deprive you and your posterity of the future happy injoyment of so great a blessing Your Religion laws Liberty and property the compendium of all temporall happinesse doe now lye at stake in this unhappy contention and if you would be stript and divested of all these without which life is but a burden and that as a prologue of eternall infelicity ye most exact and compendious way to accomplish it is by erecting a Wall of division amongst your selves And if you would mainetaine and defend these as it concernes every one to doe who would not inslave himselfe and his whole posterity the onely meanes under God of preservation and continuation of our present felicity is by a sweet concord and union wherefore take your choice either divide and destroy or unite and preserve and over come either will perfect its worke amongst us But rather then live to see the former may Heaven be so proprious to me as to close mine eyes that they may not attest the just judgement of so unworthy an Apostesie or be sensible of the misery But yet to draw more close and neare unto you worthy Citizens this City is the Metropolis the onely renowned and famous City of the whole Kingdome that which hath bread and raised so many great and glorious lights both in Church and State the most faithfull and tender Mâ—ther to a vigilant and dutifull childe that ever England had where have you found men raised even from the most low and indigent condition to those vast and almost unfadomable Mines and Treasure of wealth that many men have attained to through their sedulous care and industry in this City Some of your Families being Noble others matched with Nobility and thousands of you attained to great dignities and I may justly say that this City never failed any man of his great reward that hath beene true and faithfull to God and his owne soule O then doe not by fraction and division amongst your selves goe about to destroy this great and glorious City your noursing Mother that hath bread nourished elevated you above the vulgar condition no greater or more crying sinne against nature and gratitude then this to be a cause or meanes of the destruction of that which hath beene thy life and preservation Matricide of all other crimes is the most unnaturall most detestable doe not to spare a poore patrimony which thou art not sure thou shalt preserve neither sell thy glorious Mother to utter ruine and confusion least one day the ruines and desolations of this famous City rise up in judgement against you it is division onely that can raze and overthrow it and unity alone that can and will preserve and support it Againe as this City is the greatest so it is the richest and most wealthy City in all the Kingdome this is as it were the Apotheca repository or Treasury of the Kingdome where the common Stocke or Treasure is reposited or laid up and is from hence as occasion cals for it disbursed scattered and diffused into the whole State Now would you keepe and preserve the Stocke and Treasure of the City the onely way to doe it is by unity division like a theefe will robbe and spoyle you of it and make the Cavaliers master of all you enjoy this is their hopes and you are their envy they long to enrich themselves by your Coffers rapine is their pray and livelyhood and they know here is good plunder I here is that that will make abundant restitution to such who pretending they have lost that they never had doe in these troubled waters make a rich booty of poverty and labour to patch up a decayed fortune by the ruines of others I this will make a full satisfaction to the Cavaliers if they could attaine it which judgement I beseech God divert from this poore distracted City for their ill service to the publique And let not those that are Malignant in the City out of I know not what vaine hopes promise to themselves a greater freedome or security in a common Plunder then others and so be wrought upon to betray this great and glorious City to utter ruine and destruction for let them know t is a mercy that none yet could meet withall to spare even their owne faction and why should they then feed themselves with such idle and almost impossible possibilities Besides the souldiary is for the most part the scumme and â—â—ffamanicke of the heady rude and untamed multitude made many degrees worse by that desperate and bloody profession and therefore it is not to be expected that they will shew favour to any when they have sufficient power and fit opportunity to be cruell or if they would shew mercy a rare and unusuall qualification with men of that profession doe you thinke or can you discover so much folly in your selves to beleeve that they would stand to dispute or enquire who are Malignants and who not or to sever the Goats from the Sheep and to spare the former but destroy the latter it is the extremity of folly to conceive it their necessity and cruell desire of spoyle and plunder would not permit them to make any demurre or distinction and rather then they would suffer one Round-head as those men of blood are pleased to style all such as are faithfull to God loyall to their King and true to their owne soules to escape free from the hand of violence such an odium they beare in their hearts to all honest men they would robbe and plunder their owne freinds and make such as a just judgement upon so horrid a Treachery prove actors in their owne ruine why then if this be true as I beleive every wise and judicious man will easily without much perswasion conceive so let this abate and conjure backe againe that dangerous destructive Spirit of division that is risen amongst us wee raised it and the Devill foments and increases it and if we be not the more vigilant and carefull over our selves and labour while it is time to reconcile and make up our fractions and oppositions will never be at rest or cease blowing of this Coale untill he hath made an unquenchable flame and fire amongst us let us not then nourish the Devill Brat or foster such a Scorpian in our breasts as will sting us to death and undoe us and our whole posterity for ever Againe this City is the Bâ—â—â— of malice against this doe the Cavaliers bond all their aimes as being their principall Opponent and maintainer of the cause in question T is you brave Citizens that have freely to the great honour of your Nation disbursed and expended your Treasure for the good of your King and Countrey and have withheld nothing neither estate nor persons which might conduce to your Countries welfare and happinesse for which Heaven grant you an eternall reward I say it is you and you alone that have beene the maine propp and support of the cause of God of our religion
of our Parliaments Liberties and properties and therefore you cannot but expect that this should swell and increase the envy of that faction against you and more inflame their blood to a revenge upon you then upon any part of the Nation besides of ways the more potent and noxious the enemy the greater is the heart of malice and envy against him Now this likewise should ingage you to a strong indisolvable Vnion one with another by how much the greater their malice is that maligâ—e you by so much the more should your love and intire affection be augmented amongst your selves when rapinous and devouring wolves hearde and fllock together that is not a time for innocent and harmelesse Sheepe to be divided and strayning one from another Lastlâ— this City is as the center or middle point or as the heart or life of the Kingdome upon this is the eye of the whole Nation the good or ill successe of this City hath an influence upon the whole common wealth and if the Cavaliers once getting footing here which Heaven forbid t will not then be difficulte to make a Conquest of the whole Kingdome and that bei g brought to passe we know that then we are ad arbitrium Principis at the arbitrary will of our Prince for all that we enjoy then that position of the Civilians one of the main grounds of our present contention would be good law Voluntas regis legis habet vigorem the will of the Prince is a law then would all depend upon our Soveraignes pleasure we could make no certain claime or title to any thing under heaven and what assurance can we hope to get of that eiâ—he◠〈◊〉 when 〈◊〉 Religion shall be forced from us Now on you noble Citizens and on you alone under God doth all the future happinesse of this Nation depend if you faint the whole Kingdome will presently faile fall and come to utter unavoidable desolation Consider with your selves that this is a blessed and honourable opportunity that God hath put into your hands and who knowes but for this very cause God increased your store and reserved you and it for this occasion to be the meanes of preservation of your King and Countrey and in them of your Religion Lawes and Liberties What greater renowne or honour can possibly befall you then this to be the supports and patrons of so great happinesse to your Countrey to preserve a bleeding fainting dying Kingdom from utter confusion and desolation In your hands under God is wrapt up our very life and happinesse and you have the honour of the blessed opportunity of continuing and maintaining both and what ingagement can be greater or give fuller satisfaction to the most vast illimited ambitious desire in the world O then let this likewise move you to continue firme stable and united one towards another considering that your fractions and divisions will not only destroy your selves but expidite and post on the ruine of the whole Nation and if by your division yov shall worke out your owne confusion and by conâ—equence undoe the Kingdome no doubt the desolations of poore deplorable England will one day be accounted upon your score and rise up in iudgement against the City O then for the Kingdomes your owne and your posterity sake which are all bound up in this opportunity imbrace unity and follow peace one with another be of one mind live in peace and the God of peace shall be with you 2 Cor. 13.11 Rom. 16. ver 7. I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them FJNJS
THE Doctrine of Vnitie OR An ANTIDOTE for the City of LONDON and therein for the whole Kingdome besides AGAINST DIVISION A certaine SYMPTOME of DESTRUCTION With a Caution for Malignants of the same City Ecce quam bonum quam jucundum est habitare fratres in unum NOva rerum facies Nay and we men too as well as things have put on new faces It is a difficultie to finde one man that hath not changed his opinion or metamorphosed his manners since the beginning of Parliament some varying in some things others in all but all in some Some turne to the King others to the Parliament and some turne round So that we men who should bee stable firme and constant in our judgements and opinions are now grown effeminate and change with every new moone nay and it is well if not before where can you find one of that gravitie and perseverance who can give you this account that he hath been always one No we have most ignobly degenerated from that virile and unshaken spirit that every Heroick mind ought to carry along with it And though it be plausible for a man sometimes mutare sententiam upon better ground and reason for no man ought so to sacrifice to his own Net or to adore his own judgement or opinion as not to be counterpoised or over-ballanced by better and more cleare principles of reason yet for a man like a weather-cock to have no certaine station but to vary according to the incertaine blast of fame or the severall opinions of those many companies and associates he meets with all is extreamly fanaticke and ridiculous And I wish that there were not to many amongst us dangerous men who in these dubious and uncertaine times know not in case a storme should arise where to cast Anchor who by their division and opposition have talked themselves quite beside their reason having no dependance but upon a future incertaine opportunity which they are ready to imbrace whensoever it shall offer it selfe be it on which side it will The most prevalent party shall sway their judgement and as the doubtfull successe of warre shall appeare to either side whether seemingly or certainly to crowne their indeavours so will these men like an over or under charged ballance goe up or down And these are they who cry downe siding faction and sedition and justly to while in the meane time they are the most dangerous men who know not the treachery that is lodged in their owne hearts but hang upon the tenter of an uncertain event whether agreeable to or against conscience And who more likely what ever they pretend to blow the miserable and unhappy coale of sedition and division amongst us than such who watch their opportunity to raise themselves by the ruine of others Neutrality alwayes carries with it an eye of policy And though I cannot but acknowledge my selfe an enemy to the Cavalliers yet I must professe to the whole world that my conscience instructs me that I have more reason to dread the former than the latter by how much the more a clandestine and unknowne enemy is to be feared above an open and profest one And for my part I desire to stand neuter as to either of these But now give me leave to inform our grave and wise Citizens for the spring approaches in which we must expecta 2d attempt if not before prevented by a seasonable accoÌ„modation upon what pinne the danger of this famous Metropolis hangs and that is upon the imminent hazard of fraction and division the certaine carecter of ruine and confusion It is the Divils position too too much practised now adayes by his Agents and instruments divide and overcome No way like that to faciâ—ate a conquest For as in a great Arm 〈◊〉 let the body keepe intire and undevided many thousands happily will not overcome them but disperse and divide them into smaller bodies and then that force which might bee before almost invincible may now be put to flight and be routed if not destroyed by a petty inconsiderable Army Or as it is with a mans hand one finger by it selfe hath but little strength it it but take the whole hand together with the united some of all the fingers and then it will prove very strong and potent So it is with this City while it remaines intire without rents and divisions all joyntly combining for the good of the publique it is like an impregnable Fort not to be taken by a farre greater power then the Cavaliers dare lay claime to But if once divided then it is layed open and made obnoxious to the might and power of the Enemy and is easily overcome you know who said it a Kingdome divided within it selfe cannot stand and if it were possible that hell could bee divided it would come to utter ruine and desolation of such power and force are schismes and divisions This is that which is the odium of Heaven the delight of hell and the ruine of us poore mortals This is that feed which the Divell and Antichrist so wâ—â—â—â— scatters throughout the whole world raising 〈◊〉 against 〈◊〉 pâ—â—ner against power a Kingdome City and Country against themselves Were it not for this no people or persons could ever be made miserable O then worthy Citizens whose piety and zeale to the publike will bee for ever admired and renowned in succeeding ages Vnite your selves by a strong tye and obligation to serve your King and Countrey And let not the policy of the subtill adversary divide you one from another consider that it is the Divels stratageme more practised now than ever and if you ruine not your selves t is not any externall force or power can hurt you Vnion in a good cause is the ioy of heaven the envie of Hell and the happinesse of men T is that which now puts a Price into your hands of being for ever happy T is that and nothing else under heaven that can secure you from the Common adversary seeing that there are so many fratres in malo combined together against you doth it not concerne you to become fratres in bono wherefore let us all joyne in a solemne vow never to diserte the cause untill heaven crowne our desires with a blessed issue T is for out Religion then which nothing on this side heaven more precious This is that which through the divine assistance gives wings to the soule and makes it sore aloft never suffering it to be at rest untill with a holy impatience it hath got into and reposed it selfe in Abrahams bosome while all other terrene and sublunary happinesse whatsoever is but like to golden chaines cloggs and fetters binding us over to these uncertaine vanities dividing betwixt us and heaven depressing and detruding the soule into the lowest centre This is that which sweetens and adds a pleasant sâ— pour to all other fading and momentany happinesse were it not for a future expectancy of heaven what would the short