Chap. X. The HIS T 0 RY of the PuRITAN~. 343 With regard to religion his majefiy agreed, OC!ober 2; that " the af- K. Charles I, •' fembly of divines at lYeflmil!fler be confirmed for three years; that the 1648. ,, direC!ory and prejbyterian government be confirmed for the fame time,~ ,, provided that neither himfelf, nor thofe of his judgment, be obliged to cejfi;ns on the ,, comply with it ; that a confultation in the mean time be had with the a;tfcle of red d . · f h" · fi ' · · · h c itg10n " a!Iembly, an twenty tv111es o · IS maJe y s nommatwn, w at 10rm Rulh;,.,. <(of church government fhall be efiablifhed afterwards, with a claufe for p. 1281• " the eafe of tender confciences. His majelly cenfented further, that le- ,, o-al efl:ates for lives, or for a term of years not exceeding ninety nine, . " fuould be made out of the biiliops lands and revenues, for the fatisfac- " tion of them that have purchafed them, provided that the inheritance · " may ftill remain to the church, and the reil be referved for their main- << tenance. His majelly will confent further, to an aB: for the better ob- " fervation of the L ord's day; for fu pprefiing innovations in churches and " chapels; for the better advancing of preaching God's holy word; . " and againfi pluralities and non-refidence. To an aB: for regulating and « reforming the univerfities, and the colleges of Wejlminjler, Winchejler, " and Eaton ; for the better difcovery of papi!ts, and for the educating · ·~ their children in the protefl:ant religion ; to an aB: for better putting the · " laws in execution againfi papill:s, and to prevent the hearing and faying · " mafs; but as to the covenant, his majefiy is not as yet fatisfied to fign . " or [wear to it, or confent to impofe it bn the confciences of others." Thefe conceffions about church government being declared not fatisfac- Conferena tory, as amounting only to a fort of interim, his majefiy defired to confer b~tween the \vith the parliament divines for the fatisfaB:ion of his confcience, having ;:ng andpar– oeen bred and inO:ruB:ed (as he faid) in the way he !lands for, by his fa- :?~;;~t dt– ther, the wifefi king and befi man in the world, and therefore could not ealily yield. There is hardly any thing to be met with in this conference out what has been already taken notice of in his majefl:y's debate ,with Mr. Henderfon, and in the anfwer of the jinec7ymnuan divines to biiliop Hall, in the firft volume of this hifiory; and therefore it will be the lefs nece!iary to enter into the particulars of the debate. His majefty propofed fome (cruples in law about the obligation of his coronation oath, which . the commiffioners undertook to anfwer themfelves; but the papers rela- 'ting to the unaltera6le il!flitution of epiftopacy were refered to .the divines , on both fides, and were as follow : 'Ihe king's jir:ft paper. Newport, OC!: 2. I 648;'. CHARLES . REx, King'sfirfl < 1 • h ;r; · 1 • · 11. r h d paper to the ' concetve t at ep~;cot:a- .g.ove~nment IS mo1L conwn.ant to t e wor pari, divines. " of God and of an apofl:ohcalmfl:ttution, as it appears by the fcripture ·to Rei. Carol.. "have been praB:ifed by the apofi:les themfelves, and by -them commit- Vol. II. P· 2 " ted 2 45·
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