PART I. Reverend Mr. RichardBaxter. 19 a conlderable time : TheKing was exceedingffuñwilling tocontent untohis death ; and therefore ufedall his skill to have drawn off the Parliament fromfo hot a Pro- fecution of him. Andnow began the firft Breach among themfelves : For the Lord Falkland, the dAn.164t Lord Digby, and diversother able Men, were for the fparingofhis Life, and grati- fyng the King,and not putting him on a thing fo much difpleaóng tohim.The tell fáid, Ifafter the Attempt of Subverting the Fundamental Laws and Liberties , no one Man Ihall fuffer Death, it will encourage others hereafter to the like. The Londoner, petitioned for f ufiice : And too great numbersofApprentices and others, ( being imboldenedby the Proceedingsof the Parliament , and not fore-knowing what a Fire the Sparks of their temerity would kindle ) did too triumphingly and diforderly urge the Parliament, crying faflice, yaflice. And it u not unlikely that fome of the Parliament-men did encourage them to this, as thinking that fame backward Members would be quickned by Popular Applaufe : And withal, to work on the Membersalfa by difgrace, fome inlolent Painterdid (feditioufly) draw the Pi&ures ofthe chief of them that were for faring the Lord Deputy , and cal- led them the Straffordians ( he being Earl of Strafford ) and hang'd them with their Heels upward on theExchange. Thodgh it cannot be expe&ed that in fo great a City there Ihould be no Perforas fo indifcreet as to commit fuch diforderly ons as thefe, yet no fober Men Ihouldcountenance them, or take part with them, whatever ends might be pretended or intended. The King called thefe Tumults r the Parliament called them the Cities Petitioning ! Thofe that connived at them were glad to fee the People of their mind in themain, and thought it would do much to facilitate their Work, and hold the loofer Members to their Cade: For though the Houfe was unanimous enough in condemning Ship-money , and the Ercarers Oath, and theBithops Innovations, etc. yet it was long doubtful which fide would have the major Voce in the matter ofthe Earl of Strafford's Death, and fuchother Ases as were molt highly ifpleafing to the King. But diforderly means do generally bring forth more Dilorders, andfeldom attain any good end forwhich they are ufed. § al.The Parliament allohad procured the King to content tolèveral A&swhich wereof great importance, and emboldened the People by confirming their Autho- rity : As an A& againft the High CommiffionCourt, and Church-mens Secular or Civil Power ; and an Aft that this Parliament fhould not be diffolved till its own Confent, (alledging that the diffolvingof Parliaments emboldened Delin- quents, andthat Debts and Dilorders werefo great that theycouldnot beovercome by them ina little time) : Alto anA& for Triennial Parliaments. And the Peo- ple being confident that all thefe were figned by the King, full fore againft his will, and that he abhorred what was done,did think that the Parliament which had con- Drained him to this much, could carry it Rill in what they pleafed, and fo grew much more regardful ofthe Parliament, and tided with them not only for their Cade, and their own Ineereft, but alto as fuppofing them the stronger fide (which the Vulgar are (till apt to follow). § 29. But to return to my own matters : This Parliament, amongother parts of their Reformation, refolved to reform the corrupted Clergy,and appointed a Com- mittee to receive Petitions and Complaints againft them; which was noboner un- derftood, but multitudes in all Countreys came up with Petitions againft their Mi- nillers. The.King and Parliament were not yet divided, but concurred, and fo no partaking in their Differences was any part of the Accufation of thefe Mini- fters,till long after when the Wars had given the occafron ; and then that alto came into their Articles: but before it was only matter of Infulfrciency, falfe Dq&rine, illegal Innovations, or Scandal, that was brought in againft them. Mr. yobs White being the Chair-man of the Committee for Scandalous Mini /Eert ( as it was called) publifhed in print one Century firft of Scandalous Minifters, with their Names, Places, and theArticles proved againft them : where fo much ignorance, infuflìciency, drunkennefs, filthinefs, eye. was charged on them,that ma- ny moderate men could havewilted that their Nakednefshad been rather ,hid , and not expofed to the Worlds derifion, and that they had remembred that the Papilla did ftandby, and would makefport of ir. Another Century alto was after pub= lilhed. Amongall thefe Complainers, the Town ofRedernoinfler in Worcefterfhire, drew up a Petition againft their Minillers : The Vicar of the place they Articledagainft as one that was utterly infuffrcient for the Miniftry , prefented by a Papift , un- learned, preached but once ,a quarter, which was fo weakly, as expofed him to D à laughter,
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