Ireland Cromwell ordered a most hideous massacre, justifying it by stating, “I am persuaded that this is a righteous judgment of God upon these barbarous wretches.”⁶ Describing the battle of Dunbar, where Cromwell met the religious Scots, Winston Churchill observes with insight: “Both sides confidently appealed to Jehovah; and the Most High, finding so little to choose between them in faith and zeal, must have allowed purely military factors to prevail.”⁷

With the restoration of the monarchy the Anglican church was again dominant and persecution of Puritans was renewed with vigor in many parts. But nonconformity was stronger now, more sure of its own ideas and aims. With the death of Charles II the pendulum swung rapidly the other way, as James placed Roman Catholics in office here, there and everywhere. In trying to win the dissenters for his own purposes he drove them toward the Anglican camp. His designs were too apparent and he fled to France when William of Orange was invited to land in England.

William would not agree to reign without freedom of worship. In 1689 the Toleration Act saw the end of much suffering for the sake of conscience in religious matters, though isolated examples, such as the massacre of Glencoe three years later, still revealed much hatred and bitterness.

Not once in the seventeenth century did the pendulum point to a really Christian course of action by government and people. It was an era characterized by fear, bigotry, persecution, corruption and favoritism. The mixture of church and state led to great restraint of liberty for many and the framing of one law after another to hobble the dissenter. Such a page from history can be a warning today; to follow that course would be to reject the apostle’s sound counsel given nineteen centuries ago: “On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”—Gal. 5:22, 23.

REFERENCES

 ¹ England Under the Stuarts, by G. M. Trevelyan, page 28.

 ² The Scottish Covenanters, by J. Barr, page 98.

 ³ A Collection of the Sufferings of the People Called Quakers, by J. Besse, 1753, Volume I, page 460.

 ⁴ The Church and the Puritans, by H. O. Wakeman page 133.

 ⁵ Puritanism and Richard Baxter, by H. Martin page 111.

 ⁶ Cromwell’s Letters and Speeches, by T. Carlyle, Letter 98, September 17, 1649.

 ⁷ A History of the English-speaking Peoples, by W. S. Churchill, Volume 2, page 235.

Do You Remember?

Have you read the recent issues of The Watchtower carefully? If so, you should recognize these important points. Check yourself.

● What is a career? So what must one do in the ministry if it is to be his career?

A career is a course of constant progressive achievement in a certain field or pursuit. For the ministry to be one’s career, he must make it his primary occupation and continually make progress in it.—P. 261.a

● Why was it that Jesus never made a mistake, while Adam and Eve, who were also perfect, did err?

Jesus never made a mistake because he had strong love for Jehovah and always obeyed Him, and God’s way is always right. Further, Jesus exercised his perceptive powers, considering the outcome of any course before pursuing it, and then chose the way that would glorify God. Adam and Eve failed on all these counts.—P. 264.

● Are the Ten Commandments any longer of concern to Christians?

Yes. While it is true that Christians are no