EDWARDS. 85 a nant place among courtiers and those who were servants " and had relations to the king, queen, and their children, " pleading your cause, justifying, satisfying many that " scrupled; but when your affairs were at the lowest, and the " chance of war against you, and some of the, grandees and "favourites of these times were packing up and ready to be " gone, I was then highest and most zealous for you, preach- " mg, praying, stirring up the people to stand for you, by " going out in person, lending of money, in the latter going " before them by example ; and as I have been your honour's " most devoted servant, so I am still yours, and you cannot " easily lose me.". When the independents began to gain some ascendency, Mr. Edwards became equally furious against them as he had been against the prelacy. He wrote and preached against them with great severity,and opposed the sectaries withgreat virulence. This appears from several of his publications ; but we shall give the account in his own words :-" Many a years ago," says he, " when I was persecuted by some " prelates and their creatures, in no possibility nor capacity by " my principles and practices of preferment, I preached " against, and upon all occasions declared myself against, the " Brownists, separatists, antinomians, and all errors in that " way, as well as against popish innovations and Arminian tenets. I have preached at London and at Hertford against " those errors. About ten years ago, when independency " and the church waybegan to be fallen to by men of some note, and some people took after it, I preached against it " early, and by all ways laboured to preserve the people." He adds, " I never yet sought any great things for myself, " great livings, or coming into public places of honour and respect, to be of the assembly, or to preach in any public " places before the magistrates, either at Westminster or London, but have contented myself with small means, and " to preach in private places in comparison, having refused " many great livings and places, preaching here in London for a little, and that but badly paid, (as many well know,) mind- " ing the work and service, little the maintenance."t Most of Mr. Edwards's productionsare controversial; the language and sentiments of which are bitter and violent in the highest degree. He distinguished himself by all the zeal and bigotry of a fiery zealot. His bitterness and enmity Gangraana, part i. p.2. + Ibid. part iii. p. 14,15.
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