of those Egyptian croaking Froggs the Filthy Capuchin-Fryers and Priests who lay lurking there too long like so many muzled Wolves and Tygers all these or the most of them banished and transported over-Sea from us And the Queen-Mother of France the more to free our hearts from feares and discontents happily also transported beyond Sea from us About which time also to settle our hearts with yet more solid comfort and the more firmly to consolidate our future hoped happines it pleased the Lord to put into the hearts of our most noble Parliamentary Patriots to unite and knit all the three Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland in-a most firme League and Conjunction of perpetuall love and amitie and of mutuall defence against all malignant Adversaries either domestick or forrein and to confirm all this by a particular act of Parliament ratified by a full consent of the King and both Houses together with an act of absolute oblivion of all exceptions and differences whatsoever formerly intervening twixt Prince and people Upon which both Armies of English and Scottish Souldiers were shortly after most happily peaceably dismissed and disbanded to the high hononr of our wonder-working God and the unexpressible joy and comfort of both Nations thus most lovingly and sweetly shaking hands of true friendship at their peaceable departure And for the farther confirmation of this our happines and due retribution of praise and glory to the Lord our God the authour of it there was an Ordinance of Parliament for a day of publick and solemn thankesgiving for this peace so happily concluded between England and Scotland which for the glorie of God and honour of our King and Worthies in Parliament I have thought fit here to insert verbatîm as it was published An Ordinance of Parliament for a day of publick thanksgiving for the peace concluded between England and Scotland VVHereas it hath pleased almightie God to give a happie close to the treatie of peace between the two Nations of England and Scotland by his wise providence defeating the evill hopes of the subtill adversaries of both Kingdomes for which great mercy it was by the Kings most excellent Majestie the Lords and Commons in this present Parliament enacted that there should be a publick thanksgiving in all the Parish-Churches of his Majesties Dominions It is now ordered and declared by the Lords and Commons in Parliament that the time for the celebration of that publick thanks to almightie God for so great and publick a blessing shall be on tuesday the 7 th of Sept. by prayers reading and preaching of the Word in all Churches and Chappels of this Kingdome whereof we require a carefull and due observance that we may joyne in giving thanks as we partake of the blessing with our brethren of Scotland who have designed the same day for that dutie According to the act of this present Parliament for confirmation of the Treatie of Pacification between the two Kingdomes of England and Scotland whereas it was desired by the Commissioners of Scotland that the loyaltie and faithfulness of his Majesties Subjects might be made known at the time of the publick thanksgiving in all places and particularly in all Parish-Churches of his Majesties Dominions Which request was graciously condescended unto by his Majestie and confirmed by the said Act. It is now ordered and commanded by both Houses of Parliament that the same be effectually done in all Parish-Churches throughout this Kingdome upon tuesday the 7 th day of Sept. next coming at the time of the publick thanksgiving by the severall and respective Ministers of each Parish-Church or by their Curates who are heerby required to reade this present Order in the Church And was not the Lord most gloriously heer seen in the Mount of admirable mercie and deliverance to England and Scotland after such a marveilous manner as never any Nation could produce the like parallell of gracious providence And may we not therefore with holy David Israels sweet singer confess we have found the Lord according to his word a sure defence for the oppressed even a refuge in time of trouble And therefore they that know thy name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast not forsaken them that have seriously sought thee Yea he that is our God is the God of salvation and unto this God and mightie Lord belong the issues from death Heer also ere I have done with this mercie let me desire the Reader to take notice of the admirable wisdome and justice of God in thus clearing the innocencie and integritie of his children O what bitter aspersions did the Prelates Arminians and malignant partie cast on our brethren of Scotland at the first nothing but traytors and rebells could be heard out of their slanderous mouths But now see I say how Gods wisdome and justice ordered it that even those tongues that had so taunted them yea and in their pulpits too should now be forced even in the face of their Congregations to give themselves the lye That of Job being heerin most clearly ratified that The poore hath hope and iniquitie stoppeth her mouth and that also of the holy Prophet David which is full to our purpose That the King and all good men shall exceedingly rejoyce and glorie in God but the mouth of them that speake lyes shall be stopped And now also let me tell thee courteous Reader to make these mercies yet more glorious to the praise of our God that in the interim that those two Armies lay so together in the North the pestilent Spirits of the Malignant partie lay not still but were most maliciously working by their agents and instruments the Popish Lords and pernicious Prelates being also maine sticklers in all these mischievous designes to disaffect and discontent his Majesties Armie by scandalous and most false accusations and imputations on the Parliament thus to engage it for the maintenance of their most wicked designes of keeping-up the Bishops in their votes Lordly honours and functions and by force to compell the Parliament to order limit and dispose their parliamentarie proceedings in such a manner as might best concurre with the intentions of their dangerous and potent faction Now this plot of bringing the English Armie from the North Southward to London against the Parliament for the causes aforesaid having been particularly enquired into and examined both by that noble and vertuous Gentleman M r Fynes and Sir Philip Stapleton with others they made report thereof to the House of Commons about June 17. 1641. That they found that for the advancing of the said plott the Earl of Strafford had attempted his escape out of the Tower and to effect it the better had promised that worthy Gentleman Sir William Belfore then Leifetenant of the Towre 20000 li. and to marry his Sonne to his Daughter and to make it one of the greatest Matches in the Kingdome but Sir Williams loyaltie was
Members of both Houses away from their dutie and attendance on them and to go down to York thereby to make the Parliament as it were bleed to death and moulder to nothing and thus to blemish the actions of Both Houses of Parliament as done by a few and inconsiderable number and rather a partie than a Parliament and perhaps to set-up an Anti-parliament at York A desperate and most dangerous practise utterly to ruinate all But all in vain I trust in the Lord as hitherto we have happily seen in all their designes for ever blessed be the Lord our God for it But on the other side we may most apparently perceive and clearly behold by all those fore-mentioned particulars on the Parliaments part the most admirable and even onely-heaven-inspired wisdom moderation prudence pietie patience and indefatigable vigilancie of our ever to be honoured and everlasting renowned Peers and Commons in Parliament most humbly demeaning themselves alwayes toward his Majestie most wisely and courageously against the malignant partie most religiously and faithfully to Church and State in generall and most graciously tenderly and affectionately as so many fathers of their Countrey to all singular petitions and petitioners desiring their aid and assistance in a fair and fitting way for the good of Church and State which was most undeniably evident by the most sweet reciprocall resultaâ—ce and concurrent confluence of hearts and affections of all in City and Countrey over all the whole three Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland that had any spark or glimpse of true grace yea of but meer common-grace and goodnesse to the infinite praise and glorie of the Lord our God be it spoken and to the unexpressible joy of our souls even of the souls of all those that cordially love and desire to live to see the glorious and most happie espousals and never-again-to be-sequâ—stred-union and marriage twixt Peace and Truth the grand and gracious desire of that good King Hezâ—kiah the main if not onely ayme and â—nd of this prudent Parliament and which ought to be also of every true godly Christian with them Now therefore friendly Reader I say all those fore-mentioned particulars conglomerated into one bodie of serious animadversion those clouds of witnesses attesting this truth say was not thy wonder-working God the Lord Jehovah most admirably most gloriously even far beyond all humane apprehension or expression seen in the Mount of mercies for Englands mightie Deliverance Tell me good Reader speak thy conscience freely hath not England found yea hath not this blessed Parliament found our God raising up one Elisha or other to reveal and timely to discover all the wicked plots and devises of the malignant partie even now and of late and indeed all-along against the happie hope-breathing condition of our greatly envied Church and State So that we may say of England now adayes especially within this yeer and a half as Balaam once said of the children of Israel Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob neither is there any divination against Israel for according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel What hath God wrought So certainly we have all seen it and the very adverse and malignant partie must needs confesse it Surely there is no enchantment against England and Scotland nor is there any divination of the wicked that can prosper against the Houses of Parliament for according to these times of our wonderfull deliverances It shall be said to succeeding posteritie of England and of Scotland O what hath our most gracious God freely wrought for us Nay let me speak in particular to those of the malignant faction or let me rather sing it out with most emphaticall joy as Moses did in his sweet song of Gods high praises and let them denie it if they can Their Rock is not as our Rock even they our enemies themselves being judges For had their rock or rather Egyptian-reed been able to have over-powred our celestiall-Rock we had undoubtedly long ere this been made most wofull spectacles to them and theirs of ineffable ruine and implacable wrath whereas we are now most hopefully happie spectators of their most black shame sorrow and precipitating confusion Even so Amen Lord Jesus hasten it for thine elects sake Now then these things being thus how can we but with holy David break out into over-flowing cordiall-gratitude and say with his heart and tongue What shall we render to the Lord for all his blessed benefits toward us We will take the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord. We will pay our vows of universall true obedience unto the Lord in the presence of all the people Yea I say how can we forbear to break-forth into pious King Davids excitation and stimulation of our hearts to infinitely obliged thankfulnesse but with sincere rouzed-up souls to sing Blesse the Lord O my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy Name Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all or any of his precious benefits Who hath forgiven all thine iniquities and healed all thy great and grievous diseases Who hath redeemed thy life from destruction and hath crowned thee with loving kindnesse and tender mercies In summe therefore to wind-up all briefly let me beseech thee good Christian Reader to make this four-fold holy use and observation of all these premises these remarkable and unparalleld parliamentarie-mercies to England to unworthie sinfull England First to admire and adore the infinite and free mercie of our good God who hath done all these great things for thee even for his own Name sake because this so glorious a wonder-working attribute of free-grace and merci pleaseth him best of all Know O England that it was not for thine own sake that God hath done all these things for thee but for his holy Names sake which alas thou hadst most extremly profaned But thy God was willing to sanctifie his own great Name which thou I say hadst profaned and because he would make the wiâ—ked and ungodly among thee to know that God is the Lord and that he will be sanctified in you before their eyes and that they may see that the Lords hand is listed uâ— against them though they will not see yet they shall see and be ashamed of their envie at Gods people when the fire of Gods wrath devoures his enemies and when they shall perceive that the Lord onely hath ordained peace for his people and hath wrought al his works in us and for us Let us not therfore my dear Christian English brethren and friends so much look on our sins as to dead our hearts or to damp our faith by saying one to another O but our sins are greater than other Nations and therefore surely the Lord will not yet save and deliver us till we are fitted for mercie Alas alas if God should not be mercifull to us till
68. 19. Iob 5. 13. Psal 94. 11. Isa 29. 14. A Parliament A plot to spoil the Parliament The Kings Queensletters Earls Lords Knights and Gentlemen ride up and down to help them God counterplots and crosses them Parliamentary Worthies chosen A blessed Colledge of Physicians Exod. 15. 11. Psal 89. 5 6 7 8. Divers difficulties at the first beginning of this Parliament Six Subsidies granted Pole-money The mountanous dispatch of great affairs of the Parliament at the first To stop the mouthes of slanderers Ship-money abolished Coat and Conduct taken away Sope. Wine Leather Salt Many other Monopolies suppressed The root of all the former evils pluckt up viz. Arbitrary government God in the Mount Psal 145. 1 2 3. A spirit of prayer and humiliation stird up in the hearts of Gods people in private Rich returns of our prayers Our enemies plots proved their owngreatest plagues Iudg. 13. 23. Against the false fears and faithlesse faintings in Gods people Ier. 7. 16. Acts 12. 20. A Fleet of Spanish-ships at Sea The Spaniard is apt to watch and catch advantageâ— The Spanish fleet on our Narrow-Seas in sight of Dover The Hollanders meet with them Martin Tromp Admirall of the Fleet. The Spanish fleet beaten and destroyed Isa 54. 17. No weapon can be forged nor tongue raised against England and Scotland A Pacification and blessed union between the three kingdoms by Act of Parliament Psal 44 34. Psal 76. 9 10. Good men made Officers of State The Scaligers of our rustie times The Star-Chamber-Court President Councell of the North c. dissolved The Earl of Straford beheaded â—ex â—alionis An English Haman Psal 62. 3. 2 Sam. 20. 12. Ier. 10. 6 7. Iudge Bartlet other Iudges and Bishops impeached of high treason and imprisoned Much content among men upon the Earls beheading The Arch-prelate of Canterbury impeached of high treason and imprisoned Q Elizabeths saying touching Popish Bishops in her dayes of deliverance The malignant partie now began to fear Sir Ioh. Finch Secretary Windibank c. flie away for fear A fit simile of Rats and Mice in an old house or barn A double benefit came to the Kingdom hereby Cateline aâ— traitor to old Rome We ought to be as thankful for privative as positive mercies Prov. 6. 11. Psal 92. 7. Psal 73. 18 19. Psal 58. 10 11. A Trienniall Parliament The most blessed continuation of this present Parliament The excellent benefit of these 2. last Laws A three-fold cord is not easily broken Both Church and State sick at the very heart The Church sick of a quotidian-ague of Popery The State of a Consumption by oppressive taxations A Protestation Wednesday May 5. 1641. Who they be that refuse to take the Protestation Friday July 30. 1641. God in the Mount of Mercies Psal 18. 1 2 3. and 31 19 23. Psal 27. 14. Parliamentarie mercies to the Church of God * Prelates and Pontificians Ier. 38. 7. Dr. Bastwick Mr. Burton Mr. Prinne freed from prison Dr. Laighton also M. Smart Mr Walker Mr. Foxely Mr. Lilborn many others set a liberty Isa 29. 20 21. Prov. 11. 8. Hesth 6. 11. Mr. Prinnes most excellent History of all those three famous-sufferers Gen. 22. 13. Psal 32. 11. 3. 1 3 4. Paarliamentaâ—â—â—rdiners State-Engineers The Prelates ill-legall Synod nullified Their accursed Canons damned Their monstrous Et caetera-Oath also condemned Scandalous priests discovered and discountenanced 1 Sam 2. 17. Non-residents and Pluralists voted against Deans Prebends voted down Godly Pastort and Lecturers set up again with the peoples consent Isa 1. 27. * Which very words the Arch-prelate of Ganterbury spake most proudly to a godly Pastour my worthy friend Our Candlesticks almost lost and stinking-snuffs setting-up Psal 126. 1. Psal 32. 7. Oxford and Cambridge hopefull to be purged Matth. 6. 23. Sabbath-dayes better sanctified The due praise of the true sanctification of the Sabbath A profane book for sports on the Lords day Most violently pressed by the Prelates on Gods people Printing-Presses set open again The Sabbaths honour thereby vindicateâ— God in the Mount Psal 47 6 7 8. Gods worship in the Church better ordered From Romish Ceremonies Crucifixes and Popish pictures in Churches dimolished All Jesu-worship prohibited and all altar-rails dimolished * Exod. 20 26. Libertie to hear the Word without controlment The miserie of mens souls by Prelates soulcrueltie A notable peice of Prelaticall tyrannies now blessedly abolished The Kings Declaration before the book of Articles The High-Commission Court most blessedly put down A fit description of the Arminian rabble Romes caterpillers blown away Persecuted Pastors return home The High-Commission-Court most blessedly put down A brief description of the High-Commission-Court The members of the High-Commission-Court duely delineated Mat. 5. 20. The Ex Officio Oath damned Church-WardeÌ„s freed from their visitation vexations Dan. 2. 5. 3 2â— * The High-Commission-Courts deserved destinâ—e being the vote of a reverend holy Minister of this Kingdome See beer the extreame malice and rage of the Prelates The Starr-Chamber Court voted down and the Councill-Table limited restrained Those last great mercies summed up together God in the Mount Isa 30. 18 19 20. England like to have been Romes perpetuall Ass Psal 7â— 19 20 23 24. A tympanie of pride An 〈…〉 fatuus oâ— self-deceit Gen. 27 38. God is an unexhausted Spring of mercies Compelling of the Subject to take the Order of Knighthood abolished Stannary-Courts and Clerkes of Markets rectified Parkes and Forrests also rightly ordered Priests and Iesuites banished Sommersett-House that cage of unclean birds cleansed The Queen-Mother of France also sent away A most happie union between all the three Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland An act also of oblivion therunto annexed Both Armies in the North disbanded August the 27. 1641. Our brethren of Scotland attested to be loyall faithfull Subjects What said our Arminian foul-mouth'd Priests to this God in the Mount Psal 9. 9 10. Psal 68. 20. Those slanderous tongues of wicked Priests forced to give themselves the lye in their Pulpits Iâ—â— 5. 16. Psal 63. 11. A notable design of the Popish Lords and Prelates with the English Armie in the North. The Earle of Straford attempted his escape out of the Tower Sir Iohn Suckling a partie in this plott The Prince also and the Earl of Newcastle were to advance the work The French also were to assist in it The hot zeale of our holy Bishops to work our destruction Master Iermines Letter intercepted Portsmouth also attempted to be got into their hands Another design with the Scottish Armie also against the Parliament Citie of London Both designes timely discovered and disappointed The most bloodie and barbarous rebellion in Ireland discovered The great danger of the utter losse of Ireland The Irish-Remonstrance Irelands Tears England mainly intended to have been the prologue of Irelands miseries Psal 124. 1 2 3 4. c. Sir Wil. Belfore put out of his Lieutenantship of the
given him an absolute power to have persisted and continued in that holy and blessed estate Satan that subtill and accursed Serpent and that arch-enemie of mans holinesse and happinesse being by self-pride and arrogancie thrust out of heaven and thrown headlong into hell and so to abide to all eternitie in an unrecoverable cursed estate of damnation Hereupon being become Gods enemie extremely envied that holy and happie condition of Gods then darling Mankind and therefore to bring his malignant spight to the issue he aymed at fals a belying of God to man tempts and at last deludes man makes him fall into his sin pride and disobedience thus prevails in his project and thereby made man unhappie man as miserable as himself by being for sin deprived and divested of his former fair rooes of beautie and holinesse and depraved and poysoned in his whole soul and body with sin and uncleannesse and thus in himself a forlorn creature perpetually liable to Gods wrath and so consequently to eternall damnation But now God out of his infinite wisdom and mercie found out a ransome and mighty Redeemer for man even so many as he had predestinated to salvation the Lord Jesus Christ the second person in Trinity In whom and by whom even this promised seed of the deceived woman the Lord resolved to repay and revenge Satans malice and mischief to man promising that though Satan by mans fall had bruised the womans heel yet her seed the Lord Jesus Christ should by a strange way break his head even by his death be Satans death and destruction And hereupon the Lord God denounced an everlasting combate and irreconcilible enmity between these two and their off-spring to the end of the world namely Christ and the rest of the holyseed of the woman even all the succeeding Saints chosen-children of God in Christ And the Devil and his angels even all the desperate profane-ones and craftie hypocrites of the world who should from time to time in all ages most maliciously harbor in their hearts a natural antipathie against the godly to hate and despise them and therewith also take pleasure and delight in plotting and practising all mischief and villanie toward them though God in his wisdom and mercy having so graciously ordered it alwayes for the most part with ill-successe to themselves in the issue God who is most faithfull and able to perform having promised to be with his Church in a way of protection and preservation even to the end of the world Now thus you have briefly seen the combate decreed and the combatants also to maintain the warfare whereby the Church of God is put into a truly militant condition and daily constrained to exercise its spirituall Militia as the wicked do their Malitia against them and to be alwaies armed not onely with the whole armour of God spoken of by the Apostle Ephes 6. but also with worldly weapons and humane power and prudence to defend themselves and offend their enemies as God shall enable them But if you ask me now the cause of their quarrell the reason and ground of the grudge and clandestine hatred which the wicked of the world bear to the holy and humble Saints and servants of the Lord Truly the answer is easie and at hand yea the Apostle hath made it for me who by way of argumentation asks himself the very same question touching Cain and Abel Wherefore did Cain who was of that wicked-one the devill kill his godly brother Abel Because saies he his own works were evill and his brothers righteous Religion innocent-religion and true Holinesse is the great eye-sore to the ungodly and therefore as the said Apostle in the same place ver 13. marvell not that the world hates them This then I say is the main-ground of the quarrell betwixt these two combitants which hot combustion and contention as it hath been fiercely followed in all ages past from the beginning of the world and will be so till the end thereof So it was never more mischievously manifested to be so than in these our dayes I mean for at least these two or three hundred yeers last past to this present time and that in all the parts of Europe especially by the Papists or Romish Catholiques as they call themselves against the Hugonets in France Lutherans and Calvenists in Germanie and Protestants in England Scotland and Ireland and in brief by the Romish Antichrist against the Reformed-Christian in all parts And the implacable rage of this arch-adversarie of the Lord Jesus Christ hath far transcended all the malice and mischief of all former ages cruelties both of the old Assyrians and Philistines to the ancient Israâ—litâ—s or the last ten persecuting heathen-Emperours to the Primitive-Christians But as in all those former ages the more Satan by his impious agents and wicked instruments hath with inveterate vexations and extremest persecutions mangled and maligned the people of God So the more propitiously God hath preserved and encreased them like innumerable Phenixes rising and reviving out of their dead ashes fully confirming that old adagie The blood of the Saints is the seed of the Church This truth in both its branches hath been also most copiously confirmed in these our more modern times and chiefly I may well say in this our Kingdom of England among all the Nations of Europe Germany onely and Ireland excepted at this time foâ— cruelties but not for preservations which hath tasted the bitterdrafts of Romes wrath in a deep measure and yet the more this Antichristian enemie hath raged against Christ and his faithfull servants against the Gospel and its true professors the lesse he hath prevailed and the more they have encreased to the glory of God and the terrour and amazement of the wicked of the world Their divellish and desperate aymes having been deceived in the issue as was toucht before and God having faithfully performed his good word and promise to his Church and children to be with them and for them to the end of the world And though he suffers them oft-times to be closely and strictly hem'd in on all sides with great straits and distresses yet their greatest necessities have ever proved Gods fairest and fittest opportunities to be seen in the Mount for their deliverance even then I say when the enemie thought to have swallowed them up quick without all humane hope of redemption and redresse then yea even then hath our good God alwayes for the most part plucked the prey out of their devouring jaws broke the cheeks and teeth of the ungodly and rescued and recovered his darling the Church from the Lyons-den their destinied destruction Which is the main scope and drift of our intentions at this time and in this Treatise even to make clear to the eyes and understanding of all the world that will not wilfully blind them and obstinately shut them up from
beholding the evident sun-shine of the truth in the subsequent and most luculent demonstrations thereof in this Kingdom of England after a speciall manner which God hath graciously made the very Land-mark of all his rich mercies to the everlasting glory of his great Name and free grace unto us a most sinfull and undeserving Nation as we have been and that in the midst of such means and miracles of mercies which he hath conferred on us and wrought for us above all our neighbour Nations round about us Now herein my purpose is omitting many former mercies to our Land of high concernment and most worthy of everlasting and indelible thankfull remembrance as the shaking off of the Antichristian shackles and yoke of Poperie begun in the dayes of King Henry the eighth and his most blessed Son King Edward the sixth but especially in the happie halcyon-dayes of Queen Elizabeths reign of ever most blessed memorie Since whose most blessed dayes and times we have enjoyed the Gospel of peace and peace of the Gospel almost these hundred yeers and now are not onely Protestants but most blessedly begin to be reformed Protestants notwithstanding the many most nefarious and treacherous plots against her sacred person happily defeated the falsly so termed Invincible Spanish Armado in 1588 and the most exorbitant and hell-hatch't Powder-plot by those Romish traytors Garnet a grand-Jesuite and his twelve impious apostles in the yeer 1605 by heavens vigilant eye of providence timely prevented together with many private and pernicious conjurations or conspiracies not so much by force as by fraud clandestinely machinated and by Gods mercie fruitlesly attempted enough to fill up voluminous Treatises and infâ—â—itâ—ly to magnifie Gods endlesse praises all which I say here to omit my purpose and main intention is as I fore promised by the blessed assistance of Gods gracious Spirit to manifest and declare to all who vouchsafe the patient and impartiall perusall hereof all the memorable and wonder-striking Parliamentary mercies effected for and afforded unto this our English Nation mauger the malice of Hell and Rome Papists and profane Atheists Satans active and able agents with inthe space of lesse than two yeers last past 1641 and 1642. And for the better and more exact setting forth of the most illustrious lustre and glorious beautie of these incomparable parliamentarie-pledges of Gods undoubted love and free favour toward us my intention is first to shew my Reader the cloudy-Mountain of Straits into which the Lord had in his wisdom and justice brought us or rather suffered us to be drawn and driven into for our sins and transgressions and then the sweet and serene-Mountain of Mercies wherein God was most gloriously seen of his meer mercie for our most timely and happie deliverance I mean I say to let the godly Reader see the deep distresse and danger whereinto we were plunged by the nefarious and multifarious plots and projects of Jesuiticall-Priests and perfidious Prelates for I may most justly couple and link them together like Simeon and Levi brothers in iniquitie of these our late and worst times and other most disloyall atheisticallagents in these desperate designes all of them faithlesse factors for the See of Rome all of them complotting and contriving to reduce us to the accursed Romish religion yea all of them combining and confederating to work and weave our three famous and flourishing Kingdoms England Scotland and Irelands fatall and finall ruiâ—e and downfall This being done I shall endeavour by Gods assistance most punctually to promulgate and most exactly to record to posterity those even myriades of remarkable mercies conferred on us to strange amazement and deep admiration of all truly pious and faithfull Christians That thus contraries being set together in an exact Antithesis or opposition they may both appear the more apparently to the eyes and understanding of ingenuous and judicious beholders that thus I say the dangers being seriously considered and worthily weighed the mercies may the more gloriously break forth like the Suns glorious rayes and heart-cheering bright beams after a thick and black cloudie storm and heart-damping tempest and that thus I say the god y Reader ruminating and recollecting Both in his sad and serious re-cogitations may justly and ingenuously acknowledge that God was in the Mount for our Deliverance Now herein for my better and more methodicall proceeding in this renowned Storie I have resolved to make our most famous and renowned Parliamentarie-Worthies first Remonstrance wherein all our Kingdoms heavie pressures and oppressions are summarily and succinctly even to the life delineated my most worthily imitable copie and pattern to write by but in these I intend to be as concise and brief as conveniently may be because my chief ayme and resolution is â—o hasten to the copious and comfortable narration and description of our Parliamentarie-Mercies and Deliverances to the everlasting glorie and precious praise of our great and good God and that at the rare and faire sight and cordiall contemplation of them the godly Reader may break out in an extasie of holy and heavenly joy and say with holy David Truly God is good to his English Israel and to all therein of an upright heart Wherefore now to pretermit all further ambages and circumlocutions and to addresse my self seriously to the matter intended I shall first with my most worthie-Masters briefly declare the root and growth of their mischievous designes and the rice of our dangerous estate thereby Secondly the maturity and ripenesse to which the malignant partie had hatcht and cherisht it before the beginning of this Parliament Thirdly the efficacious means used for the eradicating and rooting up of this evill weed so rank-grown in the garden of the Kingdom both by the Kings royall assistance and Heavens blessing on the Parliaments great wisdom industrie and providence Fourthly the bold affronts and audacious obstructions and oppositions to interrupt and check the Parliaments fair and faithfull progresse and proceedings therein all along Fifthly and lastly the counter-checking means used to annihilate and make void those obstacles and impediments which so retarded the fair fabrick and comely structure of a happie reformation of those superfluous and rank-grown evils and of redintegrating and re-establishing the ancient honour and security of this Crown and Nation even by a Parliamentarie-power the onely remedie left under God to prop-up the tottering State to force away our over-flowing fears and to heal the mortall wounds and sores of our distressed Land Now the root and rice of all the plot was found to be a pernicious woven knot of malignant active spirits combining and confederating together for the supplanting and utter subverting of the fundamentall Laws and principles of government on which the religion and government of the Kingdom were firmly establisht And those actors and promoters were fiâ—st and principally Jesuited-Papists whose teeth had long
in power or authority onely used at the Councill board to execute and countenance not to debate and deliberate-on their State resolutions nay so far from being employed in any place of trust and power that they were utterly neglected discountenanced and on all occasions injured and oppressed by the rest of the contrarie faction which now was grown to that heighth and entirenesse of power that now they began to think-on the complete catastrophe and consummating of the whole work to their hearts desire which stood on these three parts or pillars of confusion First that the Government must be arbitrarie set free from all limits of Law both concerning persons and estates Secondly that there must be an union and conformitie between Papists and Protestants both in doctrine discipline and ceremonies onely it must not yet be called or counted Poperie Thirdly Puritans under which name all that were zealous for the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom and for the maintenance of Religion in the power of it were included must be either rooted out of the Realm by force or driven away by fear And thus now at last we have the full dimensions every way of this pestilent and most pernicious plot And could they possibly have digged deeper or in humane apprehension and contrivement have founded it firmlier Whatsoever worldly wit and wealth could do whatsoever carnall craft power and policie could effect was wholly for them with full and copious concurrence they now seemed to carry all irresistibly before them And now nothing was wanting fully to finish the work no stone unturned no Remora to be removed save onely one In which God gave them the lie to their teeth according to that of the Psalmist Surely men of low degree are vanity and mâ—n of high degree are a lie and both to be laid in the ballance they are altogether lighter than vanity it self Such vanity yea such lying-vanity these great-ones in their supercilious high-built hopes and bigg-swoln timpanie of ambition pride and perfidie began to be now rendered by the wisdome and mercie of our good God This one rub I say now to be remov'd proved the main break-neck of their whole designe and makes way for mine also which is to let you and all the world see moss cleerly how heaven made these impious plotters fall by their own folly and madnesse by their own creft crest all their secret counsels and confederacies and made their own invented mischief work-out their own miseries According to that of the sween Singer of Israel most pertinent to this purpose Behold he travelled with iniquity hath conceived mischief and brought forth falsehood He made a pit and delved it and is fallen into the ditch which he made for others his mischief shall return upon his own head and his violent dealing shall fall upon his own pate Whiles Gods dear Saints of England and Scotland escaped as birds out of the snare of those Fowlers and by Gods free grace and rich mercie found full and fair deliverance Which I say is the main scope and principall aym of this our present history For now as they verily beleeved they had made England their absolute-asse to bear all their back yea soul-breaking burthens So that they thought it most fit now in the last place to reduce Scotland to such Romish-harmonie and conformitie to embrace those Popish superstitions and innovations as might make them apt to joyn with England in that great change which they intended for as for Ireland they were sure enough to prevail there at their pleasure as t is too well known to us all and to themselves also by their late bloody experience which had been much more had not God crost their plot there also and enabled us to help them Whereupon our Church-Canons and a new-minted Liturgie not the very same which is used with us in England which with our vestures gestures and superstitious service-ceremonies had been abundantly enough to have vext them but with most pestilent Popish-additionals and unsufferable new inventions of the Arch-prelate of Canterbury or some of his Romish-factors framing put in over and above ours to make them starke mad as it were must be sent unto them and most violently obtruded on them Both which they instantly and stifly opposed especially when they considered and called to mind those three rare gentlemen as some imminent Scots have acknowledged who had been so lately and barbarously abused on pillories in England but the 30 th of June before and this attempt on them was in August immediately following for opposing and writing against those and such like Romish fopperies their women in Scotland being the first and forwardest stoutly to resist such an uncouth and strange imposition on them Where by the way let me desire the godly Reader not to passe over this remarkable passage sleightly as a triviall thing For though this child of hope was now but in the embrio and unpolisht conception and as yet had no strength at all to bring forth a perfect birth of deliverance to them or us in the eye of the world yet let us remember what a notable caution the Prophet gives us Despise not the day of small things For they shall rejoyce and shall see the plumet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven eyes of the Lord which run to and fro through the whole earth Now the women having thus begun to oppose this new English-Romish Pope an Archbishop of Scotland appointed as they called it to read and publish it in his fine linen Ephod and other Popish-Pontificalibus were seconded by the men between whom was a huge hubbub made in the Church at the bringing in of the new Liturgie or Service-book which they I say thus utterly rejected and cast out from amongst them and upon this first and small rising like the cloud at first no broader than a hand it quickly grew so bigge that the whole Land was over-spread with it the Kingdom in generall being highly incensed also against it did utterly refuse to admit it among them Whereupon foule calumnies and scoffs were cast upon them in England yea a Proclamation read in all Churches calling and counting them Rebels and Traytors for thus resisting our Prelats most injurious impositions on them and an Armie was speedily raised at the Prelates instigation to enforce them by fierce compulsiâ—â— to obedience and to take that yoke on their necks for the advancing of which said armie our Prelates with the rotten-hearted Clergie and Papists were most free and forward with libeâ—all contributions The noble and valiant Scots were thereupon constraineâ— to do the like in their own just defence But when both Armies were met and ready for a bloody encounter God who hath the hearts of Kings in his hands by the honest and wholesome counsell of his Nobility so wrought on the heart of our King that maugre all the prâ—gging
malice of the malignant-partie then about him a fair and friendly Pacification was speedily agreed on and the King returned to London with much honour to himself and sweet content to all but those that wisht to have ruinated all And now tell me did not God here begin to be seen in the Mount for our deliverance in thus at the very fâ—rst on-set of their devillish designe stopping the intended current of Christan-bloodshed And as the holy Prophet David sweetly The Lord bringeth the counsell of the wicked to nougâ—â— and maâ—es their devises of none effect But the counsels of the Lord stand fast for ever and the thoughts of his heart to all generations Blessed therefore is the Nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance This unexpected reconciliation was I say most welcome and acceptable to all the Kingdom except the malignant partie who like envious elves gnashed their teeth and with malice gnawed rancorously on their own hearts and therefore began again to spit yet more envie and spight out of their mischievous mouthes against the Scots and this happie peace especially William Laud the Arch-Prelate of Canterbury and the Earl of Straford the two monstrous heads of their faithlesse faction who I say began again mightily to maligne and bitterly to inveigh against the peace and to aggravate matters and exasperate the Kings wrath against the proceedings of those Peers that promoved it making his Majesty beleeve that it was a very dishonorable peace and disgracefull to the Kingdom insomuch that the King forthwith prepared again for war with them And such was their confidence or rather immarbled impudence that having by all means fore-mentioned corrupted and distempered at least as they thought the whole frame and government of the Kingdom they now also hoped to corrupt that fâ—â—â—â—tain which was the onely means under God to restore all to a right framâ— and temper again a Parliament to which end they perswaded his Majestie to call one but not to seek counselâ— of them but to draw countenance and supplie from them and to engage the whole Kingdom in their wicked quarrell and so to make the mischief and misâ—rie too Nationall In which mean time they continued all their unjust levies of money resolving either to make the Parliament pliant to their will and as the Prophet said of the wicked in his daies to establish mischief by a law or else to break it up again at their pleasure and to shift otherwise as well as they could by colourable violence as formerly to go-on to take what might not be had with consent Now the ground alledged for the iustification of this war was this namely the undutifull demands of the Scots in their Parliament which they conceived was cause enough for his Majestie to war against them without once hearing their iustification of those their demands and so thereupon a new Armie was mustered and prepared against them their ships were seized on in all Ports and parts of our Kingdom and of Ireland also their Petitions reiected and their Commissioners refused audience In summe the whole Kingdom was thus miserably distracted and distempered with leavies of money and imprisonment of those who denied to submit and crouch to those Leavies In which interim the Earl of Strafford posted into Ireland call'd a Parliament there out of hand quickly caused them to declare against the Scots and to grant foure Subsidies toward the warre yea and to engage themselves their lives and fortunes for the prosecution of it to the utmost of their power and to give direction for an Armie of 8000. foot and 1000 horse to be immediately mustered up which were all for the most part Papists O Ireland Ireland even this verie deed of thine above all thy other high provocations of generall profanenesse and especially of complacencie with base idolatrous Papists all over thy Kingdom in thus obliging thy Self in such a most uniust warre against thine honest and harmlesse Brethren of Scotland hath I am confidently perswaded most unhappily plunged thee into that most lamentable plight of blood and miserie which now of late thou hast grievously found and felt to thy unspeakable and unparalell'd sorrow and smart and hath made thee such a deplorable prey to their most barbarous mawes and bloody teeth of those Popish-rebels or rather inhumane Caniballs and unnaturall Vipers whom thou so lately so lovingly yet most irrelegiously didst nourish and cherish as so many venemous Snakes in thy bosome And I pray God this be not too frequent a fault among us in England namely to embrace in the armes of our foolish love a Papist as equally as a Protestant to this thy utter and inevitable destruction had not the Lord in wonderfull free mercie and favour prevented it in preserving Dublin The Earl of Straford having thus acted Sinons part in Ireland to his most wicked hearts content triumphing in his treacherie with more haste than good speed returned to England where this most subtill Sinon or rather scelerous Simeon and Laud his lewd brother Levi right brothers in iniquitie together with the rest of that pernicious partie at our Parliament in England which began April 13 th 1640. had so prevailed with his Maiestie that the said Parliament was most urgently incited and stimulated to yeeld supply toward the maintenance of this war with Scotland and that before there was any provision for the relief of those great pressures and groaning grievances of the people as have been fore-mentioned But by Gods overswaying power and good providence before any such thing could be to the purpose debated or resolved on base fears and jealousies preocupating the hearts of the malignant partie they suddenly and scelerously advised the King by all means to break-off thus Parliament also and to return to their former wayes of waste and confusion in which they hoped their own evill intentions were most like to proceed and prosper But here by the way take along with thee good Reader this note or observation on these premises namely that had our Parliament afforded the least supply to that wicked war yea though but one 6. d with their consent they had made the quarrell Nationall and thereby the plague and punishment of such a great sin most justly Epidâ—micall Take this then O England as no small mercie from thy gracious God who thus mercifully freed thee from such a Land-devouring sin and heinous provocation as Ireland does wofully witnesse it Now that Parliament thus fruitlesly ended they again fell to their former tyrannicall practises and squeezing course of enforcing supplies out of the peoples estates by the Kings own power and prerogative at his own will and without their consent yea the very next day after the dissolution of that Parliament some eminent Members of both Houses had their Chambers and Studies yea their Cabinets and very pockets
saies our God to make England a School of mercies and to set it in the highest form thereof yea and to make it the captain of the School and thereby intend to set him one-lesson to get by heart even a lesson of true gratitude and holy obedience for the mercies which now I intend to shew and bestow upon it Such mercies indeed good Reader as thou shalt now see and to thy souls admiration and comfortable contemplation behold that had I as many tongues hands and pâ—ns as I have hairs on my head and exquisite dexteritie fitly to manage and make use of them all they would not suffice to set out the praises of our good God for them being indeed such mercies as none but God himself could miraculously conser upon us by such a mightie and admirably strange overture and turn of things which God now began to work by this Parliament and all for the better yea more and more admirable mercies to us within these two yeers than hath been bestowed on others in many ages Which now by Gods gracious assistance I shall abundantly make most clear and conspicuous to the high honour and glory of God and the unspeakable consolation and ioy of his saints and holy ones For now behold the Lord began to open the eyes and to touch the hearts of our Nobles now at York with the King and to make them wearie of their too-long silence and patience if I may so call it and to lay to heart the Kingdoms great distractions and deep distempers to be thereupon impatient of any longer delayes and very sensible of the dutie and trust which belongs to them some therefore of the most eminent of them adventured to petition the King who being now at York had there advanced his royall Standard and gathered thither the cream of the whole Kingdom yea and at such a time too when as ill Counsellours were so powerfull and prevalent with his Majestie that they had reason to expect more hazard to themselves than fair and facile redresses of those palpable and publike evils for which they then interceded At which time also of this Kingdoms deadly burning-fever or violently shaking-ague of intestine miseries and oppr ssions the Scots having been long time restrained in their trades impoverished by losse of many of their ships and goods bereaved of all possibilitie of satisfying his Majestie by any naked Supplication wherein they had been long time tired and even quite wearied-out being as frequently as fruitlesly denied their desires and now at last to shut-up quite all doors of hope from them an armie marching to the gates of their Kingdom to force them to slavish subiection and obedience They hereupon resolving to stand on their most just defence and with their swords since words would not prevail to make their own passage for audience to the King with a strong armie as their last remedy of Saints rather than Souldiers entred the Kingdom and without any hostile act or spoil in the countrey as they passed save onely being affronted by some of the Kings armie to force their passage over the Tyne at Newburn neer Newcastle and had a fair opportunitie to presse on further upon the Kings armie out that dutie and reverence to his Majestie and brotherly love and true Christian affection to our English Nation according to the tenour of a most excellent Declaration printed and dispersed over the Kingdom immediately upon their entring the Realm intituled The Scots mind and intention with their Armie which gave great satisfaction therein made them stay there piously and patiently as loving friends not foes voluntarily to wait and supplicate again to his Majestie at York for iustice in their innocent cause against their wicked enemies Whereby the King had the better leasure to entertain better Counsell according to those Noble Peers Petition also fore-mentioned wherein the Lord our God so blessed him that he summoned a great Councell of Peers then at York to meet together with him on Sept. 24 1640. The Scots hereupon the first day of the great Councill presented another most humble petition to his Majestie whereupon a treatie was appointed at Rippon in which things were so wisely and worthily agitated by the Commissioners on both sides and in all that interim a sweet cessation of Arms agreed upon that at last it was resolved that the full conclusion of all differences between is and the Scots should be referred to the wisdom and care of a Parliament declared to begin Novemb. 3 d then next ensuing as the sole means under heaven to cure all these foresaid maladies and to recover the Kingdom of its heart sick diseases and otherwise incurable mortall wounds and to settle the State of things which otherwise seemed insuperable into a right frame and posture For as hath been abundantly manifested all things were so out of joynt the King and whole Kingdom brought to such exigents and precipitating sad and bad issues that had not God thus timously struck in and thus necessitated this Parliament England undoubtedly had been made long ere this a confused Chaos of confusion a gastly Golgotha and a most foule field of Blood and posteritie might have sighiâ—gly sobd out not sung of it Ah England England once call'd Albion for thy white rocks now too justly mayest be call'd Olbion for thy black deformitie of destruction and desolation O London famous London Englands once glorious Troynovant now become a desolate wildernesse the plowmaâ—s fallow-plains or vast fields of corn or as the Prophet Jeremie by his Jerusalem might most properly have painted thee out also as in the 1 of his Lamentations But now behold thy God is come unto thee is now seen yea now I say if ever in the Mount of Mercies for thy admirable deliverance from this most profound abyss of deepest danger in this mightie mercie of thâ— Lord to thee but new-now poor gasping-England in that the English and Scottish-armies should lie so neer each other in a martiall manner and yet seem Both to shake hands together should onely look one another in the face and not embrue their hands in the blood of each other but sit still rest together in peace and at length part as they did like good friends O who can forbear but in a transcendent rapture of ioy and gratitude break-out with holy David and say or rather cheerfully sing Ascribe unto the Lord worship and honour ascribe unto the Lord the glory of his name Sing unto God ye Kingdoms of the earth O sing praises unto our God Who maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth who breaks the bowe and cuts the spear in sunder and burns the chariots in the fire Who daily loadeth us with his benefits and is the onely God of our salvation Who infatuates the wisdom of the wise and prudent and makes the counsels of Princes to come to nought
But now to proceed where I left A Parliament was I say appointed to begin Novem. the third a Parliament said I strange word what a Parliament why who durst once be so bold as onely to whisper his desires of a Parliament who once durst mutter much lesse utter-out such a word A Parliament in England again Yet thus it was yea and thus timely too yea and such a Parliament too as this Kingdom never saw â—he like for length and strength of goodnesse for Church and State to Gods due glorie and everlasting praise be it spoken Certainly then if ever now was our God gloriously seen in the Mount of Merci s for Englands greatest good and hoped happinesse But now see again as I premised at the beginning the serpentine-seed Satans agents must be still working and plotting against all the springing hopes and budding comforts of Gods people if it were possible to blast them in the blossomes For now since they saw to their secret sorrow a Parliament must needs be this omen also unavoidable all their crafty pates were contriving and casting about how to stifle this conception of comfort in the very wombe For the malignant partie spying well that they could not as I said put off the Parliament they therefore cunningly and closely endeavour by their Courtly agents to have such Members of it chosen in every Corporation City and Shire as might onely advance their mischievous Machinations and base designes in Parliament They therefore procure the Kings and Queens Letters to Counties and Shires get both Earls Lords Knights and Gentlemen to ride in person and rove up and down to all parts and places of the Kingdom to make parties for them in choice of such as they should nominate Yet see again on the other side how the Lord counter-plotted and infatuated all their craft care and industrie therein for notwithstanding all their cost and coyl all their running and riding God I say frustrated their impious expectation in most places The Lord who holds the hearts of all men in his hands caused the willing people from all parts spontaneously to flock and assemble together like such unheard of numerous swarmes of bees of all requisite sorts and qualities with most unbended courage and irrefragable resolutions to chuse-out and select such pious prudent and every way accomplisht Worthies for this high and honourable work as are most hopefull by Gods gracious support and assistance to strike the stroke of a most blessed and long looked for yea longed-for happie Reformation yea I say making up such a blessed Colledge of Phisicians as are likely by Gods benediction on them and protection over them to cure the else almost curelesse maladies and infirmities of Church and State which were readie to sink into the inevitable gulf of wo and wretchednesse and to drink the last draft of deadly destruction O who can passe-by such a remarkable passage of Gods admirable providence surpassing admiration in this speciall piece of comfort to us yea I may justly say this master-peece of the whole ensuing frame of all our succeeding parliamentarie-rejoycings and not cry-out with most emphaticall cheerfulnesse with holy Moses Who is like unto thee O Lord among the gods Who is like unto thee glorious in holinesse fearfull in praises doing wonders And with the sweet Psalmograph holy David The heavens shall praise thy wonders O Lord thy faithfulnesse also in the assembly of Saints For who in heaven can be compared to the Lord Who among the sons of the mightie can be likened to our God Now at the first sitting and meeting of this blessed Parliament though all oppositions seemed to vanish the fore-mentioned mischiefs of the malignant partie being so evident which their accursed counsels and co-operations produced that no man durst stand-up to defend them yet the whole work it self afforded difficulty enough if you cast your eyes on these particulars First the multiplied evils and long-rooted corruptions of 16. yeers growth at least by custome and authority of the concurrent interest of many powerfull delinquents who were now to be brought to judgement and reformation Secondly the Kings houshold was to be provided for for they had brought him to that want that he could not supply his meer ordinarie and necessarie expenses without the assistance of his people Thirdly two armies were then to be paid which amounted very neer to 80 thousand pounds a moneth and yet the people over the Kingdom must be tenderly charged having been formerly miserably exhausted with many burthensome projects Fourthly the contraâ—ieties they met with in all these were very incompatible which yet in a great measure they calmly reconciled these difficulties therefore seemed to be invincible yet by Gods good providence and these most renowned Worthies indefatigable care and diligence they comfortably over came them At the beginning of the Parliament six Subsidies were freely granted together with the passing of a Bill of Pole-money for speedie supply of present occasions which could not amount to lesse than 600000. l. besides the said six Subsidies Yea these prudent patriots contracted that great arrere-of charges due to our faithfull brethren of Scotland to 220 thousand pounds And notwithstanding all these most urgent and inevitable charges and pressing occasions the Lord so blessed the proceedings of this precious Parliament that the kingdom is for the present and will be much more for the future by Gods mercie a great gainer by all those charges as will evidently appear by the subsequent cloud of witnesses the many remarkable parliamentarie mercies which our great Jehovah hath graciously strewed into our happie laps and bosomes by them And this is here the rathe toucht and mentioned to stop the mouthes of those repining envious elves of ingratitude who notwithstanding these so conspicuous and egregious restimonies of these ever to be honoured Worthies most impregnable pains and industrie yet would fain fasten their fangs of calumnie and detraction on their most honourable actions and proceedings which even their infâ—rnall black-mouth'd mother Envie her self cannot but though contrarie to her nature most justly commend As first that uncouth and till of late unheard of heavie taxation of Ship-money by this Parliament abolished which drained from the Kingdome above 200 thousand pounds a yeer Coat and Conduct-money taken away from unjustly troubling the Subject which in many countreys amounted to little lesse than Ship-money That scouring project of New-sope also overthrown which brought an hundreth thousand pounds a yeer into private proiectors purses That soaking plot also on Wine which amounted to above three hundred thousand pound And that of Leather which rightly computed could not chuse but exceed both those former put together this is also annihilated Yea that unseasonable and indeed unreasonable patent for Salt puld out of their enhansing hands which could not but countervail in value that of Leather Besides many
unassayed that might conduce to a perfect cure and therefore I say how he put into the hearts of our ever to be honoured Worthies in Parliament both Peers and Commons seriously to consider how sick at the very heart the Commonwealth was both Church and State Religion panting by many fearfull fainting-fits of a strong and violent Quotidian-Ague of Poperie Arminianisme and many Popish apish innovations mightily tending to idolatry and superstition and the State brought into a deep consumption almost hopelesse of remedie by reason of those many and mischievous taxations and impositions most unjustly pressing and oppressing its strength and abilities as hath been most abundantly set forth and shewn in our preceding descriptions of them Therefore I say on judicious advise and premeditation of the condition of Both our most noble Colledge of expert Physitians by Gods good providence timely thought on an Aurum-potabile a precious potion a select electuari to recover its almost irrecoverable health and strength a most pious and prudent Protestation to be taken next to the heart all over the Kingdom to revi◠their formerly fainting spirits like pure Aqua-vitae or most soveraign stomack-water to help us all against the future chilling and killing qualms of Poperie and Oppression The Protestation I A. B. do in the presence of almightie God vow and protest to maintain and defend as far as lawfully I may with my life power and estate the true reformed Protestant Religion expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England against all Popery and Popish innovations within this Realm contrary to the same doctrine and according to the dutie of my allegiance his Majesties royall person honour and estate As also the power and priviledges of Parliament the lawfull rights and liberties of the Subiect and every person that maketh this Protestation in whatsoever he shall do in the lawfull pursuance of the same And to my power and as far as lawfully I may I will oppose and by all good wayes and means endeavour to bring to condign punishment all such as shall either by force practise counsels plots conspiracies or otherwise do any thing to the contrary of any thing in this present Protestation contained And further that I shall in all iust and honourable waies endeavour to preserve the union and peace between the three Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland and neither for hope fear or other respect shall relirquish this promise vow and Protestation A Protestation I say most worthie to be taken by all honest-hearted English Protestants over the whole Kingdom a Protestation which I dare be bold to say and justifie none but hard'ned impious Papists profane atheisticall Libertines or grossely ignorant asses and carnall earth-worms onely can dare to be so gracelesse or else shamelesse either directly to refuse or so much as dissemblingly to defer or neglect on any colour of pretence whatsoever And that ye may see the substance of what I say herein ratified by the Worthies of our Parliament I thought fit to give you here their own Vote thereon Resolved on the Question That this House doth conceive that the Protestation made by them is fit to be taken by every person that is well affected in Religion and to the good of the Commonwealth and therefore doth declare that what person soever shall not take the Protestation is unfit to bear office in the Church or Commonwealth Now then good Reader put all these last recited admirable mercies together and tell me whether thou dost not most evidently see and mayest not most freely and faithfully say that our great Jehovah hath most blessedly brought us out of the Mount of many mightie straits and been seen for our most happie deliverance from them all in the Mount of mercies And seeing these so great and gracious mercies to so sinfull and so undeserving a Nation and provoking people as we are so ungratefull so unfruitfull O who can forbear to break-forth in holy exultation to the high exaltation by praises of our good God and with the pious Prophet David that sugred singer of Israel say and sing with the 〈◊〉 llifluous melodie of a most gratefull heart I will love thee O Lord my strength the Lord is my stonie-rock my fortresse and my deli◠rer my God my strength in whom I will trust my buckler the horn of my salvation and my high towre O how great is thy goodnesse O Lord which thou bast laid-up for them that fear thee and which thou hast laid-out and wrought for them that trust in thee even before the sons of men O therefore love the Lord all ye his Saints for the Lord preserveth the faithfull and plenteously rewardeth the proud doer Yea I say wait on the Lord therefore and be of a good courage and he shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. Thus have we seen what wonders God hath wrought for us in the Commonwealth he pleased now therefore to lengthen-out and lend me thy Christian patience and I shall now also shew thee how the Lord hath been as gloriously seen if not much more in the Mount of parliamentarie-mercies to his poor afflicted and affrighted Church among us which yet the Reader must be pleased to take notice were intermixedly performed together with the most and first of those fore-mentioned in the Commonwealth onely I have ranckt them together for mine own better and more methodicall handling of them About the beginning of this blessed Parliament the Lord put into the hearts of our grave and godly parliamentarie Senators to act their first pious parts about reformation of Religion by a most diligent inquisition and search after oppressions and oppressours of the Church of God and by their parliamentarie power to break and knock off the pushing horns of those fat buls of Bashan wherewith they had fiercely and furiously yea and as it were even frantickly pusht at and almost goard to death the people of God and first upon the petitions of Mrs. Bastwick and Mrs. Burton the pious but then most disconsolate and too untimely widowed-wives of their thrice noble and heroick husbands as also a petition exhibited in the behalf of most precious Mr. Prinne that incomparable and rare pair-royall of most worthy witnesses of Gods truth the pious Parliament like noble Ebed-melech redeemed those just Jeremies of the Lord out of their otherwise perpetually captivating most remote and desolate dungeons to the great joy and comfort of Gods dear Saints together with religious Dr. Laighton a long and lamentable Sufferer for the great cause of Religion as also reverend and religious Mr. Smart Mr. Walker Mr. Foxley and that undaunted picus young gentleman Mr. John Lilborn and many others all of them immediately set at libertie on the exhibiting of their petitions to the Parliament who had most of them been most unjustly and most injuriously clapt up in close imprisonment some of them fast fetter'd in irons all
intimation from this House be made to the Justices of Peace in all the Counties of England and Wales And the Knights of the Shire of the severall Counties are to take care that copies of this order be accordingly sent to the Justices of Peace in the severall Counties And also by setting our Printing-Presses open whereby a happie way was laid open again for Gods learned and loyall Servants by their pious pens and elaborate labours to vindicate the Sabbaths most glorious lustre to the honour of godlinesse and purity of Religi n. And was not the Lord herein also seen in the Mount of Mercies for Englands preservation from the guilt of such a wrath provoking sin of such a Land-scourging râ—â— as this might have proved to out Kingdom had it so continued as by the hellish zeal of out Prelates it was intended Sing praises therefore O England sing praises unto God O sing praises sing praises to our glorious King For God is the King of all the earth sing praises therefore O England to thy God with understanding Thy God O England reigns over the whole world and sits gloriously triumphing on the throne of his holinesse Yet here 's not all for our ever to be honoured heroick Parliamentarie Worthies have added to that former pious pains oâ— theirs this their godly care also namely to 〈◊〉 and purifie the holy worship of our God from the filthie lâ—â—s and dregs of Popish Ceremonies whereby the tender â—onsciences or godly Ministers are not so tyed to Romish trumperâ—â— of vestures and gestures crouchings and cringings and Jesu-worshippings and a multitude of such like mimicall actions in Gods worship and service as formerly they had been most tyrannically pressed and enforced to Yea all Images Crucifixes and any pictures or representations of any of the persons of the Trinity or of the Virgin Mary quite dimolished and extirpated out of Gods house All corporall Jesu-worship I say and altar-adoration sure and infallible signes of Popish ignorance and of the Romish-Strumpets outward-paintings but inward rottennesse what ever fair yet false pretences foolish men and women would like Jeroboam for his golden calves-worship impiously put upon them most piously prohibited and Altar-rails pull'd-down and Communion-Tables set in their proper postures yea all high-steps and ascents to their Altars clean contrary to Gods prescript word by degrees commanded to be levelled burthens and conscience-grievances which neither we nor our fore-fathers that truly loved the Lord Jesus Christ and were tenderly-affected to his pure worship could possibly bear But now they are most happily taken from our tyred necks and almost broken-backs as by an Order of Parliament may and doth most comfortably appear which for the precious excellency and rare memory thereof I have thought good here to insert exactly and verbatim as it came from the Parliament to the everlasting glorie of our great and good God the honour of our Worthies in Parliament and the unexpressibly joy and consolation of all Gods people that peruse it An Order from the Parliament against divers Popish Innovations Dated Sept. 8. 1641. being Wednesday VVHereas divers Innovations in or about the worship of God have been lately practised in this Kingdom by enjoyning some things and prohibiting others without warrant of Law to the great grievance and discontent of his Majesties Subiects for the suppressing of such Innovations and for preservation of the publike peace it is this day ordered by the Commons in Parliament assembled that the Church-wardens of every Parish and Chappell respectively do forthwith remove the Communion-Table from the East end of the Church Chappell or Chancell into some other convenient place and that they take away the Rails and levell the Chancels as heretofore they were before the late innovations That all crucifixes scandalous pictures of any one or more persons of the Trinitie and all Images of the Virgin Mary shall be taken away and abolished and that all tapers candlesticks and basons be removed from the Communion-Table That all corporall bowing at the Name Jesus or toward the East end of the Church Chappell or Chancell or toward the Communion-Table be henceforth forborn That the Orders aforesaid be observed in all the severall Cathedrall Churches of this Kingdom and all the Collegiate Churches or Chappels in the two Vniversities or any other part of the Kingdom and in the Temple-Church and the Chappels of the other Innes of Court by the Deans of the said Cathedrals by the Vice-chancellours of the said Vniversities and by the Heads and Governors of the severall Colledges and Halls aforesaid and by the Benchers and Readers in the said Innes of Court respectively That the Lords day be duely observed and sanctified all dancing and other sports either before or after Divine Service be forborn and restrained and that the preaching of Gods Word be permitted in the afternoon in the severall Churches and Chappels of this Kingdom and that Preachers and Ministers be encouraged thereunto That the Vice-chancellors of the Vniversities Heads and Governours of Colledges all Parsons Vicars and Church-warden do make certificates of the performance of these Orders and if the same shall not be observed in any the places afore-mentioned upon complaint thereof made to the two next Justices of Peace Major or Head-officers of Cities or Towns Corporate It is ordered that the said Justices Major or other Head-officers respectively shall examine the truth of all such complaints and certifie by whose default the same are committed All which Certificates are to be delivered in Parliament before the thirtieth of Octob. next Resolv'd upon the Question That this Order now read shall be an Order of it self without any addition for the present and that it shall be printed and published Nay here 's not all yet for our God whose hands are still open to replenish and satisfie our souls with ioy and gladnesse yea now to nourish and cherish our formerly sad hearts with the failings of his over-flowing favours hath taken from us our accustomed terrours and restraints of free libertie to hear the sweet sound of Aarons bâ—ls especially on the Lords dayes As is more fully seen and assisted by a blessed Order from the Parliament to our unexpressible comfort which Order I have thought fit to be here inserted Die Mercurii Sept. 8. 1641. IT is this day ordered by the House of Commons now assembled in Parliament That it shall be lawfull for the Parishioners of any Parish within the Kingdom of England and Wales to set up a Lecture and to maintain an orthodox Minister at their own charge to preach every Lords-day where there is no preaching and to preach one day in the week where there is no weekly Lecture He. Elsyn Cler. Dom. Com. Whereby no man now is enforced to stay at his own Church where there is no preaching to promote the honour of the day and to feed hungrie souls with that heavenly manna whereof the Lord knows many thousand
of a charge of high treason against the Lord Kimbolton one of the Members of the Lords House and against the said Mr Hollis Sir Ar. Haslerigg Mr Pym Mr Hampden and Mr Strode by Sir Will. Killigrew Sir Will. Flemen and others in the Innes of Court and else-where in the Kings name was a high breach of the priviledge of Parliament a great scandall to his Majestie and his government a seditious act manifestly tending to the subversion of the peace of the Kingdom and an injurie and dishonour to the said Members there being no legall charge or accusation against them Recollect now then good Christian Reader thy sad and serious thoughts and muster-up thy most exquisite meditations on this so ponderous and weightie a passage of Gods admirable providence and protection of his own parliamentarie-Worthies for so me thinks I may fitly call and count them and tell me whether God was not wonderfully seen here in the Mount of straits to turn it in a moment to a Mount of deliverance to his faithfull Servants yea and in them to the whole Kingdom whose weal or woe as we all are or ought to be most sensible was wrapt-up in them being the representative Bodie thereof And when thou hast fully and feelingly recogitated and ruminated on this exuberant parliamentarie-mercie tell me I pray thee whether thou and I and all true English-hearts have not most redundanâ— reason and copious occasion with blessed Moses a little before his death and dying mens words ought to make deep impression of credence in our hearts to confesse and acknowledge That there is none like unto the God of Jesurum who rideth upon the heavens in the help of his beloved-ones and in his excellencie on the skie The eternall God is their refuge and underneath them are his everlasting armes and he shall thrust their enemies before them And they shall know that it was thy hand O Lord and that thou onely hast done it and that though they have cursed yet thou hast blessed and that when they arose thou mad'st them asham'd but hast caused thy servants to rejoyce Yea and hast carried them on Eagles wings far and free from danger and hast brought and placed them neer to thy self Yea I say again now if ever those noble and renowned parliamentarie-Worthies found that of Solomon most true That the Name of the Lord is a strong towre the righteous run into it and are safe To conclude this therefore let the gratefull and gracious consideration of this so great a deliverance cause me and thee and them all whom it so neerly and peculiarly concerns to break-out with holy David that sacred and sugred Singer of Israel and to say O give thanks unto the Lord and call continually upon his Name Sing unto him O sing Psalms to his great Name and talk of all the wondrous works which he hath done and all the glorious judgements of his mouth Now after this so terrible affront and disturbant affright to the Parliament it pleased those pious and prudent Worthies of both Houses for a space to adjourn their sitting at Westminster and to turn Both-Houses into a grand Committee and for their greater safetie and assurance from Popish-plots and combinations to sit in the Citie of London in the Grocers-Hall Where by Gods mercie and most safe protection they were most cheerfully guarded every day by the train'd-Bands of the Citie and extraordinarie lovingly entertained and most respectively used according to the high merit of their worth and work and unto theirs and our high content and singular comfort In which interim of their sitting in London very many of the well-affected and faithfull Ministers of London unanimously petitioned the Parliament both for choice of an Assembly for setling Church-discipline and for the ordering of a Monethly fast throughout the whole Kingdom untill the distresses of Ireland and the distractions of England were by Gods mercie graciously quieted and composed Which petition of theirs in both those materiall branches thereof was most favourably entertained by the Parliament and received a desired answer the Assembly of Divines being now by vote in Parliament fully resolved on and all of them nominated for all the Counties throughout the Kingdom for their advise to the Parliament for setling and ordering the pure worship of our God and true Apostolicall discipline Wherein the Lord grant they may all be as meek-hearted gracious and faithfull as holy Moses was to do nothing therein no not in the least particular thereof especially in Gods worship but most punctually according to the pattern of the Apostles practise and precepts no question fully and sufficiently to be found in Gods Word The Monethly fast also was speedily put in practise all over the Kingdom which being as it were a spirituall Militia as a reverend and learned Divine of our Citie calls it most properly puts the Kingdom into a spirituall posture of a God-pleasing holy warfare if religiously kept both for sin and from sin that we may as it were even fight and contend with God by prayers and tears by sighs and groans as good Jacob was said thus to wrastle with God yea and may be prevailers with God for a blessing on our Land our King and Parliament Church and State and thus also at length may prevail with men even against all the enemies of our peace and prosperitie both domestick and forrein Domestick I mean our imbred sins base lusts and corruptions Forrein that is treacherous projectors and clandestine malignant emulatours of our happinesse both at home and abroad And are not here two parliamentarie-mercies more of most high concernment and such as give us strong and irrefragable assurance that God is with us and will be with us if they be rightly and religiously managed and then we need not fear who is against us Yea then as the Prophet said They are moe that are with us than those that be for our enemies Yea even the Lords legions of chariots and horsemen of fire round about us to defend us and to consume them Whereby we may even alreadie triumph and exult with pious Paul and truly say Thanks be unto God who hath given us victory yea and made us more than conquerors through Christ in whom he hath freely loved us But to proceed In this time also of the Parliaments sitting in London by a grand-Committee of both Houses the stout-hearted and well-minded Ship-masters and Marriners to shew their love and loyaltie to the King and Parliament exhibited their Petition to the grand Committee and therewith also their votes and desires full of courage and candor to serve his Majestie and the Parliament to the utmost of their power which their readinesse and cheerfulnesse therein was most lovingly regarded both by the Lords and Commons and shortly after a fair and fit occasion was offered to make use of their love and service therein which they most really
watered for and whose eager appetites had long hungred after the subversion of our Religion Secondly perfidious and rotten-hearted Prelates and Arminian-pontificians who mightily and maliciously cherishing formality or conformity and superstition greedily also gaped after a change in Religion or at the least the outragious supporting of their Eeclesiasticall-tyrannie and usurpation Thirdly profane irreligious and even atheisticall Courtiers and Councellours of State who for their own private and beggarly ends had engaged themselves as being doubtlesse mercenarie pensioners to forrein Princes to the prejudice of their own naturall King and the State at home And as you have seen the agents were potent and politick So the common principles by which they moulded and managed their craftie counsels and impious actions were as pragmaticall as prejudiciall As fiâ—st to work and win the King to stand stifly to his Royall-prerogative and the people for the maintenance of their Priviledges and Liberties that thus they might have the advantage by siding with the King against the Subject and so to be counted his fastest friends and trustie servants and thereby engrosse to themselves and their factious confederates all places of greatest trusâ— and power in the Kingdom that so they might the more safely fish in troubled waters Secondly to suppresse and stifle the sacred puritie and power of religion and to curb and keep-under all of all degrees that were best affected to it in profession and practise these being sore pearls in their eyes and the greatest impediments to that change which their voracicus and eager appetites extremely longed and laboured to introduce among us Thirdly to countenance and encourage their own fast faction and on all colourable occasions to disgrace vilifie and dishearten all the opposite partie Fourthly and lastly by slanders and false imputations to work the King to an utter-dislike of Parliaments and putting him on unjust and forcible wayes of supply yet masking them with fair pretences of great and just advantage to his Majestie though indeed they brought more losse than gain to him and great distresse and distractions to the whole Kingdom And thus have you summarily seen the Basis or foundation of their building now be pleased with as much brevitie as may be to behold what a fair fabrick and stately structure they raised and erected on it And here by the way take notice of this diffusive sememting-materiall or bracing-piece conglutinating or holding fast the body of the whole ensuing frame namely that in all the compacted and conioyned ligaments of this omiâ—ousarchitecture the Jesuites craftie counsell and as wicked as wittie wilinesse was instead of a prime architector or Master Builder of the whole edifice and had they not all been by Gods overpow'ring providence timely prevented these Jesuiticall-Artificers would undoubtedly have over-builded the Prelaticall-Labourers and instead of a new have pul'd down an old-house on the heads of all the rest of those as credulous as accursed cooperating Carpinters or work-men with them in this their Babell of confusion And now in the first yeer of the Kings reign their work began to be revived and hotly to be set upon again For it is here to be considered that in the last yeer of King James his reign it had been somewhat dampt and quâ—sht both by the breach with Spain that yeer as also by his Majesties marriage with France whose people were not so contrary unto nor so hotly active against the good of Religion and prosperitie of this Kingdom as those of Spain and besides the Papists in England being more zealously addicted and affected for matter of Religion to Spain than France yet still they retained a resolution to weaken the Protestant-partie in all parts and places of Europe yea even in France thereby to make way for an intended change at home The first effect and evidence of which their recoverie of strength was the dissolution of the first Parliament at Oxford after two Subsidies granted but no grievances removed After which many other bitter effects of this bad begiâ—â—ing followed or rather flowed and gushed-out apace as namely the losse of Rochel Fleet yea of Rochel it self a lamentable evill to the French-Protestants by the unhappie help of our ships The diversion of a most facile and hopefull war from the Wâ—st-Indies to a most expensive and successelesse attempt on Calâ—s raâ—her to make us weary of warre than prospeâ—ous in it The precipitate breach of peace with France A peace concluded with Spain without consent of a Parliament contrary to promise made by King James to both Houses whereby the Palatine câ—uâ—e was shamefully deserted by us The Kingdom soon charged with billetted Souldiers together with the concomitant project of Germane-horses to enforce men by â—ear to all arbitrarie taxations The dissolution of a second Parliament in the second yeer of his Majesties reign after a declarative intention of granting five Subsidies Violent exacting the said summe or a sum equivalent to it by a Commission of Loan Divers worthy gentlemen imprisoned for refusing to pay it Great summes of money extorted from subjects by Privie-Seals and Excise The most hopefull Petition of Right blasted in the blossome of it A third Parliament called and as quickly broken and therein Parliamentariâ— priviledges violated by after ill-usage of some of the best and worthiâ—st Members thereof who were clapt up in close-imprisonment denied all ordinarie and extraordinarie comforts of this life and preservation of health no not so much as their wives permitted to come unto them yea deprived of spirituall consolation for their souls not suffering them to go to Gods House for enjoyment of publike Ordinances or godly Ministers to come to them but kept them still in this oppressive condition not admitting them to be bailed according to Law And this crueltie might have been perpetuall to them and others had not another Parliament been necessitated to relieve and release them Upon the dissolution of those Parliaments O what scandalous and opprobrious Declarations were published to asperse and besmear their proceedings and some of their woâ—thiest Members unjustly to make them odious and the better to colour their exorbitant violence exercised on them Proclamations set out to those effects thereby also extremely disheartning the Subjects yea and forbidding them once so much as to speak of any mo Parliaments this being in the fourth yeer of the Kings reign Then injustice violence and heavie oppressions without all limits oâ— moderation brake-out upon the people like unresistible floods gushing out of a broken-down Dam or stoppage with huge inundations checking yea even choaking all our freedomes and fast fettering our free-born hearts with manacles and chains of most intolerable taxations Witnesse the mighty sums of money gotten by that plot of Knighthood under a fair colour of Law but iâ—deed a meer violation of justice Tonnage also and poundage received without any pretext or colour of Law The
book of Ratâ—s inhansed to an high proportion A new and unheard of yet most heavie taxation over the whole Kingdom by Ship-money Both these under a colour of guarding the Seas by which there was charged on the Subject neer upon 700000 li. some yeers and yet Merchants constantly left naked to the violent robberies of Turkish-pirates to the great losâ—e of many fair Ships and much goods and imprisonment of their bodies in most miserable bonds of Turkish-slaverie The enlargement of Forrests contrary to Magna Charta The exaction of Coat and Conduct-money The forcible taking away of the Train'd-band Arms. The desperate designe of Gunpowder engrossed into their hands and kept from the Subject in the Tower of London and not to be had thence but at excessive rates and prices The destruction of the Forrest of Dean that famous timber-Magazine or Store-house of the whole Kingdom sold to Papists The canker-eating Monopolies of Sope Salt Wine Leather Sea-cole and almost all things in the Kingdom of most necessarie and common use Restraint of Subjects liberties in their habitations and trades and other just interests together with many other intolerable burthens which poore Isachars shoulders were not able to bear but grievously to groan under and which for brevities sake I desire to passe over as not being my main intention to insist on but to hasten to our most happie deliverance from them for refusall of which fore-said heavie pressures O what great numbers of his Majesties loyall Subjects have been vext with long and languishing suits some fined and confined to prisons to the losse of health in many of life in some some having their houses broke-open and their goods seized on some interrupted in their Sea voyages and their ships taken in an hostile manner by Projectors as by a common enemie The Court of Star-Chamber having chiefly fomented and encreased these such like most extravagant censures most unjust suits both for the improvement of devouring Monopolies and of divers other causes wherein hath been none or very small offences yea sometimes for meer pretences and surmises without any proofs yet punisht as severely as foulest malefactors yea and that in matters of Religion and spirituall cases of conscience for which the good Subject hath been grievously oppressed by Fines Imprisonments stigmatizings mutilations whippings pillories gaggs confinements banishments yea and that into perpetuall close-imprisonments in the most desolate remote and as they hoped and intended â—emorslesse parts of the Kingdom and that also in such rough and rigid manner as hath not onely deprived them of the societie of neer and dear friends exercise of their professions comfort of books use of poper or ink but even violating that neerest-union which God hath establisht twixt men and their wives by forced and constrained separation Judges also put out of their places for refusing to do ought against their oaths and consciences others so over-awed that they durst not do their duties Lawyers checkt for faithfulnesse to their Clients and threatned yea punished for honestly following lawfull suits The Privie Councill also a mightie maintainer and prosecuter of illegall-suits against the Subject The Court of Honour Chancery Exchequer-Chamber Court of Wards and almost all other English-Courts have been exceeding grievous in their excessive iurisdictions Titles of Honour places of Judicature Serieant-ships at Law and other offices of trust have been sold for great summes of money and they that buy must needs sell And thereby also occasion hath been given too frequently of bribâ—rie extortion and partiality it being indeed seldome seen that places ill-gotten should be well-used These and such like Land-devouring enormities have been countenanced and practised in our long-languishing Common-wealth And if we look into the course and carriage of things in the Church also O how many impieties and irregularities have we there long beheld abounding and surrounding us to the high dishonour of God and disgrace of true Religion The Bishops and the rest of the Pontifician or rotten-hearted Clergie and Arminian-faction under a pretence forsooth of peace uniformitie and conformitie have like so many siâ—ly Cesars triumphed in the chariots of their Spirituall Courts by their suspensions Excommunications Deprivations and Degradations of divers painfull learned and pious Pastors of our Church and in the vexatious and grievous grinding oppressions of great numbers of his Majesties good Subjects In which cases the high Commission-Courts pragmaticall pranks have been unsufferable the sharpnesse and severity whereof grew to such an unlimited monstrous growth heighth and strength as was not much unlike and very little inferiour to the Romish or Spanish-Inquisition yea and in many cases by the Archbishops super-superlative power it was made much heavier it being as often as they pleased assisted and strengthened both by the furious power and authoritie of the Star-Chamber and Councill-Table when the wrath and rage of their own-Courts could not reach as high as their hatred extended to the utter wracking and worrying of the innocent and holy lambes of Christ whom indeed the world was not worthie of This they did both in Cities and countreys extremely vexing and perplexing those of the meaner sort Tradesmen and Artificers even to the deep impoverishing of many thousands of them and so afflicting and troubling others with threats and expensive suits that great numbers to avoid these miseries and mischievous molestations departed out of the Kingdom new- some into Holland some into New-England and other desert and uninhabited parts of America thereby exposing themselves their wives children and estates to the great danger of windes and waves by Sea and many other inevitable hazards by Land Those onely were held fittest for preferments at home and obtained them soonest who were most officious and sedulous to promote and propagate idolatrie superstition innovations and profanenesse and were most violent and virulent sons of Belial in railing against and reviling godlinesse and honestie Now all this while also the most publike and solemn sermons at Court before the King were nothing else for the most part but either to advance the Kings prerogative above Laws and to beat-down the Subiects just propriety in their estate and goods or full of such like frothie kind of invectives the onely way in those dayes to get fat morsels rich benefices and Ecclesiasticall preferments the onely-prey they sought after And thus also labouring as the second main part of their play to make those men odious to the King and State who conscientiously sought to maintain Religion Laws and liberties of the Kingdom and such men were sure still to be wrung and wrested out of their livings if Ministers And out of the Commission of peace if of the gentrie and all other places of imployment and power in the government of the Common-wealth Yea and those few godly and religious Noble personages which were of the privy-Councill though Councellors in name yet not
and Oath were made their proiects prospered not all their devisâ—s were on the declining hand Gods vindicative indignation continually prosecuting them to their shame and I hope to the utter ruine of their most insolent and unsufferable Antichristian tyrannie as the sequill shall manifestly make clear in the description of our deliverances whereunto I mainly addresse my thoughts and intention Now for the yet more absolute furthering of their most pâ—stiferous proiects they in that Synod laid great taxations on the whole Clâ—rgie as namely 6. Subsidies besides a bountifull contribution to forward the intended war against Scotland to which they all of the pontifician and scandalous rout especially shewed themselves generally very free and affectionate and which war some of them in their mad and hair-braind zeal were not asham'd to stile and entitle the Bishops War yea a solemn prayer was composed and enjoyned by the Bishops to be used in all Churches calling the Scots Rebels in it thus as much as in them lay to embrew both Nations in blood and to make the wrath and furie between them irreconcilible And here now the Reader must be pleased to take notice that the Armie was now going forward for York and therefore we may here not unfitly observe as a first demonstration of Gods beginning to crosse countercheck their malevolent machinations how the souldiers which were pressed and now passing forward to York did most strangely and uncontroulably turn rude-reformers as they marched through the Countreys forcibly intruding and getting into Churches and there irresistibly pulling-down altar-rails turning altars into Communion-Table postures making enquirie in the Towns where they came how the Ministers carried themselves in their pastorall charges if godly and diligent Preachers they reverendly and respectively used them but if Romes Minions I mean Arminians superstitious lazie drones rotten-hearted Baals priests or covetous pluralists where-ere they came and found such they vexed derided and most contemptuously used them utterly disdaining also and refusing to be ordered or commanded by popish-Leaders Now although I do not I may not justifie these their mis-carriages yet who can denie a speciall hand of divine providence taking most high displeasure and just offence against our Prelates and Pontificians former violent and furious practises and beginning thus at the very first on-set in this their great designe to blast their bloodie intentions And certainly if prudent Deborah did curse Meros iustly and the inhabitants thereof with bitter curses because they went not out to help the Lord against the mightie What bitter curses think we then shall fall upon those who most affectionately afforded strong aid to mightie and most malicious Popish enemies against the Lord and his dear saints and servants Even so O Lord as she goes on let all thine enemies perish but let those that love thee be as the bright and glorious sun when he goeth forth in his resplendent might But to go forward At this time also the Popish faction enjoyed such exemptions and exceptions against the penall Laws of the Land as amounted very neer to a full toleration of their religion Besides many other favours and Court-encouragements They had a Secretarie of State Sir Francis Windibank a powerfull agâ—nt for the expediting of all the Papists desires a Popes Nuncio residing here to act and govern them according to Romes influences and to mediate for them with the concurrence of forrein Popish Princes By this Nuncio's authority the Papists of all sorts Nobilitie Gentrie and Clergie were convocated after the manner of a private Parliament new Popish jurisdiction erected of Romish Archbishops taxes leavied a new government of State contrived independant to ours yea contrarie to ours both in interest and affection secretly corrupting the ignorant or negligent professors of our religion and closely combining and uniting themselves against such as were sound professours and in this posture onely watching and waiting for an opportunity by force to destroy those whom by fear or fraud they were hopelesse to seduce For the full effecting whereof they were strongly strengthened with all kind of war-like ammunition encouraged by Popish prayers weekly enjoyned by their Nuncio and such power had they then procured at Court that secretly a Commission was issued out intended for some great Ones of the Popish profession both for leavying and martiall command of Souldiers according to those private instructions His Majesties treasure also was extremely exhausted and consumed his revenews anticipated his Servants and Officers compelled to lend him great summes of money multitudes tyred with attendance on the Councill-Table for refusall of illegall payments prisons were filled with their commitments and many Sheriffes summoned into the Star-chamber and some imprisoned for not being quick enough in leavying the Ship-money and generally all the people over the whole Kingdom languished twixt grief and fear of the issue of these strong and strange snares and entanglements no visible signe nor hope of humane help being left us but in dolour and desperation And was not England now brought into a Mount of straits indeed Could hell it self or the fiercest fiends and furies the rein have hatcht a more horrid and hideous contrivement and that under a colourable pretence of law and right forsooth and royallprerogative Were not these like to prove rare Common-wealths-men and States-men who as the Prophet David complains and as toucht before would establish and set up wickednesse by a Law Yea these were truly Those many fishers which the Lord threatens to send against his sinning people to fish them and many hunters to hunt them Yea I say those most nefarious Nimrods those mightie hunters even most audaciously before the Lord who to raise-up and erect this their Babel of confusion hunted not beasts but the best of men not for recreation but for rapine and the utter ruine of true Religion Wherefore now at last the Lord our great Jehovah whose eyes run to and fro through-out the whole earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him hearing the groanes and crying prayers of his poor afflicted people to whose throne of grace and mercie they now made their onely earnest addresses and pressing approaches who I say being a God hearing prayers pardoning sins and a present help in greatest straits and distresses gives them a gracious return bids them be of good comfort and fearlesse yea bids them stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which he will shew them For to me saith the Lord belongeth vengeance and recompence your enemies foot shall slip in due time for the day of their calamitie is at hand and the the things that shall come upon them do make haste For the Lord will judge his own people and repent himself for his servants iniuries when he seeth that their power is gone and there is none else to help I am therefore graciously resolved
of Fame shall most worthily sound out to posteritie and crown his temples with never withering-wreathes of laurell-branches who had no sooner espied them but most fiercely and furiously he set upon their whole formidable Spanish Fleet gave them such battering broad sides and such Canon-thundring and powder-roaring salutations as quickly puld down their so late so lofty Spanish pride and maugre all their espaniâ—lized bravadoes the utmost strength of their strongest vessels was so batter'd and bruis'd their falsly suppos'd impenitrable ribs and big-swoln bellies so peirâ—'t and pestred that they quickly queld their courage fir'd sunk and took many of their greatest ships and dissipated and scatter'd the rest from our coasts few of them escaping the heroick Hollanders martiall violence to our great though unsensible yet unspeakable comfort and security we our selves not having strook one streak in our own defence nay t is well if we did not yeeld the Spaniards supplie of powder and other necessaries that time to our own destruction had not God thus strangely and strongly withstood it Say then O England did not Jehovah our great Lord and God most apparently appear now in the Mount for thy mightie deliverance did he not make good his word and promise by his holy Prophet That no weapon forged against thee shall prosper and every tongue that riseth against thee in judgement thou shalt condemne Certainly if ever at this time was this prophesie most exactly made good to England and to our faithfull brethren of Scotland For what sharp and death-wounding weapons have been forged against us both abroad and at home what slanderous tongues have risen up in judgement yea in most false iudgement against both us and them calling and counting Gods beloved ones among us factious and seditious and among our honest brethren of Scotland traitors and rebels as hath been formerly touched but now we have seen to the high honour of God and ioy of our hearts that none of their weapons have prosper'd against us yea their slanderous tongues which so falsely iudged us and our beloved brethren we have condemned to the clear eyes of all men that wilfully look not a squint on all iust things For hath not this our most noble and renowned Parliament together with the Kings full content and consent therein proclaimed our brethren of Scotland the Kings most faithfull and loyall Subiects Confirmed a fair and full Pacification and union of firm love and mutuall defence twixt us and them and the Kingdom of Ireland with an Act of oblivion of all mistakes and misconceits on either side all these I say ratified by a blessed Act of Parliament Yea and that which adds no small lustre to it that it hath hereby freed us from civill-wars which of all warres are most uncivill from intestine wars wars that would have eaten-out our own bowels from wars I say of Christians with Christians yea of Protestants with Protestants which of all wars could not but have been most fell and fatall O who then can see these things these miracles of mercies without deep admiration and holy adoration of our great God Who can forbear to break-out into cordiall praises to raise-up trophies of everlasting fame and honour to our great and glorious Lord and King Who can chuse but ingenuously acknowledge with holy David That we got not these good things into our possession by our own sword neither did our own arm save us But thy right hand O Lord and thine arm and the light of thy countenance because thou hadst a love unto us Thou art our King O command deliverance still to thy poor worm Jacob. For through thee alone shall we pull-down our enemies through thy Name onely shall we tread them under that rise up against us Tâ—â— thou O God that risest up in judgement to save all thy weak-ones on earth turning the rage and furie of man into thy praise and making the remainder of their wrath to obey thee A most remarkable mercie was it also that the Lord put into the hearts of the renowned Scaligers of our corrupted times for the better purifying not onely of the conduit-pipes of Justice to begin as about this time to put pious and noble Peers into places of honour trust and power that thus the stern of government may be the more happily steered with uprightnesse and impartialitie To which purpose as a main help thereto they have most happily taken away that State-staggering Star-Chamber-Court dissolved and dissipated into smoke the crushing-Courts of the President and Councell of the North and limited and co fined the unlimited bounds of businesses at the Councell-Table but also to scoure the muddie and even stinking channels of wrong and oppression by easing the Common-wealth of those living-grievances thereof a great advantage to the peace and tranquility of the State I mean those evill Counsellers and Officers of State who had been principall actors of all our foresaid miscries and mischiefs making thereby as it were a plaster to heal the deadly wounds of Church and State and most hopefully to recover the almost incureable diseases of the Kingdom by a plaister I say of the blood of that insulting arch-traitor the Earl of Straford who as he had well-nigh stabd the State to the heart by his deep and most dangerous plots both abroad and at home So the stroak of Justice retaliated with blood his most bold and bloodie designes maugre all his slyest shufflings and crafty jeerings of the Law to have eluded it and thereby hoping to have prevented the said just vengeance on him And here by the way I desire the Reader to take notice of Gods most equall and upright wayes and dealings with wicked ungodly and blood-thirstie men how exactly he repayes the bloody plots and purposes of all proud and ambitious Hamans in their own coyn as here is most perspicuously seen in this our English-Haman who in his heart had vow'd the wrack and ruine of all Gods faithfull ones in England Scotland and Ireland at the least But we have happily seen this proud Haman the first that felt the due stroke of justice to the honour of God and the terrour of all such daring traytors And as for the rest of that rabble I may here take-up that of the holy Prophet David How long will ye imagine mischief against men ye shall be slain all the pack of you for as a bowing or tottering-wall shall ye be and as a rotten fence Tremble therefore at this all ye perfidious conspiring Shâ—ba's and fear in time such just retaliation Certainly There is none like unto thee O Lord thou art great and thy Name is great in might Who would not fear thee O King of Nations for to thee it doth indeed appertain to do justice and take revenge for as much as among all the wise men of the world and in all their Kingdoms there is none like unto thee
such as not to be corrupted by such base bribes That Captain Billingslâ—y was invited by Sir John Suckling a suckling indeed in honestie but not in treacherie to have employment in this pernicious project and that one Captain Chidley brought down many instructions to the Armie That Colonell Goring should have been Leivetenant-generall of the said Armie and that the Prince and the Lord of Newcastle were to meet them in Nottinghamshire with a thousand Horse all which Propositions came from M r Jermine and were dispersed and made known by Serjeant Major Wallis and Captain Chidley The said Wallis having confessed also that the French would assist them in this their Design and that our holy or rather hollow-hearted Clergie of England whereof the reverend forsooth Bishops were the ringleaders would at their own charge set forth and maintain a thousand horse farr more than ever they yet proffered by a thousand to assist against the barbarous and bloudy Popish Rebells of Ireland To the addition of their everlasting shame and ignominie be it spoken Finally that an intercepted Letter of M r Jermines to M r Mountague imported that they expected the Earl of Straford with them in the North but blessed be the Lord their wicked hope was frustrated as aforesaid and that for the better completing of these their most accursed designes Jermine much endeavoured to get Portsmouth into their hands as one M r Bland confessed but could not compass it These and such like plotted designes for the ends afore-mentioned being farther discovered and witnessed by severall depositions of diverse examinates as the Reader may more fully see in the late Remonstrance of Ireland published by authoritie of the Parliament But when this mischeivous assigne and attempt of theirs thus to bring on that Armie against the Parliament and Citie of London which they well knew was all along a main and strong fast friend to the Parliament had been by Gods great mercie timely discovered and thereby utterly frustrated and prevented they presently undertook and attempted another design of the same damnable nature with this addition to it namely to make the Scottish Armie neutrall and so to sit still and let them alone whilst the English Armie which they had laboured to corrupt and invenome against the Parliament and Citie of London by false and slanderous suggestions should execute their malice to the subversion of our Religion and the dissolution of our long happie government Thus I say did they plott and continually practise to disturb our peace and to destroy all the Kings Dominions And for that cause had employed most industriously their Emissares and agents in them all for the promoting of these their devillish designes But by Gods infinite mercie and the vigilancie of such as were honest and well-affected to religion to peace and the prosperity of the Parliament they were all I say still timely discovered and defeated before they could be ripe enough for execution among us in England and Scotland Onely in Ireland which was farther-off and full of Papists Jesuites and Priests they had time to mould and prepare their wicked work and had brought it to much pernicious perfection For not long after the most bold and bloodie rebellion in Ireland brake-out there which had it not been timely revealed and prevented by Gods great mercie and good providence in the preservation of the Castle of Dublin but the very Eave before it should have been taken by the rebels the whole Kingdom had been fully possessed by them the government of it totally subverted the true Religion had been quite extirpated and rooted out and all the Protestants whom the conscience of their dutie to God their King and countrey would not have permitted to joyn with them had been utterly destroyed as in a most lamentable manner very many thousands of them poore souls have alreadie been as is most fully and fearfully to be seen to the terrour and amazement of all Christian hearts that read the same both in that Treatise entituled Irelands-Tears and the Irish-Remonstrance And indeed they have therby kindled such a fire there and blown it into such an over-spreading flame as nothing but Gods extraordinarie blessing upon the wisdom and endeavours of this State will be able to quench it And certainly had not God in his great mercie to our Land and Nation discovered and confounded their first designe for the grand-plot of all on England and Scotland we all in England had certainly been the prologue to this wofull tragedie in Ireland and had by this time and before them been the most deplorable spectacle of lamentation and wo ruine and confusion to all Europe that ever the Sun beheld And therefore here me thinks we may most fitly take up that of holy David with a little inversion of the words to our selves If the Lord had not been on our side now may England say and that most justly if the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us Then had they swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us Then the waters had overwhelmed us the proud waves and raging billows had gone over our souls But blessed O for ever blessed be God that hath not given us over as a prey to their devouring teeth Now about this time it pleased the Lord to permit the malignant partie so far to prevail with the King and among them the Lord Cottington a Popish Lord and strongly suspected to be one of the prime projecting heads of that faction that Sir William Belfore a worthy and noble gentleman then Lieftenant of the Tower of London was displaced from that office of so great trust and the said Lord Cottington made Constable of the Tower who presently kept a great pudder in the Tower placing and displacing things therein planting Ordâ—nance on the wals thereof with their mouths toward the Citie entertaining Souldiers to guard and keep it of very ill-condition and suspected for Poperie all these to the great terrour and amazement of the vigilant Citizens of London who had still extraordinarie jealous eyes on him and all his actions and carriages and thereupon complain'd and petitioned the Parliament against him and his demeanour in the Tower and the Parliament moved the King most instantly about it who on their long and urgent importunitie at last so far prevailed with his Majestie that he put the Lord Cottington from being Constable of the Tower and chose-in one Collonel Lunsford to be Leiftenant thereof a man of an ill name and condition of life and whom I my self knew a prisoner in Newgate not very long before for a great abuse offered by him to Sir Thomas Pelham now a worthie Knight of Sussex and at which time of his imprisonment there it was generally and credibly reported that upon an abuse done by him also to one of the Officers of Newgate who had been his very
summons of the 14. of May commanding the gentrie to appear before him in their equipage And thereupon voted 1. That it appeared that his Majestie seduced by wicked Counseâ—â— intends to make war against the Parliament who in all their consultations and actions have proposed no other end unto themselves but the care of his Kingdom and the performance of all dutie and loyaltie to his person 3. That whensoever the King maketh war upon the Parliament it is a breach of the trust reposed in him contrary to his Oath and tending to the dissolution of this government 3. That whosoever shall serve or assist him in such wars are traitors to the fundamentall Laws of this Kingdom and have been so adjudged in two Acts of Parliament namely 11 of Ric. 2. and 1 of Hen. 4. and ought to suffer as traitors Which said two Acts taken out oâ— the Records in the Tower of London containing divers Articles 〈◊〉 treason then exhibited in the Parliament against the Archbishop of York Michael de la Pool and others in the time of Ric. 2. most exquisitely and punctually depainting the present state of things with us now were by Both Houses of Parliament voted to be printed and published in French English and Latine on May 26 1642. Since this about May the 25 a dispatch was made from the Parliament to their Committee at York with an Ordinance of Parliament to be published in all Market-towns over that whole Countie declaring that the Train'd-bands ought not to be raised by his Majesties personall command as the affairs of the Kingdom now stand And on May 27. and 28. 1642. two Orders from both Houses were printed and published The one to all high Sheriffs and all other Officers within the Countie of Lancaster and in generall to all the Counties of England and dominion of Wales Both of them to this effect that In regard of their just jealousies and grounded-fears that his Majestie seduced by wicked Counsell intended to make war against the Parliament therefore no Arms and Ammunition should be conveyed toward York And for keeping a strict watch within their severall limits and jurisdictions and to search for and seize on all such arms and ammunition and to apprehend all such persons going to York with any such and to suppresse and hinder the raising and coming together of any Souldiers horse or foot by any Warrant or Commission from his Majestie alone without the advise and consent of his Parliament By this and all other fore-mentioned means to stop and hinder the breaking out of civill broils and dissentions in the Kingdom and to maintain and propagate the blessed and happie peace thereof yea the care and providence of this Parliament continually contriving and casting about for the welfare of the King and Kingdom gave order that the severall Societies of Sadlers Aâ—mourers and Gun-smiths should forthwith certifie to the Houses of Parliament what numbers of Arms and Sadles they were to provide weekly and for whom And have been most vigilant and circumspect to cause their Ordinance for the Militia of the Kingdom for the better strengthening of it to be put into execution in Lincolnshire which his Majestie had opposed by a Proclamation which Ordinance of Parliament was notwithstanding obediently observed and exercised in Buckinghamshire Middlesex Essex Leicestershire and other Counties And about the 29. or 30. of May 1642. It having been enformed to the Parliament that an Ancient of Sir John Hothams was apprehended and imprisoned at York the Parliament presently sent to the Committee there to know the ground of his detenor and if for being in the service of both Houses then they hold it an act of hostilitie against the Parliament and are likewise to return the names of all such Members of the House as are at York their presence there tending to countenance the war intended against the Parliament And about June the second this most pious and prudent Parliament sent a most submissive Petition with 19 Propositions from Both Houses of Parliament all of them containing matters of high concernment for the singular good as they providently conceived both of Church and Common-wealth which in their most religious and prudent aymes might extraordinarily tend to a most blessed happie and deeply desired accommodation and reconciliation of differences and misunderstandings betwixt his Majestie and them protesting and seriously assuring his Majestie that if he would vouchsafe to grant those their most humble and behoofefull requests they would with all alacrity of mind and celerity of endeavour apply themselves so to regulate his Majesties revenues and to settle such an extraordinarie and constant increase of it as should be abundantly sufficient to support his royall dignitie in majesticall honour and princely plentie beyond the proportion of any of his Subjects grants to any of his Majesties predecessours But this so humble submission these fair propositions and this so loyall a protestation of fidelity and integritie toward his Majestie conceived and brought forth shortly after a very harsh and unpleasing replie unto them to theirs and our no small sorrow and continued yea and aggravated grief and discontent Now the summe of all these premised particulars so summarily mentioned together comes to thus much that all these many weightie and various premises seriously considered and impartially preponderated cannot but most copiously discover and lay open to the eyes of all that are not wilfully and obstinately blind and too extremly incredulous even against clearest sight sense and most resplendent demonstrations on the one side the most sturdie and untyred though hitherto blessed be the Lord most fruitlesse projects plots and craftie contrivements of the malignant partie under a specious colour and pernicious pretence of advancing regall authority prerogative and the Kings prosperitie and yet all of these by them most egregiously injured and abused to the slie subversion of both King and Kingdom First as a most eminent worthie and pious Member of the House of Commons lately related it most pithily and pertinently by weakning and invalidating the proceedings and power of the Parliament and making way for the utter subversion of it Secondly for this end by gathering forces together at York under a pretence of a guard for his Majesties person but purposely to make opposition against the Parliament and thereby also to support Delinquents to slight and scorn the power and orders of the Parliament and to make them of no esteem or reputation Thirdly to send out bitter invectives and unjust aspersions in his Majesties name as Declarations and messages from him onely to perplex the Parliament with â—edious expense of their precious time to answer them and thereby also by false colours and glosses to make the people disaffect the Parliament yea and if possibly to stir them up to destroy it and all Parliaments for ever and with it themselves their wives and children Fourthly and lastly to draw the
have found him to be The Lord the Lord mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercie for thousands forgiving iniquitiâ— transgression and sin yet it is as true that he will by no means clear the guiltie but will visit the iniquitie of fathers upon the children and upon the childrens children unto the third and fourth generation Wherefore I say let our onely fear be to offâ—nd this God as loving and obedient children to disobey so loving so gracious and indulgent a Father of mercies and God of so many comforts and consolations yea to provoke so patient a God so loath to strike when stirred yea constrained thereunto by our unsufferable sins so ready to help and heal what sin hath wounded Let us then be seriously advised since such free favour is shown unto us to behold the majestie of the Lord and to learn righteousnesse and not to do unjustly in the land of uprightnesse lest whiles we will not learn righteousnesse by the historical miseries of others I mean Germanie and Ireland God make us a historie of wo and wretchednesse â—o others round about us Yea I say let us contrariwise be coâ—strâ—ined cordially to love such a God of love who so dâ—lights to load â—s with his love in such unparralleld unpattern'd measure as never any Nation could produce the like presidents But let this our love be free and filiall not mercenarie and so as reverend M Calamie before mentioned in his said Fast-Sermon meretricious love onely or else mainly for love of reward or fear of punishment but let it be pure and sincere and out of an honest heart and good conscience as unto the Lord the onely searcher of the heart and reins and who is onely pleased with sinceritie and integrity of heart truth in the inner-parts And now to wind-up all and to conclude leâ— holy love I say and perfâ—ct obedience be the precious râ—â—ribution of all these rare and singular mercies of our bountifull God unto us unto us I say a Nation so iâ—â—â—deserving such an 〈◊〉 of oveâ—-flowing favours a Nation so well-deserving an â—npattern'd-deluge of direst destruction a Nation so freely so extraordinarily beloved a Nation so meretoriously deserving to be extremly hated a Nation I say so fill'd and fraught and beautifide with blessings and yet a Nation and people so defiled and stained with siâ—s and transgressions of deepest dies In sad and most serious consideration whereof I desire that what that good Prophet Samuel prest on the people of Israel might take deep impression on mine own and all my conscionable and Christian Readers hearts Though O England thou be a sinfull Nation yet fear not turn not aside from following the Lord but serve him now with all your heart And turn not aside with disloyall apostacie to base and bloodie and blasphemous Rome or any of her Romish innovations and Nation-confounding high provocations for then should ye go after vain things which cannot profit or deliver you in the day of your distresse for they are vain But cleave and adhere fast to the Lord and to his pure and holy worship for the Lord will not forsake his people for his own great Names sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make us his people above all Nations round about And as for me your poore and unworthie brother that I may use the said holy Prophets own words God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray continually for my land and nation But I desire by this Prophets blessed direction to admonish and shew you the good and right way to conserve and increase all these many and most rich mercies and deliverances to you and your springing posterity Onely fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart for consider how great things he hath done for you And now for a full and finall close and conclusion of all give me leave good Reader to use my most dear and even blessed Saviours holy and wholesome exhortation to that dispâ—ssessed man in the Gospel on whom he had wrought that great miracle Go home to thy friends saith our Saviour and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee and hath had compassion on thee So I to my self and all my godly Readers Let us go home to our own hearts to our own houses yea and to Gods house too and tell our own souls our wives children and friends yea and teach our children to tell their posterity after us how great and how good things the Lord our God hath done for us for England Scotland and Ireland three most sinfull Nations and how he hath had compassion on us meerly for his own free mercies sake and because mercie best pleased him And then and therewithall let us again and again ruminate and recogitate yea practise and perform that pregnant precept of our great Lord and Master Christ Jesus to that poore and infirm man who had for many yeers together been a poore lame creeple just our case in the spirituall sense and whom our Saviour had wonderfully cured Behold thou art made whole sin no more saies our Saviour lest a worse thing come unto thee So let us all say to our own souls in particular and to our land and Nation in generall behold we are all hitherto strangely saved and delivered out of the hands of our malicious and malignant enemies O let us take heed and labour by the help of Gods Spirit that we sin no more especially that realm ruinating sin of back-sliding to Romish idolatrie and Popish superstition lest a worse thing come unto us For certainly as a wise husband will discreetly bear with many failings yea and main faults and infirmities too in his wife whom he loves but iâ— she once defile his marriage-bed by adulterie O he can by no means endure that indignity and disgrace So undoubtedly it is with the Lord our God who hath married his Church and children to himself who will as we all have deep daily experience and as was most remarkably evident in King David bear with many grosse and foul faults and failings in them but if once they defile his marriage-bed as I may so call it violate their faith not that I think or beleeve t is * possible for his truly elected-ones and effectually-called-ones to fall away totally or finally from true faith or soul-saving grace and pure profession or religion by commiâ—ting idolatrie spirituall adulterie and foolish and faithlesse superstition he will by no means put-up or endure this heinous yea this hideous and most hatefull sin this infallibly punishment-provoking sin especially I say if it be stubbornly and stiffely persisted in but as was notably manifested in King Solomon will undoubtedly be avenged on us for this insufferable disloyaltie and the fire of his conjugall jealousie will most infallibly break-out upon us to our utter destruction without remedie
From which so high and dangerous an indignitie to our good God the Lord for Christs sake by the irresistible power of his good Spirit preserve and uphold England Scotland and Ireland and all thaâ— have by Gods gracious power and good providence shaken-off and broken in pieces that heavy yea that hellish yoke of Romes Anti-Christian tyrannie Amen and Amen All glorie be to God alone FINIS Gods 2. royall Prerogatives or attributes Mercie and Iustice Mans happinesse Satans fall foâ— pride Satan tempts man Mans fall Iob 33. 24. â—uk 1. 69. Mans restauration by the promised-Seed A combat denounced twixt the womans seed and the Serpents-seed Matt. 28. 20. The cause of the Combate 1 Ioh. 3. 1â— True religion The prosecution of the Combate In France Germanie England Scotland c. The ill-successe of the malignant Combatants The blood of the Saints is the seed of the Church Matth. 28. 20. Psal 34. 19. Mans necessity is Gods opportunitie Psal 35. 17. England the Land-mark of Gods mercies The Pope began to be pusht-down by King Hen. 8. King Edw. 6. Queen Elizabeth Spanish-Armado 1588. Powder-plot by Papists 1605. The main occasion of this Treatise Parliamentarie-Mercies The Mount of Straits The Mount of Mercies Iesuiticall-Priests and pontifick Prelates like Simeon and Levi. Contrarie juxta se posita mag is illucescunt Dangers and Deliverances opposed shew the more gloriously The first Parliamentarie-Remonstrance Psal 73. 1. The root and growth of this their plot The ripenesse of it The means of curing it The boyling obstructions against the cure The counter-checking of thoseobstacles The root and râ—ce of the plot was The Complotters Jesuited-Papists Prelates and Pontificians Profane and irreligious Courtiers Their Principles to work by To set the King people at jarres about Prerogatives and Liberties To suppresse the power and purity of Religion To countenance all their own and to disgrace all the opposite party To cause the King to disaffect Parliaments Note this wel Primo regis Caroli oâ—us servesâ—ere caepit This plot waâ— first machinated in King Iames his dayes The first Parliament at Oxford dissolved Sad effects of the dissolution of that first Parliament Rochel lost West Indie voyage diverted Câ—â—es attempted Peace with Spain without Parliaments consent The Palsgraves cause deserted Billetted Souldiers over the Kingdom German horse A second Parliament dissolved Sad events on the breach of this Parliament also A third Parliamentdissolved By which cruell usage Sir Iohn Ellâ—ot a most worthy Member of the House and pious patriot died then in prison More bad issues on the breach of the third Parliament Parliaments Parliament Members mightily vilified and disgraced Quarto Caroli Knight-hood money Tonnage and Poundage Book of Rates Ship-money Forrests enlarged Coat Conduct-money Traind-bands Arms taken away Gun-powder engrossâ—d The Forrest of Dean Many Moth-eating Monopolies Restraint of habitations trading Corporall â—â—xations and punishments inflicted on many good Subjects Star-Chamber Court a main fomenter of Suits and Censures Oppressions for Religion and Cases of Conscience No lâ—sse than transcendent barbarous crueltie Iudges displaced and discountenanced for their honestie The Privie-Councill Table a great favourer of these illegalities Selling of justice and places of judicature Prelatespranks in the Church Suspensions excommunications The high-Commission-Court little inferiour to the Spanish-Inquisition In Citie and Countrey men and women forced to flie into forrein parts Into Holland and New-England Who they were which got most preferments Court sermons what and to what end Godly Ministers thrust from their livings The faction now grown to its heighth Three parts of now perfecting thewhole plot Psal 62 9. Malum consâ—lium consultori pessimum Psal 7. 14 15 16. How they began to put their threefold plot aforesaid into full execution Scotland attempted A new Liturgie and Canons put upon them But rejected Dux faemina facti Virg. in his Aen. Zach. 4. 10. * Cap 3. 9. A great disturbance in the Church 1 Kin. 18. 44. All Scotland opposeth it They are proclaimed Rebels in all Churches in England An armie raised against them The Scots do the like The first Pacification God in the Mount Psal 33. 10 11 12. The malignant partie displeased with the Pacification Chiefly the Arch-Prelate Laud and the Earl of Straford Preparation for war again A Parliament motioned to an ill intent Psal 94. 20 The Scots prosecuted again The Earl of Straford in Ireland cals a Parliament whereby they deeply engage themselves for this war A Prosopopoeia to Ireland as touching this act and her present state A short yet sharp check to England also The Earl of Straf returned home Simeon and Levi. A fourth Parliament called April 13. 1640. The said 4th Parliament dissolved Mark this O England for thy comfort Reverend Mr. Case in his 12. Arguments of comfort to England May 5. 1640. Violent courses again exercised to get money Very ill usage to some eminent Parliament Members A scandalous Declaration published A forced loan of money urged in the city of London Aldermen imprisoned for refusing it The Apprentises rising in Southwark side and at Lambeth Exod. 8. 19. The Clergie continue their Convocation New Canons made A new-forged Oath with a monstrous c. in it Punishments on those that refused to take it Exod. 1. 9 10. Pharaohs speech to his Nobles Pharaohs policie proved meer follie The Arch-Prelate of Canterbury his speech to his Pontificians in the Synod Exod. 18. 11. Large taxations laid on the Clergie towâ—â—d the war Bellum Episcopale Praiers against the Scots as against rebels The Souldiers marching forward to York Turn rude-Reformers Non omninâ— laudo admirer tamen Iudg. 5. 23. 31. The Papists did enjoy almost a full toleration Sir Francis Windibank their great friend A Popes Nuncio Great libertie to the Papists A Popish private Parliament in England Divers notable private contrivements of the Popish partie for the full perfecting of the plot See here by all these particulars if England was not bought and sold to destruction England brought into a Mount of Straits Psal 94. 20. Jer. 16. 16. Gen. 10. 8 9. Nimrod a mighty hunter 2 Chron. 16. 9. Psal 65. 2. Nehem 9. 17. Psal 46. 1. Luk 8. 48. Exod. 14. 13. Deut. 3â— 35 36. Admirable comfort in deepest distresse Mr Cala. Fast-Ser The introduction to the now subsequent Parliamentarie-mercies A mightie and strange overture of things for the better The Nobility begins to be sensible of our sorrows The Kings royall Standard set up at York The Peers do petition the King The Scots also were vexed as well as we They enter our Kingdom with a strong Armie The Scots at New-castle The intention of the Scots Armyâ— printed and published in private The King entertains good counsell at York Sept. 24 1640. A treatie at Rippon A cessation of Armes agreed A fifth Parliament called to begin Novem 3. 1640. Râ—dis indigestaque moles Seges ubi Trâ—jâ— fuit God in the Mount Psal 68. 34. 32. Psal 46. 9. Psal