P Á R. T I1. ReverendMr, Kichard Baxter. 2ó5 and the ufè of it here yet more perlwades me, that it had been better for us to ad- here to Scripture Terms. It B. § 56. At Taft Twenty of their Propofitions were printed for the Parliament, But the Parliament was diffolved, and all came to nothing, and that Labour was loft. § 57. At this time the Lord Braghill and the Earl of Warwick brought me to Preach before Cromwell the ProteEtor (which was the only time that ever preach, ed to him, five once long before, when he was an inferiour Man among other Auditors) : I knewnot which way to provoke him better to his Duty than by Preaching on I Cer. s. xo. agáinft the Divifions and Difira&ions of the Church; and (hewing how mifehievous a thing it was for Politicians to maintain fuck Di, vifions for their own Ends, that they might fifh in troubled waters, and keep the Church by its Divifions in a Ilote of Weaknefs, left it Ihould be able to offend them : and to Thew the Neceffity and Means of Union. But the plainisefs' and nearnefs I heard was difplealing to him , and his Courtiers ; but they put it up. § q8. A while after Cromwell fens to (peak with me ! and when I eame, in the prefence only of threeof his chief Men, he began a long and tedious Speech to me of God's Providence in the Change of the Government, and how God :had owned ir, and what great things had been done at home and abroad , in the Peace with Spain and Holland, &c. When he had weariedus all with (peaking thus (lowly about an hour,I told him,It was too greatCondefcenfion to acquaint use fo fully with all thefe Matters which were above me, but I told him that we took our Ancient Monarchy to be a Bleflfng, and not an Evil to the Land, and humbly craved his Patience, that I might ask him, ,How England bad ever forfeited that Blelling, and unto whom the Forfeiturewas made ? ( 1 was fain to (peak of the Species of Go- vernment only; for they had lately made it Treafon by a Law to {peak for the Perfon of the King ). Upon that Queftion he was awakened into fome Paillon, and told me it was no Forfeiture, but God had Changed it as pleated him ; and then he let fly at the Parliament ( which thwarted him ); and efpecially by name at four or five of thole Members which were my chief Acquaintance ; and I pre - fumed to defend them again(t his Paillon; and thus four or five hours were fpent. § Sg. A. few days after he Cent for me again to hear my Judgment about Libel, berry of Confcience (which he pretended to be molt zealous for) before alnrofl all his Privy Council : where alter another flow tedious Speech of his, I told him a little of my Judgment: And when two of his Company had fpun out a great deal mote of the time, in filch like tedious ( but meer ignorant) Speeches, tome four or five hours being fpent, I told him, that if he wouldbeat the labourto read it, I could tell him more of my mind in Writing in two Sheets, than in that way of Speaking in many days : and that I had aPaper on that Subjea by me , writ- ten for a Friend, which if he would perufe, and allow for the change of thePer- fon, he would know my Senfe. He received the Paper after, but I tierce believe that he ever read it ; for I law that what he learned mull be fromhimfif ; being more difpofed m fpeak many hours, than to hear one; and little heeding what another Did, when he had fpoken himfelf. § ho. While I lodged at the Lord Breghill's, a certain Perfon was importunate to !peak with me , Dr. Nie. Gibbon : who firutting the Doors on us that there might be no Witneffes, drew forth a Scheme of Theology, and told me how long a Journey he had once takentowards'nxe, and engaged me patiently to hear him open to me his Scheme, whichhe laid was the very thing that I had been long groping after ; and contained the only leant and Method to refolve all Doubts whatever in Divinity, and unite all Chrilhians through the World: And there was none of them printed but what he kept himlèlf, and he communicated them only to filch as were prepared, which he thought I was, becaufe I was 1. Searching, a. Impartial, and 3. A Loverof Ivle,hod. I thanks him, and heardhim above an boar in (hence, and after two or threedays talk with him, I found all his Frame ( the Contrivance of a very (leong Head-piece) was fecrerly and cunningly fitted to Mier in a Seewe. Popery, or amixture ofPopery and halfSocinianifm. Bithop Trek, had before occafiona.ìy fpokenof him in my hearing as a Socinian, which caufcd ore to hear hiimwith lúlpicion, but I heard atone fufpedt him of Popery, thought
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