PART I. ReverendMr. Richard Baxter: 99 When Succeffes had broken down all confiderable Oppofition, he was then in the face of his ftrongeft Temptations, which conquered him when be had con, quered others : He thought that he had hitherto done well,.both as to theEnd and Means, and God by the wonderful Bleffingof his Providence hadowned hisendea- vours, and it was none but God that had made him great : He thought that if the War was lawful, theViaory was lawful ; and if it were lawful to fight againft the King and conquer him, it was lawful to ufe himas a conquered Enemy, and a foolifh thing to truft him when they had fo provoked him , ( whereas indeed the Parliament profeffed neither to fight againft him, nor to conquer him).He thought that the Heart of the King was deep, and that he refolved upon Revenge, and that if he were King, hewould eafily at one time or other accomplifh it ; and that it was a difhoneft thing of the Parliament to fer men to fight for them againft the King, and then to lay their Necks upon the block , and be at his Mercy ; and that if that mull be their Cafe, it was better to flatteror pleafe him, than co fight again) him. He law that the Scots and the Presbyterians in the Parliament, didby, the Covenantand the Oath of Allegiance, find themfelves bound to the Perfon and Familyof the King, and that there was no hope of changing their minds in this : Hereupon he joyned with that Party in the Parliament who were. for the Cutting off the King, and trolling him no more. And confequently he joyned with them in railing the Independants to make a Fraction in the Synod at Weft- minter and in the City ; and in lhengthening the Sectaries in Army, City and Country, and in rendering the Scots andMinifers as odious as he could, to difable them from hindering the Change of Government. In the doing of all this, ( which Diftrnftand Ambition had perfwadedhim was well done) he thought it lawful toufe his Wits, to choofe each Inftrumeny and fuit each means, untó its end ; andaccordingly he daily imployed himfelf, and modelled the Army, and disbanded all other Garrifons and Forces and Committees, which were like tohave hindered his defign. And as hewent Mein men in their ding mutt on, though he yet refolved not what form theNewCtimnìoh- adhere(toa Fationjbht greatMen wealth fhould be molded into, yet he thought it but reafona- that have ii themthem- Y $ were better to maintain themt ble, that he íhould be theChief Perfon who had been chief in felves indifferent and neutral :yet their Deliverance ; ( For the Lord Fairfax he knew had but even in beginners to adhere fo the Name). At lait, as he thought it lawful to cut off the moderately, as that he be a Man King, he thought he was lawfully conquered , fo he of athat one with the other is corn. ge g Y potable the way. , come thought it lawful to fight againft the Scots that would let him monly giveth bell The up, and to pull down the Presbyterian Majority in the Parlia- lower and, weaker Fation is the ment, which would elfe by reftoring him undo all which had firmer in conjuntion: And it is colt them fo much Bloodand Treafure. And accordingly he do o gfew that are that g Y do more out a rate when one that conquereth Scotland and pulleth down the Parliament ; being are moderate when o£ the eaflier perfwaded that all this was lawful, becáufe he had a the Fathom is extinguifhea, the in fecret Byas and Eye towards hisown Exaltation : For he.(and other remain commonlyteenhdiniMen once his Officers) thought, that when the King was gonea Govern- placed take in with the contrary ment there mull be; and that no Man was fo fit for it as he Fationto that by which theyen- himfelf; as bell deferving it, and as having by his Wir and great ter -Lord VerulamEly ato Intereft in the Army, the bell fufficiencyto manage it: Yea, 1 287. they thought that Godbadcalled them by Snccefes to Governand rake Care of the Commonwealth , and of the Interefl of all his People in the Land; and that ifthey flood by and fuffered the Parliament to do that which they thought was dangerous, it would be required at their hands, whom they thought God had made the Guardians of the Land. Having thus forced his Confcience to juftifie all his Caufe , ( the Cuttingoff the the King, the letting up himfelf and his Adherents, the pulling down the Parliav ment and theScots,) he thinketh that the End being goodand neceffery, the need- fary means cannot be bad: And accordingly he giveth his Intereft and Caufe leave to tell him, how far Seas (hall be tollerated and commended, and how fir not a" and how far the Miniftry Iltall be owned and fupported, and how far not; yea, and how far Profefftons, Promifes, and Vows fhall be kept, or broken ; and there= fore the Covenant he could not away with ; nor the Minigers, further than they yielded to his Ends, or did not openly raft them. He feemed exceeding open hearted, by a familiar Ruftick affeted Carriage, (efpecially to his Soldiers in fport- ing with them) : but he thought Secrecy a Vertue, and Diflïmulation no Vice; and Simulation, that is, in plain Englifh a Lie, or Perfidiotífnefs to be a tollerable Fault in aCafe of Necefiity : being of. the fame Opinion with the Lord Bacon; (who was not fo Precife'as Learned) That [ the belt Campo/Won and Temperature m, 0 z ra
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