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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85396	Hybristodikai. The obstructours of justice. Or a defence of the honourable sentence passed upon the late King, by the High Court of Justice. Opposed chiefly to the serious and faithfull representation and vindication of some of the ministers of London. As also to, The humble addresse of Dr. Hamond, to His Excellencie and Councel of warre. Wherein the justice, and equitie of the said sentence is demonstratively asserted, as well upon clear texts of Scripture, as principles of reason, grounds of law, authorities, presidents, as well forreign, as domestique. Together with, a brief reply to Mr. John Geree's book, intituled, Might overcoming right: wherein the act of the Armie in garbling the Parliament, is further cleared. As also, some further reckonings between thesaid [sic] Dr. Hamond and the authour, made straight. / By John Goodwin.	Goodwin, John, 1594?-1665.; Glover, George, b. ca. 1618, engraver.	1649 (1649)	Wing G1170; Thomason E557_2; ESTC R12380	138,495	164

doth more deeply pierce or wound the conscience under the guilt of sin than the rememberance of those great and many ingagements which God hath laid upon the sinner to abstain from all iniquity as there is nothing more sovereign or efficacious to preserve men from the perpetrating of sin under tentation than such a consideration or rememberance Gen. 39. 9 2. Sam. 12 7 8 9. Mat. 18 32 33. c. But I hasten Enough I presume with advantage hath before this been Sect. 83 argued to wash off the colour of this plea The proceedings against the King are not justifiable because he had no reasonable ground or means whereby to conceive or judge that his life could lawfully be taken from him for those crimes for which he was sentenced To omit severall other things which have received a just debate sufficient to reconcile this pretence with the sentence awarded against the King that the Law of God against Murtherers and unjust shedders of bloud so oft repeated in the Scriptures so fully explained and vindicated in this Discourse gave light in abundance unto the King whereby to see and understand that for those very crimes and bloudy perpetrations of which he was arreigned his life was obnoxious to the hand of humane Justice or rather of Divine Justice executable by the hands of men So that if he were ignorant of his liablenesse unto death for the misdemeanours committed by him it was Ignorantia Juris non facti which as Aristotle saith excuseth no man Besides the frequent cases and examples of Justice executed upon Kings by their Subjects obvious as well in the Records of Scriptures as in the Histories of many Nations a first-fruit whereof hath been presented in this Treatise were abundantly sufficient to give the light of this information unto him that if he sinned against the bloud of his people it would render him ipso facto a child of death Besides had he not defaced that writing which was written by the finger of God himself in the tables of his own heart here might he have read it in characters legible enough that he that unjustly takes away the life of another makes a present forfeiture unto Justice of his own Nor was the taking of the Protestation or National Covenant Sect. 84 by the Parliament and Kingdom after the Kings ingagement in bloud any sna●e upon him in this kind as ministering any sufficient ground unto him to conceive or judge that Kings might destroy the lives of their Subjects as they pleased without being countable unto the Justice of their Laws for the same It is contrary to all principles of reason or common sence to think that either the Parliament or Kingdom should do any such act which in the direct and native tendencie of it should either flatter or incourage the King in wayes so out●agiously destructive to their lives Liberties Estates as those were wherein he was now driving furiously when the Protestation and solemn Covenant were taken by them But such an Act as this do they pretend to be done by them who affirm that by their taking the Protestation and Covenant for the Preservation of the Kings Person after he had lift up his hand unto bloud they ministered a sufficient ground unto him to conceive either that for what he had already done in that way he was not obnoxious either to the Law of God nor to the Laws of the Land inflicting death but especially to conceive that what progresse or advance soever he should make in the same way yet they meant never to question him but to make the ●hoicest threasure of his life though he should make the ●●se●● dong●e of all theirs But the substance of this plea was formerly weighed in the balance and found too light when we clearly proved that there was no ingagement made by any man in taking either the Vow Prot●station or Covenant for the Preservation of the Kings life or Person but onely conditionall that none of those conditions for there were more than one upon which the takers of any of the three became actually ingaged o● bound to the said Preservation were performed by the King And the truth is that all that was ministered by way of occasion or ground unto the King by those Acts of the Parliament and Kingdom lately mentioned was for him to judge and conceive 1. that they both affectionately desired his honour life and happinesse 2. That in case they could not procure or obtain them in conjunction with the liberties peace and safety of the Kingdom that they meant to provide for these whatsoever became of the other To draw towards a Conclusion of the present debate if Sect. 85 the righteousnesse of the Sentence passed upon the King be not impleadeable by the office of a King vested in him much lesse is it impeacheable by his innocencie Doubtlesse never was there any person under heaven sentenced with death upon more equitable or just grounds in respect of guilt and demerit As for Ner● Maximinus and other Heathen Tyrants though the letter of their guilt might possible be as deep or deeper than his yet the spirit of it was but light and shallow in comparison They wanted the light of that knowledge without which though men may be monstrously wicked yet are they not capable of admission into the Congregation of the first-born of sinners The King abounded with this light at least comparatively wrought in the face of it works of darknesse horrid works of darknesse Oh how great was the darknesse of such works Some rise up early to commend and praise him for his parts of knowledge wisdom understanding c. but do these men know that speaking these things they put him to the greater rebuke and justifie his Judges who condemned him so much the more That servant saith the great and righteous Judge of all the earth which knew his Lords will and prepared not himself neither did according to his will shall be ●eaten with many stroaks * Luk. 12. 47. Knowledge and ●●derstanding are the great inh●●nsers of sin and cause the fo●●ace of hell to be h●● s●ven times hotter than ordinary But for the criminal demerits of the King which make the righteousnesse of the Sentence against him like unto the light at noon-day I shall not mention th●● in words of mine own l●st I be charged with undue aggravations but shall present them in such ●●●ms wherein his best and most cordiall Friends at least in appearance and such who took hold of shield and buckler for his Defence in the time of his greatest danger have before me represented them unto the world M r. Prynne who in zeal to the Kings cause attempted to Sect. 86 shake Heaven and Earth and who because he could not with Joshua cause the Sun to stand still in the midst of heaven untill he had acted his part in favour of him procured in stead thereof the turning of a naturall night into an

by the Laws of that State wherein he ruleth I doe not much fear to refer to the arbitration of the Doctours himself Again if the power of Kings over the lives of men were Sect. 23 by immediate derivation from God then must this power be uniform of the ●ame measure and extent in all polities and Kingdoms whatsoever If so then will it follow either that there is no just power of this kind I mean just in the compasse of it in any King now reigning upon the earth or in case there be some one King whose power over the lives of his Subjects is just that the power which is owned or exercised by all other Kings not being every waves commensureable with this is unlawfull and unjust First not to reflect upon the Doctours abilities in the least I beleeve it is above their sphere to prove that any King under heaven either hath claimeth or exerciseth any such dim●●s●●n or exact proportion of power over the lives of his Subjects which upon the supposall of an immediate derivation from God is onely competible unto him For whatsoever proceeds immediately from God and without all association of second causes for in or towards the production of it must needs be absolutely perfect and compleat for the kind Therefore they who affirm that that power which any particular King in the world claimeth and exerciseth over the lives of his subjects is by an immediate investiture or derivation from God run an extream hazard of blaspheming God or at least of ascribing that to him which is unworthy of him Secondly there being scarsely two Polities States or Kingdoms in the world wherein the power claimed and exercised by their Kings or Supreme Rulers over the lives of their Subjects is every wayes commensurable and co-extensive the one with the other it must needs follow that the power in this kind generally claimed and exercised by Kings is irregular and unjust and consequently not of any immediate derivation from God Yet again to aff●rm that the power which Kings have over Sect. 24 the lives of their people by immediate influx and derivation from God is to smite them with blindnesse and to put them into as ill a capacity for the finding of this their power or what it is as the m●n of Sodom were in when they wearied themselves with se●king ●…'s door Gen 19. 11. For what light can such affirmers exhibit unto Kings whereby to discover and find out the Alpha and Omega the Dan and the Beersheba of such their power If they claim ●nd exercise a narrower and more contracted power than that which is supposed to be immediately confer'd upon them by God they make themselves transgressours by not fulfilling the Ministery and trust which they receive from God If they claim and exerci●e a larger power than that so derived unto them they sin on the other hand by usurpation To leave them to their own judgements and consciences for their information about the true compasse and content of their power is to turn them over to blind guides and to tempt them to make their lusts their Teachers To send them to the Scriptures or Word of God as to the Judicials of Moses or the like for their direction in this kind is constructively to exauthorize States-men and persons of civil imployment from legis-lation at least in criminall matters which concern the lives of men and to interesse Divines and Clergie-men in that affair at whose mouths the Law of God .i. the mind of God in his Law is to be sought and of right should be found So that the Doctours opinion concerning the immediate derivation of Kingly power from God is of a very ensnaring nature unto Kings of a disturbing nature unto States and directly tends either to send this power into a land of darknesse where it shall never be seen or found by any man or else to make it as unnaturall and monstrous as Kings themselves please Once more and so enough of this for the present if the said Sect. 25 Opinion be Orthodox and Authentique then can no act of the People contribute any thing in one kind or other towards the investiture of the King with that power which he hath over their lives This is evident For that derivation which is immediate from God can be no wayes assisted furthered or promoted by any creature or second means But certain it is that the derivation of that power we now speak of upon the King is either properly effected or at least furthered by an act of the people and particularly either by that act of theirs by which they elect or else that by which they create and make him King Ergo. The assumption stands firm upon this ground No King is invested with power over the lives of the people neither by God nor otherwise untill he be their King either actually as by Creation Installment or Coronation or designatively as by Nomination or Election and this either formall and explicit as when the people meet and vote such or such a man King or else vertuall and interpretative as when the people having formerly consented to receive the heir in such or such a race or family for their King successively do not upon a vacancie of the Throne by death expresse any revokement of that their grant or consent So then the people must of necessity act either by Electing or by Creating the King or both in order to the investing of him with such a power over the lives of his Subjects as we speak of before he be invested herewith which plainly shews that this investiture or power accrueth not unto him by any immediate derivation from God but by the intervening at least of the Act of the people either as hath been said Electing or Creating him for their King or both And the Truth is supposing that power over the lives of men hitherto so much spoken of to be essentiall to the Kingly Office and Dignity which is I question not the ready and round sence of the Doctour and withall that this power is not derived thereunto by the people but immediately from God it undeniably follows that the people have no sufficient interest or right of power either to chuse or create any King for themselves Nor can they assure themselves that that person whom they chuse create and call their King is truly such or that he hath any power at all over the life 's of his Subjects unlesse they suppose it to be conferred upon them by themselves it being impossible by what hath been argued to the contrary that they should have any assurance that it is conferred upon him immediatly by God Th●se things considered had the Doctour think we any Sect. 26 such great cause to greet his Excellencie and Councel of war with such an over-weening insinuation and conceit not onely of the high-convincing power but of the raritie also and unheard-of-nesse of his Notion as is expressed in these words p.

Thou see'st not whom thou see'st then doe not say That this is HEE who cash a lump of clay Without it's soule a man● thou see'st ne● more Nay but the SHADOW of that lumpe what 〈…〉 Of gifts and graces what perfections rare Among ten thousand persons scatt'red are Gather in one Imagine it to bee This SHADOWES substance and then say us HEE DT G G sc●●t Ὑβριστοδικαι THE OBSTRVCTOVRS OF JUSTICE OR A Defence of the Honourable SENTENCE passed upon the late KING by the High COURT of JUSTICE Opposed chiefly to The Serious and Faithfull Representation and Vindication of some of The Ministers of LONDON As also to The Humble Addresse of D r. HAMOND to His Excellencie and Councel of Warre Wherein the Justice and Equitie of the said SENTENCE is Demonstratively Asserted as well upon clear texts of Scripture as principles of Reason grounds of Law Authorities Presidents as well Forreign as Domestique Together with A brief Reply to M r. Jolm Geree's Book intituled Might overcoming Right wherein the Act of the Armie in garbling the Parliament is further cleared As also Some further Reckonings between the said Dr. Hamond and the Authour made straight By JOHN GOODWIN But thou O God shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction bloudie and deceitfull men shall not live out half their dayes Psal 55. 23. Howl Fir-tree for the Cedar is fallen Zech. 11. 2. And all the people of the land rejoyced and the citie was in quiet For * So the former Transl read it 〈◊〉 and Tr●mell Post q●●● ● after that they had slain Athaliah with the sword beside the Kings house 2. Kings 11. 20. Fiat Justitia ruat Coelum Ad Generum Cereris sine caede sanguine pauci Descendunt Reges siccâ morte Tyranni Juven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. Odyss LONDON Printed for Henry Cripps and Lodowick LLoyd and are to be sold in Popes-head-Alley 1649. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE COMMONS of ENGLAND Assembled in Parliament RIGHT HONOVRABLE THe Glorious God who as Elihu saith accepteth not the persons of Princes * Jo● ●4 19 hath by your hand cast down the mighty from their seat his next work I trust will be the exaltation of those of low degree by the same hand I mean the redemption of this poor afflicted distracted distressed and long oppressed Nation out of all her troubles I confes when I look upon the manifold grand discouragements which you still meet with from the unthankfulnesse of that People with whose liberties comforts and well being in every kind your soul daily is in travail I apprehend great cause of fear lest your hands should hang down from the work considering that the arm of omnipotencie it self contracted an impotencie when time was from the unworthinesse of those for whose sake it was otherwise readie to have lift up it self gloriously And he COVLD ●aith Mark speaking of the Lord Christ being now in his own countrey there DO NO MIGHTY WORK * M●●● 6. 5. the reason whereof is plainly expressed by another Evangelist viz. because of their unbelief † Matth. 1● ●● ● by a metonymie of the effect put for the cause because of the frowardnesse and great aversnesse of their spirits either to inquire after or to consider of such things which were proper and effectuall being duly considered to have raised a belief in them that he indeed was their Messiah He COVLD DO NO mightie work for this People .i. he had no mind no desire the want whereof is an impotencie ●s to action to gratif●e so unworthy a generation of men at so high a rate Or else He could do no mighty work c. ● it was repugnant to the Law of that wisdom and righteousnesse by which as God he governs the world for him to do any matters of that sacred import for such men But he who once by himself could do no mighty work for a carelesse froward and thanklesse People at another time by Moses his servant was able and willing too to bring water in abundance out of a rock for the preservation of the lives of such men and their cattell whom Moses himself thought it no wrong to call Rebels * M●●●●● 1● 11. As the Devil whether through want of will or of power otherwise i● not so ●a●●e to determine is not wont to work those mischiefs in the world immediately or by himself which he frequently worketh by the mediation of Witches and other Instruments anointed by him for his service so neither is the glorious God pleased to act such matters of Grace for the children of men with his arm unbared which he is many times readie and willing to do for them when he hath Agents at hand taken from amongst m●n pleasing to him and meet to make a covering for his arm in reference unto such actions Thus whilest he had Joshua by whom to negotiate the affair and so those Elders who had lived with Joshua and out-lived him he kept the people of Israel from Idolatry * Josh 24. 31. Afterwards he did the like by the hand of those Judges whom he was pleased in a way more than ordinarie to raise up and set over them whereas still in the intervalls between Judge and Judge which were sometimes larger and sometimes lesser he suffered this People to turn aside after Idols In like manner by the hand of the faithfull High-Priest ●●●●●ada whilest he was in being he steered the young King ●●●sh in wayes that were good but his Instrument and Steers-man failing him by death he suffered this King to ruin himself by groves and Idols † Esa 31 3. Examples in this kind are no ●arities in Scripture The 2 Chr. 24 ●● 18. hope I have that God hath fitted you for a covering of complacencie and delight to his own arm in order to the lifting up of this poor Nation from the gates of death will not I trust make me ashamed I beseech you therefore know no discouragements after the flesh Your enemies ar● m●n and not God and th●i● horses fl●sh and not spirit * W●●● the Lord shall stretch out his hand both he that helpeth your opposers and he that is holpen shall fall down and they shall all fail tog●th●r There is but a st●p between those mountains which magnifie themselves against you and their melting down into plains You know who it is that onely by touching the mountains makes them to smoke If you value your selves by your selves and by your friends made of men you estimate your hay and stubble but forget your silver and gold The strength of the Almightie becomes yours onely by-laying claim to it and dependance on it How came Ch●mosh to be the god of the Moab●t●s or Ashtaroth the god of the ●●donians Did these relations acc●ue unto them upon any other account than meerly their own choise of these abominations to serve and worship them as Gods If you

aggravating circumstance one or more the Justice of God in this case may well be conceived proportionably to allow somewhat out of course and above the rule for ordinary cases touching the manner of inflicting the punishment When a sin which for the kind of it and without any aggravating circumstance deserveth death is committed with any unnaturall and execrable aggravation besides God usually covereth all irregulariti●s which are found in or about the Execution of Justice upon the sinner and justifieth the Execution though it be not managed in all circumstances according to standing rules of Justice in ordinary cases There is the same consideration of the fact of E●ud in killing Eglon unto whom by right of conquest the Israelites had now been in subjection 18 years For howsoever some Court Rabbies secretly to enchant Kings into Tyrants for their unworthy ends have endeavoured to disguise the face of this example also and to make it look like the naturall off-spring of some super-Scripturall converse between God and the spirit of the Actour yet hath the devise been too hard for them to perform neither Scripture nor sound reason affording any assistance to the attempt But this by the way Thus then we see that according to the Scriptures when Sect. 44 Superiour Magistrates faulter in such executions of just Laws which properly and by office belong unto them the right of these Executions acc●ue to the Inferiour and in case these faulter and fail likewise the power right and care of all such executions devolves not onely by way of right or power but of duty also upon the people Nor is this principle of Devolution in case of failer in the Superiour asserted onely by God in the Scriptures our adversaries themselves in the ca●se now under plea are friendly yea and zealous assertours of it also The Scottish Covenanters in the year 1639. upon the Kings delay in calling their Nationall Synod published a writing to this purpose that the power of calling a Synod in case the Prince be an enemie to the Truth or negligent in promoting the Churches good is in the Church it self * T●● M●● 〈◊〉 ●●●●●l●…nt c. l●b 3 ● ●● M r. Prynne borrowing Junius Brutus his pen in case of the incroachment of Tyranny upon the people w●o as he saith are Lords of the Publick from the Prince and the conniveance or collusion of most of the Nobles doth not onely acknowledge it as a thing lawfull but enforceth it as a duty and matter of conscience that any one of the Nobles who considers the inc●oaching Tyranny and detests it from ●is soul take care lest the Common-wealth receive any detriment Yea saith he he shall preserve the Ki●gdom even against the Kings will and resistance by which ●e ●imself becomes a King * 〈…〉 c. with much more to like purpo●e So that M r. Prynne is clear that in case the next of kin refuseth he that is more remote may lawfully take the relict to wife In the Tractate last mentioned he c●teth the Judgement of Georgius Ob●●c●us a great Lawyer wit● severall others standing to the same point M● R●t●e●ford the great Patron of Presbytery notwithstanding patronizeth also that devolution we speak of Convention of the Subject saith he in a tumultuary way for a s●ditious end to make War without warrant of Law is forbidden but not when Religion Laws Liberties invasion of forreign enemies neces●itat●th the subjects to convern though the King and ordinary Judicat●res going a corrupt way to pervert judgement shall refuse to consent to their conventions c. * 〈…〉 And more plainly in another place When the King defendeth not true Religion but presseth upon the people a false and Idolatrous R●ligion in that they are not under the King but are presumed to have no King eatenus so far and are presumed to have the power in themselves as if they ●ad not appointed any King at all as if we presume the b●dy had given to the right hand a power to war● off strokes and to defend the body if the right hand should by a palsie or some other disease become impotent and be withered up when ill is coming on the body it is presumed that the power of defence is recurred to the left hand and to the rest of the body to defend it self in this case as if the body had no right hand and had never c●mmunicated any power to the right ●and at all * 〈…〉 Long before him M r. John Knox his country-man and great Architect of the Presbyterian disciplin in Scotland in a generall Assembl● a●ouched it in a dispute against Lethington Secretarie of State to be the judgement of Calvin and of the most godly and most learned Presbyterian Divines that be in Europe that the Inferiour Magistrates and upon their final default the people may and ought to execute their Princes for murthering or destroying there liege Subjects Pol●nus a learned man and a Reformed Divine of good note expresly granteth that when Bishops and Ecclesiastiques are defective either in will or skill for the Reformation of Religion and the Church laiques or private men may lawfully supply their defect herein and act the part of Bishops or Ecclesiasticall persons in such Reformation * 〈…〉 So that opinion which asserteth the right of Authoritative Executions unto Inferiour Magistrates though properly and primarily appertaining unto Superiour when these neglect or refuse them and unto the people when all Magistracie as well that which is Inferiour as that which is Superiour neglect them is no Independent opinion much lesse any private opinion of mine own it is the signall Doctrine of the greatest Rabbies in the Presbyterian School Let me adde this from a late writer that from dilig●nt search m●de into our ancient books of Law it is affirmed that the Peers and Barons of England had a legall right to judge the King which was the cause most likely for it could be no slight c●●se that they were called his Peers and Equalls And to conclude as to this point this present Parliament whilst as yet the Legality of it was not questioned in the least through any dismembering or otherwise and whilst it was as yet it remains for ought I know Presbyterian enough viz. in May 164● upon that Kings refusall of the Bill for the calling of the Assembly o●t tendered unto him fell to argue fully a●gued what i●●●c● cas●● might ●e done by Authority of Parliament when t●e Kingdoms g●●d is so m●ch concerned when a King refuseth a●● abs●nt●th himself from the Parliament And at last it was brought to this Conclusion that an Ordinance of Parliament wh●r● t●e King is so absent and refusing is by the Laws of the Land of as good Authority to ●ind the peo●le for the time present as a● A●● of Parliam●nt it self can be * Th● M●● H●●● ●●●●r●…● l●b ● ● ●● Therefore this Conclusion stands like a great mountain immoveable that the Justice and

done by the Parliament which his constant Judgement was could not be done without sin If so he hath no part or fellowship in that blessednesse which the Apostle pronounceth over him that condemneth not himself in what ●● alloweth * Rom. 14 ●● Or did the wind of this mans Judgement blow to the same point of the compasse at which it stands both in the Representation and Vindication when a few pages after in the same Sermon he dogmatized thus Men who lie under the guilt of much innocent bloud are not meet persons to be at peace with till all the guilt of bloud be expiated and avenged either by the sword of the Law or by the Law of the sword else a Peace can neither be safe or just Though I do not find any great store of good sence in this period which seemes to suppose that a Peace can neither ●e safe or just with a person guilty of much innocent bloud untill he be dead yet the Authour clearly supposeth ● That the King lay under the guilt of much innocent bloud 2. that such guilt ought to be expiated and avenged by the sword either of the Magistrate or the Souldier His meaning cannot be that the guilt contracted by and which lay upon the King should be expiated or avenged upon the person of another man though this seemes to b● M● Gerees Divinitie * Might ove●●oming Right pa● ●● c. because the Peace now endeavoured by Treaty was to have been made and concluded chiefly with the King If then M r. Love be so infected with the dangerous Errour of ●uto-catacritisme I fear there are very many of his fellow-Subscribers in the same Condemnation with him For it is well known and commonly talked that the Sons of high Presbytery have still in matters of opinion relating to their Interest but one Judgement amongst them which serves them all and which they weather as Mariners do their sail● upon all occasions according to the shiftings of the wind The latter of the two home-Authours mentioned is M● William Sect. 70 Prynne who though no Divine by profession yet a Protestant yea and a Divine too both by competency of faculty and super-frequencie of ingagement since the sitting of this present Parliament hath written and published a large volume intituled The Soveraign power of Parliaments and Kingdoms wherein if the frontispiece be not too high for the edifice the Superiority of our own and m●st other forreign Parliaments States Kingdoms Magistrates Colle●tively con●idered over and above their lawfull Emperours Kings Princes is abundantly evinced confirmed by pr●gnant Re●sons Resolutions Precedents Histories Authorites of all sorts the contrary refelled And all Objections Calumnies of the King his Councel Royalists Mal●gnants Delinquents Papists against this present Parliaments proceedings pretended to be exceeding derogatorie to the Kings Supremacy and Subjects libertie satisfactorily answered refu●ed diss●pated in all particulars This book all circumstances considered as 1. the subject matter of it 2. the Author of it a man of ●minent learning and great Mecenas to the Pr●●byterian cause 3. the largenesse and comprehensive fulnesse of the discourse 4. the ti●e wherein it had been ●xtant and every where to ●e had when the Ministers subscribed their Representation and Vindication being four or five years at the least 5. the Grand and pressing occasion which of later times lay upon all conscientious men and more especially upon them themselves in regard of their solemn undertakings to Stigmatize as they have done the proceedings against the King to inquire into the argument for satisfaction all these circumstances I say with some others of like nature duly considered is it possible to imagine that the Ministers had not seen this book or at least known or heard of the judgement of the Authour therein about that great question concerning the power of Parliaments over Kings so largely there debated when they subscribed both the said Subscriptions If they had done either the one or the other how shall not their consciences sweat blood for affirming that it hath alwaies been the constant judgement and Doctrine of Protestant Divines that Kings ought not to suffer from the sword of justice for any perpetrations or crimes whatsoever For unlesse this be their meaning in their stingling and aspersive language wherein they professe that they disclaim detest abhor the wicked and bloudy Tenets and Practises of J●suits and the murthering of Kings by any though under the most specious and colourable pretences they do but baffle their simple Reader speaking nothing at all to the businesse in issue For who or which of those to whom they addresse in the Representation do not with as much clearnesse and simplicity of spirit as themselves disclaim detest and abhor the wicked and bloudy Tenets and Practises of J●suits and the murthering of Kings though under the most specious and colourable pretences if Representation pag. 11. they mean nothing more than what they say in these expressions and I wonder upon what account men pretending to such proximity unto the Heavens in sanctity and integrity as they should assume that to themselves as somewhat emphatically excellent and singular which is nothing but what is found in all men without exception unlesse it be that congregation of the first-born of Satan the Jesuites and their Proselytes But as commonly it fareth with trades-men that are much behind-hand with the world and declining in their estates they buy dear and sel cheap and make all bargains to losse and disadvantage till they fail and sink right down so these men having overthrown their estates in honour and repute with men by stretching themselves beyond their line and over-dealing both their wisdom and their worth are now from time to time after a ●ort necessitated to disadvantagious tran●actions and such which will I fear in short time lay all their grandure and high looks in the dust Whereas some pretend an irregularity in the Sentence passed Sect. 71 upon the King through a defect of President or example I answer this is the lightes● and loosest of all pleas that are commonly made in the case For 1. An example is no Rule God made Rules before that men yea or himself made examples Nor doth he necessarily break a rule who acts or works without a pattern or example Bezal●●l and A●olia● wrought curious work for the tabernacle and yet had no patterns of what they wrought before them When Moses smote ●he Egyptian who wronged the Israelite that he died he had no precedent action of like nature to warrant or justifie his action yet was it neverthelesse justifiable Nor did J●●ojada the Priest who caused Athalia● to be slai● act under the Protection of any Parallel Instances of this kind are without number 2. As in descents of families it is a thing frequent and Sect. 72 commendable for those who succeed in the inheritance to adde to the demesnes with honourable industrie and thrift and to transmit the