552 'Ihe HIST0 R Y of the PuRITANs: VoL. II. King or four attendants, and had ~n audience Ma~ I'"';, wherein according to Charles II. J d I -' 16 6o. or Carendon, " they magnified their own, and the affection of their ~· " friends., who had always wiilied his majefiy's refroratlon, according to Minijlers " the covenant, and had lately informed the people of their duty to in– :::;'f:o;nd " vite him home. They thanked God for his majefiy's confrancy to the K. Chron. " protefrant religion, and declared themfelves no enemies to moderate P· 139. " epifcopacy, only they defired that fuch things might not be preffed up– Camp!. Hill:. " oh them in God's wor!hip, which in their judgements that ufed them p. 247 ' '" were indifferent, but others were held to be unlawful." But the tables were now turned: The king fpoke kindly to them, and acknowledged their fervices, but told them, he would refer all to the wifdom of the K Chron. parliament. At another audience (if we may believe the noble hillorian) P· 152. they met with very different ufage ; for when they intreated his majefiy at .his firfl landing not to ufe the book of common-prayer entire and formally in his chapel, it having been long laid afide, the king replied with iome warmth, " that while he gave tbem liberty he would not have his " own taken away. That he had always ufed-that form of fervice which " he thought the bell in the world, and had never difcontinued it in " places where it was more difliked, than he hoped it was by them. ·" That when he came into E11gland he !hould not feverely enquire how " it was ufed in other churches, but he would have no other u(ed in his " own chapel." They then befought him with more importunity, that the ufe of the furplice might be difcontinued by his chaplains, becaufe it would give offence; but the king was as inexorable in that point as the other, and told them, that it was a decent habit, and bad been long ufed ,in the church ; that it had been fiill retained by him, and that he would never difcountenance that good old practice of the church in which he had been bred. Mr. Baxter fays, the king gave them fuch encouraging promifes of peace,_as raifed fame of them to high expectations. He never refufed them a private audience when they defired it; and to amufe them fur– ther, while they were once waiting in an anti-chamber, his majeil:y faid his prayers with fuch an audible voice in the room adjoining, that the mi– nifiers . might hear him; " he thanked God that he was a covenanted " king; that he hoped the Lord would give him an hun:ble, me~k, for– •• giving fpirit; that he might have forbearance towards lm offendmg fub– " jects, as he expected forbearance from offended heaven," Upon hearing which old Mr. Cafe lift up his hands to heaven, and bleffed God who bad given them a_prrf2-zg_ ki11g. Bijhopsfend Though the m ops held a private correfpondence with chancellor to.theyng Hyde, and by him were affured of the king's favour, they were ~lOt lefs v;zth ztiflruc- forward than the presbyterians in their application to his majelly htmfelf; ~ ~
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