716 the HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. IX K. Charles', doubt, ofaltering the wholegovernment ofthe church. Theft are reprefentea? 164T. as deep politicians, as working underground, and making uje of all kinds of artifices to accomplifh their defigns, which they took care not to difco- ver. He owns indeed, that the prefbyterians were not very numerous in the houfe, but that they werefupported by a prettygreat party in the king= dom, andparticularly be the fcots. Which afiertions feerü to me to re- quire fironger evidence than he has thought fit to produce. I have (hewn from lord Clarendon, that both houfes of parliament at their firft fitting down, were almoft to a man for the conflitution of the church ; that they aimed at no more than a redrefs of grievances ; and that there were not above two or three in both houles who were for Root and Branch. That all the members received the communion according to the ufage of the church of England, at their firft fitting down, and brought a certifi- cate of their having fo done. That the petition of the puritan mini lers was not for fetting up prefbytery, but only for reforming the grievances of the hierarchy; the controverfy between bifhop Hall and the Smetlym- nuan divines proceeded on the fame foot, as did the cemmitteee of ac- commodation. In (bort, when the parliament was obliged to fly to the foots for afliflance in the war, and to receive their covenant ; and when afterwards they found it neceffary to pay the utrnoft deference to their advices, left they thould withdraw their army, and leave them to the mercy of an enraged king; they could never in the worft of times, be- induced to eftablifh their difcipline in the church of England, without a re- ferve of the ecclefiaftical power to themfelves. And as to the minifiers who compofed the affembly of divines at Weflminfler, though in a courts B. IX.. of time they carried things very high, yet I am of opinion with Mr. Ful- l?. 598. 1er, that at firft they rather favoured the prefbyterian difcipline, or were brought over to embrace it by the fcots, than that they came thither pof- feffed with fentiments of its divine authority. However 'tis certain, that at the refCoration thefe very divines offered to give it up for archbifhop Ußrer's model of primitive epifcopacy. Lt muff be conceived; that loon after the beginning of the parliament, . there were many among the common people who were enemies to the whole ecclefiaftical conflitution, being fupportedby thefoots commifiloner.e, who hadconceived an implacable antipathy againft the order of bifhopsy which they had voted contrary to the word of God.. But this was not the cafe of the puritan, clergy, who wanted only to get; rid of the ty- ranny of the bithops, and were willing to leave the parliament to model . the government of the church as they pleafed. And altho' as the influ- ence of the feats over the two houfes encreafed, preJbytery prevailed ; and when the parliament were at their mercy,, and forced to fubmit to what con.
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