will neither see nor heare or if they doe dare not speak what they see or heare how prejudiciall or destructive soever it be to Religion or ought else that good is I shall in the cause of Religion adventure a little further in the discovery of the designes of those professed enemies thereof I have been assured by a person of Honour that the Protestants of France had towards the beginning of these unnaturall and unchristian wars resolved upon a Declaration against the Parliament and Subjects of England their taking up of Arms against their King and had published it had not the forenamed Cardinall dashed it and underhand wrought them to too much approbation thereof rendering by that one subtill act of his the said Protestants odious to their own Soveraign for approving such Antiregal Antimonarchicall attempts and also advancing thereby his own designe of fomenting our destructive divisions But to return neerer home Who but the Jesuites and Jesuited Papists began that Rebellion in Ireland And who but their favourors here in England drove it on to that height by making those Rebels desperate in selling their lands and Voting them and theirs to ruine past all hope of mercy by detaining the King from going thither in Person to quiet that Rebellion when he so graciously offered it and so piously endeavoured it by diverting those fair full free running streames of bounty and liberality flowing all this Kingdome through towards the reliefe of the distressed Protestants of Ireland into those foule black bloody rivers of Warre and Rebellion overflowing this whole Kingdome to the wasting and weakening if not to the ruining and destroying of the now despised Protestants of England and lastly by the with-holding and delaying all along from the first to the last the necessary supplies of men moneys armes and other provisions from that Kingdome notwithstanding the Kings often and often calling upon the Houses to be mindefull thereof and conjuring them thereto as appears by his many Messages and Declarations to that purpose and notwithstanding the loud and dolefull cryes of the Protestants of that Kingdome from the greatest to the least so constantly ecchoing in their ears If the Jesuites and Jesuited Papists of this Kingdome had not their hands deep in all this and too prevalent a power with those that had the power of ordering that businesse better let any man that knowes one hand from another judge But to come yet nearer those incendiaries of Nations and perturbers of the peace of Christendome are fowly belyed by one whose brother hath been one of them these many yeares and he himselfe is now theirs and was then litle better If there were not in and about the Citty of London and in and neere the Armies about 3 weekes or a month before that heavy blow at Nazeby above sevenscore Jesuites and other Romish Priests known the most of them to him which kept correspondence diverse of them and gave intelligence to them at Westminster and served them both in keeping off assistance from the King from Princes of their Religion and in betraying the Kings counsels and the resolutions of his Army which they by their instruments and favourers crowded into those quarters got knowledge of to the adverse party so that they could draw the kings Army into what part of the kingdome they pleased and there fight them or not fight them as they saw the advantage Insomuch that a Noble Colonell of the Kings Party and a man of good estate and credit being then a Prisoner in the Counter in Southwarke and having there fed at his table and preserved the author of this information that had been a prisoner in the same prison but was then by his Brothers meanes set at liberty was about that time before mentioned advised upon those grounds and some other by the said informer and that in gratitude as he affirmed knowing no other way of acknowledging his bounty and liberality towards him forthwith to make his composition and peace with the Parliament for that the King would without all peradventure yet the King was at that time in as high and hopefull condition as ever he had been in from the beginning of these warres be brought very low Strange propheticall counsaile at that time had not the counselour had too strong presumption to conclude from And now to speake a litle upon mine own more immediate knowledge Travelling beyond the seas in the company of a Romish Priest borne in England and another English Gentlemen of the same religion after some warme dispute between us I was told by the Priest that I need not be so hot and zealous for my religion for so said he we have now as good cardes to shew for our Religion in England as you have for yours for we perceive you are a Protestant of the established Church of England and if you and such as you doe ever enjoy your Religion there againe it must be by a Tolleration and so shall we enjoy ours I replyed that I hoped God would disappoint them of their hopes but since that I found they had too much cause so to presume for I was no soonet arrived here in England but being constrained to attend some Parliament men at Westminster I heard a Gentleman who by his habit and discourse seemed one of credit and trust among the Romanists soliciting another Gentleman whose Father had been a Parliament man but was then dead for the assisting him by his friends in the promoting of a Petition for a Toleration of their Religion and he told him amongst other discourse what progresse he had made therein both with some prime Commanders of the Army and with divers members of the House of Commons whose names for the present I conceale and that he had delivered three Petitions to that purpose into the hands of three of the House of Commons who had uâ—dertaken the recommending them to the House and promised him theâ—… best furtherance therein so that he did not much doubt of the successe but yet should be obliged to him if he would be pleased to contribute thereto 〈◊〉 party solicited replied He should doâ— him any servicâ— and the Petition desired no more then he apprehended to be according to the judgement of the times in point of liberty of Conscience when I heard this and observed how liberty of Consâ—â—â—nce was every where contended for I no longer wondered at the cooling Cards which â—hâ— Priest gave me for I pâ—â—ceived they of his part had plaid their Cards so well that they might affordâ—d any of us the knowledge of suâ—h a triumph not did I then thâ—… it strange which but a few dayes beâ—ore I admired that so many Jesuits and othâ—r Priests did daily flock into this Kingdome from France Flanders and the Countries adjacent and all by the way of Hâ—lland there having been nine or ten such newly shipt at the Briâ—â— under the same â—onvoy if not in tâ—e Vâ—siâ—li that Master Stricâ—laâ—d tâ—e Parliaments Agent for Hâ—llanâ—
well as expression of language of the most fluent and passionate of Orators I have heard it objected against a reverend and deare brother-sufferer in these times though without any just cause alledged that he ascends too high when he compares so many of our Kings sufferings with some of our Saviours which I am assured he did neither with the least intent of flattering his Majestie then in no condition to be flattered nor without all due feare of approaching neer the verge of Blasphemy then and ever so much abhorred by him but on the other side with all due honour to our blessed Saviours sufferings and with no small comfort to the King and to all that suffered with them that his sufferings were and are so conformable to them and he himselfe therein to his and our Saviours image And although I sleight the objection yet I shall avoid the occasion of having any such throwne in my way and because I may not without some scandall taken make use of any such comparison I shall not compare them at all with anie other sufferings there being none other that ever I have read or heard of that do in all respects match them Take them therefore in their bare narration thus Charles King of Great Britaine the first of that name the only surviving Son and the immediate successour to his royall Father King James to whom this whole Kingdome by their Representatives in Parliament after a large commemoration of the inestimable and unspeakable benefits as they truly called them powred upon this Nation by his becoming our King and after great and high expressions of joy and rejoying at the same not forgetting their thanks to Almighty God for that blessing as also after a modest repetition of that their Soveraignes personall gifts and graces and the assured fruits and effects thereof which they had tasted in that little time of his Government together with an humble and hearty profession of constant faith obedience and loyalty to his Majesty and to his Royall Progeny made this acknowledgement and promise in these very words We therefore your most humble and loyall Subjects the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and the Commons in this present Parliament assembled do from the bottome of our hearts yeeld to the diuine Majesty all humble thanks and praises not onely for the said unspeakable and inestimable benefits and blessings before-mentioned but also that he hath further inriched your Highnesse with a most Royall Progenie of most rare and excellent gifts and forwardnesse and in his goodnesse is like to increase the happy number of them And in most humble and lowly manner do beseech your most excellent Majesty that as a memoriall to all posterities amongst the Records of your high Court of Parliament for euer to endure of our Loyalty obedience and hearty and humble affection it may be published and declared in this high Court of Parliament and enacted by authority of the same that we being bounden thereunto both by the Lawes of God and man doe recognize and acknowledge and thereby expresse our unspeakable joyes that immediately upon the dissolution and decease of ELIZABETH late Quéen of England the Imperiall Crowne of the Realme of England and of all the Kingdomes Dominions Rights belonging to the same did by inherent birthright and lawfull and undoubted succession descend and come to your most excellent Majesty as being lineally justly and lawfully next and sole Heire of the Blood Royall of this Realme as is aforesaid And that by the goodnesse of Almighty God lawfull Right of Descent under one Imperiall Crown your Majesty is of the Realmes and Kingdomes of England Scotland France and Ireland the most potent and mighty King and by Gods goodnesse more able to protect and gouerne us your louing Subjects in all peace and plenty then any of your noble Progenitors And thereunto we most humbly and faithfully submit and oblige our selues our Heires and Posterities for euer untill the last drop of our bloods be spent And do beséech your Majesty to accept the same as the first fruits in this high Court of Parliament of our loyalty and faith to your Majesty and your Royall Progeny and Posterity for euer O the shamelesse degeneration and falsification of these times CHARLES to whom his Subjects each one for himself and in particular every Member of the House of Commons when he was admitted a Member of that House solemnly sware That he did testifie and declare in his conscience that he the Kings Highnesse is the onely supreme Gouernour of this Realm and of all other his Highnesse Dominions and Countries as well in all Spirituall or Ecclesiasticall things or Causes as Temporall c. And that he would beare Faith and true Allegiance to the Kings Highnesse his Heires and lawfull Successors and to his power assist defend all Iurisdictions Priuiledges Preheminences Authorities granted or belonging to the Kings Highnes His Heires and Successors c. as followes in the Oath of Supremacy as also againe in the Oath of Allegiance That he would beare Faith and true Allegiance to His Majesty his Heires and Successors and him and them would defend to the uttermost of his power against all conspiracies and attempts whatsoeuer which should be made against his or their Persons their Crowne and Dignity by reason or colour of any sentence of Excommunication or Depriuation made or granted by the Pope c. or otherwise and would do his best endeauour to disclose and make known unto His Majesty his Heires and Successors all Treasons and traiterous conspiracies which he should know or heare of to be against him or any of them Oh the damnable perjury of these times CHARLES whose Person Honour and Estate the same Members of the House of Commons did on May 3. 1641. in the prâ—sence of Almighty God promise vow and protest to maintain and defend as far as lawfully they might with their Lives Power and Estates according to their allegiance and that they would according to their Power and as far as lawfully they might oppose and by all good waies and meanes indeavour to bring to condigne punishment all such as should either by force practise counsell plots conspiraoâ—â—s or otherwise do any thing to the contrarie c. Which Protestation was afterwards recommended by the Vote of the House July 30. 1641. to be taken by everie person well affected in Religion and to the good of the Common-wealth and was accordingly taken by the most of the Kingdome Oh the multiplied perjurie and the sacrilegious breaking of Vowes Promises and Protestations perperated in these times CHARLES whose Supremacy and power over all Persons and in all causes within his Dominions the Subjects of this Kingdome have so many yeares acknowledged unto God in their praiers in their Publike Liturgie and in their praiers before their Sermons and for whom they have pretended to beg so manie mercies and blessings and to returne to God such hearty and solemne
But should our Josiah which the Lord of Lords and King of Kings of his mercy forbid be slaine by those Aegyptians that have him now in their pits not onely our Jeremiahs our great Prophets but all the Prophets and Prophets Sons throughout this Nation the lying Apostatizing Prophets only excepted that have deserted their Religion upon that destructive alteration suggested yea and all the men women and children of these three Kingdomes that wish well to the Protestant Religion 〈…〉 good of these Kingdomes would excessively lament it unto all posterities though we have too much cause to believe that we should never obtaine an Ordinance for it from those Ordinance-makers that now beare rule beware then in time and that time is very short You have had such triall of King Charles his fidelity and firmnesse to the Protestant Religion as never Prince gave the like and I hope never Prince either in this or any other Nation shall be put to the like for he hath had as great and as strong temptations as prosperity and adversity in the height and depth of both could court or torment with even such as would have made a Luther or a Calvin a Cranmer or a Ridley or anie other of the most renowned confessors or Martyrs of the Reformed Religion either to have sunk or shrunk under them or else would have rendered them far more glorious then their confessions or suffrings did or could render them though they want for no accesse of Glorie on Earth or reward in Heaven Beware then I say in time for if King CHARLES should come to resist unto blood as he hath alreadie often done to the extremitie of hazard of it and that Royall Religious blood of his should be shed by you that professe your selves to be of the same Religion with him if of anie at all either by your contributing money horse armes personall assistance or ought else to those that thirst and hunt after his blood and to the resisting of those that seek with the expence of their own to save it or else by their not contributing what is in your power to the hazzard of your own lives for the preservation of his still in such known hazzard for they that preserve not blood from being shed when it is in their power to preserve it are undoubtedly guiltie of shedding it Besides the deep everlasting staine that you would thereby bring upon the Protestant Religion such a guilt and horror would withall seize upon your soules when God should come to set your sinnes in order before your eyes as doubtlesse he will sooner or later that if ye did not like some Murtherers beleeve that whatsoever ye lookt on ye behold King CHARLES his bseeding sides and whatsoever ye eat or drunk ye tasted King CHARLES his Blood yet would ye wish ten thousand times over that you had lost everie drop of your own bloods and of the bloods of those that are most yours that ye had but done your dutie in time for the preserving of his Of all blood-guiltinesse take heed of being guiltie of the blood of a King for as he that is guiltie of anie mans blood is in that guiltie of more bloods then the blood of one and therefore the Scripture speaking of the shedding of blood does commonly if not constantly use a word that signifieth bloods in the plurall number so they which are guiltie of the blood of a King are in that guiltie of the bloods of a whole Kingdom everie Subject losing blood in the losse of his Soveraign Yea what if I should say that they which are guiltie of the blood of their King are to be reputed as guiltie of doing their utmost to shed the blood of God if I may so speak after the manner of men or of Christ himselfe I should not need to be put to prove it if what is most true be but confessed namely that Kings are Gods immediate vicegerents and the most representative image of his Majestie and therefore called Gods which may be one reason if not the main one why the shedding of the bloods of the most wicked of Kings by anie of their own Subjects hath been alwaies so publikely and severely avenged as in severall stories is recorded But above all abhorre the thought of being guiltie of King CHARLES his blood least in it you prove not only guiltie of what is alreadie told you but also of more Protestants bloods then have yet been shed since the Reformation as well as of the best that ever ran in anie veines And to you my deare Countrie-men I adde this one short caution more Take you heed least as your Ancestors the religious Protestants of this Countie are highly honoured in the Acts and Monuments of our Church and in the Annales of our Common-weale for the discharging their dutie in that height of equitie and fidelitie as to be the prime aiders and assisters of Soveraigntie in the setling and establishing the last and for persecuting the professors of the Gospell the worst Popish Prince that ever swaied the Scepter of this Kingdome so ye your selves be eternally stigmatized by all records of Church and State for deserting your dutie and becoming the abetters and maintainers of Rebells and Traitors in the deposing and murdering for that 's known to be their designe of the last for so 't is resolved if they can compasse their resolutions and the best Protestant Prince that ever yet swayed this or anie other Scepter whatsoever Consider what I say and the Lord give you understanding in all things And so I passe from the King to your fellow Subjects and your selves and with the consideration of the severall and joynt present State and condition of both I shall conclude this faithfull and faire warning As for your fellow-Subjects I shall dispose them for I abhorre the word divide into two sorts Those in generall throughout this Kingdome and those in particular against whom ye now bear Armes As for your fellow Subjects taken in the Generalitie throughout this Kingdome if you do not know their miserable deplorable state and condition as 't is confessed you of this County have had the least experimentall knowledge of the miserie of this Kingdome of any County within it though you have contributed as much towards it as any be pleased at your leisure to read but those sad and lamentable descriptions of the most distressed and most to be bewailed conditions of other people and Nations as they are for our warning if we had the grace to have taken it here and there drawne ready to our hands by the finger of God in holy records and then lay them together and therein you may behold your poore fellow-subjects distresses and miseries alreadie felt and further threatned as lively represented as if they had been the prototypes and these the ectypes or expresses they the first draughts and these the copies or if you win they 〈…〉 after which our curst school-masters have
why doe they of the other part that have shewn so much mercy to them despair of all security or at least distrust all the security that can be given them against the known established Laws of this Kingdome What need they any act of Indemnity or Oblivion What need they any Pardon from the King or any security against him or his party Let the King live and the Law run in her course might be their wish rather then any's But alas their Consciences tell them That if the King and his party should return to their own just power and rights again and the Laws of this Kingdome to their due force and vigor and they should be no more mercifull to them then they have been just to them or then the Laws are favourable to their courses they and theirs would indeed as they say be but in a miserable condition But whereas they from thence resolve That therfore surely 't is their best course to stand still upon their justification and to go on to the last as hitherto they have done That is but a deceitfull as well as an impious resolution Impious it is and that so hideously impious that I will spend no more breath in declaring the impiety of it then by telling you that this is despaire worse then Caines for when he had slain his brother and God had cold him of the cry of his brothers blood and what panishment he must suffer for it he did not resolve to go on in his shedding more bloods but the guilt of that blood which he had shed did so torment him that he was afraid that every one that should find him would shed his blood and therefore I know not with what desperate wicked resolution to match this unlesse it be with that of Judahs before mentioned though in other words and from another text when they returned this answer to the Prophet Jeremiah There is no hope No for I have loved strangers and after them will I goe And I may say of them that so resolve as the Prophet saith of those of Judah in the next words As the theife is ashamed when he is found c. so will they be ashamed when God shall in his inquisition for blood and other iniquities finde them out and bring them to shame they their Kings for they have set up many Kings for one their Princes their Priests their Prophets And for the deceitfulnesse of this resolution Doe but rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him not fearing thy selfe because of him who prospâ—reth in his way because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to passe c. and behold yet within a little whiâ—… the wicked shall not be Yea thou shalt diligently consider his place and it shall not be And though the wicked still plotteth against the just and gnasheth upon him with his teeth Yet the Lord shall laugh at him for he seeth that his day is comming And that sword which the wicked have drawn out to slay such as be of upright conversation shall enter into their own heart But I desire to forwarn and not to forejudge and therefore suffer a word of expostulation before I return you back this objection so answered as I desire it Why do any of you despaire of your safetie and securitie if you should now return to your obedience and dutie Doe you diâ—trust the mercy of the King The truth is your foule breach of Faith to him and your high Rebellion against him have been such as would provoke the meekest and most mercifull Prince that ever lived even Moses himselfe to excessive wrath and indignation Yea so farre was Moses provoked by a lesse Rebellion then this that he that had so often interceded with the Lord for that people when the Lord was ready to destroy them did in the heat of that Rebellion pray against them at least against the ring-leaders of them But what was sometimes said of the Kings of Israel in generall That they were mercifull Kings is most true of the present King of England in particular He is a mercifull King indeed few Kings ever matcht him for that grace It hath been made a great objection against him that he is too mercifull and this to be sure He hath been so mercifull all these merciless times through as well as formerly that the presuming upon his mercy above his enemies justice hath seâ—uced not a few that have professed themselves to be his friends to joyn with his enemies and they have not been ashamed to say that they would rather hazard their lives and all that they had upon the hope of his mercy then expose ought of theirs to the power of his adversaries And if the censure of his reall friends indeed as well as his pretending be not extremly out of the way King Charles his mercy hath been occasionally by others abusing it none of the least advantages to his Enemies for their bringing him and his to so much misery and yet for my part though it were so I verily believe he will be no looser by it in the end if he be not a saver by it already For the God of mercy will not nor hath not already let that mercy of his go unrewarded And for mercifulnesse hereafter Surely the mercies of God to him in his miseries and afflictions and the good which those afflictions and miseries sanctified unto him have wrought in him will not render him lesse mercifull then before but rather far more as having therein tasted so much of the sweet fruits of his former mercifâ—… O most pious and gracious Prince how hath he oftentimes wept for griefe at the folly and madnesse of his Subjects in these Rebellious times and how much more would he now weep for joy to see any of them acknowledge their folly and madnesse and to return to their wits and to their duties without doubt if that were done they should not need to crave or beg his Pardon He would prevent them by proclaiming it before they should aske it and like the Father of the Prodigall representing God the Father himselfe he would run to meet them if he saw them comming though afar off and weep on their necks before they could throw themselves at his feet yea and think no entertainment to deare for them though some of his other Sonnes that have all this while obeyed and served him should perchance murmure at it Ah my deare Country-men King Charles hath not left out of his prayers that petition of beseeching God to forgive him his trespasses as he forgives them that trespasse against him though too many of you have cast out that whole Prayer out of your Closets â—amilies and Churches and therefore doe not yee measure his Charity by your own uncharitablenesse What an injury is it to the Spirit of Grace in another for any to think that because I have been so wicked as to doe another so great wrong
that Schism Heresie Ignorance Prophanesse and Atheisme flow in upon us Seducers multiply grow daring and insolent pernicious bookes poyson many soules Piety and Learning decay apace verie manie Congregations lie wast without Pastors the Sacrament of Baptism by many neglected and by many reiterated the Lords Supper generally disused or exceedingly prophaned confusion and ruine threatning us in all our quarters In all Humility therefore c. we out of conscience and in tender regard to the glory of God and the salvation of our people beseech your Honours that a form of Church Government according to the Word of God and the example of the best formed Churches may with all possible speed be perfected and confirmed by your civill sanction that Schismaticks Hereticks Seducing Teachers and soule-subverting bookes be effectually suppressed c. And what was their answer The Lords they answered like Lords professing much joy at the zeale and care of the Ministers of those Counties for the preventing the further increase of Heresie Prophanenesse c. They desire them to continue in their indeavours therin say they wil not be wanting to give them al incouragement c. they assure them that they wil improve their power for suppressing of Error Heresie seducing Teachers and soul-subverting books likewise for the setling of Church-Government according to the Word of God c. Here was a Lordly answer but that they had not consulted the House of Commons for they return another and indeed their common answer viz. That the most of the particular desires of their Petition were then under consideration and they hope will be brought to a settlement speedily c. O the miraculous care and diligence of that House There was scarce ever any Petition for redresse or reliefe in any things presented unto them but they were just then in Consideration of them and hoped that they would be speedily ordered as they desired only through some intervening obstructions they could not do as they would But how came it to passe that the Commons had most of those particulars under their consideration and had proceeded so far in them as to hope for a speedie settlement therein and yet the Lords knew of no such thing at least forgot it quite in their answer Well but let that passe How much of all these faire promises hath been performed either by the one House or the other from that time to this Why so nothing but the just contrarie that everie abomination complained of in that Petition is increased to that height and hath received that countenance from some of the Petitioned as well as some of the Petitioners that though each of them deserve a particular sad complaint in a sharp Petition yet 't is thought but vain for any to petition or complain to them of them all And do but remember what successe all other Petitions since that from other Counties either for Religion or King or Lawes or ought else that good is have found at their hands and hope for reliefe or redresse from them if you can Examine throughly in the last place whether those men both of the Clergie and Laity which have been since these unhappie divisions reviled slandered and persecuted under the names of Popish and Popishly-affected persons have not in former times been to their power verie manie of them as zealous propugners of the Protestant Religion and as earnest opposers of Poperie and Superstition and whatsoever seemed to incline that way as anie men whatsoever yea above anie of those whom ye now most adore as also whether they have not all these sad times through to the eternall honour of their Religion as well as of themselves both in their owne and in other Nations as manie of them of note as have been forced abroad held firm to their first faith and to each principle thereof notwithstanding all temptations of poverty and want attending that their constancy and all allurements of large supplies and honourable imployment and preferment if they would desert or dissemble it whiles they whom ye have cried up magnified and idolized as the great Pillars and supporters of the Protestant Religion have both in former times failed like staves of reed and falsified like broken bowes and now in these times have shuffled and shifted not only from post to pillar but from seeming to be pillars in one profession to seeming and being anie thing that might serve the times in another even to their owne everlasting shame and to the reproach of that Religion which they have pretended Put these and all those other particulars mentioned in this second consideration together and then judge whether it be not high time for all those that are true Protestants indeed according to that distinctive name so long used to look to their Religion and to themselves least otherwise they be suddenly cheated of it or at least of the happy and long injoyed freedome of professing and exercising it and that by those that pretended and so seemed for a while to be most devoted to it and least Popery so much objected and so falsly charged upon those that least deserved it be within a while obtruded on them by those who have suggested those objections and forged those accusations as the stales and cries whereby to draw men within compasse of their nets and snares there being no such ready way to catch and insnare any creatures as by imitating their cries and calls and by setting some of their owne kind or somethings verie like them for stales You cannot but remember who it was for his blood is yet fresh in some of your skirts that told you when he was on the Scaffold that it was part of his Prayer that the tumultuous people of this Nation might not be like those Pharisees and their followers who pretending a feare of the Romans coming and taking away their place and Nation when there was no such cause only they made use of that suggestion to further their mischievous designe of murthering the innocent had at last the Romans brought upon them indeed and were utterly ruined by them The factious tumultuous people of this Nation have in all other things the most resembled the Pharisees that ever did any people God of his mercy grant that they do not also resemble them in this 3. Next to the consideration of the dangerous and deplorable condition of Religion here in this Kingdome be pleased as many of you as have any spark of Religion in you timely to consider the state and condition of your King I forbeare the assaying any description of his condition because 't is so well knowne and so far beyond the being comprehensible in a description by the best of Artists as I likewise abstaine from all Epithetes or Periphrases to set it out by or to set mens passions on worke to condole it the condition of our King being above all sympathie of passion even of his most loving and compassionate Subjects as
against the Crowne and Life of their King against the Power and Priviledges of Parliaments against the Rights and Properties of the Subjects against the Justice and Equitie of the Lawes yea and against the very Orders Degrees of Men and how farre they had proceeded in all these insomuch that besides their former Oathes and Protestations taken for the opposing of such and bringing them to condigne punishment they did very lately professe and declare for the generalitie of them upon all occasions and in all meetings an universall abhorring and detesting of that very Armie and their adherents with all their cursed wayes and courses They O what a be witching stupilying Devill is the Spirit of Rebellion they have listed themselves in the same Armie fought for them and with them in the same encounters run on with them in the same madnesse and given up themselves to them as their slavés and vassals And therefore O my soule come not thou into their secrets unto their assembly mine honour be not thou united Give them shame for their honour and let them that have bin so false to their owne King and Kingdome to their inexpressible Dammages if not Ruine be removed into other Kingdomes for their hurt to be a Reproach and a Proverb a Taunt and a Curse in all places whither they shall be driven The Lord of his mercie give you grace to prevent this sad Curse from your neighbouring and other Counties as also your Kings sore displeasure and Gods heavie indignation before mentioned and all by a speedie returning to God and your dutie and doing those things which belong to your peace honour and safetie and to the peace honour and safetie of the persecuted Protestant Religion your oppressed King and this otherwise perishing Kingdome I know there are very many amongst you in this Countie of very much Religion and Loyaltie Honour and Honestie O that God would but give you that Spirit and Courage which is required in the exercising of those excellent indowments and without which those excellencies will be of little benefit to others or comfort to your selves nay they will aggravate your shame here and your confusion hereafter For your poore countrey-men will say as many of them have alreadie said If such and such had in due time shewne themselves to be what they seemed and wee thought them wee had shewne our selves to have bin other then what we are now thought and are And you know to whom God gives most of them he requires most and it will be lesse tolerable in the Day of Judgement for those that knew their Masters will and did it not and had their Masters favour and made no good use of it to his service then for others therefore stirre up these graces in you and improve them to your Lords best advantage And truly I doe not despaire of many others of you that doe now walke or rather run in most desperate wayes and courses But if you shall goe on let me tell you what further Curses and Judgements doe yet threaten and hang over you All the bloud as I before intimated that shall be shed by this your ingagement by whomsoever it be shed will be justly charged upon you and the Cryes and Curses of the Widowes and Fatherlesse made so by your folly and madnesse and of the Fathers and Mothers made Child-lesse will crie loud in the eares of God against you Woe unto that bloudie Countie will such and such and such a poore Widow say for had it not bin for them I had not bin now bereft of my deare Husband nor my poore Infants of their deare Father Cursed be that Rebellious Countie will such and such and such a poore Fatherlesse Child say for had it not bin for them my honoured and tenderly loving Father that had escaped the Sword all these sad Warres through till then had then returned home in peace to my disconsolate Mother and me and wee had had peace ere this in all our borders For ever detested be that pernicious Countie of Suffolke will such and such and such Parents say for had not their Swords made us Childlesse wee had now enjoyed those sweet Pledges of our Loves and Comforts of our Age which now wee are deprived of O let not the seditious Countie of Suffolke will Men Women and Children say be named amongst the other Counties of this Kingdome but with some brand of infamie and dishonour for had it not bin for them our Swords had ere this bin turned into Sythes and Sickles and our Speares into Rakes and Forkes and we had bin reaping and gathering in our Corne and our Hay and our other fruits of the earth with joy and gladnesse and refreshing and solacing our selves therewith in rest and quietnesse whereas now our troubles feares are increased and we see little hopes of reaping ought but the accursed fruits of their and our owne wicked doings or if we should we have lesse hope of enjoying it but that others will eat it up and devoure it Reward thou them therefore O Lord as they have served us 'T is true none ought thus to imprecate vengeance on you but to pray for you which have thus despightfully used them and theirs but if in the bitternesse of their soules such Curses or Complaints to God against you shall fall from them and God shall not suffer them to fall to the ground he himselfe having denounced such Curses upon such practises and you by yours so justly deserving them poore soules what can ye plead for your selves or who will regard your plea Againe as it is to be feared that some will deliver ye up to God for his avenging their sufferings and wrongs on you and yours so it is not to be slighted what others may doe in prosecuting their owne revenge on you for how may every Countie of this Kingdome be inraged against you when they shall see that you thus desert them in all their endeavours and labours for Peace and Truth and joyne with those that are the vowed enemies of both Who knowes whether all the other Counties may not like those other Tribes of Israel when the Tribe of Benjamin struck in with those sonnes of Belâ—al that had abused the poore Levits Concubine and refused to deliver them up to Justice when their Brethren demanded them Judg. 20. arise 〈◊〉 one man and come against you to battasle And though perhaps like those Benjamites you give them a foyle or two at the first yet at the last being the more incensed smite you with the edge of the Sword at well the men of every Village as the beast and all that come to hand and set on fire all your habitations that they come to The like sinnes in Israel and England have beene often and often punished with the like punishments In the next place thinke of the evill that is comming to you though we hope it will be to the good and peace and happinesse of this whole Nation
besides out of the North and that great destruction Lift up your eyes saith the Prophet unto them of Judah and behold them that come from the North What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee for thou hast taught them to be Captaines and chiefe over thee Shall not sorrowes take thee as a woman in travaile Jerem. 13. v. 20. 21. The same may I say to you word for word and every one of you if you will may see cause enough why I should say so 'T is often threatned in Scripture as an aggravation of judgements That God will give up such or such a people into the hands of strangers And it must be confessed That 't is most just with God to give you up into the hands of strangers who have so unworthily deserted your owne King and fellow Subjects and the justice of God will be somewhat the more remarkable in his giving you up to those Northerne strangers of all others because they were they whom ye your selves formerly called in and contributed so liberally to their comming in to your assistance against your King though ye pretended to them that it was to fight for him And therefore now it must needs be the more observable justice both in God and them that they should come in of themselves to the assistance of the same King and his faithfull Subjects against you that deserted him and them so shamefully and have thereby discovered your former hypocrisie other iniquitie so notoriously And let me further tell you That if those Strangers should not avenge the King and Kingdoms wrongs sufficiently 't is to be believed some other Strangers more fierce bloudy cruell shal do it For remember I beseech you that famous and pertinent Story of Gods dealing with the men of Judah when they deserted their King though the most wicked of Kings Ahaz by name because he was brought low and made a confederacie with those two tayles of those smoaking fire-brands Rezin and Pekah For that very cause as God by his Prophet gives the Reason Isa. 8. did the Lord threaten to bring up upon the men of Judah the King of Assyria and all his hosts called there his glory compared to the waters of an over-flowing river strong and many and that he and they should passe thorow Iudah and should over-flow and goe over and reach even to the neck c. which was all accordingly done as you may finde by comparing Isa. chap. 7. and 8. with 2 Chron. chap. 28. and 32. And do but observe further how God Isa. 8. from v. 9. to v. 16. scornes and mocks at the men of Iudah's associating themselves and joyning their forces with others against their owne King and how earnestly he calls upon his Prophet not to walke in the way of that people himselfe and to instruct others not to joyn in confederacie with them nor to feare their feare nor be afraid which is the principall cause of such Rebellious Confederacies but to sanctifie the Lord of Hosts and to let him be their feare c. promising them safetie that shall avoyd such a Confederacie threatning ruine to such Confederates and to those that joyn with them So spake did the Lord then and he is the same Lord still changeth not and they that commit the like fins may justly fear the like punishmens And now answer to that question which God by the same Prophet though in another chapter propounds unto you unto you my lamented Countrey-men who have joyned in a Confederacie with those who as the Prophet describes them with a woe to them prefixed Isa. 10. decree unrighteous decrees and that write grievousnesse which they have prescribed to turn aside the needy from judgement and to take away the right from the poore c. that widowes may be their prey that they may rob the fatherlesse What will ye do in the day of visitation and in the desolation which shall come from far to whom will ye flee for help and where will you leave your glory Will you flee to the Army for succout Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme especially such men and such flesh that are themselves so neer a curse But ye shall not need to flee to them for they will flee to you or come to you and will be the first that will helpe to devoure you For if the Army should swallow up Colchester which God of his merey keepe them from and so Essex be wholly worsted where must they give themselves and their Horses the next bait but in the well-stored houses and faire pastures of Suffolke And who must recruit their consumed army with more men but they who have furnished them with so many Give the Devill or any of his Imps but a little that gives them power over all that ye have and now that they have gotten you into the same way with them they 'l find allurements enough to draw you on or fears enough to frighten you on or force enough to drive you on as far as they please Then if other Counties rise up against them joyn with the Northern Army which private as well as publike interest will perswade them to unlesse God should give them up to a reprobate sense as he hath done some of you Suffolke must then be the Stage of War at least Suffolke-men must be the chiefe Actors on that Stage and to be sure the most desperate parts of that Tragedie will be put upon them as hath bin alreadie practised though when ought of spoyle chanceth to fall to their lots which is but a ciâ—rsed lot God knows like that of Achans wedge the lots shall be so ordered That the old Souldiers that have born the heat of the day will like the Lyon in the Fable challenge the prey as their due and that by many Lyon-like arguments as the poore beasts have lately found to their griefe Thus like the broken staffe of reed Egypt to Israel the Army if thou leanest on it will be the first that will gall and pierce thee and who can expect other then that the treacherous dealer should deale treacherously and the spoyler spoyle which the Prophet calls a grievous vision If any of you shall complaine thereof who will not be ready to return you answer in the Prophet Jeremiahs words Hast thou not procured this unto thy selfe Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee this is thy wickednesse because it is better because it reacheth unto thine heart Jerem. 2 17. 4. 18. Nay wiâ—l not your own hearts return this answer to your selves And how then will ye be ashamed of your trust and expectation and of those lying Prophets and other Seducers that incited you thereto Neither will it be any ease to you at all to say Wee were perswaded and drawn on by such and such for those such are such as ye will blush to name It being no small