46 The HISTORY.of the PURITANS. Chap. VII. K. Charles a. This was the prefent temper and conflitution of both houles; from ibL'-4o. whence his lordfhip juflly concludes, that as they were all of them, al- moll to a man, conformijls to the church of England, they had all ima- ginable dutyfor the king, and afeliion for the government eflablifhed by law; and as for the church, the major part even ofthe'e perfons wouldhave been willing to fatisfy the .king ; the rather, becaufe they had no realn to think the two houjes, or indeed either of them, could have been induced to purfue the contrary. How injurious then are the charaaers of thofe church hiftorians, and others, who have reprefented the members of this parliament, even at their firft feffion, as men of the new religion, or of no religion, fanaticks, men deeply engaged in a defign againft the whole conftitution in church and fiate ! Lang parka- The parliament was opened Nov. 3. with a molt gracious fpeech from merit opened. the throne, wherein his majefty declares, he would concur with them in fatisfying their juft grievances, leaving it with them where to begin, Only force offence was taken at his (tiling the Scots, REBELS, at a time when there was a pacification fubfifting; upon which his majefly came to the houfe, and inftead of foftning his language, very impru- dently avowed the exprefüon, Paying he could call them neither better nor wort. The houles petitioned his majefty to appoint a fall for a di-. vine bleffing upon their counfels, which was obfèrved Nov. 17. the reverend Mr. IV/arfhal and Mr. Burges preached before the commons ; the former on 2 Chron. XV. 2. The Lord is withyou, while you are with him; if you feek him he will be found ofyou, but if you forfake.him he willfcrftke you. The latter on fer. I. s. They 'hall afk the way to Zi- on with theirfaces thitherward, faying, come and let us join ourfelves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that (hall not be forgotten. The Per, mons were long, but delivered with a great deal of caution: the houle gave them thanks, and a piece of plate for their labours. The bithops of Durham and GarlJle preached before the lords in the abby church of JVeminfler ; the one a courtier, and the other a favourer of the puri- tans. The Lord's day following, all the members in a body received the facrament from the hands of bifhop Williams dean of Wßminfter, not at the rails about the altar, but at a communion. table, placed by or- der of the houfe, in the middle of the church on that occafion. They appoint At their firft entrance upon bufinefs they appointed four grand corn- committees. mittees ; the firft to receive petitions about grievances of religion, which was afterwards fubdivided into twenty or thirty; thefecond for the af- fairs of Scotland and Ireland; the third for civil grievances, as fhip-mo- ney, judges, courts of juftice, monopolies, &c. thefourth concerning popery, and plots relating thereunto. Among the grievances of religion, one of the firft things that came before the houle was, the as and canons
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