and as many also believed the Second Coming was imminent, it gave debates on what that meant a real urgency and importance. "Puritan" was a term for anyone who wanted to reform, or 'purify', the Church of England, the most prominent being Presbyterians. Most of these factions considered themselves part of the national church; those who were expelled by the 1662 Act of Uniformity became Nonconformists. Like John Pym, Rous was a passionate opponent of Arminianism; between 1619 and 1623, he published three works focusing on idolatry and 'carnal gloriations' among the priesthood. In 1626, he was elected Member of Parliament for Truro, then Tregony in 1628. Rous and Pym led the attack on Roger Maynwaring and Robert Sibthorpe, two clergymen who published sermons supporting divine right of kings, and passive obedience. Essentially political arguments, they were seen as undermining the role of Parliament, and condemned as such. In a speech made in January 1629, Rous argued if Arminianism continued to spread, 'true religion' was doomed; this inspired much of the subsequent opposition to Archbishop Laud. Charles responded by dissolving Parliament, initiating the period of Personal Rule that continued until 1640. Returned for Truro in the elections of April and November 1640 Long Parliament, Rous opened the debate on the legality of Laud's reforms in December 1640, and presented articles of impeachment against John Cosin in 1641. He sat in the Westminster Assembly, took the Solemn League and Covenant, and in 1644, became Provost of Eton College, a position he retained until his death in 1659. In 1643, Rous published his metrical paraphrases of the Book of Psalms, The Psalms of David set forth in English meeter, to be used in the Churches of England and Scotland. His text was heavily edited by a committee of translators, and in 1650 his Psalms were approved for used by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Despite the extent of the revisions, Rous's text for Psalm 23 is generally considered to be the basis of the popular Christian hymn, "The Lord's my Shepherd". After 1647, Rous moved closer to the Independents like Oliver Cromwell, and supported Charles' execution in 1649; since Presbyterians believed a 'well-ordered' monarchy was divinely mandated, The Protectorate presented a problem. In April 1649, he published a pamphlet titled The Lawfulness of Obeying the Present Government; claiming to be written by a 'true Presbyterian', this argued scripture required