A discourse concerning the maintenance due to those that preach the Gospel

Money from well disposed Persons came in apace: And it is believed that if a check had not been given to it, there would in a little time been enough to redeem all those Impropriations, to the great advantage of the Evangelical Interest. But Satan was disturbed at it, and stirred up some Eminent Instruments to obstruct the Progress of it. A Bill was exhibited in the Exchequer-Chamber, by Noy the Attorney-General against the mentioned Feoffees. In conclusion the Court condemned their Proceedings as Dangerous to the Church, Pronouncing the Gifts, Feoffments, contrivances made to the uses aforesaid, to be illegal; and confiscated the Money obtained for this Pious use, to the Kings use, which was King Charles I. The worthy Gentlemen who had concerned themselves in this good Work, were in danger of being proceeded with as Criminals. Our Mr. Davenport was not a little exercised in his Spirit ⟨p. 24⟩about it. I find in a Bible of his now in my Possession, the following Words, Written with his own Hand. Feb. 11. 1632. The business of the Feoffees being to be heard the third time, at the Exchequer, I Prayed earnestly that God would assist our Counsellors in opening the case, and be pleased to grant that they might get no advantage against any of us, to Punish us as evil doers; Promising to observe what Answer He gave: which seeing He has graciously done, and delivered me from the thing I feared, I Record to these ends. 1. To be more industrious in my Family. 2. To check my unthankfulness. 3. To awaken my self to more Watchfulness for the time to come in remembrance of this Mercy, which I beseech the Lord to grant, on whose Faithfulness in His Covenant, I cast my self, to be made Faithful in my Covenant. I. Davenport. Thus was that holy Man, & the rest of them brought into no small perplexity for their being concerned in so Pious a design; notwithstanding ⟨p. 25⟩their having the advice and concurrence of eminent Lawyers in their undertaking: such was the iniquity of those times. If the Reader would know, who was the chief author of this trouble, Dr. Fuller has informed him that it was Laud, the unhappy Bishop of London, and at last the Arch-bishop of Canterbury. I am the rather induced to believe that Dr. Fuller does not wrong Laud in his laying the frustration of this noble design at his door.

Money from well disposed Persons came in apace: And it is believed that if a check had not been given to it, there would in a little time been enough to redeem all those Impropriations, to the great advantage of the Evangelical Interest. But Satan was disturbed at it, and stirred up some Eminent Instruments to obstruct the Progress of it. A Bill was exhibited in the Exchequer-Chamber, by Noy the Atorney-General against the mentioned Feoffees. In conclusion the Court condemned their Proceedings as Dangerous to the Church, Pronouncing the Gifts, Feoffments, contrivances made to the uses aforesaid, to be illegal; and confiscated the Money obtained for this Pious use, to the Kings use, which was King Charles I. The worthy Gentlemen who had concerned themselves in this good Work, were in danger of being proceeded with as Criminals. Our Mr. Davenport was not a little exercised in his Spirit