and depending on thiâ— g arme of flesâ— or broken h reed of Aegypt as a most sure invineâ—ble Guâ—rd security from all forces and enemies whaâ—soever that might assault dishouse dethrone them from their usurped supreme Regal and Parliamental Authority over the three Nations and their Hereditary Kingâ— * whom they would not have to reign over them hath not been most â—xemplarily and eminently requited by Godâ— avenging providence in making the very self-same Army most treacherouâ— and perfidious to themselves to rise up rebel against them several times and turn them out of Housâ— power on a sudden when they deemed themâ—elves most securâ— to make themselves more than Kings and Lordâ— over thâ—m and our whole 3 Kingdomâ— and i An host of the High ones that are on high upon the earth reviving that Attâ—xie which Solomon complained of as a great error in Government and a divine judgement upon the Authorâ— of State Innovationâ— Eccles. 10.6 7 8 9. Folly is seâ— in great dignity and tâ—e riâ—h sit in lâ—w placeâ— I have seeâ— servants â—n â—orseback and Princes walking â—s Servants upon the earth He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it and who so breaketh a beged a Serpent shall bite him Whosoeâ—er removeth stones shall be hurt therewith â—nd â—e that cleâ—veth wood shall be endangered tâ—erebyâ— Whether that curse and judgeâ—â—nt Jer. 17 5â— 6 Thus saith the Lord cursed â—e the man that truâ—teth iâ— man and maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departetâ— from the Lord For he shall be like the heath in the desarâ— and shall not see when good cometh but shall inherit the parcâ—ed places in the wildâ—rnesse a salt land and not inhâ—bitedâ— hath not justly bâ—fâ—llâ—n them our Nation â—or relying on trusting to an â—rm of flesh an Army * Assembly of trâ—acherous men whom themselves tâ—ught encouraged to be treacherouâ— perâ—urious to the King Parl. Lords their fellowâ—Membâ—râ—â— and k thereby to themselves yet voted cried them up for their faitâ—full Army Saviâ—uâ—â— Delivereâ—â— Proâ—ectâ—â—â— Shields and â—oâ—ly Safeguaâ—d after they had dealt â—reaâ—â—erously with themselves and all their other Supâ—riorâ— and proved like l Aegypt to the Israelites who trusted on them When they â—ook â—old of thee by the hand thou diddâ—st break and pierce througâ— the handâ— and rent all their shoulders and when they leaned upon thee thâ—u breakest and madest all their loins to be at a stand yeâ— dissolved and m broke them in pieces like a poâ—ters vesâ—el so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sâ—eard to take fire from the hearth or water ouâ— oâ— the pit And may we not then tâ—ke up thiâ— Song of the Lamb Rev. 15.3 4. Great and marvellous are thy workâ— Lord God Almighty Iust and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints who shall not fear thee ô Lord and glorifie thy name For thy Iudgements are made manifest Whether their clandestine sudden indirect stealing into the Commons House again May 7. 1659. upon the Army-Officerâ— invitation and Declaration who formerly tuâ—ned them â—ut of it with highâ—st infamie contempt and defamâ—tion April 20. 1653. after about 6. yearâ— dissoluâ—â—on â—nd 4. intervenient Vnparliamentary Conventicleâ— wherein many of them sat as Members and acted as in Parliamentâ— by pretext of their old Wriâ—â— and Elections as Mâ—mberâ— of the long Parliament â—ctually and legally dissolved by their traiterouâ— beheading of the King near 11. years before as I have * elsewhere proved without any new Writs of Summonâ— Resumâ—ons Electioâ—s or the privitie of their â—orâ—er eleâ—tors or fellow Members Their forcible sâ—cluding of my self Sir George â—ooth Mr. Ansly all formerly sâ—cluded Memberâ—â— and others not fitting with them from 1648. till April 20. 1653. by Army-Officers and Guards of Souldiers placed at the door â—or that end and their justifiâ—â—tion and â—ontinuing of this new secluâ—ion as wâ—ll â—s tâ—e old Their usurping to themselves the Title Power of the Parliament of the 〈◊〉 of England Scotland aâ—dâ—â—eland and Supreme Authority of the Nation Their exâ—rcisinâ— both the Highest Regal Parliamental Legislative Tax-imposing Authority over our Nationâ— the worst highest of all other Treasâ—â—â—s their â—râ—ating new unheard of Treasâ—â—â— Exileâ— by thei◠〈◊〉 Proclamations imposing Nâ—w intollerable Taxâ—â—â— Excises Millâ—â—aâ—â— on the whole Nation against all Laws and our Fundamental Liberties Franchisâ—â— Their moâ—t injurious illegal unpresidented proclaming of Sir George Booth Sir Thomas Middleton with other old and new â—ecluded Members of the long Parliament and all their adherents Traytors Enemies to the Common-wealth and Apostates not only iâ— all Counties and Corporationâ— buâ— Churches and Chapels too throughout the Nation to abuse both God and men only for raising forces by virtue of Ordinances and Commissions granted â—hem by the long Parliament which themselves pretended to bâ— still continuing to defend the Rights and Privilegeâ— of Parliament to call in all the surviving Members of both Houses to sit with them or procure a free and full Parl. duly summoned according to the Protestation Vow League Covenant and Laws of the Land being their own and the whole Nations Birthright for defence whereof the Army it selâ— was both raised continued and themselves in their Proclamation of May 7. 1659. and Declaration of March 17. 1648 promised inviolably to maintain which their own consciences knew to be no Crime nor Treason at all but an honest legal honorable necessary undertaking justified by all their former Votes Orders Ordinances Commissions for raising forceâ— against the Kingâ— party for the self-same end And themselves greater Traitors Enemies to the Kingdom and Republike than Strafford Canterbuâ—y or the beheaded King in proclaiming their defence of this undoâ—bted Inheritance of all English Freemen against their Tyrannical usurpations thereoâ— to be Treason and Apostacy Their sending out of Major Gen. Lambert who invited them into the House May 6. conducted them into it but secluded Sir G. Booth other Members out of it May 7. took a new Commission from them afterwardâ— in the House and promised with many large expressions â—o be true faithfull constant and yield his uâ—most assistance to them to set in safety and support their power with great forces against Sir George Booth and all his adherents in this cause being the Majority of the old Parl. and of the people of the Nation the true old Parliament if continuing â—o levie actual war against them declared * high Treason by sundrie Votes and former Declarations and so resolved by themselves in their Impeachments against the beheaded King the E. of Holland L. Capel otherâ— and late Pamphlets against the Army who accordingly levied war against themâ— routed their forces reduced their Garisonâ— imprisoned their persons sequestred confiscated their estates as Traitors secured disarmed Sir Will. Waller Mr. Holles with sundrie other old Members promised rewards for bringing in the persons or heads of others they endeavoured to secure against
or protection of the Laws for which they fought and to which they were born heirs who refused to take their Treasonable perfidious Ingagements by securing imprisoning thousands of Freemen close imprisoning sundry Members of the old Parliament my self amongst others divers years in remote Castles and keeping us from Gods publike ordinances without any accusation hearing trial or legal cause of commitment expressed in their warrants By presuming upon the Army and Officers sodain invitation after the old Parliaments dissolution by the Kings death and their above 6. years dissipation by the Army without the election or privity of the people to sit and act as the Parl. and supream power of the Nation to seclude at least 3. parts of 4. of the old surviving Members by force aâ—d proclaiming Sir George Booth Sir Thomas Middleton and other Members and Freemen of England Traytors and levying war against them only for raising forces to induce them to call in all the old secluded Members or to summon a new free Parliament and for opposing their new illegal Taxes Excises Militiaes imposed and levyed on the people without their Common consent in Parl. deserve not to be all indicted executed and their estates confiscated as Traytors for these their successive reiterated high Treasons by their own resolutions Sir George and his adherents totally acquitted from the least imputation or guilt of Treason by consequence from all â—mprisonments Sequestrations under which they now suffer Whether their branding sequestring them for Traytors Apostates Enemies to the publike against Law and Conscience too hath not justly brought that wo judgment upon their conventicle Isa. 5.20 23 24. Wo unto them that call evil good and good evil that put darkness for light and light for darkness that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble and the flame consumeth the chaâ—s so their root shall be rottenness and their blossom shall go up as dust because they have cast away the Law of the Lord and of the Land too and despised the name of the holy one of Israel For all this his wrath is not turned away but his hand is streched out still Whether the Anti-Parliamentary Junctoes and Army-Officers beheading of their late Protestant King against the Voteâ— Protestations of the generality of the Parliament and his 3. Protestant Kingdoms Mediations of all foreign Protestant Agents then in England their banishing â—xpelling his Royal Protestant Heir Successor to the Crown with all the rest of his Children professing the reformed Râ—ligion out of all their Protestant Realms Dominions their invading of their Protestant Brethren in Irâ—land and Scotland in a hostile manner with potent Armies waging war against them in their own Countries and after that against their own Protestant Brethren in England as professed Enemies Traytors Apostates slaying divers thousands of then in the fâ—eld imprisoning banishing disinheriting fequestring many thousands more of them only for owning crowning assisting their own hereditary Protestant King according to their Oathes Covenants Laws Homage Allegeance duties and principles of the Protestant Religion to regain and retain his Royal Authoâ—ity and Kingdoms Their waging of a most bloudy 〈◊〉 waâ— with our antient Protestant Allies of Holland above 3. years space together to the slaughter of many thousands of their our gallantest Protestant Seaman Admirals Sea-Captains of purpose to banish their own exiled Protestant King his Brethren and followers out of the Netherlands from the Societie and charitable relief of theâ—r Protestanâ— Friends where they lived as Exiles enjoying the free profession of the Reformed Religion and Communion prayers contributions of the Protestant Churches on purpose to drive them into Popish Quarters amongst seducing Iesuits Priests Papists to cast them wholly upon their Alms Mercy Benevolence and by these high indignities and their pressing necessities to inforce them if they can to renounce the Protestant-Religion and turn professed Papists Their most inhuman unchristian barbarism in depriving them totally of all means of Subsistance by seising all their revenues without allowing them one farthing out of them towards their necessary relief yet enacting iâ— High Treason for any of their Protestant Subjects Friends Allies within their Realmâ— or Dominions to contribute any thing toward their support to hold the leaâ—â— correspondency with or make any publique prayers unto God for them as if they were worse than Turkâ— Iews Infidels and most professed Enemies for whom we are not only commanded to pray but also to love feed cloâ—h relieve harbour them in their necessities overcomming their evil with goodness by Christs own example and express precepts under pain of everlasting damnation be a conscientious Saint-like performancâ— of and obedience to or not rather an Atheistical obstinate presumptuous rebellion against the 1 Tim. 2.1 2 3. Mat. 5.44 45. c. 2â— 21 c. 25.34 to 46. Luke 6.35 to 39. c. 10.30 to 38. c. 23.34 Acts 7.60 Rom. 10 13 â—9 20 21. c. 13.1 to 12. c. 15.26 27. 1 Cor. 16.1 2. Jam. 2 13. and other sacred Texts A religious zealous observation of their * sacred solemn Protestations Vows Covenant Remonstrances Declarations Oathes for the maintenance defeâ—ce propagation of the true Reformed Protestant Religion the Profession and 〈…〉 against the bloudy Ploâ—s conspiracies attempts practices of the Iesuits and other profâ—ssed Popish Eneâ—ies and â—nderminers of themâ— Or not rather a moâ—â— perfidious vâ—olation â—bjuration betraying of confederating with the Iesuits Papists against them A loving of theâ—â— Protestant Brethren with a true heart fervently and laying down their lives for them and being pitiful merciful compassionate towards them according to these Gospel-precepts Eph. 4.32 c. 5.1 2. 1 Pet. 1.22 c. 2.17 c. 3.8 1 John 2.11.14.33 c. 4.7 11 12 20 21. John 13.34 c. 15.12.17 Or not rather a shutting up their bowels of compassion towards them a grieving offending persecuting murdering of their bodies souls too an infallible evidence that they are yet no real Saints or children of God but the very children of the Devil abiding in death having no true love of God nor eternal life abiding in them by Christs own resolution John 8.44 45. 1 John 2.13 to 18 A professed Antichristian contradiction to the reiterated command and voice of God from heaven Isay 52.11 2 Cor. 6.17 Rev. 18.2 3 4 c. Depart ye depart ye Come ye out of mystical Romish Babylon the mother of whoredoms the habitation of Devils and of every foul spirit and the cage of every unclean and hateful bird O my people that ye be not partakers of her sinnes and that ye receive not of her plagues by their forcible driving of their own Protestant King Brethren into Babylon and keeping them therein to have their habitation among Devils foul spirits unclean birds of every kind that so they may participate both in her sins and plagues instead
all rules of Law and Christianitie kept a publike humiliation for their good successe against Sir George Booth and his adherents and after their defeat a publike thanksgiving through Westminster and London to mock God himself * who will not be mocked to his very face and ordained a publike thansgiving throughout the whole Nation to abuse both God and them for their Great Deliverance from the most Dangerous Plot and Treason of Sir George Booth and his party to bring in all the old Members to sit with them without turning those then sitting out or to procure a free Parliament that so their Anti-Parliamentary Conventicle by this pretext might exercise a Perpetual Tyrannie and Parliamental Authority over them and none thenceforth dare demand a full and free Parliament for the future under pain of highest Treason Apostacie and the losse of their very Heads and estates Whether all these their transcendent High Treasons with their former 1648. against the K. secluded Members Lords Parliament people were not by a most signal miraculous Providence and Justice of God himself recompenced immediately after upon their own Lamberâ—s and other Armie-Officers headâ— by making their rouâ—iing of Sir George Booth and his party after their first thanksgiving for it before the next day of general thanksgiving came the very occasion of their sudden unexpected dissolution 1. By over-elevating Lamberts his Officers and Brigades Spirits notwithstanding the signal Marks and Rewards of their Favours towards them for the present and future promises of advancement for their Fidelity to them in this Service to enter into contestations with them by their Petition and Representations 2ly By raising the differences and jealousies between them to such a height and open enmitie notwithstanding all their large Votes compliances to satisfie them all means mediations of Friends and the Londoners publike Feast on their thanksgiving day to reconcile them as to incense the Juncto to vote Major Harrison a chief agent Chairman for the old Members first seclusion uncapable of any publike Trust or Office a to vote Lambert Disbrow Creed and 6. more field Officers out of their commands null their Commissions and dispose of their Regiments to the next Officers without any hearing or examination if not threatning to commit Lambert to the Tower as a Traytor to repeal Fleetwoods Commission and Knack to be Lieutenant General of their Forces in England and Scotland and put the command of the Army and new Militia under 7. Commissioners to wrest the power of them both into their own hands 3ly By exasperating Lambert and his confederates by these Votes so far against them giving them such favour with the Armie as to draw up the greatest part of the forces about London in battel array against them and notwithstanding their partie in the Armie whereof they had made many of themselves Colonels their interest in the Militia of Westminster London Southwark and Sir Henry Vanes two Regiments of Gathered Churches who were disgregated and kept their Chambers all that day not one of them appearing in the field because their valiant Collonel took a Clyster pipe into his fundament instead of a Lance into his hand in the day of battel and durst not hazard a broken pate in the quarrel and then in a hostile warlike manner to besiege many of them in Whitehall block up all passages to the House seise upon their old Speaker with his Coach Mace and new General without a Sword Armie Troop or Company from whose hands they had freshly received their Commissions turning him back from whence he came to charm all the Junctoes forces so as to march away without drawing one sword or shooting one bullet in their defence so true faithful were they to their good old cause as well as to their New Protectors as to deem neither of them worth one bloodie nose 4. By engaging Lamberâ— and his party notwithstanding all endeavoured and seeming accommodations beâ—ween them to seise upon their House and their provisions of ammunition and victuals in it to lock up the doors and keep constant Guards upon the stairs to seclude all these their new Lords and Masters as they did on May 7 9. afterwards seclude their fellow-Members and not content herewith by a printed Plea for the Army and Declaration of the Geâ—eral Council of the Army sitting at Wallingford House which called them in and thus shamefully not long after turned them out of doors usurping to themselves both a Regal Authority to call and dissolve Parliaments as they â—epute and stile them and a Parliamental too in making and repealing Acts of Parliament as they deem them at their pleasure they not only justiâ—ie this their forcible ejectment seclusion to all the world by Lex talionis even their own abetting approving justifying the Armies former seclusion of the Major part of theiâ— fellow Members who were the House and the whole House of Lords and securing the leading Members when over powred by them and appealing to the Armies Judgements therein but also put a period to their Assemblie branded â—â—lled repealed declared their last Votes Actsâ— Proceedings void to all intents purposes whatsoever â—s if they had never been made Censured them as imperfect ineffectual irregular â—nparliamentary illegal pernicious râ—sh inconsiderate branding each other in several printed Papers for Traytors Trust-breakers Treacherous Perfidious Fâ—ithless Vurighteous Ambitious Self-seeking usurpers of the Soverain power Opprâ—ssors of the free people of England invaders betrayers of their Liberties Birthrights theâ—eby declaring the old secluded Member the only honest faithful constant consciencious men adhering to their good old â—ause Oaths Covenant Principles and the publique interest Sir George Booth himself to be No Traytor but truer Patriot of his Country than any of themselveâ— as dying Pureâ—oy openly acknowledged before his death and others of them confesse in private since even Lambert himself hath done and exceeded that work they feared he would doe by dissolving their Conventicle and turning them out of house and power which Sir George did not design Whether all these strange unparalleld sudden unexpected animosities divisions between themselves their uncommissioning dissolving cashiering disofficing one another which I truly predicted to them from Scriptures and former Providences in my Good Old Cause truly stated my True and Perfect Narrative p. 94.98 and Vindication of the old and new secluded Members p. 61 62. be not the very finger of God himself a the Lords own doing truly marvellous in all our eyes yea the very particular Judgement menaced by God himself against all such Traitors and Innovators as most audaciously and professedly violate with the highest hand this divine precept Prov. 24 21â— 22. My Son fear thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with those that are given to change for their Calamity shall suddenly arise and who knoweth the ruine of them both and a verification of Prov. 29.1 If not a divine infliction of the very
should râ—le direct the whole body downwards and the Heels uppermost to animate and steer it against the course of nature that rules of Law Policie Christianitie and Gods * hedging up all their new By-wayes with thorns and making a wall cross them that the people are not able to find their pathes nor to overtake nor finde their New Lovers they have hitherto followed and sought after and those mad new whymsies the Jesuites infuse into their Pates from time to time to make them and ouâ— Nation ridiculous to all the world till utterly destroyed may not justly engage our three distracted Nations and themselves too now at a total loss to â—esolve and say with the Israelites when revolâ—ed from their rightfull Kings of the House of David in the like case Hos. 2.7 I will go and return to my first Husband for then was it better with me than now And to imitate the Israelites in the case of King David when expelled his Realm by his usurping son Absoloms rebellion after his rout and slaughter 2 Sam. 19.9 c. And all the people were at strife throughout all the Tribes of Israelâ— saying The King saved us out of the hands of our Enemies and he delivered us out of the hands of the Philistins and now he is fled out of the Land for Absolom and Absolom whom we anointed King over us is dead in battel as their Pro. Oliver Richard and dissolved Juncto are in a moment now therefore why are ye silent and speak not a word of bringing back the King to his House And Zadok and Abiathar the Priests spake unto the elders of Judah saying Why are ye the last to bring the King back to his House seeing ye are his brethren of his bone and his flesh And Amasa bowed the heart of all the Men of Iudah even as one man so that they sent this word unto the King Return thou and all thy servants So the King returned to Iordan where all the people of Judah and half the men of Israel met him and conducted him safe to Gilgal and the men of Judah clave unto their King from Jordan even to Ierusalem and re-established him in his Kingdom Whether this be not the only safe true legal prudential Christian speedy and ready high-way to their present and future Peace Ease Safety Settlement Wealth Prosperity both as Men and Christians without any further effuâ—ion of Christian bloud expence of Treasure not other new Vertiginous Models Army Councils Treaties tending to further confusions out of which the Nobility Gentry Ministry Freeholders Citizens Burgesses Merchants Commons Sea men Parliaments of our 3. Nations are totally secluded like meer Cyphers by the Iuncto and Army-usurpers as if they were meer Aliens and wholly unconcerned in their own Government Settlement who will never acquiesce in any thing but what themselves in a free Parliament shall resolve on * Consider of it take advice and speak your minds without fear hypocrisy or partiality And whether we be not a people marked out and fitted for inevitable destruction having all the symptoms fore-runners of it and sins that hasten it now lying upon us if we * brutishly reject this only means of our preservation and follow the destructive whymsies of those Giddy-pated usurping raw Stears-men of whom we may justly say with the Prophet Isai. 3.1.4 12. Behold the Lord of Hosts doth take away from Jerusalem and Judah the stay and the staff the Honourable man and the Counsellor And I will give Children in State-affairs and understanding to be their Princes and Babes shall rule over them And the people shall be oppressed every one by another and every one by his neighbour the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient and the Base against the Honourable as now they do O my people they which lead thee cause thee to erre and destroy the way of thy pathes and they that are led of them in their new Jesuitical By-wayes are destroyed by intestine divisions and forein invasions as in Isai. 9.12 to 21. A sad emblem of our present condition and approaching destruction worthy our saddest meditations Whether the twice dissolved Anti-Parliamentary Juncto by their own Knack of the 12. of October and paper printed by their special permission and command since their dissolution intituled The Parliaments Plea declaring resolving p. 5 6 7. That the People of England are of Right a Free People to be governed by their own elected Deputies and Trustees in Parliament it being owned on all hands both by Parliament and Army and all the good people engaged with them That the people under God are the original of all just Authority and other original and foundation no man may lay That to deprive or deny the People of this Inheritance is Treason Rebellion and Apostacy from the Good Old Cause of the English Nation for as much as a people free by Birth by Laws and by their own Prowess are thereby rendred and made most absolute vassals slaves at will power and greater Treason than this no man can commit That to levy mony upon the people without their consent in Parliament is Treason for which every man that so Assesses Collects or Gathers it is to be Indicted for his life and must dye as a Traytor not only by their Knack but by the Fundamental Good Old Laws of the Land against which no By-law is to be made this being a Fundamental Law and one of the main birth-rights of England That no Tax or Levy is to be laid upon the people but by their consent in Parliament Be not guilty of the greatest highest Treason Rebellion and Apostacy from the Good Old Cause of the English Nation and the Army-Officers too confederating with them by depriving and denying the free people to be governed by their own elected Representatives and Trustees in a full free Parl. by secluding four parts of five of the Knights Citizens Burgesses Barons of Ports out of the long Parl. whiles in being Dec. 1648. with armed power by usurping to themselves the Royal Parliamentary Legislative supream Authority over the people laying assessing levying intollerable excessive Taxes Excises Militiaes upon them without yea against their consents protestations and without the consent of the farr greater part of the Commons House the King or House of Lords which they forcibly secluded suppressed destroyed against their fundamental Laws Liberties Privileges Birth-rights Protestations Declarations and solemn League and Covenant by making them most absolute slaves vassals from 1648. till their dissolution in April 20. 1653. and invading inslaving destroying their Protestant brethren of Scotland and Allies of Holland by Land and Sea to the undermining endangering of the Protestant Religion by imposing New Oaths and engagements on them diametrically contrary to the Oathes of Supremacy and Allegiance which they all solemnly took as Members before they entred the House and disabling all to sue in any Court or enjoy the benefit