Chap. VIII. The HISTORY of the PURITANS. 687 " exclude them from intermeddling in fecular affairs, and appoint a fland-K. auks I. ing committee to coiled all the grievances of the church; and no man's i640. votes thall be given with more zeal for redrefling ,them than " mine." Surely the bifhops muff have behaved very ill in the late times, that Remarks.] their very belt friends could load them with such reproaches ! Sir Benja- min Rudyard furveyer of the court of wards, Sir Harbottle Grimftace, with a great many others of unquaftionable duty and loyalty to the king, spoke the fame language, and it deferves to be remembred (fays lord Ciaren. Clarendon) that in the midft of thefe complaints the king was never men- Vol. I. tinned but with great honour; all the grievances being laid at the door of P' 203' his ministers, and all hopes of redrefs being plabed in his m '.jetty alone. At the dole of the debate, it was ordered that the ROOT AND BRANC1T petition should remain in the hands of the clerkof the houle of commons, with dire6tion that no copies should be deliveredout; but after the throw- ing out of the bill to deprive the bishops of their votes in parliament, it was revived, and a bill brought in by Sir Edward Deering [May ao. 1641.] for the utter extirpating of the whole order, as will be feen here- after. It was in this debate that fome fmart repartees pafï'ed between the members ; Mr. Grimffone argued thus, that bishops arejure divino, is a question ; that archbifhops are notjure diving is out of queftion ; now that bishops which are queftioned whether jure divino, or archbishops which out of queftion are not jure divino, should fufpend minifters- which arejure divino, I leave to you to be confidered .--_To which Mr. Seiden anfwered, that the convocation is jure divino is a queflion;. that parliaments are not jure divino is out of question ; that religion is juredivino is no queftion ; now that the convocation which is quef -. tionable whether jure divino, and parliaments which out of queftion are not jure divino, should meddle with religion which queftionlefs isju- re divino, I leave to your consideration. In both which I apprehend there is more of a jingle of words than flrength of argument. But the houfe was unanimous for a reformationof the hierarchy, which Refolotionsof. was all that the body of puritans as yet wished for or defired. Theminif- the H. of ters petition was therefore committed to a committee of the whole houfe, commons.. and on March 9. they came to this refolution, " That the legiflative and " judicial power of bifhops in the houle of peers, is a great hindrance to " difcharge of their fpiritual function, prejudicial to the commonwealth, "- and fit to be taken away by bill ; and that a bill be drawn up to this pur- " pole." -March z z. it was refolved further, " That for bishops or any " other clergyman to be in the commiffion of peace, or to have any judi- cialt
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