The British Churches Under Cromwell [pp. 629-655]

654 T}te British ~hurches uncler CromweU. [OCTOBER
industrious population. In the new prosperity which succeeded,
the church participated. Settlers from Scotland replanted
Presbytery in the north, and from England recruited Episcopacy and Independency on the east and south. The rule of
the Protector extended toleration to all. Presbyterians being
few could reap little advantage from the position of their
church as the establishment of the consolidated Commonwealth.
But under the Lientenancy of Major-General Fleetwood, and
still more of Henry Cromwell, the long-harassed country
enjoyed an interval of wise and benign government, "when
the churches had rest throughout all the land, and increased
in number daily." It was then that Presbyterianism first
assumed its proper form in the province of Ulster, and had
great prosperity until the reign of oppression opened again
with the restoration of the monarchy.
In New England, the colonists were allowed to establish congregationalism, as the government of their choice. A scheme
was also projected for carrying the gospel to the North American Indians, which the death of the Protector prevented from
going into operation.
It was the purpose of Cromwell to constitute the British
church the centre of a confederation of all the Protestant
churches of Europe. His plan, according to Bishop Burnet,
was matured, and contemplated common defence against Rome,
propagation of the gospel, and the employment of secretaries
to hold "correspondence everywhere, to acquaint themselves
with the state of religion all over the world, that so all good
designs for the welfare of the whole, and of the several parts,
might by their means be protected and encouraged." Though
this was also defeated by his death, his administration put
England into such a relation to the Protestant churches of the
Continent as she did not again assume until the reign of William III. In this, as in many other respects, the Revolution
was the true successor of the Commonwealth, less earnest and
daring, but more cautious and expedient.
In all previous English history religion and politics had been
~o intiniately intermingled as to be practically inseparable
Cromwell was the first to set the example of discriminating
truly between th~m. Attempts to compel all into one form of