then to pardon and forgive injuries when it is in his power to be revenged Thus let us win all unto us and being won lock their affections and judgements by such Christian-like examples and like true followers of Christ pray for all men first for our Soveraigne Lord King Charls to this purpose O Thou Lord of Hosts pitch thou thy tent hourely round about Him be a shield to defend Him from all violent attempts against His Royall Person from cunning insinuations against His Honour Crowne and Dignity be thou good God His comforter in this His day of Tribulation permit not the waters of affliction to overwhelme His soul with sadnesse but continually supply Him with patience proportionable to His sufferings hasten hasten good Father His deliverance Restore Him unto His Regall Power and just Rights settle Him settle Him fast in His Throne place the Crown upon His head and suffer it not by the hands of Treason or Rebellion to be shaked or removed from Him or any of His Royall off-spring untill Shiloh come Blesse His Majesties Royall Consort our most gracious Queen Mary cause Her with Mary in the Gospel to choose that better part which never can be taken from Her Blesse protect and defend our Noble Prince Charls with the rest of His Majesties Princely Progeny Blesse these Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland and all degrees of men therein from the highest to the lowest Forgive the iniquity of the people turne us O Lord from our sins and we shall be turned take away the heavy judgement of the sword from us Restore our Peace renew and continue our Plenty comfort us according to the dayes wherein thou hast afflicted us according to the years that we have seen evil Take away all bitternesse of spirit revenge hatred and give us unity brotherly love and concord Blesse the famuos City of London grant the Inhabitants a serious consideration of their former wayes repentance and pardon for all their offences turne them turne them O Lord into thy paths Let thy word be a Light unto their feet and thy testimonies a guide unto their step Restore unto them their ancient Government and to that end give them Governours Magistrates and all other Officers according to thy own will Religious not Rebellious faithfull not factious carefull to discharge that trust which God and His Scared Majesty shal intrust them with propounding thy Law for their imitation the knowne Laws of the Land for their direction studying onely the glory of thee our God the Honour of our Royall Soveraigne and His Posterity The peace and plenty wealth and weale prosperity and happinesse of all their fellow Citizens from the greatest to the least and meanest Preserve them and the whole City from the boundlesse rage of devouring fire from Plague pestilentiall diseases fâ—mine defend it from the ravenous violence of maliciously ambitious men from being tyrannized over oppressed by the insulting sword let not O let not the wealth and glory thereof nor any of the Inhabitants be exposed a prey to the unsatiable fury of avaricious revengefull blood-thirsty men purge it from all heresie schisme profanenesse and whatsoever is contrary to thy word and Commandments and to this purpose bestow upon them faithful dispensers of thy Word feeing their flocks with wholsome food not leading them unto Rockie Mountaines to famish nor leaving them amongst Wolves killing heresies to be destroyed not giving the children of thy family either for fear or hope stones instead of bread Serpents in place of Fishes not Preaching themselves but the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in truth and sincerity O Let not my Lord be angry and I will speak but this once Be thou O Almighty Omnipotent God a strong tower of defence to all the particular Citizens Members of that Honourable Corporation with all the rest of the people within His Majesties Realms and Dominions high and low rich and poor young and old even from our Soveraigne Lord the King to the tender infant newly stept into the world out of the darke prison of the wombe and together with them all others belonging to His Royall * Eng. Scot. Irel. Family and household wheresoever dispersed Take thou every one of them into thy all-securing protection give them blessings proportionable to their severall degrees conditions and necessities showre downe thy blessings upon all men from one end of the earth to the other Let the sun-shine of thy Gospel breake forth in all dark corners of the world dispelling the black clouds of Judaisme Turcisme Paganisme and all other Errours whatsoever Accomplish the number of thy Elect and then come Lord Jesus come quickly Grant these Petitions O thou Father of all mercies and God of all consolations for the sake of thy Son our Saviour to whom with thee and thy holy Spirit be ascribed all Honour and Glory now and for evermore Amen Amen Amen Soli Deo gloria Si quid novisti rectius istis Imperti si non his utere mecuâ—â— FINIS
of Alleagiance and Supremacy are by the Law of the Land injoyned to be taken by all Persons capable thereof especially men imployed in any publicke Office but more particularly the House of Commons in Parliament sine quo non est talis 5. Eliz. esp 1. In which they sweare without Equivocation or mentall reservation to beare Faith and true alleagiance to his Majestie his Heires and Successours to defend him and them against all Conspiracies and attempts whatsoever against their Persons Crown and Dignitie Now let all reasonable Men confider and within their owne judgements resolve these questions themselves Coll. Ordn. first book 93. Is it maintenance of his Majesties crown and dignity and defence against all attempts c. To force the Militia inseperably belonging to the Crown from him under pretence of groundlesse feares and jealousies Is it maintenance of his Crowne and Dignitie First book Coll. Par. Ordn. pag. 309 310. June 1642. I meane his regall Crowne of Government to demand as they did in their nineteen Propositions all governing Kingly power from him plainly then speaking that their intent was not to maintaine not withstanding their glorious pretences the Law nor resolution ad errores reformandum but regimen Angliae mutandum For had they really intended as they verbally often pretended in their Ordinances and Declarations Coll. Ordn. 130. alibique Fo. 15. Coll. Ordn. Decemb. 1641. Preservation of the Law of the Land his Majesties royall person honour and Estate just Prerogative and Soveraignty they should have provided having also declared in that grand Remonstrance to the Kingdome that their intent was to restore the ancient honour greatnesse and security of the Crowne More wals of Brasse if it were possible to invent which I must confesse passeth my beleefe more and a more excellent one for preventing any more shaking of the Law established by intrenching upon the Kings just Prerogative and the Subjects Liberty then the Trienniall Parliament which they confesse themselves to be a perpetuall Spring of remedies for the future And not on the first Onset Magis Postulare quam Petere totally require rather then desire the Kings royall Power Nineteen Propos for that end breaking all hedges of publicke and generall liberty to preserve or advantage some few private peeces of inclosed grounds Is it faith and alleagiance Oath of Alleagiance and Supremacy and a Declaration in your Consciences that none hath power to discharge Subjects from their Alleagiance and Obedience to his Majesty To frame Oathes wherein you ingage your fellow Subjects Coll. Ordn. 93 138. even in a manner to protest against their alleagiance and obedience to his Majestie by Covenanting to assist the Forces raised and continued by both Houses who are but Subjects else why doe they Petition to his Majesty in those submissive stiles Of his Majesties most humble and loyall Subjects against the Forces raised by the King and that they shall nor directly nor indirectly assist the Forces raised by the King without the consent of both Houses witnesse their Vow and Covenant Ordered die Sabbathi 1643. and and their latter composed Negative Oath much to the same effect Is it a Declaration in your Conscience Oath of Supremacy that the Kings highnesse is the onely supreame Governour of this Realme and all other his Majesties Dominions To deprive him of his Negative voyce in Parliament to create Magistrates to exercise a power over the life and death of his Subjects nay to doe any thing but what Subjects ought to doe and Oaths oblige unto Is it a desence of all Jurisdictions and Priviledges Preheminences and Authorities belonging to the Kings highnesse his heirs and Successours and annexed to the imperiall crown of this Realm To declare that the King is not in a condition to govern Answer to the Scots Declaration Novemb. 28.1647 to imprison him to affirm that they will make no more addresses unto him that they will settle the government of the Kingdom without and against him These considered I appeal to all hear O heaven judge O earth with yee Inhabitants of England Scotland and Ireland who are guilty of perjury I am sure none but will confesse that the Oaths of Alleagiance and Supremacy are lawfull in themselves commanded by a compleatly lawfull authority remaining enjoyned confirmed by act of Parliament therefore ought to be taken by all according to the literall sense thereof and endeavours used to perform the same according to each mans uttermost ability As for that exception savouring more of a Turkish or Jesuiticall then of a Christian Protestant's affirmative judgement nay it is contrary to common reason and altogether vain For any one to apprehend that singular persons one by one are obliged to the observation of these Oaths but a body representative is one as if one man alone could be perjured and yet that the multiplication of that unite equally engaged both in the keeping and the breach thereof to four hundred gave a dispensation from the guiltinesse of the sin as if an offender were an offender because quatenus home unicus per se peccans sinning as one man alone and not because the offence committed was a deviation from the Law of God Reason or the Law when as it is far more correspondent to reason to affirm that the more the Offenders are the more guilty because more spreading and the greater the Offenders are as representitave bodies or Magistrates abusing a conferred power are more dangerous because exemplary for citius ducti per exempla quà m praecepta we are too apt to follow sin in a multitude especially if they be great persons of repute pretending assertours and reformers though they prove desertours and deformers of Religion Lawes and Liberties Besides God in the Scriptures commandeth us not to follow a multitude to do evil which implieth that a multitude may do evil and what is a representitative body but a multitude in a grammaticall sense and therefore if they do evil they must not be followed Nay the whole current of Gods Word runs with variety of judgements threatned against all that are in authority if they recede from his Commandements The Prophet Micah with others are full in this respect You may see many more among the rest of the Prophets Micah 3.1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Amos 6.11 12 13 14. Hosea 5.9 10 11 12 13 14 15. O come therefore for the prevention of such like judgements and the removing from us what we already lye under let us by a timely repentance return unto the God of heaven humbly entreating him that he would forgive us all our sins more particularly that he would not lay this hainous sin of Perjury to Englands charge but give us grace to mourn and weep for that and all others which have occasioned our Land to mourn in misery and weep in blood Now to contract the premised severals into a narrower compasse thereby to make this rooting design
confusion visibly at this day so appearing Whereas if these men preintended not these things but had really intended Peace or resented the then bleeding condition and ruining Kingdome of England they would not surely have stood upon such unnecessary punctilioes not any way absolutely availeable to the generall good of the Nation though absolutely necessary Rights belonging to his Majesty with which he could neither in Honour Justice or Conscience voluntarily part O Lord forgive them forgive them such their unreasonable and unseasonable Demands and lay not to their charge those severall bloudy issues which since that time have gush'd out in many places of this Kingdome Amen Againe let us take notice of the further progresse for nemo repente fit turpissimus of these destructive Engeneers Hath not his Majestie resigned all his regall Power since that unto the two Houses during his life being onely desirous that his royall Children may receive no prejudice by his too gracious condiscontions freely offering a generall Pardon and an Act of Oblivion to every one Yet this will not satisfie them they must have him forfeit his Honour and Reason by acknowledging himselfe the Fountaine and originall cause of their unnaturally shedding of his Subjects blood strange action that the gulty Offenders must be justified and the Offended guiltlesse desired unjustly to condemne themselves and wound his Conscience by pulling upon himselfe and Posterity that eating sinne of Sacriledge by assenting unto an utter Extirpation of Episcopall government and a devastation of the Churches patrimony contrary to his Oath taken at his Coronation Thus still you see the Designe of these Rooters at first was to alter the Government of this Kingdome and to that end have to deprive his Majestie of his regall Power Fo. 20 24 30 33. which since hath been openly avowed in their Declaration concerning the Scots Papers 13. Mar. 1647. But peradventure some will say that they are zealous supporters of the Subject Liberties and quellers of wicked actions as Swearing immoderate drinking breaking of the Sabboth and the like To which I returne an answer in generall that nothing can be more desired either for the suppressing or punishing of all sinfull words and deeds and all such viciously guilty Persons or conducing to the liberty of the Subjuct if men desire onely to enjoy liberty under a Law and not live as libertines without a Government than what was established and confirmed by Act of Parliament before ever they exposed their grand Remonstrance that seede Plott of to the view of the World Decemb. 1641 witnesse that Declaration it selfe which recounteth severall Acts of favour condescended unto by his Majestie for the Subjects benefit which with that lasting Bulwarke of preventing or remedying Errours the Trienniall Parliament were enough to satisfie any but seditious and ambitiously aspiring thoughts To make this appeare It is worthy observation that after the issuing out of that Remonstrance not one Propofition was ever tendered to his Majestie really tending to the generall good and liberty of every Subject but whatsoever were presented unto him under the title of Propositions contained nothing but Demands in ordine ad Causam in order to this Designe of alteration and change of Government Now at this very day as every one not prepossessed with prejudice cannot but grant the vifible purchase of Hypocrisie Perjury blood and oppression an ill foundation and the worst lime to erect a building with and which most commonly is followed with succeeding heavy judgements Micah 3.9 10 11 12. From which good Lord deliver us To this purpose further you have already seene Ordinances framed Oathes contrived for the Eradication of Episcopall government and least it should by degrees like a Flowe pressed downe by the violence of a falling showre rise againe in future times when more favourable sunny dayes appear they have exposed to Sale its Lands the Churches patrimony You have seen the Presbyterian Government also digested into Ordinances the preaching of it into approbation the practice of it in severall Churcher in London and other adjacent parts the peoples obedience pressed thereunto by Divines of the present Synod You have seen the civill Government also changed Ordinances of one or both houses supplying the place of Acts of Parliament without the Royall assent Demands of a totall resignation of his Majesties regall Power and because not in every respect condescended unto as what father will be so unjust to his Posterity though he may be uncharitable to himself as to deprive them of their Inheritance contrary to the Law of Nature Religion and Law the King therefore detained a Prisoner Tantumne potest sundere malorum religio Thus you may see the Designers riding triumphantly in the bloody Chariot of their compassed Ends Revelling it at the Helmes of the Church and State whilest their Royall injured Master is forced to a sad Cabbin under decks O that my abused Country-Men would seriously consider of the Premises and that they would at length desert these Impostors who by their glorious pretences of Reformation have deceived them into a Ruining assistance of themselves and others not thinking it a shame to confesse an errour and return when their Judgements are informed that their former Judgements and practises have been erronious Againe you have seene the meanes used by them toeffect their ends by Perjury infringing their Oathes of Alleagiance Supremacy and their owne famed Protestation by the effusion of Blood And here I cannot choose but adde my feares that some tall and gloriously spreading Cedars of Church and State have rather beene hewen downe because they hindered the Prospect of others or prejudiced the rising growth of some Neighbour shrubs than fallen because rotten uselesse or cumbersome to the grounds which if true as some in the world best know we had all need to pray that the Lord would even in the blood of Christ Jesus wash this Nation especially from such kinde of blood-guiltinesse You may read the sad effects of these Defignes A wronged King in distresse A discontented Nobilitie A disconsolate and dispersed Gentry A disgraced disparaged and defamed Orthodox Cleargy A murmuring and repining Communalty An impoverished Countrey A selfe-dishonouring Nation Division Ambition Sedition and Security the forerunners of a generall ruine and desolation Helpe O Lord least we perish And it be said of us What is become of that glory of Nations England formerly feared and beloved by all yet not for feare expressing love to any least what was omce spoken of Troy be affirmed true of our Kingdome Jam seges est ubi Anglia fuit You may every where see God dishonoured the Church of God unfrequented Schismes and Prophanenesse every where abounded and Heresies of all sorts even to the denying of the Deity of Christ the holy Scriptures the immortality of the soule and all these if not publiquely maintained yet connived at by those who pretend otherwise you may see all Religion contracted into tongue discourse Sanctification
concerning Reformation preservation or defence of any thing that thing necessarily must be extant must have a being otherwise we obliging our selves if we can properly be said to be ingaged to nothing to nothing attest God as witnesse thereunto thereby mocking him and taking his holy Name in vaine and in so doing erre against his third Commandement therefore the Presbyterian Government not being particularly mentioned in the Covenant nor at the first taking thereof now about foure years and an halfe since digested in England into any form much lesse obedience thereunto commanded cannot be intended as a fulfilling of the Covenant but the words Reforme preserve and defend must have a regard to the Doctrine Discipline and Government established as for that evasion that the then takers of the Covenant dispensed with resolutions and actions of preservation c. untill the same should afterwards be setled it is altogether unlawfull and vaine nor can any one by so doing observe the Prophets counsell in Oaths which must be taken in Righteousnesse Judgement and Truth These things premised I proceed to the Oath it self only by the way let me put you in mind of your first Oaths of Allegeance and Supremacy with your Protestation an Epitome of the former in these words I promise vow and protest to maintaine so far as lawfully I may his Majesties Royall Person Honor and Estate the true Reformed Protestant Religion expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England c. For explanation whereof I referre you to what already hath been said concerning the Oaths of Allegeance and Supremacy advising every one to consider seriously that place in 30. Numb 2. Ver. If a man vow a Vow unto the Lord or sweare an Oath to bind his soule with a bond he shall not breake his word he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth We Noble-men Solemne League and Covenant Barons Knights Gentlemen Citizens Burgeffes Ministers of the Gospell and Commons of all sorts in the Kingdom of England c. by the providence of God living under one King Vnder one King that according to common sense and reason must imply obedience and subjection in us unto him as a King enabled with power to governe and that obedience must presuppose a rule of reason and law now what that Law is I have already handled to square our actions of obedience by O that the people of England c. would in in this respect obey the Precept of Christ Give unto Caesar what belongs unto Caesar His Majestie never expected more then what the Law manifesteth to be justly his Witnesse all his Declarations why then should we give him lesse Nay endeavour to deprive him altogether of what we have neither reason nor just power to attempt And being of one reformed Religion The Covenant This must necessarily intend our Religion established a Religion that is not that shall be which Religion commandeth obedience to all His Majesties lawfull commands denieth the Subjects Liberty to take up armes against their lawfull Soveraigne acknowledgeth him to be Supreme in all causes and over all persons Vide homilies 37. Artic. Church Engl. as well Ecclesiasticall as Civill c. that to him properly and wholly belongeth the government of all Estates of this Realme therefore without and against his consent no different Government can be introduced Having before our eyes the glory of God Covenant God is never more glorified then when we expresse a willing obedience to his commands two whereof emphatically enjoyne obedience to Superiors and forbid wrong and prejudice to be offered by any to any one whomsoever First Honour thy Father and Mother that is all those that have authority over us as all Expositors upon good grounds render the meaning of it Secondly Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours house c. nor any thing that is his that is thou shalt not wish thy Neighbours hinderance in any thing much lesse deprive him of the least thing properly belonging unto him Vide the Margent of the Bible or you shall not offer any wrong to any man whomsoever whereby he may suffer damage in person estate reputation or otherwise for the word neighbour must be taken in a more extensive signification in the Commandement then we commonly use it O that every man with one eye fixed upon these two Commandements would with the other view what by the Law is justly due to his Majestie and Posterity and then consider c. Besides these you have the Prophets and Apopostles Pro. 27.29.30 speaking the same truth as Ambassadours from heaven Solomon adviseth us not to with-hold the goods from the owners thereof though there be power in thy hand to do it Prov. 3.27 29 30. nor to intend hurt against our neighbour seeing he doth dwell by us without * Feare that is putteth trust in us Pro. 24.21 Eccles 8.3 4. Vide margent in the Bible Covenant feare not to strive with a man causlesse seeing he hath done no harme My sonne fear the Lord and the King and meddle not with those that are given to change saith the same wiseman Take heed to the mouth of the King and to the Word of the Oath of God saith the Preacher that is obey the King and keep the Oath that thou had made for the same cause The advancement of the Kingdome of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ His Kingdome is never more advanced then when we obey his Precepts and imitate his practice Now his Precepts will appear in part Mat. 5.3.4 5.6.7.8.9.10.11.16 if we consider that in his Sermon upon the Mount after he had pronounced blessednesse to the poore in spirit to those that mourne to the meeke to those which hunger and thirst for righteousnesse to the pure in heart to peace-makers to those which suffer for righteousnesse sake to those that are falsly reviled and persecuted he addeth this Exhortation to his Apostles Let your light so shine that is let these things for which men shall be blessed practically appeare in your lives and conversations that so they may see your good workes that is others by your example of holinesse may be brought home to the fold of Christ and glorifie his Father which is in heaven And for his practise you may read it in respect of his paying tribute Matth 22.21 as also how that being brought before Rulers whom though causelesly reviling of him hee reviled not againe being led as a sheep to the slaughter and obedient unto death that thereby hee might be a patterne for our imitation to which purpose he invites us Follow me for I am lowly and meeke c. and in our imitation we must follow him in obeying his Messengers the Apostles counsells for they are sent from him and what their counsell was you may peruse Rom. 13. submit your selves unto the higher Powers c. 1 Pet. 2.13 14 17. be obedient to every Ordinance of man for
the Lords sake whether unto the King as supreme c. Now what is this but to advance the Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ The honour and bappinesse of the King that is Covenant honour him as a King of England by a cheerfull obedience unto his Lawes in which consists his greatest happinesse honour him by your assistance as Subjects supporting and sustaining him by your supplies according to his important occasions calling for the same For as Christ advised his Apostles to expresse their affections by keeping of his Commandements if you love me saith he keep my Commandements as if he should have said if you love me you will keep my Commandements and if you doe keep my Commandements you then evidence that you love me so in this respect obedience to and assistance of His Majestie are but expressions of honour if you honour the King you will obey and assist him if you obey and assist him you make it appeare to the world that you do really honour him And Royall Posterity that is Covenant what Honour and Rights were justly due to the Father render to his Children deprive not them of any part of their inheritance their regall honour and power The publike liberty safety and peace of the Kingdome Covenant That must needs imply the * Magna Charta Law for by that we are distinguished from slaves and in that we have security and safety with peace the fruit of the observation of the Law Wherein every ones private condition is included Covenant That is Prince as well as people O Lord blesse the Kings Majesty and royall Posterity restore our Lawes to their vigor and this poore Kingdome to a lasting peace Covenant Calling to mind the conspiracies and practices of the enemies of God against the true Religion and professors thereof That is against the doctrinall part of our Religion Vide the qualification of an oath behind expressed in the 39. Articles of the Church of England for common reason and your Protestation affirmeth it necessarily meant of our Religion established and against the maintainers thereof Calling to mind the treacherous and bloody plots against the Law of the Kingdome Covenant that is plots by such waies and meanes as the deplorable estate of Ireland long since was a sad witnesse of whose rebellious and trayterous courses against His Majesties Royall Person Crowne of England and Ireland sufficiently then spake their intentious to subvert both Religion and Law We have now at last for preservation of our selves and Religion from utter ruine and destruction That againe Covenant I say according to reason must have a respect to a Religion and Law that is established for it is improper and absurd to say much more vaine to sweare that I will preserve that from ruine and destruction which is not in being ruine presupposing somthing that is to be destroyed and preservation somthing that otherwise will be ruined Thus you have the ground of this Covenant without mentall reservation and equivocation which if the contrivers had any as since it appears they had non ad vos pertinet it savoureth too much of the Jesuite ipsi viderint let them look to it it concerneth not you to whom I write according to the literall and Gramaticall sense and consonant to the Rules of Religion Reason and Law explained I proceed to the Covenant it selfe wherein I shall observe the same religious rationall and lawfull method That we shall sincorely 1 Art Covenant really and constantly through the grace of God endeavour in our sever all places and callings That is according to the station wherein God hath placed us the King in his regall Power Magistrates as derivatives from him in their places Ministers in theirs private subordinate persons according to their severall degrees in theirs none exceeding the rules proper to their peculiar Vocation where by the way take notice that although Superiours may and often do at one and the self-same time performe both their owne duties and also actions proper to Inferiours yet it is unlawfull for Inferiours to take upon them without lawfull Commission the duty of Superiours Lay private men must not intermeddle with what concerneth the proper duty of a Minister nor must Divines wilfully intrench upon the bounds of the Civill Magistrates nor they upon the Royall Fuction of the King for this were to authorize consusion whereas God is the God of Order Covenant Endeavour * That clause must be implied though not inserted Befides it is also confessed as needfull in the exhortation for taking the Covenant Ordered by the House of Commons Die Veneris Feb. 1643. Covenant so far as lawfully I may the preservation of the Reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland in Doctrine That is if their Reformed Religion be not contrary to the Word of God this I adde because few in England know what it is in its Doctrinall part but by an implicite faith and I adde it the rather because the practice of the prevailing party there since these stormes first begun so contrary to professions may occasion suspition of their doctrines sincere truth witnesse their Declarations and therein Protestations to maintaine the Kings Rights c. contradicted by assisting end cavours to deprive him of his Rights In worship discipline and government That is that Government which was established and so remained at the compiling of the Covenant grant it the Presbyterian by the lawfull and supreme power of that Kingdome untill that government shall be altered by virtue of the self-same power Against our common enemies Covenant That is all who by unlawfull meanes contrary to the Word of God the Lawes and customes of that Nation and the consent of his Royall Majesty shall indeavour an inforced alteration thereof And here by the way as well for vindication of my self and many others in England as also seeing they esteem the Presbyterian Government there so rich a purchased jewell for their future security I shall add thus much that since they enjoyed that government so confirmed as they have by the Royall assent we never would have disturbed them in their desired possession of their Church-government as they have visited for I love mildnesse in expressions in what concerneth my Countries interest us by oaths and armes for an extirpation of Episcopacy and for the future shall never intermeddle contrary to Reason Religion or Law The reformation of religion in the Kingdome of England and Ireland Covenant c. in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government according to the Word of God and the example of the best reformed Churches As for the doctrine of the Church of England expressed in the * The doctrine of the Protestant Church in Ireland agreeable to them 39. Articles being grounded on a sure foundation the holy Scriptures which are onely able to make us wise unto salvation hath even to this very day by the
command desolation whose Consultations should tend to the prevention of Treasonable and Rebellious excursions their concatenated effects dissolution of the band of a nationall Peace effusion of bloud by imposing to that purpose penalties punishments upon the offenders should amidst such consultations be practically guilty themselves of the same Crimes they should be guiltless that condemne the guilty Quae culpare soles ea tu ne feceris ipse Turpe est doctori cum culpa redarguit ipsum Preserve the Liberties of the Kingdomes That is as Kingdomes having liberties by the Law and Custome thereof distinct one from the other Covenant to preserve each of them free from any usurping power and unlawfull intrenching one upon the Other And in this respect it were to be wished that our Northern friends had kept close in their practice and that England for the future would take care to defend its particular Interests Liberties of the Kingdomes not Libertinisme in a Kingdome But Liberties that is the Liberty of each man therein which as Natives or otherwise belong unto them according to the fundamentall Constitution and Law of each respective Nation now this Liberty must necessarily have a respect to all degrees of men therein Pray then let us not exclude the head of all the King as I have touched in my observation upon the preamble especially having sworn in the next Clause to Preserve and Defend the Kings Majesties Person Covenant c. That is Not to hazard His Person by opposing Armies in the field where the ignorant Bullet cannot distinguish persons Nor by administring the least occasion of heart-grieving melancholy sadnesse the slie yet certain impairers of health menacers of the bodies ruine nor by and actions or speeches derogatory to the honour of a King and not becomming the duty of a Subject for you all know what greived David most and who it was that said At quod tu facis hoc mihi dolet Subjects insurrections against and insolent abuses of their King like the apprehension of an injury received from an intimate friend non tam cito tangit quam penetrat like an arrow pierceth the very heart upon an instant therefore this is not the way to preserve the Kings person And Authority Now Covenant Vide more to make this good backward what that is I have already shewed how that to Him belongeth the power of making and repealing Lawes War or Peace c. In the preservation of the true Religion Liberties of the Kingdom Covenant This upon Rationall grounds must necessarily imply Religion and Liberties in esse not posse or velle as I have already observed Now both this Religion in esse by Law established and the Kingdomes Liberties His Majesty hath preserved stil doth even with the losse of his own Defence the Kingdomes true Liberties And for His Religion I attest His very Enemies confession to make good His constant Perseverance therein and preservation thereof my self in this particular esteeming it melius silere quam pauca dicere admiration supplying the place of Expression O therefore that the world may bear witnesse with your Consciences of your Loyalty that is Covenant faithfull obedience to your Soveraigne notwithstanding former aberrations through ignorance and that you for your parts had no thoughts or intents to diminish that just power and greatnesse which belongeth unto him by the Law Use your best endeavours to free Him from this unparallel'd and unjust restraint and restore Him to His Regall power and possession of His Royall prerogative Thus you will be instrumentall restorers of Englands Honour Peace and Glory and doe not content your selves as too many doe that you have only sworn to maintaine the Kings Just Rights when as your actions Endeavour the contrary or endeavour not at all the maintenance of them contrary unto this Clause of your Covenant We shall also with all faithfullnesse endeavour the discovery of all such as have been or shall be Incendiaries Malignants 4. Article Covenant orevill Instruments by hindring the Reformation of Religion c. Who hindreth Reformation and a reduction of Religion to the purity of practice but those who hitherto have countenanced and still connive at a Toleration of all Erroneous practices Schisme c. contrary to the second Article of this Covenant hereby making themselves guilty for Qui non vetat peccare cum potest Jubet Dividing the King from His people Are not they such dividers who have taken up armes only to deprive His Majesty of His Regall Power Declared him not in a condition to governe Covenant Answers to Scots Papers Novemb. 1647. Dec. Answer to Scots Papers 13 March 1647. band by imprisoment of Him disabled Him from performing His duty as a King by protecting His Subjects and by Proclamations enjoyning their Obedience to the established Lawes Who have divided the Kingdome from the King but such as by their actions Negat Oath Oathes and Declarations have endeavoured to frame Rem publicam in Regno Supreamacy in the people never heard of nor ever practised in this Nation before in opposition to His Majesties justly Supream power going about to transforme this Kingdome into a body with two heads which is monstrous and contrary to nature and to contrive two shining Suns in Englands Hemisphear which was ever ominous and Prognosticatours of Destruction O Deus bone in quae tempora reservasti Preserve us good God from confusion and suddaine ruine Who divide one Kingdom from another making factions among the people and causing fractions in their duties and affections but they that invite the assisting invasion of neighbour Nations maintaining Armies within its one bowells to effect an alteration of Government by force Who divide one Kingdome from another but they that neglect nay deny timely supplies whereby Ireland might have been reduced in Obedience to His Majesty and the Law of the Land the want whereof disabled the Protestant party there and enableth the Irish Papists to divide themselves from the Crown of England and Ireland endangering also the ruine of our own Nation and all these contrary to the common rules of Humanity much more Christianity and in opposition also to the Law of the Land and this League and Covenant thus rightly Rationally and Religiously expounded That they Covenant that is Incendiaries Malignants c. may be brought to publick triall and receive condigne punishment as the degree of their Offences shall require For this part of the Article I have nothing to write but this Secundum Leges fiat Justitia may Justice take place running down like a stream yet because non sanguinis homo Misericordia praevaleat opto may they all finde pardon for their Treason and Rebellion against our Soveraign Lord the King the Laws in this world mercy forgiveness for all their sins against the God of Heaven in the world to come To this purpose it were to be wished