The HIS T 0 R Y of the PuRITANS. VoL. H. K. Charles 1. Mr. Marfoal and Nj•e in the letter to the affembly of Aug. 18. afiure .~ their brethren, the Jcots clergy were entirely on the fide of the parlia– Mr. Marment in this quarrel, againll: the popi!h and epifcopal fJEtion; that there fha\ ~nd were between twenty and thirty of the prime nobility prefent when the Nyc s letter rr d h · d b 1 k' ' ' 'fj' 10 the affcm- CO't:enant pa11e t e conventzon; an t at even ue mg s comm1 JOners bly at WeH- confeffed, that in their private capacity they were for it, though as his minHer. majefl:y's commiilioners they were bound to oppofe it. So that if the Debates up– rmit. Calamy's Abridg. p. Sr. englijh parliament (fay they) comply with the form of this covenant, we are per(waded the whole body of theJcots kingdom will live and die with them, and fpeedily come to their afiiltance. \Vhen their commiilioners arrived at London, they prefented the cove• nant to the two houfes, who referred it to the affembly of divines, where it met with feme little oppolition; Dr. Featly declared, he durft not abjure prelacy alfolute!y, becau{e he had fworn to obey his bi!hop in all things lawful and honell:, and therefore propofed to qualify the fecond article thus, 1 ~r>ill endeavour the extirpation qf popery, and all an– tichriftian, tyrannical, or independmt prelacy; but it was carri~:d againll: him. Dr. Burges objeCted to feveral articles, and was not withou t feme difficulty perfwaded to fubfcribe, after he had bem fllfpended. The prolocutor Mr. Gataker, and many others, declared for primitive epif~ copacy, or for one Jtated prU!dent 71Jith his prejbytcrs to govern every church; and refuftd to fubfcribe till a parenthelis was inferred, declaring what fort of prelacy was to be abjured, (viz.) [church government by archbi– jhops, bijhops, deans and chapters, archdeacons, and all other eccl:fiqftical qfftcers depending uj;on them.] TheJcots, who had been introduced into the affembly Sept. r 5· were for abjuring epiftopacy as fimply unlawful, . but the mglijh divines were generally againll: it. Bamd. M. Bi!hop Burnet fays, our commiilioners preffed chiefly for a chn'lleague, P· 237 ' 240 ' but the fcots would have a religious one, to which the mglijh were ob!i. ged to yield, taking care at the fame time; to leave a door open for a latitude of intepretation. Sir Henry Vane put the word LEAGUE into the title, as thinking that might be broken fooner than a covenant; an~ in the firll: article he inferted that general phrafe, of reforming .f..C– CORDING TO THE WORD , OF GGD; by which the engfijh thought themftlves fecure from the inroads of prefbytery; but the fcots relied upon the next words, AND ACCORDING TO THE PRACTICE OF THE BEST REFORMEED CHURCHES; in which they were confident their dilcipline muil: be included. When Mr. Go/man read the covenant oe– fDre the boufe of lords, in order to their fubfcribing it, he declared, that by prelacy all forts of epifcopacy were not intend ed, but only the for m therein defcribed. Thus the wife men on both fides endeavoured to, out-wit each other. in wording, the articles;. and. with thefe flight amend-
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