Accusers in so close obscurity that his sparkes if he had any in him to this purpose could not possibly flie abroad But let me ask a question did not the wisemen of the Kingdome quench these fire-brands to prevent the flame how came it then to break forth after they were extinguished had they lived been both at liberty and afforded their full concurrence could possibly the flame have been more great and detrimentall Againe why was not the imputation proved at least against Canterbury who lived almost three years after the war was begun when they wanted matter to put him to death Surely the Law hath so well provided in a case of this Nature that if there had been any such matter His Enemies should not have needed to solicite for the peoples Votes and Hands to get him dispatched But it was Canterburyes Honour to drink of his Masters cup The voices of the people and of the Priests prevailed And indeed these quenched fire-brands were so farre from kindling this fire that we apprehend rather they were quenched to this end lest they should have hindred it from being kindled When Charles was King and Strafford Deputy of Ireland and Canterbury Metropolitan of this Church we had no warres in England Straffords bloud we grant was a fire-brand which we with the King beleeve still burnes upon us his Prayers at his death to the contrary could not stop the cry of it from pulling downe of vengeance And Canterburyes bloud we feare will cry louder yet against the people of this Land who by giving their Votes where the Law gives none to take away his life have cryed out against themselves His bloud be upon us and upon our Children But say these men who never slandred any but their betters Strafford and Canterbury were two evill Councellours and yet Strafford and Canterbury dyed like two Christian Martyrs and might the latter end of their Accusers be but like theirs it would be their happinesse in one kinde and ours in another They chiefly incensed the King against the Scots but they did not stir up the Scots against the King in provoking them to an insurrection nor did they hinder the Kings Act of mercy and pardon towards them afterwards much lesse did they after that Act of Pacification with that Nation send for those Scots into England and hire them with English money to cut the throats of English men Had they been Councellours in such matters they had been ill Councellours indeed But say they Strafford and Canterbury endeavoured to submit all these three Kingdomes to a new Arbritrary Government and were duely executed for attempting that subversion of Law which the King hath perfected since It was wel they did but endeavour a new Arbritrary Government not erect it they did but attempt a subversion of Law not effect it but some others since their times have gone further and turned all Law into Vote and all Justice and Reason into Violence and Will For if there be this day in Europe a more Arbritrary cruel and butcherly Government then hath been exercised in England by some since Strafford and Canterbury were set aside from having to doe in the world my reading failes me if to take away lands estates goods good name and lives from men without any allegation of Law or reason but only the Parliament judgeeth so or the People will have it so if this be not Arbritrary Government I know not what is therefore if Strafford and Canterbury were justly executed as these say for attempting let all men judge how deservedly ought these others to be executed for accomplishing such designes But these men tell us further that the King hath since perfected that subversion of Law which those his ill Councellours had formerly attempted 'T is too well known that the customary way of these mens Honouring the King is by casting on him the scandall of their owne doings The Law we confesse is subverted and overthrown but the King can no more be said to have done the same then David could be said to have killedd Abner and Amasa because he was the Soveraigne to those sons of Zeruiah who did the deed and were so subtile and strong that he could neither restrain them from it nor bring them to condigne punishment for it And let all modest and ingenuous men observe how desperate and bold these men are in their aspersions against the King they affirme He hath subverted Law and walked in the Councell of the ungodly to the ruine almost of 3. whole Kingdomes They could have said no more if when the Militia and Power were in his sole hands things had been as now they are But we and themselves too can all witnesse that when the Parliament met no drop of bloud was yet spilt in Ireland no Commotions were stirring in Scotland for the King by his Grace and Goodnesse had allayed all nor was there any complaining of Souldiers nor plundering in the streets of England all the three Kingdomes were in peace and to continue them therein the King calls a Parliament and gives power to the Members thereof and encouragement withall to settle all things both in Church and Common-wealth for the Subjects benefit even as firmly as themselves who were intrusted and chosen by their fellow Subjects for that purpose could possibly devise He denyes them nothing in pursuance thereof suffers them to call all suspected officers and persons to account not excepting Strafford or Canterbury and further to assure His people of His strong desires to continue their happinesse He settles a Trienniall Parliament as the most speciall mean to prevent ill Councellours in after-times yet these Accusers tax the King of perverting the Law and speak as if the three Kingdomes had been at the very brim of destruction and quite ruined ere this if the power had not been taken out of His Hands by those who by their meeknesse wisdome and frugality have put all the said Kingdomes into a more hopefull condition of preservation as it must be beleeved though against all sense and experience then they were in before Indeed had those undertakers done that work for which they were summoned and called together the Kings good Subjects in all His Kingdomes might have had cause of mentioning their names with perpetuall Honour but they as it seemeth envying that happiness which their fellow Subjects were likely to enjoy by those new enacted Lawes and especially by the Trienniall Parliament fairly pretending other matters did get the same Act presently made uselesse by another for the continuation of this which hath created themselves as they suppose and intend perpetuall dictators and all their fellow Subjects perpetuall slaves For let these perpetuall great Councellours approve themselves never so evill and detrimentall to-Church and State yet the poore Subject must be forced by the Militia which they have got into their hands to beleeve them unerring for He shall have no benefit by the Trienniall Parliament to examine their doings
the true reason of his departure thence to be that he might not speake destruction to his people but safety and Honour still if possible that he might not imbrew his hands in the bloud of innocent and Loyall Subjects against Law and Conscience yea surely lest the rest of that guilt of bloud which he saw was likely to be spilt should be charged upon the Head of him and his posterity He withdrew himselfe from their society and did for the present even abhorre to be amongst them When God pleaseth we see he can make men speak truth whether they will or no. And truly let any man who hath Conscience judge in the matter whether the King did not do prudently and conscientiously in his forsaking them when he perceived their purpose and resolution was to have him sit there amongst them onely with a Reed or Pen in his Hand to signe and own as his Act and Deed whatever they alone should vouchsafe to do that so they might cast the blame and Odium of all their Injustice afterwards upon him which is most apparent they would have done if he had stayed for being by his departure frustrate of such their intentions they seem to cast it all upon the people by those words if no resistance be used Straffords President will cast Canterbury and Canterburies all the rest of the Conspiratours and so the people will make good their ancient freedome still As if the people of their own accords without being requested thereunto or sollicited by others for the upholding and making good some Ancient Priviledge which they formerly had enjoyed and now if the King were able to make resistance were in danger to be deprived of Had desired that those men Strafford and Canterbury should be put to death onely by their Votes and not by Law Indeed I read that in Heathen Rome the People had such a Custome to voice men to death and such men they should commonly be as had done the Common-wealth best service and from the Custome perhaps it was that Pilat a Romane Magistrate did permit the people of the Jewes against all Law and right to voice Christ to be crucified But I never heard that the people of England were wont to do so in any age till this new Arbritrary Government was set up And we beleeve it will be easier for these Libellers to make the people as the world now goes with many of them Pagans and Jewes in such desires then to prove that any such Custome did ever yet hitherto belong unto them nor will it availe much to the peoples comforts at the great day or to their own securities in the mean while if now they should purchase any such Priviledge But I leave the People to consider of this matter themselves and returne to these King-accusers who have themselves well answered their own accusation against their Soveraigne and declared the true Reason of his leaving his Seat at Westminster to which they might have added another viz. Gods calling him from thence both by his Word and Providence 1. By his Word which a King as well as another man is bound to observe and give heed unto My Sonne if sinners entice thee consent thou not if they say let us lay wait for bloud let us lurke privily for the innocent without cause c. My sonne walke not thou in the way with them refraine thy foot from their path for their feet run to evill and make haste to shed bloud 2. By his Providence in his permitting the tumultuous people to rise against him and to force him from thence Consule providentiam Dei cum verbo Dei sayes one and when with the Word Providence concurs there is doubtless a speciall call from heaven But the King having these grounds of withdrawing himselfe some may wonder why in that former place they so heavily charge him to have walked to the ruine of his three Kingdomes by abhorring his Seat and Councell as if his leaving that were the sole cause of all our woe I answer in a word Their reason I conceive is because the King being of a soft and tender conscience is unwilling to beare the guilt therefore he shall whether he will or no if they can help him to it beare all the blame being unchargeable of reall evils he shall be burdened with imaginary the Devill and his Members desire no greater advantage against those they hate then to see them meekly scrupulous nor doe they please themselves better in any thing then in loading with slanders and tormenting the righteous when they see them to be in an afflicted condition Shimei cursed his Soveraigne and falsly called him A bloudy man and the destroyer of Sauls house because â—e saw him in a low condition So these men fancie they may say any evill against their King because he is in an afflicted condition they may speak to his farther griefe because he is already grieved But as David in that place sayes so say we It may be the Lord will look upon the affliction of his Anointed and will requite good the sooner to him even for these their accursed and false scandals of him And O our God our eyes are towards thee we will waite for thy salvation And thus I hope I have now made it apparent that there is as little of Verity as there is of Piety in that reproachfull Charge which these ill disposed Libellers these Martin Mar-kings have cast upon their Soveraigne now we shall observe how they proceed They address their speech to the Reader in generall whom they suppose to be either a Friend or an Enemy to their cause and say If thou art well affected to the Cause of Liberty and Religion which the two Parliaments of England and Scotland now maintain against a Combination of all the Papists in Europe almost especially the bloudy Tigres of Ireland and some of the Prelaticall Court Faction in England thou wilt be abundantly satisfied with these Letters here Printed and take notice how the Court hath been Cajold by the Papists and we the more beleeving Protestants by the Court SECT VII 1. What that Liberty is which the pretended Parliament doe maintaine 2. And what that Religion may be which they are about to set up Reasons to shew it may haply be the Popish or peradventure the Turkish 3. Six Arguments to prove it cannot be the Christian Protestant THe Reader may be well affected to that Reformed Religion which Gods holy and pure Word teacheth which the Church of England this fourscore yeares last past hath pulikly professed and to that Liberty which Christianity alloweth which the Subjects of this Land above any other in the World most happily have enjoyed under their Soveraigne Princes and which the Parliaments of this Kingdome before this have concurred in the establishing of and yet no way affected to that cause of Liberty and Religion which these men speake of Nay if the Reader may judge of Liberty and Religion by its
notice there-from how the Court hath been Cajold that 's the Authentick word now among our Cabalisticall adversaries by the Papists and we the more beleeving sort of Protestants by the Court The Reader may be abundantly satisfied by these Letters of His Majesties longing desires to see Peace restored to His poor Subjects throughout His three Kingdomes And he may also be abundantly satisfied by their printing of these Letters of that abundance of bitternesse spight and malice which is in the hearts of the Publishers of them against their Soveraigne but for satisfaction in any other matters the Reader if he be rightly affected and lookes onely with his owne eye he must seeke it some where else for here it is not to be found What they intend by Cajold and whom by Cabalisticall Adversaries I stand not to argue for the words are shelly Nec de verbis est disputandum only I cannot but observe the Title which these Wisemen give themselves and their owne Faction We say they the more beleeving sort of Protestants Faith it seemes they have and in their owne opinion great Plenty more then others like them John 9. they say they see and like him Luke 18. they think themselves better then other men they are not like us Publicans who confess our selves to be weak and sinful and to have need to cry daily unto the Lord for mercy and increase of Faith they are past their Creed already and can tel God Lord we believe whereas we are yet but at our Pater noster help our unbelief But in whom or in what is it that they do believe Surely in themselves and their own fictions because they have renounced the Truth of God which they have been taught and are turned persecutors of it God hath given them up first to make and then to believe lies in which respect they are indeed the best believers and in that sense they speak not amiss in calling themselves the most believing sort of Protestants though in another sense they are the most unbelieving for they wil not believe the King in any thing let him promise profess and protest never so oft and solemnly unto them their Tongues Pens and actions proclaim publickly their unbelief yea they glory in their not believing and do all they can that others might be Infidels also in the same respect as wel as they their malicious notes upon his Letters are to this very purpose let them deny it if they can And as for God they believe him as little as they do the King for they dare not trust him for protection they have more confidence in the Militia a great deal and stand more upon it Beside if they did believe God they would also fear him Faith and Fear go together they would regard his word more and not so oppose it in all their ways or endevour to make it of none effect by their sinful Ordinances and traditions Besides faith in God discovers it self by doing the works of God and they are not Hatred Strife Sedition Rebellion Murder Lying Slandring and speaking evil of dignities which these men traffick solely in S. James tels us of Nudifidians who say they have Faith and boast that they have more then others sure these are the very men for they call themselves the more believing sort of Protestants the bare believing sort of Protestants perhaps they are they account good works but marks of Popery We confess our selves no such Protestants for we are of the Apostles mind As the body without the Spirit is dead so Faith without good works is dead also But they tel the Reader further and say If thou art an Enemy to Parliaments and Reformation and made wilfull in thine enmity above the help of miracles or such Revelations as these are then t is to be expected that thou wilt either deny these Papers to have been written by the Kings own Hand or else that we make just constructions and inferences out of them or lastly thou wilt deny that though they be the Kings owne and beare such a sense as we understand them in yet that they are blameable or unjustifiable against such Rebells as we are SECT IX 1. The slander laid upon us to be Enemies to Parliaments and Reformation Confuted 2. Of pretended Miracles Revelations and new Lights the taking the Kings Cabinet in Battle no Miracle 3. The Libellers weak Argument to prove an impossibility of forgery in their Parliament IT seems t is voted and decreed that if a man be not well affected to that cause which the men above board do maintaine He is then no lesse then an enemy to all Parliaments and Reformation yea past all hope of recovery wilfull in enmity beyond the help of miracles For it must be understood that all men being divided into two ranks Elect and Reprobate and the Elect being all on the Parliament side or well affected at least to their cause the rest must needs be all damned creatures enemies to Parliaments i. e. to the Common-wealth and all good Lawes yea and enemies to Reformation too that is to God and all true Religion and therefore away with such fellowes from the earth t is not fitting they should live they that cannot erre have so concluded Here by the way we may see a ground of all these bloody warres which many hitherto are ignorant of a reason of all these cruel declarations and injunctions to kill slay and destroy the forces raised by or adhering to the King why they are all Reprobates men hardned in Enmity against Parliaments and Reformation past all hope of recovery and therefore to be sent to Hell in all haste as to their proper place that so the earth the sole inheritance of Gods Elect ones may be wholly left to the free possession of its proper owners and fully cleared from those Enemies of God and Parliaments Well what we are Heaven knows for their Censures we passe not any more then Saint Paul did to be censured by the Corinthians we say with him He that Judgeth us is the Lord and whom the Lord condemneth shall be the onely condemned men at the great day and our Saviour tells us that then the first may be last and the last first the first in mens esteem the last in Gods and so è contra But let us a little reason the particular with them that thus fiercely charge upon us Must we of necessity be enemies to Parliaments and Reformation because we are not affected to their cause Doth this Parliament contain in it all other Parliaments that ever have been and as they hope ever shall be May not a man possibly dislike the proceedings of this and yet approve of the being of another May not a man wish the dissoultion of this and yet withall desire the convention of another May not the same man obhorre evill and love good hate vice and imbrace vertue May not a man affirme this no Parliament at all
of the Kingdome more frequently taught or better fed did they ever in any Nation under the Sun injoy more Peace and Happiness then they did all the time of His Reigne untill this unhappy Parliament turned all things up-side down and so made us of all Christians in the world well-nigh the most miserable and disconsolate Certainly though the Parliament Ministers are pleased to cry out in their Rethorick O the Affliction the Misery the Wormwood and the Gall of those times Yet Posterity in after Ages will acknowledge that the Nobility Gentry Clergy Citizens and Common-people of this Nation in the General did all arrive at the height of earthly happiness in King Charles his time whilest he alone did sway the English Scepter It is true there were Particular grievances from particular men both in Church and Common-wealth and can it be expected otherwise while we live in this world and some good men haply did suffer some hard usage at the hands of evill but did the King ever stop His eares at any Petition Did He ever deny Justice to any that did require it Or did He ever harden His Heart from shewing mercy where ere it was needful There was perhaps much whispering abroad and murmuring in Corners but was there alwayes a cause Mans Nature is apt some time to complaine for nothing even when there is more reason to be thankfull I will name the main particulars of offence and let the world judge what matter of blame did truly arise from them unto the King 1. The Bishops were cryed out upon to be too Rigorous but hath not the carriages of that faction which the Bishops did oppose since they have gotten Head largely acquitted them of that imputation in the judgement of all wise men surely they forefaw the mischief which we all now feel and did labour as became them in their places to prevent the same Perhaps every of them did not go the best way to work nor did use such apt Instruments as the case and time required I justifie no man in all particulars and perhaps too some of us who are now imprisoned banished and divested of all we have by this Reforming Parliament did in those dayes suffer more molestation from some of their unworthy Officers then many of those did who since that time have been most revengefull Three factious fellows had their ears clipt by the sentence of the Lords in the Star-Chamber and were set in the Pillory and this was exclaimed upon for great cruelty in the Bishops because they having been abused by them did not beg their pardon but how truly their necks also deserved the Hâ—lter hath well appeared by the late temper of their spirits and the little good use they have made of that their too small and gentle chastisement 2. The Star-Chamber and high Commission were two great Eye-sores for many great and heavy fines were layd on men for their sins sake in those Courts by the Kings Nobles and Judges some of whom are now great men with His greatest Enemies But how many of those fines did His Majesty in His tendernesse and goodnesse afterwards remit or cause to be mitigated and since the people would so have it He hath now given way even before the Act of continuing the Parliament that those Courts should be suppressed and so be no more offensive 3. Many people of the Kingdome voluntarily departed hence to New-England and this was pretended persecution from some who differed in opinion from them whom they called their Antichristian Enemies but now t is plainly apparent by that spirit which stayed behind in some of their fellowes that the true cause of their departure was only pride In themselves Cesar-like they could allow of no superiour either in Church or State no Bishop no King perhaps some of them might have tender Consciences through weaknesse or mis-information and some of the plainer sort might be honest men and went for company with the rest they knew not whither in the simplicity of their Spirits But t is well known they had all the countenance of the King and Councell to further them in the voyage and Plantation they carryed their Wealth and Goods with them and had supply of relief sent them continually from this Kingdome afterward untill this Warre caused the returne of many of them to help forward the destruction of their native soile and Country Indeed some are of opinion that they went to New-England only to learn and inure themselves to shed mans bloud we hear of few of the Heathens converted by them but of many masacred and by accustoming themselves to slaughter Infidells they have learned without scruple to murder Christians are better proficients then the Spaniards themselves in destroying those of their own Nation and Religion But as was said when they went first from hence they were suffered to carry their wealth with them they were not used as they and their faction use us who now suffer at their hands for our Conscience and the Gospell sake They take away all our goods make us beggars and then afterward if they do not murder us or starve us in prison they banish us into strange and desolate places with scarce cloaths on our backs to seek our fortunes 4. Great Complaints also there was of monopolies people payed an halfpenny more for a thousand of Pins then they were wont to doe and almost half a farding more for a pound of Sope and Starch then in former times when money was not so plentifull and such like heavy grievances did mightily oppresse them and made them weary of the Kings Government because He did permit of such things And yet the Excize upon bread and beer and flesh and cloathes and such like things as are sold in the market for mans use or spent in families was not then set up the Monopolizers durst not be so detrimental to the poor Subjects of this Kingdom while the King had the sole power in His Hands But since they got to be Members and Favourites of the Parliament they with their fellowes have Epimetheus-like opened this Pandorâ—'s Box and let loose amongst us all those Dutch miseries and they say the people are content to have it so though perhaps when they have been pilled or milked a few yeares longger by these new-State men it will be confessed that the Old Government viz. that of the King was far the better and the more easie 5. But the greatest complaint of all was Ship-money Ship-mony O that was a grievous burden indeed not to be stood under for a twentieth Part a fift Part weekly Contributions billetting of Souldiers seizing on Rents plundring of houses cutting of throats ravishing of women deflowring of Virgins and such like matters were not yet in fashion nor yet felt or known by the people of the Kingdome and therefore Ship-mony that was the great grievance But was not Ship-mony disputed and judged Legall before His Majesty did require it And when
not the King fight with his Enemies at their own weapons and oppose strangers to strangers Papists to Papists Is it so great a sin in him to use such men and are they no whit to be blamed for the same thing may not he with as much dependance upon God do in his necessity what they do in the midst of plenty may they imploy forrein aid to thrust him out of his inheritance and may not he with as good leave make use of the like to keep the possession of what God hath given him surely upon this consideration if the King for his part be worthy of censure they also deserve a portion of the same Condemnation no honest man but is of this judgment This is that advice which I propound to the indifferent Readers and which I conceive to be most agreeable to Christs Gospel if they now please to follow it they may through Gods blessing not only be kept out of a sinful path but also have better satisfaction in the matter discoursed upon then they are likely to receive from these Annotators whom I write against for these High-boys say plainly that all such who are not of their opinion are perfect Malignants and not worthy of any reply or satisfaction at all in this point viz. at their hands And they further proceed saying Our Cause is stil the same as it was when the King first took Arms and as it was when the King made most of these Oaths and Professions Our three Propositions concerning the Abolition of Episcopacy the Setling the Militia of the three Kingdoms in good hands by the advise of Parliament the Vindication of the Irish Rebels being all our main demands at the Treaty in February last and no other then the Propositions sent in June 1642. before any stroak struck wil bear us witness that we rather have straitned then enlarged our Complaints But were our case altered as it is not or were we worse Rebels then formerly c. These words are added to evidence their former And the Argument in them stands thus If our Cause be stil the same as at the Beginning and our selves as bad Rebels as we were at first then the King is such a one as we do repute him or would have him believed to be and those that think better of him are perfect Malignants and as unworthy of future satisfaction as we judge them But our Cause is stil the same as it was at the first and we are as bad Rebels as at the beginning Ergo. The Minor in this syllogisme we shal easily grant But did we not understand how unworthy we are in their account of any reply we should be bold to deny the Major For we conceive not how either the unalterableness of their Cause or their persistency in maintaining it can prove the King who opposeth both it and them to be as they report him Indeed if their reports of him were of a clean contrary nature to what they are the Argument might wel stand for the longer he perseveres to resist Rebellion and rebellious men the more fully doth he approve himself according to his Title and Profession The Defender of the true Faith and a tender Father of his Country for the continuance of their cause and of them in their way speaks a continuance if not an increase of their strength and this must needs infer a decrease of the Kings Power because what they have is taken from him and the Kings weakness affords an opportunity of shewing his own true worth He being debarred of outward assistance and supportments is separated from that which makes disfigured Monsters look handsomly Patience is a more substantial virtue then temperance and he that endures famishing without alteration hath more virtue then he that comes from a feast without a surfeit But I wil not spend words to them that list not to reply wherfore desiring all men to observe the simpleness and insufficiency of their Argument for the proof of what they would have it I shal shew the reason why their Cause is stil the same as at the beginning when the King first took up Arms in his own defence It is in a word because themselves are stil the same Traitâ—rs Heady High-minded lovers of themselves of their own lusts and wils more then of God their King and Country nor indeed can men ever love where they have cause to fear they must stil mistrust without all hope of reconciling whom they have injured beyond all remedy of amends Injuriam qui tulit oblivisci potest qui fecit nunquam though the King in his goodness may forgive yet they in their guiltiness cannot believe and therfore they are stil the same men and their Cause is stil the same Besides they have entangâ—ed themselves in such a labyrinth of mischiefs as in their own apprehensions they have no place left of acknowledging their error without a total ruine both of their Estates and Persons therfore also having learned the wisdome of Spes quisque sibi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they are stil the same men and their cause is stil the same And moreover too should they deny themselves in the least particular or retract an hairs breadth from their first position what a Jealousie might it breed in peoples heads of their infallibility how easily might those whom they have led all this while on the blind side suspect them also erronious in other matters and so might they come to be despised in those minds wherin hitherto they have been enshrined with all devotions Peoples love is commonly according to their hope it grows and fades with it therfore should their hopes in these new State-men begin to fail their love towards them might fail too yea and perhaps be turned into hatred of them and so people returning to their former Loyalty might force those grand Imposters that have seduced them to yeild up the Militia to its right owner and betake themselves to the due order of their predecessours in former Parliaments which to do as yet they have no intention and therfore are stil the same men and their Cause is stil the same as at the first when they forced their Soveraign in his own defence to make use of those few Arms his friends brought him even to maintaine that breath which God had given him At which time to disswade if possible from this un natural War which he saw they did intend and foresaw would be destructive to his poor Subjects the King endevoured to heal their ulcered minds with all Princely favours and true shews of trust to which purpose he made many of those promises which they reckon up in a reproachful way as not performed by him at the end of their notes and wanting other means to manifest further the reality of his heart in those his professions they having robbed him of all his power he did for their very sakes that they might have the more assured confidence confirm his
Minister of the Protestant Church of France that they of their Religion never lived so safely and so comfortably before as they have done since they were disarmed of their weapons which they were at the end of their last warre which he called a Rebellion But with you all the strength and promises of God it seemes are nothing unlesse you have somewhat that is sensible to trust unto O if you knew God and were religious indeed you would be of another mind for they that know thy Name will trust in thee sayes the Psalmist Nay we read in Scripture of haters of God that should come in the last times who should have a form of Godlinesse notwithstanding we feare you are rather of that number and that you hate God for his word sake because therein he so plainly opposeth those waies of Rebellion cruelty oppression and injustice which you walke in and commandeth so strictly those things which as it appears you have resolved against and for his sake you hate all that belongs unto him his Church which you have destroyed his Prophets whom you have persecuted his Service which you have abolished his Temples which you have defiled and his Annoynted whom you have vilified because in meeknesse gentlenesse mercy patience and goodnesse he is so like unto him and are these markes of true Piety not they that commend themselves but whom their works commend and whom God commends are and shall be the onely approved persons I dare boldly affirm and I call your own Consciences to witnesse it with me that Kingly Majesty was never so blasphemed and exposed to vulgar contempt as it hath been since you sate nor was the dignity of Parliament which next to the Kings honour ought by all true Englishmen to be held as sacred so abused as it hath been by you who have used its venerable name to countenance all your evill and illegall actions against your Soveraign and his Subjects and have made that High and Supreme Court as the Pharisees of old did Gods House no better then a very den of Thieves and I am confident if Jesus Christ my Master were here he would tell you so to your faces and bestow as many woes upon you as he did upon your Brethren in those dayes who like you did pretend so much to Piety when they had so little of it You take to your selves the Title of the Lords Worthies forfooth but good names doe not alwayes prove good men Titles without truth serve but to enhance and disexcuse damnation you call the warre on your side Sacrum so was the Pope wont to call his though it be both against Law and Religion your League and Covenant you stile Holy as was that in France when time was though like that it be to root out Protestant Profession and the King your Armies you intitle the Armies of God as the disobedient Barons in King Johns time did theirs and your worke you call opus Domini the Lords work and the Lords cause though such as the Lord abhorreth and detesteth thus bold are you with the Almighty as if he were such another as your selves but is this true Godlinesse it will not be so found at the great day you talk much of Conscience but doth this alone prove you have any do not many men use to plead Conscience when through passion or opinion they pursue a cause with greater heat then themselves can give or others discern a reason for your Consciences scruple as you would have us think at a gesture or a Garment in Gods Service but they are secure in Actions of killing robbing rebelling and breaking all Lawes of private interest and Soveraign Power we see you are resolute in bloud and rapine and can even scorn at those that make Conscience at such crimes you talk of mens having Authority from Gods word for what they doe and yet practice your selves things above measure sinfull as if they were necessary duties and are able to shew no Scripture at all for the same we are posed we confesse at your Pietie we can see no dram of goodnesse in your doings and therefore must conclude there is as little in your selves Policy we confesse we see great store in you even such as was in Jeroboam that sonne of Nebat who made Israel to sinne for to prevent the peoples return to their Loyaltie whom himselfe had drawn into Rebellion he altered the established way and manner of worshipping God which he knew would have reduced them to their right obedience ver 27. Jeroboam said in his heart if this people go up to doe sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem then shall the hearts of this people turn againe unto their Lord even unto Rehoboam King of Judah and they shall kill me And hereupon he sets forth a Directory or new way of serving God and perswades the people that other places were as fit for that purpose as the Temple or Church it selfe yea and vers 31. He made Priests of the lowest of the people which were not of the Sonnes of Levi and Chap. 13. 33 34. Whosoever would he consecrated him and he became one of their Priests which thing saith the Text became sinne to the house of Jeroboam even to cut it from off the face of the earth Truly Sirs 't is too evident to all men that your Piety hath runne in the very same Channell after Jeroboams example you have made England to sinne looke you to the consequent We confesse also you have as much Religion and Pietie as Absalom had enough to vizard over for the while your cursed Design till you had supplanted your Soveraign stole away the hearts of his people from him insinuated into them a suspition of his truth and justice perswaded them to accept of you to be Judges in his place wherein you have received as many complaints and relieved as few as ever Absalom did In briefe such hath been your godlinesse and humilitie that you have declared the King to have failed in his Trust and Voted the Royall Power to be in your selves yea a power more then Royall even to subvert all Lawes which because the King approves not of you have drawne his own sword against him and pursued him as eagerly on all advantages as ever Absalom did his Father while he in the meane time David-like hath pitied you and was unwilling to spill your bloud surely if there were nothing else then your unnaturall violence against your Soveraign in all your wayes opposed to his mercy towards you in the height of injury it were abundantly sufficient to discover to all the world that little true Pietie that is in you But if to this we adde also the consideration of that superlative crueltie towards your brethren we are confident that no tongue touched with Christianitie will dare to speak one word in your commendations Your proceedings against them speak you to be of the Tyrant Maxentius mind that the bloud
Sacriledge if possible 7. Authorize all base Libells all scandalous and lying Pamphlets that any one hath a minde to publish against Him though they be such as not onely the Authours themselves but the very Devill himself would blush to own 8. Kill Slay and Destroy all that love Him and think well of Him suppresse reproach ruinate banish imprison or murder all those Ministers of God that shall dare to alleadge Gods Word in their Kings behalf and fail not to shew speciall favour and countenance to all such Preachers as have mouth and forehead to belie Him and to defame Him from the Pulpits and that will speake of Him as if He were an Infidell an Idolater an Apostate 9. When you have brought Him to a most low and desolate condition be sure you Flout lustily at Him and hire fellows that are skilfull in scorning to write weekly Pamphlets on purpose to expose Him to be Ludibrium Hominum opproâ—rium Populi for this was the condition of Christ His Saviour to which He as well as others who are Godly must be conformable 10. Let all your Consultations be only to throw Him down from that Excellency wherein God hath set Him although to bring the same to passe you hazard the destruction of all His Kingdomes But be sure you hold your own still call your selves His Great Councell and when ever you write unto Him let it be in this submissive form and stile We your Majesties most Humble and most Loyall Subjects considering with great grief and sorrow of Heart c. Can any men that have but the least spark of grace or modesty in them affirm that the Councellours who walk towards their King according to these or such like rules do deserve the name of the Kings Councell Truly we who are accounted Seduced having been brought up in the plain honest Protestant Christian Religion dare not either think or say they do we know there will come a day when all men shall be judged according to their works and therefore in the mean time our subtile Brethren must pardon us if we so judge of men for the present as their works speak them nor indeed dare we so much disparage the most High and most Honourable Court of Parliament in England to which alone the Title of the Kings Great Councell belongeth as to fasten the same upon such a Disloyall Hypocriticall unchristian and bloudy Faction as this now above-board is and which walketh according to the fore-mentioned Rules But what are those Titles or Language which in these his Letters we may see the King bestowes upon his Great Councell as they call it we find him therein Lamenting their pertinacy complaining of their Stubborunesse and bewailing the perversenesse of their spirits as Christ could not look upon such conditioned persons without Grief and Anger so the King cannot speake of them without sorrow and indignation for they were once his people though now they have plucked their necks from under his yoak perhaps sometimes he calls them by the name of Rebells and is there not a cause did not Christ call some that walked in such wayes as they goe in Vipers and Children of the Devill When the Jewish Nation whom God had formerly owned for his people did act the part of an Impetious whorish woman he called her Harlot 't is fit every thing should be called by its owne name and that the name Rebell is proper to them whom the King entitles with it we are able to shew by such strong Arguments as these their Champions for all their Subtilty can never answer for what ever wickednesse is or has been in any Rebels of former Ages is superlatively apparent in these men Let themselves but say what things do make and denominate a Rebell and it shall be Evidenced clearly that themselves have the same Conditions Are they Rebells that lift up a violent hand against the Supream Magistrate or that open a foul mouth against Him or that publish and Authorize base Scandalous Pamphlets to His defamation and dishonour that violently break all Laws both Humane and Divine If any one of these or all these together be the properties of Rebells then these men are compleatly qualified for the Title Or again is it the custome of Rebells to slight the Kings Authority to deny Him to be Gods Anointed to rob Him of His rents and revenues to cheat Him of His Arms His Ships His Castles and Hearts of His people to hunt Him up and down his Kingdome like a Partridge upon the mountaines If these be the Actions and works of Rebells then these men above all men have fully merited to be so called In a word if Absalom and Achitophel if Sheba the son of Bichri if Korah Dathan and Abiram were Rebells in their Generations then so are these in this for these have done over all the same things which every of them did do though with greater impudence and violence Nay if Satan himself in his seduction of our first Parents did act the Rebell against the Almighty then also have these against their Soveraign for they have directly proceeded in his method and way as might be shewed in all the particulars But these Examples are all so Evident in Scripture to peoples eyes that I shall leave the matter wholly to their own observance and listen to what these men say further having told us of Language and Titles which the King bestowes upon his Great Councell they adde Which we return not again but consider with Sorrow that it comes from a Prince Seduced out of his proper spheare What the King bestowes we have heard already what they return we shall see anon only in the first place we cannot but observe their Sorrowfull Consideration because 't is a phrase in great fashion even with them also whom they call his Great Councell who have many a time and oft told the King in their letters to him of their own great griefs and sorrowes But let their Consciences speak what is the true ground of their sorrow is it not this Because they that are able to doe so much to the Kings damage to raise so many Armies against him of his own people to corrupt so many of his Officers and Commanders for to betray the places committed to their trust should not yet by all their injurious and contumelious dealings which have been more then was ever offered to a Christian Prince by Protestant people be able to break his heart and sink him to his grave still they see he is strengthened by the help of God to beare his burden and they have heard haply of that his pious expression viz. Though God hath pleased to lay on me a greater Burden of Affliction then upon other Princes my Predecessours yet withall he hath in his goodnesse inlarged unto me an answerable measure of patience Let their own Consciences speak whether in very deed their grief doth not spring from this Consideration For if
His Merits are Beleeve it Sir unlesse some speedy course be taken with Him Caesar in whom the Supreame power is now seated and whose servants the people now are will be wronged and the whole Church and Kingdome wasted and destroyed and this we will boldly say who ever doth not joyn with us against bim is neither a friend to Caesar nor to the Common-wealth we are all for the Publick good and to preserve that we desire that this our King or rather this man that says he is our King may be crucified To this purpose was the Pharisees accusation against our Saviour of this disposition were their Spirits against the Son of God as Scripture teacheth notwithstanding their Religious pretences and that opinion of holinesse which the world had of them it need not therefore be thought an impossible thing that there should be men of a like spirit and of a like esteem in these days and that they should endeavour a like mischief against their Soveraigne Nothing but the Heart bloud of Christ would satisfie those his Enemies and can it be any thing but the very heart bloud of the King which these men thirst after indeed they do not lay any worse things to the Kings charge for I will do them no wrong then those others did to the charge of Christ And this for the first There is no impossibility in the matter 2. The truth of my interpretation of their meaning is Evident from the Tenents which they mention as proper to themselves at least as differing from ours Wee say they in our Tenents do annex no Infallibility to the seat of a King in Parliament as the Romanists doe to the Papall Chaire since all men are subject to errours These men desire as we learned by their Pulpit Doctrines of us that people should beleeve that those who are for the King do think of him as the Romanists do of the Pope that he cannot Erre which opinion by these their words they would have the world know that they disclaim and truly so do we as much as they for we never did nor yet ever dare we give the King so undue an Attribute nor would His Majesty suffer the same were any of us so sinfully disposed For we boldly affirm that never King was more Christian then He in yeelding himselfe culpable even in some matters wherein others could see no errour that so if possible he might give his Enemies satisfaction and purchase peace unto his people But whether it be so or no they conceive and report that to be our Tenent and we on the other side apprehended theirs to be that infallibility is rather in the Parliament without a King then in the Seat of a King in Parliament And our Reason is there hath been more Infallibility professed in Parliament since the Kings absence from Westminster then ever was before when either himself or any of His Predecessours have been there And though the Parliament hath been erroneous and faulty herefore by reason of the Kings faction mixt therein for by that name are modest and Loyal Gentlemen now called yet that being now purged away and driven from thence Errour also is vanished with it and Infallibility hath taken up its dwelling there ita praedicant ita clamitant And yet by the way we must tell the world we beleeve the King hath some friends still within the wals at Westminster even as Christ had at the Jews Councell Table although like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea they are over-powred and reviled when they speak truth and Conscience But to the matter We must tell these men that Scripture affords us better Testimony for the Kings not Erring then it doth them for theirs Solomon saies The Kings Heart is in Gods Hand and a Divine sentence is in His Lips His mouth transgresseth not in judgment We finde not the like expressions in behalf of an headlesse Parliament but because Solomon was a King himselfe He spake they say in his own case and therefore not much to be regarded but we will not contest with them at this time about his Authority we rather yeeld because all men are subject to Errour that a King may Erre and we adde further that a Parliament consisting of men may erre too and this Combination of Conspirators which to the high disgrace of the Supreamest Court some call the Parliament doth Erre most abominably both from Gods Law and the Law of the Land and this in very deed is our Tenent And let them deal ingenuously with us say whether they do not so hold of the Parliament though not of the King as the Romanists doe of the Pope whether by their Tenents the Parliament hath not the same power over Kings and Kingdomes as the Pope hath by the Tenent of the Jesuits The Jesuites hold that the Pope may dispose of Princes and Crownes for the service of God the good of the Church and salvation of Souls And do not these hold that the Parliament may both order the King and dispose of His Kingdome as they shall think meet for the advancement of their Cause which they call Gods pro salute populi Romanas Episcopus Zacharias Regem Franciscorum non tam pro suis iniquitatibus quam pro eo quod tantae potestati erat inutilis à regno deposuit c. By vertue of which Canon say the Jesuits the Pope hath power to depose Kings be they Hereticall or Catholick of vicious or vertuous lives if in his judgment he findes them unfit and some others more capable of Government And do not these men beleeve the Authority of Parliament to be as irresistable as that of the Pope and their Votes to be as ful of vertue as his Canons and altogether as Authentick even to the deposing of Kings and disposing of their Kingdomes Eudaemon Johannes in his Apologie for Henry Garnet teacheth that Subjects may be loosed from their Oath of Allegeance and then they cannot as Emanuel Sa affirmeth be held guilty of Treason though they conspire the Kings death because He against whom they conspire is not their Master or Lord they being formerly absolved from his obedience And hath not the same Doctrine been both taught and practised by these our opposers Have not they loosened people from their Oath of Allegeance to the King and then put them in Armes perswading them that 't is no Rebellion to fight against Him The Jesuits in their Chamber of Meditation taught as John Chastell who gave Hen. the 4. of France a stab in the mouth confessed upon examination that it was lawfull to kill that King and that He was now member of the Church nor ought to be obeyed or held for King untill he had received approbation from the Pope And one of them in his Apology for the said Chastell hath these words vulnerando Henricum Burbonium non voluerit laedere ant occidere Regem etiamsi se talem dicebat in quo praeter imaginem
upon you Moses and Aaron cryed those Grand Rebells when themselves onely did so And one who had sold himselfe to work wickednesse layed it to the charge of good Elias that he troubled Israel because his guilty Conscience told him that the Prophet and all other honest men beside had cause to accuse him for so doing and this is the very case of these men who as we see have done nothing in this particular without President and example though we confesse in respect of the Circumstances these men are more bitterly scornfull then ever any were that we read of in Scripture or elsewhere It was bitterly done of the Philistimes when they had weakned Sampson and brought him into an afflicted condition to mock and scorne at him in his misery yet they did not in those their mocks charge him with scorning them And the Persecutors of our Saviour did deal bitterly with him when in derision they Crown'd him with Thornes put a Reed into his hand in stead of a Scepter called him King bowed the knee to Him and then advanced him upon a Crosse instead of a Throne yet they did not at that time in their scoffing and flouting expressions say that His Crosse was the Chair of the Scornfull and that he being fastened to that did sit in the Scorners seat and scorne at them But these men are pleased even thus to deale with their King and Soveraigne as all the world may see by their Language so that the King hath cause to complain in the words of the Psalme Our soule is exceedingly filled with the scornings of them that be at ease and with the contempt of the proud And we his Subjects will pray in his behalfe as the Psalmist in another place Let the lying lips be put to silence O Lord which thus cruelly thus disdainfully and thus despightfully speake against the Righteous And we are confident as the Wiseman sayes that the High and Holy God scorneth at these scorners and hath prepared heavy judgements for them SECT VI. First of the Kings Errour in following evill Councellours and who they were His Majesty scorn'd at by the Libellers for his tendernesse of Conscience and hopes in Gods Justice 2. The folly and falshood of the Libellers Charge against Strafford and Canterbury 3. The Enemies acquit the King of having a voluntary hand in Straffords death 4. They hint the right Reason of his withdrawing from Westminster THe next particular which these honest and good men as they would be accounted doe charge their King withall is that He hath walked in the Councells of the ungodly to the ruine almost of three Kingdomes Indeed it cannot be denyed the King hath been exceeding unhappy in his Councellours and himselfe doth intimate that his walking after their advise hath been a main cause of Gods judgment upon this Kingdome His words to this purpose are these Paper 22. Nothing can be more Evident then that Straffords Innocent bloud hath been one of the great causes of Gods Judgement upon this Nation by a furious Civill Warre both sides being hitherto almost equally punished as being in a manner equally guilty but now this last crying bloud being totally theirs I beleeve it is no presumption hereafter to hope that his hand of Justice must be heavier upon them and lighter upon us looking now upon our Cause having passed by our faults This Christian and pious ackowledgement of the King these men scoff at in their Notes upon it and deride at that remorse of Conscience which his Majesty discovers for his permitting the shedding of Straffords bloud He left him say they to the Block against Conscience as is now alleadged and again Remorse of Conscience suggesteth to the King c. Yea and they doe seem to glory in what themselves did do to the spilling of it and to rejoyce that none but themselves had a hand in the death of Canterbury Yea and further how slightfully if not scoffingly doe they speak of the Kings mentioning Gods Hand of Justice in the businesse Their words are these Pag. 49. The King in his Letter of Jan. 14. takes it as evident that Straffords innocent bloud has brought the Judgement of this Civill warre equally upon both sides both being equally guilty thereof His meaning is that he and his side was as guilty in permitting as the Parliament was in prosecuting But now for Canterburies bloud that being totally put upon the Parliaments score he doubts not but the Hand of Justice will from henceforth totally lay the weight of this guilt upon the Parliaments side Yet the Kings words are I beleeve it is no presumption hereafter to hope that his hand of Justice must be heavier upon them Considering the time when this their scornfull Comment upon the Kings expressions came forth viz. immediately after their Victory at Nazeby field by their Victorious Sir Thomas Fairfax for so they call him we understand their sence to be this The King talks of Gods Hand of Justice and doubts not but the same will from the time of Canterburies death lay the weight of the guilt of bloud totally upon our side Victorious Sir Thomas Fairfax hath answered him sufficiently in that particular and declared to the world what his hopes in Gods Justice are come to well let him please himselfe still in those fancies so long as we have the â—â—nd of Victorius Sir Thomas Fairfax on our side we will give him leave to flatter himself in that Hand of Justice he speaks of c. And yet let these scoffers of these last times that say Where is the promise of his comming for since the father fell a sleepe all things continue as succesfull as they did before let them I say know that Gods Justice may awaken soon enough to their Confusion Quod defertur non aufertur the longer the blow is in comming the heavier will its fall be Fortuna belli semper ancipiti in loco est the day of the Lord will come suddenly upon them as a thief in the night Quos dies vidit veniens superbos hos dies vidit fugiens jacentes But they go on in that place and inform us who those ungodly ones were whose Councell in this other place they say the King has followed to the ruine almost of three Kingdomes Their words are these The truth is Strafford and Canterbury were the chief firebrands of this war the two ill Councellours that chiefly incensed the King against the Scots and endeavoured to subject all the three Kingdomes to a new Arbitrary Government and are now justly executed for attempting the subversion of that Law which the King has perfected since Because dead folkes cannot speak for themselves and because it is so Voted therefore Strafford and Canterbury were the chief fire-brands of this war and so for truth it must be taken though one of them was quite extinct a year before this war begun and the other kept by his
And hence also it is that they have balked the triall of men by established Law and conceiving themselves above it have shunned to punish for those faults which the Law condemneth and to shew the Omnipotency of their power have passed sentence of death where the Law condemneth not though Scripture teacheth that where is no Law there is no Transgression the giving way to which very thing was and is a trouble to the Kings Conscience and the cause of His first dislike of their Courses witnesse their owne words which are to this purpose The King adjudged Strafford worthy of death yet not for Treason as it was Charged upon him but not being able to save his life without using force and finding force very dangerous He left him to the block against Conscience as is now alleadged That the King adjudged Strafford worthy of death for any thing is more then we heard before nor have we any reason to beleeve the same now upon the bare report of these men yet to doe them a courtesie we may suppose it to be as they say for the present and then it followes as all may see that they doe not Charge the King for desiring to save Straffords life absolutely for they say the King himself judged him worthy of death but for being against his suffering for Treason So that in brief the Kings sinne only was according to the Testimony of His most deadly Enemies He would that Strafford should have suffered death only for his faults and not for that whereof he was not guilty As became a righteous Judge the King would have had His Great Councell to have done Justa Juste Righteous things in a Righteous manner as conceiving that way of proceeding to be most acceptable unto God and most likely to continuate his blessings upon the Kingdome but being not able by faire meanes to perswade them to that and considering that to use force might be a remedy worse then the disease the bloud of many innocent persons might be spilt to save one and yet perhaps the power and the malice of the Adversary being so High that one not saved neither He was constrained against His Conscience to leave him to the block and for His being so tender Conscienced in this case He is thought worthy of Scorne by these men His most Religious Obedient and loving Subjects He left him to the Block against Conscience say they as is now alleadged But indeed they have sufficiently by these their words acquitted the King to the whole world of having a voluntary hand in the spilling of Straffords innocent Bloud for so it may be called because he was innocent of that for which he suffered though in some other respects if it were true as they say he might be adjudged guilty and like them that cried his bloud be upon us and upon our Children they take the matter wholly upon themselves for which we thank them and for which we beleeve that God in his due time will remember them By those their words they have also well hinted to our understandings how farre and in what sort the King hath walked in the Councells of the ungodly to the ruine as they say almost of three Kingdomes To which purpose they proceed further in the same place and say Canterbury remaines in the same case and now remorse of Conscience or rather the old Project of altering Law Suggests to the King that if no restraint be used Straffords President will cast Canterbury and Canterburies all the rest of the Conspiratours and so the people will make good their Ancient freedome still Had these men remembred where all the old Projectors and Monopolizers now sit and on which side they doe Militare or had they bethought themselves how unable they are to instance in any one good Law which the King did ever alter they would certainely have omitted their malicious Parenthesis But by their putting it in they give us to see that they will not forget their old Project of casting their owne faults upon the Innocent But what doth the Old project of altering Law suggest to the King Why say they that Straffords President would cast Canterbury But had not they provided a remedy against that suggestion by ordering that Straffords President should be no President to cast others by in after times If there be any vertue in their owne Order or rather Honesty in them that made it we cannot see how Straffords President could be any prejudice to Canterbury For who shall urge it against him but onely themselves that made it uncapable of being urged We cannot possibly suppose that were the King such an alterer of Law as they would have it beleeved that he should desire an alteration of that Ordinance to the dammage of Canterbury nor is there any other Law capable of alteration as we conceive whereby Straffords President might hurt him But when that Ordinance was made the Authors of it had respect only unto themselves for intending then to go in those wayes for which they had condemned Strafford they did wisely provide that his President should not be in force in after-times against themselves Nor indeed did they then know they should need to make any use of Straffords President against Canterb or against any other of the Conspirators which they talk of the mens heads were full of businesse they could not fore-see or fore-think of all things at once nor did they remember things past when this particular passage was written and authorized to be published but it makes for my purpose and helps me well to evidence to the world what good Hearts they beare unto their Soveraigne And what strong Arguments they have to prove him to be an Alterer of Law But the main thing we learn from those their words is this though Hatred will not let them speak it in modest termes when the King perceived by their proceedings with Strafford what the Course was which they would take with Cauterbury and the rest whom malice and faction would make Delinquents and observed their designe to have him to concurre with themselves in condemning the Righteous which he found his Conscience would never digest for it being of a more Divine and tender temper then theirs was smitten with sad remorse for what was already done though sore against his will and fearing if he walked any longer though by enforcement in those their Councells Gods wrath might fall down more heavily yet upon him and his three Kingdomes He therefore removed himself from their Assembly this is the thing which they intimate unto us And here let us with Reverence and admiration observe the hand of the Almighty God over-ruling the tongues and pens of these men they had formerly taxed the King for leaving and abborring as they were pleased to speake his seat in Parliament which they suggested he did on purpose to speake destruction to his people but here unawares it seemes unto themselves God makes them declare
also noted the same that this was the course which Julian the Apostate took in his dayes He having a purpose as these have to ruine the profession of Christianity Used not the sword as Dioclesian did though these indeed to make the work more speedy doe act Dioclesian too but he took away the means of the Clergies subsistance knowing full well that if maintenance once failed the number of Preachers would not long continue The said Julian also would tell the Bishops and Pastors when he stripped them of all they had that in so doing He had a speciall care of their soules health because the Gospell commended Poverty unto them Such like flowts at the Doctrine of Christ doth often fall from lips of the Apostates of these days 5. By their pulling downe all Christian order and formes of publicke Worship and Service tending to decency and edification by casting down defiling and defaming the Houses of God turning many of them into Stables Slaughter-houses Prisons and Jakes they have made close-stooles of Fonts and Pulpits and done as bad to Communion Tables they have rent the holy Bible in pieces scorned at the Sacraments Baptized Horses robbed Churches of Sacramentall Utensils as Plate Linnen calling it Idolatrous and Superstitious because it had been only used in Christs service nay the poore innocent Bells because they have been the meanes of calling people together to Worship God and to adore the Saviour of the World must be pulled down and turned into Guns that they may be another while Instruments of destruction to the Members of Jesus this indeed as I read was the manner of the Turkes when they tooke Constantinople they melted the Bells into Ordnances In a word what ever evill or impiety the Enemies were wont to slander our Church withall these men have acted or suffered to be done by those whom they maintaine insomuch that now the Priests of Rome shall not speak only lyes as heretofore when they tell the people That in England they abolish Church Sacraments the meanes of Salvation they either raze or rob Churches wheresoever they come and make Stables of them that they will neither have Temples nor forme of Religion nor doe they serve God any way yea the English Nation is growne so barbarous that they are very Canniballs and devoure one another God knowes my Soul abhorres to thinke much more to name those things that are acted done amongst as nor should my pen be fouled with the mention of them were they not visible to so many eyes and did not necessity of defending impugned Truth and an abused Church restraine me But I would have all the Papists understand for to that end do I thus speak that we who are of the true Protestant Christian Religion do abhor and loath these practices as much as any and are persecuted to death by them that do them for our dislike of them 6. By their suppression and demolition of all Monuments of Christianity that there might be seen no more tokens of it in the Kingdome as if they intended that no man should be able hereafter to say this Land was once Christian The very festivall times when the Birth Death Resurrection Ascension of our Saviour is commemorated which next to the Preaching of Gods Word and Administration of the Sacraments have been the most speciall means to confirme mens faith in the History of Christ these they have inhibited and forbidden as if they hated his very remembrance Gods wisdome appointed the Feast of Passeover to be kept as an Ordinance for ever among the Jewes to minde them of their deliverance from Aegypt and to be a mean to assure their Children in after-Ages of the truth of that great mercy And the Church conceiving that our deliverance from sinne and Satan by the Birth Death Resurrection and Ascension of Christ to be as a great a deliverance as that other and to deserve as well to be remembred did also apprehend that way or mean to be the best to convey the notice of it to Posterity which Gods owne Wisdome devised and that was by celebrating Annuall Festivalls in memoriall thereof but these men it seemes have resolved to the contrary for they will not have the same kept any longer in remembrance Nay that miraculous Thorne at Glassenbury which was wont to celebrate the Festivall of Christs Nativity by putting forth its leaves and flowers was cut in pieces by these Militia men that it might no longer Preach unto men the Birth day of their Saviour But what doe I speake of dayes and times and teaching Trees the very Doctrine it selfe which Christ himselfe taught and practised viz. the Doctrine of Peace Patience and passive obedience unto Princes is reckoned obsolete and uselesse by these men it was publickly maintained by a certaine worthlesse Member at a great Committee in the Checquer Chamber that such Doctrines were out of date in these dayes and had been onely proper to former times when the Church was in a low Condition and under the Persecution of Heathen Emperours Nay these men would not that any true Christian Protestant should have leave to live to relate unto posterity the Doctrine of his Saviour as seemeth by their doings their thirst for Protestant Bloud appeareth to be such as if they desired that all of that Profession in the world had but one Head that so they might cut it off at one blow for they have shed already more of it within these foure yeares then ever was shed in Great Brittaine since the world began and that for no other cause that we yet know for they never durst come to dispute it with us then for holding to the Doctrine of Christs Gospell because we will not contrary to that lift up our hands with them against our Soveraigne By these particulars and many others which I might alleadge it is evident what ever they pretend to the contrary that their endeavours are to destroy the Christian Protestant Religion Our Saviour doth warrant us to judge of men by their fruits wherefore t is no marvaile if the Reader being a true Protestant Christian be not well affected to that cause of Liberty and Religion which the two Parliaments of England and Scotland do seeme to maintaine SECT VIII 1. Of the feigned Combination against the Parliament 2. Our judgement of the Papists and of their assisting the King 3. Our abhorment of the Cruelties of the Irish and how they are out-gone by the English Rebells 4. Our Opinion of the Court Faction of what flock we are 5. How the Libellers call themselves the more beleeving sort of people BUt the Reason insinuated by our Subtile Brethren why men should be affected to that their cause is taken from the Consideration of the Persons against whom as they say t is maintained viz. against a combination of all the Papists of Europe almost especially the bloudy Tigres of Ireland and some of the Prelaticall and Court Faction in England That
there is any such Combination opposed by the two Parliaments of England and Scotland as these men mention is more perhaps then the Readers have heard of before or then they do yet beleeve upon the bare affirmation of these Relaters who are but men all men are Subject to Error Indeed we have heard of a most ungodly and unlawfull Association betwixt those whom they call the two Parliaments and certaine other people in England and Scotland The tenour of which is if I rightly apprehend never to lay downe Armes nor to admit of Peace till they have accomplished their owne ends upon the King and his Friends and satisfied their Lusts upon them And to defend and assist with their lives and fortunes all those whoever they be without exception that shall joyne with them against the King his Party So that be they Papists Turkes Jewes Heathens Atheists Arrians Irish Tigres Devills of Hell if they do but joyne with them against their King and those that Honour him as Gods Annointed for this very cause and reason they have bound themselves by Oath they have vowed and protested to defend and maintaine them with their lives and fortunes even till death and never to forsake them If there be a more generall illegall and irreligious Combination then that is which any others have entred into these relaters should have done well to have given the Reader a Copy of the same who otherwise must apprehend them in these their words to be only at their old vomit againe Because they cannot possibly devise more evill and mischiefe to Charge upon others then themselves do practice against others therefore they still impute unto others their own iniquities or else their guilty Consciences makes them fancy that they see their own pictures in other mens faces But we will not omit to observe the ingenuity of these men though it be but a little intimated in those their two words Almost and Some they do not say all the Papists in Europe absolutely all the prelaticall Court faction without any limitation have entred into this fancyed Combination But all the Papists in Europe almost and some of the Prelaticall and Court faction the word almost doth exclude all the Papists that either are or may be under the Parliament Pay and Service and the word Some may excuse those of the Prelaticall or Court Faction that hold intelligence with those at Westminster and are men of like complexion with them dissemblers disobedient unthankfull treacherous heady and high-minded however they carry themselves to outward appearance And truly we beleeve that if these tale-tellers would but speak out when the fit of ingenuity is upon them they would confesse and acknowledge that if any Papists in the world any of the Bloudy Tigers of Ireland will but joyne with those whom they call the two Parliaments against the King and that little flock which for Conscience sake remain Loyall to him they shall be accepted and absolved presently from what is past they shall be reckoned Papists no more Bloudy Tigers of Ireland no more but all good men and true in a moment and have free leave yea and money too to act over againe their bloudy Tragedies here in England Or if any of the Court Faction of what Religion or conversation soever will but vouchsafe to be more vile and wicked then ever they have been and be hired as Judas was to betray their Master or to render up to his Enemies those places of Defence committed to their Trust and so come off from the King to their Parliament side they shall be welcome and Voted good all upon the suddaine Truly we never heard of any yet that had the Conscience to act the part of a Traitour or of a villaine against God his Prince and Country but hath been accepted by them and as was said we beleeve if our subtile and suspected Brethren would but speake out when the moode of ingenuity is upon them they would confesse as much But the Reason as we conceive why they yoke Papists Irish Tigers and the Court Faction thus together and affirme them to be entred into a Combination is this Because they would that the common people should have an equall odious esteem of each of these three sorts whom they would also should be apprehended to be the onely persons that maintaine and uphold the King and whom the King doth only respect and adhere unto therefore they would that we unto whom they direct their speech should decline him and his Cause and joyne with themselves and their faction against Him that and them In Answer to which I shall only declare in a word what our judgements and opinions are of each of these three sorts of people 1. Concerning Papists we the Persecuted and Loyall Protestants of this Kingdome doe more abjure their Religion then these men do that speak so bitterly against them though we do not think it lawfull to enter into a Combination to root them out of the Earth by shedding of their Bloud no though they should enter into such a one to destroy us for we have no warrant in the Gospell so to doe T is the Word of God that is ordained to suppresse false Religions and not the Sword of Man Fire Sword and Pistolls are the Weapons of Antichrist and not of Christ. And because of their Religion we are heartily sorry that there are any Papists in the Kings Armies for that scandall which ignorant people take by them through the perverse suggestions of the crafty Adversary who from hence take occasion to keep their affections enstranged from their Soveraigne Not that hereby any scandall is justly given by His Majesty for we hold it not only Lawful for him to make use of those of that Religion but also necessary yea it would be a sinne against God if being assaulted by Theeves and Rebells he should not use the meanes for his own Preservation and imploy for his own defence all those whom God hath submitted under his Government for that purpose there is no man if he should be assaulted by Robbers and Murderers but would make use of the aide of a Turke to save his life Yea these very men themselves we see can hire Papists from other Countryes to help them to destroy their Soveraigne and is it not meet and reasonable that the King should permit Papists his owne Subjects to help to preserve him from such their violence Indeed we are ashamed and blush that Papists should out-goe any that beare the name of Protestants in duty and obedience to their King that any whom this Church hath bred should so desert their Soveraign in his danger who hath protected them in theirs as that he should need the help of Papists Sorry we are at the heart that this occasion is given to have any of another Religion to defend the Defender of our Faith against the basenesse and violence of those persons whom he hath defended in the profession
thereof but more of this hereafter 2. Concerning the Bloudy Tigres of Ireland we doe abhorre their Cruelties and beleeve that their damnation sleepeth not but shall in Gods due time over-take and over-whelme them But we must adde farther that the Tigres of England even many of those whom they call the Parliament side have been full as Bloudy nay more Bloudy and base then those of Ireland who have persecuted with fire and sword from among them those only that were of a differing Religion and Nation unto themselves but these here have handled them of their own Country and Religion after the same manner never any Tygres so thirsted after the Bloud of their nearest kindred and best friends as these in England have done nor can any villany be named that was acted by them in that Kingdome which hath not been done and out-done by those in this these also have raised a Rebellion against their Soveraigne and in pursuance thereof have killed slaine and destroyed men women and children in some places where they have come these also have stripped people of both Sexes naked and then shut them up in Churches together or other places and afterward have come and in a barbarous and beastly maner have whipped and scourged them these also have rosted Christians at the fire and burnt them by piece-meales their toes from their feet and their fingers from their hands striking up halfe a dozen Drums in the meane time that the shreeks and cryes of the tormented might not be heard to move pitty in any towards them which was the custome of them in old time that Sacrificed Children unto Moloske was it ever heard that the Tigres of Ireland or the Spaniards in the Indies did ever act any such Cruelties upon them of their owne Faith and Nation Indeed modesty restraines from expressing all their doings and did I delight to make men odious as well as sinne I could name the Persons by whose Command and Authority some of these things have been Acted and the places where they have been done And confident I am if Master Fox were now alive to search into all the places where these Parliament Tigres have come and to write their doings the volume would be three times as big as his former and repleat with as Savage Actions as ever yet were recorded by the Pen of Man Onely this I must say further I have not heard that the Tigres of Ireland have shewn so much immediate spight against God and Christ in demolishing all markes of Christianity in destroying polluting and defiling the Temples of Gods Worship as these of England have done t is true we hear that since they have got our Churches into their possessions they have in their superstitious way consecrated them anew And truely had our Tigres of England been there and used the Churches of that Kingdome as they have done them in this there had been great need of a new Consecration Wherefore concluding this particular I will only speak to these men who have thus mentioned the Tigres of Ireland as our Saviour in the Gospell did to some of like Conditions You Hypocrites can you see Tigrely doings in your Brethren of Ireland And can you not discern these more Tigrely and bloudy Actions which are committed by your selves Amend first for shame your own doings and then you may speak with more credit against the Evills of others 3. Concerning the third sort viz. those some of the Prelaticall and Court Faction in England which these men cry out also upon to be of the Combination we doe confesse there hath been and perhaps still are some about the Court or that have too near a relation to it whom we doe dislike as much and more too then these men doe and we have reason for it they are such as neither serve God nor the King so faithfully as they ought to doe but are either secret pensioners unto his enemies pursuing their ends notwithstanding their pretendings and engagements to His Majesty or else they are slaves to their owne proper lusts making provisions only for their owne Flesh and Belly notwithstanding Gods wrath upon the Kingdome and from these is the speciall cause that the Kings affaires goe on so badly as they doe these be the men who by their Power and Authority have countenanced and advanced the vile even to abuse spoile and dishearten the good lest the Lustre of inferiours merits should discover the worthlesnesse of those that are in place above them and give too happy a progresse to His Majesties businesse Of which sort are they who when by their Treacheries Indiscretions Negligences or ill Governed behaviours Townes and Countrys are lost good undertakings nulled or made frustrate can very unreverendly and undutifully lay the fault upon the Kings ill fortune yea and tax His Majesty of this or that so making his Candour the Napkin as it were to wipe the filth from their own Noses These men we would that all the world should know we do dislike and perfectly abhorre for such their workes sake even as we doe the Irish Tigres or the Men of Westminster themselves But we do beleeve and know that besides these the King hath a Company belonging to him both of the Nobility of the Gentry and of the Clergy our subtile Brethren may call them a faction if they will or even what else they please that are both truly Religious and truly Loyall that have sacrificed their fortunes and are every one ready to sacrifice their lives too in defence of their holy Protestant Religion and of their King and Country that do truly mourn for the miseries of this Church and State yea many of them stand like Mary and John as being able perhaps to do little else looking with watery eyes upon their innocent and righteous Soveraigne whom they behold in their Saviours Condition Crucified between Theeves on both sides And of this flock we do professe our selves to be and to it we resolve by Gods Grace to adhere for ever although we should see every of them to be in the Kings very case and Condition wronged every way and abused by both their parties even as he no we will not leave to be on their side in this cause though we beleeve them to be the men whom together with the King the Heads of the Association made at London have vowed to destroy We know that the Lord whom we serve is able to deliver us from their cruell hands but if not let all the People know that we will never fall down before that many-Headed Idoll which they have set up or rather which hath advanced it selfe to be adored by the People And this is our Answer to these subtile men who by a tale of strange Combination did think as it seemes to perswade us to forsake the King and to adhere to his Enemies But they tell the Reader further Thou say they wilt be abundantly satisfied with these Letters here Printed and take
of them being sent by the rest into the Country to pick their neighbours purses whilest they have been perswading the poor Country-man to new Loanes and Charges for the maintenance of this unchristian and unnatural War Providence as must be pretended did usually at the very instant time send some Letter or other wherein was related with thanks to the people for their former assistance what a great Victory by the help of God and them the Parliament had lately obtained against the Kings Forces with little or no loss to themselves so that now the work was in a manner quite done one Contribution more would finish the Business These Letters were suspected even by the abused people themselves to be but meer forgeries devised on purpose to cozen them of their Monies when afterward they understood there had been no such Victories at that time verily those that dare belie Gods Providence and forge Letters from that may be suspected wil be as bold with the King in pursuance of their own designs against him But say they if the Parliament were guilty of any such forgery the King in his Letters which have been intercepted would have objected the same The word intercepted might have been omitted for if in any of the Kings Letters which have by Accident come into their Hands any such thing were objected yea and sufficiently proved yet we are confident of their wisdome so far that we dare say for them they would never have divulged the same nor suffered the world to know of it if they themselves could help But for their whole Argument 't is only negative and therefore weak and fallible The King hath not accused them of forgery Ergo they are not guilty thereof is no necessary consequent There is many a Malefactor in the Kingdom that deserves hanging yet was never brought to his trial is he therefore innocent As it doth not follow that they are most faulty that are most ill spoken of no more doth it on the contrary that they are most free from blame that are least taxed But if the King hath not objected forgery unto them the more is his goodness and wisdome he that desires peace with his Adversary is sparing even in his just objections that no obstruction be cast in by him as a bar to union whereas they that love strife though themselves have already offered most wrong yet are stil most ful of clamours and when they can find no faults to object they 'l invent some to keep the fire burning doubtless if the New great Seal be remembred it must be acknowledged by all men that the King hath had more cause to accuse them of forgery then ever they had yet to Accuse him of Perjury but by their own Confession we see the King hath been more careful of their credit then they have been of his Honour or of their own Souls But being conscious of the weakness of their Argument they hope to strengthen it with a second which is nihil ad nos as the other was nihil ad rem 't is their appeal to the Kings own Conscience who say they cannot disavow his own handwriting this may indeed be aliquid ad regem but what is it to the Reader Would they have every one in these Kingdoms and beyond the Seas to whom they have dispersed these Copies make a journy to ask the King whether these Letters were of His own Hand-writing And to this second they adde a third which is even like the former they tel the Reader that all the Ciphers Letters all the Circumstances of time and fact and the very hand by which they are Signed so generally known and now exposed to the view of all will aver for them that no such forgery could â—e possible And yet the Reader all the while sees nothing but only that which comes from the hand of the Printer or did he see the very Cyphers or original Letters they speak of were the hand wherewith they were Signed exposed generally to the view of all could all men know it to be the Kings or swear it were nto forged I suppose not unless He had first submitted his faith and judgment to believe only as the Parliament Voteth In a word I conceive that not withstanding all they say to the contrary they who forged the Kings Seal may possibly forge Letters under the Kings Name I do not Accuse any to have so done only I speak thus to shew that their Arguments are not so convincing as themselves think Forgery in this case might be possible But they come to the second objection which they believe may be made against their Notes upon these Letters and say As to our Comments and Annotations if there be not perspicuity and modesty in them there is no common Justice nor place for credit left among mankind SECT X. 1. Of that perspicuity and Modesty which the Libellers boast to be in their own Annotations 2. Their pretty confident way of perswading all men to be of their Opinions 3. Their Reasons why they did not publish all they had against the King IF any shal dislike these Comments and Annotations upon the Kings Letters He is confuted in these words very substantially for the Authors of them say that they are all very good and we know men can best judge of their own works they can give the fairest interpretation of their own doings the Crow can see beauty in her own bird though none else can so these men can see perspicuity and modesty in their own Notes yea so confident they are that their sight is good their judgment true that they dare boldly conclude there is no Common Justice or faith left amongst men if all mankind be not of their Opinion in this particular Was not this stoutly spoken Are not these valiant men We see they are resolved to hold their own though all mankind say to the contrary Truly upon this their commendation their Notes have been read over again and again and I profess I can see no perspicuity at all in them unless of spight and malice which indeed I find set forth with the Highest and most transcendent impudency against Soveraign Majesty as I believe ever Mankind saw Nay I dare affirm it that never any Protestant Christian Subjects did discover the like under Countenance of such an Authority as these pretend And I require these boasters to shew but one word or expression savouring of true modesty and Christian reverence to their King in all their Annotations and I promise them it shal excuse with me a multitude of their other errours Nay let their own Consciences speak concerning this perspicuity which they talk of whether they did not on purpose transpose these Letters in this their publication of them inverting the Order wherein they were written setting some that were first last and some that were last first that so their dependance upon each other being broken they might be lesse perspicuous to the Reader
he had received it did He spend it in Luxury upon Himself or unprofitably to the damage of His Subjects Was it not imployed for the dignity and preservation of the Nation Were not the Ships built therewith the strength of the Kingdome Were we not by meanes of them become formidable to all about us Surely from hence it was that our Merchants sailed with more freedom at Sea and their Factors did negociate with more success and regard abroad hence it was that the inhabitants by the Sea Coasts slept more securely in their beds the worshipers of Mahomet durst not revell so neere them nor venture to steal their Children from them as alas of late dayes they have done In a word by the meanes of those ships had they still continued under the Kings Command all our poor Christian Brethren had been pulled ere this out of Bondage and Slavery from Turkish Dens through Gods assistance as diverse of them before had been yea and as was noted before all the people of this Kingdome had been interested in that so Pious and Christian a work by such their Contributions of Ship-money yet this was it they called their great grievance And thus I have shewn in brief the main things for which the King was clamoured against at large Now let all the world speak whether the Church and State were unhappy under his Government whether in the whole course of his Reigne he hath not approved himself a Defender of the true Faith a tender Father of his Country and sincerely affected to his Protestant Subjects And whether these men be not highly ingratefull both to God and him for their suggesting the Contrary But say they in these Letters are things unbeseeming a Prince who professeth himselfe to be such a Defender such a Father and so affected and a perfect Malignant they pronounce him to be that denieth this or cannot see it SECT XII 1. The Adversaries industry to find somewhat unbeseeming the King in his Letters 2. Certaine Christian Considerations propounded to the Readers evidencing them to be free from any such matter 3. Of the Adversaries pertinacy in their Rebellious way their endeavours that their Kings promises might neither be beleeved nor performed TO which we Answer and say That were the King but an ordinary man and did we observe such things in his Letters as they pretend yet remembring the benefits enjoyed by him the personall vertues shining in him throughout the time of his prosperity we should think it disagreeing both from Christianity and Humanity to publish such our observations against him in his adversity But considering him withall to beâ—our King our Soveraigne we are confident if we did see any thing unbeseeming that we are not bound to say we saw it or to tell others of it nor doe we indeed hold it lawfull but rather to hide it or to make the best of it Apelles was not bound openly to paint Alexanders skar it was allowable for him to lay his finger on it nor was that other Painter obliged plainly to paint Alphonsus wry necked it was lawfull for him to make it so as if he were looking up to Heaven for Alexander and Alphonsus were both Kings and so is Charles and by Gods grace shall still continue so to be in despight of all opposers But in our view of these his Letters we finde that which we conceived might have made their hopes desperate of doing his Majesty hurt by their publication of them and surely we think had not their confidence been great in that strong infection which they suppose their own Notes upon them doe carry with them the world had never seen them for whereas heretofore their endeavours were to darken and disparage the intellectuall vertues of their Soveraigne and peradventure his Majesties easiness at first in beleeving them to be Honest men upon their Religious Pretences and Protestations gave too great a furtherance to that designe David upon like grounds was so deceived in Achitophel But now these his Letters have quite dampt that business for they discover in him such Strength of judgement such Abilities of minde and Dexterity of parts that we are confident in this their divulging of them an everlasting check is given to that malignant Accusation And now his Morall Vertues onely are the Objects of their spleene which by their tongues and pens they hope to blemish and defile and from these his Letters they hope somewhat may be made use of to their assistance But what that Somewhat is will be seen hereafter In the mean time I shall be bold to propose a word of advice to the Readers of these Letters to be observed by them in their perusall of them For as my Duty doth constraine me to defend my Soveraigne so my Conscience and Charity doth perswade me to advise my Brethren for their good though I know the Enemies think to scare me and all men else with the name of Malignants for performing either these men in their impudent Notes have one speciall passage amongst others to this purpose Page 46. Their words are these The King wil declare nothing in favour of his Parliament so long as he can find a party to maintain him in his opposition nor perform any thing which he hath declared so long as he can find a sufficient party to excuse him for it We guess to what purpose this is spoken viz. To intimate that all such who out of conscience or duty shal indevour to vindicate the King from their unjust Caluminations and to preserve people from their snares shal be accounted Maintainers of opposition and excusers of sin and as such persons they intend either secretly or publickly to murder and massacre them But we hope through Gods good grace that neither their tongues nor their swords shal ever terrifie us from discharging our Consciences and we are confident that our God whom we serve who is the God of Peace and Truth wil witness for us that we neither delight in maintaining strife nor yet in excusing sin And for this advise which shal be propounded let the Readers examine it by the Gospel and if it be not agreeable unto that let no man follow it or regard it It is this If they meet in these Letters with any thing which in their apprehensions seems to speak a failing on his Majesties part in performing what he had formerly promised which indeed is one main thing that these King-accusers labour to fasten upon the Readers faith before they imitate these his Enemies and passe a sentence peremptory and condemnatory against their Soveraigne let them but consider of these three particulars 1. Whether the King was Able to keep his word in those things wherin he is apprehended to have failed whether the cause of that failing was not rather Lack of power then want of wil and whether his disâ—oyal Subjects who are most apt to accuse him were not they that robbed him of his power and on set
promises with an Oath but they being otherwise resolved as now appears would themselves believe neither nor would they so much as in them lay suffer any others to credit any thing which the King did say or swear How many loyally disposed Ministers did they imprison and take their livings from only for endevouring to make their Soveraigns honest mind known unto his Subjects by publishing his Declarations upon his Command to that purpose And how many times also did themselves set forth perverse notes and contradictory glosses upon the Kings Books that so the people might learn from them to misconstrue his sincere and good intentions Indeed because they were but new State-men many of us thought it rather an ignorance in them of wars miseries then any resolved purpose of acting Nero in destroying their own Mother Church and Nation which caused them at first to take up Arms for though an easie Capacity might foresee that they could do nothing by such an enterprise but increase their own sins and the sins of the Kingdom yet we were willing to lend what charity we could to the worst handed undertaking but their persistency in their savage course makes us now fear that even Ahab-like they strook at first of all a Covenant with Hel it self and sold themselves to work wickedness But alas alas besides their losse of Christ and God what wil they purchase hereby to themselves not the Titles of Fathers of their Country as they might have done had they behaved themselves accordingly and believed their Soveraign But Masters of a slaughtery wil they be called because they delight so much in the slaughtery of mankind Posterity wil judge them to have bin Satans darlings in their generation the fore-men of his shop whom he imployed to act his most glorious Stratagems his generosa scelera his choicest villanies his divina mysteria iniquitatis his divine mysteries of iniquity Indeed they have Manasseh-like filled the Nation with innocent bloud and made the whole Land a very Acheldama or field therof And oh that it would please the Judge of all the world to deal with them as he did with that Manasseh bring them into Bonds and Chains that so if possible they might be humbled as he was before they go hence and be no more but I return to them It is yeilded as they see that 't was the truth they spake when they said their Cause was stil the same as when the King first took Arms and as when he made most of his Oaths and professions And so in like sort is our God the same stil as when the King was first at Nottingham and there set up his Standerd But they tel us further to their former purpose that their demands at the Treaty in February were no other then those sent in June 1642. before any stroke struck Which Argument they repeat over the second time in the 53. Page of their notes to the same end also our demands say they at Uxbridge in February 1644. were the very same as they were in June 1642. indeed they are as bold as high as unreasonable to the full Ergo say they The King hath no reason to look upon us now any otherwise then as he did then All this is very true who denyes it these men sure love to dispute with their own shadows The King had cause to look upon them then as he doth now though now he hath cause to express himself further against them then he did then It is the course which God himself takes when people Rebell against him He endeauours at first to reduce them by promises and allurements unto obedience but if they slight and contemn these and oppose him the more for his lenity and goodness he then useth to express himself with more wrath and severity against them and hath reason for it we doe not apprehend that the King can transgress whatever these wise men say so long as he walks in the way of God though he did not call them by their proper name at first yet now he may But for this their Argument which they seeme by their often use of it to be so proud of had they any true touch or tast of Christianity in them they would blush to use it The Propositions are the same now as they were two or three years agoe scilâ—ful as high full as unreasonable and is this to their commendation Is it to their praise that the shedding of so much Christian bloud hath wrought no Remorse at all in them no obedience at all to Gods word which commands if possible to live peaceably with all men no submission to their King who hath so often wooed them with the tenders of mercy and pardon to be quiet No Humanity no Piety to their poor native Countrey that lyes a bleeding to destruction is this a matter to be gloryed in now that they are still as stiffe as ever as far from practicing the first lesson in Christs Schoole the point of self-denyall as if they had never heard one word of Christianity surely this their glory will one day be their shame and God grant it may so be before the great day that then if possible they may find mercy Truely this their impenitency and hardnesse of heart may afford us great matter of Admiration that neither all the bloud that is shed nor Gods protection of the Kings person among so many treasons and dangers from their malice and against such multitudes of men who both by secret treacheryes open Hostilityes foul mouthes black pens and bloudy hands have endeavoured his ruine Nor yet those remarkable judgements upon Brook Hampden and Hotham three of the first instruments of motion in this Rebellion together with many other Notable Accidents of Gods providence upon many other of their Associates I say it may well be matter of amazement to us that none of these things have been able to worke any touch of Conscience or alteration unto good in them pray God therefore they be not given up to a Reprobate sense and that the seal of damnation be not set upon them Indeed they say they have rather straitned then enlarged their Complaint of which this their libellous and defamatory book is a sufficient witnesse their propositions also they have straitned from 19 to 3. but it is proportione Arithmeticâ non Geometricâ for these three containe in them fully as much as those 19 and more if possible Well but what be these 3. Propositions which they now stick so close unto themselves say they are these in their order The first concernes the Abolition of Episcopacy or pulling down of the Church The second concerns the settling the Militia of the Kingdome in good hands by the advice of the Parliament or the pulling down of the Kingdome or Kingly state The third concernes the Vindication of the Irish Rebells or the full completion of a perfect Babell Indeed the method is rightly suted for the restauration of a
which they pretend they would inflict upon the Irish Rebells for that Protestant bloud shed by them would but the King give them leave so to do Truly if they would go themselves and fight it out with those Rebels in Ireland we dare affirm they shal have not only free leave but thanks too yea and moreover they shal have not only the usual boon of such Malefactors as act the executioners part upon their fellows viz. the grant of their own lives but by our consent they shal also be the very great Oes of Ireland and they shal hold this Dignity by their dearly affected Irish Law of Tanistry which is That he who is best able by force and violence to wrest unto himself the estates of others shal be the Chief Commander among them We perceive by their doings that they would set up that Law here in England in stead of all others which they have put out of date or use But we conceive it is not so suteable for this Nation where men have bin wont to enjoy their own and to leave their inheritance to their own Children and therfore we suppose it wil be an hard matter for them to introduce and settle the same here But in Ireland it is a custome established to their hand Yea and further yet upon Condition that they wil go thither and so we in this land may be rid of their Companies we wil all supplicate the King for a further favour in their behalf viz. that every great O amongst them may have the Honour to give the Earl of Tyrones own Arms which is a bloudy Hand for their own proper and most deserved Cognizance and that they may also be all Barons of that Strong Iland which Tyrone fortified and called Fough-na-Gaul the Hate of English-men For in very deed no man living did ever better merit that Title then they have done But alas we have read that Ireland harbours no venimous Vipers therfore we are confident the great Oes of Westminster wil never adventure thither in their own persons But if they can get the Militia of the Kingdom setled by the King wholly in their Hands that so they may fear no rising here against themselves they wil therwith force and press all the English people who wil not take their unlawful and ungodly Covenant which is in effect to renounce the Doctrine of Christs Gospel and their obedience to the King for ever and send them thither where they wil expose them to be starved or slaughtered as many thousands have bin already and therfore let all the Countries that have stood out longest in their Loyalty and at last accepted of these New Lords expect to be thus punished for their tardiness in Apostacy And for those lusty Club-men in the Counties of Wilts Somerset and Devon and the like let them look for this reward at the hands of their Militia-Masters for taking part with them against the Kings men Such fellows as wil gather together and make head against those that wrong and abuse them wil be dangerous to live in a New State They that did thus against the Cavaliers may do as much against the Round-heads when they are but a while as wel acquainted with their Conditions They that wil be forced from their Duty to their Soveraign and natural Liege-Lord by such wrongs and oppressions as in these troublesome times are offered to them by the unruly Soldiers wil be easily driven upon a like sensible occasion to make resistance against tyrannical usurpers those Beasts that wil decline from their Allegiance to the Kingly Lyon wil never long rest contented under the obedience of Cat-a-Mountains therfore a timely course must be taken with such persons they shal all be sent into Ireland out of hand and be hampered there for Ireland must be the continual Spain or Carthage to our New Rome to rid her of all such mutinous and tumultuous persons and then shal these Saints these Bloudy Butcherly Saints have free Elbow-room to inherit this land and having neither truth nor King nor Enemy left for to disease them they shal be at leisure if Pride and faction wil give them leave to live at peace together And thus have we seen the scope of the third demand also which concerneth Ireland Now from what hath been said concerning these matters let any man judge whether these men have not reasons to pursue their desires without giving back an hairs bredth from their first proposals and whether the King hath reason or no to consent unto them Nay whether the Subjects of England have cause to wish the Kings complyance with them in all these things for my part I profess sincerely in the sight of God I apprehend their demands to be the most unreasonable that were ever made and therfore do hope that God wil ere long awaken in the Kings behalf for such hath bin his wont formerly in cases of like nature When Nahash the Ammonite required of the men of Jabesh Gilead to purchase a quiet bondage under him that he might pul out their right Eys So when Benhadad required of the king of Israel his Strength Treasures Houses Wives Children and what ever was dear and pleasing unto him when Senacherib required of the people of Jerusalem to forsake their own natural King and to submit their necks under his yoak to yeild up themselves into his hands to be carried from their own good Land they knew not whither We find that God did continually awake in the behalf of each of these distressed and most severely punished every of these unreasonable demanders and doubtless he did so for the very unreasonableness of those their requests And shal not we believe that he wil awake now also when all these unreasonable demands proceed together at once and from the same men who first require the Abolition of Episcopacy there is Nahash request to pluck out our right Eies Secondly they require the Militia of the three Kingdoms that is Benhadads request for all that the King and his friends have Thirdly under the title of Vindicating the Irish Rebels they require that the people of this Kingdom should be at their disposal to translate from their own Native Country and never to see it any more there is Senacheribs request Therfore Awake Awake as in times of old O Lord our strength arise for our succour at this present and redeem us for thy mercies sake Behold O God our shield and Look upon the face of thine Anointed as thou art the Judge of all the Earth and helpest them to right that suffer wrong Amen Amen I now proceed to Answer these men who in their Libell go on and say But were our cause altered as it is not or were we worse Rebels then formerly as none can affirm that takes notice of our late sufferings and our strange patience even now after the discovery of these Papers and our late extraordinary success in the field Yet stil this
away what ere he had to defend himself they made a shift to beat him with his own Weapons after four long years pursuit of him and what extraordinary matter is there in all this Nay some say too they had not prevailed then neither but that they plowed with the Kings Heifer as they also did in their taking those Townes and Castles which since they entred upon Had not some whom the King trusted been perfidious these great Conquerours had not been so prosperous Wherefore the case being rightly stated it was not altogether Victorious Sir Thomas Fairfax but partly also victorious treachery and victorious money which was the procurer of such their late extraordinary great successe And yet perhaps Sir Thomas Fairfax may be a right valiant man in his way as many other Commanders on that side are worthy all to be engaged in a more noble and righteous quarrell and I wish with my Soul for their Soules sake and for the honour of the English Nation that either the cause which they strive to maintaine were better or that their industry wherewith they maintaine it were not so good But that none may think that the extraordinary successe which these perverters of Order these underminers of Government have had and which these troubles of Israel these over-turners of Christianity do boast of is to be attributed to any goodnesse in their cause or to any Celestiall or Divine benediction upon it I shall desire them to consider of the true Grounds and Reasons of it I shall name only those that are most visible amongst which I might mention private divisions between our Chieftaines who to revenge themselves of one another seemed not to care what advantage they gave to the common foe nor what detriment to the King but this hath been too sufficiently yea too shamefully visible without further notice I might mention also the Indiscretion or inability of those who have undertaken to manage the Kings Affaires The greatest talkers sayes the Proverb are not always the wisest men He that can make a witty speech is not alwayes meetest to sway a Councell nor are men of quickest gust or relish always men of the best and sagest spirit 't is one thing to give directions for dressing of a good Dinner and another thing to give orders for the governing of a great Army Beside the Genius of some men is neither publick nor noble enough either to gaine or keep the Hearts of people who by a certaine instinct from above are most regardfull in troublesome times of those whom they apprehend to be most neglectfull of themselves Assuredly the King and his Cause both have received the greatest wounds from the hands of Friends I might also mention mens dishonesty in falsifying the trust imposed in them when they have by their oppression and violence beggered the people committed to their care by their excess and harshness weakened their hearts and loosened the joynts of Loyalty in them and made the places strong and fensible as if they had been there set only to enrich themselves and to make preparation for the Enemy and this being done their work were done they have delivered up all into the adversaries hand and so departed But to omit these and many more particulars which might be named which have occasioned that great success so gloried in I shall mention only three viz. Remisnesse in the best of ours Prophanenesse in the worst and Popular fury 1. Remisness The best on our side in generall being not armed or quickned with such stings of Hatred as they on their side are have been more heavy and dull in their opposite desires and inferiour to them in their attempts and practises They by tumbling and tossing like heaps of snow rowled up and down have grown great and mighty and we by our frosty coldness have given them leave to harden Whereby they are encreased to that stupendious heap we see though 't is possible yet that a thaw may come for rota fortunae is in gyro notwithstanding their present bigness they may be sensible of a diminution might but the glorious Sun-shine of Gods Countenance return again upon our Soveraign And yet perhaps this Remisness which I seeme to tax in these of ours hath been more from others restraint then their owne sluggishness for alas the chiefest care of too many amongst us hath been to damp the endevours of good men in such places where they might have been most serviceable yea to prevent if possible their being trusted or imployed at all for fear I think the Kings Affaires should thrive too well if such had had the managing of them many of the Kings friends as they have been called have been so faithfull to Him that they would neither do their own duties nor suffer others to do theirs having themselves deserved ill they could not abide that others should deserve better it hath been one of the hardest things for a known honest man to obtain leave of them since the Kings troubles began to doe His Majesty faithfull service yea I have heard it often said that the surest and speediest way for one to bring himselfe to ruine among many of the Kings men was to be more active and honest then others in doing the Kings worke Nay if a Minister of Christ hath but laboured earnestly and zealously in his proper way according to his Office in the behalf of God his Soveraigne and his Country He hath growne remarkable on the suddaine and been noted by many that should have encouraged him for an unsufferable fellow fit for nothing but for slaughter unless presently silenced and dismissed for they have cryed He will spoile the Kings Cause if let alone and make all the Souldiers stark Puritanes rank Round-heads or else stirre up all the people against us and all this but for his faithfull and true dislike of that which spoiled it Remissenesse therefore in good men is granted a mean to preserve their own safeties but withall t is undoubtedly one of the special things that hath damnified the Kings Cause and advanced that of the Enemy 2. As Remisnesse in some so prophanesse and high impiety in some others of our side hath weakned us and aided them t is a true saying A divine blessing doth alwayes accompany good causes where wickednesse and wilfull witlessenesse doth not bar against it but when either of these oppose the blessing is obstructed and alas Hinc dolor Hinc lacrymae hence also is the source of our sorrows and of our enemies good successe Sir Edwin Sands in his Europae speculum tells us that the Jewes in their speculations of the causes of the strange successe of worldly affaires doe assigne the reason of the Turkes prevailing against the Christians to their Blasphemies and horrid Oathes which doe wound the eares of the very Heavens and cry to the throne of Justice for Divine vengeance whereas the Turkes hate prophanation and will not suffer Christ to be
ill spoken of the same reason may be given for the enemies prevailing of late against the Kings men Though I doe not say that all on the Enemies side are free from this hellish sinne or so respectfull of Christ and God as the Turkes are in this particular for there are with them even with them also most horrid swearers and most execrable blasphemers but their evills hurt not us as our owne doe nor are so mis-becoming their Cause as ours are to that which we maintaine And indeed never any good undertaking had so many unworthy attendants such horrid blasphemers and wicked wretches as ours hath had I quake to think much more to speak what mine eares have heard from some of their lips but to discover them is not my present business a day may come when the world may see that we who adhere to the King for Conscience sake what ever is said of us to the contrary have as truly hated the prophanesse and vilenesse of our own men as we have done the disloyalty and Rebellion of the Enemy For indeed the truth is betwixt them both as betwixt two mil-stones the King his Cause and our selves too are ground in pieces and were the matter well opened it would appear that both those and these have had but one and the same end even to satisfie their owne lusts and enrich themselves with the ruines of their King and Country But without all question neglect of Religion and want of Discipline hath weakned and undone the Kings Armies O had His Sacred Majesties Commands and Orders for the exercise of both been put in Execution the Enemy had never been able to have stood before us 3. Popular Fury which is like the rushing of mighty waters comes also in to the making up of this Land-floud which gives the Adversary such occasion of glorying the Addition of the many though it can adde no true credit to their Cause yet it makes the successe appear extraordinary The People sayes Jeremy are foolish and know not Gods way and our Saviour sayes the Multitude walke in the broad way they are led much by mouth and noise and incline alwayes to the strongest their delights are to lift up those that are already up and to throw downe lower the already downe with them the winner hath alwayes praise let a man get power or prosperity how he can he shall not want vertue in their opinions A notable Testimony of this we have in that propheticall vision Rev. 13. wherein is foreshewn what shall fall out in these latter times we are there told of a certain Beast with many Heads whom all the world wonder after in regard of his Power and Authority which notwithstanding was not lawfull or rightly come by as the Text infers For the Dragon or Devill did give it to him and not God yet such was the blindness and fury of the People that they did worship and adore him for it And by the way let us here note that Satan is sometime said to give power by Gods permission as well as God and as that power which is gotten by honest and lawfull meanes is Gods gift of which kinde was that of Pilat though abused by him it was conferred upon him by the voluntary designement of Caesar the Supream Magistrate and therefore our Saviour saies it was of God or from above So that strength and Authority on the other side which is obtained by unlawfull courses is the gift of Satan and such was that of the many-headed Monster forementioned He is said to have received power from the Dragon because by fraud violence and unjust wayes he had gryped a great strength of the Militia into his hands whereby for a season he was succesefull in many designes Yea sayes the spirit vers 7. He made Warre with the Saints and overcame them He prevailed over men of all sorts small and great rich and poore free and bond and compelled them to receive a Marke or to take a Covenant and no man might live and trade buy or sell in all his Quarters that scrupled at it And in regard of this his great Power and success together all that dwelt upon the earth or in the Countries where he had to doe those onely excepted sayes the Text whose names were written in the booke of Life did worship the Beast wondered after him and admired him saying who is like unto the Beast who is able to make Warre with him And no doubt but the Beast did admire himselfe too for such his greatness and success among the People whose foolish and froward access indeed did make the same so extraordinary These I conceive are the chief causes of that prosperity which the enemy so much glories in what invisible reasons there be in Gods secret Councell for his permitting this I cannot tell but sure I am though the Adversaries may have received their power as that beast did to doe as they have done yet Gods Hand it selfe is in the Judgement as 't is a punishment And indeed we have sinned one with another and therefore are justly punished one by another we had made this happy and rich Kingdom the stage of our wickedness and therefore it is become unto us an Acheldama or field of blood and should God make it an Hell also for ever to torment us in it would be but our due merit and his true Justice Let us give God his due glory He is righteous in all his doings The Judgement indeed hath falne hitherto most heavy upon the Kings Family and Party and this I beleeve is of Gods speciall permission too but whether because Judgement doth usually begin at Gods own house or because we on that side are in the generall so sinfull and the best of us so little affected with these nationall miseries and so little humbled under our own I cannot tell Gods Councells are a great deep But let this be confessed to our shame of which I wish we could take more unto our selves for this is a time and season to do it in I thinke since the world began there was never so great a Judgement lesse laid to heart wherein so many are concerned then this is by us Alas Alas Who amongst us yet speaketh aright Who repenteth him of his wickedness Who lamenteth for his sin Who smites himselfe and sayes What have I done Every one in a manner still goes on â—in his old course and runs desperately upon his owne ruine even as the Horse that wanteth understanding rusheth into the battle We have those that seeme to hate Religion as much as the Rebells doe Loyalty yea that make Religion a mark of Rebellion even as they on the other side do make Rebellion a mark of Religion Nay I would they did not hate both Loyalty and Religion too sure they use those worst that are to both these best affected we must needs think that God hath an high indignation against such persons and disdaines sure
intelligence with the Cardinall Mazarine Though I will not swear saies he that Lenthall says true yet I am sure 't is fit for thee to know Pap. 1. Here was another Clandestine businesse And further he doth consult with her about supplies of Men Monies and Powder for defence of his life against them of Westminster Pap. 3. and gives her direction for the conveyance of it in some other Papers a businesse Clandestine and shrewd too And in Paper 6. he assures her in private that Hertogen the Irish Agent was an arrant Knave a particular which might concerne the men of Westminster and touch them more close then perhaps every body will yet beleeve Besides in most of these Letters we shall finde the King and his Queen comforting and supporting each other under their heavy burdens with mutuall intimation of perfect love and patheticall expressions of conjugall affection All which are notable proceedings indeed against them at Westminster and great obstructions to their endevours which are to breake the Hearts of both and sinke them to their graves presently And thus we see the nature and danger of the first particular in the Charge concerning Clandestine proceedings which are so evident that we can say nothing against it The 2. followes the proof whereof is more and obscure and that is condemning all that are in any degree Protestants in Oxford by which they would have it beleeved that the King is so great an Enemy to Protestant Religion that his very friends at Oxford who have forsaken all they had for his sake are hated by him for their Religion sake so many of them as are Protestants in any degree But how this is manifest in these his Papers we are to seek for though these men have forehead enough to affirme it yet their fortune is not good enough to prove it Indeed we find the King in his Letters to Ormond Paper 16. and in his Directions to his Commissioners at Uxbridge taking great care and giving strict Charge for the preservation of his Protestant Subjects in Ireland but in no place can we see so much as a sillable tending to the condemnation of Protestant Religion But these men cannot leave their old trade of Taxing the King with their own Conditions Heaven and Earth can witnesse that never was there in England greater enemies to Protestant Religion then themselves have been never was there so much Protestant Bloud spilt in this Nation since the beginning of the world as hath been by their meanes within these foure years Never was London so full of Prisons never the Prisons so full of Protestant Divines Protestant Nobles Gentry and Christians of all sorts as they have been since these good men kept Court at Westminster Besides how they have Countenanced and brought into the Church all kinde of Sects and Heresies to the ruine of Protestantisme which the King for the Honour and Health thereof was alwayes carefull to suppresse and keep out How have they maintained and preached Doctrines of Devills scil of strife murder of Brethren Rebellion against Princes oppression of neighbours and practised the same which are all directly opposite to the Religion of the Protestants How have they abolished the Book of Common-Prayer established by Parliament to be the Protestants publick forme of Worshiping and serving God in this Kingdome Had the King done but any one of these things or were he not himselfe a most constant and zealous Professour of Protestant Religion in his daily practice these men might happily have had some Colour for this their confident Charge against him and so to have created suspitions of him But seeing all things are so cleare contrary we learne onely thus much from this particular on their charge that they are men whose hearts are not overspiced with honesty They passe not what they say nor with what face so they say no truth The third particular which they load their King withall is Tolleration of Idolatry to Papists which they speak as if Idolatry sub eo nomine were already allowed and set up by the Kings Authority in contempt of God and true Religion and so doubtlesse they would have it apprehended Reasonable men will yeild that there is a difference betwixt Idolatry and the Penalty thereof the penalty may be suspended altered or taken away for the time and yet the sinne it selfe not tollerated or allowed These doubty Champions will not yeild that their Parlia have granted a tolleration to Adultery though they have abrogated the penal Lawes against that sin and so taken away the meanes to punish it Nor can they prove that the King hath promised any more to Papists then the Parliament hath already granted to fornicatours In their after-notes where they make repetition of this matter they referre the Reader to Paper the 8. for their ground of it In which we finde the King relating to His Queen how the English Rebells had transmitted the Commands of Ireland from the Crowne of England to the Scots an expression worthy by the way to be observed by all Englishmen that regard the honour of their Nation considering that the King Himself is a Scot and that the men of Westminster intend if they cannot kill Him to thrust Him and His Children as some of their Hang-bies have whispered to His Ancient Inheritance in Scotland when they have made use of His People of that Nation to help to destroy His Kingly Power here not one Scot of them all shall have any footing or any more to doe in this Kingdome I say considering this every true Englishman hath cause most highly to reverence the King for His Justice unto and His care of the dignity of the English Crown But to proceed the King tells His Queen that by that Act that base and ignoble act He found Reformation of the Church not to be as they pretended the end of this Rebellion and concludes it would be no piety but presumption rather in Himselfe not to use all lawfull meanes to maintaine His righteous Cause And as one mean to that purpose not thought of before He gives His Queen leave to promise in His Name that all penall Lawes in England against Roman Catholicks shall be taken away as soone sayes He as God shall inable me to doe it upon this Conditiion so as by their meanes I may have so powerfull assistance as may deserve so great a favour and inable me to doe it Now how truly from these words that accusation is collected let the Readers Judge Here they see is no absolute grant or tolleration of Idolatry as they pretend but only a conditionary promise of withdrawing the penall Statutes against the Papists His Subjects if by their meanes He may be delivered from this bloudy raging and malicious persecution of the Puritans and settled in His power and throne again And well may the Papists expect as much favour from the King for such a service as Adulterers have had already from the Parliament gratis Nor perhaps
will the King appear so aboundantly culpable in this case as these men would have Him if these 3. following particulars be well considered upon 1. The lawfulnesse of using the ayde of Papists specially being His own Subjects in case of life and extremity of which I have spoaken somewhat before to which I referre the Reader All that the Enemy can object is the Kings Resolution to the contrary at the beginning of this Rebellion His words to this purpose they faile not to alleadge in the end of their observations Pag. 55. where also they tell us that the King made a strict Proclamation for the punishing those of that Religion that should presume to list themselves under Him and that a way by Oath was prescribed for discrimination of them and instructions granted to the Commissioners of Array in all places to dis-arme them All which doth but speak His Majesties full purpose of keeping his Resolution for the King doubtlesse did verily beleeve till experience taught the contrary that Protestant Religion had such a power in the hearts of those that pretended so much unto it that they would never suffer Him their Soveraigne and protectour to stand in need of the help of Papists to defend Him And these men in the same place confesse that at the battle of Edge-hill the Papists were taken into the Kings Army of meere necessity and they alleadge in scorne the excuse as they call it which the King gave for the same namely that by law they were prohibited Armes in time of peace and not in time of Warre which distinction say these bore date long after the Warre begun but that was want of invention only perhaps so for who could have beleeved that men of their pretendings should prove so highly vile and base as they have done in driving their King to such exigents or that the People of our Religion should prove so ingratefull as to leave their Soveraigne and protector so desolate as that contrary to His own Resolution He must be forced in defence of His life to use those of another Religion and be put to excuse Himself by that distinction This makes me remember that in Seneca when Hercules familie was abused Ingrata tellus nemo ad Herculeae Domus auxilia venit vidit hoc tantum nefas defensus Orbis 2. The time when this Letter unto the Queen was writ wherein this promise was made and the occasion moving thereunto The time His accusers confesse was March 5. 1644. immediately after the breaking up of the Treaty at Uxbridge when all hopes of peace by way of an accommodation were frustrate and dissolved when the Kings affaires were very low and the enemy high having newly taken the Town of Shrewsbury one of His Majesties best Garrisons And the particular moving him at that time to think of this meane of procuring assistance from his Subjects of that Religion was as appeares in the Letter His discovery that the English Rebels had so much as in them lay transmitted the command of Ireland from him to the Scots Which might easily perswade him that their purpose was to take that of England unto themselves and so his whole Authority in all his Dominions being totally rent from him and divided amongst them he was like to be but a Sans terrae or a Cipher signifying just nothing in his three Kingdomes which also spake plainly to his Conscience that it was nothing lesse then Reformation of Religion what ever was pretended that the Puritane Rebels aymed at upon which considerations he concluded with himselfe as the Letter infers That it would be no Piety at all but plain Presumption in him to neglect any lawfull meane for defence of himselfe and that authority which God had entrusted him withall or still to stand upon scruples which word the malitious Observatours Pag. 45. would have the people take speciall notice of and truly what is it but a Scruple a needlesse Scruple for any to question whether a Protestant Prince should use the helpe of Papists in case of necessity to defend himself in his naturall rights and Royalties it being not onely lawfull but according to his Office and duty to preserve his Crown and Dignity by the help of his Subjects of what Religion soever they being by the providence of God lotted under his Government as the proper meanes and Instruments for that very purpose Wherefore now at length though the King had not hitherto as himself saies though of this meane scil with intent to use it yet upon this occasion and consideration I give thee leave says he to promise in my name that I will take away c. 3. The thing promised which is the taking away the penall Statutes against the Papists provided that in this his necessity they afford him that powerfull assistance as shall inable him to do it And truely if extraordinary successe be such a full proof of a good cause as these Libellers would now have it and the King by the assistance of his Popish Subjects should obtaine the same against his Puritan Rebells then their cause and Religion must for another while be concluded the best and this Argument being fore-swallowed much wrong should they have in the worlds deeme if at least He whom they have enabled should not suffer them to enjoy the free use of it under his protection And besides if we do but consider the Carriages of the Rebells themselves what allowance they have given and what promises they have made to men of all Sects and Religions for to purchase their assistance in taking from the King his inheritance and Authority What advantages they have made of the Kings fore-mentioned purpose and promise not to use the ayd of Papists How they have sued for that assistance which he resolved against and have entertained many of that Religion into their Armies and what proffers they have made to those whom they could not prevaile with to help them only to sit still and not help him I say if we consider of these things this promise which the King made will not appeare so unreasonable to men of understanding as these would have it But they Accuse the King afterward for offering this to the Queen in behalf of the Papists without either her or their request It may be easily beleeved that they have sued for it heretofore Besides if it be but considered what the fashion of the world is now come to be since the Puritans pricked up their ears Namely to Capitulate and bargain with their King for what they shall have and what he will grant before any duty or service shall be afforded to him and then too if it be remembred what large and unreasonable demands the Kings worst deserving subjects do require at His hands onely for the purchase of life and peace to himselfe and his people No man will wonder if the King do think the Papists will look at least for Liberty of Conscience and Religion under him when by their
deportments towards her been such as our Religion commandeth she might ere this in all probabilities have preferred the same before her own even as she hath done our Nation many have heard her at a wel furnished Table say one of these Dishes in England with my Husband and Children might I but enjoy it there in peace would please me better and be sweeter to me then all this plenty in this place So great is her affection to our Nation whose great ingratitude and unkindnesse to her so unbecoming the Gospel the Lord pardon Let the Reader pardon this digression her Majesties wronged Innocence and the truth did extort it from me I return now to her Accusers from whom I learn That her Majesties main and proper fault is Loving her Husband and this I confesse they Evidence at large from many quotatious out of her several Letters as first they say she performs the office of a Resident for him in France and is restlesse even to the neglect of her own health to assist him against them his Enemies 2. She vows they say to die by famine rather then fail him in her faithful endevours 3. She confines not her Agency to France but sollicites other Princes also for shipping in his aid 4. She sends Armes into Scotland to Mountrosse and many such like particulars they alleage which doth abundantly evidence this her fault of loving her Husband Nay and the most heinous matter of all is the Counsels which she gives him namely to be suspicious in his Treaties with them who have deceived him so much already to take heed of his own safety amongst them and not to think himself safe any longer then he defends his friends that have served him for which they quote Pap. 31. these they call Counsels of very pernicious Consequence of which nature also is that manifestation of her Judgment that peace cannot be safe to the King without a Regiment for his Guard a la mode de France say they they might as wel have said a la mode du Parliament and of all this they alleage their punctual proofs out of these Letters wherefore 't is very plain that the Queen is guilty of a most dear and tender affection to the King her Husband and in order to him she desires the welfare of all his friends and for this cause is deemed by these men a fit object of abuse and hatred But truly if I did not evidently see them to be given up to blindnesse of mind by reason of that malice which is in them I should much admire at their folly in these their exceptions against the Queen I dare say that Henry Burtons Wife or John Basticks Wife might have done ful as much for their husbands when time was had they bin in a like capacity and bin no whit blamed by these men for the same Nay they should have been commended rather for such Testimonies of their faithfulnesse and affection O but the Queens fortune is to be the Kings Wife and therefore she must not look to find such grace and favour in the eyes of these jolly men as to have that in her not censured for a fault which in mean women is entitled virtue Nay I am further confident that if this truly royal Mary Wife to our Soveraign Charls had like that Queen Isabella wife to our Edward the 2d. joyned issue with some of the Enemies against the King her Husband she should have bin in as high account with these as that other was with the Rebels of those days her difference in Religion should have bred no dis-affection at all in them towards her for 't is not so much an unity in that which they desire and aime at as to all is plainly apparent from that multiplicity of Religions allowed amongst them if there be but a facile community another way in things more sensible it wil abundantly serve the turn to give satisfaction to these blessed Reformers But because the Queen is Chara fidaque marito dear and faithful to her Lord and Husband therefore must she be exclaimed upon and hated yea hunted and forced out of the Kingdom by certain wise and wel-bred Gentlemen as they would be accounted that rule the rost at Westminster who if they could but lay hands upon her would also murder her for with open mouth they have charged her already with no lesse then Treason Treason against the New-state forsooth even for her affectionate adherence unto the King her Husband in these times of his affliction Observe it I beseech you and consider well of it O all ye Princes and Nobles of the world and all you that are true Gentlemen of what Nation and Kingdome soever and say whether you ever read or heard of the like Behold here a most Royall Lady of most noble and high Vertues and incomparable parts Great Henries Daughter Sister to the late French King and Aunt unto the present and Queen of England who hath been defamed sclandered reviled railed upon shot at persecuted and driven to banishment brought upon the publick Stage for a Traitour condemned and threatned with death and forced to fly into other Countries to preserve her selfe in being like that woman in the Revelation from the face of the Dragon and all this onely for her faithfulnesse and loyal affections to her Husband in his distresse consider of this thing I beseech you and speak your minds And you my Country-men of England in general examine your thoughts and then say Hocciâ—e est Humanum factum aut inceptum Is there any Generosity nay any Humanity in such dealings Can you imagine that such demeanours towards such a personage will be ever chronicled to our Nations praise or read by posterity with approbation Was ever such harsh and hellish usage offered by the hands of English men before now to a daughter of France Duke Reiners Daughter Wife to that good though most unfortunate King Henry the 6. was used much better by Richard the third she had no such despights offered to her person because a woman and though she brought much forrein aid into the Kingdome yet was she not as I read ever accused of Treason for the same she was raâ—her interpreted to have done thereby her proper duty to her Husband no man I am sure can say that our Protestant Religion allows of this behaviour or that our holy Mother Church did ever feed any of her Children with such nourishment as should cause them to break out into such exorbitancies Her milk was alwaies seasoned with the Doctrines of Humility Reverence Civility Gentlenesse Affability and gratiousnesse of conversation to people of all sorts even to inferiours and to enemies Much more to superiours and to friends Surely if this our once most generous and courteous Nation had not now in too great a measure layed aside common Humanity as well as grace were there but this one reason which I shall name it would be abundantly enough to make this Queen most dear
That 't is an heinous crime and sin in the King to endeavour to maintain Monarchy or to solicite any Princes though Protestants and of his owne nearest bloud and Alliance beside to aide him therein 3. That all Princes are contained and included in the King of Denmarke for in the Kings soliciting him he solicites all them Whence by the way we may also observe how provident these times are in providing for the credit of their future Clergy for 't is doubtlesse for their sakes that an Argument à singularibus ad universalia is here amongst other like stuffe made paâ—â—able and good by Authority and speciall Order of Parliament Concerning the Religion of these men it hath been made apparent already that the fruits and effects of it speake it to be such a one as deserves the hatred of all men though it cannot under any proper name be the object of the Kings opposition for no man can directly say what it is themselves are not yet resolved upon it nor what to call it But whatever is the ground of the Kings opposing them 't is evident that the Cause of their resisting him which I hope all Christian Princes will take speciall notice of is for Monarchy sake he would maintaine Monarchy He will not tamely admit the downfall of Monarchy in this noble Kingdome which these men as appears by their owne words would faine effect and therefore they thus persecute him and exclaim upon him nor are they either ashamed or affraid to intimate the same to the whole world let all the Monarchs of the Earth take it as an open defyance if they please they thinke themselves able to grapple with them all yea they and their faction where ere they prevaile are resolved not to leave a Monarch standing I desire of all you His Majesties Subjects of Great Brittain and Ireland who have unfortunately been seduced by this faction but to observe well this discovery which themselves have made by this passage of their own intentions they have told you oft and perhaps may tell you againe by some impudent speech or declaration that they intend still to maintaine true Religion and Monarchy in this Kingdome to have a King over them and that they be only ill tongues Enemies to Parliaments that say otherwise c. But I beseech you beleeve not a word they say to this purpose for God hath here made their owne tongues and pens to betray their Hearts for your sakes that you might speedily withdraw your selves from their seduction and not be their Instruments to embrew your hands in the bloud of your Soveraigne and to take from him his Inheritance who hath alway defended you in yours with peace and plenty till by their fraud and violence he was disabled and how have you enjoyed your selves and comforts since let your experience speak it to your owne Hearts Be you assured from what you have felt that Monarchy is the Protection of this Nation and of you the good people in it call but to minde the daies past when a Monarch only had the Militia in his disposing quà m placide poâ—ens dominusque vitae how pleasingly powerfull was he in the use of it with what innocent hands did he sway the Scepter How unbloudy was his whole raigne How tender and sparing of the lives of his Subjects Populus iste non bella nôrâ—t non tubae fermituâ— truces non arma gentes cingeres assuêrant suas muris nec urbes we knew not what Warres or Alarums meant nor did we need weapons to protect our selves nor Walls to defend our Cities pervium cunctis iter every man might travaile safely communis usus omnium rerum fuit there was a common use of all Common blessings yea and every man beside without disturbance enjoyed the comfort of his own Labours But since Monarchiall Government hath been obscured by these mens introduction of themselves upon the Stage of Action what hath been in practise amongst us but all kind of Oppression Tyranny Injustice and Villany whereof I heartily wish that your Experience did need my further information wherefore I pray take speciall notice of this passage 't is published you see to the world by Authority of Parliament yea by their speciall Order and therefore you have reason to beleeve it to be the true intent of their Hearts and the rather because 't is so agreeable to all their Actions yea though the contrary should be told you hereafter by the same Authority Be it known I say unto you all and remember it well the end of all these warres and fightings against the King is to destroy Monarchy in this Kingdome and to keepe you the free-borne Subjects of it in this turbulent slavish and underly condition whereunto a few of your Tyrannicall fellow-Subjects have already brought you they tell you sometimes that 't is the Militia of the Kingdome onely which they would have settled in good hands and the King shall be King still but your experience have taught you that no hands are so good as his neither can the Kings bare Title be able to defend you in your possession They tell you that they will defend you but you have payed for so much wit as to judge of what you shall have by what you have had already from them therefore as no man having tasted old wine straightway desireth new viz. if he be also acquainted with the relish of the new for he saies the Old is better so you having had a sufficient tast of both Governments the Monarchicall and the other new one which we cannot yet tell by what name to call have no reason by any meanes to allow of this since you are so sure that the old is better In a word let this Conclusion be rooted in your Hearts which experience hath in part confirmed unto your senses that as the Moone and Starres would fall infinitly short of that bright Lustre which now they have if the Sunne were stripped of his abundant shining so take from the King his Royall Prerogative let him be as a King and no King and all the people great and small will quickly feel that from his flourishing Condition proceeded all their happinesse I shall not here need to spend time in shewing the Excellency of Monarchy above all other Governments and the fitnesse of it for this Nation abler Pens have done that abundantly since the beginning of this unreasonable Rebellion only this I say to introduce any other forme into this Kingdome is a new thing never yet in being here and therefore I apprehend such an Act to be a perfect opposition unto Gods revealed will whosoever be the Agents in it for as the saying is Qui mala introducit voluntatem Dei oppugnat revelatum in verbo qui nova introducit voluntatem Dei oppugnat revelatum in rebus and therefore I advise all Statesmen consulere providentiam Dei cum verbo Dei to take Councell of Gods Providence as well as of
his Word in cases of this Nature But I returne again to these men Who would have us by these their words of His Maj. soliciting the King of Denmark and in him all other Princes to take notice that he calls in forraign Aide which fault they amplifie over and over in other places for though themselves may without offence or sinne call in another Nation and hire them with I know not how many 1000. Pounds a moneth to help them cut the throats of their Country-men yea and may make use of any forreiners in the world of what Nation Religion or Spirit soever they be to help them to destroy and pull down Monarchy yet the King may not without exclamation desire the aide of a Protestant Prince no not of his neerest Kinsman the King of Denmark to uphold the same But what is the reason that the King must be confined to this restraint themselves walk so much at Liberty Why they tell us at the end of their notes that the King had made resolutions and promises that he would never bring in forreine forces Which themselues indeed never did nor ever intended for doubtlesse they resolved at first to bring their defignes to passe by any meanes and rather then faile to get assistance Flectere si superos nequeunt Acheroâ—â—a movere and therefore themselves are free and do as they please whereas the King is entangled in his own promises They say Pag. 58. As to the bringing in of forrain forces The King Mar. 9. 1641. in his Declaration from Newmarket saith Whatsoever you are advertised from Rome Venice Paris of the Popes Nuncios soliciting Spain and France for forrain â—ydes We are confident no sober honest man can beleeve Us so desperate or senselesse to entertain such designes as would not onely bury this Our Kingdome in soddain destruction and ruine but Our Name and Posterity in perpetuall scorn and infamy Also they tell us of other words which the King spoke some three weeks after to the same purpose which indeed as I take it do expresse the inward ground and Motive that caused him to speak the former viz. We have neither so ill an opinion of Our own Merits or the Affections of Our Subjects as to think Our self in need of forraigne force Also August the 4. in his speech to the Gentry of York-shire the King acknowledgeth say they that He is wholly cast upon the Affections of his people having no hope but in God His just cause and the love of his Subjects Now these observators having quoted these three expressions of the King do conclude saying What distinction can now satisfie us that neither Irish French Lorraiâ—ers Dutch Danes are forreiners To which I answer First for the Irish they are no more forreiners then the Scots are nor in some respect so much for Ireland hath been a dependant unto the Crown of England many hundred yeers before Scotland was and then for French Lorraiâ—ers Dutch and Danes I shall answer concerning them when they are landed for the Kings assistance and in the meane time it would be but just that they should satisfie us that neither the Irish Scots French Burgâ—ndiâ—â—â— Dutch Wallâ—ns Italiâ—ns that are already in their Armies are neither Papists nor Forreiners as I said before the time and place is known to many where neere 30. of their men being taken were examined and found to be of six severall Nations all forreiners and all Papists But these words of the King alleadged by these men against Him do plainly discover to every honest eye that His Majesties designe was never to use any but His own Subjects nor did He think it possible and the rather in regard of His own good merits that people so long instructed in Protestant Religion should ever prove so ungratefull as to force Him their Prince to stand in need of forreigne assistance and therefore the Heads of the faction having in their malicious policy to work feares and jealousies against Him told the people that the Popes Nuncio that great Bulbegger was soliciting both in Spain and France the Kings businesse for forreigne aides and of this they said they were advertized from Venis and Paris yea and from Rome it self with which it seems they held intelligence even from the very beginning Now to remove this foolish vanity and to retaine a clearnesse in His peoples hearts the King expressed himself in that sort unto them assuring them that they were all forgeries against Him and that he did wholly cast Himself upon the Affections of His people and was confident that no sober man could beleeve Him so senselesse as to entertaine such a designe which would have been so detrimentall both to Himself and His Kindom and in very deed if before he had tryed his own people he had called in such Armies of Forreiners as they reported it must needs have been confessed a desperate part in him a mean to have brought a suddain Destruction upon his Kingdome and a perpetuall Infamy upon His Name But if after three yeares as long as was allowed to the fig-tree in the Gospell the King finding his Subjects unfaithfull and cold in their affections towards him Nay more perceiving by so long experience that their endeavours were to take from him both his Life and his Inheritance yea and his Honour too and that they abused his good opinion of them by mis-interpreting his professions unto them and conceiving him tyed thereby from using others help for defence of himselfe and Monarchy I beleeve if he had or should alter his Resolution and call in any Prince in Christendome to his assistance in the maintenance of Regall Authority which God hath intrusted him withall and of that Government which as the most absolute God established among his own people and hath alway blessed this Nation under He being utterly disabled to do it otherwise it should be reckoned by the Almighty at the great day if any fault at all but among his infirmisies Yea and if destruction thereby should fortune to come to the whole Kingdome the whole infamy and guilt thereof should be charged upon the Heads of these his most perverse and injurious people even as that of Jerusalem by Titus Vespasian is laid upon the seditious that were therein even unto this day But my humble prayer to the Almighty is that he would yet please to spare us and to bestow his grace at length upon the people of this land that they might cease provoking his Divine Majestie to punish that way this so Horrid a sin and so High abuses to his own Annointed And thus I have done also with this particular SECT XXIII 1. The Libellers Cavills at the word Mongrill Parliament At the Commissioners for the Treaty at Uxbridge At the Kings pawning His Jewels answered 2. His Majesties Affection and Goodnesse to His Subjects for want of other matters objected as a fault against Him by these Libellers IN the third place they accuse the
strong influence upon the very Actions of both Houses Thus they of the King And the Result which they make of this their whole relation is two-fold 1. To justifie themselves which they would do from the Kings expressions of them He did not give them such ill language as they gave him Ergo they would conclude themselves to be as Innocent as they make him Faulty to his words last alleaged they adde this was the utmost Charge that could be then brought against the Parl. they argue a non velle ad non posse He did not or would not Ergo He could not Let the Reader judge of this Argument 2. To cast further blame upon the King scil for having a worse opinion of them now then by these expressions he seemed to have had then when he returned that answer to their 19. Propositions Our Propositions say they at Uxbridge in Feb. 1644 being no other in effect then those of June 1642. This inference may be truly made that the King hath no cause to look upon us now otherwise then as he did then and if he have varied since from those Vows and Asseverations which He made then the blame wil not remain on this side but on His so that the bare calling to mind what hath been said by the King is now sufficient for our purpose These be their direct words But how ill a consequent they make and how false an inference this is how truly little to the purpose I have shewn already and to what is there said I refer the Reader They then fall to reckon up the Vows and Affeverations made by the King which they would have apprehended to be broken by him which I have opened the nature of and answered already also yea and manifested evidently that if the King hath swerved any thing from his primitive purposes it hath been full sore against his will and only by their inforcement I adde but this we find in the 11 Paper these words of the King to his Queen The breach of my Word is that I hate above all things and we remember that the publishers of these Letters have told us that what we find in them are Evidences of truth and therefore we are abundantly satisfied concerning the Kings truth in his promises what ever can be said by them to the contrary Indeed we do believe that as Gods promise to the sons of Aaron did not bind him to the sons of Belial no more doth the Kings promises to his Great Councel tie him to his Grand Enemies I said indeed saies the Lord to Eli that thy house should walk before me scil in the Priests office for ever But now I say they that Honour we wil I Honour and they that despise me shal be lightly esteemed If holy Priests turn filthy Adulterers or if good Subjects turn impudent Traitors neither doth God nor the King swerve from their former selves if they break with them Hophni and Phineas might with as much justice have taxed God as these men do their King But there remains yet one particular and only one not replied unto which I shal also now do and so conclude They accuse the King of making War against his Parliament Having not only spoke so well of them as before but renounced all intentions of War to which purpose they alleage chiefly his Declaration at York June 16. 1642. wherein they say are these words We assure the World in the presence of Almighty God our Maker and Redeemer We have no more thought of making War against Our Parliament then against our Children yea and again in July the same year after the date of Essex his Commission from them to War against him He desires say they no longer the protection and blessing of Almighty God upon himself and his Posterity then He and they shal solemnly observe the Laws in defence of Parliaments Also in August 12. He acknowledgeth that the King and Parliament are like the Twins of Hypocrates which must laugh and cry live and die together These were the Kings words say these men It is true indeed say they afterwards He was driven by their making Wars upon him to save himself by distinctions saying He had not disclaimed all War in General but all invasive War all War but what was in order to his own defence which distinction they scorn at and say it was not thought of or fore-seen before perhaps so for it was beyond the imagination or fore-sight of man that any Subjects pretending as they did being so dealt withall as they were should bring their Soveraigâ— to such a strait or drive Him ever to use any Distinction at all Then they deride Him also for another which they did put him upon scil That the King may defend himself against a Parliament but not fight against it or He may assail a Malignant party in Parliament and yet not touch the Parliament it self And surely so He may For as there may be a Malignant party in a Church or family that may be assailed and corrected and yet the Church or family it self be no way damnified or hurt thereby but bettered rather So also in a Parliament for as the whole Church of God consisting of Head and Members is said not to Erre in matters of God though there be many wicked men in the Militant part thereof so in matters of State a compleat and whole Parliament consisting of Head and Members may be said not to Erre though there be many wicked ones amongst them that deserve punishment And they are not ashamed to say that the distinction which they deride the King for is good when themselves use it but not when the King useth it it wil hold say they on our side but not on His. All things are lawful to them but unto the King nothing is allowable But say they by what distinction wil the King put a period to this pertual Parliament without violence Or how can He deny it the name of a Parliament without hostility As if they had said more fully out thus We are sure we have posed him in one thing and put him to a non-plus We had him on the hip when by feigning our selves honest men we got Him to sign the Bil of continuation of the Parliament which we resolve shall be perpetuall and last for ever in despight of him All his distinctions shal not serve his turn to put a period to that He must do it by open force and violence if he do it at all but we by that fine Christian Policy of ours in getting him to passe that Act have got possession of so much strength and power that we are able to keep it in being for all the violence that he can use to the contrary we have fastned him now upon the Crosse wherefore if he be the Anointed of God and would be so accounted let him loosen himself if he can and come down but let him be sure he shal never do it without
and who should be the greatest among them which doubtlesse was no small molestation to his heavenly Spirit nor was this all he met with many unkindnesses from them too he was wounded in the house of his friends forsaken of his Disciples when the times grew black and cloudy yea and afterward his very Appstles themselves fled from him one forswore him and another betrayed him And even in this also hath the King been like unto him there hath been strange divisions and strivings among his Followers for place and preferment to his Majesties great griefe and damage He hath had wounds given him by his friends and deep ones too they have enlarged his sorrowes they that had dependence on him have forsaken him because his afflictions were great upon him His servants have renounced their relation to him yea those whom he trusted have betrayed him they that eat of his bread have lift up the heele against him onely Christ had but one Judas whereas the King hath had many but Christ indeed knew what is in man and therefore did not commit himselfe unto them in which knowledge the King hath been defective and so hath been deceived 12. Christ expected that his three speciall Apostles whom he chose out of all the rest for that purpose should watch and pray with him and for him in his greatest Agony but they even they â—lumbred and slept and left him in that great and sad houre to tread the Wine-presse himselfe alone Even so the best of us from whom his Majestie may expect most speciall services of this nature in his agonies and sorrowes for that we are ordained on purpose in regard of our office and calling to watch and pray Alas we sleep we faile in such our duties for him we have left him in a manner quite desolate that he may take up to himselfe that word of Christ and say of my people there was none with me And as our Saviour notwithstanding that failing in dutie towards him in his necessitie did excuse the weaknesse of his Disciples the spirit sayes he is willing but the flesh is weake so hath our King done even excused the failings of his Subjects towards him How oft hath he been heard to say of many they are willing to help me but are not able and when he heard related the weaknesse of one who Peter-like had saved his life by a recantation the man sayes he I thinke is honest and loves me well only he is affraid to die 13. But to draw to a conclusion as Christ deserved none of this hard measure which he found at the hands of those that offered the same he alwayes merited their greatest respect and loving affections many good workes saith he have I done for which of them doth you stone me Many Sermons had he preached many good Prayers had he made many Diseases had he cured manie Miracles had he wrought yet all was forgotten malice and spight did raze out the remembrance of all So the King hath deserved nothing but good from the hands and hearts of his Subjects He may also say manie good Acts of Grace have I passed for your benefit O my people manie blessings have you enjoyed under my Government manie yeares of peace and plenty under my protection for which of them do you thus hunt me thus persecute and molest me Indeed Christs enemies sinned against their own Consciences in all they did against him as appeares by that their saying if we let this man alone all will believe in him as if they had said he is so holy in his life so true in his sayings so gracious and good in his conversation so mild so sweet and affable in his whole carriage that we are like to lose all our credit with the people unlesse we ruine him and therefore on purpose they belyed and beslandred him yea by all means laboured to engage the people with themselves against him yea they made them their instruments to doe him all the mischiefe and perswaded them that in their so doing they did God good service Thus the Kings enemies also have gone against their owne Consciences in all their doings against him and for the very same reason they know him to be so full of grace and goodnesse that if people were but let alone they would quickly all adhere unto him and so themselves of all men should become the most odious to prevent which they have bedaubed him with lies and slanders and engaged the people to be their instruments to persecute and abuse him yea and made them to think that they serve God in so doing 14. Last of all the Pharisees pretended salutem populi in all these their doings against Christ and that they did all for the good of the Common-Wealth better one man die sayes the chiefe of them then all the people perish yet Pilate easily perceived that all was out of meer envy and malice and therefore askes them what particular accusation they could bring against him but they could alledge none only they tell him in generall termes if he were not a Malefactor we would not have brought him before thee He must take their words and contrary to his own sence believe that they were too holy to harbour envy or to doe any thing against any man without cause indeed afterward they inferred plainly that the reason why they sought to take away his life was because he was their King He makes himselfe a King say they and therefore is not Caesars friend S. Matthew sayes that this was his very accusation which Pilate set over his head on the Crosse Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jewes which was in effect thus much This Jesus was accused and thus crucified as you here see only because he was King of the Jewes The Pharisees indeed would have had him altered the words and set down because he said he was the King of the Jewes but sayes Pilate quod scripsi scripsi what I have written is the truth and so it shall stand in Hebrew Greeke and Latine that all the world may know your Jewish basenesse Thus were their dealings with our Saviour and thus also have our English Jewes in all respects dealt with their Soveraign they have pretended salutem populi the preservation of the Common-Wealth as if that were like to perish if he did not yet one that hath but a Pilates eye a meer naturall eye if not coloured with Rebellion may plainly see that the root of all is meer envy and malice let any body aske the chiefe among them what personall evill or accusation they can bring against the King there can be nothing answered but in generall termes if there were not a cause if he were not a malefactor His great Councell would not doe as they have done against him But what that cause is or wherein he is so faulty cannot be made manifest only their words must be taken
against all sence and reason nay they have plainly inferred as hath been observed that they seek his ruine because he is a King and would maintaine Monarchy He that makes himselfe a Monarch or a King is no friend to the Parliament Well when he is dead as I think no wise man expects otherwise but that they will murder him openly or secretly shorten his dayes if they can get him and God doe not in a miraculous manner againe deliver him for as nothing but Christs Crucifixion would please the Jewes of old so nothing but the Kings extinction will satisfie the malice of some in this Age but I say when he is dead we shall in this one thing imitate Pilate and publish to all the world his accusation and cause of his death This shall be his Title Carolus Gratiosus Rex Angliae CHARLES the Gratious King of England was put to death by the Pharisaicall Puritans of his Kingdome only because he was their King and in many respects so like unto Jesus Christ the Worlds Saviour I wish with my soule and I pray with my heart that they may yet at length prevent us in this by their unfeigned Humiliation for the wrongs they have done him and by their right acceptance of him and obedience to him Thus have I shown in many particulars how fitly the Kings sufferings doe parallel with those of Christ I might instance in more but I hope the well disposed from this which hath been said will of themselves make observation of the rest I might here also evidence on the other side How his Majesties Enemies doe resemble him whom themselves call Anti-christ in their conditions yea I could by comparing their doings in this their generation with the worst Acts of the worst of Popes in severall Ages demonstrate to the world that these men of all men are most like them but mine aymes are not so much to decypher them as to offer a true presentment of the King unto his people to declare his vertues and wrongs which they labour to conceale is rather my work then to proclaim their ungodlinesse which indeed speaks it selfe loud enough without my discovery And truly had it been possible for me to have healed the wounds made by them upon my Soveraignes Honour without laying open their corruptions I should not have mentioned them so much as I have done for my delights are not to be stirring in such obscene and stinking puddles But all men know that he who takes upon him to justifie the Righteous must of necessity condemne the wicked the goodnesse of the one cannot be vindicated unlesse the vilenesse of the other be detected specially when they thus stand in competition wherefore omitting what might be spoken of them to this purpose I shall rather as Christs Minister apply my selfe to speake unto them after I have uttered a few words to those well-meaning Common people who have been seduced by them whom in the first place I desire to listen to mee SECT XXVII A serious and Brotherly Discourse to the seduced and oppressed Commons of this Nation their dangerous condition related divers and necessary considerations propounded to their thoughts to disswade them from persisting in their present way Their Objection of keeping their late Oath and Covenant Answered COuntrey-men and fellow-Subjects you see I have dealt with you as Pilate did with these people of the Jewes whom the subtill Pharisees had prevailed with to be their instruments in seeking Christs ruine for the desiring to divert them from further proceeding in so evill a way against so just a Person brought him forth before their eyes crowned with Thorns and arrayed with sorrowes and bad them Behold the man supposing that the sight of his griefs already suffered by the wrongs and abuses already offered would make them desist from offering more So I desiring with my soule as God is my witnesse to stop you in this your ungodly way which the craftie Pharisees of these times have thrust you into and to stay you from furtheir endeavouring your Kings destruction have set him before your eyes in the same sad and afflicted condition that Christ was in and whereinto your selves alas have helped to bring him Now I beseech you all Behold the man consider how much you have wronged his innocence already and abused his goodnesse and whether you have not shewne unkindnesse enough unto him who hath been unto you the Author of so much good so many yeares together You will say had we lived in the dayes of Christ we would not have joyned with the Pharisees in persecuting and abusing him and his Disciples and yet you are partakers in the like evills will you disallow of such things against your Saviour and yet act them against your Soveraigne Have you any other evidence against the King then those people had against Christ the bare testimony and report of his deadly enemies or have you any better warrant from Gods Word to rise up and cry out against the one then those had to do so against the other surely you have not O foolish people therefore and unwise who hath bewitched you who hath perverted you I know you 'l say even they whom we thought we were bound to follow scil our Teachers and our Leaders true and God shall require your bloud at their hands but in the meane time if you die in this way you will die in your sin for as Esay sayes the Leaders of this people cause them to erre and they that are led by them are destroyed that is are in the undoubted way unto destruction and what will you doe at the end thereof Perhaps your consciences are yet asleep so was Judasse's till his worke was quite done his Master murthered and himselfe received his wages but then it began to open indeed and so to roare within him that it debarred him quite from all contentment in his money for he brings that back to them who had employed him and makes his moan unto them and perhaps expects comfort from theâ—â— but they having served their turnes of him left him in the bryers whereinto they had brought him and rejected his complaint with a quid hoc ad nos what is it unto us see you to it their owne consciences did not yet stirre nor had they any respect at all to the troubles of his spirit Now truly friends this will be the condition of many of you when you have damn'd your soules in serving the lusts of these men and think to enjoy comfort in that wages of iniquity the Estates of other men which you gape after and is promised unto you as the price of bloud then will the doores of your consciences be unlocked the sence of your guilt will make you as sick as he was both of your rewards and lives and then if you lament and cry we have sinned in spilling innocent bloud the bloud of our Soveraigne or the bloud of our Countrey-men that never
Parliament may Vote a like businesse and he sayes further that we must not pin our soules to their sleeves we doe not know whether they may possibly carry them a Parliament is not immediately inspired by the Holy Ghost as the Apostles were Prynne is very eager for forcing mens Consciences But Burton is still as much against that Tenent as Prynnes own selfe was in former times and affirmes that no Rule nor Example nor Reason can be drawne from Scripture to force men to any Religion no sayes he we are not to proceed any further with the Papists themselves then to information and rectifying their Consciences by instruction and admonition And he adviseth Prynne in these words Brother let not that impartiall Edict be revived that if any confessed themselves to be Christians they should be put to death nomen pro crimine the very name of Christians was taken for a crime it seems he is of opinion that if the Presbyterians prevaile it is not unprobable that Edict may be revived againe And afterward when Prynne would have the Civill Magistrate to suppresse restraine imprison confine and banish the setters up of new Formes of Ecclesiasticall Government without lawfull Authority Burton conceiving himselfe aymed at cries out most pitifully And must I undergoe all these terrible censures because you so judge but what if your judgement be altogether erroneous what punishment is due to him that condemnes the Innocent you may be a Civill Judge one day Remember then Brother that if I come before you that you meddle not with my Conscience if you should make a Law like that of the Jewes that who so confesseth Christ to be the Sonne of God shall be Excommunicate I shall be apt to transgresse that Law but yet take heed how you punish me with an ense rescidendum or I know not what Club-Law It seemes Burton himselfe feares when his Brother Prynne comes to be Judge as if you his good Masters prevaile you cannot reward him for the losse of his eares and good service done you in writing and pleading for you with a lesse place we are in some likelihood to have such Lawes put in Execution against Christians as were of old among the Jewes for as John Goodwin another of Prynnes Brethren speaking of him in his Book forequoted sayes the Statutes of Omri are as good for his turne if authorized by Parliament as the Statutes of Moses the manner of the House of Ahab as laudable as the manner of the House of David yea of God himselfe And indeed Prynnes behaviour and language hath been such towards his Soveraign towards the Church of England his Mother and towards some of his own Brethren of late that every honest man hath cause to put it into his Let any and say from Prynnes pride malice and cruelty from his bloudy disposition and Tyranny from his cursed lies and calumnies his Religion practices and blasphemies Good Lord deliver us But to make an end with these two Brethren Prynne accuseth Burtons Faction of obstinacy singularity arrogancy selfe-ends and sayes that Independency stript of all disguising pretences is nothing but Pharisaicall vainglorious selfe-conceitednesse of superlative Holinesse Burton takes Pepper at this and sayes that Prynnes malice is liberall in throwing dirt in their faces and confesseth ingenuously that if he and his side should undergoe all these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and say nothing a fooles Cap and a Bell were fittest for them with which I leave them Now the reason of this large repetition of the Passages betwixt these men is to shew a proofe of that little agreement that is amongst the best of you and truly till you have brought these Brethren with their followers to a better unity we shall never thinke you guilty of any great Piety what ever your pretences be Besides by the way you may observe and sâ—e that Henry Burton himselfe doth not very well approve of your Parliamentary proceedings and lesse cause have we to like well of them I wonder how the best of you all will answer this you all take Henry Burton for a very honest man one he is that hath suffered much for the Cause and was up to the eares in the businesse as well as Prynne and in your grave judgements as worthy as he of the greatest Triumph that ever was permitted by a Court of Parliament to fellowes of such demerit since the world began one that is deeply gone in the way of perfection yea so farre that I hope you will think it impossible that he should slide back or fall away specially in these times of new Light and Revelation And further too himselfe affirmeth before all the world in his said Book whether you take notice of it or no I cannot tell but if you doe not you are much to blame that he was out for the State that is for you the Parliament 4 or 500 l. this was year 1644. it seems the Bishops had not left him so poore as you leave your prisoners or else he had thrived well since that he could spare so much yea and he professes too that he did it with a cheerfull heart not for squint-eyed respects to lay out so much at once to receive of the State so much Annuity as it seemes some provident men doe No what he did was out of pure and perfect love to you therefore no man can think that he speaks any thing of you out of malice or disaffection but only out of truth and singlenesse and yet you see he dares not trust his soule with you as you are a Parliament he reports of you as of persons to be suspected notwithstanding your Memberships And how you will ever be able to acquit your selves in this businesse I know not But againe as there is no unity in your Piety or Religion so neither is there any truth or goodnesse in it 't is neither vera nor bona and therefore you cannot be such holy persons as you would be accounted you intitle God indeed to your doings but this is no argument of godlinesse unlesse your Actions were more godly you mind not to approve your selves like him but desire that he should be thought like you you would have us conceive you to be great with God but we perceive you either will not or dare not trust him and this makes us believe that you are not very inward with him let your own Consciences speak do you not confide more in the Militia of the Kingdome then you do in his strength and providence for protection and preservation why else doe you keep such a racket to have the management of that out of his hands wherein God hath placed it did you live by Faith as the just and righteous doe you could not possibly be so eager after the arme of flesh the true Church of Christ was never in more security then when she had least of that to trust to I have heard it affirmed by a learned and peaceable
of Christians is the best Sacrifice to God and of a like Religion with the Assassines among the Mahumetans who deeme it Soveraign devotion puritie of manners and the readiest way to Paradise for to kill those of a differing opinion to themselves and of the same faith with the Donatists of old who held none to be Gods children but themselves and made it both their position and their practice occidere quenquam qui contra eos fecerit to kill and make away whoever durst oppose their doings or was conceived to be any hinderance to their growing Faction But what warrant you have for these things we know not sure we are you have none from the Old or New Testament delivered by the Prophets and Apostles from God to the Church what to this purpose will be found in your new Bible which as reports goes you are about to set forth we cannot yet tell nor can we imagine how you will escape that threatning of God Bloudy and deceitfull men shall not live out halfe their dayes God accounteth mans bloud so precious a thing though you have set a low rate upon it that he requires the unjust spilling of it from the unreasonable creature and would not allow the knowne Murderer the Sanctuary of his Altar Therefore we are confident that when he maketh inquisition for bloud he will remember you to your smart and sorrow for all your Pietie and will call you to an account for that and all your other evills with so much greater severity as Conscience hath been pretended to such high and open violations of Sanctity and Holinesse In a word your Piety is an enemy to Truth for it persecuteth that 't is an adversary to Peace for it opposeth that 't is a foe to Order for it hath pull'd downe that it will allow of no Bishop no King like that of the Pope it must be above all or that of Lucifer it will admit of no Superiour it hath not onely defiled the whole Land with bloud but the whole bloud of the Land with Treason for scarce a Family throughout the whole Nation but some one or other of it has been drawn by you into this Conspiracy insomuch that Norfolke I feare can no longer boast of her 100. Houses of Gentlemen never yet attainted Cheshire I am sure by your meanes has lost for ever her ancient glory which was that it was never stained with the blot of Rebellion but alwayes stood true to their King and to his Crown whose Loyalty Richard the second so farre found and esteemed that he held his Person most safe amongst them and by Authoritie of Parliament made that County for this cause a Principality stiling himselfe Prince thereof doubtlesse when these things come to be considered upon in after-Ages most odious will your names be to succeeding generations To conclude your pietie hath merited for you those Titles which S. Paul bestowes upon Elimas the Sorcerer Act. 13. 10. and it being attended with so much knowldge I feare it hath advanced you to that high pitch which those Pharisees in Christs time were ascended to whom our Saviour intimateth to have committed that sinne which should never be pardoned in this world nor in that to come and so it hath made you capable to be given over ad Hospitalium incurabilium as Erasmus speâ—kes But my prayer for you is and shall be as Peter prayed for Simon Magus that if it be possible you may be pardoned and that the wickednesse of your hearts and wayes may be forgiven you And to this purpose I desire you all who like them Mat. 21. 45. doe conceive your selves concerned in these my words that you would but consider of this short advice which I shall propound unto you and then say Amen to a short Collect which I shall make for you My advice is this that upon your serious thoughts of these things which as Gods Minister I have said unto you you would remember what poor wormes what Grashoppers what graines of dust your selves are in compare with that great God whom you oppose by your endeavours to pull downe his Annointed the King and his Spouse the Church and whose eternall curse hangs over your heads which together with the odium of the whole Nation will o're-whelme you speedily if you doe not by your more speedie and unfeigned Repentance prevent the same And thereupon cast downe your loftie looks and stout hearts lay aside your high stomacks and in an humble selfe-denying way throw your selves down at the feet of your Soveraigne yea if it be in the habit and posture of those men of whom you may read 1 King 20. 32. it will be so much the better for believe it you have farre more reason to doe it in that manner to your King then those Syrians had to doe so to the King of Israel and resolve with your selves that if your lives be granted you will spend the remainder of them solitarily in practising the duties of Penitentiaries this is mine advice to you which by Gods grace may prevent Hell if imbraced by you my Prayer followes in these words O omnipotent and Almightie God to whom nothing is impossible be thou pleased to magnifie thy power and thy mercy in converting these men bring them upon their knees good Lord before thee before their Soveraigne and before the Nation and perswade their proud and rebellious spirits to begge pardon of all for their evils done and to beseech the supplications of the whole Church and Kingdome unto thee for themselves and to this end let them feele that Hell which is in their owne bosomes let the bloud which they have shed cry and the evills they have committed roar within them let them seriously think of those devouring flames of those everlasting burnings upon the worme that never dieth and upon the fire that never shall be quenched as their sinnes have abounded towards thee so let deare God thy grace be more abounding towards them it will be to the greater glory of thy goodnesse at the great day to have pardoned such great sinners as these be when every Saint shall extoll thy mercy to his owne particular selfe if they shall come forth among the rest and say but to us to us God hath been more mercifull then to all others in his forgiving us more and greater evills O remember holy Father thy Sonne came into the world to save chiefe sinners and these are such and his bloud is able to wash away the deepest staines even those of these men therefore for his sake grant pardon if possible unto these bloudy and rebellious persons Amen And thus Gentlemen I have as Christ's Messenger discharged mine office to you in telling you plainly of your transgressions I thought though perhaps others may not be of my mind this time of your height and greatnesse to be fittest for this performance for if not now I know not when had been the season when your night which is drawing
corruption in our nature and practice and for mine owne Name sake saith the Lord I will defer mine anger and for my praise will I refraine from thee that I cut thee not off and againe the second and third time for mine owne sake even for mine owne sake will I doe it and in another place not for your sakes be it knowne unto you will I doe this but for mine owne holy Name sake this Name of God is that strong hold which Zachariah the Prophet directs unto in times of danger and that Tower whereunto the righteous flie and are safe as Solomon tells us But then though our selves indeed be as nothing in this case yet our miseries which are great upon us may be said to have an influence upon Gods pitie to stirre him towards us for the oppression of the poore and sighing of the needy I will arise saith the Lord and will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him And againe because they have called thee an out-cast I will restore health unto thee and heale thy wound thus have they called us thus have they made us and that for Gods name sake which makes the more for us yea and yet they give God thanks for their successe against us as if he approved of their injuries to us and this is further also to our advantage as the Spirit tels us in the Prophet Your Brethren that hated you and cast you out for my name sake said let the Lord be glorified but he shall appear to your joy and they shall be ashamed as if he had said the sooner for that And to assure us of this we have a further argument yet scil the engagement of his Gospel with us which is as deeply interessed in our sufferings as we our selves are and doth as equally need deliverance yea that is likely to abide under disgrace and obloquy if the cause we are persecuted for be not supported nay if our enemies meet not with Confusion in their way Christ's whole life and carriage as well as his Doctrine will fall under suspition and condemnation by their prevailing 't is well known that his name is pretended in all their proud rebellious butcherly opinions and proceedings as if he had given some precept or example for such doctrines and doings and had discountenanced that low way of humilitie obedience meeknesse and love to Brethren yea to enemies which we maintain and suffer for But Christ's Gospel is his glory 't is his word which he is resolved to magnifie above all things and to vindicate the Honour of that his Father to whom he cannot be unfaithfull hath committed all Authoritie and power into his hand wherefore we need not feare though we are now down we shall rise again though we sit in darknesse yet the Lord shall be a light unto us he will plead our cause he shall execute Judgement for us Yea and that for his Justice sake also for Christ is King still for all this and Judge of all the earth and his office is to help them to right that suffer wrong to punish ill doers yea his delights are to confound the crafty and to throw down the proud and lofty Bloud guiltinesse he hareth how was Cain branded for it and cursed How were Simeon and Levi in their posterity scattered but for one bloudy act in heat and anger they had not yet arrived at studied or reiterated murther Rebellion he abhorreth and rather then that shall goe unpunished God will create a new thing the earth shall open her mouth and swallow up Corah and his Companions if Moses cannot master them and rather then Absalom and Achitophel shall scape their due demerits the one shall hang himselfe and his haire the other let David doe his best to save his sonnes life he shall not have his will for God is King above him and hath decreed that Justice shall be done upon all Traitours Treachery and falshood his soule loatheth and therefore hath ordained it shall cut its own throat rather then want an Executioner and be the cause of its own ruine in deed what was never true in it selfe cannot be long true unto it selfe Ephraim and Manasseh may be both against Judah but before they have done they will be as much against each other nay rather then faile Egyptian shall be against Egyptian falshood will find enemies amongst those of its own House and herd there may be a Conspiracy in it but no true concord for 't is only righteousnesse and peace that can kisse each other The strongest fire-brands in ill are like the fire-brands of Sampsons Foxes knit but in the tailes not heads nor hearts how sure in the end are they to burn their own knots asunder No Confederacy sayes God nor Association without me shall stand take Councell together it shall come to nought and gird your selves as strongly as you can you shall without faile be broken in pieces the zeal and justice of the Lord of Hosts will bring this to passe for us He hath done the like for his people in times past and he will not leave his ancient custome which may bring to our thoughts another Argument of assurance It hath been Gods wont when he hath beat his child to burn the rod Babilon the Hammer of the whole earth was at length broken Ashurs glory and greatnesse though some years in growing was consumed in a moment the rod of Gods anger is also the object of his indignation the instruments of his judgement scape not his fury the dreggs of the cup fall out to be their portion I will take the dreggs of the cup of my fury out of thy hand saith the Lord to his people with whom he had begun and will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee and have said to thy soule bow down that we may go over The rod of the wicked may be upon the back of the righteous but it shall not rest there namely for ever But perhaps you 'l say when will God doe this How long How long shall we stay before we have experience of it Himselfe sayes after a little while mine indignation shall cease towards thee and mine anger shall end in their destruction God doth all things in due time he gives rain to the earth food to man and fury to his enemies and all in due serson to me belongeth vengeance and recompence saith the Lord their foot shall slide in due time for the day of their calamity is at hand and the things that shall come upon them make hast every thing is most beautifull in its season and a worke of this nature is then in season and most beautifull when Gods hand is so clearly seen in it that all men may confesse and say verily it was his doing But what are the signes of that season I 'le name four and so
our Saviour did with praiers in our mouths for them which it may be through Gods working may have a like effect after our death as Christs had to the conversion of some of them the conversion of those 3000. Act. 2. is held to be a fruit of Christs prayer upon the Crosse and Sauls conversion of Stephens prayer at his death so who knowes but our meeknesse our patience and our prayers at such a time may be effectuall to a like purpose even to draw some of our persecuting Countreymen from their bloudy and rebellious way into the paths of Christ and of his Gospel yea whether we live or die if we can do Christ and the King service no other way let us resolve and endeavour to pray down their and our enemies by praying for them And by all meanes while breath is in us let 's have a care so to live as we may still credit our righteous cause and as becometh those that are designed to slaughter for Jesus sake and for the Doctrine which he left us Holy bloud believe it will prove of harder digestion to them then prophane that they had killed the holy and the just one was that which afterward pierced the hearts of these mens elder Brethren when time was I say no more But the Lord strengthen and guide us all in our Christian and Loyall way by his grace and spirit that though we be a people robbed spoiled snared in holes hid in prison-houses driven to banishment and exposed for a prey yet we may walk before our God in all humilitie and well-pleasing to the restauration of his Gospells honour the inward comfort of our own spirits in the midst of miseries and to the conviction and shame of our unnaturall Countrey-men who seeke to take away our lives also from us Soli Deo Gloria Amen Amen May 26. 1646. A POST-SCRIPT to the READER THis Book was prepared as now you have it and might have seen the light within lesse then the compasse of that year wherein the Libell which it Answers was first published had there been at hand the convenience of a Presse and strength to bring forth But 't is no small advantage which the enemies have against Truth and the King that with them is both liberty and ability to vent what they please whereas with us is neither Had we but halfe the like helps encouragements and powers which they have had the world should see that the King hath Subjects and the Truth Defenders There hath been a further alteration of Affaires to the worse on the Kings side since this Book was written as may be collected from many passages therein and divers particulars concerning the enemies deportment here expressed have so fallen out as foreshewn for indeed 't is no difficult matter for any man acquainted with their spirits to fore-speak their doings Had there appeared any change in them to the better nay had their growth but promised a probability of more Christianity and duty in their future then hath been in their past Actions or then was here prognosticated of them this publication perhaps having been thus delayed had been still suspended though in very deed there is no reason why for such a cause it should have been quite stifled seeing that their Libell which it confuteth is divulged printed reprinted and still sold to the Kings darkening and defamation Besides many other scandalous and vile Pamphlets have been and are daily sent forth on purpose to damp his Lustre and to staine his Glory yea and translated too they are into other Languages that he might appear deform'd and spotted to the eye of Forraign Nations which because they have not been Answered with a like industry on our parts Strangers have thought yea and affirmed that nothing could be said for him because nothing was scil to their capacitie we have say they read in our owne languages many Bookes against him but none in his behealfe it must be acknowledged in very deed that this way the enemies have been more diligent in defaming then we have been in defending the King though in our own tongue there hath been abundance written in his justification and to their detection The Protestants of other Countryes unto whom the Kings bosome was alwayes open in their distresse towards whom his bowels alwayes yerned and for whose reliefe his commands went often forth to all Churches in his Kingdomes to make Collections how have they at least too many of them by meanes of those industrious Lies and Libels opened their mouthes and stretch'd forth their tongues against him And how are we that suffer with him and for him or rather for the Truth maintained by him esteemed of in our banishment amongst them are we any other but objects of scorn and taunting to them 't was our delight but 't was our duty and our work is with the Lord to obey God and him in contributing to their necessities in the day of their visitation but they take pleasure in this of ours to wound our very wounds and to enlarge our sorrows yea every way to help forward our affliction at what a distance have they looked upon us because the hand of God is out against us what bitter words have they darted at us and which is to our great griefe against the Sacred Person of our Soveraign with what violence and confidence doe they ignorantly undertake to justifie the false reports of his enemies against him Nay how is our Church it selfe the late glory of Christendome and of the whole Earth despised and slighted by them in this time of our persecution The Papists on the one side scoffingly ask us where is now your God where is your Church become you may now freely boast of its Invisibility if you please you have a ground for it c. And our Brethren on the other side that outwardly professe the same Faith with us and from whom we expected better they act Edoms part as reproachfully upon us crying out against our Church and the Government thereof down with it down with it even to the ground For they the Protestants of France in speciall are willingly perswaded by those Letters and Pamphlets sent them out of England that the Professours of the true Religion here before this Parliament begun were kept in a like underly condition as themselves are in their own Country though those French Congregations allowed in England might in their gratitude to our King have given them a better and more true information had they so pleased But upon this conceit they in France apprehend this Warre here against the King to be undertaken only to recover Liberty to worship God in the right manner that is to say after the French Mode or Discipline as they think at least and are made to believe and most people loving their own wayes and fashions best though lesse perfect then their neighbours cannot but wish good luck to all such as are stooping towards them and rejoyce for
not likely to be quickned by such endeavours yet our duty is to have respect to after Ages to prevent that the spirits of Posterity be not stained with a false opinion of our King as doubtlesse they also are like to be by those Bookes and Libels of the enemy conveyed unto them unlesse as much or more of ours be left too to present him in his true character to their knowledge Without question we that are now alive shal never scape the censure of succeding Generations viz. to have been too basely sluggish and faint-heared if such transcendent villanies should be acted in our dayes against our King our Religion and so many of us and many of us should not be found to have layed open the enemies basenesse to their faces nay when they that come after us shall apply themselves to write the History of these our times how will they be able truly to depaint these superlative Hypocrites in their due colours if plenty of our Books be not extant to this purpose to hint the notice of their true conditions Let no man therefore plead that writing will do no good as if silence could doe more or had done any I know indeed that much hath been writ already more a great deal then hath or may be read for the enemie hath set forth many threats and orders against such as shall sell or buy the same and hereupon many are discouraged from writing more And perhaps too many have feared to Publish what they have further written lest they prove obstructers to a desired Peace and so doe dammage to the Publike in regard of the enemies height and greatnesse but sure these men know not the spirits of this kinde of enemies with whom we have to doe who are such as will neither know nor own the way of peace but having made themselves crooked wayes to walk in as the Prophet speaks have no judgement in their goings their condition is Satan-like to triumph most where least opposed and to be most vexatious where they have least occasion resist the Divell and he will flie so hold these at open defiance let them know you scorn and contemn them for all their greatnesse as vile persons set the glasse of Gods word before their eyes make them know themselves and let the World know them 't is the only way to make them calmer and to bring them into order whereas say nothing against them and they 'le proclaime that 't is because we have nothing to say and that our consciences tell us they are in the right and so we are silent against our wills Surely the best and most Christian charity that can be shewn them is to reach unto them the proper fruit of their own wayes to feed upon for could they be but fild with shame they might be brought to seeke God And suppose they turn again and rend us for our love and use us the worse for our endeavouring to make them better what new thing shall they doe did not the Pharisees even the same in their dealings with our Saviour and shall not they by doing so confirm more fully to the world that to be true which we have written of them should they chase us up and down the Kingdome with their bloud-hounds to destroy us would it not become them better to hunt fleas then to hunt Kings nor could it be to the advantage of them at all or of their cause but of the truth rather and of us if they should prevaile against us even to kill us upon this occasion that which we maintaine is not the first of Gods truths that hath been sealed with bloud some think that every of his commands at one time or other must be so confirmed and why may not the fifth Commandement at this time as well as the second was in the dayes of Queen Mary to every thing there is an appointed season Whosoever is in the streight and narrow way must look for oppositions and discouragements but faith which over-commeth the world is able to carry through all them Christ was opposed in all he did as much as possible he could be by man he met with contradictments in all his intendments and undertakings even from friends sometimes as well as enemies Master spare thy selfe sayes Peter to him the like must we expect if we follow him but should not this rather evidence the divinity and justice of our way unto our own consciences then be any case of damping to our spirits Non nobis nati sumus we are not our owne nor must we be men of private spirits specially in these times Nay we must take paines and be content not to see the fruit of our labours but that others should reape the benefit of our sowings when we are gone After the death of Christ and his Apostles their Doctrine and Writings did most good in the world and so perhaps may ours when we have ceased to be are no more seen God hath promised his blessing first or last to honest endeavours but we must tarry Gods time Wherefore you in the first place to whom God hath given inward abilities up and be doing with the same and be confident the Lord will be with you Remember how they that imployed their gifts had more comfort at the reckoning day then he had who had hid his talent in a napkin You secondly that have outward strength be not backward to assist the weak in bringing to light unable births give none occasion to think or say those that had or look to have the greatest share in the Kings happinesse when the sun shines upon him are least regardfull of his Honour when the times are dark and cloudy You thirdly that refuse to further or countenance works of this nature I beseech you also doe but disdaine to hinder And you lastly who ere you be that look for salvation from the Lord rest your selves in him wait patiently for him fret not because of evill doers nor be you envious against the workers of iniquity for their present prosperity in their way they shall erelong be cut down like the grasse and wither as the green hearb be you in the fear of the Lord all the day long and be certain your expectation shall not be cut off He that testifieth these things saith surely I come I come quickly Amen even so come Lord Jesus The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen The End The Contents of the chief particulars discoursed of in this Booke PREFACE The Reasons 1. Of the Authors undertaking this worke and at this time 2. Of his speciall zeale against the sins of this faction which he opposeth 3. Of his prayers for their persons 4. Of his former intentions to conceale his name Sect. I. OF the supposed Authors of the Libell Of the Authorizers thereof and their speciall Order How fit the same should be recalled A president propounded
oppose God whose Vice-gerent the King is and indeavour in vaine to doe a great work without him I desire the English Protestant Nation to think seriously of this 1. Sam. 11. 2. 2 King 20. 2 King 18. 29 30. Libell §. 1. 2. Gen. 4. Gen. 10. 1 Sam. 19. 2â— Act. 9. 1. 2 Sam. 16. Mic. 7. 4. §. 3. * And I hope through Gods mercy to them in Gods time they may to their own eternall comfort honour the recovery of the Kingdoms lost glory Nemo parere gnarus nemo imperare Strenui lingua multi ignavifere omnes opera Denique in duribus ipsis non consilium non fides Lips 2. 3. Jer. 5. 4. Rev. 13. John 19. 11. 1 Pet. 4. 17. Jer. 8. 6. Isay 26. 11. §. 4. Psal. 73. Jeremy 12. Jer. 5. 26 27. Hab. 1. 13. 15 16. Rev. 12. 14. Rev. 13. 13 7. Dan. 11. 36. c. Esay 53. 4. Luke 24. Act. 28. 3 4. Luâ—e 13. 2 3. §. 5. Isai. 36. 10 19. Fox Martyâ—ed â—ypr dâ— Valer. in his Book called The lives of Popes Stulius ab eventu sacta notanda pâ—â—at â— Sam. 4. Heb. 10. 39. Libell §. 1. 1 Thes. 5. 21. §. 3. * Pag. 80. 1 Sam. 26. 19. 1 King 2. §. 2. §. 3. Libell §. 1. Rom. 13. 4. * Yea all the bloud that hath been shed by them and by their meanes in this unnaturall war which themselves for no cause have raised not only against the Kings will but also against his person and his friends must and is by them laid to the Kings Charge their Militia successe perswade them to it Libell Fox Martyr Libell §. 1. Libell * This particular digression was inserted from my own observance of her Majesties goodnesse in France * This was written when the Duke of Yorke was either in Oxford or supposed to be there * It was generally believed when this was inserted that the Kings trusting the Scots with his Person could not possibly but make them ashamed to prove unfaithful but their late Act hath given all men to understand that though Judas for the love of money may keep touch with the Pharisees yet he is no fit or safe man to be of the Guard unto his Master * At Perin in Cornwal when the King defeated Essex and his Army * My selfe did heare in Avignion a Gentlemen belonging to the Cardinall Barbarine mention by name one of their Agents at Rome and how many thousand pounds a yeare he beleeved he did there spend in his Negotiation for them * Had His Great Councel shewn but half that zeal in their Master the Kings behalf as of late they have done in their owne concerning a like tumultuous businesse He had not departed from them * Luke 4. 30. John 18. 16. * Let the people observe by this how they have beene cheated 2 Sam. 2. 30. Rom. 9. 6. John 8. This was inserted be reason of the late Accident Lev. 19. 17. 2 Tim. 2. 25. Heb. 4. 15. Heb. 2. 10. Rom. 8. 17 Phil. 3. 10 Mat. 9. 3. 4 John 10. 33. Mat. 10. 36 10. 24 25. Luke 17. 1 2. Col. 1. 24 Heb. 12. 1. Luk 10. 32 1 Pet. 4. 13 Preface to Accomplishment of Prophecies Mâ—t 7. 1 2. Job 12. 7 8. In the Pref. at the beginning of the Book p. 5. l. 15. for commonly r. commendable and p. 6. l. 20. r. masked Joh. 1. 11. Act. 3. 14. Luk. 19. 14. Mat. 8. 20. Mat. 4. 3. Mat. 4. 68. Joh. 7. 12. Joh. 9. 29. Joh. 8. 48. 52. 10. 20. Mar. 3. 6. Mar. 12. 13. Mar. 2. 16. Luk. 15. 4. Joh. 8. 59. 10. 31. Joh. 11. 56. * Experience since this was written hath given a full confirmation to this particular Luk. 22. 67. Joh. 10. 20. Joh. 7. 48. Luk. 22. 67. Joh. 1â— 10 11. Joh. 13. 19. Joh. 18. 8. Joh. 11. 57. Mark 15. 28. Luk 23. 39. Mar. 9. 34. Zach. 139. Joh. 6. 66. Joh. 2. 24. 25. Mat 26. 40. Es. 63. 3. Isai. 63. 3. Mat. â—6 41. Joh. 10. 32. Jo. 11. 48. Joh. 11. 4â— Joh. 18. 29. 30. Joh. 19. 13. Mat. 27. 3â— Joh. 19. 29. * It is one of their Tenents that evill may be done to further a publick good and that only is what they so declare yea and some of them have vented their intentions to this purpose even since he hath been in their power in such black expressions as I tremble to â—ehearse Joh. 19. â— Esay 9. 16 â—at 27. 4. Joh. 16. 2 3. Esa. 6. 10 11. Act. 2. 40. Prov. 1. 10 c. Rom. 13. 7. Math. 17. 27. Math. â—2 21 * In the Charge against the Earl of Strafford Gen. 2533. Gen. 27. 19. c. 1 King 21. Fox Martirâ—logy 2 Pet. 1. 19. Esay 8. 20. Gal. 1. 8. * Yet that omission and change was by the Kings own selfe dictated and not by any Bishop and the Kings reason was because he judged that old phrase at that time the more improper he having then no children * See Mr Goodwins Book called Calumny arraâ—gned and cast about pag. 12. 13. 2 Tim. 3. 2 3. 2 Pet. 2. 10. Es. 39. 3. 7. Vers. 5. 2 Cor. 11. 13. 14. Es. 58. Jer. 7. 9. 10. Dan. 11. 38. Esai 66. 5. Joh. 18. 26. Act. 23. 21. * Besides the Oxford Reasons lately published which all the Assembly of Divines are never able to confute Gen. 41. 32. * Indeed this day this Scripture is fulfilled in our eyes Es. 8. 12. Heb. 13. 17. 2 Cor. 11. 13 Mat. 16. 2â— 2 Cor. 11. Act. 9. 1. Rom. 10. 1. 2. Esa 58. 1. Fox Martiâ—ol 1 Sam. 15. Gen. 39. 8. 9 Gen. 41. 40. * Consulere patâ—iae parcere afflictis fera caede abstinere tempus atque irae dare orbi quietem seculo pacem suo Prov. 30. 21. 22 Jam. 3. 17 Prov. 30. 28. Job 8. 14. * It begins to work already as evidently appeares by that free and broad language which in all places is uttered against you * People begin to see this now for they say the 80000l a moneth lately layed upon the Kingdom is to maintain a War against the kingdom the people must give so much to keep an Army on foot onely to awe and undo themselves Psalm 12. 8 See for all this and that which followeth Burtons Vindication of Independent Churches against Prynne his Brother * Calumny arraign'd pag. 33 2. 3. * I wish all his brethren of that Church were but men of his temper and spirit 2 Tim. 3. 4 5. 1 King 12. 25 c. * And for the peoples willing obedience to the same it was that they were so oppressed broken in judgement and had Gods curse like a moth or rottennesse seizing upon them witnesse the Prophet Hos. 5. 11. 12. * As the Remists among the Papists did set out a false and corrupt Translation of Scripture with Notes of their own upon it to make it speake for them so some here as is said are in hand with a like worke in the behalfe of their Faction Act. 8. 22. Jer. 18. 7. 8. Ezek. 22 30. Esa. 48. 9. 11. Ezek. 36. 12. Zach. 9. 12. Prov. 18. â—0 Psal. 12. 5 Jer. 30. 17. * God calleth himselfe the gatherer of the out-casts Esay 56. 8. Esay 66. 5. Mat. 28. 18. Mich. 7. 8. c. Gen. 4. 11. c. Gen 49. 6. Num. 16. 30. 31. 2 Sam. 17. 23. 2 Sam. 18. 9 Esa. 9. 21 Esa. 19. 2. Judg. 15. 4. Esa. 8. 9. 10. c. Jer. 50. 23. Esa 13. 14. c. Esay 10. 5. Esay 51. 22 23. Psal. 125. 3. Es. 10. 25. Deut. 32. 35. Deut. 32. 36. Esay 50. 10. 1 Sam. 30. 6. Esay 26. 11. 13. Psal. 119. 126. Dan. 5. 3. 5. Es. 36. 37. ca. 1 Sam. 17. 1 Thess. 5. 2. Es. 10. 6. 12. Esay 5. 21. 23 Gen. 50. 15. Act. 2. 3. cap. Zach. 1. 14. Obad. 12. Esay 16. 3. Jer. 48. 27. Read Esa. 16. and Jer. 48. Lev. 19. 17. Eccles. 11. 6. 2 Tim. 2. 26. 2 Cor. 12. 10. 1 Cor. 1. 27. 2 Thes. 2. 10. Esay 59. 8. Jam. 4. 7. Psal. 15. 4. Psal. 83. 16. Eccles. 3. 1. Math. 16. 22. 1 Cor. 6. 19. 1 Chro. 22. 16. Isal. 37. 1. 7. Vers. 2. Prov. 23. 17. Pro. 24. 19 c. Rev. 22. 20 21.