LIFE OF RICHARD BAXTER. 155 that, being upon other necessary business with the lord chancellor, he put me to it on the sudden, so that I could not conveniently delay my answer.. "Dr. Reynolds almost as suddenly accepted, saying, that some friend had taken out the conged'elire forhimwithout his knowledge. But he read to me a profession directed to the king, which he had written, where he professed that he,tdok à bishop and a presbyter to differ not ordine but grades; that a bishop was but thechief presbyterand that he was not to ordain or govern but with his presbyters' assistance and consent ; 'that he accepted of the place as described in the king's,declaration, and not as it stood before in L'hgland; and that he would no longer hold or exercise it than he còuld dò it on these terms. To this sense it was, and he told me that he would offer it to the king when he accepted of the place; but whetherhe did or not, I cannot tell. He died in the bishopric of Norwich, an. 1676." "!Mr., Calamy.long suspended his answer, so, that that bishopric was long undisposed, of ; till he saw the issue of all of our ,treaty, which easily resolved him. Dr. Mantón was offered the deanery of Rochester, and Dr. Bates the deanery of Cov,entry and Litch- field, which theyboth after some time refused. And, as I heard, Mr. Edward Bowles was offered the, deanery of York, at least, which he refused.". Theking's declaration,of which some account has already been given, contained the following expression of his intentions con- cerning the book of common prayer. " Though we do esteem the liturgy of the church of England, contained in the-book of common prayer, and by law - established, to be the best we have seen, and we believe we have seen all that are extant and used in this part of the world, 'and.well know what reverence most of the reformed churches, or at least the most learned men in those churches, have for it; yet, since we find some exceptions made to many obsolete words, and other expressions used therein, which,upon the reforma- tion and improvement ofthe English language, maywell be altered, we will appoint some learned divines, of different persuasions, to review the same, and to make such alterations as shall he thought most - necessary, and some such additional prayers as shall be thought fit for emergent occasions, and the improvement of devo- tion, the using of which may be left to the discretion of the min- isters." This royal promise was yet to be fulfilled ; and on the fulfillment of this depended the value andefficacy of all the pre- vious negotiations. "Therefore," says Baxter, "being often with the lord chancellor, I humbly entreated him to hasten the finishing " Nart'atiVe, Part II. pp, 281, 2'94:
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=