Petitions yet wee humbly desire this honourable House to passe by all provocations herein and to measure their respects to this famous City not according to some few weaknesses which through some powerfull insinuations may surprize the same but to the constant setled and resolved practises of the Inhabitants thereof of which wee are confident there are many thousands that are still ready to sacrifice themselves to the service of the Parliament the onely means under the Almighty to preserve both us and our posteritie from slavery and misery You have done with your Remonstrance but have you understood what you have done Let us propound two or three Queries First is it proper for one single Corporation to Remonstrate to the people their grievances or indeed rather complaints against the Parliament do you not know the nature the majesty the power of a Parliament do Londons Magistracy no better understand the Parliaments Authority are you become the primary pattern and popular example to all the Kingdome of an unparalleld Remonstrance are you the chiefe Magistracy of London and give such a president We say no more but make this use of it that wisdome and weaknesse may have their habitation yea sometimes the latter may be predominant even among wise and religious Rulers Secondly did the Commons of London give you authoritie in their name to do that which is not at all within their Charter if you act as Subjects you act for your own persons and you have liberty of your selves so to doe standing or falling to your own perill but if you act in the name of the Citie whom you represent know your bounds looke to your rule the Citie collective never gave you further authority then to act within your spheare the Citie Charter and if you doe otherwise upon your perill be it they 'l not stand by you Thirdly who were the chiefe promoters hereof doubtlesse Royalists to give it out in the softest language the stile the dialect the matter doe not these insinuate prerogatives advance not a word throughout for punishing Malignants for requiring justice against Delinquents a main article of our solemn League and Covenant men would think that doubtlesse some of the old Patentees or men that builds their houses by the subjects bondage were the chiefe framers of this Remonstrance Surely if that heart was right for the Parliament that framed this Remonstrance he hath an unhappy hand that transcrib'd his thoughts in so strange a dialect for the truth is if this Remonstrance had not been presented by the City of London our after-ages would ever have knowne it by the black Character of the Malignant Remonstrance it is not to be doubted but the Citie though well affected may be overtaken in an act unworthy for even Parliaments have slipt for they are but men and therefore it is this one act and not the persons are here found fault withall But now to come to the last generall head we desire this honorable City seriously to consider what are the dangerous tendencies and effects of such kinde of Remonstrances and that in few particulars very briefly for wee are unwilling to harpe too much upon this unpleasant string First it tends to the manifest grieving of the hearts of our faithfull Parliament who for our sakes have suffered more base affronts injuries and losses then ever any Parliament did before them Have we not often acknowledged them againe and againe to be the onely means under God of all the peace and liberties estates and comforts that we doe enjoy suppose their failings appear before us have we never a garment to cover their nakednesse but Ham-like wee call for the eyes of brethren and fellow-subjects to behold the same was it not of God that the Parliament and London were joyn'd together hand in hand and heart in heart and whence is it that this knot begins to be loosned have they not brought us through the mercy of God to the sight of our Inheritance our liberties and freedomes our Land flowing with milke and honey shall wee now begin to murmure against our deliverers is it not likely that God for this should bring us back againe into the troublesome wildernesse more warres and the bitter bitter effects thereof the clouds condense thicken again let us not grieve our God and our friends the Parliaments faithfulnesse God will not forget and our unthankfulnesse he will not put up Secondly Consider whether such kinde of Remonstrances as these doe not weaken the Parliaments strength coâ—fident wee are how ever London comes thus to be deluded which cannot but be the amazâ—ment of the Kingdome that the first originall of this Remonstrance must needs be bred in a Malignants brest such complaints for the peoples view such pâ—titions to suppresse the Parliaments friends to remove faithfull valiant untamperable and succesfull Officers from places of trust to take away those waies and means whereby monies are procured to maintain the warres against the common enemy to presse them in all haste to the payment of their debts what are all these but the direct desires of the Parliaments enemies and doe not all these things weaken the Parliaments strength Thirdly Consider how this doth rejoyce the Malignants hearts observe their faces their discourses look into the prisons where Malignants are what is their dialect all will be well the day is ours the times face about round-heads must fall this Parliament must down the City declines them their armies must presently be disbanded the Kings friends exalted their services rewarded all things work well the City Remonstrance speaks our minds it strikes at the root of the round heads prosperity wee see now how the game goes Fourthly consider the probable tendency of this Remonstrance in the opinion and judgement of the most considerable both of the Parliaments friends and enemies the feare of the one sort the expectation of the other and that is implaine termes the disbanding of our Armies the discouraging of our friends the utter disenabling of the Parliament against any adversaries either foreine or domestick that shall appear against them the advancing of prerogative and arbitrary power the exalting of all those bloudy oppressors that in all these wars have sought our ruine Do not say these are the irrationall notions of a melancholy minde the groundlesse conceits of a crazie brain no certainly that kind of reason that draws naturall conclusions from undoubted premises or which judgeth of the proper effects from proper causes steers the judgement in these assertions let your own reason decide the matter if the Parliament should be disabled in their Armies in their monies in their friends as the granting of your petition would quickly effect what would hinder the things wee affirme take away the Parliaments strength and then the promise of setling the Militia to your hearts desire would secure you from slavery as the setling of Presbytery would preserve you from Popery but the word of a King and the faith of a
not pledg'd a health of the waters of forgetfulnesse to his Majesties successe in his Prerogative designes look back a little to former times surely it was not in the former age that you have or at least seem to forget how his majesty hath writ to his Parliament sometimes calling them his Parliament of England sitting at Westminster suddainly after in his printed Declarations the pretended Houses anon after his Parliament at Westminster within a while after Rebels Traitours men that seek the ruine of him and his and as for London is it not notoriously known how he hath call'd it that rebellious City prohibiting all trading with it throughout his quarters endeavouring the utter ruine and spoile of it how many times hath he offered the spoyles of London as the wages of those who would help him on in his designe which his soule so longs for How many stories to this purpose may you read in a late Book called Truth its Manifest which as some say calls a Scotch brother the father thereof which affirmes that once he viz. the King plotted with his Army which he raised against the Scots to come and destroy the Parliament of England and to take the spoyle of London for their reward p. 17. line ult and after that tempts the Scots to comply with him in his designed worke and offers unto them for recompence not only the spoyle of London but also the foure Counties neare adjacent unto their Countrey to be adjoyned hereafter to it c. pag. the eighteenth line 4. and can a Court Complement so strangely intoxicate the chief City of the Kingdome of England as now to be ensnared and entangled thereby But you will say we have now deeds as well as words his Majesty is come to our Parliaments Quarters hath committed himself to our own Armies is in safe Custody with our faithfull friends our Scotch Brethren This must be premised that we will not question the love and faithfulnesse truth and integrity of our Scotch Brethren for although First seldome ever any Nation came in to the help of this Kingdome in its necessity against the Enemies thereof that did willingly depart the same upon termes of love amity and friendship the milk and honey of this Land of Canaan I meane the riches and treasures thereof being a snare upon them and although Secondly we have been often upbraided by the malignant party formerly vext at the Scots forwardnesse to help the Parliament that we should boast of their love when they departed from us and that they would at last prove our deare Brethren indeed and although Thirdly further jealousies are still fomented by the common people from severall passages from our Scotch Brethren as the continuall rumour of their keeping our English garrisons in their own hands sore abuses of the English people by the Scotch souldiers the keeping back of Ashburnham and the escape of Hudson from the Scots hands the encreasing rumor of many Scots come into the Kingdom whether true or false we know not with severall notions of this nature although these are jealousies of the fearfull people yet can we hardly suppose that our deare Brethren after so many Protestations of their brotherly love such an obligation by so sacred and solemne a Covenant such a profession of piety and holinesse such zeale for a blessed reformation that after all this they should prove our enemies false deceitfull self-seekers making Religion and zeale of reformation a meere pretence for base designes no doubtlesse they very well know that that God which hath beaten the prophanenesse of this Kingdome with rods will scourge such hypocrisie with Scorpions that they will then prove the first-borne of abominations both to God and man the scorne and odium of all Nations wee are full of hopes that it cannot stand with many things wee have seene in them therefore this premised though we doe not question our Scots brethrens love and respects to the Parliament yet have wee the same reason to thinke so well of his Majesties love as of the Scots Let our reasons and judgements give an answer to this question Had his Majesty no fine designe in this was he as cordiall to the Kingdomes good as wee hope our Brethren are If so why then doth he not give present order to all his Garrisons in all the Kingdome for their present surrender unto the Parliaments Forces as he did to the enemy in Scotland without any conditions You will say He hath done so We answer Not so absolutely but upon honorable termes and what is this more then a delusion a casting a mist to amaze the the people What meanes he by honorable terms There is no doubt but that all the Garrisons in his Majesties quarters might long before this have been surrendred the warres concluded and all ended upon that which his Majesty calls honorable terms doe not his poore subjects still lie a bleeding If his Majesty be so cordiall to the Kingdomes peace how is it that the Malignants every where and our profest enemies in the Kings Garrisons rejoyce hereat wil not surrender stand upon their terms professing themselves in a better capacity to keep and maintain his Majesties cause against the Parliament then ever they were in since the New Modell began Can his Majesties going to the Scots all things considered be so full satisfaction to reasonable men of his reall intentions for the Parliaments cause Hath he not addrest himself by many attempts secret insinuations frequent tamperings to Danes Dutch French Irish English to Papists Prelats Protestants Independents Presbyterians to accomplish his designe What stone hath he left unturned what means unattempted to promote the same Doe not you think his coming to the Scotch Army was a new design a last cast one game more which if it miscarry all is lost Alas alas what security doth his Majesty give you more then his word And is this so forcing in Londons eyes Doe you hear of any reall remorse upon his heart any relentings for the innocent bloud that hath been spilt by his meanes Have you any hear-say of his personall reformations What 's become of Londons reason Had you not as good words concerning the bleeding condition of his distressed subjects and his hearty endeavours for the peace of the Kingdome in the midst of his hottest violence against the Parliament as he hath given you now Call to mind your former experiences the several transactions in the Scottish Irish and English warres have not the deepest designes and fairest words the most desperate and horrible actions and the most zealous professions deepest imprecations and strange protestations been alwayes discovered at the same time Shall London now be charm'd by these into its own misery perpetuall slavery and utter undoing as most undoubtedly the truth will be if Englands Parliament should now be discouraged Shall London that hath stood out so nobly been a speciall instrument in the Parliaments hands to save the Kingdome spent so much treasure
favourite will be all your security for the one and the other is this a time to weaken the Parliament is there no fear of incursions from a foreine adversary hath not the French the sword in his hand do we not know that the Quondam factors for Englands misery and those that almost had ruin'd the Kingdome have been tampering there for the old designe is there no feare of incursions from Ireland are not they as ready to advance prerogative as ever they were is our own nation setled in peace is not every County almost disturbed and a party appearing upon any advantage in prerogatives quarrell We say no more we have discharged our Consciences it is not disrespect to authority but conscience of duty not contembt of Magistracy but love to the City not private interest but publick good which was the reall cause of what we have written if London must tast of that cup of trembling with the rest of the Kingdome it will be bitter indeed when this will be minded that Londons folly is Londons misery that God sent Saviours for London and would deliver it they would not be delivered but rejected the means of their own good would none of his mercies despised his counsells discouraged his people did shut their eyes against as glorious visions of kindnesse and goodnesse as ever was seen in all the world Moses and Aaron Josuah and Gideon were not instruments of more glorious victories for Israel of old then those deliverers whom God sent London have been of late the despifing whereof may bring down wrath but God will finde a way to save his people In the last place consider this for the conclusion of all which might rather have been a Preface It is the great unhappinesse of well meaning and plain hearted men to be still made instrumentall to the masked and disguised designes and to have their innocency imposed upon by the craft and practise of those that dare not owne their owne endeavours lest they should alarum those whom they would deceive and hinder the concurrence of those multitudes without which their ultimate end cannot be attained There were two hundred in Jerusalem that never wished ill to David went along with Absolom in the simplicity of their spirits knowing nothing who yet gave the beginning to that horrid Rebellion in which he endeavoured to dethrone his Father and deprive him of life who severall wayes gave him his which practise with the parellel in hand although it be so ordinary as a Designe can hardly be instanced that must be acted openly that hath not first obtained credit by the patronage of abused simplicity appearing in it yet it still takes as often as it is attempted like Stratagems military where those of curious contrivance are many times abortive Those that are every day practised doe notwithstanding every day take effect For the sake of such as are so abused it were a work worth the charity and labour of a free leasure and an able pen to undeceive the world in this particular to set open the windowes of this dark Cabinet to discover the Methods of these impostors to let simple integrity see how these approches are made upon it and to unlock those cyphers in which unknown to themselves they maintain a dangerous intelligence correspondence with their enemies In which imployment if some happy Genius had before this time disposed it selfe it might have proved an Antidote to this spreading plague and might have prevented the birth of that Mulate conception which now calls it selfe the Remonstrance of the Common Councell of the Citie of London For it cannot be imagined that so many honest pious men as the major part of that Councel are known to be who have hitherto shewed themselves in all these troubles so faithfully devoted to serve the interest of free-born English-men in adhering to defending the Parliament of England should now be brought by putting forth pressing this Remonstrance to serve the implicate designes of a triple if not quadruple faction were not they deceived abused by the finenesseand artifice of these Impostors wooing them from their duty and into ruine under specious and pious pretences themselves the while propounding severall ends though agreeing in one common the destruction of the liberty and freedome of the English Nation though in severall and differing degnees And although the times will not now presently beare such an opening this mystery of Iniquity as might convince those whose malignity prejudice or perhaps good opinion of some promoting it have seald their eyes and muffled their own understandings yet those whose confidence hath been abused and whose facile dispositions carried down in the generall crowd or whose piety taken with the specious shew of Reformation Uniformity are desired seriously and maturely to weigh these few lines by way of Animadversion upon that Remonstrance untill the times shall give leave to one more compleat and we doubt not but such as shall remember their covenant to maintain the priviledges of Parliament and continue stil in a sense of duty to it which God hath thus far honored owned carried on in delivering the Kingdome from the attempts of tyranny which in probability by the concurrence of the same blessing they are like to effect if it be not hindered and endangered will be so far satisfied thereby as to esteem it as little for their reputation in this civill Schisme as in that religious to be called Remonstrants A Forme of Thanks-giving used by the Church of Scotland for their deliverance from the French by the English Anno 1575. NOw Lord seeing that we enjoy comfort both in body and spirit by reason of this quietnesse of thy mercy granted unto us after our most desperate troubles in the which we appeared utterly to have been overwhelmed we praise and glorifie thy mercy and goodnesse who pitiously looked upon us when we in our owne selves were utterly confounded But seeing O Lord that to receive benefits at thy hands and not to be thankfull for the fame is nothing else but a seale against us in the day of judgement we most humbly beseech thee to grant unto us hearts so mindfull of the calamities past that we continually may feare to provoke thy justice to punish us with the like or worse plagues And seeing that when we by our own power were altogether unable to have freed our selves from the tyranny of strangers and from the bondage and thraldome pretended against us thou of thine especiall goodnesse didst move the hearts of our neighbours of whom we had deserved no such favour to take upon them the common burthen with us and for our deliverance not onely to spend the lives of many but also to hazard the estate and tranquillity of their Realme and Common-wealth Grant unto us O Lord that with such reverence we may remember thy benefits received that after this in our default we never enter into hostility against the Realme and Nation of England Suffer us never O Lord to fall to that ingratitude and detestable unthankfulnesse that we shall seek the destruction and death of those whom thou hast made instruments to deliver us from the tyranny of mercilesse strangers Dissipate thou the counsels of such as deceitfully travell to stirre the hearts of the Inhabitants of either Realme against the other Let their malicious practices be their owne confusion and grant thou of thy mercy that love concord and tranquillity may continue and encrease amongst the Inhabitants of this I le even to the comming of the Lord. Jesus Christ by whose glorious Evangel thou of thy mercy dost call us both to unity peace and Christian concord The full perfection whereof we shall possesse in the fulnesse of thy Kingdome when all offences shall be removed iniquity shall be suppressed and thy chosen children be fully endued with that perfect glory in the which now our Lord. Jesus Christ reigneth To whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour praise and glory now and ever So be it FINIS