548 The HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANs. VoL. II. King I without indulgence toJeC!aries. Their brethren in the north of Ireland Charles I · · d · dd r. 1660 . ' JOI~e m an a re1s to the ~ame purpofe: And fame of the englijh presby- ~ tenans were .of the fame mmd; ten of whom met thefcotr commiffioners a~ London, and made earnefl: applications to the general, 11ot to reflore the ktng b~t upon the conceffio~s ·made by his father in the Ijle if Wight. But thts was only rh: refolutwn of a few, the majority (Jays Mr. Sharp) . were for m~d~rate eptfcopacy, upon the fchcme of archbilhop Ujber, and Life, p. 256. therefore wilhng to hearken to an accommodation with the church. Dr. Barwick adds, " What the presbyterians aimed at, who were now fupe– " perior to the independents, was, that all matters ihould be fettled ac– " carding to the treaty of the Ijle if Wight," which gave the court a fair opportunity of referring all church matters to a conciliatory fynod, the divines of each party to be fummoned when the king fhou\d be fettled on his throne. This was the bait that was laid for the presbyterians, and was the ruin of their caufe. The Jcots kirk fl:ood to their principles, and K. Chron. would have bid defiance to the old clergy, but Mr. Ca!amy, Manton, and P• 228 • Afo, informed them in the name of the London rninilters, that the gene– ral fl:ream and current being for the old prelacy, in its pomp and height, it was in vain to hope for efl:ablilhing presbytery, which made them lay afide the thoughts of it, and fly to biihop Ufoer's moderateepifcopacy. Thus they were beat from the ir firfl: works. Remarkt. But if the tide was fo fl:ron g againfl: them, ihonld they' have opened the fluices and let in the enemy at once, without a fingle article of capi– tulation ? 'Tis hard to account for this conduct of the presbyterians with– out impeaching their underflandings. Indeed the epifcopal clergy gave them good words, affuring them, that all things ihould be to their minds when the king was refl:ored ; and that their relying on the royal word, would be a mark of confidence which his majefly would . always remem– ber, and would do honour to the king, who had been fo long negleCted, But {hould this have induced the minifl:ers to give up a caufe that had cofl: [o much trea(ure and blood, and become humble petitioners to thofe who were now almo.ft at their mercy? For they could not but be fenfible, that the old confritution mufl: return with the king, that dioce£:1n epifcopacy was the only legal efl:ablilhment, that all which had been done in favour of presbytery not having had the royal affent, was void in law, therefore they and their friends who had not epifc~pal ordi– nation and induction into their livings, mufl: be looked upon as mtruders, and not legal minifl:ers of the church of England. fljtheir vai11 But notwith!l:anding this infatuation, and vain con~denc~ in the co_urt, expetiatians and the clergy, Mr. Eachard would fet afide all their ment, by fay~ng, from the " Whatever the preibyterians did in this affi1ir, was principally to relteve wut. " themfelves from the oppreflion of the independents, wh? had wre~ed " the power out of their hands, and not our of any affect1on to the kmg · " and
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=