Chap. VII. The HIS T 0 R Y of tbe PuRITANS~ 247 "which did belong tb any the faid archbiiliops, bi!hops, &c. are veited K Chl~esJ. " and fettled, adjudged and deemed to be, in the real and aB:ual poffeffion ~ " and feizin of the twenty-four truflees mentioned in the ordinance, '' their heirs and afligns, upon trufi: that they !hall difpofe of the fame, " and the rents and profits thereof, as both houfes of parliament !hall or- " der and appoint, i.e. for payment of the public debts, and other neceffa- " ry charges occafioned by the war, promoted chiefly by, and in fuvour of " the fa id hierarchy, faving and excepting all tithes appropriate, oblations, " obventions, and portions of tithes, &c. belonging to the (aid archbi- " ihops, bi!hops, and others of the (aid hierarchy; all which, together " with thirty thoufand pounds ytarly rent belonging to the crown, they re..:. " ferve for the maintenance of preaching minifi:ers. The trufiees are not to " avoid any leafe made for three lives, m twenty-one years, provided the " fa id leafe or leafes were not obtained fince the month of December I 64 r. 0 "They are empowered to appoint proper officers to furvey, and take a Scobcl, p;o '' particular efiimate of all the bilhops lands, to receive the rents and pro- 40. " fits of them, and to make a fufficient title to fuch as £hall purcbafe " them, by order of parliament." By virtue of this ordinance the truftees were empowered to p1y, or caufe to be paid to the aflembly if divines, their confiant falary allowed them by a former order of parliament, with all their arrears, out of the rents, revenues, and profits belonging to the late archbi!hop of Canterbury, till fuch time as the faid lands and revenues {hall happen to be fold. Thefe church lands were at firfi: mortgaged as a fe- · curity for feveral large fums of money, which the parliament borrowed at eight per cent. intereO:. Several members of parliament and officers of the army, afterwards purchafed them at low rates, but the bargain proved dear enough in th:: end. And furely it was wrong to fet them tn fale , . tbe lands having been originally given for the fervice of religion, ought to have been continued for fuch ufes; and the fulftance of the donor's intentions purfued ; unle!S it appeared that too great a proportion of the national property had been fettled in mortmain. But herein they followed the ill examples of the kings and queens of England at the re– formation. The preflyteriam were now in the height of their power, the hierar- Prefbytc– chy being defiroyed, the king their prifoner, and the beO:, if not all the rians petition ' livings in the kingdom difi:ributed amonb" them; yet !till they were dif- n[{azn/f fdla- - r . fi d c Jt 1/CS, 1at1s e 10r want of the top- tone to their new building, which was church power; the pulpits, and converfation of the city, were filled with inveetive.s againfi: the men in power, becaufe they would not leave the church mdependent on the fiate; the pre!byterian miniO:ers were very troublefome, .tbe parliament being teized every week with church grievan- · ces of one kmd or another; 0 Dec. 1 9J the lord-mayor and his brethren • went :
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