PART 1. ReverendMr. Richard Baxter. 57 them again : He was a very worthy, humble, laboriousMan, unwearid in preach'. ing, but weary when he hadnot opportunity topreach, and weary ofthe Spirits he had to deal with. § 82. All this while, though I came not near Cromwell, his Deigns were vifible, and I fare him continually a&inghis part. The Lord General fuffered him to go- vern and do all, and to choofealmofi all theOfficers of the Army. He first made Ireton Commiffary General ; and when anyTroop or Company was to be difpofed of, or any confiderable Officer's place was void, he was fore to put aSe&ary in the place ; and when the brunt of the War was over, he lookt pot fo much at their Valour as their Opinions : So that by degrees he hadheaded the greatefl part of the Army with AnabaptifPs, Antinomian , Seekers, or Separatiffs at bell : and all thefe he tied together by the point of Liberty of Confcience, which was the Common Intereft in which they did unite. Yet all the foberParty were carried on by his Pro£el ion that he only promoted the Univerfal Interelt of the Godly, without a- ny dillinûion or partialityat all : But Pill when a place fell void, it was Twenty to one a Se&ary had it, andif a Godly Man of any other Mind or temper had a mind to leave the Army, he would fecretly or openly further it. Yet did he not openly profefs what Opinion he wasof himfelf: But the mol} that he faid for any was for Anabaptifm and Antinomianifm, which he ufually feemed to own. And Harrifan ( who was then great with him ) was for the fame Opinions. He would not Difpute ( with me ) at all, but he would in good Dilcourfe very fluently pour out himfelf, in the Extolling of Freegrace, which was favoury to thole that had right Principles, though he had force mifunderl}andings of Freegrace himfelf. He was a Man of excellent Natural Parts for Affe&ion and Oratory ; but not well feen in the Principles of his`Religion : Of a Sanguine Complexion, naturally of fuch a vivacity, hilarity and alacrity as another Man hath when he hath drunken a Cup too much ; but naturally altofo far fromhumble Thoughts of himfelf, that it was his ruine. § 8 ;. All thefe twoYears that I was in the Army, even my old bofom Friend, that had lived in my Houle, and beendearel} to me, Yams Berry, (then Captain, and after Colonel and Major General, and Lord of the Upper Houle) who had formerly invited me toCramwell's old Troop, did never once invite me to the Ar- . my at fire, nor invite me to his Quarters after, nor never once came to vifrt me, nor law me fave twiceor thrice that we met accidently _ fo potent is the Intereft of our felves and our Opinions withus, againSt al other Bonds whatever: Hethat forfaketh himfelf in forfaking his own Opinions, may well beexpe&ed to forlàke his Friend, who adhereth to the way which he forfaketh: and that Change which maketh him think he was himfelf an ignorant, mifguided Manbefore, mutt needs make him think his Friend to be Pill ignorant and mifguided, and value him ac- cordingly. He was a Man, I verily think, of great Sinceritybefore the Wars, and of very good Natural Parts, efpecially Mathematical and Mechanical; and affe&i- onaee in Religion, and while converfant with humbling Providences, Do&rines and Company, he carried himfelf as a very great Enemy to Pride : But when Crow- weRmade him his Favourite, and his extraordinary Valour was crowned with ex- traordinary Succefi, and when he had been a whilemolt converfant with tlrofe that inReligion.thought the old Puritan Minihers weredull, felf-conceited, Men of a lower form, and that new Light had declared I know not what to be a higher at- tainment, his Mind, hisAim, his Talk and all was altered accordingly. And as MiniSters of the old way were lower, and Se&ariesmuch higherin his efteem than formerly, fohe was much higher in his own Eleem when he thought he had at- tained much higher, than he was before when he fate with his Fellows in the Common Form. Beingnever well Studied in the Body of Divinity or Contro- verfie, but takinghis Light among the Se&aries , before the Light which longer and patient Studiesof Divinity Ihould have prepoffel} him with, he lived after as honel}ly as could be expe&ed in one that taketh Errour for Truth, andEvil to be Good. After this hewas Prefident ofthe Agitators, and after that Major General and Lord as aforefaid : And after thata principal Perlon in the Changes, and the prin- cipal Executioner in pulling down Richard'Cromwell; and then was one ofthe Governing Council of State. And all thiswas promoted by the mifunderftal dingof Providence,while he verily thought thatGod,by their Vi&ories,had fo called them to look after the Government of the Land , and fo entruSted them with the welfare of all his People here, that theywere refponfible for it, and might not in Con- I fcience
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=