-XXIII. Trial and Martyrdom of Charles.-XXIV. -His Character-XXV. Miscellaneous Matters: Opinions on the Civil War-Conduct of Universities. -XXVI. Catholics.-XXVII. Acts of Parliament. -XXVIII. Learned Divines.-XXIX. Presbyterians.-XXX. Independents.

I. 1643.-BISHOPS Burnet and Kennett, furious against Popery, throw all the odium and blame of the civil war upon the Queen. But this is vulgar prejudice: ship-money had been given up; the Star-chamber and High Commissioncourt suppressed; Strafford * executed; the episcopal votes abolished; the power of the Bishops in their courts retrenched; the triennial act passed; every reasonable demand satisfied; every fair concession made; and, in fine, every disposition to conciliation manifested. The origin of the war then was with the Puritans alone: it was THEIR insatiable spirit of encroachment; it was their lawless invasion of the royal prerogative; it was, in short, their claim of the militia, and other unconstitutional demands, that ripped up the bosom of their mother country.

* When Charles hesitated in signing the death-warrant of Strafford, Williams, it is said, gave him strange casuistical advice: "A king has a public and a private conscience: and he might do that as a king from his public conscience, which militated against his private conscience as a man."

This is the precise language of Sir Pertinax Macsycophant. "There's twa sorts o consciences, Maister Sydney; the par liamentary conscience, and the common conscience," &c.

II. The attempt made in the treaty of Oxford to obtain the royal consent to the abolition of episcopacy having failed, an ordinance was passed in parliament for the meeting of learned and godly divines, who should take the Liturgy, government, and doctrines of the church, under consideration. This measure was adopted for the gratification of the Scots, who had demanded an uniformity in doctrine and discipline betwixt the two nations. The jealous Parliament however appointed that the assembly should be only a deliberative body, having no ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Its members were not less an object of attention: instead of being delegated by the beneficed clergy (for that would have been making the distempered patients their own physicians), they were elected by the knights and burgesses, two being returned for each county. Consequently, of 121 divines, a large majority were openly hostile to the doctrine and discipline of the establishment; men of mean learning, and many likewise of scandalous morals*. To these were added, thirty lay assessors; ten being lords and twenty commoners. The great proportion were favourers of the Presbyte

* Claren. vol. i. p. 530.-But Mr. Baxter, to whom Neale always acts handsomely the gentleman-usher, by introducing him as "Mr. Baxter, who was much better acquainted with these things," will have it that they were all, all honourable men, of great learning, godliness, fidelity, and ministerial abilities.

rian discipline; but there were some friends of episcopacy; four non-conformists turned dissenters, i. e. independents; and five Scotch commissioners*. In their debates, much deference was paid to the opinions of Lightfoot and Selden, the one a moderate Presbyterian, the other an Erastian. Usher was nominated, but, with the whole episcopalian party, either did not appear, or withdrew on the taking of the covenant. Although the King/forbade this meeting by proclamation, sixty-nine assembled, July 1, in the Jerusalemn chamber; the fittest place, as it was called, for the re-building of Sion. To each member was granted four shillings a day; while the vacancies were recruited by: divines, superadded by the Parliament. On withdrawing, the royalists assigned, as their reasons for absence, that the assembly had not been convoked by the King, which was necessary to a council; that it was forbidden by royal proclamation; that being not chosen by the clergy, its members were not representatives; that the meeting seemed designed to supersede the convocation; that: the puritanical clergy and laity regarded them as spies; and that they would not remain to be out-voted, and employed to countenance the proceedings of men assembled to pull down what they would not uphold.

III. The Assembly opened their proceedings

The convocation of this mixed assemblage was not unaptly denominated-the ploughing with an ox and an ass.

with a professed attempt to alter the Thirty-nine Articles to a Calvinistic form; (they were not then considered as Calvinistic;) guarding nevertheless against the Antinomian errors of Crisp, Eaton, and Saltmarsh. More than two months were spent in debating on the first fifteen; which terminated only in two slight and immaterial changes in the ninth and eleventh articles*. At length, the Scottish commissioners arriving, ridiculed and set aside this milk and water revision, while they insisted on subscription to the covenant as a preliminary measure.

3

IV. This instrument, for the preservation of religion in Scotland, as to doctrine, worship, dis cipline, and government, and its reformation in England and Ireland, so as to bring the three kingdoms to the nearest possible conjunction, a measure to be effected by the extirpation of Popery and prelacy, was accordingly agreed to by the Commons in parliament, Sept. 25, 1643. The same day it was read to the divines in St. Margaret's, Westminster, every one lifting up his hand to heaven in token of the most solemn assent. On the 15th of October it was subscribed by

into ""

* In the ninth, the words" together with Adam's sin imputed," were inserted; and " very far gone," was changed wholly deprived of." The addition to the eleventh article consisted in the words" Notwithstanding God doth not forgive them that go on still in their wickedness." Such is Mr. Neale's account.-Appendix to vol. ii.

the Lords, after a sermon (Nehem. x. 29) on entering into a cURSE-All persons above eighteen years of age were then ordered to accept the covenant: by imposing which as a test (with penalties for not signing a contract, the validity of which implies consent), the Parliament evinced that they who clamour the loudest for liberty of conscience, are the most prompt to infringe it when they are established in power*,

V. When we consider that the covenant militated against the oath of supremacy, which declared the King to be spiritual head in church matters; against the laws of the land which es tablished prelacy; against the oath of canonical obedience; and against the consent of the King, who forbade it by proclamation in October;we shall not wonder at its being refused by a large body of the clergy. This sharpened and increased the persecution of malignant pastors, which had for some time been carried on by the two committees for religion, and for scandalous ministers. False and frivolous accusations were now preferred against the clergy, by witnesses no lon

* In Scotland, the goods of those who refused the covenant were seized, and their persons apprehended. Such," says the Puritan Historian in a rapture of admiration," such was the unbounded zeal of that people."

It was remarked that the covenant contained 666 words, the number of the beast in the Apocalypse, Rev. xiii. 18.