62 The LIFE of the L I B. I. § 92. As I have part over many Battles, Sieges, and great Actions of the Wars, as not belonging to my purpofe ; fo I have paffed overCrenewe1i'sMarch into Scot- land to help theCovenanters when Montraf, was toofiring forthem, and I shall pars over his Tranfparration into I, eland, and his fpeedy Congueft of the remaining For- ces and Fortreffesof that Kingdom,his taking the I11es ofMan, of; fexfej, Garnfey, and Scilly, and fach other ofhis Succeffes, and ¡peakonly inbriefof what he did to the change of the Government, and to the exalting of himfetf and of his Confidants. And I will pats over the Londoners Petitions for the King, and their Carriage to- wards the Houle, which looked like a force, and exafperated them fo, that the Speakers of both Hoafes, the Earl of Mancbefter and Mr. Lentball, did with the greater part of the prefent Members, go forth to Cromwell, and make fòme kind L of Confederacy with the Army, and took them for their Protedlors againft the Citizens. Alfo their votingsand unvoting in thefe Caßs, erne. 4 93. The King being at the fileof Wight, the Parliament fent him lime Pro - pofitions to be confentcd to in order to, hit (leftoration : The King granted many of them, and fome he granted not : TheSrottifh Commiftioners thought the Con- ditions more dilhonourable to the King,than was confiftant with their Covenant and Duty, and procefted.againft them; for which the Parliament blamed them as hinderers of the defired Peace. The chiefert thing which the King buck at, was, the utter abolifhng of Epifcopacy, and alienating theirs and the Dean and Chapters Lands. Hereupon, with the Commillioners certain Divines were lent down to fatisfie the King, viz. Mr. Stepb. Marfhall, Mr. Rich. Fines, Dr. Lazarus Seaman, en- who were met by many of the King's Divines; Archbifhop Ulher, Dr. Hammond, Dr. Shallots, &c. TheDebaseshere being in Writing were publifhed, and each Party thought they had the better, and the Parliaments Divines came off with great Honour: But for my part, I confefs thefe two things againft them, though Perlons whom I highly honoured : r. That they feem not to me to have anfwered fatisfasorily to the mainAr- gument fetcht from the Apofiles own Government, with which Saravia had incli- ned me to fome Epifcopacy before; though Miracles and Infallibility wereApo- flolical temporary Priviledges; yet Church Government is an ordinary thing to be continued : And therefore as the Apollies hadSucceffors as they were Preach- ers, I fee not but that they mull have Succeffors as Church Governors : And it feemeth unlikely to me, that Chrift fhould fettle a Form of Government in his Church, which was to continuebut for one Age, and then to be transformed into another Species. Could I be fare what was the Government in the Daysof the Apoftles themfelves, I fhould be fatisfied what fhould be the Government now. 2. They feemnot tome to have taken the Courfe which should have feeled theft dif raged Churches: Inttead of difputingagainft all Epifcopacy, they fhould have changed Dioeefan Prelacy into filch an Epifcopacy as the Con fcience ofthe King might have admitted, and as was agreeable to that which the Church had in the two or three firft Ages. I confefs, Mr. Vines wrote to the as their excuf in this and other Matters of the Affembly, that the Parliament tied them up from treat- ing or difputing of any thing at all, but what they appointed or propofed to them : But I think plain dealing with fach Leaders had been bell, and to have told them this is our Judgment, and in the matters of God and his Church we will ferve you according to our Judgment, or notat all. (But indeed if they were not of one Mind among themfelves, thiscould not be expedhed. ) Archbifhop Ufiser there took the rightelt courfe,whooffered the King his Reduelie,, of Epifcopacy to the formof Presbytery: And he toldme himfelf, that before the King had refufed it, but at the Ifle of Wight he accepted it, and as he would not when others would, fo others would not when he would And when our prelenc King Charles II. came in, we tendered it for Union to him, and then he would not : And thus the truemoderate healing terms are always rejedted by them that (rand on the higherGround, though accepted by them that are lower and cannot havewhat they will: From whence it is eafy to perceive, whether Profperity or Adverffty, the Higheft, or the Lowell, be ordinarily the greater Hinderer of the Churches Unity and Peace. I know that if the Divines and Parliament had agreed for a moderate Epifcopacy with the King, fome Presbyterians of Scotland would have been againft it, and many Independents of England, and the Army would have made it the matter of odious Accufations and Clamours : But all this had beenof no great regard to remove forefeeing judicious Men from thofe heal- ing Counfels.which malt dole our Wounds whenever they are doled. g 94. The
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