One Lord one Faith one Baptism ver 6. One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all 1 Thes 5.12 And we beseech you brethren to know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you ver 13. And to esteem them very highly in love for their work sake And be at peace among your selves 2 Thes 3.6 Now we command you Brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye withdraw your selves from every Brother that walketh disorderly and not after the Tradition which he received of us 1 Tim. 1.3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus when I went into Macedonia that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other Doctrine ver 5. Now the end of the Commandment is Charity out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned ver 6. From which some having swarved have turned aside unto vain Janglings ver 7. Desiring to be teachers of the Law understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm ver 18. This charge I commit unto thee Son Timothy according to the Prophecies which went before on thee that thou by them mightest Warr a good warfare ver 19. Holding faith and a good conscience which some having put away concerning faith have made Ship-wrack 3.4 One that ruleth well his own House having his Children in subjection with all Gravity ver 6. Not a Novice lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the Condemnation of the Devil ver 10. And let these also first be proved then let them use the office of a Deacon being found blameless ver 14. These things write I unto thee hoping to come unto thee shortly ver 15. But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the House of God which is the Church of the Living God the Pillar and Ground of Truth 5.1 Rebuke not an Elder but entreat him as a Father and the younger men as Brethren ver 17. Let the Elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour especially they who Labour in the Word and Doctrine ver 21. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the Elect Angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another doing nothing by Partiality ver 22. Lay hands suddenly on no man neither be partaker of other mens sins keep thy self pure 2 Tim. 1.6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the Gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands 2.14 Of these things put them in remembrance charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit but to the subverting of the hearers ver 15. Study to shew thy self approved unto God a work-man that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth ver 16. But shun Profane and Vain bablings for they will increase unto more ungodliness 3.6 For of this sort are they which creep into Houses and lead captive silly Women laden with Sins led away with divers Lusts ver 7. Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth ver 13. But evil Men and Seducers shall wax worse and worse Deceiving and being Deceived ver 16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness Titus 1.5 For this cause I left thee in Crete that thou should'st set in order the things that are wanting and ordain Elders in every City as I had appointed thee ver 10. For there are many Unruly and Vain talkers and Deceivers especially they of the Circumcision ver 11. Whose mouths must be stopped who subvert whole houses teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre's sake ver 15. Unto the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure but even their mind and conscience is defiled ver 16. They profess that they know God but in works they deny him being Abominable and Disobedient and unto every good work Reprobate 3.1 Put them in mind to be subject to Principalities and Powers to obey Magistrates to be ready to every good work ver 2. To speak evil of no man to be no brawlers but gentle shewing all meekness unto all men ver 9. But avoid foolish Questions and Genealogies and Contentions and Strivings about the Law for they are unprofitable and vain ver 10. A man that is an Heretick after the first and second admonition reject ver 11. Knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being Condemned of himself Heb. 13.17 Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you ver 24. Salute all them that have the Rule over you and all the Saints 7.7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better 9.6 Now when these things were thus ordained the Priests went always into the first Tabernacle accomplishing the service of God ver 7. But into the second went the High-Priests alone once every year not without blood which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people 1 Pet. 2.13 Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lord sake whether it be to the King as Supreme ver 14. Or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers and for the praise of them that do well ver 15. For so is the will of God c. ver 17. Honour all men Love the brother-hood Fear God Honour the King 3.17 For it is better if the will of God be so that ye suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing 5.1 The Elders which are among you I exhort who also am an Elder c. ver 5. Likewise ye younger submit your selves unto the elder yea all of you be subject one to another and be clothed with Humility c. Jude v. 8. Likewise also these filthy Dreamers defile the Flesh despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities ver 10. But these speak evil of those things which they know not but what they know naturally as brute Beasts in those things they corrupt themselves ver 17. But beloved remember ye the words which were spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ ver 18. How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts ver 19. These be they who separate themselves sensual having not the Spirit Rev. 2.1 Unto the Angel of the
the Covenant from the nature of the thing doth include a Condition Now the King the Church of England the Church of Scotland nor the Parliaments of either Kingdom never gave any consent or Civil sanction to the Covenant but on the contrary have abolish'd all Laws made as illegall and unjust whereby we were bound to the keeping of it So that the Covenant doth not bind us nor our consciences to the observing of it otherwise no Laws could be altered by the Legislative Power The Unfeigned Assent and Consent of all Ministers I A.B. do here declare my unfeigned Assent and Consent to all and every thing contained and prescribed in and by the Book intituled The Book of Common-prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church according to the Use of the Church of England together with the Psalter or Psalms of David Pointed as they are to be sung or said in Churches and the form or manner of Making Ordaining or Consecrating of Bishops Priests and Deacons By the Parliament of England 1662. A Declaration or Acknowledgment to be Subscribed unto I A. B. do declare that it is not Lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King and that I do abhorr that traiterous Position of taking Arms by His Authority against His Person or against those that are Commissionated by him and that I will conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England as it is now by Law established And I do declare that I do hold there lies no Obligation upon me or any other person from the Oath commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant to endeavour any change or alteration of Government either in Church or State And that the same was in it self an unlawful Oath and imposed upon the Subjects of this Realm against the known Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom By the Parliament of Scotland 1662. A Declaration to be subscribed unto I A. B. do declare that it is unlawful for any to take up Arms against His Majesty or to enter in Leagues and Covenants without His Majesty And that all the late Acts of Committees and the two late Oathes called the Solemn League and Covenant and National Covenant are unlawful and no ways binding on any By the Parliament of Scotland Edinburgh Septemb. 5. 1662. A Declaration I Declare that I do judge it unlawful for Subjects upon pretence of Reformation or other pretence whatsoever to enter into Leagues and Covenants or to take up Arms against the King or those Commissionated by Him And that all these Gatherings Convocations Petitions Protestations and erecting and keeping Council-Tables that were used in the beginning and for carrying on of the late Troubles were Unlawful and Seditious And particularly that these Oaths whereof the one was commonly called The National Covenant as it was sworn and explained in the year one thousand six hundred and thirty eight and thereafter and the other entituled A Solemn League and Covenant were and are in themselves Unlawful Oathes and were taken by and imposed upon the Subjects of this Kingdom against the Fundamental Laws and Liberties of the same And that there lieth no Obligation upon me or any of the Subjects from the said Oathes or either of them to endeavour any change or alteration of the Government either in Church or State as it is now established by the Laws of the Kingdom 4. Incendiaries Malignants Because there are such expressions in the Covenant as are not to be found in any Oath that hath been taken in the Kingdom and for that the Laws of the Land are left out and not so much as once named 5. All Scripture-Covenanting from the Alpha unto the Omega thereof were commanded or chiefly acted by the Kings or the Chief Rulers and not one of the Covenants by the Elders of the People against or without the consent of the King 6. The Covenant is against Custome Usage Judicial Records and Acts of Parliament the King's Declarations and Proclamation and against all the Customs and Usages of all Nations in the world themselves being Judges and therefore ought not so much as to have been intended much less sworn unto Mr. Nye Such an Oath as for Matter Persons and other Circumstances the like hath not been in any Age or Oath we read of in Sacred or Human Story Iid. We are entring now upon a work of the greatest moment and concernment that ever was undertaken by any of Us or any of our Fore-fathers before us or our neighbouring Nations about us Henderson The Reformed Churches the Low-Countries our Noble and Christian Progenitors entred not into such a Solemn League and Covenant whence have we this Covenant then The dangers and pressures of the Kingdom of Scotland growing to greater extremity such as were entrusted with the Publick affairs of the Kingdom were necessitated to call a Convention of the Estates for considering of the present affairs And Commissioners were sent from both Houses of Parliament not from the King to consider with the Estates of the Kingdom of Scotland without the King what then Their consultations did in the end bring forth this Covenant When the Reformed Churches shall hear of this so neither the King nor the Reformed Churches were consulted with in this matter How then Salt-marsh The Covenant is a Divine Engine the godly have found out This is the first time the Sun saw such a confederation and therefore there should be as much Art used in preserving the Spirits of people as there was Art used in raising them up to this Height Coleman This is a new thing and not done in our Land before Ask your Fathers consult with the Aged of your times whether ever such a thing were done in their days or in the days of their fathers before them 7. 1643. 1641. The Covenant is diametrically opposite to the Protestation taken not long before wherein we have sworn That to our Power and as far as Lawfully we may we will oppose and by all good ways and means endeavour to bring to condign punishment all such as shall either by Force Plots Conspiracies or otherwise do any thing contrary to the true Reformed Protestant Religion established or against His Majesty's Royal Person Honor or Estate c. which was taken in Lawful things besides the Oathes of Allegiance and Supremacy which were taken Lawfully and in Lawfull things long before and so made all contrary Oathes unlawful to be afterwards either taken or kept St. Jerom. Now lay your hands upon your hearts consider and take the counsel of St. Jerom unto Ruffinus Never blush man to change thy opinion of the Covenant for neither you or I or any person living are of so great Authority as to be asham'd to confess they have erred Pym. As it is a crime odious in the nature of it to endeavour the alteration of the Government of the State so it is odious
J. Goodwin The Parliamentary Assembly in a Representative and Legal consideration is the whole Body of the Nation and of all the persons in it having the same Power and Authority by Law and in Conscience too to do every whit as much in every respect as the whole Nation and all the particular persons therein could have if they were met together All the Kingdom besides hath no such Power as they and things may be done very Lawfully and with a good Conscience by virtue of their Appointment and Command with the King's Consent which could not be done without it though a thousand times more men or persons than they are should command them Because the Council of the King consisteth onely of persons thereunto especially elected by Himself and thereunto sworn to serve Him with their faithful advice and counsel and whether they be Nobles or no it is not material seeing that the Calling cometh not by Birth Lambard but groweth by Election and be so incorporate with him as he speaketh by them and their Judgments are reputed to be His own Because the King and Governors substituted under him both Ecclesiastical and Civil excel in virtue by equity saving from injury and do maintain all in one indifferency of Right and Justice and therefore to be obeyed in what they shall command by all good Subjects J. Goodwin A man's consent to an Unlawful Power in an absolute and simple consideration is a meer Nullity and such a a Power never the more Lawfullized thereby Because the King in his own Kingdom is the onely Supreme Judge and bound by his Coronation Oath to be the onely Judge of his people as may appear by this one Question therein amongst others Lambard Facere fieri in omnibus judiciis tuis aequam rectam justitiam discretionem in misericordia veritate secundùm vires tuas Judiciis tuis vires tuas do more properly denote unto us his own doings than the doings of his subaltern Justices albeit their judgment be after a certain manner the Judgment of the King himself also from whence their Authority is derived Camero the Learned holdeth that in things pertaining to external order in Religion Kings may command what they will pro Authoritate and forbid to seek any other reason besides the Majesty of their Authority yea when they command frivola dura iniqua respectu nostri our consciences are bound not onely in respect of the end because scandal should possibly follow in case we obey not but also jubentis respectu because the Apostle bids us obey the Magistrate for conscience sake Eleutheriâ—s to K. Lucius Rex Dei Vicarius est in Regno suo The King is God's Vicar in his own Kingdom Because we have the testimony not onely of Antiquity but of Papists themselves in the days of Queen Elizabeth of ever blessed memory whose Church-Government was the same with ours now in being Guazzo If say they there be nothing to keep her meaning the Queen from Heaven but Her Religion no doubt but She shall go thither for I can tell you this that the most Learned men of the world are of this opinion that Her Religion is the high way to Heaven and if a Tree be known by its Fruits we doubt not but this Tree is good which bringeth forth such Fruits as the like are not to be found in the whole world again a Princess and now a Prince endued with such piety such purity c. that She and now He may be a pattern for all Princes to practise by Grave and Wise Counsellors referring all their thoughts and doings to God's glory their Prince's safety and their Country's commodity a well-disposed and orderly Commonalty ruled as much by Religion as Law obeying as well for conscience as fear continual peace and quietness which is a singular blessing of God and an undoubted sign that God liketh well of Her and now of His proceedings For as She so He banished Popery keeps the Ceremonies and maintaineth the Authority of Bishops To attempt to be the Authors of Combinations to extort by tumults the alteration of any part of the established Government Ecclesiastical or Civil is Treason and will lay such men open to the lash of the Law Stâ—w in vit H. 7. Bugnal Scot Heath and Kennington being Sanctuary men in St. Martins le Grand London had judgment to be hang'd drawn and quarter'd for setting up seditious Bills to the scandal of the King and some of his Council In vita Eliz. Penry Udal Barrow Greenwood Studley Billots and Bowdler were Condemned and three of them hanged for writing Treasonable and Seditious Books by which the Peace of the Kingdom might have been disturbed though no Rebellion followed Hollingshed in vit Eliz. Copping and Thacker were Hang'd at St. Edmonds-bury for publishing the Pamphlets writ by Robert Brown against the Book of Common-prayer How 's Chron. Mr. Williams Barrister of the Middle Temple was Executed in King James his Reign for writing a defamatory Book against the said King and his Posterity Because the Matter of Church-Government is far wide from every man's particular profession neither is it to be spann'd and fathom'd by the length and reach of ordinary discretion but requires great faithfulness gravity meekness and dexterity to restore Religion into her place and being placed there to keep it Because it is not a bare good intention or Zeal without knowledge that can justifie a good action much less an evil action it must be a mature knowledge that will warrant actions upon which our Customs are grounded now Customs are not to give place to men's Humors but men must resign their Humors to Custom nay to Government established by Law for our Government hath been long and often established and if there were a change we should never be at peace within our selves by reason of those humorous affections that are amongst us Because those that thwart the Government of the Church if left to themselves would be able to cross the King and encourage the people to Rebellion and thereby become unpeaceable proud obstinate disobedient self-will'd and contradict the Powers that be of God For can we expect Unity and Peace from those that have been so wofully divided amongst themselves and yet are unanimous against the Rites and Ceremonies Because it is a Jesuitical Opinion to hold that Princes must determine nothing in matters of Religion nor ought to encourage the Church For Riches tend much to strengthen the Clergy and preserve Religion but dissentions and divisions and exasperating of the King against the Bishops is the way to sow the seeds of another desperate War and by novelties and diversities make people grow weary and set loose to the practise of piety Paraeus Magistratus est Custos Religionis The Magistrate is the Keeper of Religion Cunaeus de Rep. Heb. Persaepe Spiritus Divinus Reges principesque Sacerdotes
them And although the Pope have corrupted the sound Doctrine defiled the Sacraments and uses Ceremonies for the most part blasphemous and Superstitions yet we have the sound Doctrine and wholesome use of the Sacraments with Ceremonies according to the rule serving unto Order Comeliness and Edification Because without Ceremonies which hurt not Faith and Charity we shall never have any setled peace and therefore men should study what will be the issue of untempered Zeal or rather Passion in opposing our Government of the Church as unlawful and to take heed lest they raise up dust with their own feet to blind their own sight Because the departure from Custom is unsafe and full of hazard and an Innovation is scarce effected without dislike opposition and danger if not ruine Tacitus All changes in Government commonly do cheat them most at last who at first most desire them Homil. against Rebellion Though not onely great multitudes of the rude Commons but sometimes also men of Wit Nobility and Authority have moved Rebellion against their lawful Princes though they should pretend sundry causes as the Redress of the Common-wealth or Reformation of Religion though they have made a great shew of Holy meaning by beginning their Rebellion with a counterfeit Service of God and by displaying and bearing about divers Ensigns and Banners which are acceptable unto the rude ignorant common people great multitudes of whom by such false pretences and shews they do deceive and draw unto them yet were the multitudes of the Rebels never so huge and great the Captains never so noble politick and witty the pretences feigned never so good and holy yet the overthrow of all Rebells of what number state or condition soever they were or what colour or cause soever they pretended is and ever hath been such that God doth thereby shew that he alloweth neither the dignity of any person nor the multitude of any people nor the weight of any cause as sufficient for which the Subjects may move Rebellion against their Princes If the King proceed not in His Government according unto Law and Right there is no Legal Remedy to be had against Him Bracton i. e. A. All that we have to do is that we do Petition Him for Relief and Remedy Because no man is to call the King's acts into question much less to go about to annull and void them by force and violence Anonymus There is no inferior Magistrate of what sort soever but as he is a publick person in respect of those that are beneath him so he is a but private person disabled utterly to resist his Soveraign or bear defensive Arms against him as well as any other of the common people For inferior Magistrates be no Magistrates at all as they relate unto the King the Genus summum in the scale of Government and therefore of no more Authority to resist the King or call the People unto Arms than the meanest Subject Plutarch It is resolved by Plutarch that it is contrary both to positive Laws and the Law of Nature for any Subject to lift up his hand against the Person of his Soveraign Cal. Instit l. 3. c. 10. Any private person whatsoever who shall lift up his hand against his Soveraign though a very Tyrant is for the same condemned by the voice of God Because the setling of Religion is to be looked upon as causal not as consequent to the peace and prosperity of the Kingdom All things require Order much more Government Now that there is order and settlement may appear from the purpose of our Church Rogers which is best known by the Doctrine which she doth profess the Doctoine by the thirty nine Articles established by Act of Parliament the Articles by the words whereby they are expressed and other purpose than the publick Doctrine doth minister and other Doctrine than in the said Articles is contained our Church neither hath nor holdeth and other sense they cannot yield than their words do impart and therefore the Sense the same the Articles the same the Doctrine the same and the purpose and intention of our Church still one and the same because her Doctrine and Articles for number words syllables and Letters and every way be the same And why an alteration and unsetling the foundation of our Church built upon the Doctrine of Jesus Christ and his Apostles Because violent censuring of the Doctrine of the Church the Government the Ceremonies thereof and spiteful contemning our Governors will never alter the Doctrine remove the Ceremonies or unsettle our Governors but make all the faster Because human Ceremonies improperly or respectively are and may be called parts of God's Worship although in them the Kingdom of God standeth not Because our Lord Jesus Christ hath left nothing absolutely to the will of his Officers but hath determined all things necessary unto Salvation and left ambulatory Rites to the Church's liberty under general rules which being imposed by lawful Authority become respectively necessary Because the same things which are originally and naturally grounded on human considerations when they come to be applied to Sacred actions for the comeliness thereof in that use are made Sacred in respect of the ends to which they serve Because all Ecclesiastical Orders and Constitutions serving to the external ordering of Religious actions although they are called Civil as made by men in opposition to Divine Institutions which properly bind the Conscience yet improperly or respectively they do also bind the Conscience Because the Church doth not hold that the Laws thereof do properly bind the Conscience or that Simple obedience is due unto them as unto the immediate Worship or Commands of God Because the Ceremonies of our Church be neither imposed or observed with Superstition or opinion of Necessity in themselves or of Worship as though we placed Religion in them much less with the Popish conceits of Merit or Efficacy Because our Ceremonies become necessary not by the particular Commandment of Man but by the general Commandment of God For notwithstanding they remain Indifferent in themselves and before God and so to be used with a free Conscience without placing any Religion in them yet am I bound to obey them as necessary by the General Commandment of God Not as Necessary in themselves but as being Indifferent and yet as necessary for the avoiding of Scandal or Contempt as well as for Concord sake Because our Ceremonies are necessary in their use Ministers are maintained Obedience is shewed to the King and his Laws both Ecclesiastical and Civil Peace is in the Church of Christ free Preaching and Passage of the Gospel which are of great Necessity Because the Vestments used make not any man Godly or Wicked and although they were Inconvenient not being Unlawfull rather to be yielded to than refused for the Flock sake and Publick peace of the Church From the Moral Signification of our Ceremonies nothing is urged that