late have done Nor can I subscribe to till I be better informed that Priviledge given to the Commons by I know not whom yet I suppose of no vulgar apprehension viz. That the King may hold his Parliament for the Communalty of the Realm without Bishops Earls and Barons so that they have lawful Monitions or summons albeit they come not Yet the same Book affirms that the King with his Bishops Earls and Barons cannot hold a Parliament without the assistance of the Commons And his reason for all this assertion is because Sometime there was neither Bishop Earl ne Baron and yet the King did keep and hold his Parliaments To which I shall only answer in brief thus That if he mean that our Kings have kept Parliaments when there was no such thing as or distinction in this Nation of Priest or Nobility or some such Rank above the common People I shall utterly deny his Proposition Or if he understand that Parliaments have been held only by the King and Commons I shall not yield to him till I be assured where and when yet if both were allowed it can be no good consequence that it may be done so now if custom have any sway in England which is now a main Card of the Commons Game And because some of late more through malice than judgement have not only asserted the King to be one of the Estates by which plot they will equal themselves to him and so overthrow his Rule and Government of which Sir Edward Deering doth a little hint but also exclude the Clergy It will not be amiss in this place to right both by one or two authentick Instances The first shall be the Parliaments Bill presented to King Richard III. when but Duke of Glocester to desire him to take upon him the Kingship the which is very long but in it you shall find these words Vs the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons of this Realm of England according to the Election of us the three Estates of this Land Therefore at the request and by the assent of the three Estates of this Realm That is to say the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons of this Land assembled in this present Parliament Here we have Three Estates the Clergy being one and the King none My second Instance shall be taken out of one Titus Livius de Frulonisiis a Book quoted several times by Stow in Henry V. which Manuscript is also in Latin in St. Benit's Colledge Library in Cambridge where having related the life and death of Henry V. he tells us that After all these things and Ceremonies of his burying were solemnly finished as is to-fore rehersed the Three Estates of the Realm of England assembled them together in great number to take advice and deliberation amongst them what was most necessary to be done for the Regiment and Government of the said Realm of England where they concluded to take for their King the only Son of the late King Henry whose name was also Henry which was the VI. of that Name since the Conquest of England But because some may slight this as only the judgement of a private Historian we will strengthen our Assertion by the Laws of our Land In Queen Elizabeth's time an Act of Parliament affords us these words We your said most loving faithful and obedient subjects representing the Three Estates of your Realm of England as thereunto constrained by Law of God and Man c. Here are again Three Estates and the Queen none and that the Clergy are one another Act of Parliament will inform us in these words The State of the Clergy being one of the greatest States of this Realm And after this same manner was the Clergy in Scotland one of the Estates as may also appear by their own Acts of Parliament one of which runs thus That the Three Estates especially considering the persons exercising the Offices Titles and Dignities of Prelates which persons have ever represented one of the Estates And in another Parliament some thirteen years before this viz. 1584. it was thus Enacted That none presume to impugne the Dignity and Authority of the Three Estates or to seek or procure the innovation or diminution of their Power and Authority or any of them in time coming under pain of Treason And whether the Scots have of late behaved themselves according to these Laws is well known And it seems strange to me that they durst be so impudent against their King who considering his power in choosing Parliaments was one of the most absolute Monarchs in the World till the modern Rebellious Retrenchments These things are convincing to me that the King never was one or part of but above the Three Estates it being ridiculous that his Majesty should Petition himself and call himself subject to himself Nor see I any reason to doubt that the Clergy was one having Acts of Parliament for it who knew their own Constitution best 'T is true of late the Clergy have had no Representatives in Parliament the Reverend Lords Spiritual being I do not know how thrown out of the Upper-House and the action at last by threats and other villainies procured to be signed by the Royal Assent for which and seeing they are since happily restored again I shall not at this time presume to question though many who are learned in our Fundamental Laws suppose that reasons might be shewn and that grounded upon law of it's nullity to which purpose the learned Dr. Heylin hath given a short Essay both from the binding of Magna Charta the darling too of our Presbyterian Parliaments which especially provides for the Priviledges of the Clergy as also by the voiding of all actions done by the King by compulsion and not of his free-will And that Kings may be so wrought upon appears by King James who when King of Scotland was by his unruly Subjects constrained to declare several times quite contrary to his judgement and so was King Edward III. as appears by the Revocation of a Statute made the 15. year of his raign And how unwilling King Charles the first was to sign this Bill is not unknown the Parliament having got a new Art of getting their ends about viz. by Tumults and Threats so that the King was rather fought than reasoned out of it And what impudence the Commons were brasoned with to presume thus to extirpate the Spiritual Lords whose Antiquity in Parliament was double to theirs is experimentally beyond expression But they and so did the Puritanical Faction of the Nobility for such Animals were amongst them too know well enough that the King would not only be weakened but themselves strengthened by annihilation of 26. such sound Royal and Orthodox Votes for which qualifications the Schismatical Lords and Commons hated them But enough of this only I shall leave some Quaeries to the consideration of the Presbyterian mad-caps Lord or Common of the wicked
Long-Parliament I. Whether or no if the King and two Estates can extirpate the third then the King Lords Spiritual and Temporal cannot turn out the Commons as well as the King Lords Temporal and Commons exclude the Bishops II. Whether or no when the King and two Estates have turn'd out the third the King with another Estate cannot also turn out the second And lastly when only the King and one Estate remains the King as Supream cannot seclude that also III. And if these things will bear a good Consequence Whether the Presbyterians whose chiefest confidence was in the Long-Parliament but esecially the Commons have not brought their Hoggs to a fair Market But these People did not only overthrow Episcopacy but struck also at the root of Monarchy it self by their pleadings against the King's Supremacy making themselves not only equal to but above him And this not only when assembled in Parliament but when they are so far from having any Authority there there being no such thing then sitting that they are separately so many private Subjects obliged only to follow their own occasions for in this capacity I suppose they make themselves when they alledge for a Rule Rex est major singules minor Vniversis considering they place this in their Remonstrance as distinct from Parliaments But how weak this Position is let Parliaments themselves be our Judges And I do not love to reason against Authentick Records When God tells us expresly that Whoredom is a grievous sin 't was blasphemy in John de Casa to write in the vindication of Sodomy When Ignatius Irenaeus and other ancient and authentick Authors assure us that Presbytery was subordinate to Episcopacy in the first Century 't is folly in our late Schismaticks to dream of or introduce a Parity When Parliaments acknowledge themselves Subjects to his Majesty for any to conclude thence their Supremacy are in my judgement no less guilty of ignorance than that simpleton of Athens who fancied all the ships and other things to be his when he had no more interest in them then I have relation to the Crown of Castile The Lords and Commons tell us plainly what little signs they have of Superiority in these words Where by divers sundry old authentick Histories and Chronicles it is manifestly declared and exprest that this Realm of England is an Empire and so hath been accepted in the World governed by one Supream Head and King having the Dignity and Royal Estate of the Imperial Crown of the same unto whom a Body Politick compact of all sorts and degrees of people and divided in tearms and by names of Spiritualty and Temporally been bounden and ought to bear next to God a natural and humble obedience c. And in many other Statutes do they acknowledge themselves the King 's most humble faithful and obedient Subjects But more especially in those two of Supremacy and Allegiance in which they acknowledge the King the Supream under God both of Civil and Ecclesiastical affairs and so swear Allegiance to him each Parliament-man before he sit taking both the Oaths as all other Subjects do Whereby they clearly renounce not only Priority but Parity by which all their Cavils bring nothing upon themselves but Perjury Against this Supremacy of our Kings though it be under God and Christ John Calvin rants in his usual hot-spurr'd zeal calling them Blasphemers and Fools who durst first presume to give such a title to a King And in obedience to this Supream Head of Geneva and Presbytery doth his dear Subject and Disciple Anthony Gilby and others of that Fraternity shoot their Wild-fire against the same Statutes of England by which they shew their Schism and Madness more than Christian Prudence Besides all this our Laws make it Treason to compass or imagin the death of the King Queen or his eldest Son to leavy Warr against the King or any way adhere to or assist his Enemies But for any to commit Treason against the Parliament especially for those who have the King on their side I see little reason because I have express Law to the contrary which tells us that any one who shall attend upon the King in his Wars and for his Defence shall in no ways be convict or attaint of High Treason ne of other offences for that cause by Act of Parliament or otherwayes by any process of Law whereby he or any of them shall loose or forfeit Life Lands Tenements Rents Possessions Hereditaments Goods Chattels or any other things but to be for that deed and service utterly discharged of any vexation trouble or loss And if any Act or Acts or other process of the Law here after thereupon for the same happen to be made contrary to this Ordinance that then that Act or Acts or other process of the Law whatsoever they shall be stand and be utterly void How this Act hath been since violated Compounders Sequestrators and Decimators will best inform you And what a pitiful ridiculous and extorted Comment the Noddles of the Long-Parliament made upon this Act may be seen in their Declarations by which you may view both their ignorance and their malice These are Presidents enough to satisfie any man in the Parliaments subjection to the King it being in his power to constitute them not they him in him being the only Authority to call and dissolve them not any such being in themselves He can pardon Malefactors not they without his consent The death of the King dissolves the Parliament though their breaking up reflects nothing upon him He can call them where he pleaseth but they not remove his Court They Petition him by way of Subjects not he them The King of England can do no wrong and never dyeth being alwayes of full age the breath of the former being no sooner expired but the next Heir is de facto King without the Ceremony of Proclamation or Coronation And whether a Parliament can do no wrong or no I leave to many men now in England to judge The Kings power hath been such that he hath call'd a Parliament with what limitations he pleas'd as King Henry the fourth's Parliament at Coventry in which no Lawyer was to sit And whether too many Lawyers in a Parliament doth more good or bad hath been oft discours'd of in late times And 't is the King hath the power of the Sword not the Parliament as their own Laws tell us for in the year 1271. Octob. 30. We find this Statute To us i. e. the King it belongeth and our part is through our Royal Seignory straitly to defend i. e. to prohibit or stop force of Armour and all other force against our Peace at all times when it shall please us and to punish them who shall do contrary according to the Laws and Usages of our Realm And hereunto they are bound to aid us as their Soveraign Lord at all seasons when need shall be And the meaning
Casuists cannot be ignorant how they annihilate and jeast with sin by their sociable Doctrine of Probable Opinion of Directing the Intention and such like as you may see more at large in the Mystery of Jesuitism of which the last Edition with its Additionals will yield you more satisfaction With these things I should be very unwilling to charge them did I not know that the Agitators of these Political evasions from Sin were the chief Casuists amongst them and their Books printed and reprinted by the consent of their Superiours For those men are very much to blame who scandalize a General Religion with the fancies and extravagancies of some private Writers for by this means might Rebelling-Presbyterianism King-killing Independentism deluded Quakerism and other Heresies be thrown upon the famous Church of England and several absurdities upon the Romanists which cannot be found in the Tridentine Council How obsequious this Order is to their Superiours Commands may be seen in many stories related by Hasenmullerus and others Ignatius himself being willing to throw away his life rather than disobey an ignorant Physitian Nor had it been handsom in him to have been refractory who was the Author of this obedient Constitution and wrote a long Letter from Rome to those of his Order in Portugal to perswade them to it which is yet extant What other Articles they have I need not relate these three being a sufficient taste and the rest of their Order may be had either in Italian or Latin To give a true Character of the Jesuite at large would be too tedious since one of themselves viz. Alexander Haius hath performed it well enough in few words viz. Jesuita est omnis homo one as fit to act any thing as he is able to comply with every condition meerly Tales quales as themselves were pleas'd to term it more publickly at Paris They are generally a sort of people more skilful in the causes and motions of the Body Politick than the Philosopher in the Natural being Richelieu's for plotting as quick-sighted as Lynceus as restless as the Bird of Paradice as insinuating and flattering as Clisophus or Charisophus more cruel than the ill-natur'd Barbarian and like the old woman Ptolomais never in their own Trade but when stirring up mischief and the best Actors on the Political Stage fit to undertake and finish any wickedness for which they have formerly been reproachfully banish'd France Bohemia Hungaria Moravia Turky and Venice though since with much ado restored Several of them have suffered in China England Scotland and other places for their villainies nor hath Germany suffered them to go unpunished nor could they expect more favour from many in that Countrey since the misery of it And the loss of the Palatinate if you believe Sir Simond D'ewes had its source from their Brains And one of this Society who suffer'd at Strasburg confest that he was one of the thirty Jesuits who were imploy'd to be Agents for the Roman Cause in the late German Wars and that their Orders were to poyson and make away the chiefest Officers or others who opposed the Emperour as my Author assures us And Teimurases Prince of the Georgeans a people lying upon the Caspian Sea will have none of them in his Territories whence they were forced to fly for that notorious Imposture of theirs concerning the head of that Martyred Queen Ketaban a story so commonly known that I do not a little admire at de S. Lazare for passing by the fraud and jugling of the Jesuites with silence and untruths Mendoza hot-headed Gret-serus and others of the same Society are as parties bound to commend the Honesty and Religion of this Order But the Ingenious Thuanus Pasquier who affords you Pleadings and Reasons against them and others though Roman-Catholicks think it not fit to attribute any goodness to the Jesuite knowing that he is a Subject too dangerous to live in Liberty in any well setled State Spain excepted these two reciprocally maintaining each other more through politick ends than true love of Religion I am confident Great Brittain and Ireland have felt the force of their active brains as the Raign of Queeen Elizabeth and the dangerous beginning of King James can testifie Nor were they any more beneficial to King Charles doing what they could to foment our Dissentions as the Long Parliament could not deny As appears by their Articles against Father Philips one of which was this The damnable Doctrine which he and other Jesuites have taught to destroy and depose Kings hath been the cause of the Civil Warrs like to befal these Kingdoms if God in his mercy did not prevent it And his Seditiousness is somewhat apparent by his Letter sent to Mr. Mountague in France and produced to the House of Commons June 25 in which was this expression Can the wise Cardinal endure England and Scotland to unite and not be able to discern In the end it is like they will joyn together and turn head against France And how vigilant the Cardinal was to keep the two Nations from uniting is visible from the presence and great endeavours of Mr. Thomas Chamberlain a Scotch-man Chaplain and Almoner to Richelieu amongst the Scots who play'd likewise his Cards well in England before our late Rebellion with Order not to depart from Scotland till things succeeding as the Cardinal wish'd he might return into France with good news of a perfect dissention betwixt England and Scotland And to this may be added the Industry of the Cardinal's Secretary in the said Nation where he carryed himself so cunningly that he was taken into Consultation with the Heads of the Covenanters And what good counsel could spring from such a Fountain cannot be ignorant to any who either understood the experience or knew the political biass of the said Cardinal which might well move him to say concerning our late Troubles That 't was easie for one with half an eye to have foreseen them Whereby it seems strange to me that he would never imploy a Jesuite if we may credit Mr. Howell though it may be that he supposed them too much linked to the Interest of Spain to doe him or France any good Nor is the multitudes of them in England any small probability of their bad Intentions being unwilling to hazard their lives as here they do unless upon some grand Design Jarrigius one of their own Society affirmeth that fifty of them clad in several habits kept Council in London whence they deputed a General Agent to Rome And Oliver Cromwell profest that he could prove by witness that they had a Consistory and Council that rul'd all the affairs in England as he could prove by the Particular Instrument then in his power And how formerly they swarm'd in England Mr. Gee will at large inform you And King James could never forget the miseries he suffered whilst King of
wounded And none being suffered to speak with the King but whom they pleas'd he cryed out to some Noble-men whom the Duke of Lenox had sent to see him that he was a Captive and desired his good Subjects to release him But this his Jaylors forced him presently to recant by setting forth a Proclamation in his Name that all things were done according to his own desire Then is the King carryed to Edenburgh where the Estates and Assemblies of Ministers justifie this bold action singing in triumph as they went up the High-street the 124. Psalm Now Israel may say c. Whilst the King lay under this constraint from France came two Embassadours Monsieur la Motte and Menevel to get the King releas'd and a Treaty betwixt the two Crowns Against these the Ministers declaim in their Sermons most bitterly but especially against La Motte who being Knight of the Order du Sainct Esprit an Order constituted at Paris by Henry the third King of France and Poland 1579. did wear according to the custom of his Order the Badge of a White-Cross upon his shoulder This they call the Badge of Antichrist and him the Embassadour of a bloudy Murtherer brave language to those who knew the Authority of such Persons and whom they represented These dayly out-cryes and perceiving nothing to be done moved the Embassadours to depart But the King being willing to dismiss them with some content desired the Magistrates of Edenburgh to Feast them before their parting for he for his part was not suffered to do any thing the which they did the next next Munday But the Ministry to shew their rebellious Authority and Devillish crossness proclaim a Fast to be kept upon the next Munday the day appointed for the Embassadours Entertainment at this Fast the Ministers thundred out against the Magistrates and other Noble-men that waited upon the Embassadours by the Kings directions Nor was this all but they pursued the Magistrates with the Censures of the Church and could scarce be stay'd from Excommunicating them for not observing the Fast they proclaimed The King not liking his Restraint and perceiving how Imperious his Subjects grew whilst he was under hatches consults an Escape which was performed by the means of Col. Stewart Captain of the Guard upon which those who would not now submit to his Majesty were proclaimed Traytors he also declaring that however his Proclamation came forth yet it was extorted from him by violence and therefore of no validity But for all this the Ministers in their Pulpits vindicate the late Imprisoning of the King for which Andrew Melvil was charged to enter his person at Blackness but he instead of obedience fled to Barwick which proceedings against Melvil caused great grumblings amongst the Brethren who affirmed that neither King nor Council can censure men for words in Pulpit but their own Associates the Presbytery only The next year the Earl of Gowry with whom joyned some of the Ministers run into open Rebellion but the Earl being taken was beheaded and the Ministers fled for it The Nation being thus rent into distractions by a company of babling malepert Boute-feus the Parliament hoped by giving Caesar his due and gagging his Enemies mouths all things would then tend to Peace and Settlement For which purpose they confirm his Majesties Authority over all Persons and in all Causes And that to decline the Kings Judgement and the Councils in any thing should be High-Treason and that any thing whatsoever not approved of by the King and the Three Estates should be null And that no person whatsoever should either privately or publickly either in Sermon Declamation or Discourse utter any false untrue or slanderous speeches to the reproach dishonour hurt or prejudice of the King or any of his Parents or Progenitors or his Council nor meddle with the affairs of the King or State These good and honests Acts made the Presbyters Horn-madd who like our bordering Moss-Troopers are never content but when doing mischief to others They protest against these wholsom Statutes many of them fly away into England scorning to live in such subjection and Libels and Pamphlets fly plentifully against the King and Court And by Letter protest those Acts to be against the Word of God and therefore if they submit to them they should then be Traytors to God reviling Bishops whom they call Gross Libertines Belly-gods and Infamous and such like charitable stuff as this This turbulent spirit flowing amongst them made many of them be imprisoned and others suspended from their Livings But this lasted not long for the next year the Scales turned the banished Lords being come again into Scotland they joyn Forces and march to Sterling where they seize upon the Kings Person again whom they constrain by Proclamation to pardon them all Now did the Court put on a new face the old Officers are turn'd out and others put in This imboldens the Ministers who fled to return again but much of their intended malice was stopt by a Parliament who order that none shall reproach his Majesties Person State or Government This incensed the Ministry so much as to stir up one Watson in his Sermon to rail to the Kings face of his evil Government for which he was imprisoned at Blackness This mans mouth being thus stopt another of that gang call'd James Gibson in his Sermon at Edenburgh affirmed the King to be the Persecutour of the Church and calls him to his face Jeroboam pronouncing this Curse against him That He should dye childless and be the last of his Race For this because before the Council he maintained the same again he was committed yet afterwards 1587. upon better advice he acknowledged his fault and was ordered publickly to do the same in his next Sermon the which he promised to do yet did not whereupon being charged for breaking his promise he stubbornly answered That out of infirmity and weakness he had confess'd a fault but now his Conscience told him that his words were innocent The Chancellour perceiving the mans inconstancy put it to the Assembly whether Gibson had done well or no where though many were ready to vindicate him yet at last a majority found him slanderous and offensive but he not appearing in the afternoon to receive his censute after much bandying to and fro he was only suspended during the pleasure of the Assembly and this lasted but to the next August when without ever acquainting the King he was by his Brethren quitted the which Countenancing of such Seditious Actions did so incense his Majesty that Gibson was forced to fly into England where he was entertained by the hot-brain'd Non-conformists The Presbytery to shew themselves more formidable call a Synod at St. Andrews where they accuse the Bishop of the same place for having had a hand in the late Acts against the unruliness of the Brethren as Melvil accused him The Bishop appeals to the King and three Estates and
from this Swashbuckler These and many other innovating and cross grain'd actions you may find storied down by their almost-own Fuller for so may I well take the boldnesse to call him since they could never desire a more complyable Historian And therefore these may carry the more probability with the Reader let his education be either sound or rotten KING JAMES succeeding upon the death of Queen Elizabeth the Non-conformists thought to gain ground apace having to deal with a Prince as they thought bred up in their own way and a stranger not only to England but as they hoped to her government also 'T is true He had been nurst up in the Presbyterian way in Scotland but their insolencies and incroachments to get all the power into their own hands as a stiff Presbyterian under the fained name of Wilson doth confesse gave him so much experience as not only to allow of no alteration or that very small in the Church of England but also publickly to testifie his happinesse in ruling over and amongst people so sweetly united in such a Church-government whereas in Scotland He was a a King without State without Honour without Order where beardlesse boyes would brave him to his face As himself did word it Yet to satisfie their clamours He gave them a conference at Hampior-Court where their Objections seemed so trivial that Self will and an erronious Conscience was thought to be more predominant then Reason Upon which the King put forth a Proclamation for Uniformity to which all the Ministers in England and they are above nine thousand submitted except forty nine such a noise will a few disturbers cause in any society when tolerated Nor need this seem strange to those who know that in the first year of Queen Elizabeth the number of our Clergy-men who refused the Oath of Supremacy did not amount to 200. though they had all not only been bred up in the Romish Religion but also for some few years before had violently asserted the Pope's authority in England And we now see those who have been the Chief-tains of the Non-conformists to turn tail and acknowledge Episcopal government the which I hope they do more for Conscience then Covetousnesse Yet for all this though King Law and all things else were against the Disciplinarian Interest they grow resolute and as one saith starkmaa and send to their Brethren in Scotland informing them of all which had hapned and that they in Scotland must expect to conform too and then God wot would follow the utter destruction of Sion Upon which some of them take an Alarum and meet at Aberdeen in spight of the King and his Authority intending to declare against and root out all the foot-steps and memory of Episcopacy for which some of them afterwards were forced to acknowledge their fault And Andrew Melvil for writing Libels against our English Church he then being at London was called before the Council where behaving himself insolently and like a mad man he was committed to the Tower By these actions our Non-conformists easily perceived that they could gain nothing but their own shame and destruction whilst they acted only as private men whereupon they resolve under-hand to blow up the Parliaments against Prerogative to which purpose by their industry they never wanted a good party in the House who carried themselves so resolutely and cunningly that for the future Westminster only rung with the clamours of Grievancies liberty of Subject and Priviledge of Parliament A Parliament never sitting but some Member or other throwing dirt in his Majesties face and this conscionably done by freedom of speech never or very seldom satisfying the King in what he conveniently required for when his pleasure for any reasonable thing was any time made known to them then they grumble and reply that God must be served before man and then for a moneth or two nothing is done in the House but the uttering of long-winded speeches against Arminianism and Popery And this to as little purpose as Cardinal Rapacciolus his prayer that the Devils fins and transgressions might be forgiven him that so he might receive some comfort and be of good cheer For any thing or reason besides bitter Invectives is as difficult to be found amongst them as Coach horses at Venice or a Gondola in Themes as is obvious to any who have seen the Speeches in the two last Kings raigns 'T is true all were not carryed on with the same Spirit for the House was still composed of two different tempers Like Orense a Town in Gallaecia of Spain one side of which in Winter is covered with Snow and num'd by the fury of frozen blasts whilest the other side doth not only want these white Robes but is favoured with a continual warmth arising from the adjacent medicinal hot Baths yet the more wicked party obliged by being so to be more industrious will commonly gain advantages whilst the good People trusting in their honesty act altogether too supinely I shall not now trace the Extravagancies of private men but shew you some of their hot-headed prancks in Parliament because they have now made that the Stage on which they intended to act for the future and in this I shall study brevity and pass by many notorious insolencies In the first Parliament of King James which was drawn out into several Sessions one of the Members bid the rest take heed lest they gave too much to the King lest they endanger their own throats cutting when they went home Others bob'd his Majesty in his teeth for rewarding some of his own Countreymen affirming that their silver and gold abounded at Edenburgh And one Piggot after he had spoken disgracefully of the Scots added withall That it would never be well with England till a Sicilian Vesper was made of the Scotish Nation as if he had not known what Countrey-man the King was Words of such high nature that Queen Elizabeth would have shewn her Prerogative But having now to deal with a King whom they thought might have been trampled upon here as well as beyond the Tweed they left nothing unturn'd whereby they might strengthen their own Faction And this spirit of Contradiction and Contention ruling amongst them is pointed at by one of their own Brethren though clad in more favourable words these bickerings and the Members unrestless humour forced the King to dissolve the Parliament having sat long enough in all Conscience to do any good if they intended any Afterwards another Parliament being call'd and consisting of the same Temperature was presently dissolved In the next Parliament the King desires some Moneys having not had any assistance from his People for several years so that he was constrained to lessen his Houshold This necessary request the Parliament hears but never intend to grant And the better to lay it aside they first begin with the spacious and specious subject of Complaints and with a high hand
then the latter they thought as it fell out accordingly afterwards would fall to their obedience with the more ease To bring this great thing about all their art was imployed But the chief of all was their old true friend and souldier Calumny by this to make the orthodox episcopal party odious to the people a way which Contzenus the Jesuite looks upon as so excellent that it is very fitting it should be endeavour'd And in this trade of vilifying our Nonconformists were so expert and sedulous that in a short while they had innumerable lying pamphlets and reports spread about the Nation that in the first year or two of this Long Parliament the hearers and believers with the relatours of these slaunders were so many and all performed with that care and celerity that Dame Report in England out-vapour'd Queen Fame in Chaucer who Had also fele up standing eares And tonges as on beest ben heares And on her fete woxen sawe I Partriche wynges redily Yet are these fictions against our reverend Church-government quite contrary to the sound and true Law of our land which will thus tell us For as much as divers questions by overmuch boldnesse of speech and talk amongst many of the common sort of people being unlearned have lately grown upon the making and consecrating of Archbishops and Bishops within this Realm whether the same were and be orderly done according to the Law or not which is much tending to the slaunder of all the state of the Clergy being one of the greatest states of this Realm c. Yet let the Laws say what they will these men will oppose and that in Ritaing waies rather then not get their end above 2000. of this faction making a tumult in London crying out they would have no Bishop nor no high Commission a bad omen to the peace of the Kingdom but a great incouragement to the Long Parliament who first sat within a fortnight after this hurry And had presently a sympathizing Petition brought them by Alderman Pennington loaden with the scrawling hands of 15000 Londoners and this forsooth against Archbishops Bishops and our Church-ceremonies though I believe if none had been subscribers but those who understood what they set their hands to that neither the Alderman nor 15000 of the rest had listed their faith and themselves in that paper which the Lord Digby call'd very well contemptible irrational and presumptious Yet did the Presbyterian faction in Parliament joy themselves thus to have brought that great City to the subjection and reverence of their new found Disciplinarian slavery and perceiving themselves thus back'd by such riches and so many men went boldly on to pull down our Reverend Church and set up their golden calves in its stead And all this pains hurly-burly alarums and warre must only be like Caligula's Army to fight for empty cochle-shels in respect of the truth glory and sincerity swaying in the English Church The first imployment of note against the Church that the Commons put themselves upon was against the Convocation contemporary with the short Parliament which they condemned as seditious dangerous against King Law Subject though the King acknowledged no such thing and one of their main reasons against this Convocation was because the clergy therein assembled perceiving how the Scots did covenant and swear against our Church-government and that our English Non-conformists were grown strong and not only corresponded with the Scots but tended the same way which would ruine our Church at last as experience proved did frame an Oath for the maintaining of our Church-Government against all Popery and its Superstition And this was called the Oath c. though the words following this c. to wit as it stands now established makes not the Oath so contemptible as our Presbytery clamoured Against this Oath the Cornmons ranted affirming the Clergy though assembled by the King's command had no power to make an Oath the which whether they had or no I shall not now dispute Only I shall have leave to think that every one thinks the best of themselves And so I suppose did the Commons when they framed the Protestation and ordered all in their own House to take it and did also recommend it to be taken all England over though the King did never consent to it nor as then had the Lords and whether the Commons by themselves have power to impose an Oath I shall not determine though report speaks the Negative And as for the Protestation it self 't is composed of such uncertain jugling materials considering the Presbyterian Notion which imposed it that a true understanding Conscience would never embrace it for these following rational Doubts waving the dispute of the Imposers authority I promise vow and protest to maintain with my life the true reformed Protestant Religion expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England against all Popery and Popish Innovations within this Realm Dub. 1. What the Presbyterian Imposers and Framers here mean by the Doctrine of the Church of England If the Thirty nine Articles why do they not subscribe them if any thing else why do they not mention it that men might know what they swear Dub. 2. What they mean by Popery If their Articles in what sense they meant the Points held against the Calvinists by some learned men of our Church and Holland Dub. 3. What they meant by Popish Innovations within this Realm for their Writings affirm our Church-government by Bishops and Innocent Ceremonies to be so The which if they meant then none but Schismaticks would take it if otherwise why did they not explain themselves that people might not swear ignorantly As also the power and priviledges of Parliament The lawful Rights and Liberty of Subject and shall never relinquish this Promise Vow and Protestation Dub. 4. What are the power priviledges of Parliament and Rights and Liberty of Subject As for the Parliamentary priviledges they themselves never yet undertook to declare what they are And for men to swear to defend they know not what is not unlike that Messenger who swore to observe his Masters Instructions in his sealed Commission which when he had opened he found no command but to hang himself Dub. 5. Whether it is lawful to swear never to relinquish this Protestation though the King and State should afterwards have some reasons to revoke or alter all or any clause in the said Protestation as none can question their Authority in such things And then eight dayes after was a piece of paper as if dropping from its Posteriors joyned to the rump of this Protestation wherein was declared that nothing in this Oath was to be extended to the maintaining of any form of worship discipline or government nor of any rites or ceremonies of the said Church of England By which the Hauntghost of Presbyterie is easily perceived to be there domineering and 't is the humour of these men to love
into their hands i. e. The opposite and malignant Party of Papists Prelats and others the sons of defection and contention their adherents and suffer our selves to be cut off and massacred by such bloody and barbarous cruelty as they have executed this time past in Ireland and England There is a necessity of taking of Armes for mutual defence In this case it is most necessary that every one against all doubting be perswaded in his mind of the lawfulness of this undertaking and of the goodness of the cause maintain'd by him To assist our Brethren in England who are calling for our help and are shedding their blood in defence of that Power without which Religion can neither be defended nor reformed nor unity of Religion with us and other Reformed Kirks be attained To whom of old and of late we have made Promises of the real Declarations of all Christian duty and thankfulness and who upon our desires and their endeavours for unity in Religion have often warn'd us that the Malignant Party would bend all their invention and forces to interrupt the work and to ruin and destroy them in the undertaking of it which we see this day come to pass The Question is no sooner rightly stated but it is soon resolved the Lord save us from the Curse of Meroz who came not to help the Lord to help the Lord against the mighty when we look upon the cause which they maintain the Prayers Tears and Blood which they have poured forth and the insolencies and the blasphemies of the enemies we cannot doubt but inlargement and deliverance shall arise unto England God forbid and be it far from us to sit down at ease on this side of Jordan till our Brethren be possessed in the Liberties of the Kingdome of Christ. And this Seditious canting-language they second in another of their Declarations to the same purpose Unless we can which God forbid blot out of our thoughts the sense of piety and Religion toward God of honour and duty towards our Soveraign and of gratitude toward the Parliament and Kingdome of England we can in no wise resist our present call to this Expedition Very pretty that their duty to their King should oblige them to fight against him and his Authority But the people of this Gang are very much given to make Bulls and Non-sense This is not unlike to our Long-Parliament who thus very gravely Ordered To the intent that his Majesties Revenue might no more be mis-applyed and that the same may be imploy'd for the good of his Majesty and the Common-wealth The Lords and Commons therefore do Ordain That all his Majesties the Queens and Princes Revenue shall be seized upon But what if I should tell you that some of these Diegos can affirm for their excuse that they were bound by the Oath of Allegiance to take the Parliaments part against the King would you not think that the price of Oaths is faln very low Well if you will enquire of old Master Thomas Hall the Parson of Kings-Norton he can tell you what is the opinion of him and others in this case He is a notable Champion against May-poles and will give you aboundance of arguments to prove that they are the Devils Angle-rods which being well baited with Holy-sisters is the onely way to catch Puritans as an old woman told a zealous Grandee but enough of his precise and simple Objections of which I may say as the famous Selden said of some old fashioned Rhimes You may read them and then laugh at them If their Allegiance obliged them to fight against the King they may well suppose that by the Covenant they were bound to cut him off by the Article of bringing Malignants to punishent and what may be the sequel of such assertions I hope our Superiours will consider And what do you think of another swash-buckler of this Tribe who assures the world that the English had as much cause to rejoyce for their Conquests over his Majesty as the Israelites for their deliverance from wicked Pharaoh and his Egyptians And this use of Exhortation the better to advantage the memory of the whining Sisterhood he coughs out in as good Dogril Rhime as ever John Cotton or Vavasor Powel were guilty of a tast of whose hatred to the King's Party you may see in these following Sing praise sing praise unto Jehova high For he hath Tryumphed most gloriously O're all our foes The Horse and Rider He Hath tumbled down to deepest misery Yea all the rotten-rout of Romanists Papists and Prelates Atheists Royallists And Mad-Malignants void of grace or sence To whom God now hath made just recompence Why he should distinguish betwixt Royalists and Malignants I know not though I might very well and I am as ignorant what difference he finds betwixt a Romanist and a Papist unless all this be with the fellow in the Play to make up Meeter And who must this boaster be but the furious John Vicars one that hated all people that loved obedience as the Devil doth Holy water and could out-scold the boldest face at Billings-gate if Kings Bishops Organs or May-pole were to be the objects of their zealous indignation of which I shall give you but one tast to wit against his Sacred Majesty The King's Letter full indeed of much EVIL and Demonstration of no Change of heart from his former BLOODY CRUEL and UNKINGLY PRACTISES of the RUINE of Himself and His Kingdomes as much as in Him lay Is this fit to be Printed for the information of the people and yet Ja. Cranford thought it very fitting Was is convenient to dedicate such stuff as this to Almighty God yet the Author thought nothing more Would any man call this a fair and famous History yet Vicars himself could give it that Encomium Or could any imagine that such a Rayler against the King and Church should even the other day deserve the Title of The Worthy Patriot of his Countrey and yet so is he honoured but by whom Edward Thomas Mr. Pryn's Bookseller can better inform you than my self The truth of it is this man's Histories only look like a Company of Thanks-giving Sermons stitch'd up together as Georgius Hornius well Characteriz'd them Yet must I needs say that of all men that pretended to deep Learning and good History this Hornius of Strangers is the most partial in his short Story of our late English Wars which makes me somewhat mistrust the mans Principles seeing at his being then in England he might have more exactly informed himself if Interest had not sway'd him But I hope his History of the Scottish Rebellion and the beginning of the English when it is printed will be more Ingenuous or else I shall desire him to acquaint himself with his friend Monsieur de Parival or the two Italians Priorato and Bisaccione and other Forraigners who are more impartial I need not tell you how the Presbyterian
those Athenians who thought to gain great store of gold by conquering the Emmets of Hymettus For nothing can be gain'd by their Writings unless Malice and Ignorance may go for precious Jewels To be short Those who pretend to be such Zealots for the Reformed Church should not endeavour its discredit by asserting her novelty If that be true which the most learned of the Protestants have maintain'd viz. that that which we call the Popish Religion had no firm foundation by a publick acknowledgement till about six hundred years after our Saviour's birth Then were the Ceremonies now of the Church of England used and generally receiv'd long before Papistry had its being as is palpable from Church-History and the Fathers So that we might as well call Churches Bells Pulpits Hower-Glasses written-Sermons c. Popish as well as Forms of Prayer Ministerial habits and such like And I am apt to believe that if our Church should bring in the Wafer as there is neither harm in form nor matter that many of our Zealots would refuse the Communion though they are in use at Geneva yet the grand Disciple and adorer of that City and Government doth call it The Round clipped God which shews that the Masters and Scholars cannot alwayes agree in all things Nay these men are so farr from agreement amongst themselves that for ought that I know their mindes may alter with the Times and Seasons of which amongst many take but this one example One of their chief Generals viz. Master Baxter a little before the King came in doth publickly declare That a stinted Liturgy is in it self lawful nay in some things necessary And that if the Magistrate should impose and he could not otherwise be dispensed withall the Surplice though it were made a teaching sign the whiteness of it being to signifie Purity or should he also appoint kneeling at the Sacrament he would observe both And as for the Ring in Marriage the name and form of an Altar and Organs or other Instruments of Musick were they so enjoyn'd he should find no reason to scruple them Nor would he be wanting to the observation of our Church Holy-dayes Nor dare he peremptorily say that it is unlawful to use the Crosse in Baptism Nor will he condemn the Ancients and Moderns that use it nor will he make any disturbance in the Church about it Clinias and Demetas in Sydney protested to fight like Hectors and gave out as terrible Bravado's against each other as the stoutest Champion in the world each confiding in the cowardice of his Adversary like Sir Ambros de la Foole and Sir John in the Play And after this manner doth Baxter shew himself When there was no sign of Episcopall Government and he hoped that neither King Law nor It would ever be in force and authority again Then who but Baxter O how conformable would he be if the Ceremonies were but setled What great things would he do if these things were but up again But words are meer winde though they signifie something with an honest man Now that the King 's come over and the Church resetled none more against it than Baxter none more opposeth the peace of the Church than he none more violent against Authority not is there any man opposeth Decency more than this Proteus yet is this like the rest of his Faction who swear Allegiance and think they satisfie and fulfill their Oath by Rebellion As for these mens desire of Toleration I shall propose some Quaeries to them I. Whether supposing them to be Supreme they would allow the same Priviledge to the Episcopal Party If not Then II. With what face they can desire or demand it from the Superiours now in being to whom they will not grant the like favours If they say they would Then III. Why did they in 1642 1643 c. preach against oppose and deny such liberty to be given to the Episcopal and Royall Clergy If they say That they are since satisfy'd in the Contrary and that their opinions are grown more moderate Then IV. What reason have we to believe their Moderation to be reall since they all stand stifly for the Obligation of their Covenant in which they swear to extirpate Episcopacy which Opinion is still maintain'd by Crofton and others of that gang The truth is give once liberty to a Presbyterian and give it also to the Independent Anabaptist Quaker and the rest of the Sectaries for ought that I know one being as good English Christian as the other and this Liberty once granted in a few years 't will be an hard case to tell which is the Church of England neither party being subordinate to one another only here will be the difference The Episcopal party will be bound to be obedient to the Law and Canon but the other above both by which Supremacy the Authority of the Loyal Clergy will be null'd whilest the other by their Power and Liberty will have the best advantage to gain Proselytes and then 't is easily imagin'd what brave Elections there will be for Future Parliaments through the whole Kingdom But I suppose his Majesty having been sufficiently plagu'd by a Presbyterian Parliament will desire no more such Representatives which is impossible to be hinder'd if a Toleration once be granted for if from a very small beginning these sedulous Non-Conformists grew so head-strong numerous and powerful in a few years as not only to have a great party but even a Majority in Parliament in Queen Elizabeth's dayes we must needs expect their Faction and Authority now daily to encrease if Tolerated being already so numerous and having setled themselves in the Affections Families Churches and Interests not only in multitude of Gentry and other people of the Nation but of the Great ones too who have not only Power and Riches but it may be Will too to do mischief by propagating a Presbyterian Interest which in time may act as wickedly against the Son as in part they have already as they did formerly against his Royall Father 'T is not unknown how these Slanderers scandalize the Church of England with high Popery which for ought that I know they may by the by throw upon his Majesty too as a Favorite for thus 't is well known they abus'd his Royal Father of which at this time take but one example and this from the Heads both of the Laity and Ministry of this Gang. The Assembly of Divines for so were they call'd at Westminster and the Commissioners of the Kirk of Scotland drew up a Letter which was sent by Order of their Commons to the Belgick French Helvetian and other Reformed Churches beyond sea in which they do assure them brave that Subjects should complain to strangers of their King and nothing but slanders too that the King made it his sole business to root out the Protestant Religion and us'd all means possibly to reduce the whole Nation to Popery c.