ReroéreñeMr. Richatd Baxter: to fpur on and be gone. But when 1 came to Gloricefter, among strangers alto that had never known me, I found a civil, courteous, and religious People, as different from Wärcefter, as if they had lived under another Government. There I flay- ed a Month, and whi1R I was there, many Pamphlets came out on both fides, preparing for a War. For the Parliaments Caufe the principal Writing, whichve- rymuch prevailed, was, Obfervations, written by Mr. Parker a Lawyer : But I remember fome Principles which I think he mifapplieth, as alfo doth Mr. Thomas Hooker, Ecclif plit. lib. 8. viz. That the King is fngulis major, but univerfir minor; that hd receiveth his Power from the People, For I doubt not tó prove that his Power is fo immediately fromGoti, as that there is no Recipient between God and him tò convey it to him : Only (as the King by his Charter maketh him a Mayor or Baliff whom the Corporation chufeth fò) God by his Law, as an Infrument, conveyeth Power to that Perfon or Family whom the People confent to ; and their Confent is but a Conditio fine quit nan ; and not any Proof that they are the Fountain of Power, or that ever the governing Powerwas in them; and therefore for my part I am fatisfied that all Politicks err, which tell us of a Mage- ftas Reath in the People, as diftindt from the Majeftas Perfonalis inthe Governors: And though it be true that quo ad naiaralembonitarem& in genere.Caufa finala the Kingbe univerlis minor, (and thereforeno War Or Aliion is good which is againft the common Good, which is the end of all Government ; yet as togoverning Pow- er (which is the thing in queflion) the King is (as to thePeople) Univerfts Major; as well as Singulis : For if the Parliament have any Legiflative Power, it cannot be as they are the Body or People, as Mr. Thu. Hooker ill fuppofeth (who lib. r. Polit. Ecclef. maketh him a Tyrant that maketh Laws himfelf without the Body) but it is as the Conflitution twiffeth them into the Government : For if once Le_ giffation (the chief Ad of Government) be denied to beany part of Government at all, and affirmed to belong to the People as fuch, who are no Governors, all Government will hereby be overthrown. Befides thefe Obfervations, no Books more advantaged the Parliament's Caufe, than a Treatife of Monarchy (after- wards publifhed,) and Mr. Prins large Book of the Soveraign Power of Parlia- ments, wherein he heapeth up Multitudes of Inflances of Parliaments that exer- cifed Soveraign Power. At this time alfo they were every where beginning the Contentionbetween the Commi[fionof Array and the Parliaments Militia : in Gloucefterfhire the Country came in for the Parliament : In Worcefterfhire, Herefordjhire, andSbropfbire, they were wholly for the King, and none, to any purpofe, moved for the Parlia- ment. g 58. Whilft I was at Gloucefter I faw the firlt Contentions between the Miniffers and Anabaptiffs that ever I was acquainted with : For thefe were the firat Anabap- tiffs that ever I had feen in any Country, and I heard but of few more in thofe parts of England. About a dozen young Men, or more, of confiderable Parts, had received the Opinion againft Infant Baptifm, and were re-baptized, and la- boured to draw others after them, notfar from Gloucefter: And the Miniffer ofthe Place, Mr. Winne" being hot and impatient with them, hardenedthem the more. He wrote a confiderable Book againft them at that time: 'But England having then nogreat Experience of the tendency and confequents of Annabaptiftry, the Peo- ple that were not of their Opinion did but pity them, and think it was a Conceit that had no great harm in it, and blamed Mr. Winne" for hisViolence and Afperi- ty towards them. But this was the beginning of the Miferies of Gloucefter; for the Anabaptifts' fomewhat increaling on one fide, before I came away; a good Man, called Mr. Hart, came out of Herefordfhire with Mr. Vaughan, a Gentleman,-and they drew many to Separation on another fide : and after them in the Wars came one Mr. Bacon, a Preacher of the Army, and drew them to Antinomianiftnon ano- ther fide, which together fo difra&ed the good People, and eat out the Heart of Religion andCharity (the Miniflersof the Place being not fo able and quick as they fhould have been in confuting them, and preferving the People) that the Ci- ty which had before as great Advantagesfor the profperity ofReligionamong them, as any in the Land, in the Civility, Tradtablenefs, and Piety of the People, be- came as low and Poor as others, and the Pity of more happy Places, while thefe Tares did dwindle and wither away the folid Piety of the Place. 59. When I had been at Gtoucefter a Month, my Neighbours of Kideeminfter came for me home, and told me, that if I flayed any longer, the People would interpret it, either that I was afraid upon force Guilt, qr that I was againft the G King :
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=