let their God be our God their Gospell be our Gospell let not their bondage be our freedome their death be our life let us like brethren dye with them dye for them in the maintenance of this covenant for keeping off all the judgements of Jehovah They are not onely brethren but they are Noble brethren they are in high place they are in great authority his Majesty hath made them his Counsellors by his owne Writt you have made them Patriots of your Country by your own choyse Remember what Paul saith Let every soule be subject to the higher powers hee speaks not in the singular but in the plurall number denoting that there is more powers then one I suppose you cannot deny them this priviledge they have a prelation above you though they be your brethren yet they are to you as these were to Israel your brethren the Nobles Listen to their edict they require that you sorrow for your sins and amend your lives they are willing with you to take out the same lesson therefore with them make a firme covenant to turne from the evill of your waies Lastly doe but compare the times past with the time present formerly you put on mourning as a garment were ever and anon ready to hide your selves whilest men of corrupt minds corrupt concerning the faith were the sole counsellors of estate Prov. 28.28 The wind is turned the case is altered your righteous your religious Nobles are now in authority and that they may the better appeare to be so to the eye of your soules consider a little the particulars First what counsell they give to our Soveraigne is it not like that of the Seniors of Israell doe they not advise him if he will be the servant of this people to speake good words unto them that they may be his servants for ever 1 King 12.7 Secondly what is the charge they give unto the Iudges of the land Is it not that they must take heed what they doe because they judge not for man but for the Lord that they let the feare of God be upon them with whom there is no iniquity nor respect of persons nor taking of gifts 2 Cro. 19.6.7 Thirdly what injunctions doe they lay upon the Ministery Doe they not bid the Levites sanctifie themselves Sanctifie the house of the Lord and carry forth the filthinesse out of the holy place 2 Chro. 29 5 6. Fourthly have they not formerly put you upon fasting and still continue your dayes of humiliation that you may afflict your selves before your God to seeke of him a right way for you your little ones and all your substance Ezra 8.21 And have they not now framed a Covenant for them and for us to seeke the Lord God of our fathers with all our heart and with all our soul O then having uch mercies by them let us adjoyne our selves unto them They tender us a covenant it is for holy observance their counsell is wholsome their demand is equall and their tender is lawfull themselves have led the way let us with Iudah rejoyce at the Oath 2 Chr. 15.12 13 14 15. every one with them subscribe for himelfe that he will keepe close unto the Law of the Lord. Quest Wherein must we cleave unto our Nobles Answ First in obeying them this the Doctour of the Gentiles imposeth as a duty upon us when he bids us be subject to principalities and powers to obey Magistrates and to be ready to every good worke Tit. 3.1 and for this those Iewes are a faire president before our eyes Secondly in hauing a reverent esteeme of them as they are the Lords Vicegerents so they are stiled Gods Exod. 22.28 and it is our duty to render honour to whom honour is due Rom. 13.7 Thirdly in being faithfull to them we have ingaged our selves by solemne protestation to maintaine and defend them We cannot maintaine the priviledges of Parliament and destroy the members of Parliament Let us be loyall not perfidious let us have no hand in any thing that may hurt them if we know of any plot or projects against them let us quickly and timely discover them Fourthly in praying for them Pray for Kings and all that bee in authority saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.2 Preces lachrymae arma ecclesiae your prayers may keepe off their enemies strong cries and earnest entreaties may be prevalent for your Nobles safeties Consider First that your Worthies as they are now assembled are the foundation and Basis of government and consequently of the peace and happinesse of the Kingdome for as they create Law by which we are governed in peace and quietnesse so they uphold the power and authority of the Law so that if through the neglect of prayer you suffer the foundation to decay the maine building cannot long stand For where no counsell is the people fall but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety Pro. 11.14 Secondly that they are to you as Gideon and the Judges were to Israell A hedge to keepe you within your bounds and a strong tower to keepe off the maine body of your sinnes Judg. 2.19 8. 33. Breake downe your hedge you may ramble whither you please demolish your Fortresse and you lye open to the batteryes of all corruptions whatsoever their dying may prove Idolatries Vivification their death is likely to be the life of mens lusts they may then goe a whoring after their owne inventions therefore as you desire the death of your sins pray for the life of your Nobles Thirdly how comes it to passe that hitherto notwithstanding the malice of your bloudy adversaries your Gospell hath had free passage and your Lawes have bin in force Remember that all the dayes of Samuel the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines 1 Sam. 7.13 you had need pray for them if they be once removed your enemies will breake in and if they prevaile where is your life nay the life of your life your law and religion Fourthly the Heathens abhor'd ingratitude wee professe our selves to be Christians our prayers are our thankes they expect that and well may they looke for it in respect of their unwearied paines Indeed when we call to minde what they have done for us and suffered in our behalves our lives should not be deare unto us for their sakes but I scarce beleeve that they will afford them their lives who seldome or never vouchsafe them their prayers O ingratefull wretches let not such unthankefulnesse be found amongst our English spirits They clave to their brethren c THey were brethren quoad carnens as having reference to the flesh they all descended from the loynes of Abraham Ioh. 8.39 They were brethren quoad fidem they all laid claime to the Promise and they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham Galat. 3.7 They are brethren in respect of affection Brotherly love continues amongst them for now like brethren they seeke to doe them good
base and hellish brood They are not apsaled and affrighted like some formidable and pufillanimous spirits or as Salomons sluggard with the Lyons in the way they are determined to hazzard their lives to maintaine Christs cause and to uphold the practicall profession of Christianity O beloved had they bin timorous they had bin unfit for this military course but it seemes they have spirit for what doe they know but that this Covenant may set all the Heathens in battell array against them their familiar acquaintance may be as Iudas and their late Idolatrous wives may be as Dalilah to betray them yet for all this they will not be dismayed they pluck up a good heart passe through the Pikes adventure upon difficulties and rather then they will not covenant with God put themselves upon the perill of their lives O that we like these had magnanimous and undaunted spirits as we should be content to resist to bloud so we should answer our cruell and bloudy opposers as that renowned Cassibelane the Brittaine answered Caesar I have not yet learned to live in servitude but with weapons in hand to defend the liberty of my Country wee are not yet contented to live in Romish or infernall slavery we have learned to maintaine the rights and liberties of our Celestiall Country we feare not brandished swords menacing speeches no not the utmost that adverse powers can doe unto us we feare not perills rather then Gods Cause shall lye bleeding upon the ground we will adueuture the pouring out the warmest bloud that runs in our veines These expostulate not the case with carnall reason as many doe in our daies they doe not say This Covenant tends to the utter subversion of all will-worship whatsoever no Idolatry no not the least must be countenanced if this take place wee are sure to lose many friends and to undergoe the threates of great mens frownes a great part of our Estates are likely to bee exhausted and our very lives may come to be endangered Will not those who are averse unto the Covenant who have sworne to uphold Babell to side with the scarlet Whore and to defend the Anti-christian cause grow very furious and become much more enraged against us will they not by open force and by all secret Stratagems seeke the spoyle and undoing of us they lasht us before with whips but it is to bee feared they will be turned to Scorpions we thought in times past that their hand was heavy but now they will lay more loade yea cause their little fingers to be farre more ponderous than their fathers loynes for ought we know this may cause our dis-affected wives privately in revenge to murder us our servants who by this are sure to be abridged of their former liberty to rise up against us but if these should be quiet yet Artaxerxes the King of Persia and other Princes about us whose religion we goe about to suppresse may probably take up armes and breake in violently upon us It is good to prevent these dangers it is safe sleeping in a whole skin the best course to remove these feares and to take away these doubts is not to accept but to reject this covenant O beloved such thoughts as these doe not trouble their heads these are not scar-crowes to keepe them from this holy league indeed they had cause at this time as much as any people under the cope of Heaven could have to cogitate thus with themselves but such is their zeale with their undaunted courage that they looke beyond perils come life come death with one consent they will take the covenant Their Wives WOmen are the weaker vessells Observat Women not priviledged from spirituall vowes but though weaker no more then men priviledged from spirituall vowes as they are subject to sin so their soules are exposed to danger as well as others therefore it is requisite that with others they should make use of all meanes for sinnes prevention Covenants are corrosives to eate out dead flesh and the prime Antidote to prevent future distempers These men love their wives they are loath they should dye of their vitious Ulcers like wise men men of knowledge they seeke out for remedy they have taken advice they are told ingagements to God will daunt the courage of corruption that selfe tyes for exact observance will make sinnes heart like Nabals and cause it to give up the ghost that selfe-searching selfe-mourning selfe-condemning and selfe-covenanting will eate out the core of iniquity heale the conscience and preserve the poore soule in safety they are glad of their directions they make haste to their houses they cannot be quiet in their spirits this counsell is as fire in their bones they must needs forth-with relate it to their wives But how is it taken with their consorts is it not too sharpe too biting too full of vexation No they are so taken up with thoughts of their healing that the tartnesse of the medicine doeth not discourage them From its application they accept it cheerefully they lay it on willingly and they keepe it on carefully for as since their disease is the same with their Husbands they with them apply the same plaister entring into a curse and an oath to serve the Lord. Observat 2. Christians should be p li. titians He that lookes not to all Ports is not likely to keepe out an enemy to fore-see evills and to prevent dangers is a point of policy Christians should be Polititians we must not onely abstaine from all appearance of evill but cut off all occasions whereby corruptions may be ushered into our soules These grave Seniors of Israell leave not their wives at liberty while they stand bound Nightingales sing sweetly they are affraid of seduction they doe not trust them that lye in their bosome Sicut mulier adjutrix ita saepe insiliatrix et sicut portus est conjugium ita et saepe naufragium parit Chrysost they bring them to the Covenant that so they may be as deepely engaged as themselves Who but Evah perswaded Adam to rebell against God He was deceived not by Sathan but by his second selfe not by the Serpent but by his Spouse not by the Divell but by a woman not by a stranger but by his wife Did not Iobs wife tempt him to evill Iob 2.9 Salomons wives turne his heart from God 1 King 11.4 and Ahabs wife enticed him to worke wickednesse before the Lord 1 King 21.25 Women are not alwaies helpers they are sometimes seducers they are not alwaies as a safe harbour to their Husbands there is sometimes shipwrack of faith in their embraces Mulieres pericula semper in auribus habent Chrysost Beloved doe not false feares like false fires often burne in many womens breasts they are very timorous suspitions make deepe impressions And what doe they doe when they are jealous of an approaching evill surely buzze their feares into their husbands heads using all allurements to draw them to
out with its radiant beames they vaile their owne glory God can no sooner declare himselfe in the beauties of holinesse but these cast the vaile of humble submission over their owne faces and by obedience give him the honour due unto his Name There is a pleasing and a concordiall harmony amongst the starres and these are not different in their desires nor dissonant in their actions starres are coelestiall bodies these are not now terrene in their affections they are heavenly minded they expresse their resurrection to newnesse of life by seeking the things that are above spirituall righteousnesse above all is that which they seeke for Little stars doe not envy great ones these are so farre from emulation that they rejoyce in the zeale and triumph in the forwardnesse of their Nobles Heathens oppose the truth of Gods Worship seeking to cloud it with their owne fancies and superstitious vanities these as sparkling and glorious starres breake out in a blacke and a darke night As starres are constant in their courses and keepe their appointed places so these without aspiring without negligence adhere in covenant to these their religious Worthies Lastly as starres communicate their light to us betwixt whom there is a great distance so these Israelites to the remotest places yea to the ends of the world hold out a President for taking and keeping of a holy covenant Selfe-love and over-weening conceites doe not now as with wings carry them aloft they are privy to their failings apprehensive of their misery and depressed in their thoughts for making their Peeres their copy to write by and their sole example for imitation they both acknowledge the want of and declare their desire after their perfection Be you followers of me saith Paul to the Church of Corinth as I am of Christ 1 Cor. 11. many thinke they are in a good condition if there be any worse then themselves but these strive not with the worst but with the best making apace as fast as they can after them though they come far behind them both in their zeale and in their wisedome these men are not now asleep as they were before their consciences are wakened the eye of their understanding is opened and they see in this their day the things that belong unto their peace lately they were insensible of sins deceit and the spirituall death of their soules now with the Apostle they feele the destructive power of corruption and cry out O wretched men that wee are who shall deliver us from this body of death now they conceive a kind of necessity of Damnation because that custome in sin hath bred a necessity of sinning in them now they consider whither sin Satan and their Idolatrous wives would carry them now they lay to heart the justice of God standing before them as an Angel with a drawne sword ready to fall upon them if they post on still in the way of transgression therefore to preserve them from utter ruine they begin to set themselves in battaile array they put on the shield of faith the breast-plate of righteousnesse and the helmet of salvation that so they may forth-with wage war against their lusts they doe not stand hovering in the aire as men not fully resolved saying shall we shall we they are growne resolute though they passe through fields of iron and streames of bloud they will set upon a strict course to curbe their heady corruptions and that course you see is a covenant to observe the statutes of the Lord these are not like many to pretend much and performe little they doe not breake off now it comes to the pinch constancy crownes their purposes and is as a wreath of Lawrell girding the temples of their sacred resolutions for they fly not off but cleave unto their brethren the Nobles O that we for splendency could make them our patterne O that in humility we could follow them and that in constancy we came not farre behind them examples are sometimes efficacious doctrines Sozomen reports that the devout life of a poore Captive Christian woman made a King and all his family imbrace the faith of Iesus Christ and Eusebius from Clement tells us that when a wicked accuser had brought Saint Iames to condemnation seeing his Christan fortitude he was touched in conscience confessed himselfe to be a Christian and so was taken to execution with him where after confession and forgivenesse they kissed and prayed for each other and so were both beheaded together Israel is no ill guide at this time shee is a very good patterne her light like a cleare and a bright Diamond may well shine in the darknesse of our soules her splendor may be the glorious object of our sight her present covenanting action calls aloud to us for speedy imitation therefore let us up and be doing let us take her vow upon ourselves and vowing adhere and stick close unto our noble Worthies Motives That we may not be slack to the worke but setting these Israelites as a pillar of fire before us walke after them in our adherence to our Nobles let us consider what they are in their severall relations and what they are declared to bee by their particular actions They are Patriots not Traytors to their Country like homebred vipers they seek not to corrodate eat out their mothers bowels they desire not through the sea of bloud to swim to the cape of their hope they have vowed with theii lives to defend our Kingdomes liberties they doe not say as Antonius Bassianus Caracalla sometimes Emperour of Rome said quod libet licet the Law is the rule of their will their will sets not Confines to the Law they doe not what may please themselves but what they may and must doe for the preservation of this our Nation they like Aelius Adrianus seek so to governe us that it may be apparent that it is our wealth not their owne that they seeke for They are zealous for God not desperate Rebels against God They have formerly solemnely protested to maintaine and uphold the Protestant Religion against all Popery and popish innovations whatsoever and they have now sworne to defend Gods worship against Atheists and armed Papists who endeavour with their soule feet to bemuddy the waters of the Lords Sanctuary to stand for Religion I hope is not to stand against God to labour to uphold the Church in her purity is not to oppose and persecute Christ because these love the Lord they seeke to set up his discipline and because the loves of Christ are better than wine unto their spirits they desire that in England with a more Majestique and commanding power he may be set upon his Throne They will not with Iulian apostatize from Christ they will not with Dioclesian persecute his Saints Now God hath called them out to a perfect reformation they will not have it sayd of them as it was of some that the Nobles put not their necks to the worke of the Lord.
Nehe. 3.5 They are not like some in our times who care not to damne themselves that they may hurt the Church they rather resemble Iustinian they have no lesse care of the Church of God than they have of their owne soules They are Loyall not perfidious to our King Have they not vowed to defend his Majesties Royall person Crowne dignities and estate wherein have they dealt falsely in what particular can you lay treachery to their charge They love his soule they will not corrupt it by ill counsels they had rather fence it that sin may not breake in upon it by christian advice they know that sin is the soules poyson It appeares by their prayers for him they would not have soule-guilt laid to their charge they would have our King hereafter as a bright morning star to shine in the Kingdome of heaven They love his Majesties person it is his presence that they long for not his absence that they are content with Stangers both in Nation and religion doe daily inviron him they feare it may make for his ruine and his good peoples destruction they beseech his Majesty to withdraw himselfe from them they are confidently perswaded of his sweet and pliable disposition they strive therefore to remove evill Counsellors from him they so thirst ofter the enjoyment of him that they are willing to hazard their lives to get him His Majesties peaceable returne unto them will bee the rejoycing of their hearts they stand for his State wealth Honour and Reputation they are willing to settle if not to increase his Revenue and they have ingaged themselves to make him as glorious as any of his Predecessors that have gone before him Surely our King himselfe believes that such of the Pilots Royall of this Land as have made use of and relyed upon the auncient Lawes and long setled Customes of this Nation for their guard and compasse for the guiding of the Barke of this Common-wealth have most honourably and prosperously sayled through all the most dangerous and difficult passages and roughest billowes in the most boysterous stormes and at length have arrived at their desired Haven with infinite glory to themselves and to the Nation or else he would never have said unto them We doe engage unto you solemnely the word of a King that the security of all and every one of you from violence is and ever shall be as much our care as the preservation of Vs and our Children Thus you see his Majesty judgeth them faithful why should we then thinke then disloyall He assures them of his adhering to them and care of them saying Hee will be as carefull of his Parliament and of the Priviledges thereof as of his Life and Crowne And shall not wee encourage them by promising to assist them so long as they stand for us and for our Lawes with out estates and lives Seeing then they are thus zelots for God Fathers to the Country and not rebellious but loyall to his Majesty we need not feare to owne them not scruple to be advised by them not refuse to enter into a holy Covenant with them They are not degenerate they are truly generous dangers doe not dismay them difficulties doe not dishearten them they have met with many stormes but yet they doe not hide their heads they have had many discouragements but yet they hold up their spirits they have bin much tost with waves by reason of crosse winds but yet they are not hopelesse of getting to the harbour The Divell and the scarlet whore with all the Romish faction have combined together against them but yet they are not daunted they still contend for the Conquest they yet play the men for the people and for the Cities of their God Menaces from others doe but breath a new life into their spirits They know that vertues companion is not facility the way that shee treads must be rough and Thorny They remember that good things are hard to come by the Gospell and the Subjects liberty are the Treasures they search for they looke at these as worth their paines as worth their labour it is still for these that they adventure the losse of their precious lives They are content for the present to beare that which displeaseth them that in the end they may freely without interruption enjoy these rich jewels which if they get them will prove advantagious unto them and theirs They are not ignorant that quiet calmes are often subsequents to stormy tempests and that sowre accidents are sometimes seasoned with sweet events these and such like being the subject of their thoughts they breake not off their intended purposes they desert not their president resolutions they alter not their propounded courses with a fixed countenance they out-stare the threatning eye of danger they leave their vow as a witnesse of their valour they are determin'd to resist to bloud rather than forsake their God life is not deare it is the Lords statutes that they covenant to keepe close unto 2 Chro. 19 2. They that love God should be the object of our love it was Iehosaphats sin that he helped the ungodly and loved them that hated the Lord. They are a publike not a private or a cabinet counsell they are the great and generall Counsell of the Kingdome feare not that they will ensnare you themselves and their owne estates are interest in all their decrees they bid you doe nothing but what they have done themselves their covenant will not endanger you unlesse it prove perillous to withstand Gods enemies and to stand close unto Gods Commands A community is seldome prejudiciall unto it selfe or hurtfull unto others They are our brethren So they stiled the Scots in the act of pacification and surely they will not deny us to be their brethren who are of their owne Kingdome and of their owne Religion like brethren in all their actions they desire our welfare they have bin studious to contrive and they are resolute to performe and this present covenant they have set forth for the publike good like elder brethren they command with love Let us not hang backe but joy in our obedience our Nobles like the Primitive Christians are well read in Saint Iohns Doctrine they have begun to soare to the highest pitch of affection they are willing to lay downe their lives for the brethren some already in the common Cause are gone to Heaven in a bloudy Chariot others now are in continuall perills not knowing how soone death may cut in sunder the thred of their lives they may well take up the symbole of Alphonsus Neopolitanus viz the Pelican drawing the bloud out of her breasts for the feeding of her young and considering for what it is that they adventure themselves they may annex unto it this inscription Pro lege pro grege Shall they thus freely for our Kingdomes Lawes and for our safety give up their selves as it were in sacrifice and shall we forsake them O no