committed they shall not be mentioned unto him They do best that doe avoyd the committing any thing worthy of shame but when any such thing is committed the next best is to acknowledge it and to be ashamed of it to the abhorring of it and themselves for it And where God hath any love to any people he will never leave them when they have committed 〈◊〉 â—…orious sins till he have brought them to an humble acknowledgement of them and to a true loathing of themselves for them and that is an act of his mercy by how many judgements soever it be effected as the longer that men hold off from it the more and the more severe judgements does God inflict till he have brought them to it as is easily collected from that twentieth of Ezech. and other scriptures But then there is another acknowledgement and shame of sinne which God brings upon men by way of vengeance which though the former be terrible enough is yet more terrible as having confusion alwayes attending it and there is no way for the avoiding either but a voluntary acknowledging of sin and taking the shame thereof to themselves before God scourge them to it or confound them by it T is a saying very often repeated in sacred writ in the closes of Gods denunâ—iations of judgements and 't is to be trembled at wheresoever 't is so mentioned Then shall they know c. or And they shall know c. Happy are they that know those things before they are so made to know them In the first place then be forewarned of the putting off the acknowledging your sinnes till God force you thereto by his judgements least whiles a foolish feare of shame fained to your selves by such an acknowledgement scare you from it and a terrible shame and confusion of faces caused by God for want of such an acknowledgement seize upon you to your unspeakable torment Oh but will too many reply would you have us now to acknowledge our selves guilty of Rebellion and of the Blood which hath been shea in the prosecution thereof and of all those other horrid crimes that have accompanied the same We have long since again and again charged those crimes upon the adverse party upon the King himself and all those that have taken part with him And if we should now take them upon our selves how would all â—enjeer at us and they of the other party insult over its Nay what would become of us and ours and all that we have Surely therefore now t is our best course to stand upon our own justication and to go on as hitherto we have done or else we are out in a miserable condition Thus when the Devil and Devilish men have tempted and seduced any to commit any foule notorious wickednesse the next thing they endeavour is to draw or carry them on therein as farre and as deep as possibly they can and if the sâ—ouced doe but begin to consider what they have done and how farre they have gone and so think of breaking off and returning from their wickednes then feare shame and dispaire are presently represented unto them to scare and hurry them on or at least to keep and â—â—sten them where they are When Zedâ—kiah King of Judah had disobeyed Gods word by the Prophet Jeremiah and began upon after thoughts to listen to what that Prophet had advised him presently feare and shame were presented to his fancy and by them was he scared off from hearkening to the Prophets counsaile And when all the people of Judah were admonished by the same Prophet to break off their Idolatry and their other iniquities and to return to the Lord and doe their duty and had so much told them to that purpose that they had nothing to say for themselves then despaire furnished them with this desperate answer There is no hope say they but we will â—â—lk after our own devices and we will every one doe the imagination of his evill heart But to answer more particularly to each part of this objection That many have charged both this Rebellion and all the blood that hath been spilt in the pursuance thereof upon the King and those faithfull subjects of his that adhered to him is too well known and t is pretty well known that this way of shifting off sinne from themselves to others is of all the many other wayes the most impudent and detestable I hat others perswaded them tempted them incited them scared them or forced them to commit such and such sins have been frequent excuses that we read of in severall sacred and other stories but this shifting off sin wholly from themselves when they know themselves fouly guilty and charging it upon others whom they known to be in that respect most innocent is never practised but by men of brazen faces Adamantine foreheads black tongues and blacker hearts And if God will bee a swift witnesse against any then surely against such as doe not onely bear false witnesse against but condemn the innocent and if he will plead the cause of any or execute judgement for them so as to being them forth to the light that they may behold his righteousnesse and others theirs then without all peradventure he will doe it for them that are so palpably and unjustly slandered and accused and have so just and cleare cause of appealing to his Justice for it But why â—tay I so long upon a recrimination so foolish and ridiculous as well as false and odious I dare appeale to the Consciences of them themselves that have so charged it as cauterised as they are for the unjustnesse of the charge If the Rebellion and Blood guiltinesse of this Nation I joyn them together because they that are guilty of the Rebellion are without all further dispute guilty of all the blood that hath been shed in it can be charged upon the King and his loyall Subjects why have not the other party all this while put it upon that issue and when they had the King as to our unspeakable griefe they have and the most of his loyall Subjects in their power why did they not legally charge them therewith and urge the Lawes and indite them I mean the Subjects though they blush not to talke of inditing the King himselfe by those laws and so proceed to tryall against them according to the laws of the Land the true and onely rules whereby Rebellion and Murther is to be tryed and judged here in this Nation Was it their mercy Why then have they waved that way of trying and judging those particular Persons of the Kings party upon whom they have exercised their power to the height of cruelty and proceeded against them onelyby Votes and Ordinances or by illegall Judges and unwarrantable Juries and other unheard of proces Or to bring the answer yet closer If the Rebellion and Blood guiltinesse of this Nation be to be charged upon the King and his loyall Subjects
why doe they of the other part that have shewn so much mercy to them despair of all security or at least distrust all the security that can be given them against the known established Laws of this Kingdome What need they any act of Indemnity or Oblivion What need they any Pardon from the King or any security against him or his party Let the King live and the Law run in her course might be their wish rather then any's But alas their Consciences tell them That if the King and his party should return to their own just power and rights again and the Laws of this Kingdome to their due force and vigor and they should be no more mercifull to them then they have been just to them or then the Laws are favourable to their courses they and theirs would indeed as they say be but in a miserable condition But whereas they from thence resolve That therfore surely 't is their best course to stand still upon their justification and to go on to the last as hitherto they have done That is but a deceitfull as well as an impious resolution Impious it is and that so hideously impious that I will spend no more breath in declaring the impiety of it then by telling you that this is despaire worse then Caines for when he had slain his brother and God had cold him of the cry of his brothers blood and what panishment he must suffer for it he did not resolve to go on in his shedding more bloods but the guilt of that blood which he had shed did so torment him that he was afraid that every one that should find him would shed his blood and therefore I know not with what desperate wicked resolution to match this unlesse it be with that of Judahs before mentioned though in other words and from another text when they returned this answer to the Prophet Jeremiah There is no hope No for I have loved strangers and after them will I goe And I may say of them that so resolve as the Prophet saith of those of Judah in the next words As the theife is ashamed when he is found c. so will they be ashamed when God shall in his inquisition for blood and other iniquities finde them out and bring them to shame they their Kings for they have set up many Kings for one their Princes their Priests their Prophets And for the deceitfulnesse of this resolution Doe but rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him not fearing thy selfe because of him who prospâ—reth in his way because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to passe c. and behold yet within a little whiâ—… the wicked shall not be Yea thou shalt diligently consider his place and it shall not be And though the wicked still plotteth against the just and gnasheth upon him with his teeth Yet the Lord shall laugh at him for he seeth that his day is comming And that sword which the wicked have drawn out to slay such as be of upright conversation shall enter into their own heart But I desire to forwarn and not to forejudge and therefore suffer a word of expostulation before I return you back this objection so answered as I desire it Why do any of you despaire of your safetie and securitie if you should now return to your obedience and dutie Doe you diâ—trust the mercy of the King The truth is your foule breach of Faith to him and your high Rebellion against him have been such as would provoke the meekest and most mercifull Prince that ever lived even Moses himselfe to excessive wrath and indignation Yea so farre was Moses provoked by a lesse Rebellion then this that he that had so often interceded with the Lord for that people when the Lord was ready to destroy them did in the heat of that Rebellion pray against them at least against the ring-leaders of them But what was sometimes said of the Kings of Israel in generall That they were mercifull Kings is most true of the present King of England in particular He is a mercifull King indeed few Kings ever matcht him for that grace It hath been made a great objection against him that he is too mercifull and this to be sure He hath been so mercifull all these merciless times through as well as formerly that the presuming upon his mercy above his enemies justice hath seâ—uced not a few that have professed themselves to be his friends to joyn with his enemies and they have not been ashamed to say that they would rather hazard their lives and all that they had upon the hope of his mercy then expose ought of theirs to the power of his adversaries And if the censure of his reall friends indeed as well as his pretending be not extremly out of the way King Charles his mercy hath been occasionally by others abusing it none of the least advantages to his Enemies for their bringing him and his to so much misery and yet for my part though it were so I verily believe he will be no looser by it in the end if he be not a saver by it already For the God of mercy will not nor hath not already let that mercy of his go unrewarded And for mercifulnesse hereafter Surely the mercies of God to him in his miseries and afflictions and the good which those afflictions and miseries sanctified unto him have wrought in him will not render him lesse mercifull then before but rather far more as having therein tasted so much of the sweet fruits of his former mercifâ—… O most pious and gracious Prince how hath he oftentimes wept for griefe at the folly and madnesse of his Subjects in these Rebellious times and how much more would he now weep for joy to see any of them acknowledge their folly and madnesse and to return to their wits and to their duties without doubt if that were done they should not need to crave or beg his Pardon He would prevent them by proclaiming it before they should aske it and like the Father of the Prodigall representing God the Father himselfe he would run to meet them if he saw them comming though afar off and weep on their necks before they could throw themselves at his feet yea and think no entertainment to deare for them though some of his other Sonnes that have all this while obeyed and served him should perchance murmure at it Ah my deare Country-men King Charles hath not left out of his prayers that petition of beseeching God to forgive him his trespasses as he forgives them that trespasse against him though too many of you have cast out that whole Prayer out of your Closets â—amilies and Churches and therefore doe not yee measure his Charity by your own uncharitablenesse What an injury is it to the Spirit of Grace in another for any to think that because I have been so wicked as to doe another so great wrong
well as expression of language of the most fluent and passionate of Orators I have heard it objected against a reverend and deare brother-sufferer in these times though without any just cause alledged that he ascends too high when he compares so many of our Kings sufferings with some of our Saviours which I am assured he did neither with the least intent of flattering his Majestie then in no condition to be flattered nor without all due feare of approaching neer the verge of Blasphemy then and ever so much abhorred by him but on the other side with all due honour to our blessed Saviours sufferings and with no small comfort to the King and to all that suffered with them that his sufferings were and are so conformable to them and he himselfe therein to his and our Saviours image And although I sleight the objection yet I shall avoid the occasion of having any such throwne in my way and because I may not without some scandall taken make use of any such comparison I shall not compare them at all with anie other sufferings there being none other that ever I have read or heard of that do in all respects match them Take them therefore in their bare narration thus Charles King of Great Britaine the first of that name the only surviving Son and the immediate successour to his royall Father King James to whom this whole Kingdome by their Representatives in Parliament after a large commemoration of the inestimable and unspeakable benefits as they truly called them powred upon this Nation by his becoming our King and after great and high expressions of joy and rejoying at the same not forgetting their thanks to Almighty God for that blessing as also after a modest repetition of that their Soveraignes personall gifts and graces and the assured fruits and effects thereof which they had tasted in that little time of his Government together with an humble and hearty profession of constant faith obedience and loyalty to his Majesty and to his Royall Progeny made this acknowledgement and promise in these very words We therefore your most humble and loyall Subjects the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and the Commons in this present Parliament assembled do from the bottome of our hearts yeeld to the diuine Majesty all humble thanks and praises not onely for the said unspeakable and inestimable benefits and blessings before-mentioned but also that he hath further inriched your Highnesse with a most Royall Progenie of most rare and excellent gifts and forwardnesse and in his goodnesse is like to increase the happy number of them And in most humble and lowly manner do beseech your most excellent Majesty that as a memoriall to all posterities amongst the Records of your high Court of Parliament for euer to endure of our Loyalty obedience and hearty and humble affection it may be published and declared in this high Court of Parliament and enacted by authority of the same that we being bounden thereunto both by the Lawes of God and man doe recognize and acknowledge and thereby expresse our unspeakable joyes that immediately upon the dissolution and decease of ELIZABETH late Quéen of England the Imperiall Crowne of the Realme of England and of all the Kingdomes Dominions Rights belonging to the same did by inherent birthright and lawfull and undoubted succession descend and come to your most excellent Majesty as being lineally justly and lawfully next and sole Heire of the Blood Royall of this Realme as is aforesaid And that by the goodnesse of Almighty God lawfull Right of Descent under one Imperiall Crown your Majesty is of the Realmes and Kingdomes of England Scotland France and Ireland the most potent and mighty King and by Gods goodnesse more able to protect and gouerne us your louing Subjects in all peace and plenty then any of your noble Progenitors And thereunto we most humbly and faithfully submit and oblige our selues our Heires and Posterities for euer untill the last drop of our bloods be spent And do beséech your Majesty to accept the same as the first fruits in this high Court of Parliament of our loyalty and faith to your Majesty and your Royall Progeny and Posterity for euer O the shamelesse degeneration and falsification of these times CHARLES to whom his Subjects each one for himself and in particular every Member of the House of Commons when he was admitted a Member of that House solemnly sware That he did testifie and declare in his conscience that he the Kings Highnesse is the onely supreme Gouernour of this Realm and of all other his Highnesse Dominions and Countries as well in all Spirituall or Ecclesiasticall things or Causes as Temporall c. And that he would beare Faith and true Allegiance to the Kings Highnesse his Heires and lawfull Successors and to his power assist defend all Iurisdictions Priuiledges Preheminences Authorities granted or belonging to the Kings Highnes His Heires and Successors c. as followes in the Oath of Supremacy as also againe in the Oath of Allegiance That he would beare Faith and true Allegiance to His Majesty his Heires and Successors and him and them would defend to the uttermost of his power against all conspiracies and attempts whatsoeuer which should be made against his or their Persons their Crowne and Dignity by reason or colour of any sentence of Excommunication or Depriuation made or granted by the Pope c. or otherwise and would do his best endeauour to disclose and make known unto His Majesty his Heires and Successors all Treasons and traiterous conspiracies which he should know or heare of to be against him or any of them Oh the damnable perjury of these times CHARLES whose Person Honour and Estate the same Members of the House of Commons did on May 3. 1641. in the prâ—sence of Almighty God promise vow and protest to maintain and defend as far as lawfully they might with their Lives Power and Estates according to their allegiance and that they would according to their Power and as far as lawfully they might oppose and by all good waies and meanes indeavour to bring to condigne punishment all such as should either by force practise counsell plots conspiraoâ—â—s or otherwise do any thing to the contrarie c. Which Protestation was afterwards recommended by the Vote of the House July 30. 1641. to be taken by everie person well affected in Religion and to the good of the Common-wealth and was accordingly taken by the most of the Kingdome Oh the multiplied perjurie and the sacrilegious breaking of Vowes Promises and Protestations perperated in these times CHARLES whose Supremacy and power over all Persons and in all causes within his Dominions the Subjects of this Kingdome have so many yeares acknowledged unto God in their praiers in their Publike Liturgie and in their praiers before their Sermons and for whom they have pretended to beg so manie mercies and blessings and to returne to God such hearty and solemne
and this whole Kingdome for so many yeares together and which must not be forgotten in the discharge of tâ—â— many naturall and civill bonds of Allegiance and for the performing of those many sacred and solemne vowes and oathes made to God for the strengthening those bonds have adheared unto and assisted his Majesty in the defence of the established Religion in the preservation of his sacred person Honour and dignity and in the maintainance of his just power rights and prerogatives together with their own and your just lawes liberties and properties How I say those faithfull and loyall Subjects of the King for their adhearing to and assisting of their King upon these grounds in these wayes and to these ends have beene reproached slandered plundered hunted up and down imprisoned sequestred banished sold as slaves and for slaves starved hanged and otherwise murthered their wives and children abused oppressed forced to live upon the charity of others or otherwise made weary of their lives are things so well known to your selves and to the world that if there be any thing that makes you to doubt of the charity of the Kings Party t is the consciousnesse of your owne Parties unchristian unexampled cruel barbarous in-sufferable and with any but God and them unpardonable dealing with them and theirs And therefore if any of you should come into their power and they should exercise that power upon you to their utmost of fury and vengeance they could not deale so ill with you as you have done with them except they should act over your owne Tragicall practises upon your selves and yet still they would come farre short of you because they should doe what they so did but by way of recompence where t is first deserved and they thereunto deeply provoked whereas you did it only in pure malice without any desert or provocation at all more then what your owne false feares and jealousies fained and fancied And if they should match your crueltie as farre as they were able and reward you according to your wayes and according to your doings which is Gods usual way of dealing with men when no other way will doe good on them As it would be most just with God so the most of men would be ready to justifie them in it and so should I if these two cautions or conditions were truly observed 1. If they had Gods command for it 2. And if they could doe it without intermixing their own revenge with it But because they have no assurance of the former and may be assured that they cannot observe the latter and therefore how glorious or just soever it is for God to use whomsoever he please as the executioners of his vengeance upon others yet t is but unhappy and uncomfortable for any to be made such instruments and executioners upon these and such like reasons I tremble to thinke of any such retaliation and I have many other reasons to assure me that they will abhorre to practise it For how ill soever you and your lying Prophets have voyced them or how deeply soever ye have reprobated and damned them the Kings party have to my knowledge been better instructed both from Christ and his Gospel and from those dispensers thereof which you for other ends forced unto them as also from their very sufferings which you without cause have loaded them withall They have beene taught to recompence to no man evill for evill they have beene taught that if they forgive not men their tresspasses neither will their father forgive them theirs They have been â—aught to forgive their brethren not till seven times but till seventy times seuen They have been taught that how highly soever their fellow servants have sinned against them yet in respect of their sinning against their own Lord and and theâ—…s t is not so much as the debt or dammage of an hundred pence to ten thousand talents and therefore as they hope to be forgiven of their Lord their trespasses so can they from their hearts â—orgive their fellow servants and brethren their trespasses In a word They have beene taught to love their enemies to blesse those that curse thâ—m to doe good to those that hate them and to pray for those which deâ—pitefully use them and persecute them Thus hath their Master and his Ministers taught them whilst your Masters and their and your new teacâ—ers have corrupted and perverted severall Texts of Scripture to in-courage you in blood and crueltie As 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof becauâ—e the◠〈…〉 Cursed be he that keepeth back his sword 〈…〉 your selves to day to the Lord every man upon 〈…〉 his brother Rase it Rase it even to the foundation 〈…〉 translation reade the words Down with it â—owne with 〈…〉 to the ground c. And happy shall he be that tâ—…th and dash to thy little ones against the stones Neither have the sufferings of the Kings party taught them any other lesson For knowing what a double blessing is pronounced and a manifold reward is promised to such sufferers as they have beene As blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousnesse sake for theirs is the kingdome of heaven and againe Blessed are yee when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evill against you falsly for my sake Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you They would not part from their clayme to that blessing and their interests in that reward and so loose the honour and comfort of all their sufferings by seeking revenge on their revilers and persecutors for ten thousand times more than you or your estates could advantage them This I know to be the resolution of some of that party and I have good cause to beleeve it will be the practise of very many for they could never have suffered so much and so chearfully had not these and the like principles of Grace beene in them And therefore it may well be hoped that he that hath layde such a foundation in them will perfect the building and he that hath begun so good a worke in them will performe and finish it untill the day of Jesus Christ And for the rest of that party whom ye most feare t is wisdome to feare them so much as not to exasperate them more Yet thus farre I dare undertake for them were my undertaking worthy of your notice taking That were you in their power as many of them have beene in yours you should finde the most prophane and rude among them lesse cruell in their cruelties they and their fellows afore have found than many of your pretending Saints and holy ones in those which they call their mercies but the fault is your owne if you runne your selves upon any such hazard For make your peace with God and he will make your enemies to be at peace with you and returne
thanks and praise Oh the abominable juggling with God and mocking of him and lying to him discovered in these times CHARLES the Defender of our Faith the Protector and Patron of our Religion the Nursing father of our Church and Common-weale the light of our eyes the breath of our Nostrills of whom we said as the people of Judah did of Josiah under his shadow wee shall live yea of whom we must confesse that we did live under his shadow for manie yeares together and might have done to this instant had we not run from the Olive tree to a Bramble Bush in that peace and tranquillity in that honour and renowne in that abundance of wealth and plenty of all things that could render us happy save grace to know it and be thankfull to God and him for it that never any people enjoyed greater if anie so great Oh the sordid ingratitude of these times CHARLES not the RELIGIOUS onely or the JUST or the MERCIFULL or the CHARITABLE or the VALIANT or the WISE or the TEMPERATE or the CHAST or the COURTEOUS or the LOVING or the MEEK or the HUMBLE but all these and a compendium of all other graces and virtues and they in such supereminency as that it hath been thought an eternall honor to other Princes to deserve the title of but one such to adorn their other glories and perpetuate their memories O the prodigious wickednesse and impiety of these times This verie CHARLES Be astonished O ye Heavens and stand amazed all ye Nations of the earth This verie KING CHARLES by his owne Subjects by his own Servants by his own professed Friends by his own great Counsell called by his Writ to advise with him and authorised by his power alone to sit in Parliament with him hath been driven from his great Councell forced to flie from one part of his Kingdom to another hunted like a Partridge on the mountaines pursued with Armies fought with in sundrie battailes struck at and shot at with all the force and malice that hands and hearts strenthened and incouraged with rage and furie and compleatly furnished with all the bloodie instruments of Warre could possibly lay on betrayed sold hurried from Prison to Prison separated from his dearest Consort and Children â—…cked scorned contemned railed on libelled in Pamphlets Hâ—es and Cries Votes Declarations Sermons Prayers and robbed of all his revenues plate jewels and regall ornaments deprived of verie necessaries both of food and raiment Gush out O teares or break O heart for I am not able to go on till my head or heart hath given one the other some ease This verie King Charles hath been at the last after all these and many other barbarous cruelties practised on him thrust into close Prison denied the comfort of any Chaplaine the attendance of any other servant and the accesse of anie faithfull Subject treated worse then anie villain or murderer assayed by villaines to be murthered and to incourage them thereunto Votes have been passed in both Houses for no further addresses to be made to him and no message to be received from him but he adjudged unfit to governe And why I beseech you why this King Charles will not break his oath solemnly taken at his Coronation he will not consent to Sacriledge he will not yeild unto a toleration of Poperie and of all other Heresies and Schisms under the title of Libertie of Conscience he will not part from all his power of punishing those that do wickedly and of protecting those that do righteously upon that pretence of setling the Militia in safe hands he will not suffer an Armie of 50. or 60. thousand under that name Militia to be kept and quartered in this Kingdom for the oppressing of himselfe his Posteritie and his Subjects he will not grant Libertie to those Houses to sit where they please who have alreadie so ill requited his former grant of sitting as long as they please least they and their Armie should keep house together and when the Citie will no longer endure them the Countrie be forced to beare them or break under them he will not indure compeeres and copartners with himselfe in his Royall Throne Rights and Prerogatives under the name of a standing Committee or States Commissioners he will not deliver up his Loyall Subjects and faithfull friends and servants to the mercilesse cruelties of his and their implacable enemies and in a word he will not betray that trust that God hath committed to him and that his Subjects repose in him These must be confessed when mens consciences are awakened to be the principal causes so far as concerns the provoking of men why this so supereminently Gracious King hath and doth yet suffer such inexpressibly grievous persecutions And amongst all these causes his not yeilding to a toleration of Poperie other Heresies and Shisms is none of the least provoking as may well be thought if the reflecting upon the principall contrivers and continuers of his Majesties and this Kingdomes miseries hath that inpression in our thoughts that it ought to have for what else can it be that should render so religious and virtuous a Prince so distastefull and hatefull not only to all Hereticks and Shismaticks here at home which everie one knowes but also to all or the most Jesuites and Priests beyond the Seas which is sufficiently known to those men of Honour and worth that have lived among them there being no man more distasted and hated of those of that stampe then the persecuted King of England And if those Kingkiâ—lers can but prevaile with their fellow Jesuites the furious Sectaries of these times as they have throughly prepared them for it to take away his precious life to be sure it shall be suddenly done for no man lies long under their hatred that they can possibly remove out of the way And what a justification would this be to all their assassinations what a satisfaction to their desires what a staine and wound to the Protestant Religion and what an advantagious service to the Romish and what vengeance of vengeances must it needs pull upon this whole Nation that have had so often and so loud warnings of it and do not as by severall oaths and manie other bonds they are obliged hazard their owne lives to prevent it but still contribute towards it by assisting those that contrive and complot it It is recorded of Josiah one of the best Kings of Judah that being taken in the pits of the Aegyptians as Jeremies phrase is and slaine by them both the Prophet Jeremiah lamented for him and all Judah even the singing men and the singing women spake of him in their lamentations for a long time after his death and they made them an Ordinance in Israel it seems the remaines of Israel joyned with Judah in that mourning for the lamenting of him And this was such a great mourning that the Spirit of God speakes of the greatnesse of it many yeares after
against the Crowne and Life of their King against the Power and Priviledges of Parliaments against the Rights and Properties of the Subjects against the Justice and Equitie of the Lawes yea and against the very Orders Degrees of Men and how farre they had proceeded in all these insomuch that besides their former Oathes and Protestations taken for the opposing of such and bringing them to condigne punishment they did very lately professe and declare for the generalitie of them upon all occasions and in all meetings an universall abhorring and detesting of that very Armie and their adherents with all their cursed wayes and courses They O what a be witching stupilying Devill is the Spirit of Rebellion they have listed themselves in the same Armie fought for them and with them in the same encounters run on with them in the same madnesse and given up themselves to them as their slavés and vassals And therefore O my soule come not thou into their secrets unto their assembly mine honour be not thou united Give them shame for their honour and let them that have bin so false to their owne King and Kingdome to their inexpressible Dammages if not Ruine be removed into other Kingdomes for their hurt to be a Reproach and a Proverb a Taunt and a Curse in all places whither they shall be driven The Lord of his mercie give you grace to prevent this sad Curse from your neighbouring and other Counties as also your Kings sore displeasure and Gods heavie indignation before mentioned and all by a speedie returning to God and your dutie and doing those things which belong to your peace honour and safetie and to the peace honour and safetie of the persecuted Protestant Religion your oppressed King and this otherwise perishing Kingdome I know there are very many amongst you in this Countie of very much Religion and Loyaltie Honour and Honestie O that God would but give you that Spirit and Courage which is required in the exercising of those excellent indowments and without which those excellencies will be of little benefit to others or comfort to your selves nay they will aggravate your shame here and your confusion hereafter For your poore countrey-men will say as many of them have alreadie said If such and such had in due time shewne themselves to be what they seemed and wee thought them wee had shewne our selves to have bin other then what we are now thought and are And you know to whom God gives most of them he requires most and it will be lesse tolerable in the Day of Judgement for those that knew their Masters will and did it not and had their Masters favour and made no good use of it to his service then for others therefore stirre up these graces in you and improve them to your Lords best advantage And truly I doe not despaire of many others of you that doe now walke or rather run in most desperate wayes and courses But if you shall goe on let me tell you what further Curses and Judgements doe yet threaten and hang over you All the bloud as I before intimated that shall be shed by this your ingagement by whomsoever it be shed will be justly charged upon you and the Cryes and Curses of the Widowes and Fatherlesse made so by your folly and madnesse and of the Fathers and Mothers made Child-lesse will crie loud in the eares of God against you Woe unto that bloudie Countie will such and such and such a poore Widow say for had it not bin for them I had not bin now bereft of my deare Husband nor my poore Infants of their deare Father Cursed be that Rebellious Countie will such and such and such a poore Fatherlesse Child say for had it not bin for them my honoured and tenderly loving Father that had escaped the Sword all these sad Warres through till then had then returned home in peace to my disconsolate Mother and me and wee had had peace ere this in all our borders For ever detested be that pernicious Countie of Suffolke will such and such and such Parents say for had not their Swords made us Childlesse wee had now enjoyed those sweet Pledges of our Loves and Comforts of our Age which now wee are deprived of O let not the seditious Countie of Suffolke will Men Women and Children say be named amongst the other Counties of this Kingdome but with some brand of infamie and dishonour for had it not bin for them our Swords had ere this bin turned into Sythes and Sickles and our Speares into Rakes and Forkes and we had bin reaping and gathering in our Corne and our Hay and our other fruits of the earth with joy and gladnesse and refreshing and solacing our selves therewith in rest and quietnesse whereas now our troubles feares are increased and we see little hopes of reaping ought but the accursed fruits of their and our owne wicked doings or if we should we have lesse hope of enjoying it but that others will eat it up and devoure it Reward thou them therefore O Lord as they have served us 'T is true none ought thus to imprecate vengeance on you but to pray for you which have thus despightfully used them and theirs but if in the bitternesse of their soules such Curses or Complaints to God against you shall fall from them and God shall not suffer them to fall to the ground he himselfe having denounced such Curses upon such practises and you by yours so justly deserving them poore soules what can ye plead for your selves or who will regard your plea Againe as it is to be feared that some will deliver ye up to God for his avenging their sufferings and wrongs on you and yours so it is not to be slighted what others may doe in prosecuting their owne revenge on you for how may every Countie of this Kingdome be inraged against you when they shall see that you thus desert them in all their endeavours and labours for Peace and Truth and joyne with those that are the vowed enemies of both Who knowes whether all the other Counties may not like those other Tribes of Israel when the Tribe of Benjamin struck in with those sonnes of Belâ—al that had abused the poore Levits Concubine and refused to deliver them up to Justice when their Brethren demanded them Judg. 20. arise 〈◊〉 one man and come against you to battasle And though perhaps like those Benjamites you give them a foyle or two at the first yet at the last being the more incensed smite you with the edge of the Sword at well the men of every Village as the beast and all that come to hand and set on fire all your habitations that they come to The like sinnes in Israel and England have beene often and often punished with the like punishments In the next place thinke of the evill that is comming to you though we hope it will be to the good and peace and happinesse of this whole Nation
Famine upon you will be ashamed of their lying Visions and Prophesies and either flye the Land or if any of them shall prophesie in it their owne fathers and their mothers that begat them may say unto them ye shall not live c. as ye may reade their doome Zech. 13. and then the true Prophets may receive some honour againe then perhaps those loyall Subjects that are now branded with the names of Malignants may once againe be thought worthy of better Titles and those now stiled the well-affected may appeare to be what they are the most pernicious of Rebels Then the Saints of these times may be discovered to be little better then Devils and those now blasted with the epithites of Popish and Popishly affected may approve themselves the most Religious Protestant Christians Then Peace it selfe may be as amiable and desirable as 't is now hatefull and contemptible and then he that deales thus faithfully and freely with you in telling you of your sinnes and fore-warning you of these miseries will be thought as honest and conscientious as he is now deemed by some impudent and presumpâ—uous But my earnest and constant prayer to God for you my bewayled Countreymen shall be this That God would be pleased in mercie so to open your eyes eares hearts to see heare and understand all those things and whatsoever else belongs to your Peace and Salvation that you may by a speedie repenting of your sinnes and returning to your dutie prevent and avoid the dreadfull remaines of Gods Judgements further threatned and get those alreadie inflicted suddenly removed Without repentance it is impossible that any thing which ye doe should be accepted much more impossible is it that ought which ye suffer should be removed for Gods Judgements shall accomplish their end for which God sends them either conversion or confusion A removall there may be and often is of this or that particular Judgement where the sinnes that caused it are not repented of but if God intend mercie to such other Judgements or Chastisements are inflicted and they are by them brought to repentance or else the removall of Judgements is a sore Judgement and the assured fore-runner of destruction as might be at large shewne if need were What other way soever therefore ye think to take you will finde your selves as hitherto ye have farre out of the way of obtaining what you desire and expect if your desires and expectation be such as beseeme Christians and if ye doe get out of one fire as the Prophet Ezekiel expresseth it another fire shall devoure you But if ye shall repent and turne to the Lord and doe that which is just and right be sure the Lord will both accept you and what ye doe and forgive what ye have done amisse and with-hold no good thing from you that may conduce to the healing either of you or the Land wherein ye live as I shall be readie further to demonstrate to any that shall require it Be intreated therefore my deepely afflicted and of me most compassionately affected Countreymen as ye love either your Religion your King your Countrey your Honour your owne comforts or the comforts of any of yours your preservation in this world or your salvation in the world to come O be intreated to remember and practise what I in the first place recommended to you and doe now againe in the last place by the bowels and mercies of Christ Jesus beg of you Repent Repent And if any of you do distrust or doubt of the Kings pardon and acceptance of you or of your fellow Subjects firm and loving reconciliation with you If that which I have said to that purpose doe not sufficiently satisfie you be pleased to imploy me if ye have no other servant more fit worthy for ye have none more affectionate and faithfull in that service for you and I shall either lose my life in procuring of it or resign it up willingly into your hands to be disposed of at your pleasure if I doe not bring you an ingagement under hand and Seale from all those men of Honour and worth either now in Colchestor or in the Northerne Army for their undertaking to stand between you all suffering for whatever is past either from or by the King or any of his partie and to live and dye with you and for you in defending you against all the malice power of his their and your Enemies And besides this if you please to honour me with that trust I doubt not but his Highnesse the Prince of great Britain will favour me with so much accesse as to receive by my hands any reasonable Propositions for the giving you his assurance of mediation to his Royall Father and protection till his Royall Father can grant you what you shall for the further assurance of your own peace and securitie reasonably desire and to returne by the same or other hands of more honour that his assurance under his own hand Seale This I presume not out of any favour that I have deserved from his Highnesse but out of my knowledge and experience of his Highnesse deep sense compassion of this Kingdomes unhappie unnaturall divisions disractions his religious proâ—enesse readinesse to imbrace all oportunities of composing and quieting them and his unpaâ—alell'd graciousnesse and goodnesse in forgetting former wrongs and in incouraging to future duties I had much more to have written but I feared that my enlarging this warning might render the time of presenting it lesse seasonable and the particulars themselves so presented lesse acceptable and successefull And for that which I have written I shall be ready through Gods inabling me further to confirme by my Pen against all gain-sayers and if there be cause to seale with my bloud against all opposers If ought of circumstance hath slipt from me that shall be thought by any sober Christian either too plain or too bold let that partie consider that he that speakes to men in a deep and almost a dead sleep must not only speak plaiâ— but cry aloud and spare not lifting up his viyce like a trumpet And he that will shew a people their transgressions and their sins must call each sin and transgression by its proper name and doe his uâ—… most to set it forth in its own colours A reprover to an impudent and rebellious generation had need to besâ—ech God to make his face strong against their faces and his forehead strong against their foreheads And if that considered there shall still remaine ought that may seeme to any such unbeseeming or uncharitable I shall upon information thereof humbly beg pardon for it both of God and that man how meane soever whom it shall offend I know 〈…〉 the changer of appearing in thâ—… these parts especially and I could as easily have avoided 〈…〉 otherwise given ample testimony of my dutie and of my â—onseâ— enciousnesse to perform it in spight