doctrine both in regard of God Christ the Word and Faith Oh let your Honours who Minibus pedibusque contend for the glory of Goâ—… the honour of Christ the purity and perfection of the Scriptures the common Faith and pure profession of the Gospel continue to be one in weakning the power of Antichrist by denying him all priviledge and power and his doctrine all favour freedom or friendship amongst us And thus your Honours see Wherein you should be one to wit In relieving the oppressed in punishing the wicked in fast rooting and re-establishing of Religion in taking away of all offensive Ceremonies and in rooting out and removing from us as much as in you lyes all errors heresies schismes superstitions idolatry and popery But it may be some will say That as Aristotle sets out a happy man Tully an Orator Plato a Common-wealth the Italian his Courtier but could never finde any such as they described so I have portrayed such an Union and Unanimity as can scarce ever be found or probably be hoped for or exspected in so great an Assembly But let not this be any bridle to keep you back but rather a spur to prick you forward to an earnest desire and endeavour thereof remembring 1. That as the Phenix is the more desired because seldom seen and the Gem more desired because very rare and the stones of Arabia of high price because exceeding strange even so the rarer such an Unity and Union is amongst so many the more remarkable notable and famous it will be to all succeeding ages and make the Cornets of fame eccho and sound forth your praises on earth when your souls enjoy the joyes of the Kingdom of Heaven And 2 Endeavour earnestly after this Unity and Unanimity in the advancing of the truth and true Religion remembring That Christ hathe treated his Father and your Father to work this holy Unity of minde opinion and spirit in you as Alexander the Great commanding his souldiers to ascend a Mountain dangerous and full of Snow and perceiving them timerous leaped off his horse and led them the way and then they courageously followed So your Honours to your great comfort and encouragement may please to observe how your Captain and Commaâ—der the Lord Christ hath led you the way and given you an example and encouragement to endeavour after this Unity by his prayer unto God for it For whether we conceive these words Father I pray that they may be one as the Lords will explained to us or as his petition offered to his Father who is so well pleased in him r as he heard him in his requests s and will deny him nothing for then he could not have been a sâ—fficient Saviour It shews one and the same thing unto us viz. That all the living members of Christs Church who are assembled for the purity and peace of the Church according to his will and desire must be and by vertue of this his prayer shall be conjoyned in one holy and spirituall bâ—…nd of Unity And thus much for the second thing we observed to wit Wherein your Honours should be one Now Thirdly We have in order to prescribe the Means whereby you may be one but because they are divers I will therefore be the briefer in them The Meanes are these namely First Labour that you may all be the faithfull of the Lord and the Lords faithfull ones and then he will make you one for the good of his Church as is implicitely promised in this His prayer as was shewed before The members of the body will admit of no fractions divisions rents nor jarres amongst themselves but have all one joynt desire and endeavour for the good of the whole because that good which is communicated to the whole is extended to all and every each member of the body Even so if all the members of your Honourable Assembly be the faithfull members of Christ then he will so unite your hearts affections desires and endeavours that as one man you shall all labour afâ—…r this holy Union of truth Secondly Because either Christ must work this holy Unity of Truth in you or you cannot have it another means to procure it is prayer unto him and that both by the Commons and Common-wealth for you anâ—…by you for your selves But I enlarge neither of these because in my pious mans practise in Parliament time which I put forth at the beginning of the Parliament to teach the faithfull of the Land their duty in the time and for the continuance of this Honourable Assembly I have largely and amply shewed and handled the first of these viz. How the Land should assist your Lordships with their prayers unto the Lord of glory for you and by and by I shall touch upon the second viz. How your Honours ought to petition the Throne of grace for this grace of truth and unity of Spirit amongst your selves Thirdly Let your meeting convening and assembling together be in the Name of Christ and then according to his promise he will be present with you t I need not enlarge this because Vincentius himself consesseth u That when the Rulers or Governours of a City Church or Land are gathered together for the good and benefit of the City Church or Land they are then gathered together in the Name of Christ who according to his promise will be in the midst of them But your Honours are thus convened and gathered together and therefore in the name power spirit and vertue of Christ and consequently he will be in the midst of you that is he will be present with you and president amongst you Wherefore if as you are assembled by the power of Christ with an unanimous accord desire and endeavour you make his glory the advancement of Religion the peace of the Church and prosperity of the Common-wealth your prime and principall end and aym then Christ will be both present with you and president amongst you And so this shall be a third means to procure this holy Union and Unitie of Truth Fourthly Another excellent means to procure this grace is a serious and sedulous animadversion of the benefit which will redound thereby both unto our Church and State On remember for the Lords sake remember That if ye be one in minde affection opinion and spirit and that you all minde and speak and desire one and the same thing that then peâ—…ce and joy shall be heard in our streets righteousnesse shall break forth and shine in our Church prosperity and plenty shall attend our Common-wealth and both Church and State shall have cause to blesse you and to blâ—…sse the Lord for you and daily to invâ—…cate the Throne of grace for a blessing upon you both in body and soul who by your Unity Union and Unanimity have bâ—…en under God a means to turn our sorrow into joy our fear into bâ—…pe our ruines into repaires our darknesse into light our
of their enemies then it is requisite that they should conjoyn their forces for their joynt freedom and link themselves fast together by some such solemn engagement or Protestation lest the crafâ—… and cunning wilinesse of their enemies should make a breach or division amongst them And Secondly When a people generally desire some speciall blessing from God or the continuance of his love unto them and Gospel amongst them then people should oblige and knit themselves by a strict and solemn Protestation and Vow to continue in the truth of the Gospel and the maintenance and profession thereof in purity and sincerity and to root out all Popery superstition and idolatry from amongst them What necessity is there for us in this Land at this time to take this or the like Protestation From the Preamble before the Protestation these Reasons may be collected namely 1. Because the designes of the Priests and Jesuites and other Adherents to the Sea of Rome have of late been more boldly and frequently put in practise then formerly to the undermining and danger of the ruine of the true reformed Religion amongst us 2. Because some have endeavoured to subvert the fundamentall Laws of England and Ireland and to introduce the exercise of an Arbitrary and Tyrannicall Government amongst us 3. Because many illegall taxations have been levied and laid of late upon the Subjects to their great grievance and oppression 4. Because divers innovations and superstitions have of late been brought into our Church and an Oath devised to make us practise and perpetually to maintain them 5. Because many have been exiled and the mouthes of many Ministers stopt for these Innovations and Superstitions and other Ceremonies 6. Because some have endeavoured to raise and soment jealousies between the King and his people Ezra 4. 13 14 15. 7. Because Armies have been raised in England and Ireland of dangerous consequence to wit First For the making or taking part with the Conspirators as hath been confessed or discovered by some And Secondly For the weakning of the Land by a consumption of the Treasure thereof making us thereby lye more open to forraign invasion Wherefore should both Prince Peers Parliamentaries and People or Commons make such a Protestation or Promise at such times or upon such occasions as were named even now First Because our enemies usually strengthen and binde themselves by wicked oaths and vows to ruine us and therefore much more should we by religious and pious Protestations and promises assist one another in the resisting and rooting out whom or whatsoever might on danger our lives laws liberties or religion Secondly Because our ordinary resolutions and purposes are like Sâ—…psons cords which we break as fast as straws and therefore we had need upon the occasions mentioned to help our frail purposâ—…s with some firm Protestations and Vows Thirdly Because the Lord only can do for us what we desire He is wiâ—…r stronger and more potent then all our enemies he can deliver us from all evils he can avenge us of all our adversaries he can turn away all his plagues he can impart unto us any blessing or grace which we stand in need of yea he can do for us above all we are able to ask or think but we are not certain that he will except we enter into a holy Covenant with him and by a firm Protestation and Vow joyn our selves unto him to serve honour obey and worship him with all our hearts and with all our souls all the dayes that we have to live How many things are observable in this Protestation or Vow These four Viz. The Matter Manner Intension and Extension thereof First The Matter of this Protestation and Vow must be Christian and Religious respecting God Religion the King the Laws the Liberties of the Subject the Patriots of the Land the enemies of the Church and State and the union or unity of the Kingdomes united Particularly 1. This Protestation must respect the Lord and that thus Upon the times and occasions before mentioned we must make solemn Protestations and Vows unto God to worship and serve him sincerely and purely and to abstain from all sin and iniquity as much as in us lyes totally and perpetually if he will be pleased to deliver us from our enemies and those evils which we fear and to blâ—…sse us with those blessings which we sue and supplicate for And 2. This Protestation must respect Religion for when we see That in some eminent and apparent danger and that It is like to be justled and shouldred out of the doors of Church or State by any innovations superstitions sects errours heresies or Popish vanitiâ—…s thâ—…n we must labour to support and stay it by some firm and joynt promises and vows And 3. This Protestation must respect the Kings sacred Majesty for when we see either his royall person honour estate or soul in danger or endangered by any wicked Counsellors Achitophels Trâ—…ors Uâ—…derminors of States Machiavâ—…llians or any of Antichrists imps or brood Then the representative Body of the Land must by some holy and unanimous Protestation and promise strenghen themselves and each one the other for the presertion and safety of his Noble person estate and honour and the eternall salvation of his precious soul And 4. This Protestation must respect the Laws of the Land the power and priviledges of Parliaments and the liberties of the Subject for when by the malice mischief and treachery of any Laws are in danger to be subverted Parliaments stinted and straitned and people to be envassalled and deprived of their immunities and priviledges Then all so far as Religion and Law will allow them by some religious Protestation and Vow should unite themselves for the maintenance and defence of their liberties and laws And 5. This Protestation must respect the Patriots of the Land for when we see those whom the Lord hath endued with wisedom zeal courage and resolution to speak boldly for the good of Church or State and undantedly to oppose the enemies of either or both of them then as farre as warrantably we may we must support and uphold them by some faithfull promise or vow as They the Pillars of the Land labour to maintain our Common-wealth and Us by their standing and speaking for our Religion and Laws For it they who are zealouâ—… courageouâ—… and resolute for the good of their Countrey and who are not afraid to lay down their lives for their Countrey should not be maintained and defended to the utmâ—…t of our power it would utterly discourage any to speak for the common good or good and welfare of the Common-wealth or Commons And 6. This Protestation must respect the enemies of Church and State for we must oppose as farre as lawfully we may and by all good wayes and means endeavor to bring to condign punishment all such as shall by force practise counsell plots conspiraciâ—…s or otherwise do or
endeavour any thing against the common good of Church and State And 7. This Protestation must respect the three Kingdoms now united by their one thrice noble Head For every one should seriously in all just and honourable wayes endeavour to preserve the union and peace between the three Kingdoms England Scotland and Ireland And thus much for the Matter of this Protestation Secondly The next thing observeable in this Protestation is the Manner thereof how it must be made viz. 1. Solemnly reverendâ—…y and in the fear of God because made in the presence of God for we are commanded to fear the Lord and to swear by his Name 2. Sincerely cordially and in truth because made and promised unto God who must be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth John 4. 24. 3. Faithfully for the thing protested must be performed Promises made unto men must be performed much more unto God Psal. 89. 38. And hence people are commanded Not to forget their Covenant with God Jere. 50. 5. And therefore the promises we make unto God and our Protestations and Vows made in the presence of God must be performed and neither for hope fear nor other respects must be relinquished Nehe. 5. 12 13. 4. Cheerfully and with joy Nehe. 8. 9 12. 5. In manner of an Oath Ezra 10. 3. 5. 6. With a penalty for refusall Ezra 10. 7 8. 7. With praise unto God Note here That we in this Land have at this time great cause to praise and magnifie the Name of our God as namely 1. Because he hath chosen us out of the world Nehe. 8. 7. 2. Because he hath looked upon our afflictions Nehe. 9. 9. 3. Because he hath seen our fasting and heard our prayers Nehe 9. 9. 27. 4. Because he hath destroyed our enemies Nehe. 9. 10 11. 5. Because he hath guided and assisted our Patriots and Parliamentaries in their counsels and consultations Nehe. 9 12. 6. Because he hath been mercifull unto us in this Land above our merits Nehe. 9. 16 17 18 19. And therefore 1. Let us all trust in him Psal. 115. 9 10 11. And 2. Let us all praise him Psal. 118. 2 3 4. Thirdly The next thing observable in this Protestation is if I may so term it the Intension thereof for we must as â—…arre as lawfully we may with our lives power and estates perform the things promised and vowed Fourthly and Lastly In this Protestation we must observe the Extension or continuance thereof for it must be perpetuall and continue unto our lives end Truth and Religion the summe and substance of this Protestation being alwayes one as was shewed before in the fifth Means And thus much for the first main generall Viz. What we pray of you namely That your Honours may be at Unity amongst your selves I proceed now unto the second to wit That you may make unity amongst us or make us one Jovinian the Emperour being solicited to answer the Macedonians petition gave this answer y I hate all kinde of contention but unity I like and love his meaning was He would do nothing to further dissention and disâ—…rd but all he could to make peace and unity And this is that which your â—…ble Petitioner now sues unto your Honours for That you would because Vis unita fortior joyn all your force together to make unity amongst us and to stint stay settle and suppresse the dissentions and diffe-rences which are in our Church to the â—…uine of Religion and establish the true Religion in Vnity amongst us In this second main generall we have these two particulars particularly to handle to wit 1. We desire That the dissentions and differences which are in our Church and which hinder the progresse of Religion may be taken away by you And 2. That true Religion may be established in unity amongst us by you Now of thâ—…se in their order First Our request here unto your Honours is That you would be pleased to compose those jarres and to appeaâ—…e those differences of Religion which are so rife amongst us If you should demad how this may done the Philosopher answers * Take away the cause and the effect will câ—ase If this answer bâ—get another Question viz. Wâ—â—t is the cause of these differences and dissentions in Religion amongst us Then I answer thereunto That câ—…rtâ—…inly all iniquity is drawn on with certain cords of vanity a and dissentions would not be so dangerously embâ—aced if there were not some inducing causes which make us mistake error for truth and so commend falshood to our easier belief These therefore indeed would bâ—…hunted after and Ferâ—etâ—ed out of their holes and holds that error being unmasked her dark teachers of untruth may be no more mistaken for Angels of Light b First one cause is the slippeâ—…y smooth and Snakâ—-like nature of Error which easily glides and insinuates it self both into our judgement and affection 1. Touching our judgement Gods truth is many times Supra Captum above our understanding not onely in the Reason why it should be so which made Paul cry out Oh the deepnesse of God wisedome and unsearchable wayes but sometimes in the Manner How can this be c as one saith of Christs mysticall Union Scio quod verbum caro it quomodo nescio miraris Omniâ—… caro ignorat d That the Word was made flesh I know but how it was done I do not know dost thou marveil at this All flesh is ignorant hereof For mans wisedome cannot know God e Whence one saith In eo peccatum est quod rem dictu ineffaâ—…ilem comprehensione impossibilem vani homines se animo complecti posse crediderunt f This was no small fault in them That those things which were ineffable and incomprehensible they beleeved they could conceive and take up But Errors have commonly their gâ—ounds from mistaken or misapplyed grounds of mans wisedome called Philosophy Mans wisedome hath eâ—…nticing words g and doth sophistically deceive us h and Philosophy lâ—…ads our belief prisoners i Whence Tertullian saith Haereses à Philosophia si borâ—…antur k That Philosophy is the suborner of heresie and the same Father shewes That heresies were borrowed from Plato Epicurus Zâ—â—o Heraclitus Aristotle Ibid. Whence it hâ—…th been said Summi Philosophi summi Haeresiarchae The greater Philosophers the greater hereticks which was found too true in Ehion Samosatenus Câ—…lius Porpâ—…yrius Iamblicus Psellus c. yea even Iulian himself drew his strongest Shaft out of that Quiver Now 2. Touching Affection the case is more plain for the naturall man sees no beauty in Christ nor form to desire him l and truth hath no relish with him that being such a hard saying that he cannot endure it m yea all truths Doctrines are bands and bridles that enthrall and check our carnall liberty as for example The condemning of evill words and of lust even in the heart n the