IO~ The HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANs. VoL. II. K. Charles I. their fiated officers in the church for publick prayer, preaching, and ad. ~ minifiring the facraments, as paflors, teachers, and elders (who were ecclefia11:icks) and deacons to take care of the poor; nor did they admit of perfons unordained to any office, to exercife their gifts publickly, except Savoy conf. 410. P· •4· Art. 14. as probationers, in order to their devoting themfelves to the miniftry. The words of their confeilion are; " the work of preaching is not fo pe– " culiarly confined to paftors and teacher&, but that others alfo gifted, "and fitted by the holy ghoft for it, and approved (being by lawful ways " and means, by the p1·ovidence of God called thereunto) may publickly, or– " dinarily, and conftantly perform it, Jo that they give themfilves up " thereunto." 'Tis neceffary the reader lhould make thefe remarks, to reB:ify a train of miftakes which run through this part of Mr. Rapin's hif– tory, and to convince him, that the king's death was not owing to the dif– tinguilhing tenets of any feel: or party of chriftians. There were indeed fome republicans and levellersin the army, whofe numbers encreafed after they defpaired of bringing the king into their meafures, and 'tis well known that at their firft appearance, Cromwell by his perfonal valour fuppreffed them with the hazard of his life. Thefe were chiefly anabap– tijls, and proved as great enemies to the proteClor as they had been to the king. But there is nothing in the principles of the presbyterian.r, inde– 'pendents, or anabaptifls (as far as I can learn) inconiifient with monar– chy, or that had a natural tendency to put the kingdom into a flame. Mr. Baxter who was no friend to the independents, and knew them B t , much better than the above mentioned writers, admits " that mofi of li~e: e;. 5 11 ,o, " them were zealous, and very many learned, difcreet and pious, capa143· " ble of being very ferviceable to the church, and fearchers into fcripture " and antiquity ;" though he· blames them on other occafions, for mak– ing too light of ordination ; for their too great firietnefs in the qualifica– tion of church-members; for their popular form of church-government; and their too much exploding of fynods and councils; and then adds, " I faw commendable care of ferious holinefs and difcipline in moll: of " the independent churches; and I found that fome epifcopal men, of " whom archbilhop Ujher was one, agreed with them in this, that every " bi(hop was independent, and that fynods and councils were not fo much " for government as concord." And I may venture to declare, that thefe are the fentiments of almofi all the; protefl:ant non -conformifis in England at this day. Oftht an•- There was not one profeffed anabaptift in the affembly, though their baptills. fentiments began to fpread wortderfuHy without doors. Their teachers Life p. 140 • were for the moft part illiterate, yet Mr. Baxter fays " he found many ' "of them fober, godly, and zealous, not differing from their brethren " but as to infant baptifm." Thefe joining with the indepmdents in the · point
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