At the restoration of the second Charles they hoped, from the fair promises made by the King, that some changes would have been made in their favour, so that they might have ministered in the Church without being required to violate the dictates of conscience; but the enemies of further reformation gained the ascendancy, and strove to drive from the Church the Puritan divines: they succeeded in passing "the Act of Uniformity" of 1662, which made the terms of conformity so strait that more than two thousand ministers were ejected by it, choosing rather to resign their livings and all their worldly prospects, and to cast themselves on the care of Providence, than submit to what was required; for this Act demanded their "unfeigned assent and consent to all and everything contained in the Book of Common Prayer." It came into operation August 24th, 1662, on Bartholomew-day--the day when the massacre of the Protestants in France took place ninety years before, hence called by some "Black Bartholomew." It is stated, that this day was chosen for this Act to take effect because the Nonconforming ministers would then be deprived of their year's income, which would be due shortly after. The great Mr. Locke styles the ministers who refused to conform, "learned, pious, orthodox divines." It has been, we think, justly observed, "that ecclesiastical history furnishes no such instance as this of a noble army of confessors at one time--it is an honour peculiar to the English Dissenters. Never has the world seen such a sacrifice to principle." From this time the name of _Puritan_ was exchanged for that of _Nonconformist_. These were the men that laid the foundation of a large number of the Dissenting Churches which remain to this day. In the County of Northampton there were sixty ministers who were ejected by this Act. Fourteen of this number afterwards conformed; but of one of them it is remarked, "that he never went up the pulpit stairs with comfort after he had conformed--that he was at last but half a Conformist, for which he was frequently cited into the Spiritual Court: he freely suffered his children to go and hear the ejected ministers, and always maintained a brotherly affection towards them."