas perfectly neutral. For it w r as his deliberate opinion that noform of ecclesiastical polity was of divine institution. Hedissented equally from the school of Laud and from the schoolof Cameron, from the men who held that there could not be aChristian Church without Bishops, and from the men who heldthat there could not be a Christian Church without synods.