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A64699
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The Un-deceiver
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1643
(1643)
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Wing U41; ESTC R24648
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10,259
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15
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THE VN-DECEIVER LONDON Printed for Samuel Gellibrand and are to be sold at his shop at the sign of the Brazen-Serpent in Pauls Church-yard 1643. The Un-deceiver ALl Neuters are in a state of Enmity and therefore in an accursed condition He that is not with me is against me saith our Saviour Luke 11. 23. And Curse ye Meroz said the Angel curse them bitterly because they came not to the help of the Lord against the mighty Iudges 5. 23. Solon made a law that in such unnaturall divisions as wee are too well acquainted with all that would not apply themselves to one side or other should be put to death because they would not adventure their private persons for the publique good for men not to declare themselves at such a time was not accounted Moderation but Treachery because it is cleer and evident that men of that strain did but wait for an opportunity to advance themselves and betray the Common-wealth by going over to the stronger side as some have lately done since the taking of Bristoll Pitie it is that Solons law is not in force But there are divers who are startled out of their Neutrality and indifferencie who are still at their Wits end and know not which side to take if they take part with the Parliament they are afraid they shall resist the Ordinance of God and if they go over to the King and Queen they are afraid they shall joyn with those who labour to overthrow the Church and Kingdom by bringing in of Popery and Slavery both at once For the satisfaction of these ignorant and perplexed souls it concerns them to peruse the Parliamentary-Covenant and the Court-Covenant for one of these Covenants must now be taken by every Man in the Kingdom The Court-Covenant First for the Court-Covenant there is nothing in it to assure us of the Princely Truth and Goodnesse of Prince Rupert or Prince Maurice who have a greater command in the Army then His Majesty himself 2. We are not yet assured of the Queens Truth and Goodnesse nor of the Truth and Goodnesse of those Papists English and Irish who vow and swear that they will maintain the true Protestant Religion 3. We cannot be assured much lesse rest assured and fully assured of His Majesties Princely Truth who hath broken so many solemn Protestations nor of His Goodnesse who sets His hand and seal to such unmercifull and bloody Commissions witnesse that Commission never to be forgotten which was sent to Tompkins the Queens Agent to bear him and his fellows out in a Plot as black as that of the Gunpowder-Treason Secondly Moreover every man that takes the Court-Covenant must say I do beleeve that the raising and employing of Forces by His Majesty for the purpose and cause before mentioned to be most just and necessary But all the question is Whether the King did raise and doth employ all His Forces and the Queens for the purpose aforesaid that is the maintenance of the Protestant Religion or rather it is out of question that He doth not employ them to that purpose Thirdly it is to be wondred at that the Cavaliers Negro's Welsh Irish c. should endeavour to procure the re-establishment of the Peace and quiet of this Kingdom and that they should help His Majesties Subjects to recover nay enjoy their Liberty and Property according to the Law of the Land for they imprison the persons of good Subjects Is that the way to help them to their liberty They take away their Estates Is that the way to make them enjoy their Property And is all this done according to the Law of the Land Fourthly they vow that they will not hinder or prejudice the Designes of His Majesty in the conduct or employment of His Army Now what Designes His Majesty had upon Bristoll last March and what Designes He had upon London but the other day is well known And shall any Man binde himself from hindring such black and bloody Designes nay binde himself by a Covenant made with God from hindring Designes so extremely displeasing to the God of Heaven Let even Heathens judge in this particular for it is against the very light of Nature to promote this unnaturall War and such unchristian nay inhumane and barbarous Designes Fiftly it is very strange that any Englishman should beleeve that the Subjects of England are not bound by any Order or Ordinance of Parliament for an Order of the House of Commons doth oblige all the Commons of England and an Ordinance of Lords and Commons doth oblige all the Subjects of England Sixthly it is beyond admiration that the Roysters or Cavaliers vow that they will not obey any Act or Declaration made by the Kings Majesty solely which is not according to some known Law Custome of the Realm or Statute enacted by the King Lords and Commons in Parliament When as their taking up of Arms against the Parliament and such as are quiet in the Land is directly contrary to the Laws of the Land and to all enacted Customes as shall be shewn anon nay sure they are not able to prove that it hath been a Custome to take up Arms against the Parliament we need not put them to prove that it hath been a Legall Custome Finally though the Covenant did declare but now that a Declaration made by the Kings Majesty solely doth not oblige yet here in the close there is a shrewd intimation that His Majâ—stâ—es Warrant is sufficient to justifie a mans bearing of Arms their practise doth declare their intention for if they have but the Kings Warrant they presently take up Arms and are not so vain to stay till the Lords and Commons give them leave to take up Arms against the Parliament But as wise as they are in framing a Covenant a Parliament-Captain may assent to the last words of the Covenant for he that takes up Arms by the Authority of Parliament doth take up Arms by Authority justly derived from His Majesties immediate Warrant for they are His Majesties highest Court and Councell called by His Majesties Writ and what they do as the Supreme Court they do by the Kings own Authority So much for the Court-Covenant taken by the Roysters Cavaliers Papists Delinquents c. in the Kings Army and by too many simple and cowardly men who are under the power of the Army of the King or Queen The Parliamentary-Covenant In the next place I shall give cleer satisfaction to such Objections as are urged against the Parliamentary-Covenant some stumble at the Penitentiall others at the Civill part of the Covenant First they say they are not prepared to enter into so strict a Covenant To this it is answered 1. That they have above twice as much time given them to prepare as is usually given to prepare for the Sacrament 2. Our Covenant of Reformation is a Covenant of Grace and therefore we do not enter into this Covenant presuming upon our own but trusting upon the free and
Tyrannie must be defended by us according to our Oath of Allegiance for the Kingdom is governed by the Courts of Iustice and if the highest Court the Parliament be overthrown what Iustice is there to be hoped for in lower Courts The Government of the Kingdom will be overthrown His Majesty addes in the place fore-cited page 20. That if one Estate be suffered to encroach upon the rest and the King is now most likely nay doth most dangerously encroach upon the other two Estates there will be a totall subversion of or overthrow of the Fundamentall Laws and that excellent Constitution of this Kingdom which hath made this Nation so many yeers both famous and happy Finally we are bound by our Oath of Allegiance to defend the Subjects as well as the King and therefore we are perjured if we do not now defend our fellow-Subjects from that violence which is daily offered them by those who pretend some Commission from the King We are therefore much encouraged by the Oath of Allegiance to defend the Parliament and our Country from all illegall oppressions and by the grace of God we will keep our Oath Their next Objection is That there is nothing in this Covenant concerning the Defence of the Kings person To which it is answered That we have already engaged our selves to defend the Kings person in a former Covenant when we took the Protestation and therefore there was no necessity of repeating it in this Covenant 2. The Kings person is most endangered by those very forces who call themselves the Kings Guard for they put the King upon most dangerous attempts they urge him to go into the field which if they loved him they would never do David was beloved of his Subjects and therefore his Subjects would not suffer him to go down into the Battell The King said unto the people I will surely go forth with you my self also But the people answered Thou shalt not go forth for thou art worth ten thousand of us 2 Sam. 18. 2 3. It is true the Kings person is in danger but who 's in the fault Not the Parliament for they have like his great Counsell advised him like Christians prayed for him like Subjects petitioned him like States treated with him but all in vain The Delinquents then are in fault who cryed out that the King was in danger and now indeed they have made it good for the King was in no danger till he came into their hands onely they themselves were in danger of a Legall Tryall and therefore under pretence of protecting the King the truth is they endanger the King to protect themselves from a Court of Iustice If they did not love themselves better then the King they would adventure themselves and keep the King out of danger It is farther objected that it seems unlawfull to enter into Covenant against those Forces which are raised by the King There are three things very considerable for the satisfying of this doubt 1. Whether the Forces which are raised by the King have been legally raised 2. What kinde of Forces they are which are raised 3. Against whom they employ their strength now they are raised For the first It is the known Law of the Land that the King ought not to raise any Forces whilest a Parliament is sitting without consent of Parliament 2. The Ports Forts Navie Ammunition of England belong to the Kingdom in point of Interest and Propriety and to the King onely in point of Trust for the use service and defence of the Kingdom 3. It is against the intent and scope of the late Law of Presse or Levie made this very Parliament The King himself then hath delivered His deliberate Iudgement concerning this point and declared the raising of Forces without consent of Parliament to be Illegall What scruple then can remain It being most lawfull to defend our selves from unlawfull force The second point considerable is what kinde of Forces they are which are raised First there are two Forreign Princes called in who do plunder rob murther domineer at pleasure and all wise men will confesse that the neerer they are to the Crown and the better they are esteemed and beloved in the Army the more danger there is to the King and His Royall Issue Some Statesmen not long since were so jealous of that Family that they would not have had it mentioned in our Prayers but we are now grown so secure that they may be trusted with an Army But we have not onely Forreign Princes and barbarous Welsh-men but wilde Irish professed Rebels and more black Regiments then one 2. There are Delinquents up in Arms some that broke prison others that fled beyond the Seas to avoid the stroke of Iustice now these are protected contrary to Law they cannot be pardoned before tryall nor should they be kept from tryall nay it is a question whether the King alone can pardon them after tryall for they who have offended against the three Estates must be pardoned by all three if Equity and Reason may prevail 3. Papists are armed contrary to Law Now whether the Common-wealth of England legally assembled in Parliament may not protect the Kingdom against an Army of Malignants Fugitives Delinquents evil-Counsellors Papists Rebells Forreigners we appeal to the conscience of mankinde let the world judge We are engaged by that solemn Protestation which was taken all England over by the Kings consent to use our utmost power and diligence to bring such persons as these to their deserved punishment and the wisest of Kings assures us that this is the onely means to establish the Kings Throne and consequently to quiet the Kingdom Prov. 25. 5. Take away the wicked from before the King and His Throne shall be established in righteousnesse The direction is especially given to Magistrates and Courts of Iustice and therefore to the highest Court the Parliament for the King being blinded and seduced by them is not likely to put them away but rather to protect prefer them Now the Parliament hath used all fair wayes to take away these Malignants from before the King they have presented an humble Petition they have presented a Legall Summons they are now forced to send a Legall Army that these protected Delinquents may be brought to a Legall tryall for their Legall Summons was derided the Messenger committed and abused witnesse the Summons sent to the Fourteen Yorkshire Gentlemen for disturbing the Peace the Gentlemen being cited to appear before the Parliament refused and alleaged His Majesties Warrant for their stay We need say nothing of the protection and rescue of Beckwith that Iesuited Papist the Story is sufficiently known The third thing considerable is against whom these Forces raised by the King and Queen employ their strength The King hath now declared That he will not Treat any more with the Lords and Commons under the notion of a Parliament and His Souldiers presently shoot or apprehend any man that declares himself for King