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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	bishop_n	father_n	presbyter_n	3,144	5	9.8979	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A85527	The grand rebels detected or, the Presbyter unmasked. Shewing to all loyal hearts, who were the first founders of the Kings Majesties ruine, and Englands misery, under the pretence of reformation, who in truth have proved the instruments of destruction both to church & kingdom. By a lover of his countrey, whose design is to undeceive the deceived, make known the deceivers, and himself also in convenient season.		1660 (1660)	Wing G1511; Thomason E1019_13; ESTC R208312	9,416	12

The Grand REBELS DETECTED OR THE PRESBYTER UNMASKED Shewing to all Loyal Hearts Who were the first Founders of the Kings Majesties ruine and Englands Misery under the pretence of Reformation who in truth have proved the Instruments of Destruction both to Church Kingdom By a Lover of his Countrey whose design is to undeceive the deceived make known the deceivers and himself also in convenient season A divine sentence is in the lips of the King his mouth transgresseth not in judgement Prov. 16.10 Shall even he that hateth Right govern and wilt thou condemn him that is most just Is it fit to say to a King Thou art wicked and unto Princes Ye are ungodly Iob 24.17 18. The fear of a King is as the roaring of a Lyon whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul Prov 20.2 LONDON Printed in the year 1660. The Grand Rebels detected IN the thirteenth year of the Reign of our most gracious Soveraign Lord King CHARLES of blessed memory His most excellent Majesty out of the great desire he had to maintain and preserve peace and unity among His good Subjects in all His Dominions and through His Holy and Pious Inclinations endeavouring to advance the Protestant Religion by promoting unity and purity in the holy Church was willing to settle and establish Uniformity of Worship and Government therein as wel in Scotland as England and in order thereunto did by the advice of the reverend Learned Fathers and Bishops of the Church Order and Appoint That the Liturgy Book of Canons with all the form of Worship and Government used in the Church of England should be read practised and observed by the Church of Scotland and that the Government of that Church should be that most ancient and sacred Government of Bishops But the Presbyters there the Fathers of rebellion contemns the Kings Commands refuse to yeild obedience to his Majesties Decrees in this matter and in contempt of his Soveraign Authority rejects the Book of Canons and Liturgy and confronts the Holy Fathers and Bishops sent by him to take the Care Charge and Government of that Church an Indignity never to be forgotten Hnd here you have the beginning of our woful troubles and also the primitive Authors thereof whom I intend to trace all through til you see what consequences did ensne For this traytorous Fa ion did not stop here but presently enters into an Engagement and swears his Majesties Subjects into a confederacy against their Leige Lord raiseth Tumults and takes up Arms against their King and thereby necessitates His Majesty to raise an Army in England at no small Charge with which the King marches for Scotland in March 1659. Wheaenpon the Scots desire a Treaty and his Majesty being willing to avoid bloodshed condescended and gave tearms too good for false Rebels and so a peace was concluded and the King returns for England and came to his House at Cleoballs about August 1639. In December following this disloyal Presbyterified never to be trusted Scot calls a Parliament to consult how they might the more subtilly carry on their treacherous designs and holding correspondence with some Factious follows in England of their own stamp whom nothing will satisfie unless they may reign over and rule both King and People as a Poet of their own confesseth Knox in his History of the Church of Scotland first impression in Octavo pag. 265. saith That wi●hout the Reformation which they desired they meaning the Covenanters would never be subject to any mortal man Thus you see their principles is that they must have what they please or else farewel all subjection Are not these sad subjects for a Prince Let the Reader consider it wel In the year 1640. about November the Kings Majesty calls a Parliament in England to his sorrow for the Presbyters in Scotland combining with their Brethren in England so managed their business that the Majority of this Parliament were Scotified and being met they immediately begin to pick holes in the Coats and to accuse of Treason his Majesties most faithful and confiding friends as the Noble Earl of Stafford and others and presently began to lay hold of the Kings Royal Prerogative as the Militia of the Nation His onely Security and his Negative Voice telling the King that they were the Supream Authority of the Nation they also perswaded the King to pass an Act that they should not be dissolved without their own consent By this time these loyal Rebels began to shew themselves in England the Ministers stirred up the people against the Bishops to the endangering of their Lives and the Parliament and others especially the Ministers were restless until they had gotten the Lords spiritual thrown out of the Lords House thereby to weaken his Majesties hands and to strengthen their own for the better accomplishing their wicked Enterprises against his Majestie and his Royal family Their next step of Rebellion was to Jurage the people and make them tumultuous under pretence of Petitioning Treason carried on by fair pretences and by these tumults his Majestys Sacred Person was much indangered that he could not be safe about the City when Cities grow rich and populous they are apt to rebell but was forced to leave it and raise a few forces for the safety and defence of his own person Hereupon the Parlament glad of such an occasion raised an Army in their own defence as they say but most apparent it was to oppose his Majesty Twelve of the Reverend Fathers and Bishops of the Church accused of Treason some of them their lives taken away and the Government of the Church overthrown contrary to the protestation taken by the Parlament May 15 1641. to which I refer you The Parlament having raised an Army voted Essex General the King then set up his Standard and invited his Loyal Subjects to his assistance against these Rebels and their Army who they told us were to fight for King and Parlament Oh wretched hypocrisie unless by fighting for the King they mean fighting to take away his life and that 's fighting for him with a witness a 〈◊〉 I hope his Majesty that now is will beware of such friends I had almost omitted one passage which should have been mentioned before and that was the King demanded five firebrands out of the House for fear least they should have set the House on fire but so much had this zealous faction preva●led and their devotion was such that they had rather be burned with them then throw them out to be quenched I need not name them some of them are gone to their place where no doubt they have received the wages of their work there are onely two that I know remain whom God hath reserved for examples of justice that others may learn better obedience for future and these will be easily known one is Bishop of Durham r●tempo●● and the other St. D●uz forget not their good service they are worthy persons and their

services for their Country such as deserve to be recorded for the benefit of future ages they are like to be very little beneficial to this The next progress of these loyal subjects or rebells which you will was their Army being raised the War begun and his Majesties faithful Subjects and Souldiers behaved themselves stoutly that the poor Rebells was many times well beaten and prevailed little against their King notwithstanding Sir John's blessing of them but yet the zealous fomentors of the Rebellion made all their Pulpits ring with cursing and banning the poor ignorant people and Apprentices Oh Curse ye Meroz curse ye Meroz b● 〈◊〉 because he went not out 〈…〉 Lord against the mighty Thus they plainly made use 〈◊〉 holy Scripture to stir up the Kings subjects against him but had forgotten that rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft but carried all under fine pretences and would make as if God himself approved of their wicked waies and their cursed and cursing Doctrine so terrified the minds of men that they could neither live quiet in their houses nor sleep quiet in their beds but must forsake all loyaltie and duty to fight against their Soveraign Lord blind zeal puts men upon unwarrantable practices And by this means their Armies was recruited after they had been routed And what rare devices had the Rebells to supply themselves with mony they are excellent Doctors and have a salve for every ●●ar an excellent faculty to preach Charity every one must contribute so ●ething towards this hopeful Reformation and therefore they stirred up the Citizens and others to bring in their superfluous Plate-rings and Jewels and mony and bid them believe on the Publick Faith for Security hereby raising vaste sums of mony which is well secured ●rom the right owners as safe as if it were in another world for● question whether ever it will be paid in this and very lately a grave ●en o● of the F●a●ernity in his Thanksgiving Sermon before their Worships moved them to remember to pay the Publick Faith but I have not faith to believe they are so made as to take his counsel it had been more welcome and better acceptable advice if he could have told them such another trick to borrow more but surely the people have bought more with then to lend them any yet I have heard the City of London the famous Nursery of these Rebells formerly I wish it may become loyal now but it is hard to trust where once deceived have lent them some I wish poor Sequestred Divines could find so much Credit or Charity amongst them however I am not without hope to have my right for I do believe when his Majesty is restored to his we shal be restored to ours in the mean time J know it s not to be expected that the Disciples should fair better then their Lord. J shal now present you with a Combination of these Rebels both in England and Scotland for now they discover openly what before they practised secretly in the year 1643. they enter into Covenant and swear a confederacy in cruelty and wickedness it would be too tedious to repeat at large J shal onely touch of things to refresh our memories and inform those youth that are Loyal and want a little information in these things J will observe something of their Covenant that Scottish trick to warn against the snare of it The first part is That we shal sincerely really and constantly through the Grace of God endeavor in our several places and callings the preservation of Reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government against our common enemies c. where note They swear the people to indeavour to preserve the Doctrine Worship c. of Scotland expresly in terms and so draw poor people into a snare for I dare affirm that three fists of the people of England that took this Covenant knew not what the Doctrine Worship and Discipline of that Church was and impossible it is for persons to keep any Engagement when they know not what they are thereby obliged to unfess they think they are bound to do whatever the Assembly of Presbyters require them And w●thout all peradventure a Prince muk needs be happy that hath such subjects especially considering their Doctrine I 'le cite you a passage out of their own Author The Commonalty ought to reform Religion if the King will not see Knox to the Commonalty page 49 50. Again If Princes be Tyrants against God and his Truth their subjects are freed from their Oaths of Allegiance Knox to England and Scotland folio 79. But who do the Gentlemen mean by the common Enemies the people and they are sworn to oppose Surely they do not mean his Majesty and the Learned Fathers the Bishops and all Divines and people that wil not bow down to their Baal nor worship their new-erected Image Presbyterie yet the second head in the Covenant smels as if this were that they intend to which I refer you For in that they swear That wi●hout respect of persons they must endeavour the extirpation of Popery and Prelacy that is say they Church-Government by Bishops Archbishops c. And so they make the people swear at all adventures against the Government of the Church of England established both by the Authority and Judgement of his Majesty the Learned Fathers of our Church and this in direct opposition to the Oath of Keligion and Supremacy But this is nothing for according to their Doctrine if the King be a Tyrant against God the people are freed from all sub●ection and they viz. the Presbyters must be Judges whether their King be a Tyrant yea or no here is a High Court of Justice to trye and condemn all Kings and Princes that wil not subject to the Jron yoke of Presbytery Again in the first Branch of their Covenant they swore to endeavour the preservation of the Church of Scotland and ar formation of the Church of England and Ireland in Doctrine Worship Discipline c. according to the word of God and the example of the best reformed Churches and shall endeavour to bring the Charches of God in the three Nations to the nearest conjunction and uniformity c So that this clause doth seem to insinuate that the Churches of England and Ireland was unsound in Doctrine and corrupt in Worship Discipline and Government but theirs is Sanctum Sanctorum and therefore to be preserved and be our pattern to reform by and if their words import not thus much then how doth their matter agree For if England and Ireland in their reformation according to the Scriptures or from the example of any other Church better reformed then Scotland exceed and go beyond what the Church of Scotland now practice yet by the Covenant that Church is to preserved in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government as now it is then how is it possible for the people by all their endeavours to bring the

Churches of God in the three Kingdoms to a conjunction and uniformity in Religion Confession of Faith form of Worship Directory Government and Catechising And do but make this observation what good Subjects these are they would not receive the form of Worship Directory c. appointed them by his Majesty and the Bishops and yet would impose their inventions upon their Soveraign Lord Bishops and people and the same spirit reigns amongst their Brethren in England as wil appear and thus you see how by cursing and swearing they managed their stratagems for one while they preached Curse ye Meroz another while their Covenant and so carried on their war against their King and their valiant Champions was Ess●x who manfully behaved himself in the West and Wall●r at the Devizes with Haslerigg 't is true M●ss●y is a worthy Gentleman and Souldier whose merits ought not to be forgotten for we have demonstrated his Loyalty to his Ma●esty at Worcester and since B●●w was another of their zealots who out of his zeal in this Rebellious Cause as I have often heard and that by persons that tell me they saw it at Abing●o● he caused a man that had been a Rebell with him against his King but repenting of his sin and according to his duty turning loyal to his Soveraign was taken in his service for which that bloody Presbyter Brown caused him to lose his life it 's affirmed that the Rope broke twice as a testimony of God's justifying the accused but the blood-thirsty caused two ropes to be twisted together and never was satisfied till the man was hanged though the man pleaded for his life as also did many sad spectators of that cruelty and certainly if this sin pass unpunished on earth by men we may expect God will powr out his judgments on us here and upon him hereafter After these had ingaged in the War till their hearts failed they like Cowards quit the field and then in come some of another Faction as Fairfax Cromwell Harrison and Ireton and they act their parts but still Curse ye Meroz was good doctrine in City and Country until by the Warrs the Kings Majesty had lost most of his Garrisons his forces in a great measure destroied and almost all wrested out of his hands by treachery and falshood and nothing but Oxford and a few other places left his Majesty reduced by these Rebels unto these streights slies unto Scotland or at least to the Scotch Army at Southw●ll about May 1646. and presuming on their Loyalty which all things considered he had little reason to do yet hoping at last they would be engaged by his Majesties throwing himself into their hands to become faithful unto him but instead thereof their Ministers charge him with the guilt of blood yea all the blood of Ireland and England and admonish him as they eall it all which his gracious Majesty bare patiently which no doubt could not but be a great affliction to a Prince to be insulted over by such Rabshecaes who having forgotten their own duty condemn his innocent Majesty as if he had neglected his But had these sons of Belial never read that Text of St. Mat. 5.7 Thou hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thine own eye c. and Job 24.17 Is it fit to say to a King thou art wicked and to Princes ye are ungodly I wil not say Sir John had never read these sacred Scriptures yet I much incline to think they wilfully forgot them as also the duty of subjection they owe to their Prince The Parliament demand the King of the Scots and they demand money of the Parliament for their good service and help in the Rebellious War or a price for their Prince the Parliament grant them the money and they Traytor 's like sell their King as Iudas did his Christ and to this day have not manifested so much repentance as Indas did for he brought the money back to the High-Priests who therewith bought the Potters Field to bury Strangers in and if ever the false Scot as I fear he never wil return their money it wil serve to buy a large field to bury them and their Brother Rebels in The King being thus sold by the Scots was brought to Hampton Court in 1647. from whence he got to the Isle of Wight where there was a treaty in which the main things insisted on was to keep down the Government of the Church thrown down by this Rebellion and instead of the Government by Bishops the Presbyter must set up his Stool of Repentance for all Loyal Subjects but this treaty was soon interrupted by another Faction sprung up both in Parliament and Army who were children the off spring of Presbytery though they like unnatural Fathers disown them and say they are illegitimate However we well know they are their Fathers though we know not their Mothers and this seems a greater mystery then that of Merline the Welsh Prophet whose Mother men knew but not his Father and indeed this is a Riddle I leave the Readers to interpret Thus was our Lord and Soveraign brought to lose precious life by the Fathers and the Children as our Saviour by Pilate and the chief Priests thus you have the raisers the rise and the management of this bloody Tragedy acted at White-hall Banqueting-House Ian. 30. 1648. About this time some of the Presbyters seem displeased and dissatisfied and spoke against the putting his Majesty to death so did Iudas when he saw his Lord condemned and for sorrow went and hanged himself which a blinde man would be glad to see some of them do And Fairfax declared against it but he never endeavoured to hinder it and Pilate did as much after he had condemned our Saviour said he had nothing to do with him he was a Just man but alas he suffered him to be crucified for all that and to me its a question whether the Presbyters trouble they seemed to shew was out of respect and love to his majesty or for fear they had lost their design of Svoeraignty which they hoped to have had by the treaty at Isle of Wight whether it was that the King lost his life or because it was taken away by other hands as wel as theirs and they thereby deprived of the sole Honour of the Work for such traytors glory in their wicked success or what meant all their hypocritical dayes of thanksgiving for Victories against our Liege Lord. But possibly they may think to excuse their treason against the Father by their kindness to his Son and now our Soveraign who I hope God wil preserve from reposing any trust in them least he also fall by his Fathers Enemies I shall set before the Reader my observations of these mens carriage of late and leave the Judicious to judge whether their Love be true loyal or feigned for some self ends Iune 6. 1650. the Scots sent for his Majesty out of Holland and would Crown him King but upon conditions

and they such as made his heart bleed within him He must acknowledge to these traytors that his innocent Father was guilty of blood and many crimes which these horrid wretches was pleased to impute to him and he must confess his sin his Fathers sin and the Families sin c. and as it 's reported brought his Majesty into their Stoole of Repentance but I conceive this untrue and therefore I pass it Indignities many and that most unsufferable and intollerable ones they put upon him they are such unworthy and deceitful people that it 's hard to say what they dare not do as to force his Majesty to take Oaths and Covenants what they please or else give him up as they did his Father to the slaughter I shall here present to your view an Oath he was necessitated to take which is as follows viz. J Charles by the Grace of God King of Great Britain France and Ireland c. do assure and declare by my solemn Oath in the presence of Almighty God the searcher of all hearts my allowance and approbation of the National Solemn League and Covenant and faithfully oblige my self to prosecute the ends thereof in my State and Calling and that J for my self and successors shall consent and agree to all Acts of Parliament enjoining the National Solemn League and Covenant and fully establish the Presbyterian Government and that J shall give my Royal assent to all Acts and Ordinances of Parliament passed or to be passed injoining the same in my other Dominions and that J shall observe these in my own Family and shall never make opposition to the Presbyterian Government or endeavour to make any change thereof This being done they raised an Army for his assistance and defence engaging they would indeavour to restore his majestie to all other his Dominions but kept him that he must not converse with his and his Fathers old friends that lost all for them and was forced to leave their Country for his sake neither would they suffer his Majesty to prefer any of them in the Army nor permit them to be of his Council but Sir John and his Kirk-party must do all govern their Governor and rule their Soveraign who must do whatever their Royal pleasures are else this Covenant is broken at any time whenever they please to say it 's broken and his poor Majesty exposed to all dangers and cruelty for all the people are freed from their Allegiance when Mass John tells them their King hath broken Covenant so that they are worse then the Pope and their Doctrines as bad as Romes and that this is the Presbyters opinion I shall make a recital of a few places out of their own Authors VVhittingham in his preface to Goodmans book saith That if Kings and Princes refuse to reform Religion the inferior Magistrates or people by the direction of the Ministry might lawfully and ought if need require even by force of Arms to reform it themselves Buchanan in his Presbyterian Maximes out of his Book intituled De jure Regni pag. 61. saith Populus R●ge est praestant●o● melio● the people are better then the King and of greater authority Again pag. 13. Populo sus est ut impertum cui velit deferat the people have right to bestow the Crown at their pleasure De Jure regni pag. 25. P●ncs populum est ut leges ferat sunt reges veluti tabulariorum custod●s I might bring plentiful proofs but this with their practice is a full demonstration of their Principles which if they deny their practice where ever they had power is as famously known as the Anabaptists of Germany c. And as for all that shew of Loyalty now seeming to be in them unto his Majesty it is most manifest that it is out of selfish designs to advance their own interest and upon no other account I am bold to affirm that if he amongst them all who pretends the Highest friendship to the King were asked whether he would have him come in his Royal Prerogative without shakles at his heels and a Persbyter at his Elbow if it were possible to make him speak truth he would say Away with him crucifie him Do they not say they will fight against him rather then he shall come and not establish their way of Church Government c. which is an infringing of his Just Prerogative and below his Royal Dignity and Soveraign Jurisdiction 't is true they are willing he should come because they are afraid of the Phanatique Sectaries least they should overcome them and therefore they have revived their Covenant by which they swore a Confederacy with their Brethren of Scotland against Episcopacy and Bishops the ancient Government of our Church A Monarchy they are for but it must be a limited Monarchy a King they are for but they must rule him and the people too else curse ye Meroz curse him bitterly c. Again the King they are willing to have but not his mother Brother nor any other person that have been faithful to him or may be serviceable if they prove false and who dare trust them For all that is as they iudge below their Reformation is Popery and all above it Heresie when alas they themselves are the grand Hereticks and Schismaticks in the Nation it was they made the breach in and brought all those sorrows and pains upon our mother the holy Church and I wonder with what face these men think their sin should be either forgotten or forgiven without repentance and a return from whence they are fallen Is it imaginable that so sober vertuous and pious a Prince as his Majesty is will change those Principles of Religion he hath been brought up and confirmed in by his Gracious and most Renowned Father of bl●ssed memory who suffered Martyrdom for it and thereby sealed to the truth of it with his precious blood Neither let it be thought a Prince can be so dis ingenuous or guilty of such ingratitude as to neglect his own and his Father's Friends for the favour of false Rebels Prov 27 10. Thine own friend and thy Father's friend forgot not c. This was the sacred saying of a King and not a King onely but the wisest of Kings FINIS