Obligations the least I can expect is to know by what Authority this is broken To this I got no Answer they declined further Questioning causing and commanding the Jury to be called and after they had asked if I had any thing to say against them they swore them desiring me that if I had any thing to say to the Jury to proceed I said my Lords its hard to devolve me upon a Jury before I be heard for which I charge you all to make ready to Answer before my Great Master at the Great Day and this Jurie also as to what ye do in this Affair Then they desired me to speak to the Jury for the Advocat was to have the last word then I thinking I should have occasion to have Reasoned with the Advocat anent my Lyble told the Jury That the Principle I held in my Declaration was of such a Nature as I durst not if I had as many Lives as there are Pickles of Sand on the Sea Shoar to redeem them all with the quitting of the least hair-breadth thereof Then I pressed the Obligation of the Covenant expecting the Advocat's Answer They asked if I had done I answered Yes as to this Then the Advocat began his Course wherein he did little more than Repeat my Declaration without offering any thing against any Article therein except against that of Defensive Arms his Defence against which was this that he had read of Defensive Arms betwixt two single Men But for multitudes he knew no Defensive Arms against standing Laws Then did I offer to Reply but they would not suffer me but recommended me to the Jury strictly Tying them that the Condemners should put it to after their Name and Assizers likewise Then I came conveyed to the Outter-House by the Guard where my Father came to me within a little and told me he had been dealing with the Lords for a Delay but had not got it so long as he expected I told him that whatever my good Lord's will was I was satisfied but I'le speak nothing of that my self He says well I knew that and so he leaves mâ— I am called in again within half an Hour and my Sentence intimated to be Hanged at the Grass-Mercat upon the 26th instant I said my Lords without a Hearing either before the Justices or Jurors this Practice was never parallel'd among Heathens and further my Lords and Jurors I declare and that upon good grounds that if upon this Sentence you Hang me you shall not be innocent of Crucifying the Lord afresh in me his poor and insignificant Member They called suffer him to speak no more This is the sâ—me so far as my brittle Memory will allow and I am confident there wants little or nothing of Moment Now for satisfaction both to Friends and Foes I have Judged it my Duty to add what follows My blessed Lord and Master hath determined mine Heart in all this my my Tryal next to his own Glory to have my Eye upon the Edification and Confirmation of his poor Distrest and Opprest People my Companions in Trâ—bulation as also to design as much as possible the Conviction of hâ—s and our profest and avowed Enemies moved me without any previous Deliberation to assert these Principles and â—ractices contained in my Indictment and to add that other assertion which I did before my Sentence before the Justices and Assize I say my blessed Lord having thus determined and moved me for which I bless his Name has not left me in the Dark as to Grounds and Warrants for what in and through such a poor and empty Reed as I am he hath done which Grounds while I offered to the Justices and Assizes for my Vindication I am contrare to all Law Equity and Reason refused that Privilege a Privilege granted even by the Heathens These Grounds I have thought fit to leave under my Hand for the comfort of the Lords People and if not the conviction the Terror of his and ours for his sake Proud insolent Enemies as follows You Remember that before I offered any Defence I Demanded of the Justices that they would grant me the these two Principles to wit First that the Almighty God Jehovah was Supreame Lord and Master over all in Heaven and in Earth and that all Kings and other Rulers in the Earth are his Deputes and Servants this they granted The second is that all Laws in the Earth must strike-Sail and Vail their Caps to the Supream Law the Word of God and be Regulate by it this they refuse to grant which I lookt upon as most Horrid Blasphemy and took Instruments on the Refusal thereof which I know stands Recorded in Heaven to be produced against the Denyers at the Great Day of the Lord I doubt not if that Young Noble Man who Refused me this had been present when Mr. John Paterson Proposed the Question to me if our King was Comptable to any to whom I Answered he was He asked to whom I said to these by whom he was Intrusted He Answered then he could not be Soveraign Intimating that there could be no Soveraign but one whom we Presbyterians hold to be the Almighty God Jehovah to whom alone indeed it is high Treason for any Mortall to say what doest thou It being lawful de jure to ask any Mortall King an Account of his doings as need Requires though de facto in the case of Cruel Tyrany this be Dangerous I say if this Noble Man had heard this he had not so rashly Refused my Assertion But whatever our Rulers do I do and I hope with me all that has the least Smattering of Religion will both grant and firmly in his strength hold both these Principles for to me to grant the former and refuse the Latter implys a Contradiction now laying these for two sure and inviolable Foundations I go on as if I were before the Justices and Jury to deliver my own grounds which my God laid to my Hand and answer any thing of Objections I meet with either before the Secret Council or Justices Now my Lords of Justicary and you Jurers taken these Principles for granted my first Assertion I have to Vindicate is this that I own the work of Reformation as the same is contained in the Confesion of Faith and Catechisms conform to the Covenant against Popery Prelacy and Erastianisme and am Resolved by the Lords Strength to bide by the same and seing that it is Lawful for any Man to Weild his Arms for his best Advantage to this I Subjoin the Involable Obligation of the Covenant to adhere to these Principles and Practices Now my Lords this work of Reformation these Principles and Practices being such as I find Warranted from the practice of Christ and his Apostles and not only I but his Majesty and all under him in theâ—â— Nations being by the Oath of God which shall never be Disolved by any Humane Power the least I can expect of your Lordships is that
Restoration there has been no free nor Lawful Parliaments and he thinks by reason albeit the Members thereof were Elected in the ordinary way Yet when the Members Meet there was unlawful Oaths imposed upon them and there upon severals of them left the Parliament and so he understands that it is not a free nor lawful Parliament and thinks that Episcopacy and Erastianisme is established in that and subsequently Parliaments were contrary to the Word of God and that the Supremacy herein established is most horrid Blasphemy I added here to the Chancellor that I hoped his Lordship would not be offended at this seeing he had sworn the same in the Test but they refused to write this in my subscribed Declaration Being Interrogate if he owned the Proclamation and Declaration at Sanquhair and Hamilitoun Declares he does not own the Sanquhair Declaration as being inconsistent with his Principles such as the cutting off of the wicked and having himself read the Hamiltoun Declaration Declares he owns the same and that when they were invaded and assaulted by any Persons whatsoever in their Exercises of Reformed Religion and Worship they were obliged to stand to their own Defence and owns the Lawfullness of Field Conventicles and their being in Arms to Defend themselves in case of being Molested And he himself was ever ready to own and defend his Brethren in Arms when invaded for Religion And declares that the Invasion made against them at Pentland and Bothwell they being in the Exercise of his Religion was Service done to the Devil and Resistance made by them was Service done to GOD. Confesses that before Bothwell Bridge he had riden in Arms with Mr. Welsch through the Countrey and blesses God for it Confesses he was at a Meeting at Lesmehago before Bothwell when Lieutenant DalÈiel with a Party came upon them and was one of these that engaged against that Party Denies he was at Drumclogg But confesses he was at Bothwell and thinks that Mr. John Welsch stayed about half a year in the Countrey thereafter but he was only about eight days in Company with him after Bothwell in this Kingdom Confesses the King is lawful King Born and came Lawfully to the Crowns of these Kingdoms and that he is lawful King of this Kingdom and owns the Kings Authority conform to the Word of GOD that is to say That he is impowered to Govern for GOD's Glory and the good of his People and to be a Terror to evil doers and encourager to well and Declares that the Act of Supremacy as it is explained by the Act of Parliament that the turning out of Presbyterian Interest and overturning the Work of Reformation most unlawful Acts and being expresly contrary to the Word of God can not be Binding upon the Declarent and that Covenants are binding upon the Nations and shall be so while Sun and Moon endures and that that Oath called the Test is a most unlawful and horrid Oath and he is not obliged to take the same He Declares As to killing the Archbishop of St. Andrews he cannot give Judgment anâ—â—nt it it not being an Act of his own but that some of these that were called the Actors whom he knew and particularly one William Dingwal were Godly and Just Men. sic subscribitur John Dick. The last Day of August 1683 There being many Noblemen in the Court which day Mr. John Dick being present was Examined in presence of the Justices then sitting in Judgment and the abovewritten Confession â—mitted by him in presence of the Council being read he acknowledged the same and every particular of the same in presence of the said Justices Sic subscribitur John Dick Maitland James Fowls John Lockhart Alexander Seton Upon September 4 1683 I Mr. John Dick Son to David Dick Writer in Edinburgh being Called before the Lords of Justiciary being then present it was demanded if I had any thing to say for my self I answered Yes my Lord I have somewhat to add to my Lyble they asked what was that then I proceeded as follows I Mr. John Dick Prisoner in Name and by the Appointment of Our Blessed Lord and Master Jesus Christ Declare That the Blood of all the Presbyterians that have been Executed for their Principles is horrid Murder by whatsomever Law they have been judged and that in the Person of every Individual one who have suffered simply on this Account Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ hath been as really crucified as He was by Pilate and the Jews at Jerusalem And this I desire may be holden as a part of my former Declaration and Confession emitted before the Council and Justices This I called for and subscribed blessing the Lord that had given me a hand so to do They refused to add it to my Declaration judging they had too much already I required all that were present Witnesses that I had declared the same and Appealled them all to Christ's Bar at the Great Day to Answer for what they had done and were doing They asked if I would have an Advocat I said My Lords that is ordinarly denied to Persons in my condition they declared I should have as many as I pleased I said I would have none but my Blessed Lord Jesus Christ Blessed be His Holy Name for it He is both with me and in me The Justice Clerk asked if I was a Quaker or a Fifth Monarchry Man I told him I abhorred both yet my Affection was relevant being Blessed of my God with the Grace of Faith And then they read my Indictment and asked at every Article to which I answered affirmatively Then did the Justice Clerk ask if I had any thing to say for my self I said I Blessed the Lord I had they Desired me to proceed Answer I expect my Lords being a Free Born Scots Man I shall have the Priviledge allowed me that the Christians in former days had among the Heathens the Justice Clerk bids me proceed there are two things which I hope your Lordship will grant e're we proceed further first do you not Acknowledge that the Almighty God Jehovah is Supream Lord Governour of Heaven and Earth that all Kings in the Earth are but his Deputs Servants the Justice Clerk sayes yes The Second Do ye not Acknowledge that all the Law in the World among Christians must Strike Sail to the great Law the Law of God to which I got no Answer whereupon I took Witnesses and Protested that it might be Recorded in Heaven then they press'd me to proceed I told him the Advocat offering to follow his own method had drawn out my Declaration my Lords you have been at much pains to seek my Accusation I have been so Ingenuous to Exhibite it to you my self for which I Bless the Lord first Article that I own my self to a Presbyterian and to be bound to continue so conform to a Covenant that can not be Infringed by no Power under Heaven Now my Lords I being under such strong Impressions of those my
ye will offer some what that may be Satisfactory to my Conscience in this point if ye deny me this then shall the World judge that ye will Murder me because ye will Murder me all that I have heard from any of your Members against my Principles simply was from the Bishop of Edinburgh who after he had insinuate an Argument with me in Doctrine and Worship seemed fairly to insinuate that Discipline and Government were left undetermined my answer to this is that this is horrid Blasphemy and no less uopn the whole Matter then to say that our blessed Lord Jesus Christ was less faithful in the House of God than was Moses and who having the least Sense of a Deity dares to averre this Well my Lords this being all I have offered by any of your Lordships against my Principles I hope it stands firmly rooted in the Hearts of all that love our Lord Jesus Christ that they are thereby not in the least shaken and since it is so which I must take for granted having nothing offered to the contrary I must for the confirmation of the second brench of this assertion pose your Lordshs by what Authority an Oath a solemn Oath made betwixt the living GOD's Party contracter on the one hand and his Majesty and the whole Body of these Nations on the other hand in as solemn a manner as ever Covenant was transacted I say I must ask by what Authority this Covenant is infringed and broken To this I get no answer neither except what I got from the above mentioned Bishop who told me he had not taken this Covenant For answer it had been a great pity this master-Prelate of yours had not been amongst the People of Israel at that time when the Plague of GOD overtook them for the breach of Covenant made as some thinks Four hundred years before that with the Gibeonites and this Covenant in it self nothing so justifiable as this which mby Blessed Lord has set me here to Justifie I say it had been a pity this Pitifull Prelate had not been there its not likely he had obtained a Suspension of this Famine upon this head but let this proud Prelate consider that he Charges the Almighty with injustice in this Practice which you have Recorded in the 2 Sam. 21. Chap. He must either own this a piece of Horrid Blasphemy or else confess his Argument is of no force Now having I hope Rolled out of the way any thing I have offered for my Satisfaction in this matter to come nearer the point I charge your Lordships or any here who sets themselves against me on these heads again to tell me by what Authority this Oath binding to two Necessary and Indispensible Duties is repelled Dare any Mortall here hold up his Face to Heaven and averr that his Majestey's Acts Rescissory does repell it then let him do it upon his Peril and when he has done know that besides his Blasphemy in it he Contradicts the first Principle which your Lordships have granted me That this may be the clearer I hope all will grant that none can Dissolve an Oath made by another except he be above that other in power and Authority of such a Decree as gives Right to do it of this I Remember only two Instances in Scripture The one is That of a Husband if he hear his Wife making a Vow if he be not Satisfied with it he may then unty it But if by his Silence he let it pass the Oath stands firm The Seconds is of a Father having a Daughter in the Family to whom it is granted to annull the Oath he heares her making while in his Family and when out of the Family the power ceases From this it is evident that this is a Superiority over them that Intitles them to this Privilege Since it is so dare any without Horror offer once of Dreaming to apply this in our case I suspect by this time the Justice Clerk finds himself outshot in granting my first Principal O that the Lord would open their Eyes to see the Affronted Indignities done to our most Glorious God in these their most horrid and Abominable Practices Now having Removed what is offered by the Opposers and settled by undenyed Arguments my Assertion of the equity of our Work of Reformation and the Inviolable Obligation of the Covenant while Sun and Moon endures to own the same I hope I shall not need to rack my Judgement for Arguments to prove that my Devolvement on an Assize without a hearing after I had offered to Justifie my Principles and Practices from the word of God is not only a denying of these my two Principles but the most horrid of Murders as I hope shall be cleared more fully in the close and here you may see the reason of denying my second Principle but of this more afterwards The second Assertion I am to defend is that the Laws overturning the Presbyterian Church Establishing Episcopacy particularly these three Acts. To wit first The Act Rescissory whereby at one dash the Glorious Fabrick sometime the Glory of these Nations is Overturned Secondly the Act of Supremacy and Act Explanatory of the same whereby our Blessed Lord is set by his Chair and a poor Worm set down in his Room Thirdly That Act called the Test a Hotchpotch of Nonsense Lies and Contradictions that these and others of their nature were null and asserted Principally because contrary to express Texts of Scripture and this possibly has Straitened my Antagonists as to the granting of our Blessed Lords word to be the Supream Law and for Confirmation of this I asserted I thought the Parliament enacting these Acts was also null as not being free a Qualification absolutly requisite in all Parliaments in this Nation the Privileges of which I am bound by the Covenant made with the Almighty God to assert Now my Lords and you Assizers I take for granted that all Laws of Men contrary to express Texts of Scripture are null and that these Acts and all of that nature are such I shall in the Lords strength endeavour to prove And First the whole work of Reformation being agreeable to the Word of God and though it were not so in it self as I am firmly perswaded it is yet in my case by all Men who have not with their Conscience Debauched away their reason also it must be granted to be seing I have had nothing offered to the contrary and I being under the Oath of God to maintain Propagate and Defend the same the Acts overturning the same expresly Contradicts not only all these Scriptures upon which it is founded which time will not allow me to Enumerate here and you may find in your Confession of Faith Noted upon the Margine of that Book but also the Third Command Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain and that perform thy Vows unto the Lord with multitudes of this Nature which upon a very moderate inquiry may
could not but have felt it to be for which my Soul shall ever bless his Name and I hope I shall not be left alone here expecting the assistance of not a few in these Nations in this matter who have in this particular to the refreshment of their Souls found a new Proof of our GOD's being the Hearer of Prayer I say again these things being so I hope none who are not engaged in the same rage against GOD with these his Enemies and ours upon his Account will doubt but their whole procedure against me in this matter has been a Decreed and intended Murder not only against me but also my Blessed LORD and Master in and through me And least any should mistake me here let them but consider these Three Scriptures First He that touches you touches the Aple of mine Eye Secondly In all their Afflictions he was Afflicted Thirdly Paul Paul Why persecutest thou me And I hope the mistake shall be rubbed off And now having through the Blessing and Assistance of the Almighty gotten my Testimony brought to this Pass that the case betwixt his People and them is clearly stated to evidence that not only I but such others of our perswasion all the Nations over are indeed Christians I resolve in the LORD'S strength as he shall assist to leave behind me a Testimony of my Tenderness both to the Souls and Bodies of such as has given no small Proof of their Thirsting after my blood in dealing with them as follows And now unto his Majesty our King must I Address my self and to all under him from his Brother the Duke of York to all the Counsellors whether Publick or Secret in the Three Kingdoms and under them to all the Sheriffs Justices with their Clerks and Pendicles of Court even to these of the meanest Office I mean the Dempsters and after these to the whole Magistrates of Burrows with their Pendicles to the lowest and then to all the Members of these Parliaments since his Majesty's Restauration whether such as did sit there by Birth or were Elected and as to these Elected even to their Electors and in a Word to all and sundry who have concurred with Homologate or Ratified your Unjust Sentences pronunced against the Almighty whether more directly or at least in his Members Now as to you all and sundry I declare in the Entry of my Address as in the sight of Jehovah whose I am and before whom both you and I e're long must stand naked and bare to answer for all we have done in the Flesh That my design in this my Address next to the Glory of GOD the Good and Edification of his People and consequently the advancement of his Work The Third thing which the LORD my GOD has held before my Eyes in all this my Trial has been your Conviction from the highest to the lowest if possible and that I may the better reach that end my Blessed LORD has determined my Heart to follow this Method First To deal more particularly with you in laying before your eyes the Egregiousness of your Sin Secondly To Expostulate with you to return from the same to GOD'S Glory and your own Souls Eternal well-being And Thirdly And if in this I prevail not to remonstrate the hazard of refusing this my Warning And Fourthly To take Instruments upon what the LORD by me the Unworthiest of his Servants has been doing for you and of your Refusal I mean as to so many as shall be so far left of the LORD as to refuse the same and Oh! that there might be few such then I am to leave my Companions in Tribulation and Brethren in our ever Blessed and Eldest Brother Christ Jesus the LORD of Glory with a word of Exhortation and so Conclude Now Great Sir for to you and all under you and who instigate you to and concurred with you in these Soul-destroying Practices I am in the strength of Jehovah to remonstrate I Address my self and in the first place must take the liberty to tell you in the Name of my great Lord and Master Jesus C rist that it is not unknown to your Majesty nor any of these to whom I Address my self jointly with you that not only at your Coronation your Majesty and all under you from the highest to the lowest but also before these whole Nations were and yet are engaged in a most Solemn Covenant with the Ever-Living GOD Party Contracter on the one hand and your Majesty and all under you in these Nations from the highest to the lowest on the other hand to the observance of which Covenant these Nations and all in them shall forever be bound and obliged from the highest to the lowest while Sun and Moon endures neither is there any imaginable way of Dissolving the same especially considering that therein our Obligation being only to Amend our Lives and to Worship the Almighty GOD conform to his own Appointment and to oppose our our Lives and Fortunes to all courses and ways inconsistent with these ends these being Moral Duties to which we were Antecedently bound as is the Nature also of all the Duties we are obliged to by these Covenants Now Great Sir the Case being thus I hope ye will not judge your self obliged to such as makes this Defence for breaking of these Covenants that your Majesty was forced thereto for indeed I look upon it as a great imputation upon your Majesty especially being Stiled Defender of the Faith to have been in any measure under either Necessity or Constraint to have joined in a Duty so absolutly necessary and if there was any thing of force where was the Intimation thereof sure I am there was nothing thereof publickly to be seen and yet giving but not granting it had been so your Majesty and all under you were unexpressibly more obliged to the performance therefore then were the People of Isreal to the performance of that made with the Gibeonites as may be seen above nor shall I think your Majesty will think your self obliged to them who should for Vindication of your Breach of these Covenants offer this Defence that your Majesty is under Covenant of a posterior date bound to the Pope and some of his Creatures to introduce Popery and to Emancipate these Territories to that Antichristian Yoke if any such thing be as the Carriage of the Court this considerable time too loudly insinuates Sure I am it were more for your Majesties Honour and the Glory of God and the good of your Nations to break that Covenant than to keep it it being a Covenant made against the Almighty which by no imaginable pretence can be justified but leaving these things to your Majesties consideration and to the consideration of such as may with you be concerned herein I must make bold to ask again by what Authority you came to Dissolve this Contract yea I may say and that upon good Grounds as Glorious a Contract as ever was made on Earth while
Adhered to of as Glorious effects I say I must make bold to ask by what Authority this is broken and unless you be so bold as to run your self upon Bosses of the Buckler of the Almighty in refusing that which the Justice Clerk but faintly granted which the Lord avert I mean unless you deny Jehovah to be Supreme Lord and Master of Heaven and Earth and all the Kings and Governors in the Earth to be his Deputies and Servants I shall defy you or any Mortal to satisfy me in this if you consider what is said before on this Subject and what is contained in the several Authors abovementioned on this Matter Now we shall take it for granted that these Covenants stands still binding and I am sure we have good ground so to do for any thing we have either read or heard to the contrary Then great Sir must I in the next place ask how it comes to pass that over the belly of these Covenants Episcopacy and Erastianisme against which as to the unlawfulness thereof and their inconsistency with the Word of God who have so many Testimonies standing in Record not only in the Word of God but in other Humane Writings drawn and founded thereupon without the least satisfaction offered by our Adversaries come to be introduced amongst us who beside the unlawfulness of the things themselves have this to say that we have Sworn with Hands lifted up to the Almighty not only never to join wâ—th but with our Lives and Fortunes to oppose either I say how comes these not only to be introduced but we by Armed force Hunted Harassed Plundered Tortured and Hailed to Scaffolds for no other Reason but our refusing Anenâ— which the unlawfulness of the things were to us sufficient Warrand though we had not been in Covenant but much more being under the same as for my part I can Dream of no Reason for introducing of these being strangers in the Church of Christ not only in his own blessed time and the time of the Apostles who survieved him But also for three hundred Years thereafter Nor do I ever hear or Read that any other use they were introduced but for that Antichrist that Man of Sin his Exaltation being made use of the one for his Advancement is that damnable absolute Supremacy of his in the Church and the other for the same and in the State and truely if this be the thing it does not a little confirm me in the Belief of that second Covenant you and your Brother have made with the Pope which I mentâ—â—â—â— a little above Bâ—â— I say How come the Subjects of Britain and Ireland to be forced to a Complyance with these Sure you say by your Principles that you allow not of the forcing of Mens Consciences by the Sword looking upon it as a Turkish way as Prelate Paterson said to my lately Martyred Brother John Wilson and why are you worse than Turks in this violently Practising contrary to your Principles In the next place I come to enquire at your Majesty why this Monstruous abominable Test which the Turk himself could not but Scunner at is not only Enacted to be taken by all his Majesties Subjects here in Sâ—otland but also by Violence and Force obtruded on many both Gentle and Semple Rich and Poor Why this is done I cannot Divine if it be not to let the World see you mind to out-do Prouâ— Pharoch in daring the Almighty And why Pray you is there a thing called An Act made Discharging People to Associâ—te togâ—ther upon any pretence whatsoever for their own innocent and necessary self Dâ—fence without your Majesties special Command and this also Sworn to in that horred Test It is not unknown to any that there may many Emergents fall out that may make this which is by that pretended Law made no less than Treason become a most necessar and indispensible Duty as in the case of a sudden Invasion by an Enemy your Majesty being at a great distance and who knows but the Alarm may be keeped from your Majesty by some keeped about Court for that end Who doubts but in such a Case absolute Necessity will become a Law to the People And who doubts but if for fear of this Law any should ly by but they might be arraigned as yet greater Traitors And if in this case this should be justifiable why not in ours being so in humanly Assaulted by a company of Murdering Papists Atheists or worse And for any thing we know his Majesty being all this while a great stranger to our Affairs through the industry of some disaffected to the way of GOD who are keeped about Court for that end I say this as also that by the Instigation of suth there is a pretended Law made Discharging any under the Pain of Treason to meet or Consult in order to the Remonstrating of our Case to his Majesty will to all unbyassed sufficiently Warrand our innocent self Defence as to what may be objected against this having hinted a little in the fore part of my Testimony and the whole of our business in these being sufficiently justified by the several Authors above-mentioned without any Answer as yet I say again Why are all these things done And now further let me ask at your Majesty Why are our Prisons keeped still throng with Prsoners some Aged some Infirm and Tender some out of Capacity to mantain themselves for no other cause but that they desire to keep a Conscience void of Offence towards GOD and towards Man and some Honourable Ladies also for no other Reason than for Resetting and hearing of some honest and faithfull Ministers in their Houses or Resetting or Refreshing some of the LORD'S People in their Necessities I am sure none who ever read the 25 Chapter of Matthew from the 31st Verse to the end will look upon this as a capital Crime but as an indispensible Duty I say it again why are all these things done is it to satisfie these Blood-thirsty Prelats of yours or some of the Popish Party whom your Brother has flocking about him in Swarms Great Sir all these small Sins And besides are these Inumerable other Sins have you and all these to whom with you I Address my self to answer for and that the Weight thereof may be a little better laid open to your Majesty and these others I pray be at the pains with me to Recapitulate the same yet once more it is no small Sin do you think to break the Covenant with GOD and to force your Subjects to do also Is it no small sin to cast off the way of GOD and to Banish that Religion of his own Appointment and introduce that amongst us which both your Majesty and all under you have Vomited up and thrown out by that Solemn Oath Is it no small Sin do you think to Impose Contradictory Oaths upon your People and so to force them to open Rebellion against the Almighty Is it no small thing