'lhe HISTORY of the PuRITANS. VoL. II. Common- king Cbarles II. a )ufl: judgment of God for their barbarous and unheard of w~alth. cruelties to the irijh protefl:ants ! ~ To return to England: the body of the prefbyterians aaed in concert ConduCI of with the Jcots, for refl:oring the king's family upon the foot of the cove– tl~e presbyted- nant; fcveral of their minifl:ers carried on a private correiipondence with· naw towar s h h' r f h · d · fl: d f 1· h the new got e c ters o t at natiOn, an 111 ea o ta '-I~g t. e en~agement to the prevcmment. fent powers, called them zifitrpers, and dechned praymg for them in their · churches; they al(o declared againfl: a general toleration, for which the army and parliament contended. L. G. CramWhen lieutenant-general Cromwel! was embarking for Ireland, he fent well and. 1 .he letters to the parliament, recommending the removal of all the penal laws fo;~ f:J::~:n relating to religion; upon which the houfe ordered a committee to make tion. report concerning a method for the eafe of tender confciences, and an aCl: Whit!. P· to be brought in to appoint commiilioners in every county, for the ap405· probation of able and well qualified perfons to be made minifl:ers, who cannot comply with the prefent ordinance for ordination qf minijlers. Aug. I 6. general Faiifax and his council of officers, prefented a petiIb. p. 404 . tion to the fame purpofe, praying '' that all penal fl:atutes formerly made, '' and ordinances lately made, whereby many confcientious people were • " molefl:ed, and the propagation of the gofpel hi11dered, might be re- '!'he engage– ment enfor– ;ed, " moved. Not that they defired this liberty ihould extend to the fetting "up popery, or the late hierarchy; or to the countenancing any fort of " immorality or prophanenefs; for they earnei1Iy defired, that drunken- " nefs, [wearing, uQcleannefs, and all acts of prophanenefs, might be vi- " goroufly profecuted in all perfons whatfoever." The houfe promifed to take the petition into fpeedy confideration, and after fome time palfed it into a law. But to bring the prefbyterian clergy to the tefl:, the engagement which had been appointed to be taken by all civil and military officers within a limited time, on pain of forefeiting their places, was now required to be fworn and fubfcribed by all minifl:ers, heads of colleges and halls, fellows of houfes, graduates, and all officers in the univerfities; and by the maf– ters, fellows, fchool- mafl:ers, and fcholars of Baton College, Wtjlminjler, and Winchefter fchools; no minifl:er was to be admitted to any eccleliaftiWalker, cal living, no clergyman to lit as memb~r of the alfembly of divines, nor p. 146. be capable of enjoying any preferment 10 the church, unlefs he qualified himfelf by taking theengagement within fix months, publicly in the face To be taken by the whole (nation. of the congregation. . • Nov. 9· it was referred to a comrruttee, to confider how the engagement might be fubfcribed 'by all the people of the nation of eighteen years of age and upwards. Purfuant to which a bill was brought in, and palfed, Ja11.
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