second grand Cause was that toleration to prosane the Sabbath which so stirred up the wrath of God against the King that he caused all his people to abhor him for it The third was the refusing to take the Anabaptist-Petition in 1633. into consideration for though they were then but small yet they had such a Truth on their side that they became to be the most violent and prevalent instruments that stood up in the war against the King The fourth was a young man that suffered in 1634. for poysoning his Master for so it was proved either by a false witness or a true one yet the young man constantly denied it to the death and great application was made to save his life insomuch that the Case came before your Royal Father who as I heard examined it and was so satisfied in the matter that he would not pardon it and no small heart-burning fire arose from that even insomuch that the Kingdom is turned upside down by it and therefore let men now take heed how they judge such hard Cases between blood and blood lest they slay the innocent This I believe his Majesty then might have done in such a Case that seeing the young man's Friends depended so much upon his innocency that if they would free the King by taking the blood upon themselves laid to his charge in case the Witness was true and that God should require it he to grant their request for so much liberty to the King in such a Case is intimated 2 Sam. 3. 28 29. where David clears himself by putting the blood of Abner upon Joab and his deferring to avenge it for his time I do not say Your Royal Father sinned in this thing for it was done by witness but that it gave occasion against him Judg. 10. 4. and against his people with whom God was angry so that as he would not pardon this sin God would not pardon the other sins Therefore it is not prudence for a King to be violent against any one sin and yet suffer many sins to go unpunished for A King that sitteth in the throne of judgement scattereth away all evil with his eyes A King who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin Prov. 20. 8 9. It is one thing for a man to sin as he is a man and it is another thing for the same person to sin as he is a King David as he was a King was perfect save onely in the matter of Uriah 1 Kings 15. 3 4 5. but as he was a man he had other sins Psalm 40. 12. 1 Chron. 21. 7 8. But I conclude this I believe your Royal Father for his own particular to be a perfect man and had he been so severe to punish Sabbath-breakers Whore-mongers Swearers Drunkards and such-like sinners as he was to punish Murtherers he had been a perfect King also Yet I hope what he wanted will be made up in your Royal Person that you may be perfect in every degree for such things was too hard a business as times then went for your Royal Father in his life-time to do because the great ones were too much inclinable to such sins but God by his providence brought them down and punished their sins by manifesting his wonderful wisdom in making that great sin of Murther so hated by your Royal Father to fight against all the other sins and to conquer and subdue them that your Royal Father by his martyrdom through Jesus Christ might conquer murther and so bring all under Christ Jesus and himself For a Murtherer hath no power over a Martyr and a rebellious War is a Murtherer neither can he be a Murtherer to him for that he is subdued before him because he stayeth and conquereth the Murtherer by his death as if he should say to him for so the Scripture holds it forth Hosea 13. 14. O Murtherer by my death I will be thy death and the Martyr also by his death gets eternal life John 12. 25. his mortality is swallowed up of life 2 Cor. 5. 4. besides Murther throughout the Scripture is called Death as he saith 1 Cor. 15. 26 54. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is Death And again speaking of this time saith he Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory And again Heb. 2. 14. That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil and the devil was a murtherer from the beginning John 8. 44. Again No murtherer hath eternal life abiding in him 1 John 3. 15. All which places and many more shew That Death Devil Dragon and Murtherer is one and the same and none can destroy this Dragon and his Followers but Jesus Christ with his Martyrs Rev. 12. 11. by giving him as much blood as he can desire and as much mercy as he can receive that he might cease from his wickedness and be reconciled unto God again that God may be all in all and that the mortal enmity that is among men and brethren through war and division might be swallowed up with love and life eternal And in appearance as yet to me there is none more capable under God then your Royal Self to make your Self and all others in these Kingdomes happie and there is no way for your Majesty to do it but by obeying your Royal Father's Voice as abovesaid and though that be most contrary for flesh and blood to do yet you must humble your Royal Self more then that by sending your free general pardon to all without any seeking but my seeking of it for according to that which goeth for Law with us it is not safe for any and specially they in power to seek to you but what I say who have alwayes hazarded my life for my conscience sake may prove as authentick as if all had sent to your Majesty And therefore I beseech your Majesty make trial of it if not to them yet may it please your Majesty to send it and though I be unworthy to be your Royal MESSENGER and if you think fit to honour me with such a Favor I make no question through GOD's assistance but to give you a good account of it notwithstanding the danger of moving such a thing so that I believe it is not safe at first for any of your Nobles to come upon such a MESSAGE And for any grudge to revenge or rancor in heart against them that put your Royal FATHER to death have no such thoughts but purely love them for I never heard that any of the seed of the Martyrs hated them that had put their Fathers to death but rather gloried in that their Fathers so gloriously died And who were the Instruments to bring them to that glory but those that put them to so hard a Trial And after the Grace of Repentance is given them who will honour the Martyrs more then they who have persecuted them unto
raise you above the meditating of any revenge or executing your anger upon the many the more conscious you shall be to your people the more prone you will be to expect all love and loyalty from them and to inflict no punishment upon them for former miscarriages You will have more inward complacency in pardoning one then in punishing a thousand And again saith he for those that repent of any defects in their duty toward me as I freely forgive them in the word of a Christian King so I believe you will finde them truely zealous to repay with interest that loyalty and love to you which was due to me c. And dear Soveraign many such exhortations to press you to offer a free pardon to all and not to seek to be revenged on any ye have in his Book and last Speech to you Now I say If a Subject had been murthered and that his sonshould forgive all the murtherers yet the Law hath a power in it to put them to death for their actings in murthering his Father notwithstanding his son's remittance because his son is not a competent Judge in the cause But in a King in whom is the life of the Law it is not so for in any Case and especially his own Case he may forgive what he will and that must stand for Law because he is a compleat Judge so that his word by the Law is made to be above the Law as we see in Cases of Remittance for after that many have been cast to die by the Law the King's pardon hath saved them and whosoever denieth this denieth the King's Prerogative Royal. Again I say There is a distinction between Martyring and Murthering for a Martyr offereth himself for the defence of the Truth of God as our Savicur saith John 10. 17 18. He layeth down his life none properly can be said to take it from him because he hath power to lay it down and to take it up again else he is not a Martyr but the life of him that is murthered is violently taken from him that though he would live upon any terms he may not live and he cannot help it And your Royal Father understanding this did not say at his death nor as you have it in his Speech to you that he was murthered but said that he was martyred Therefore he that saith he was murthered doth not onely deny him to be a Martyr but doth also denie both his power and pardon and belyeth him for he did never pardon any for wilful murther yet pardoneth all these men being his own enemies looking not on them as his murthereres but as they wilfully yet ignorantly did slay him and he would have you to pardon them in like manner Your Royal Father following Christ Jesus in it who as he was a King and a pattern to all Kings for the future times had an eye to his Perogative Royal thus that he gives order to his Apostles concerning them that had put him to death that if they did repent his blood should not be required of them and we see Peter proceeds with them accordingly for after he had shewed the Jews how they had slain the Lord Jesus until they were pricked in their hearts and made to cry out to the Apostles saying Men and brethren what shall we do Peter doth not say Tou must die for it but saith Repent and be baptized every one of you in the Name of the Lord Jesus for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost Act. 2. 37 38. yet by the Jews Laws such offenders were to die without mercy Levit. 24. 17 18. and if it had been the will of Christ Peter had power enough to put them to death as we see Ananias and Sapphira were slain by the word of his mouth Acts 5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. but herein is Christ's pardon or Perogative Royal seen Most Royal Soveraign That Text 2 Chron. 25. 3. which many urge in this Case is no president for you to follow first Because Joash was murthered 2 King 12. 20. Secondly Because we read not that King Joash gave any such charge to his son as your Royal Father gave you to shew that he forgives all his enemies and would have you to forgive them freely if they repent and come to agreement with you Thirdly We read not of the repentance of them that slew King Joash therefore it was but just for his son Amaziah to put them to death And it behoves your Majesty if there be any defects in your Father's Speech to rectifie it by the word of Christ and let not any wrest it to a wrong sence contrary to his minde for I am sure he meant to imitate his Saviour notwithstanding he might fail in expressing his minde through the frailty of flesh and blood following the customes of former Kings whose conditions did not reach unto him yet I know none that came neerer to Christ in word and deed then he did Therefore do you follow the best as he did and take Peter's doings Acts 2. 37 38. for your president and so you will honour your Father for if you do not offer mercy to all freely without exceptions and receivs all that will accept of your pardon preferring and securing them for the time to come you wrong your self and disobey and dishonour your Royal Father more then any ever yet did by taking from him that power to forgive all which power as he saith all his enemies could not take from him for in the well managing of that power lieth all your happiness and of your peoples God did appoint three several Voices to be heard of men and obeyed upon pain of his displeasure The first Voice was that of Moses and Joshua to the children of Israel and because they did not obey it all that generation fell in the wilderness Heb. 3. 16 17 18 19. The second Voice was that of John Baptist and Jesus Christ to the Jews and because they did not obey it Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews which lieth desolate to this day Heb. 4. 1 2 3. The third Voice is this Voice even the Voice of your Royal Father to your Majesty and for not obeying it you and your people have suffered hitherto and this Voice is signified Heb. 4. 7. and therefore I beseech your Majesty obey it now And as Peter took the first spouse of Christ after his resurrection out of those that had put him to death so I see no way left for you to obtain your three Kingdomes but by joyning your Royal Self to his Highness the Lord Protector and his Counsel and to prevent all jealousies make one of his Daughters partaker of your Royal Crown for you see the people dare not rise against him for you this is evident by the last appearance for you in most places of the heart of England which if the generality of the people that are well-affected to
the death witness Saint PAUL who did all this insomuch that Saint PETER at last calls him Our beloved brother PAUL 2 Pet. 3. 15. Wherefore nowithstanding they have so violently persecuted your Royal FATHER to the death most glorious Soveraign upon their repentance receive your Subjects in love and mercy as your FATHER hath commanded you who went beyond any one Martyr because of his power and dignity and therefore his sufferings were greater and are morefull of glory which is to you an unspeakable joy full of glory through Jesus Christ who did enable him To the Son JESUS CHRIST be all Glory and Praise for ever and ever Amen In long-Ally at the entrance of Crown Court in Black-fryers March 23. 1654. Your faithful Servant in the LORD Arise Evans To the Reader Beloved THese things had been out in print before the last Christmass but that I had Visions to the contrary which shewed me that the King's party then had high hopes to prevail another way so that these things then would have been rejected but now I hope they are satisfied and see no good can come to them that way and that they will look upon this to be the most probable and the most excellent way for the King to come in and that this for that end comes out seasonably now and the Lord send his presence and blessing with it to his glory and our comfort So be it To the ROYALISTS Reloved YOU see in my little book called Voice of Michael the Arch-angel what Lines I have presented to his Highness the Lord PROTECTOR to shew him how God is for us And I believe and so doth his Highness give credit by all that I can gather from his deportment toward me He believeth also that what I shewed him came to pass On last Saint Michael's â—ay was the appearance of God for you and since the Almighty hath appeared for us insomuch now that his Majesty CHARLES STEWARD upon good terms may come to his Throne when he please And God forbid but that the QUEEN DUKE of York DUKE of Glocester and all the late KING's Children should come in upon the same Agreement and be highly honoured by this Nation if her Majesty leave Idolatrous Superstition and all other sins attending Courts in our days behinde her which the Lord of Heaven and Earth that beareth rule in this Nation cannot a bide I know nothing that hinders the KING at this time but a seeking of his Kingdom and shewing himself willing to agree with his Highness the Lord PROTECTOR and his Party Then let us praise God to whom onely be the glory of our Salvation by Jesus Christ and truely as you see by the above said book I have not spared them but roughly shewed them the Truth which albeit his Highness received not in wrath but as it is a sharp loving reproof to his and their honour be it spoken they received it with all readiness mildness meekness and clemency shewing to a discerning eye a willingness in them to perform what is required on their part provided that they have an Agreement suitable to their Worth and Valour of which Demands in reason they ought not to be denied by his Majesty CHARLES STEWARD Therefore having through God's assistance brought it to this pass left I should be unfaithful I shall God willing now speak a word of reproof unto you of the KING's party and chiefly to you who have not hitherto changed your habit of sin and cause of your misery yet you would have the Kingdom come with all haste and some of you are so violent that nothing will satisfie you but blood and treading down of such parties and especially upon such and such men as you fancy to be guilty you would have no mercy shewed And in all these things you are mistaken for they are so willing to do righteously and to have peace that they please God thereby And therefore neither you nor all Europe shall not be able to bring them down by force Truly let me tell you I think it is in vain for any to fight with these men in the field I know none that did attempt to fight them which got any thing by them but the humbling of their high and lofty Spirits And his Majesty the late KING was sensible of it and knew that he had chosen the wrong people for his Souldiers when he said of them Sect. 26. pag. 209. of his Book as followeth For the Army which is so far excusable as they act according to Souldiers principles and interest demanding pay and indempnity I think it necessary in order to the publick peace that they should be satisfied as far as is just no man being more prone to consider them then my self And though they fought against me yet I cannot but so far esteem that valour and gallaâ—try they have sometimes shewed as to wish I may never want such men to maintain my Self my Laws and my Kingdoms in such a peace as wherein they may enjoy their share and portion as much as any men And truly the King had great reason to wish such a wish when he had considered the carriage of both Armies for as the King's Army were generally given to swearing drunkenness whoredom with other such vain sinful lusts which to maintain such a course of life no small means will serve turn so that to maintain such lusts they wronged the Countries where they came which Countries observing the different dealing of both Armies and that the KING's Army made them who afore were really for the King to abominate such doings so that they all did joyne with the PARLIAMENT's Party against the KING which thing proved both his and his Armies ruine and indeed the ruine of all his Party Besides such men were the worst men for Souldiers as could be imagined for when they should be watching and alwayes in readiness one party was with their whores another drunk a third gaming a fourth plundering a fifth swearing and fighting one with another which things are destructive to an Army who should sanctifie themselves specially at such times Deut. 24. 9. but when they were got together though they would fight most gallantly at a single duel or at an Ale-house yet such men are never good in the field specially when they come to encounter with a people whom they think do seek the Lord and fear him and live civilly then the fear of God's wrath and of death commonly makes them run away or else their ambitious Commanders strive for honour till time be past when indeed they should go on by lot Judg. 1. 1 2 3. and if they chance to do an exploit they too soon fall a plundering that seldom but at the last they come to lose all again These things the late KING understood and experience did witness it to him But the PARLIAMENT-Souldiers were men of another temper and though of divers Opinions yet they went out of zeal in rage and fury to fight against