542 The HISTORY of the PuRITANS.' Vot 11. Inter. Upon the general's coming to Lond011, he was transfer med at once into Reg;um. a zealous prefbyterian, and thought no more of the independen t churches . ~he received the facrament at Mr. Calamy's church, and would fufftr none t~ Hecourtstbe preach before him but whom he approved. H e confulted the prefbyterian prefbytenans minifi:ers, and aJked their advice in all important affairs. It feems thefe were the gentlemen that beat him out of his commonwealth principles, if we may believe the reverend Mr. Sharp, afterwards archbilhop of St. Andrews whofe words are thefe, in one of his letters to the reverend Mr. Dougla; K. Chron. in Scotland, " Sunday-laft, March I I, the general fent his coach for Mr. P· 8r. " Calamy, Mr. Ajh, and me; we had a long ·converfation with him in " private, and convinced him, that a commonwealth was impracticable; " and to our fenfe beat him off that fconce he has hitherto maintain– " ed -- W-e urged upon him, that the prfjb)'terian ilzterejt which he " had ejpozifed, was much concerned in keeping up this houfe, and fettling « the government upon terms. But the fubtle general replied, that in " regard he had declared fo lately againfi: a houfe of lords, and the con– " tinuing this houfc of commons, he could not fo reputably do it." Af– terwards, when fome gentlemen of quality, fufpeCl:ing the king to be at the bottom, were earne1l with the general, that if the king mull be brought in by the next parliament, it might be upon the terms qf his late nwjl!fty's conce!Jions at the Hle of Wight ; the general at firft recoiled, and declared he would adhere to a commonwealth ; but at la1l feeming to be conquered into a compliance, he intimated to them, that this was the ut– mqfi line he could or would ad11ance in favour qf the king ; and yet when this was moved in the convention parliament by Sir Matthew Hale, the general fi:ood up-, and declared againfi: all conditions, and threatened them that lhould encourage fuch a motion with all the mi!Chiefs that might follow. Thus the credulous prefbyterians were gradually drawn into the fnare, and made to believe, that prejbytery was to be the efl.ablilhed go– vernment of the church of England under king Charles H. J'fnd the fcots TheJcots were equally concerned in this affair, and much more zealous kirk . for their difcipline. The general therefore fent letters to the kirk, with Kennet's the 1lronge1l alfurances that he would take care of their difcipline. But P· so. thefcots not willing to trufl: him, commiffioned Mr. Sharp to be their agent, and gave him in1lruCl:ions to ufe his beft endeavours, that the kirk of Scotland might without interruption or encroachment, enjoy the free– dom and liberty of her dlabliilicd judicatories, and to reprefent the fin– fulnefs and offenfivenefs of a toleration in that kingdom. Sharp was to concert meafuves with Mr. Calamy, Ajh, Manton, and Cowper; but thefe gc;:ntlemen being not very zealous [or the difciplin~, Sharp i~1for'?ed his principals, that i~ was feared the kmg would come m, and WJ,th him mo- - dcrue
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