with the names of Malignants Devills and Doggs would undertake with the hazard of their lives to prove that cause which they maintaine suffer in and are persecuted for by them who ingrosse to themselves the name onely of Gods people to be that cause which Scripture warranteth But neither the Arrians nor Papists nor any other the Enemies of Gâ—ds truth when they had once got the Militia or power into their hands would ever referre themselves or cause to Scripture No more now will these men the Arme of flesh indeed now they are possessours of it is more suteable to their purpose to defend them And truly to all them who are not extreamly blinded this is a most convincing Argument that the cause which M. Marshall and his Faction call good is starke naught because it shuns the light they dare not bring it to a publick disputation good Gold would endure the fire and a good Cause would loose nothing by a tryall And indeed for M. Marshall since his whole endeavours are to promote that cause I wonder knowing his ancient ingenuity that he should â—ot bring so much as one Argument to evidence the goodnesse of it can he thinke the matter so unquestionable that it needs no proving or that all men looke with his Eyes and have captivated their faith and judgements to the censure of the Parliament as himselfe hath done must a thing of necessity be true or false as the Parliament judgeth because they say their owne cause is good and the Kings bad themselves are in the right and he in the wrong must it therefore by all men without Haesitation be so taken must all men build upon M. Marshalls foundation and walke by that unwarrantable rule which he hath chosen to walke by there is no reason he should expect it And now least any should thinke that I mistake M. Marshall I will Evidence that he doth fancy his Parliament to be infallible and that he hath submitted his owne faith and judgement to its determination I will to this purpose give you his owne words in a certaine Letter of his to a namelesse Friend it was written in vindication of himselfe from the imputation of madnesse and published to the world in Midsommer moone last yeare 1643. In which after he had handled his case of Divinity as he calls it and proved as himselfe fancieth the lawfulnesse of resisting the Supreame Magistrate though most poorly indeed and most unlike his former selfe as all who knew him may easily judge He comes Pag. 22. to a second case which he calls matter of fact and therein forgetfull of himselfe and of that Scripture Thou shalt not speake evill of the Ruler of the People he falls foule upon the King and like a mad man indeed layes load upon his Soveraigne saying that His Majesty being seduced by wicked Councell did levy Warre against his Parliament He meanes at that time for of then he speaketh when the Parliament raised their first Army which he sayes was onely in their owne defence and it was at that present when the King had neither Men nor Armes nor Ships left him nor scarce mony to buy himselfe and Children bread for they had robbed and cheated him of all And therefore well may the question be asked M. Marshall what Evidence there was of the Kings leavying Warre and I beleeve his Conscience expected the same and thereupon provided his Answer ready in the same place which sure himselfe thinkes abundantly full and able to give all men satisfaction my great Evidence sayes he is the Parliament judgeth so 'T is worth our observation no evidence he had of any word or Act of Hostility on the Kings part for this he sayes was his great Evidence a greater then which he could not shew nor needs he as himselfe supposeth for he proceeds further and sayes the Iudgement of a Parliament of England was never till now questioned by a people of England And yet we read of a Parliament in England called the mad Parliament and of another called the wicked Parliament and Posterity will find mention of a Bloudy and deceitfull Parliament the Iudgement of the first of these was surely questioned by some people of England when they intitled it an Assembly of Rebells and so was the wisedome of the second when all the Lawes made therein were afterward annihilated therefore I may much more truly affirme that a King of England never received so much prejudice and unchristian usage as now by any Parliament in England But the man goeâ— on still to amplifie the Supremacy and infallibility of his present Parliament and addeâ— wisemen say and so doth he that a Parliament of England 't is this he means is like Saint Pauls spirituall man as Satan is to an Angell of light who iudgeth all himselfe is iudged of none O I would to God it were not onely like but endued with the same spirit that St Pauls spirituall man is endued withall for then I am sure it would be lesse bloudy and more obedient But here by the way we may conjecture that M. Marshall will never hence forth finde fault with the Popish Collyer for blindly beleeving as the Church beleeves who thinkes it his owne duty to beleeve as the Parliament Iudgeth And here also let 's note the reason which too few observe why he and others of that side doe conceive as appeares by their practice that telling of untruths breaking of Oathes resisting and defaming the King shedding of innocent bloud and such like things are in these dayes if some men commit them no sinnes this doubtlesse is their great Evidence The Parliament judgeth so But seeing we have heard M. Marshall thus farre let 's listen to him a little further The Iudgement of his Parliament is not onely a sufficient ground for his Faith but for his practice also For he proceeds in his discourse and from the supposed infallibility and Supremacy of his Parliament makes this Collary And therefore if I should give none other account of mine entring upon my office in the Army which was not to fight or to meddle in the Councell of Warre but onely to teach them how to behave themselves according to the word that God might be with them should I I say give no other account but the determination of that wise Assembly I should be acquitted by indifferent men Indeed they must be very indifferent men that will acquit him indifferent for honesty and discretion indifferent whether thâ—y â—peake truly or falsely rightly or wrongfully indifferent whether they speake like wisemen or like fooles such kind of indifferent men will likely enough indeed acquit M. Marshall but for other kind of men I beleeve they would have acquitted him better if when he entred upon his office in the Army he had been preaching Peace and obedience to his Parish and Charge at Finchingfield But that passage of M. Marshall is worthy our further observance that he sayes His entring upon his Office
Christians to the end that their own designes may succeed the better at home they dare not doe any evill to others that good may come thereby unto themselves nor doe they in any sort allow of that distinction which one of M. Marshalls Auditory did make with the approbation doubtlesse of some fellow Members that though evill may not be done to further the private good of any man yet to further the publique Cause it may No the People of God dare not be so wise as to use any meanes but what they may with confidence from the word expect Gods blessing upon for Gods People rest chiefly upon God for helpe they live by saith accounting as M. Marshall saies the Battaile not theirs but Gods whose cause is united to the cause of his people when Asaph saies M. Marshall had laid downe the Churches sufferings Psal. 74. the pulling down of their Synagogues the wasting of their Country the reproach and scorne cast upon them by their enemies he doth v. 22. 23. interest God in all this From which quotation of M. Marshalls we may also note for our purpose by the way that the pullers downe of Churches the wasters of their Country the casters of reproach and scorne upon their betters are the Enemies of Gods Church and people and so also of himselfe indeed the Psalmist in plain words calls them Gods adversaries Thine Adversaries roare in the midst oâ— the Congregations they set up their Banners for tokens they breake downe the carved worke in thy Temples with Axes and Hammers they have set fire upon thine Holy places and have defiled by casting downe the dwelling place of thy Name yea they have said let us destroy kill slay and destroy them altogether thus have they burnt up the Synagogues of God in the Land Now from this place of Scripture so happily quoted by M. Marshall we learne that the Authors of such actions or expressions may be concluded to be the Enemieâ— of Gods Church and people yea M. Marshall helpes us in this Collection too Pag. 18. of his Sermon where he pronounceth this sentâ—nce They must needs be blessed that serve the Church and he must needs be cursed that deprives it of its dues And who these are that doe so I leave to every mans owne observation to determine 3. The Church and people of God as M. Marshall Pag. 16. inferres unto us are they that maintains the good cause and saies 〈◊〉 when Davids cause was good his adversaries must needs be evill and then he could foretell that they should be ashamed and brought to confusion cloathed with reproach and dishonour who opposed themselves against him which indeed fell out accordingly upon all that pack of Rebells and Traitors that conspired against the Lords Annoynted to pull him from that honour whereto God had advanced him Achitophell hang'd himselfe and a Tree hang'd Absolom and twenty thousand of their followers that did associate with them were slaine in a day And Sheba afterward who trod in their rebelliouâ— steppes against the King had his head severed from his shoulders and therefore M. Marshall was in the right also for that particular And then that we might the better know the good Cause he gives us two markes of it which also may be allowed of the good Cause saies he which is Gods Cause is a noble Cause and a successefull Cause and therein he speakes right for the King For The Kings cause is a noble cause not onely in respect of his Royall selfe whose cause it is and in respect of those Noble Personages that are agents in it but also because it is not for a trifle or a thing of no great Consequent but even for a Crowne which according to Master Marshall's judgement in that place doth enoble the cause the Kings cause sure is for no lesse then for a Crowne and for to keepe the Dominion of three Kingdomes which the Lord of Heaven and Earth hath intrusted him withall He would still hold his Soveraignty onely and immediately from the Lord but they would have him acknowledge his dependance upon themselves and if he would but so farre deny God and debase himselfe as in that manner to worship them they tell him as one did once our Saviour all theâ—e will we give thee or wee 'l make you the most glorious Prince in Christendome but the King like a good Tenant maintaines the right of his true and old Landlord the glorious Lord God therefore his cause is a noble cause 't is Gods Cause and saies Master Marshall 2. Gods cause is a successefull cause in the end or finall issue it will prove so for a while the malignant Church may prevaile against the good and an ill cause may have the better and then that shall be called good falix prosperum scelus virtus vocaâ—ur and the good cause failing in the execution will have the denomination of bad and therefore I beleeve their great Major Crommell was in the right when he said if we prevayle our opposers will be acounted the grandest Traitors to the state that ever were and be used accordingly but if the King prevaile our undertaking will be judged the most horrid and blacke Rebellion that ever the sunne saw If therefore we will judge by the event we must suspend our sentence till all be done the good cause like good men growes illustrious by degrees as the sunne shines more and more bright toward the perfect dayâ— as the waters of Siloe run so doth Gods helpe often come to his people slowly but surely and though successe of late hath in some places favoured the Kings Enemies for the sins sake of us his followers yet I thinke Master Marshall cannot deny if he doth but remember that the King hath thriven somewhat since himselfe went downe with the Army towards Nottingham with this opinion in his heart and these words in his mouth for the incouragement of his Companions that the King might fly from place to place for a little while but there is no remedy he must yeeld and come in at last he cannot possibly withstand our great forces And I doubt not through the the mercy of our stong our just and holy God but in the end Master Marshalls quotation in his 17 pag. from Esa. 44.17 will be evidenced to be true no weapon can prosper that is formed against it the Kings cause and every tongue that rises up in judgement against it shall be condemned Fourthly and lastly we gather from Master Marshall pag. 18. that those who be of the Dragons Army of the Church malignant that have as in pag. 20. their names in the Dragons muster booke are none of the Church or people of God And herein he speaks most truly also But how shall we know who they are Master Marshall like a freind helps us in this too in the same place viz. the later end of the 18 pag. by his quotation of a Scriptures The first is Prov. 30.17 the eye
of the Cavileeres that he can see none of these miscarriages in his owne party or are they no miscarriages because they do them surely M. Marshall hath not discharged himselfe in that particular for which he entred his Office if by the word he meanes Gods word or else he is lesse perswasive and powerfull in his teaching then he was wont to be indeed being so farre out of Christs way no marvaile if God refuse to smile upon his labours with a blessing as heretofore But how mildely and mercifully M. Marshall doth teach those of his Faction and how according to the word to behave themselves we shall see hereafter in this his Sermon and perhaps shall thinke from what we shall therein finde that to behave themselves according to the word in his sense is to justifie themselves in their wicked waies by perverting and abusing the word for that is the thing which by his example he teacheth in the same and herein I confesse he hath been too unhappily successefull upon the weake spirits of the vulgar people But I returne from his selfe to his Sermon Now by this digression we have seene from M. Marshalls own writeings what is the foundation of that good opinion which himselfe and these of his side have of themselves and of their cause tâ—e Parliament judgeth so which is also the reason why the King and all his friends who are eminent in Wisedome Strength Authority or Riches must be beleived to mannage the ill Cause against the Lord and against his Church the Parliament iudgeth so And therefore 't is every mans duty to speak evill of them to reproach them to call them Papists and doggs yea and to do any mischiefe to them in deed that can be wished in word to seize upon their estates and to slaughter their bodies for the Parliament judgeth so Nor must any one doubt but in so doing he helpeth the Lord against the mighty for the Parliament judgeth so And if the Ministers on that side shall please to say that they doe not enter upon their Office in the Army to fight or to meddle in the Councell of Warre and notwithstanding shall manibus pedibusque with tooth and naile and tongue too stir as much and more then any against Law it selfe yet it must be apprehended that they doe all things well and as they should doe for the Parliament judgeth so And if in stead of teaching men to behave themselves according to the word they shall teach them to pervert the word for the justification of themselves in wayes of wrong and blood why this also is well done if the Parliament judgeth so In a word telling of untruths breaking of oathes resisting and defaming the King shedding of innocent blood and such like things if these 〈◊〉 whom the Parliament judgeth Gods people do commit them to promote that which they call the Lords cause are no transgressions but acts of Religion and zeale for the Parliament judgeth so This is the great and undeniable evidence the Parliament judgeth so But let me tell all men that the judgement of God is greater then that of the Parliament and he knoweth all things and will judge all men with righteouâ— judgement even these Parliament men themselves whom ere long he shall fetch before his Barre of Iustice their Militia shall not hinder him therein as it doth at this present his vicegerent and to that great and dreadfull Lord God I leave them and returne to Mr Marshall whose Misinterpretation of his Text we have in part seen and the ground thereof to be a false opinion of the infallibility of judgement in the Parliament I shall still follow him When he had in his sence expounded his Text he doth note by the way some observations before he concludes upon his main doctrine all which he should have done well to have quite omitted or else in more full and cleare tearmes to have propounded them they are these in their order Although Gods people {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} must blesse and not curse yet in some cases they may forsake mount Gerazim and ascend mount Eball and there curse and cursâ— bitterly Mr Marshall should have done well in a few wordes to have noted what cases those are for people being naturally inclined rather to curse then blesse are apt to be mistaken in thinking that to be a case which is not beside many true Godly people doe think that in no case they ought to curse in these daies because the Spirit of the Gospell is no cursing spirit nor are the times of the Gospell cursing times and the doctrine of the Gospell is blesse and curse not which they interpret in no case therefore I say M. Marshall should have done well to have set downe his cases which he would have excepted Although the Curse causelesse shall not come yet when Gods people according to Gods direction clave non errante doe curse their curse is like the flying rowle Zack 5.3 4. a consuming curse In this also Mr Marshall should have done well to have given some infallible Rules that people might know when they should curse according to Gods direction clave non errante for every man is ready to think himselfe a Pope and when ever he hath a provocation to curse to think that he hath that clavem non errantem in his possession though some Protestants question whether there be any such unerring Key committed to any upon earth or no The mighty doe frequently oppose the Lord it is no new thing to finde the mighty in strength the mighty in Authority the mighty in wealth the mighty in parts in Learning and Councell to ingage all against the Lord his Church and cause Here also M. Marshall might have done well to have distinguished upon the Mighty for those ignorant people that take M. Marshalls words for Scripture may perhaps misapply his meaning and from what they may learne in the next observation when they see any one of their own side grow mighty above others in â—uthority and wealth by meanes of those estates of other men which they hope shortly to enjoy they may take upon them to murder them and so some of the Worthy Members may chance to have their throats cut because in regard of their mightinesse they may be apprehended likely to oppose the Lord his Church and Cause for the mighty doe frequently do so saies M. Marshall Therefore had he said some of the mighty some of the wealthy do so it had been more safe and more advisedly spoken or had he used St Pauls modesty and saiâ—not many Noble not many Mighty not many Learned doe assist the Lord and his cause he had been lesse liable to misconstruction for not many doth not â—xclude all nor suggest a â—uspition of all but yeeldeth to Gods praise that some of eminent ranke in all Ages have been friends and defenders of the Church of God Indeed to that observation M. Marshall in some