Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A74761
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The iniquity of the late Solemne League, or Covenant discovered: by way of a letter to a gentleman desiring information upon the poynt. Whereunto is subjoyned the Covenant it selfe.
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1644
(1644)
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Thomason E36_10; ESTC R229345
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7,324
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16
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THE INIQVITY OF The Late Solemne League OR COVENANT DJSCOVERED By way of a Letter to a Gentleman desiring information upon the Poynt Whereunto is Subjoyned the Covenant it selfe Printed March 9. 1643. The Iniquity of the late Solemne League or Covenant discovered by way of Letter to a Gentleman desiring information upon the poynt Sir IN answer to your desire of being informed concerning the late Covenant I have endeavoured as briefly and plainly as I can to let you understand what I conceive of it and do advise upon it I cannot but conceive that this Covenant or Conspiracy rather is a Combination wickedly contrived and upon the Consciences of others as wickedly imposed by those who under pretence of reforming Religion and Government would by force of Armes bring all into their Power It is a wonder to consider that men who have alwaies cryed out for Liberty of Conscience not suffering themselves to be limited in a Ceremony or thing indifferent but in defence of that Liberty endeavouring to bring all into confusion should thus Imperiously Tyrannize over other mens Consciences forcing upon them Oath after Oath Covenant after Covenant till they have hardened them into a senselesnesse of what is just and right Now for your selfe who would continue Resolute against it and for those Gentlemen you speak of who have taken it or are so resolved in hope of procuring their Liberty thereby if my resolution and advice may in time be heard it stands thus upon these two points I. That no man can with a safe Conscience enter this Covenant by reason of the grosse and palpable iniquity of the Contents thereof II. That he who through his owne ignorance and the cunning of others has been seduced or by their threats and Menaces forced or by any other means brought on to enter this Covenant with them is not bound to the performance of the Contents but having by the taking of it contracted their guilt of a grievous sinne is bound to a speedy Repentance for the same First That the sinne and unlawfullnesse of taking it may appeare you must consider that he which enters Covenant after this manner doth before Almighty God professe that in Conscience he allowes and approves the designes and intentions of them he enters Covenant with and doth also bind himselfe to doe and pursue that for which the Covenant is made And accordingly you may observe that in the close of the Covenant it is said And this Covenant we make in the presence of Almighty God the searcher of all hearts with a true intention to performe the same Now it is a known and received Rule that an Oath or Covenant whether lawfully or unlawfully imposed it matters not so a man yeelds himself to take it is taken not according to the reserved meaning of him that takes it but according to the known and notorious meaning and intention of them that impose or require it What such an one doth professe and bind himselfe unto will appeare in these particulars I. He that enters this Covenant doth by the first and second Articles thereof before almighty God professe that he doth in Conscience allow and approve the change i. e. not the Reformation onely but abolishing of this Church-government and of the extirpation of Episcopacy and doth bind himselfe by the same Articles really and constantly to endeavour the same Now see the iniquity of this First here is sedition Subjects entred into a Covenant for a change of established Government without and against their Soveraigns command and Authority The example they pretend for this out of Ezra 10. 3. makes against them for there was no change of Law or Government attempted and Ezra had good Authority for what he did being sent from the King with full commission to carry backe the People to Ierusalem and there to restore the Temple and Worship according to the Law of his God Ezra 7. 13 14. Secondly here is injustice to fellow Subjects Subjects entring a Covenant and binding themselves to doe notorious injury and wrong to others that is to extirpate a company of Men whose Function I speak of Bishops is of Apostolicall institution and has continued in this Land from the first receiving of the Christian Faith whose immunities also and priviledges are undeniably most ancient and Legall in this Kingdome Thirdly here is a Sacriledge in spoyling Them or a Church rather of those Possessions and Interests which beside the right of Dedication doe by as good Law and Title belong to them as any Libertie or Possession doth to other Subjects Lastly here is Rebellion with the greatest impiety Subjects endeavouring this by force of Armes as it will appeare by the sixth Article they that Covenant bind themselves to doe that is to compell your Soveraign to such an Extirpation and spoyling against which he is bound by the Law of God and by expresse Oath and cannot be released of that Oath without their consent to whom he makes it viz. those that must here be extirpated and spoiled II. He that enters this Covenant doth by the fourth Article professe that he allowes All those which adhere to His Majesty in this Cause should be esteemed and proceeded against as Malignants Incendiaries and as in the first Article they set them out Common Enemies for it is notorious and well knowne whom the Imposers of this Covenant doe meane by those names Also by the same fourth Article he binds himself to discover all such that they may be brought to punishment The Iniquity of this appears by what was said upon the former Articles but more especially by the duties unto which the Oathes of Supremacy and Allegiance bind all Subjects viz. the assisting of His Majesty against all attempts and the discovering unto him all conspiracies duties contrarie to what is undertaken here III. Least this Covenant should seeme contrary to those Oathes there is in the third Article a clause for preserving and defending the Kings Maiesties Person and Authority without any thought or intention of diminishing His iust Power and Greatnesse which though he that enters this Covenant may thinke to be just and faire yet is it indeed a fearfull Collusion and mocking of God there being nothing more against His Majesties Authority and Power then the intent and pursuit of this Covenant IIII. He that enters this Covenant doth bind himselfe by the fifth Article to endeavour the continuance of Peace between the two Kingdomes which according to the intent of this Covenant he must doe by joyning with those who have now actually broken the Pacification and in pursuit of this Covenant invaded this Kingdome which is also a fearfull Collusion and mocking of God V. He that enters this Covenant doth professe by the sixt Article that he allowes and approves the assisting and defending of all those that take this Covenant in the maintaining and pursuing thereof against all opposition and lets or impediments whatsoever and by the same Article binds himselfe really and constantly
to endeavour the same to his power without giving himselfe to a detestable Neutrality in this Cause or making a defection to the contrary part Now see the Iniquity of this Article which so plainly speakes the language of desperate Rebellion it is notoriously known by the Armes which they and the Scots have raised and used in pursuit of this and former Covenants or Conspiracies what is meant by assisting and defending their Covenantees by maintaining and pursuing their Covenant against all opposition whatsoever so that he which Covenants with them doth by this Article bind himselfe to endeavour by force of Armes to compell his Soveraign to the Reformation pretended by this Covenant and doth as much as in him lyes cut himselfe off from returning to his duty and obedience which is here called a defeâ—tion to the contrary part And I marvaile those Gentlemen who by entring this Covenant hope for liberty doe not see in what a Toyle they are caught worse then the Prison for should they have liberty thereupon what doe they intend to doe to live quietly at home No they expresly bind themselves against Neutrality as a detestable thing or to assist the King that indeed they stand bound to doe but by this Covenant desperately undertake against it under the name of defection to the contrary part VI. Lastly to fill up the measure and to mock God Almighty to his face he that enters Covenant with these holy Leaguers doth professe that he approves and binds himselfe to all their premises as to that which much concernes the glory of God the good of the Kingdomes and the honour of the King Artic 6. and elswhere All which considered I may conclude that no Subject in this Kingdome who has not cast of the conscience of that which is just and right much lesse such an one that abhorres the designes and proceedings of these men and has suffered in opposition to them can approve and allow the Contents of this Covenant and bind himselfe to a reall pursuance of them But he will rather say to his soule in the Psalmists words Wilt thou have any thing to doe with the stoole or seat of wickednesse which imagineth mischiefe as a Law Psal 94. 20. or as Iacob of the Brethren of Cruelty Oh my soule come not thou into their secret Gen. 49. 6. After the Resolution of Conscience it will be needlesse to stand upon outward Motives those evills of desolation which these men threaten as you say to bring upon Family Posterity Inheritance yet I desire you consider that Houses and Families doe continue by the providence and blessing of God not by the will of Cruell and blood-thirsty men who as the Psalmist threatens them shall not themselves live out halfe their dayes Thus much for the resolving and keeping a good Conscience in the refusall of this Covenant by reason of the grosse and palpable iniquity of the Contents thereof now for the recovery of Conscience ensnared by entring this Covenant we must consider the not binding of it if taken Which was the second point proposed at the beginning This is a certaine Truth That the matter and intent of the Covenant being unlawfull it cannot bind to performance no more then Herods oath did bind him to proceed to execution Matth. 14. or the great curse under which those forty Conspiratours Act. 23. combined themselves to make an end of Paul could indeed oblige them to performance But there are two sorts of men that abuse themselves by a misconceit of the not binding of this Covenant 1. Those that are suffered to take it with expresse Reservations of their owne framing which doe annull and frustrate the whole Contents and leave nothing to bind them as thus I take this Covenant so farre forth as it doth not contrary the Oath of Supremacy and Allegiance or the like And thus the Iudges there as it is said were permitted to take it But they as wise as they are should have considered that although indeed they be not bound to performe the Contents of this Covenant being made void by such reservations yet will they be made to know they must performe and proceed as farre as their Masters who impose it doe or shall think fit to doe upon after occasions and for default will be dealt with not as Malignants only but as perjured Persons They should also as knowing as they are learne that while they thus play fast and loose within the compasse of their owne Law Gods Law casts an heavy bond upon them the guilt of an heinous sinne in mocking and taking Gods name in vaine after so high a manner For when Reservations are allowed in the taking of Oath or Covenant they must limit the matter of it but in part and not destroy it in the whole for then the whole businesse is as was said an open mockery a presumptuous taking of Gods name in vaine and requires a speedy repentance II. The other sort are those who hearing this doctrine That this Covenant being taken doth not bind to performance by reason of the unlawfull Contents of it doe ignorantly and by ill consequence conclude themselves into it after this manner If it binds not then may we take it and there 's no harme done They must know that although it binds not to performance because no man can stand bound to doe that which is unlawfull and wicked yet if they take it it binds them under the guilt of a grievous sinne in calling God to witnesse they will doe that which indeed with a good conscience they cannot performe Such I say are not bound to performe what they have wickedly undertaken and promised by this Covenant but they are bound speedily to repent of the grievous sinne they have committed both against God whose name and Majesty they have abused in taking such a Covenant and against the King their Soveraigne to whom they were bound by the oathes of Allegiance and Supremacy in duties contrary to the designes and intention of this Covenant and so had need to make hast in returning to their duty as Shimei did after he had cursed the King And Shimei fell downe before the King and said Let not my Lord impute iniquity to me neither doe thou remember that which thy servant did perversely on the day that my Lord the King went out of Ierusalem For thy servant knoweth that I have sinned therefore behold I am come the first this day to meet my Lord the King 2. Sam. 19. 19 20. Sir I hope you will not need the advice of this latter part but will according to the direction of the former endeavour to keep a good Conscience which you shall find in this your durance to be a continuall feast I pray God direct and strengthen you A SOLEMNE League and Covenant FOR Reformation and Defence of Religion The Honour and Happinesse of the KING And the Peace and Safety of the three Kingdoms OF England Scotland and Jreland WE Noblemen Barons Knights Gentlemen