hear that the Rebels are purged and sent to their own place So all is in reference to His People for the Churches good all this trouble shall greatly advance the Churches peace and quiet This Sowre shall yeeld Sweet to them Hereby the iniquity of Jacob is purged c. for this will fall in again in the seventh Section Here I Isa 27. 9. shall tell what the Lord has done towards this Promise I will purge out from you the Rebels Truly He has done so much That if we see no more done Ezek. 20. 38. yet for ever blessed be His Name for that the Lord has done Our eyes may be closed shortly and covered with dust What if it be so yet we can salute we can Kisse this Promise afarre off and say Praised be His Name for what our eyes have seen fulfilled in all the peoples sight touching this Promise I will purge out the Rebells We have seen Archbishops and Bishops laid flat on their backs as men in their graves Al but they will rise again they say Yes at the last day we say howsoever we have seen them laid flat The height of our desires was three years agoe The taking away of three Innocent Ceremonies for such a Pope there was Good Lord He would give us a full mercy we have seen three and four that is seven abominations taken away The Lord be praised for what we have seen * That which we have seen is enough to defray all our expence of Spirits Time and Purse Luther thought if he could be instrumentall for throwing out of Indulgences and Pardons those cursed things O how well appaid would he be how would he boast in his God! Would â—e so His God would use him for greater things than those The Lord broke down before his servant this Wall and that wall shewed him these and those abominations and what Luther did all the world knows The Lord loves to bestow mercies with a full hand and blessed be His Name as it is Holy * Esay 6. 3. Blessed Blessed Blessed for what He has done towards this promise and for what our eyes have seen even so Amen There are stops and pawses nay Lions and Shee-Bears Wals * What hinders and retards the businesse and Mountaines in the way we shall get over them all at the last Indeed we of the Common sort move very slowly not like men who would leap over walls and skip over Mountains and the Richer sort are nothing nimble neither very sluggish in their motions specially if they move toward their Purse the drawing or emptying of that I can easily beleeve the Covenant was penned in Scotland who well understood and mean to perform what they wrote to their eternall praise which is in the Gospell There is one expression in the Covenant nay two which we poor men cannot perform to our wills and Rich men will not understand to their Power and that retards holds-back and sluggs the motion very much We Covenant to endeavour with our Estates and Lives i. e. we will let Estates go and Lives go and all go That the Gospell may not go we will lay-out all all we have and all we are That we may maintain the Rights and Liberties of the Gospell for maintain the liberties of Christs Kingdome and God will maintaine the Liberties of our Kingdome and for the maintenance hereof Thus we Vow to do to expend our Estates and our Lives The Scottish Nation a poor people for we must remember how they were oppressed plundered persecuted four years agoe yet so they have done And verily wheresoever the Gospell shall be preached in the whole world surely there shall also this that they have done for the maintenance of the Gospell be told also for a memoriall of them such great matters they have done for the Gospell as men that know a Pearle and can estimate it Truly we poor men cannot perform here as we would but a poor mans Myte has been accepted where there is no more And happily some of us have done what we can and then it was a resolved case a thousand years ago That a poor man may be liberall when a rich man giving an hundred times more yet not unto a proportion to what God has given him shall be called a Niggard a Covetous man and now you have said the worst of him I will say but this more certainly the rich men do not understand what they have sworn and this is my reason There was an hundred thousand pounds to be collected this last moneth a great summe you will say Yes but I assure the Reader upon the knowledge I have had of this City these twenty years and of the vast expences now drawn from the rich men there this last year which the Lord returns seven fold into ther Bosoms That yet there are ten men who could and would make up this large summe and send it away I say would if they valued the Pearle in the Gosspell It is Religion it is the Gospell call it what you will it is the Pearl as they do the Pearle in the world that is their money Reader do these men understand what they swear We will with our Estates I will not adde and with our Lives If they will not part with their money now at such a needfull time not give out that I mean in a proportionable summe to what God has given them and with a reference also to the Pearle now in danger to be trod under foot by Swine If they give not now like themselves in a proportion to that which God and his Cause and all good men call from their hands if not help now with their Estates asmall proportion thereof to what God has given them to save a Kingdom then not with their lives sure though the Pearle is worthy the purchase at the highest rate for we remember That a Merchant sold all that he had and bought the Pearle Mat 13. A hard matter to perswade with Merchants in these dayes so to do from whom some of them we may more easily draw blood then their money The Scottish people have done their duty To vindicat and keep the Pearle trod-under by Swinish men they have sold all The English swear to do as much Some in Scotland Some in England will be faithfull they have counted their cost understood what they did and so have Covenanted and by help of God they will stand to it There is no more required to make a Kingdome as a Mountain of Brasse In the next placethen we will well consider what is the vertue force and efficacy of this Covenanting with God VI. VI. It is very prevayling every way It is a sure way it never failed the Church They associated themselves entered into Covenant and then all was sure King Asah King Ezekias with other are great examples here It is a safe way and it is an onely way Aske from one end of Heaven to the other what
rule His people Gods people with equity and His poor Gods poor with judgement 2 Chron. 8 9. Psal 72 8 doing all still in subordination to the Supreme Law and in reference to the Law Book I was saying but I was interrupted willing to tell the Reader as shortly as I could what this Covenanting is that now we are come to the great work and busines of the time with much ado and great trouble through the heat of the day we are come up to this businesse now at the last The entering Covenant with God an endevour at least to bring three Kingdomes up unto it to engage them to be the Lords Kingdom the summe and upshot of the businesse the fruit and result of all our Fasting Praying Preaching the end and issue of all this is but to make a People a People of willingnesses a willing People to this Work of Covenanting with the Lord that they will be Psal 110. the Lords People II. II A wonderfull thing that sith this is all to enter Covenant with the Lord that we will be no more our own but His People we should be so hardly drawn to the Work so backward to it I say again a wonderfull thing O ye heavens be astonished at this the Lord has brought up Rebellious children indeed Take the sons of Belial this once for an example these sons all the world over how willing are they to make a League and Covenant with their Adversary the Devill Sin Death and Hell And Israel His people draw back will not hear the joyful sound will not enter Covenant with the Lord. O ye heavens are ye not astonished at this See again how these children of disobedience and sons of Perdition how these Associate and knit themselves together fully resolved to their power to breake the bands of the Lord and cast away his cords and then to root out His people that their name may be no more upon the earth Thus these Children do Earth earth earth hear the Word of the Lord shall not his people do as much for their God and His Cause as the wicked do for the Devill their Master and to maintain his worship and their Idols yet how hardly are the sons and daughters of God drawn to do contrary to these sons of Belial To lay their souls under Sacred bands To bind themselves with the cords of God His Lawe His Statutes His Judgements III. III. It is very remarkable and sure we will set a marke upon it by the way how the Lord has forced His People has used a kind of violence to bring up His people to this Covenanting Work The Lord suffered the Adversary to buffit His People into Covenant with Him The Lord suffered the foot of Pride to prevail very much even to a setting-under and trampling upon the heads of the Righteous as Myre in the Street Thus The Lord suffered it to be That His People might stir-up themselves Protest to serve God better and avouch Him for their God And so His People did But here was much of self in this Work self ends and self respects They groaned under grievous Task-masters The Proud man had set his right foot upon the Church and his left foot upon the Common wealth and swore he would take away their Birth-right from both Their Laws Rights Liberties 1 Pet. 1. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Inheritance of their Fathers But these outward Liberties the setting the foot upon these This pinched indeed this crushed to the heart and this was the main Inforcement with the greatest part To enter into a Protestation I say that swayed most with the most Well God heard their groans notwithstanding pittied His People and took off that head which consulted against His hidden ones and withered that hand and foot which set so hard upon the Necks of the Righteous But as is said of the King he never dies So of the Churches Adversary he is still lively and strong and a Legion he is for many there are who hate the Church here And then he was more mad with rage then the Nations were indeed angry So the Adversary and Enemy plotted and plotted Here he layed a snare and there a snare The Lord brake the snares still For He had a respect to their Protestation That His People seemed willing to avouch Him for their God And from that very day a See Thank â—ssâ—… p. 85. The Lord blessed His People made them strong to do exploits from that day But from that day the Adversary was more lively and active as was said to do mischief So they traversed this way and that way Till at last they brought about a most bloody Designe What was that To cut and slay not a few To destroy a Mother City in Israel even her Who maintains a great Family is the great House-keeper under God The great Hostesse in our Land that forgets not to entertain strangers To welcome the out-casts and abjects those that are thrown-out of Cities and Towns all over the Land as Persons or things of no worth there b 2 Cor. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb 13 1. But the world is not worthy of them These this Hostesse do's entertain she is not forgetfull This Mother City was in designe to have been destroyed even this City and with her all the faithfull there and every where that had an hand with David Indeed and indeed had the Adversary had his will they had destroyed this City and all with David all throughout the Land from corner to corner What then Then we entred into Covenant It was high time And doubtlesse the hearts of the upright were upright touching that matter But we we common People did not Covenant To search every man his own heart for the finding and casting out the accursed thing therein And those who as alwayes they have done made void the Laws of God and man We came not up fully unto that Work Nay let me take the boldnesse for to say sith I speak in the presence of God and by His grace will waigh and consider what I say and I will propose it by way of doubt or Proposition onely thus Was not that Covenanting too Selvish I mean did not the Subjects Rights and Priviledges take up too much Roomth there I will not say it did for was there not a Cause That the Worthies should do as they did Yet this I may say III. IIII. There was not that Spiritually in the businesse as God requires The Worthies all of them did not till now rise to that height of Soul touching The Lords matters in His worship The main and chief businesse did not seem to be the Cause of God Religion The Faith The great Trust of the Kingdom The maintaining the Rights and Liberties of the Gospel and then of the Church against those Usurpers That had taken these Liberties quite away pleading their Right from Heaven the while they set the Church
day of Jacobs trouble who have sworn and will stand to it To maintain the Cause of the Lord as it shall require and as we read before And there are a people in England too Nobles and Princes there I mean by Princes the Messengers of the Churches and the Glory of Christ who have given up themselves to the Lord and to maintain His Cause some Nobles I say not many but some there are vvho their eternall praise have entred Covenant and will stand to it when others to their eternall dishonour enter into a Covenant to day and break out from it on the morrow stand not to it no not an houre As if they might take the Covenant of God as a Papist takes the Oath of God swear to day and forswear next day Adjure to day calling God to witnesse and perjure anone so blaspheming that Holy Holy Holy Name making the Oath of God like a Gipsies knot fast now in shew loose presently in fight We have some Nobles that do abominate this Blasphemy they enter Covenant with God to day and are more and more resolved and engaged for God and His Cause every day from hence forth and for ever I could say as much of a people too very many in Cities and Towns both a very willing people If they cannot give to the Cause they can die for it as a Martyr said if their estates be none or gon they cannot be prodigall there as the Cause commands then their lives shall go they will be prodigall of their blood and thank God He has honoured them so Who gave His blood for them And so we are where we were in a way which never failed And shall it faile the Righteous now God forbid nay God forgive us such a thought But let us look to our standing now I mean to the standing to our Covenant for that bears up the weight of the businesse This standing to it let us look to that we are now come up to God to His Tearms to His Command not more knit together amongst our selves as knit to God What now Now the Nations are angry Angry They are stark mad look ye on this side and but a little beyond Lincoln and behold how they rage there See also in the South and in Ireland What are the the thoughts of those Monsters there They think to joyn with our Monsters here Monsters Yes They are Nobles many of them True but the more monstrous if Nobles by birth Certainly if those Nobles not to mention the black Regiment those Buls of Bashan nor the Calves of the people Some call them Cavel Gentlemen I have called them Rogues twenty times with an Accent for I will call a Spade a Spade Theeves Robbers Murtherers all these by their names so let them go the vvay of Cain vvho slew his Brother I am a speaking of the Nobles vvho beat their own Mother even her that bare them that suckled them that dandled them upon her knees vvarmed them in her bosome These Nobles vvho have set their Mothers House on fire over her head and are not these Monsters for they have done yet more villany if these Nobles should see their own visage represented unto them now as it vvill be shortly in the very next History they vvould be gastred at the sight of such Monsters as the King was at the vvriting on the vvall Truly me thinks I see them now and they troubled my Spirit and Interrupted me I was saying Dan. 5. 6. The Monsters in Ireland will joyn now vvith these in England will be folden together like thorns vvill come out now against those all vvho are joyned in Covenant with their God and vvill do What vvill they do All the mischief they can They will storm the City of God as they can to their Power That is true They will do vvhat they can do all the Mischief they can But vvhat can they do for vve do not question their will These have shed blood to their Power vvith a Rage that reacheth-up to Heaven They have cursed David and his Helpers by their gods They have blasphemed The God of Heaven They have thrust the Ministers of the Lord out of their Houses or slaughtered His Servants there even All the faithfull in the Land unto vvhom their hand could reach They have gods as Jeroboam had vvhich he called honestly truly and very vvell as vve call Priests now and their gods Calves for such are their Priests Idol-Brutish-Priests Their Services such Idol-Bruitish-Services I vvill ask again vvhat can these cursed People do against a Kingdom united in its self and in Covenant vvith their God What can they do I le tell you what for the Spirit tells it me They vvill Associate and gird themselves and gird themselves all for the Battell and to Storme the Church of God that they Esay 8. 9. will do Well yes very well now hear vvhat the Lord vvill do and vvhat He will do He can do That is a Comfort What vvill He do He vvill ungird His Adversaries as often He will break them and break them and break them t is no idle repetition so often till He has broken them all to Fritters like a Potters Vessell so He vvill break them in breaking He vvill break them Breach upon Breach Briars and Thorns vvill they Array themselves for Battell against the Lord He is a Consuming fire unto them they shall be devoured every one in the Fornace vvhich their rage and fiery indignation against His people has made seven times hotter then ordinary Rebells that have lifted up the horn have spoke proudly have dared to thrust at the Righteous nay The Lord of Glory out of His Throne The Lord will thrust-sore at them He vvill make them like an Oven and their Faces like Flames He vvill purge them out But when Even now at this time we have His word for it for we are in Covenant with our God I will speak an high word and comfortable to the fearfull in heart but humbly before our God and if proud men will hearken let them hearken This is the word and our Confidence Now that we have entred into Covenant with our God To stand close to Him To His Cause To His worship Now that we have engaged our hearts to all this what now Now we have ingaged God to us God must help us We will by His Grace stand to our Covenant and appear for Him It is an high word now to amaze proud men God must appear for us and stand by us and He cannot be idle Must is not for the King you will say yes for the KING of Kings and LORD of Lords This King must help us The unjust judge did right the the Widow must not the Judge of all the world do right He must He must There are Mighty Reasons why and Arguments as strong to assure the hearts of the Faithfull That God will and must help His people now at this time you shall hear
Adversary and thrown-out other accursed things I know not how many Some foyls he received and somtimes fals but he rose again and stood up the more stoutly It was somtimes dark and night in his spirit but it was alwayes day with him and light in the Lord and his fals made him rise the higher in faith humility patience Indeed this is the man who is a great part of the Kingdoms Militia the Chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof he has chased a thousand and put a legion to flight This he did you will say when he was lively and strong That is true but this man did the greatest exploit then when his enemy thought him under the Power of his hand Then was this Souldier strongest when that Adversary the King of terrours thought him to be weakest Sick and sick unto death Then he did not say I am sick but strong in the Lord and so his Militia is compleated now his warfare accomplished now he has marched valiantly triumphed Esay 32. 24. Iudges 5. Revel 4. 10. 11. gloriously trod down strength in His strength Who made him have dominion over the Mighty And now He is taking the Palm into his hand but his Crown he has with the Elders east down before Him That sitteth on the Throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for Thy pleasure they are and were created An end The full purpose totall intendment true use of Prince ROBER his Warrant to the Constables of Northampton-shire for the speedy Posturing their Country Signed with the Great Seal and dated the first of November 1643. This relates to the 34. Page of this Book OUT of Our Princely Care and so often protested zeal for The Defence of the True Protestant Religion The two Houses of Parliament he has abused a known figure here the Subject for th' Adjunct For the Defence of the two Houses but for The Totall destruction of the Nobilitie and Gentry therein and Their Rights and Priviledges The Liberties and Properties of the Subject we have issued forth Our Princely Warrant to command you and every one of you That instantly upon sight hereof you cause all the Inhabitants sit for Warre in your severall Towns and Villages to make their appearance before Us With Us To carry on Our Royall Designe For The Defence as aforesaid by impoverishing Cities laying wast Towns Plundering Pillaging Firing Houses Murthering the men there Ravishing Mothers there Deflouring Daughters there For the Defence as aforesaid And in case yee shall refuse to do according to Our Royall Charge In so Legall a way according to the known Laws of the Kingdoms Expect yee to suffer yee your Wives and your Maidens as aforesaid Besides the totall Plundering and Burning your Houses with what other mischiefs licenced and hungry Souldiers with their Prince that ruleth mightily with the Children of disobedience can inflict upon you Rupert Rober in Dutchland England THis Warrant was issued forth in the Forenoon and before High-Noon of the same day This valiant Prince ran His own way the way of Cain against the blood of his Brother And of Balaam against the Angels sword But no man was so mad to blunder after Him but they that were as blinde as Himself except the Avengers of blood who feeling the waight of their Office True sence of Duty and of Love to their Country having power in their hand pursued after this Murtherer as sometimes the English did after grievous Woolves which no more spared their flocks once then these Woolves spare their Sheepheards now The True Vse is at last To goar the sides of our Issachaars all the strong Asses in our Gen. 49. 14. Land who bend their necks to the yoak and crouch under the Burthens laid upon them by a strange lord To undeceive all the Christian World To summon-up every person there To stand-up in their place or as their calling may be to come-in speedily and enroll themselves for this Holy Warre against the Beast This is the Vse of this Warrant and it shall be the End FINIS