Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	lord_n	people_n	4,203	5	4.5705	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90963	Clerico-classicum, or, The clergi-allarum to a third war. Being an answer to a pamphlet, intituled, A serious and faithfull representation of the judgements of ministers of the Gospel within the province of London, contained in a letter from them to the Generall and his Councell of Warre. Delivered to his Excellency by some of the subscribers, Jan. 18. 1648. Which may likewise serve for a brief answer to their late vindication, relating to their former actings, touching the capitall punishment of the person of the King. / By John Price, citizen of London.	Price, John, Citizen of London.	1649 (1649)	Wing P3340; Thomason E544_1; ESTC R204338	47,303	74

Standard against you then you stirre up the people from another Article of the Covenant engaging the discovery of all such as have beene or shall be Incendiaries Malignants or evill instruments by hindering thereformation of Religion and those pas●ges obliging the preservation of the rights and priviledges of Par●ament c. If the Parliament stand in your way and joyning ●ith the contrary party may hopefully help you slye to tha●●rt and article of the Covenant engaging for the preservation 〈◊〉 defence of the Kings Majesties person and Authority c. As 〈◊〉 the Scripture in the severall vein●s thereof and the Solemne ●ague and Covenant in all the Articles thereof intended ●othing else but Presbyterie and as if Presbyterie were no●●hing else but the lifting you up into an absolute indepen●ent uncontroulable Supremacy in all Ecclesiasticall dignity ●nd glory and by your example are all contrary paties taught 〈◊〉 plead the Covenant those that you call Sectaries Schisma●eks c. plead the Covenant engaging each to go● before other 〈◊〉 matters of Reformation The Presbyterian pleads Cove●●nt-engaging conformity as they urge with the Church of ●●●tland The Parliamenteer pleads Covenant engaging to ●●serve the rights and privledges of Parliament The Royallist ●●●ads Covenant engaging to preserve and defend the Kings Majesties Person and Authority The Armists plead Covenant ●●gaging to preserve the liberties of the Kingdome c. So that you have made the Covenant a meere contradictions thing like unto one of the Diabolicall Oracles of the Heathens spea●●ng nothing certaine but ambiguitie● but let us a little examine how pertinently you bring i● in in this place to shew the Parliament and Armie their wickednesse in going about to ●ring the late King to his Tryall for his vitious bloody and tyrannicall Government you put them in minde of their Solemn League and Covenant to preserve defend the Kings Majesties Person and Authority in the preservation and defence of 〈◊〉 Religion and Liberties of the kingdomes that the world may 〈◊〉 witnesse with our Consciences of our loyalty and that wee have 〈◊〉 thoughts or intentiens to diminish his Maj●sties just power and greatnesse First We were bound to preserve and defend his Person when we first took this Covenant and at that time you know very well you stirred up the people to sight against his Army though his Person was the Leader thereof which presume● first that either you perswaded the people against the 〈◊〉 of your owne consciences or secondly that you conceived that though his Person should be smitten into the chambers of Death by those that did fight against his Army yet they did not break the Covenant If so then there is a case wherein the KINGS Person may be ●ut off without breach of Covenant Secondly The oligation is for the preservation of his Person AVTHORITY not for his Person simply but his Person and Authority If both come in competition then the greater is to be prefer'd before the lesser that is his Authoririty before his Person If his Authority that is that by which the execution of all just lawes of the Kingdome is legally performed enjoynes the cutting off of Murtherers and Traitors by death if his Person be found to be a Murtherer or Traitor then either his authority or person must dye If his Authority dies then no Murtherers and Traitors or any other Delinquents must die or suffer for what reason can be given th●t the greatest Traitor or Murtherer should be spared and not others The nearer relations are the greater is the sinne of the violation thereof the King is the Father the Husband of his Countrey if he shall murther his Children his Spouse he deserves a sorer death then common murtherers doe● Treason is the betraying of just trusts the greater the trust the greater the treason the worse the Traitor the Covenant then engageth to preserve his Authority rather then his Parson for though his Person may be engaged against his people yet his authority cannot withstand his people no Prince having authority to destroy kill and murther his people it is true he may have potentiam but not potestatem an opportunity but not an authority might but not right hereunto If his person riseth up against his authority and his authority against his person if one of these must perish the Solemne League and Covenant obligeth us to preserve his authority though with the destruction of his person Thirdly The Covenant binds us to preserve his person in the preservation and defence of the true Religion true Religion doth not command to punish the poore and spare the rich true Religion doth not say if the Subject doe kill and murther rob and steale he shall be so and so punished but if the King doth these things a thousand times over he must not be medled withall by any but God alone true Religion saith he that sheds mans blood by man shall his blood be shed the murtherer shall surely be put to death the revenger of blood shall stay the murtherer c. If then the King be a murtherer true Religion comman●● that he be put to death true Religion as to matter of right or wrong maketh no difference nor hath respect of persone it doth not justifie the wicked though hee be never so great and whereas you may urge that the meaning of those Scriptures have a speciall reference to the Authority by which the murtherer must be put to death by man shall his blood be shed that is by man invested with lawfull authority not by every man or any man and that Court by which the King was condemned and executed was no more a lawfull Authority then the doing thereof by a private person having not the least colour of the law of the La●d for it Saith that profound Lawyer Mr. Love only as solemn a piece of mockery as ever was acted upon the stage of this world and so thin that every eye may pierce it and the solemnity thereof excepted the same with John of Leyden Saith another grave and judicious Divine Mr. Jenkin His life being taken away unjustly and his blood drawn by unrighteousnesse Saith another meek Minister of the Gospel Mr. Cauton an imbr●ing of their hands with the blood of their Soveraign Saith another pathetick and compassionate messenger of Jesus Christ M. Case a staining our Land with innocent blood and notorious scand●lizing the Protestant Religion say many of the Subscri●●● but to answer First This serious and faithfull representation of the judgement of Ministers of the Gospel within the Province of London doe not so much as intimate that the life of a King is in any case to be taken away but rather that the Lords Anointed at no hand must be touched and the truth is it is to be feared that this Doctrine preached by men of this Tribe was one of the great causes both of the Kings wicked and tyranni●ll government and so by consequence of his death and destruction so that if

and faithfull in the prosecution of your judgemen● i● general touching your own interest power and preferment we have reason enough to believe but how shall wee know when you are serious and faithfull in the REPRESENTATION of your judgement in any particular for we shall anon minde you of a represen●ation of your judgements and that by your s●lves as far differing from this as light i● from darknesse and yea from nay and we had as much and more ●eason to believe your seriousnesse and faithfulnesse in that representation of your judgements then in this the right eye whereof 〈…〉 darkened and the right hand so withered that there is ●arc● the least glimmering or motion of light or arguments ●or your judgement represented in all your letter and did not a ●resumptuous opinion swell in your mindes that your very ●●mes titles and presumed vocation viz. Ministers of the ●ospell Embassadours of Jesus Christ would challenge a ●uddaine entertainement of what ever you represent asking no question for conscience sake and that the rhetoricke of the bramble should silence the Vine and all the tree● of the Forrest you know our meaning you would never presen● the world with such a vaine poore ba●ron empty nothing for satisfaction in so great and weighty a cause as this which you c●ll A serious and faithfull representation of the judgements of Ministers of the Gospell within c. Your Letter stands though faintly upon four feet 1. The occasions of your writing it 2. The mattere criminall contained therein charged upon the Generall and Councel of Warre 3. The grounds and reasons of your charge proving the same 4. Your Ministerial advice and councel thereupon That they are all so feeble as not able to beare up your presumed authority thereof in the judgments of rational and ●●partial Readers wil quickly appear for First for the occasions of it which were First The severall applications as well by writing as verb●●ll messages inviting the Ministers of London or some of them 〈◊〉 meete with the Officers of the Army in their consultations 〈◊〉 matters of Religion page 1. 2. The refusall of these Ministers of Jesus Christ so invited 3. The reasons of this refusall From the first of these may wee not behold as on the one hand the Christian candor ingenuity and condiscention of the General and Councel of Warre forgetting the many false notorious and publique slanders of these men cast upon them from their pens and Pulpits from day to day endeavouring if it were possible to defile and be-spatter that garment of honour which God put upon them that they should apply themselves nay make several applications of themselves unto them send to them and write to them c. So on the other hand the domineering Lordly and Prelatical pride of these un-Christ-like Ministers of Jesus Christ that would not vouchsafe such a condiscention as to give them a meeting surely that Papal unction which was by the spirit from beneath powred forth upon the heads of the Popes of old time pussing up their minds to that measure of pride arrogancy and supercilliousnesse as Kings and Princes with their Wives and Children must gladly even with their hare feet attend their Holinesses pleasure day after day before their admission hath plentifully extended to the skirts of their cloathing these servi servorum dei these Ministers of the Gospel these zealous and hot disput●●● against the errours heresies and blasphemies of the Army cannot be prevailed withall by severall applications by writing by verball messages to advise counsell and direct them in matters of the greatest concernment to the whole Nation to prevent the subject-matter of their daily Pulpit-invectives against them from the power of tyranny and the pride of the Clargy 〈◊〉 nos Domine they can lift up their voyces like a Trumpet In most scandalon● accusations slanderous defa●●ations and bitter invectives allarming people against them but cannot he prevailed withall no not by severall applications of severall kinds to advise and consult to direct or instruct in the greatest matters concerning the good or evill saving or loosing the whole Nation is this while you have opportunity to doe good to all and is this is vindication of your Ministeriall function wherein you so often glory We Ministers of the Gospel within the Province of London hold it our duty as then to refuse any such meeting as was proposed so now to give your Lordship and Councell the reasons of that refusail lest by our silence we should seeme to be wanting in that ingenuity and candor which becomes all but especially the Ministers of Jesus Christ c. Wee Ministers of Jesus Christ within the Province of London what are the signes and tokens proving the same your ingenuity and candor which becomes the Ministers of Jesus Christ excellent a testimony whereof you give by all your carriages as to all men that observe your foot-steps so especially First To the Army calling them in your Pulpits a rebellious Army a generation of vipers a viprou● brood an oppressing Army an Army of Hereticks a Schismaticall Army an Army whose lives are not worth a prayer and whose deaths are not worth a teare an Army though conque●ing yet they were not fit nor worthy to conquer that wee had been better without those great victories then to have them by such hands Admirable ingenuity unparallel'd candor such ingenuity and candor appearing in Mr. Canton Mr. Cranford Mr. Case Mr. Love Mr. Jenkins Mr. Tailor and some others which did never appear in Peter James or John yea nor even in Jesus Christ himselfe Secondly Your ingenuity and candor further appeares by your submissive and Christian respects to authority especially the Parliament and as at all times so chiefly when they contend not though with the ruine of all for your greatnesse and interest then your Ministerial ingenuity and candor doe appear in all their glory calling them while they delay your work an apostatizing Parliament a Covenant-breaking Parliament a Parliament at whose doors may be laid all the errors heresies and blasphemies of the times a Parliament that hath wrought a great Reformation amongst us in Church State taking away High-commission Court Star-chamber Councel Table c. and bringing in the room thereof several Committees whose little fingers in way of oppression were heavier then the loins of the former Courts a Parliament suppressing Popery Ceremonies Crucifixes Crosses Service-book c. and in the roome thereof giving liberty of Conscience otherwise called a cursed tolleration of errours heresies blasphemies and all manner of licentiousnesse a Parliament that hath taken away Ship-money coat and conduct-money monopolies c. and in the roome thereof bringing in taxes assesments free-quarters and the heavy burthen and bondage of Excize which neither wee nor our Fathers were ever able to beare Is not this excellent Provinciall ingenuity and candor which further dazles mens eyes and therefore In the third place for the same of your ingenuity and

the ●ing Pu● them in minde to be subject to Principalities and powers Let every soule be subject to the higher powers c. Yet we heard not of these things from you when the mutinous Apprenti●es and others offered violence upon the Houses formerly spoken of no noise then of such Scriptures no putting m●n in minde to subject to Principalities and powers no such word as let every soule be subject to the higher powers c. As if these Scriptures were ad●led since that time Can you presume that men are so blind dull and 〈◊〉 as not to observe such partiall and crafty handling of the Scripturer word and will of God doe not these practises of yours● s●ttle and establish atheisme irrel●gion and profanen●sse among men making them to looke upon Religion the Gospell the Word of God a● upon a meere pee●e of jugling cheating and deceiving the World and should we take your counsell which you give us from the words of Solomon ●●ddle not with them that are given to change we should all turne S●paratists from you and your wayes who have beene as full of changes at the Vanes of your Steeples one while stirring up the people against the King and for the Parliament writing Books answering objections and using all manner of endeavours that way that so the Bishops may be dethroned and you advanced witnesse many of your Sermons preached before the Houses and else-where another while stirring up the people against the Parliament and for the King left the Independents should hinder your advance as you did of late in your Prayers and Preaching expressing greater malignity against the Parliament and their party and greater 〈◊〉 for the King and his interest then those very Ministers whose very places you possese they being sequestred and cast out for the tenths of that Anti-parliamentary malignancy which you have vented and indeed this is according to the example of your Fathers before you for it was generally observed of the Clergy of olde that in Henry the eighth ● time they were first for the Popes supremacy and then with the King for the Kings With Edward the sixth they were Protestants with Queene Mary Papists againe With Queen Elizabeth they faced about and of 9400. promotions not too of them stood firm Nay does not our owne age give sufficient testimony of the Clergies changes nay are not many of your selves living instances thereof have not you been for Bishops and against Bishops for Common-prayer for Geremonies and against them Have you not sworne and subscribed and subscribed and sworn over and over againe and againe conformity and subjection hereunto and yet cast away all and entered into Vowes and Covenants against all Can Dr. Burges Master Cauton and severall others of you deny this and yet now advise us not to meddle with them that are given to change You say page 5. It was deemed a horrible violation of the Priviledges of Parliaments in the King to come to seize upon the five Members in the beginning of this Parliament And you quote the opinion of the House for that purpose in their Order of the 3d of January 1641. What violation of their priviledges then must this needs be so and so aggravated to seize upon many c. I may answer you by telling you that you never 〈◊〉 that Order of the House in aggravating of the Appren●ion ●orcing of the House the last yeare and to give you any other ●nswer were but to beate the aire for 〈◊〉 are like to heare no reply to it having the art of neglecting all that hath been ●poken by way of satisfaction from the Army to this purpos●●nd insisting still upon matter of fact as if 〈◊〉 thereof ●ad been given in justification You tell us that both Houses of Parliament are joyntly cons●●ed with the King intrusted with the supreame Authority of the ●ingdome Page 6. I desire to know what you meane by the King his ●●●son or his Authority If his Person then have we been 〈◊〉 and you the cause of it stirring us up hereunto If you 〈…〉 Authority then let your Readers revise your Letter 〈◊〉 and they will see you say nothing but according 〈◊〉 your custome blinde the people which is not like that 〈…〉 and candor becomming Ministers of the Gospell of Jesus ●hrist But the maine thing you insist upon is the businesse of the Protestation Vow and Covenant and the Solemn League Covenant by these sacred gin● as you use them you presume 〈◊〉 the Scots Commissioners heretofore to catch us all 〈◊〉 ●our net doing little service thereby except to draw men into dishonorable thoughts of them and as you doe in 〈…〉 ●our Function of it selfe honourable and of God yet you ●ake it contemptible and vile even so in reference to these of themselves just and good you and chiefly you render them as an Almanack out of date for what doe you make especially of the Covenant but as some doe of the Scriptures a nose of wax making it to serve all their opinions to maintain all interests for doe not all men know that you were the men pressing people to oppose with-stand and fight against the King and that upon penalty of breaking the COVENANT of God the COVENANT of peace conjuring men as they would answer it before the Lord as they would not be counted COVENANT breakers Truce-breakers false to the COVENANT of their God c. to goe out to fight against the Lords Enemies to fight the Lords battles c. And now againe doe not you make the Covenant to serve the Malignants interest and the late Kings interest by pressing that article of the Covenant of preserving the Kings person honour and dignity c. and that with the same straines of sanctimony viz. by calling it the Oath of God the Covenant of God making Malignants jeere and laugh at you and those that did first hate the Covenant and some that never yet 〈◊〉 the Covenant to plead and argue our Covenant-breaking c. Did not some of you demand I● this preserving the person of the King by cutting off his head Mr. Yenkin Mr. Love Mr. Case Mr. Canton c. by murthering him by 〈◊〉 the Land with the blood of their Soveraigne c. And did not the King heretofore and Malignants with the like reason demand of you is this to preserve the person of the King to fight against him even in pitch'd Battles in this to maintaine his 〈◊〉 and dignity to charge him with all the blood that hath been 〈◊〉 c. But more particularly touching the Protestation May 5. 1641. the Vow and Covenant made afterwards and the solemn League and Covenant made after that From these mountaine● you strive though with very much devotion as Bala●● once did to curse the Army and Parliament when loe your cursings prove so only to their Authors and like the Conjurers in the Acts of the Apostles when the name of Jesus whom Paul preached was used as a piece

the King be murthered the Clergy of this Kingdome have murthered him one part of them being the cause of his sin filling and furnishing him with principles of tyranny and another party of them stirring up the people and conjuring them in the name of Christ to rise up against him and to oppose him even unto death Affirming that men guilty of blood must not be at peace with untill it be avenged page as Mr. Love in his Sermon at V●bridge did If so be that true religion which we have Covenanted to preserve doth teach this Doctrine these Subscribers in their serious and faithfull representation of their judgements may doe well to declare it Secondly If so be they will grant that Kings and Rulers are not to be suffered to live as they list to murther kill and destroy their Subjects to burne their Houses and ruine their Families at pleasure and never be accomptable for the same to their people over whom they were set but ought to be brought to punishment as many even of the Presbyterian● and Protestant Divines have held as shall be declared then if Kings may be dealt withall in a judiciary way why are they so angry that the late King was brought to cond●gne punishment if they say they had no authority to judge him I demand who had authority to doe it If they say no Court by the lawes of the Land had any authority hereunto then it would be worth our enquiring whether every man even to the last man left was not bound to lay his hands upon him for the murtherer must not be suffered to live but must surely be put to death the Land must not be defiled and polluted with blood If you say the Lords and Commons should have done it and not the Commons alone it is demanded what if the Lords refused to joyne with them and put them off by an adjournment of their House c. If it be replyed that then the whole Representative should doe it and above halfe of them were violently kept out of the House and detained prisoners making themselves thereby an unparliamentary Junto as Mr. Prinne called them it is replyed that those that were so detained voted a Treaty with the King after the Houses when they were free had resolved voted and declared upon pai● of Treason that there should be no further Addresse unto him nor any Message be carried from him both Kingdomes having declared against any Treaty with the King untill satisfaction for blood already spil● and security for the peace of the Kingdome endeavoured a peace with him and thereby to contract the guilt of the blood of the three Kingdomes upon the Land which those that had power and assistance to prevent ought not to suffer that true religion which wee had covenanted to preserve and defend requires satisfaction for blood And this is considerable that the commands of God to doe Judgement and Justice to put to death the Murtherer is given and delivered in the same phrase and manner of speech a● all the rest of the commands of God Thou shalt not kill thou shalt not steale c. So the lawes of punishing murtherers were given to the children of Israel and not to Moses ●●ly or the Judges and Princes In Israel N●mb 35. 10. And the Congregation was to judge betweene the slayer and the revenger of blood vers 24. Whether it was done wittingly and of purpose or by accident and it is said vers 31. YEE shall take no satisfaction for the life of a Murtherer c. And what is more common in Scripture then this that if the King doe popular wickednesse the people suffer because the King cannot doe such wickednesse but by the people and the people ought no● to suffer the King so to doe And if the people doe wickedly the King not punishing them the King suffers because did he execute judgement and justice the people would not doe wickedly and God hath not exposed either the King to suffer by the people or the people by the King without controul or just punishment proportionable unto their mutuall demerits and that the people should not suffer their Kings Rulers to doe wickedly but ought to punish them according to their demerits hath been the declared judgement of many Protestant Divinee I shall begin with one of these Subscribers not that I think he deserves the honour of priority but that his own● mistake may be the more obvious unto observation It is Mr. Christopher Love Pastor of Anne Aldersgate in his Sermon preached at Vxbridge and printed having spoken before of the blood-guiltinesse of the King yea intimated unnaturall and horrible blood-guiltinesse in him as if he had been guilty of K. James his death and Prince Henrie's death the blood of the Protestants in R●●hel and the Rebellion of Ireland and all the Protestant blood shed there pag 23. of the said Sermon stiled Englands Distemper and thereby made him the troubler of England as Achan was of Israel hath these words page 32. It was the Lord that troubled Achan because bee troubled Israel Oh that in this our State Physicians would resemble God to cut off those from the Land who have distemperd it Melius est 〈◊〉 perea● unus quamunitas Immedicabile vulnur Ense recidendum est ne pars sincer a trabatur But yet more plaine page 37. Speaking of those with whom we should not admit of a peace hath this intire sentence Thirdly Men who he under the guilt of much innocent blood are not meet persons to be at peace with till all the guilt of blood be expiated and avenged either by THE SWORD OF THE LAW OR LAW OF THE SWORD else a Peace can neither be safe nor just Mr. Love will not say that the King was not guilty of much innocent blood lest he should contradict himselfe neither will he say that blood-guiltinesse can be expiated but by blood lest he should contradict the Scriptures neither can he say but the King was cut off either by the sword of the Law OR LAW OF THE SWORD without which he hath already said that a Peace can neither be safe nor just Again Mr. John Knox the Scottish Reformer a man of known Religion and Learning of the Presbyterian judgment in his 78. page of his Book called the appellation of John Knox having declaimed against the establishment of Idolatrous and persecuting Kings and Rulers by the people hath these words Neither can oath or promise binde any such people to obey and maintaine Tyrants against God and his truth knowne but if rashly they viz. the people have promoted any manifest wicked person or yes ignorantly have chosen such an one as after declareth himselfe unworthy of Regiment over the people of God and such be all Idolatrous and cruell persecuters MOST JVLTLY MAY THE SAME MEN DEPOSE AND PVNISH HIM that unadvisedly before they did nominate appoint and elect Againe Doctor John Ponnet a Protestant Divine in his Book● called Ashore

whose prosperity some of ●id so earnestly pray unto God 〈◊〉 your Pulpits and some part 〈◊〉 the Army of England though under many disadvantages was about to engage against them prayer being solemnly ●ade unto God by the Commander in Chiefe * I. Gen. Cromwell impor●●●ing ●od that for as much as both parties did pretend unto the Covenant that they did refer themselves unto the Lord and ●egg'd from heaven to give sentence between them Doubt●esse either such pr●yers are vaine or God doth use to 〈◊〉 ●nd to inform us of his mind by answering herein so here when you have endeavoured to curse the Army from Parish to Parish and from Pulpit to Pulpit to sti●re up the City and Countrey to joyne with Malignants and Royallists against the Army assuring your party that God will breake them and rend them And another party of Ministers pray for them from Pulpit to Pulpit from place to place enconr●●ing them not to feare for God will be with them d●●htlesse the successe is very declara●●ve touching the will of God herein and especially In the second place when those success●● are carryed on from time to time in an uniform manner the Lord giving severall years successe upon their severall appeal unto him and yet more In the third place wh●n the glorious Majesty power and presence of God doth appeare after such appeales made unto God when the Lord doth as it were send the Ang●ll of his presence to save his people being few and the Angel of his fury to make the Armies the great and mighty hosts of the Enemie to flie and scatter as dust before the face of the winde when hee makes one to chaseten and two to put a hundred to flight when he breakes the heavens and comes down making the mountaines to flow downe at his presence when hee shall with alsmal inconsiderable Army of about 16000 men scattered and divided in severall dispersions East West North and South to destroy neare a hundred thousand men in armes as if the Scots Army the Welch Army the Kentish Army the Essex Army were considered it would appear besides the City and Ships all engaged yea and should take away the hearts and spirits of their Enemies and make the proud high and lofty thoughts of their adversaries to tremble Certainly such kinde of successes wherein God doth appear in the very majesty of his power and presence cannot but be very convincing touching the truth of their cause and you above all others who should rather exhort Malignants Royallists and the enemies of the peace and liberties of the Kingdome in generall and the people of God in speciall to give glory to God to cause the high praises of God to be in their l●ps who hath pul'd downe the mighty from their seate and raised up the poore out of the dust that he may set him with Prin●ces even the Princes of his people That the loftinesse of man is bowed downe and the haughtinesse of men is bowed downe and the Lord alone is exalted in the worke I appeale unto all your consciences whether God did ever appear since the comming of Christ in more visible characters prints of his foot steps then in bringing downe that proud Nimrod and in executing vengea●ce upon that hardned Pharaoh who did yet more and more harden his heart against all the wonderful appearances of God against him and would not bow and bend and subject himselfe unto the God of Israel Nay I appeal yet unto you whether the millions of prayers and teares that have been powred forth u●to God by his faithfull servants in publique and in private in Churches and in chambers did not beget a faithfull expectation that God would make him exemplary in mercy or judgement returning those prayers either upon his heart or head And I appeale likewise unto you whether he hath not answered such expectations accordingly causing him at such a time in such a manner to be brought to cond●gn punishment as was beyond all the expectations either of his friends or enemies the like n●ver known in our Nation And I appeal further unto you whether you doe not think in your consc●ences or have not sufficient reason so to doe that if ever he had come unto his Throne again he would not have made as great havocke of godly men whether Presbyteria● Independent or what ever else as Nero himselfe hath done and whether you would not have been driven into your old corners chamber● and closets and there teare him to pieces with your prayers is it not then to be lamented that you shou'd you above all others cast a blinde before mens eyes and hide the glorious presence and appearances of God evidenced by those great and most stupendious successes vouchsafed unto the Army in bringing that man of blood unto judgement The next thing you anticipate the Army is that they pla●●● not their justification of their present actings from impulses of spirit ●orpretended impressions on their hearts without or against the rule of Gods written word Page 13. of your Letter putting them to consider whether any history sacred or profane recordeth any example of an impulse of sp●rit falling upon multitudes of p●rsons at the same time putting them all at once upon perform●nces contrary to morall precepts c. It may be demanded of you who call your selves the Ministers of God and Embassadors of Jesus Christ and who wou●d be looked upon as guided by the Spirit of God and speaking in your Pulpits as he gives you utterance whether any history sacred or profane recordeth any example of the true spirit of God falling upon a great company of the faithfull Embassadours and true Ministers of Jesus Christ putting them all at once upon performances contrary to morall precepts and principles making them violate the rules of civility and honesty speake and write most notorious scandalous and known falsities when another part of the Ministers of Jesus Christ doe speak and write directly contrary unto ●he former This spirit that hath made you abuse the Army by casting filthy reproaches upon them and the Parliament by scandalizing the highest act of Justice that ever was performed in this Land calling it sedition rebellion murther staining the Land with the blood of their Soveraign I believe came not from above neither had it any higher ascent then the aire or an upper roome in Sion-Colledge from whence the City and Countrey-Ministers capable of the impression receive an impulse of spirit to speake and write as it were with one month and penne as that spirit of errour and scandall gives them utterance that the holy spirit of God makes no impressio●s upon the hearts of m●n without and against the word of God putting them upon performances contrary to morall precepes cannot be denyed but that there are such pretences either in the Army to whom you write or the Parliament or high Court of Justice who are alike concern'nd in what you say for doing such things