Baxter - BX5207 B3 A2 1696

PA R T J. ReveendMr. Richard Baxter: an alteration faired to their Judgments: and fo a Parenthefis was yielded to, as de- fcribing that fort of Prelacy which.they oppofed, viz. [That is, Church Government by Arcbbilhops, Bifhops, Deans and Chapters, Arch- deacons , and all other Eccleftatiical Wiens depending on that.Hierarchy.] All which conjóyned are mentioned as the De. fcription of that Form of Church Government which they meant by Prelacy, as not extending to the ancient Epifcopacy. When the Covenant was agreedon, the Lordsand Commons firfi took it them - felees, and Mr. Thomas Colemanpreached to the Houfeof Lords, and gave it them withthis ptiblick Explication, That by Prelacy we mean not all Epifcopacy, but 'only the form which is bere deferibed. When the Parliament had taken it they fent it to all the GarriCons, and Armies to be taken and commended it to all the People of the Land. And when the War Was ended, they caufed all the Noblemen, Knights, Gentlemen, and Officers' which had been againft them in the Wars, to take it beforethey would admit them to Compofrtion ; and take it they did : And they required that all young Mini: tiers Ihould take it at their Ordination. TheCovenant being taken, the Seas railed An Army to help the Parliament; which cameon and began to clear the North, till at.Tark fight, the Scots Army the Earlof Manchefier's Army, and the Lord Fairfax's fmall Army , joyned Battei againstPrince Rupert's Army, and General King's Army, and the Earl of Newts- file's Army, where they routed them, and it was thought about goon were !lain upon the place, betides all that died after of their wounds. After this the Scot, Army'lay Dill in the North a long time, And did nothing, till thereby they became odiousas a burdento the Land : The Scots faid, that it was canted by the Policy of the Sectaries, that kept them without pay, and without orders to March. Their Adverfaries (theVanifi, and theCromweitiaes) faid it was their ownfault, who would not March. At Taft they were Commanded to be- liege Hereford City , where they lay. a long time, till the Earl of Montrofr, ha= ving raifed Army iii Scotland againft them for the King, had made it neceffary for them to return into their own Country, and leave Hereford untaken, and the People clamouring againft them, as having come for nothing into the Coun- try. SomeMonths after they weregone, Col.7obn Birch and Col. Morgan took Here- ford in anhour, without any conuiderable bloodlhed. The Waters about the Walls being hard frozen, the Governour Pent Warrants to theConfiables ofthe Country freer adjoyning to bring in Labourers to break the Ice; Col. Birch got thefe War- rants; and caufeth one of hisOfficers in the Habit of a Confiable, and many Sot= diers with Mattocks, in the habit ofLabourers, to come the next morning early to the Gates andbeing let in, they let in more, and furpriied the Town. This much I thought good to(peak altogether here for brevity óf the Scots Ar: my and Covenant, and notv return to the new niodell'd Army. § 71. The ÉnglifhArmy being thus new modcll'd, was really in the hand of Oliver Cromwell, though feemingly under the Command of Sir Thomas Fairfax ( who was fhortly after Lord Fairfax, his Father dying:) Cromwellsold Regiment which had made it Elf famous for Religion and Valour, being fouiteen Troopi was divided; fix Troops weremade the Lord Fairfax's Regiment i and fix Troops were Col. Wballey's Regiment ; and the other two were in Col. Rich's andSir Re. bert Pye's Regiments. The Confidents of Cromwell were efpecially Col. Ireron, and' Major Desbotougb (his Brother- indawy and Major 7amei Berry, and Major Harri- ion,and Col. Fleetwood, and (as his Kinfman) Col. Whalley, and divers others. But now begins the Change of the old Caufe. A fhrewd Book came out hot long before, called Plain Englifb, preparatory hereto: And when the Lord Fairfax fhould have marched with his Army, he would net (ai common Fame faith) take his Commiffion, becaufe it ran as all others before, [ for Defence if the King's Per- fon ] : for it was intimated that this was but Hypocrite , to profefs to defend the King when theymarchtto fight againft him ; and thatIúllets could not diltinguifh betweenhis Perfon and another Man's,- and therefore this Clanfematt be left out,. that they might be noHypocrites. And fd had a Cohon if ion without that Claufe [for the King j. And this was the day that changed the Caufe: T lage tse s hy`n.r6gyScor71, ofthe Nobility, the LieuenantandhOficer which adbeenput out, by the Self -denying Vote: Bub heir AEtions quickly vindicated them, from Contempt., They firft attempted no lets than theSiege 6f oxford : but in the Mean time the King takes the field With a very tiúnlerotl well recruited Army_ afi+;

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