is now in any mans days now alive and we all know That Necessity hath no law Therefore if the Magistrate do require more then ordinary of us to supply our present wants and to deliver us out of such great dangers and troubles as otherwise would come upon us even to the destroying both of persons and estates of all that fear God we must not call this Oppression nor murmur against the Magistrate for in so doing we shall murmur against God for it is he that sendeth these wars and troubles upon us for our sins who then can give us peace It 's not in the Magistrates power until the Lord please As for example if the Lord please to send a famine of bread in the Land and make us buy our food at an extraordinary rate shall we therefore murmur at the Magistrate or will that do us any good until the Lord be pleased to send plenty So now also if the Lord be pleased to make us buy our peace at a dearer rate then ordinary let us not murmur against the Magistrates but rather let us consider our ways and labour to finde out the cause why the Lord doth thus chastise us and to remove it that so these evil effects may cease And truely if we consider well what the Lord hath done for us in giving food and raiment in such a plentiful manner and that England is yet a Nation inhabited by its own children notwithstanding those fierce and bitter wars that have been even in the bowels of it we shall have more cause to praise the Lord for his mercies then to murmur at his chastisements for he hath not dealt so with every nation How often hath he chastised his people Israel with sorer chastisements then we have yet felt praised be his Name as we may read in 2 Kings 6.25 when an asses head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver and the fourth part of a kab of doves dung for five pieces and when women boiled their children and eat them because of the siege and straitness thereof I suppose England hath not yet tasted so deep of this bitter cup Chap. 10. But there is a generation of murmurers and complainers as Jude saith that are not afraid to speak evil of dignities which remain still in the body of the Nation and disturb the peace thereof and will do until they be purged out the Lord is a doing of it for the head and the tail must go together Isai. 9.14 He hath already cut off the head which is the ancient and honorable the tail must follow which is the prophet that teacheth lyes and doth daub the Princes of the Nations with untempered mortar seeing vanity and divining lyes saying Thus saith the Lord when the Lord hath not spoken See Isa. 9.14 15. with Ezek. 22.27 28 29. You may know them by their fruits These are they which teach the people to murmur against the present Powers and to complain of the great Taxes and heavie burthens that are now in the Commonwealth when indeed they were the men that first caused them by stirring up the people crying out Curse ye Meroz curse bitterly the inhabitants thereof because they came not out to help the Lord against the mighty and Cursed be he that keepeth back his hand from shedding of blood And are still the onely continuers of these bitter wars which cause the Taxes to continue by stirring up sedition and causing division amongst the people Whereas if they would as much labour to make peace there would the sooner be an end of these troubles and a removing of the heavie burthens and Taxes necessitated thereby But these men it is to be feared have a further designe in hand then all men know for if it be observed they could in the beginning of the wars list up their voices like a trumpet cursing Meroz bitterly using the aforesaid words to stir up men to go and fight against the King And in those days they could pray heartily even with tears for the prosperity of the Parliaments Army and as heartily give thanks for the overthrow and destruction of the Kings party and teach others so to do let them deny it if they can And this zeal continued so long as they thought that if their forefathers the Bishops and the rest of that brood had perished with him that then they should have been heirs of their inheritance viz. of all their Lands and Revenues and so of all their honour pride and vain-glory and to have had the Scepter committed to them to rule and tyrannize over the consciences of men fearing God While this hope remained their zeal burnt hot as fire and all was well and the Parliament was a power ordained of God But when the honourable and prudent Rulers of this Nation denied them these things and especially that they might not tyrannize over the conscience to make all men be of their Religion to see with their eyes and go on their legs and believe as they believe even as they do at Rome when this is denied then they are the men that first complain of persecution because they themselves may not be the persecutors and now they cannot in conscience give thanks for shedding of blood but when the State desired those that feared God to give him thanks for that great deliverance and victory over the Scots at Dunbar there was scarcely one in five miles compass to be found and some of those that did meet by relation of some that are honest which were among them they told the people that they had more need to keep it as a day of Weeping Mourning and Humiliation then a day of Thanksgiving with many other scandalous words tending to the disaffecting and disengaging of the hearts of the people from the State Therefore let it be well considered who are they that despise dominion and are not afraid to spoak evil of dignitses These are they which in all ages had the praise of men generally therefore saith Christ Luke 6.26 Wo be to you when all men speak well of you for so did their fathers of the false prophets These were they in Ahab's days which deluded him and all Israel teaching them to forsake the Commandments of the Lord and to follow Baalim when Elijah that one Prophet of the Lord discovered the folly and deceit of four hundred and fifty of them at once 1 King 18.18 19 20 21 22 23 24. These are they which again in King Ahab's time deluded him and caused him to go up to Ramoth-gilead to fight when that one Prophet of the Lord Micaiah withstood four hundred of them to their faces and warned Ahab not to go up yet he believing the four hundred false Prophets rather then that one Prophet of the Lord went up and was slain Thus we see that through their lyes and delusions they bring even Kings and Princes to destruction both of body and soul These are they which in our age and in this Nation of England
saith The time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think he doth God good service And these things will they do unto you because they have not known the Father nor me Joh. 16.2.3 And indeed who have been the chiefest actors in it but the Kings and Princes of the nations which as Paul saith knew not God nor the hidden wisdom of God for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2.7 8. and the reason why they did not know it was because they suffered the wicked priests and false prophets of the times to blind the eyes of their minds lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine into their souls 2 Cor. 4.3 4. And this they effected by handling the word of God deceitfully changing the truth into a lye teaching for doctrines the commandments of men in stead of the commands of God given us by Christ So walking in cratiness smoothing over their deceits with a company of good words and false speeches thereby deceiving the hearts of the simple and through covetousness and sained words have made merchandise of their souls Rom. 16 17 18 with 2 Pet. 2.2 3. and indeed it 's no marvell though it be thus for it is the policy of Satan to gain the Kings and rulers of the nations to him self for by that meanes he can easily suppress the people of God living under them and also delude and deceive those that have not the knowledg of God amongst them by the examples of them in authority for look what religion the Kings and rulers of the nations are of the same generally the people are as for example The Kings of Israel and the rulers there of if they were good the people were the better but if they were evill the people were generally wicked and therefore it is said 1 King 14.15 16. The Lord shall smite Israel as a reed is shaken in the water and he shall root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers and he shall give up Israel because of the sins of Jereboans who did sin and who made Israel to sin We may likewise observe the same in Judah in the days of Rehoboam the son of Solomon 1 King 14.21 22 23 24. in these words And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord and provoked him to jealousie with their sins which they had committed above all that their fathers had done c. The same things may be observed by us of late days here in England for in the days of Edward the sixth the people were Protestants but in Queen Marys days they were Papists for shee and the Rulers were soland in Queen Elizabeths days again Protestants for she and the rulers were so Thus we see it is the fashion of the nations and of our nation of England also to be of that Religion that their Kings Nobles and Rulers were and great reason for first its praise-worthy and highly commendable in the sight of men to be so secondly it is the way to live in peace and to escape the crose of Christ But let us remember that what is highly esteemed in the sight of men is abomination in the sight of God Luk. 16.16 Again the Lord will avengâ— himself upon them because they have persecuted his Saints without a cause as is written Psal. 119.161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause because they have given their power to the beast and suffered that serpentine and viperous generation of false prophets and deceivers to make use of them to persecute and destroy the Saints and Children of the most high God notwithstanding he hath said Psa. 116.15 Right dear and precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints and that he will require it at the hands of this generation Mat. 23.33 34 35 36. with Rev. 18.24 where he saith that in her was found the blood of all the Saints and Prophets and all that are slain upon the earth Eightly It is to be considered what the Kings and rulers of the nations may or should do to escape the hand of God lifted up against them for although there be a generall distruction pronounced against the Kings and Princes of the nations their sins and the sins of their fore-fathers being at the full without respect of persons yet it is not without respect of their conditions but except they repent as Christ saith they shall all perish Luke 13.5 as we also see in Jon. 3.4 When the Lord by the Prophet had pronounced destruction to Nineveh within fourty days yet we see when they acknowledged their sins and humbled themselves before the Lord he was pleased to forgive them and spare their King and their City according to his gratious promise as we may read Ier. 18.6.7 8.9 10. in these words At what instant I shall speak concerning a Nation on a Kingdom to pluck up or to pull down and destroy it if that Nation against whom I have pronounced turn from their evil I will repent of the evil I thought to do unto them And at what instant I speak concerning a nation and a Kingdom to build and plaint it if that nation do evil in my sight that it obey not my voice then will I repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them Thus we see the Lord hath gratiously left open a door of repentance for them to escape thorow although it s to be feared that very few will make use of it notwithstanding my humble advice is to all in generall that they will let the counsell of the Lord be acceptable unto them which in these words is expressed Be wise now therefore ye Kings and be instructed ye that are Judges of the earth Serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling Psa. 2.10 11. Break of your sins by righteousness and your iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor if it may be a lengthening of your tranquility Dan. 4.27 for who can tell whether God will turn and repent and turne away from his fierce anger that they perish not Seeing also he hath said Jer. 18.8 If that nation against whom I have spoken turne from their evil I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them But more particularly I shall apply my self to the honourable Rulers of this nation whose happiness with the prosperity of the whole nation I much long after and dayly pray for the continuing and perfecting of and to that end I shall make bold to put your Honors in mind of these following particulars not as one proudly taking in hand to teach you but humbly and in the fear of God to advise you as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord First That you will fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your hearts and consider what great things he hath done for you for if you and the nation shall still do wickedly we shall be consumed 1 Sam.
have done the same to Charles deceased which their fore-fathers did to King Ahab in stirring of him up to war against his subjects especially against those that most feared God and so have brought him to destruction And these are still at this present time deluding his ignorant son calling of him Charles the second having his person in admiration because of advantage as Jude saith v. 16. and by this means they stir up him and his poor deceived supposed subjects to war against the Powers of this Nation of England so wonderfully set up and established by God himself and powerfully preserved and defended by his immediate hand against all enemies whatsoever which all that have but eyes open may easily see and yet these Seers are so blinde that they cannot see the hand of the Lord lifted up against them and that Kingly power as they call it which hath always joyned with them being deceived by them to persecute the Saints and children of God of whom God is now taking vengeance yet they are still leading their King whom they have chosen and his subjects whom they have deceived into the pit of destruction without remedy they themselves being certain to fall with them for if the blinde lead the blinde they shall both fall into the ditch Matth. 15.14 Therefore let the honourable Parliament of England beware of them let the noble and valiant Army take heed of them and watch them as the worst enemies they have For what Satan and his instruments cannot do by tyranny and strength that they will accomplish by treachery and deceit if possible Therefore let the Commonwealth of England in general with all the noble Governours and Officers and honest plain-hearted Country-men learn to watch them with a single eye lest they seduce you and cause you to divide and so bring you to destruction before you are aware Therefore dear Country-men take heed of being deluded by them again to war and bloodshed lest you provoke the Lord to anger and so the whole Nation be drowned in blood without remedy for then they that now complain of some Taxes necessitated by these present troubles stirred up first by them will have cause to complain for want of bread to eat and cloathes to put on Therefore having food and raiment let us be therewith content and serve the Lord our God with gladness and joyfulness of heart for the abundance of all things lest he give us up to serve our enemies which he shall send against us in hunger and in thirst and in nakedness and in want of all things and he put a yoke of iron upon our necks until he have destroyed us See Deut. 28.47 48. Thus have I in some measure discovered who are the instrumental causes of our unhappiness I shall proceed to the third particular viz. Whence the original of Monarchy did spring And in the clearing of that I shall not make use of the worst of people viz. the Nations of the world for they were enemies to God and given up to work all manner of wickedness with greediness although they had Kings as appeareth by their adulteries abusing themselves with mankinde and with beasts and causing of their children to pass thorow the fire to Molech allowed of by their Kings like the wicked Rulers of Sodom Levit. 18.19 20 21 22 23 24. and God in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways Act. 14 16. therefore they are no example for us to walk by But we shall look into the ways of the children of Israel God's peculiar people for I know that the people of England in general would gladly be counted the people of God and would be offended if we should deny them the name of Christians We shall therefore consider how there came to be a King in Israel at first over the people of God Whether it was by the commandment of God and so according to his pure minde or whether it did not spring from a corrupt principle in the people and was the pride and wickedness of their hearts and not the least but the greatest of all the sins they committed to chuse any other King to rule over them but God onely For the clearing of which I shall examine these following Scriptures 1 Sam. 8.4 5 6 7 8 9. we read that all the elders of Israel gathared themselves together and came to Samuel and said Behold thou art old and thy sons walk not in thy ways now make us a king to judge us like all the nations Here we see the pride and wickedness of their hearts in that they would have a King to judge them like all other nations whom God had given up to walk in their own ways and according to the lust of their own hearts Therefore observe what followed first it displeased Samuel the Prophet of the Lord secondly he prayed to the Lord and sought him about it thirdly the Lord answered saying Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they have said unto thee for they have not rejected thee but they have rejected me that I should not raign over them according to all the works which they have done since they came out of Egypt even to this day wherewith they have forsaken me and served other gods so do they also unto thee Now therefore hearken to their voice howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them Thus we see that though they pretended good in it namely that it was because Samuel's sons were wicked yet the Lord was angry with them and said that they rejected him in so doing notwithstanding he gave them their desire which was a King but it was in his anger and he took him away again in his wrath See Hos. 13.11 Again when Samuel had declared the manner of their King and told them that they should cry out in that day because of their King which they had chosen but the Lord would not hear them yet still they refused to obey the voice of Samuel and said Nay but we will have a king over us to judge us and go out before us and fight our battels that we may be like all the nations So Samuel rehearsed all these words again in the cars of the Lord by which he was provoked and said in his anger Give them a King And here 's the beginning of Kings amongst the people of God And thus have I shewed plainly that it was not at all of God but contrary to his holy will that any should have the name of a King over his people but himself and it did arise from the pride and corruption of the people as further appeareth in these words And Samuel called the children of Israel together unto the Lord to Mizâ—eh and said Thus saith the Lord God of Israel I brought up Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians and out of the hands of all kingdoms and