Chap. I. 7be HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANS. 19 mittee had no le fs than nine hundred. Great complain ts b~ve been made K. C 6 harles I. ' ll b ]' h I " t I 43· of their feverity, by thofe who Wl not ~ 1eve t e c crgy VI ert to corr~1 p '-.../""V'-.J as really they were, nor rrmember the poli ical principles fo which mofi: of them fuff.:rc:d. The form of proceedmg in the committee was cerw nly unexceptionable, for they were obliged to give proper notice to rht- parry . accufed to make his appearance; the witne!Tes were ufually exatnmtd up- l btd. P· Sr. on oath in his prefence; a copy of the articles was given him if defi ted, and a reafon able time ailigned to prepare for his defence, T he art icles of enquiry on which they proceeded were, I. Scandalous immoralities of life, as drunkennefs, [wearing, incontinency, and fometimes blafphemy and fodomy. 2. F alfe or fcandalous doctrines, i.e. popii11 and armioian, thefe being underflood to be inconfil1ent with the articles of th~ church of England. 3· Profanation of the fabbath, by reading and countenancing the book of fports . 4· Prac:tifing and preffi ng ti:e late innovations, after they had been cenfured by the parliament as illegal. 5· Neglect of their cures, by not preaching according to their duty. 6. M:tlignancy and difaffection to the parliament, difcovered by their affil1ing his majefi:y with money, and pcrfwading othe1·s to do fo; by reading the king's declarations, and refuting to re;\d the parliament's ; by not obferving the parliament's fails, but calling them rebels, trapors, and wijhing the curfe of God upon them andtheir caufe. Thefe were apprehended reafonable matters of enquiry, and jufi: grounds of exception, as matters fi:ood. between the ·king and the two houfes. And after all, the final determination was not with the committee; their opinion, with the evidence,. was firi1 laid before the grand committee, then it was reported to the whole houfe, and finally referred to the houfe of lords before it was detifive. One would think, here iliould be little room for complaint, and·. yet there was too much pailion and prejudice on both fid es, which was. owing to the confufion of the times, and the violent refentments of each. party. The commiffioners were too forward in expofing the failings of the clergy, and encouraging witndfes of ilender credit ; on the other hand, the clergy were infuffc:rably rude to the committee, deiaming their witndles,. and threatening reveAge, for being obliged to plead their caufe before layme n. However, few clergymen were fequei1ered by the commi ttee for fcandalous minifi:ers before it was joined with that for plundered mini)iers; an account of which I ihalllay before the reader, after I have. given two or th ree examples of the proceedings of the prefent committLe, from thefrehlat.ion{is ~f .thofe cb:gymen who have left behind them Reve1'end an a~coun t o. t etr uuc:rwgs.. . Mr. Sym1he fi rfi: IS Mr. Symmonds of Rayne 111 E/Jex, who acknowledges,mondsif that he was fequei1ered for preaching and publifhing, th at the king be- Rayne, his· ing the jupreme magijlrate bath immediate dependance on God, to ~ohom alone stfl:. Clergy,. D 2. be p. 67.~. ·
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