Servants nay Submissive Slaves to the imperious Propositions of their owne Created Servants That they who in prosecution of an unchristian unlawfull bloody designe of taking away the power of the King justly by law and reason declared His of forcing away his Negative Voyce in a Lawfull Parliament depriving him of the Command of the Militia of bloodily changing the Civill and Ecclesiasticall Goverment from Monarchicall to Aristocraticall from Episcopall to Presbyterian Witnesse the transactions to passe over other Treaties of that too-late tedious and most unfortunate Treaty in the Isle of Wight in the managing whereof neither Law Reason nor Religion urg'd by our dear Soveraign could work the Commissionated Treatours or rather the factious Commissionating Rooting Traytors in the House to Condescentions more than what ranne paralell and agreed with their most unjust demands of all his Regall Power and wholly altering the government of his Kingdomes Witnesse also the first insisted-on Proposition wherein Good Prince before they will proceed He must contrary to Reason Religion and Law declaratorily Justify their unjust Actions of Rebellion and treason against him and Condemne his own Just defence as unjust The prevaling faction in the Houses still upon Receipt of his Majesty's Concessions and Answers to their demanding Propositions Voting Not Satisfactory Not Satisfactory O fatall Word Not untill his Princely tender Care of his Subjects perceiving the * First Plotters Faction's resolutions to perfect their bloudy designe and his desire of Peace reconciliation and stopping of that issue of blond by themselves first made in his Kingdoms at last his own Royal Interest laid aside condescended so much to their demands that as a King he had nothing more to condescend unto nor they more of his Regall Power to demand These men who thus unlawfully prosecuted and persecuted his Sacred Majesty with distroying Armies thereby to wrâ—st away his lawfull power upon Pretences of a Fundamental Law never heard of never practised before in the Houses not so much as groundded upon the least imaginary authority of Common Reason much lesse the law of the Land and the Protestant Religion had all their bloudily acquired power snatched from them by * Army those I say whom first they impowered to offer bloudy force to his Majesty upon grounds as ayry groundless and unlawfull as pretences of Common Right and distribution of Justice as if Confusion were that Right and unparalelld injustice were the distribution of Common right and Justice year 1641 Some of these Ambitious and Factious Members who by invited tumults of the Citty-rabble forced his Majesty for the Security of his person from his royall pallace at Whitehall and soon after many of their then fellow-members contrary to the Priviledge of all reasonable parliaments were uncivilly forced out of the House by their menaces and conspiring Votes because they would not be voting Conspirators with them in their Trayterous designes against their King Country the truly fundamentall Laws of the Land Some of these I say Parl. were as absurdly thrust out of the House by Pride and his Complices the army 's imps birds of their owne hatching instruments of their owne framing upon accusation of being fomenters of a New War hinderers of Perfecting an intended Reformation or more truly of Com-pleating a pre-resolved resolution or rather a Jesuitized independent designe somwhat more bloudy than the Presbyterian Thus Deus omnipotens in aetennum Justus Thy actions O Lord are all Justice thy deeds Righteousness it self Thou therefore the fountain of all wisdome that dost oftentimes proportion and symbolize both for quality and quantity mens punishments to their Sins thereby by plain demonstrative signes inviting them to repentance Grant good Father that all such guilty persons thus reading their iniquities in their punishment may repent them of their fo mer Sins that so thou mayst pardon their transgressions and remember their offences no more To this purpose restore O Lord unto them the Purity of reason as men A Zealous unmoved fixednesse in thy true religion the Christian Protestant faith Loyalty and faithfull obedience to their undoubted Soveraign and Lawfull King Cha. the Second c. and these not verbally but really expressed by actions beseeming men whose reason not humorous opinion is their guide By deeds befitting Christian Protestants whose * Scripture directing rule is the unerring Word not groundlesse faincyed revelations the Suggestions of the deceiving Angelicall Divell and not the Perswasions of thee who art the God of Spirits By actions becoming Subjects whose obedience without interruption willingly followeth the smooth Current of an Established Law not hurryed along by the tumultuous Torrents of arbitrary Ordinances nor Obedientially swimming in the troublesome Waters of mens Corupt wills O Father of mercyes whatsoever punishments Thou in thy Just judgment for our manifold sinnes shalt inflict upon us give us not over to a generall infatuation of Spirit a benummednesse in our Understanding and Reason lest we degenerating into the nature of beasts with Nebuchadnezzar be design'd to graze in the feilds with beasts that perish O everliving God Deprive us not of thy Candlesticke thy gospell of truth lest for want of true guides we all become blind and like them leading one another irrecoverably fall into the Ditch of everlasting destruction O Let not my Lord be angry and thy Servant shall speak but this Once Father of Mercies as we desire that thy word may still Continue a Lanthorn to our feet and thy Precepts a directing Light to our Paths so we humbly beseech thee that out of thy infinit Loving kindnesse thou wouldst look upon us and not take from us our Established ancient fundamentall Lawes That so our Corrupt Natures may still by them be rectified the extravagant excurrences of our Obstinate perverse Wills and actions may be limitted lest Ambition Sedition Treason Perjury Rebellion Murder Sacriledge Regicidism Envy Hatred Tyranny Oppression and all manner of wickednesse becoming particular Commanding Lawes we like Ravenous Wolves devour one another And in order to this great mercy good God restore unto us our great Law-maker Preserver and Protectour thy Servant our Soveraign the much wronged Princely Son of a more injured Murdered Martyr'd Royal Father Cha the Second of Great Brittaine King c. Put the Sword and Scepter into his hands Place the Crown upon his Head Thou who art able and Powerfull in Extremities in this his extremity shew thy Ability and Power O Lord as thou hast designed him our Supream Governour so in order to his possession of thine own designed Government prepare the hearts of all his Subjects with submissive obedience unto him as to thy Vice-gerent on earth work into their spirits a sensiblenesse of their former erroneous practises against his Royall father and let their endeavours for the restoration of his Princely son to his father's Throne evidence to the world their unfeigned repentance for their sins committed against Thee the King of kings in
King and Destroy his Royall off-spring infringe the liberties of their Persons and Estates burden them with Taxes upon taxes and domineer onely by the Tyrannizing Sword Can a man be so senselessy Stupid as to Suppose that any one man in England would have contributed the least assistance tending to such destructive ends Surely not Their Plotts had been as abortive-births dead in the very womb Like letters written on Sand invisible at the next windy blast and themselves had met with the reward of Traytors in the Originall of their Treason But I say they must out of a Politick necessity by Pretences of a reformation c. prepare the Common people for a Compliance and upon their deceived Compliance hammer out by degrees their ugly Plot to a perfection Away then with your most blasphemous entitling God's approbation to your Succeeding Villanies when as it is not Smiling Providence that waites upon your designes as you would make the people beleeve but the Graduall Effects of your politick Knaveries and methodical Treasons Indeed the All-just and wise God hath long suffered you to deceive the people of England and them to be so deceived But Gods designe thereby is to Chastise them for their instability and disobedience in not valuing or else lightly esteeming the blessings of Peace and punish them for their not prizing the Enjoyment of the Gospell of Peace and that you your selves by your additionall Sinnes might be left inexcusable at that great day of Account when the Judg of Heaven and Earth shall pronounce that unrepealable doom Ite Maledicti Go ye Cursed into Everlasting burnings Again to make this appear more plain take a further hint of their Rebellious Method which course had they not observ'd they could have done nothing tending to the acquisition of their designed Ends. In the first place they though falsly suggested into the Multitude's beleif an alteration of our religion on his Majestie 's part And these ungrounded Pretences made way for Jealous and Suspicious thoughts among the Common people and these though caussesse Jealousies occasion the Multitude constant in nothing but in Inconstancy to Stagger in their Sworn Alleagiance In the next Place following Machiavells irreligious rule Vehementer increpate et aliquid adhaerebit they back them with lying invectives ray ling exclamations against his Majesty his indeed Peaceable Just Merciful Government whereby the affections of many began to totter their dutie to shake their needlesse fears to encrease Again they Publickly cry'd up themselves though most untruly as Assertours Maintainers and Preservers of our Religion and the Lawes And these false allures attract the Aguish Judgments of too too many to incline to them in their belief and blinded Obedience Againe the more to ingratiate themselves with the Common People and hoodwinck them with Suppositions that they were Persons affecting Justice they Presse for Execution of Pretended Justice upon some Supposed Delinquents who indeed were no other but immoveable Loyall Rocks hindering their Progressive Rebellious Plotts And upon this account the incomparable Earl of Strafford and the unparallel'd Archbishop of Canterbury two main supporting pillars of Church and State were offered as bloody sacrifices to the common people's ignorant zeal and the conspirator's designes In the next place they vilifie the honour of the King's person advising the rabble of the City rudely to press into his Court bawling for Justice which never was denyed and by this means the respect and honour due to his Majesty was weakened the ill-manner'd people following the counsell of their teachers apt schollars of their black mouth'd master the devill began to revile the King despise Dominions and speak evill of Dignities With these and such like additionall insolent deportments of the City-scum his wearied Majesty was enforced for his own safety to leave London After which these rooting-Plotters persecute him with dethroning Propositions under the notion of Reformation delivered most commonly out of a Cannon's mouth or mockingly tormenting him with * vid Collect Parl. Ord. humble and loyall Petitions of Subjects presented upon the point of a bloody Sword Pretty Subjects indeed Thus thus England thou wast gull'd into a rebellious Army to bring to passe their Conspirator's designes upon the score of thy own destruction the losse of our peace dishonour of our Religion ruine of the King's Majesty and the Laws of England This done Blasphemy the Pulpit-Dragoons must interest the Deity in their quarrell Rebellion must be styled The Cause of God O horrible blasphemy as if the righteous and all-just God gave precepts for the commission of the most unrighteous unjust Caedem faciunt Scriptur aâ—um ad materiam suam and wicked actions that ever were committed To this bad purpose they cut and mangle multiply and diminish the holy Scriptures wresting them to a corrupt sense proper onely to their designes notwithstanding that Anathema Revel 22. vers 18 19 If any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book and if any shall diminish the words of this prophecy God hall take away his part out of the book of life And by this means the poor people were seduced in matter of conscience obeying the politick Pulpit-directions quite opposite to the commands of God and their own former judgments and practises All this while Lying Dissimuâ—â—tion the rooting Engineers of State were busily busied in abusing the King and cheating the people senslesly in their Declarations dividing the power of the King from the King's person as if there possibly could be in a true sense the exercise of a Kingly power without the person of a King But seasonable it was for them so to do when as they unjustly made use of power without nay contrary to his commands and maintained Armies to fight against his Person Next to this Perjury succeed new obliging Oaths and Covenants correspondent to the sense of their designe and dissonant from the legall rationall and religious sense of all former lawfull Oaths witnesse their Negative Oath their first and second Vow and Covenant with their last and worst the Engagement all which must be as chains to the people's consciences with which being once shackled many of the Pulpits speak nothing but a performance of these Oaths and Engagements in the Rooters destructive sense as if such politick State-Engines carried more truth in them than the Scriptures themselves Thus they made human policy Mistresse of Divinity nay to tyrannize over her Indeed the Scots-Covenant as it was styled carried a compound sense in some Articles speaking seemingly-loyall and religious pretences but they were but seeming ones although in other nothing but an enforced change of both Ecclesiasticall and Civill Government Which compared with precedent and subsequent actions even untill his Majesty was snatched away from the Presbyterian Power Isle Wight maketh me grieve with admiration and admire with grief at many who still
continue adherents to those first begun erroneous Principles of extirpation of Governments by bloody force Some affirming strangely and falsly that they did oppose the tyranny of the late martyr'd King but never the Title or Office which to my mean apprehension and I could wish some of the Presbyterian party would otherwise inform my judgment seemeth to oppugn reason it self his Majesty having before ever sword was drawn granted all things necessary to the well-beeing quiet and peaceable living of the lowest as well as the highest of his Subjects their possession on of their lives Confessed by themselves Collect. Parl. Ord liberties and estates and a just reformation in Religion He himself having raised such Bulwarks for us to this purpose that nothing was left for the people of England to desire as additionall to their future security and happinesse And had not this * Presb. Kingly-power rooting-partie stepped in or in their own irregular demands been but modestly moderate these second bloodiest-rooting Independents had never commandingly appeared to the world's eye but England had still remained the glory of Nations an earthly Paradiâ—e and not an habitation of Bats and Owles Foxes and devouring Wolves blind ignorance heresie sâ—hism and Jesuiticall bloody-minded men Besides the former and still wilfully continuing Presbyterians having neither reason in Law nor ground in Religion for such their aâ— first undertakings or still continuing inolinations thereunto as I have already made good Maketh me to pray that God would more clearly open the Eyes of their understandings and in the bowells of Christ Jesus desire them that they would weigh all things by the ballance of the Sanctuary without interjection of the least part of a grain of Private Interest and affectâ—onate cleaving to Parties in any thing unwarrantable by the Everlasting Standard of Gods word and at last return from whence they were fallen and do their first workes But this by the way However if â—n this I have displeased any man I â—am Confident I have herein neither displeased nor dishonoured the God of â—ruth therefore shall be bold to tell â—hem that they do not well to be angry with me for speaking the truth I returne to my former Method Why thinke you were so many Reverend Bishops and other Orthodox Divines as Dr. Featly Dr. Oldsworth Mr. Shute with many others disgraced or imprisoned not because the Law spake them guilty but because they were as so many walls of Brasse able to Oppose their Proceedings and would if suffered to Preach have informed the people their better duties and thereby prevented the progresse of their desigues Garraway Why were so many Lords Imprisoned the Mayor of London some Aldermen outed and dispersed unto Several Confining Castles Why were most of the Common Councell â—men disgracefully thrown out of the Court But only to make way for the more factious Spirits who would more readily comply in their turnings windings with the first Moving Wheels of the Rooting-faction Why did they then and still do both admit and tolerate ignorant-Laymen to belch out new fangled false Opinions Hereticall and Schismaticall positions but thereby to bring the Clergy into dishonour and disrespect with the people distracting the brains and dividing the affections of the Multitude well knowing Machiavells rule divide et impera for rebellion and treason will never harbour in breasts united by the bond of true religion they that conscientiously affect Christ and his Church will not be wrought upon to destroy his Servants the Pastours or any Member thereof nor ever give eare to such babblers the Devill 's Chaplaines Nay their Present toleration of all in matters of religion Indep Faction under the Pretence of having a regard to tender Consciences is only done out of Policy or if you will rebellious Knavery not that they intend you after that you have been instrumentall to their compass'd Ends such a liberty out of a conscientious Courtesy But hear hear you deceived people of England Their Reason is Lest the Ignorant Rabble the walking instrumentall feet and active hands of their designe like your lesse knowing Papists taking all things by the hand of an implicit beliefe should being denyed any one thing grow into a discontent which seconded with a Serious Repentance and its effects a desertion of these Plotters manifested by a generall insurrection their only fears should occasion these Rooters suddain downfal utter destruction For a division in opinions and affection at first raysed them a Power enabling them to raze down Englands Monarchicall goverment So a unity in iniquity a Linck'd wicked brotherhood must settle them in this their destructive power But O Lord notwithstanding thy enemys have taken Crafty counsell against thy people and have consulted against thy Secret Ones although they say Come let us cut them off from being a Nation and let not the Name of a Christian Protestant King or people be any more in Remembrance Give not thou the Soule of thy Turtle dove unto the Beast and forget not the Congregation of thy Servants Consider thy Covenant for many Places in England Scotland and Ireland are full of the habitations of Cruell men Judg the Cause of the fatherlesse and oppressed Arise arise O God maintain thy owne Cause here help and deliver us So we thy People and sheep of thy Pasture shall prayse thee for evermore Let us descend to examples of a Lower nature Why suppose you is Lilly somuch imployed by these bloudy Statists but onely to unhindg the faith of the common people from adhearing to the Doctrine of the holy Scriptures which like a two-edged sword would soon cut their designe in peeces for had the people's faith been kept to a close dependence on the Word of God and their actions onely regulated thereby or had * Presbyt others more knowing or at least pretending to more knowledge weighed all their undertakings without the addition of unbridled passion and irregular though seemingly zealous affections exactly according to this everlastingly just Standard so many formerly now penitentiall men I hope had not then been deceived into a rebellious Army nor would so many continue their Adherents at this very day But no wonder if those men who first rebell against the King of Heaven and his Son our Saviour Jesus Christ fight against his commands the practice of the whole Army of Martyrs the glorious company of the Apostles and Prophets the example of the holy Church thorough the whole world no wonder if such destroy and murder their Soveraign God's Vice-gerent on earth and all true Christians and faithfull Subjects No wonder if such men having thus forsaken the fountain of living waters the Scriptures do frame to themselves new Cisterns even broken cisterns of dependence on Lilly's politick discourses which will neither hold water upon Scripture-tryall at present nor be able to save or satisfie a poor soul at the great day of tryall of particular persons at the hour of death or that