The Rise of the Old Dissent, Exemplified in the Life of Oliver Heywood

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1842 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XVIII. NUMBERS OF THE NON-CONFORMISTS. YORKSHIRE CONGREGATIONS. PRESBYTERIAN DISSENTERS NOT A SECT NOR A CHURCH. ERECTION OP THEIR CHAPELS. TRUSTEES. MODE OF CONDUCTING SERVICE. WANT OF RECOGNIZED RULES. ELECTION OF MINISTERS. MEANS OF SUPPORT. EMINENT BENEFACTORS: LADY HEWLEY; THE HOL LISES; DR. DANIEL WILLIAMS. ACADEMIES. LEARNING OF THB EARLY MINISTERS. ORDINATIONS. MEETINGS OFMINISTERS. THE LONDON MINISTERS. ABSENCE OF A CREED. PRINCIPLE OF FREE INQUIRY. STATE OF THE RELIGIOUS WORLD AT THE BEGINNING OF DISSENT.--DISREGARD OF THE REQUIREMENT OF SUBSCRIPTION BY THE ACT OF UNIFORMITY. THEIR WANT OF UNION A MAIN CAUSE OF THEIR SUBSEQUENT DECLINE. OTHER CAUSES.--CHANGES CONSEQUENT ON THE ASSERTION OF THE RIGHT OF PRIVATE JUDGMENT. INTRODUCTION OF ARIANISM. SOCINIAN1SM. MR. LINDSEY. DR. PRIESTLEY. RETURNS TO THE CHURCH. GREAT EFFECT OF METHODISM. EXTINCTION OF MANY OF THE YORKSHIRE CONGREGATIONS. THE PRESBYTERIANS STILL AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN ENGLISH SOCIETY. I N the same manner in which we have seen Mr. Heywood spending his life were many other of the Puritan ministers employed when they found themselves excluded from the National Church by the requisitions of the Act of Uniformity. It was first, that is, till the year 1687, an open defiance of the law by the performance of religious rites and the conducting religious services wherever opportunities were presented to them; and from that period to the close of their lives, the acting as pastors and ministers of particular communities of men who preferred their ministry, or who, for whatever reason, refused to conform to the Church, which they were allowed to do on certain easy terms prescribed by the Act of Toleration. These Non-Conforming communities, which exceeded a thousand, ..