that being here the Faiths defender he may still be defended by the object of that Faith Nor is the providentiall hand of God more visible in prospering him then in punishing his Enemies whose ruines may remaine as Sea-markes to us and Pyramids of Gods Power whereof a touch Sir John Hotham then Governour of Hull who first defyed and dared his Soveraigne to his face what is become of him How stands he a Marke betwixt two dangers having nothing left him but guile enough to make him capable of a desperate Fortune Master Hampden that first waged Law then War against his own naturall Prince hath not he since these unhappy troubles began bin first punished with the losse of children nay visited to the third Generation to the weakning if not â—â—ining of his Family then with the losse of his own life in the same place where he first tooke up armes against his gracious Soveraigne was it not remarkable that the Lord Brook who so often excepted against that clause in the Lyturgie From sudden death good Lord deliver us was slaine so suddenly who was so severe an enemy against Peace should perish in the same Warre â—e so encouraged Who so bitterly inveighed against Episcopall Government should be so shot dead out of a Cathedrall Church who labouring to put out the left eye of establisht Government his left eye and life were both put out together How is Duke Hamâ—lâ—on scarce warme in his new honour taken in his owne â—â—re having entangled his Lord and Master in so many inconveniences How is Holland whose livelyhood was created by his Soveraigns favours branded with a double treachery and like a Shittlecock fallen at the first returne and scarce able to raise himselfe by a sorry Declaration Is not Bristoll Fines who at his Councell of War condemned and executed innocent blood himselfe condemned pleading innocence at a Councell of War from the mouth of his owne Generall though finding perchance more Mercy then he either deserved or shewed But that blood that cryed to him for Mercy will crie to Heaven for vongeance And are not many more ripe for the same Judgement whose notorious Crimes have branded them for their respective Punishments How many of those blood-preaching Ministers have died expectorating Blood whilst others at this time labouring under the same Disease can find no Art to promise a Recoverie All whom I leave to possible Repentance and passe over Cromwell that profest desacer of Churches witnesse Peterborough and Lincolne c. and Rifler of the Monuments of the dead whose prphane Troopers if Fame has not forgot to speak a Truth watered their Horses at the Font and fed them at the Holy Table that Cromwell Sandes whose sacrilegious Troopers committed such barbarous insolencies with his at least connivence in the Church of Canterbury and used such inhumane tortures on the tender brests of women to force confession of their hidden goods the golden subjects of their Robberie What can the first expect and what reward the other hath found I neither prophesie nor judge If these and such as they doe fight for the Beformed Religion God deliver every good man both from them and it Cursed be their wrath for it is fierce and their anger for it is cruell These and of such many are they that whilst they pretend a Reformation need first to be reformed Nor doe I in tasking this Army of such impious barbarismes excuse or rather not condemn the other whereof no question too great a number are as equally prophane whilst all together make up one body of wickednesse to bring a ruine on this miserable Kingdome for whose impieties his Majestie hath so often suffered I but his Majesties Army besides those looser sorts of people consills of numerous Papists the utter enemies of true religion To whom the King hath sworn his protection from those he may require assistance But unto all his people as well Papists as Protestants he hath sworne his Protection therefore from all his subjects as well Papists as Protestants he may require assistance Neither does he call in Papists as Papists to maintaine Religion as himselfe hath often manifested but as subjects to subdue or at least qualifie Sedition The ayd of the subject is either in his person or in his purse both are requirable to the service of a Soveraigne Put case his Majestie should use the assistance of none but Protestants Tell me would ye not be apt to cavill that he is favourable to the Papists neither willing to endanger their persons nor endamage their purses or at least that they are reserv'd for a last blow Or in case Papists should largely under-write to your Propositions send in Horses Armes or other Provisions would you not accept it and for its sake their persons too Are you so strict in your Preparations as to catechize every souldier Or to examine first every Officers Religion Or having the proffer of a good Popish or debaucht Commander tell me should he be denyed his Commission Remember Sir Arthur Ashton whom His Majesty entertains by your Example These things indifferently considered it will manifestly appeare that the honest-minded vulgar aremeerly seduced under the colour of piety to be so impious as by paysoning every action of their lawfull Prince to foster their implicite Rebellion But in case your side should prosper and prevaile what then would then our Misertes be at an end Reason tells us No God keeps us from the experience Think you that Government whether new or reformed which is set up by the sword must not be maintained by the sword And how can Peace and Plentie be consistent with perpetuall Garrisons which must be maintained with a perpetuall charge besides the continuall excursions and conniv'd-at injuries committed by Souldiers judge you Or put the case this necessary Consequence could be avoided think you the ambition of some new States-men accustomed to such Arbitrary and necessitated power on the one side and the remaining loyaltie of His Majesties dis-inherited Subjects watching all opportunities to right their injur'd Soveraigne and themselves on the other side would not raise perpetuall tempests in this Kingdome Or if such an almost unpreventable evill should not ensue think you such swarmes of Sectaries sweat for nothing Are their purses so apt to bleed to no end Will not their costs and paines expect at least a congratulatory connivence in the freedome of their consciences Or will their swords now in the strong possession of so great a multitude know the way into their quiet scabbards without the expected liberty of their Religions And can that liberty produce any thing but an establisht disorder And is not disorder the mother of Anarchie and that of Ruine Open then your eyes closed with crasse and wilfull blindnes and consider and prevent that which your continued disobedience will unavoidably repent too late But the truth is They are all Papists by your Brand that comply not in this action with you Admit
concerning the difficulties of the Kingdome Here is all the power the Writ gives them and where they exceed they usurp the Kings power being both against the Law of God and the constitutions of the Kingdome Well but in case of necessitie when Religion and Libertie lye at the stake the Constitutions of the Kingdome for the preservation of the Kingdome may suffer a Dispensation Admit that But what necessitie may dispense with the violation of the Law of God the deviation where from is evil and Thou shalt doe no evill that good may come thereon But we take not Armes against the King but only to bring Delinquents to condigne punishment And who are they even those that take up Armes for the King which an unrepealed Statute 11. Hen. 7. acquits But admit Statutes may be broken and you seeke to punish them Who gave you the power so to doe The Law And what Law denyes the King power to pardon Delinquents God that hath put power into the hand of Majestie hath likewise planted mercie in the heart of Soveraigntie And will ye take away both his birth-right and his Blessing also Take heed you doe not slight that which one day may prove your Sanctuarie But the King being a Mâ—â—r Monarch is bound to his owne Lawes There be two sorts of Lawes directive and coercive As to the first he is onely bound to make his accompt to God so to the second he is onely lyable to the hand of God who shall say unto him what dost thou But Kings now adayes have not so absolute a power as the Kings mentioned in the Scripture Who limited it God or man Man could not limit the Power he never gave if God shew me where till then this objection is frivolous But when Kings and their assistance make an offensive and a destructive warre against their Parliament may they not then take up defensive Armes It is no offensive Warre for a King to endeavour the Recoverie of his surrepted right however are not the Members of a Parliament Subjects to their Soveraigne If not who are they If Subjects ought they not to be subject Gods people the Jewes that were to be destroyed by the Kings Command neither did not durst make a defensive Warre against his abused power untill they first obtained the Kings Consent But admit it lawfull though neither granted nor warranted that subjects may upon such tearmes make a defensive Warre does it not quite crosse the nature of a defensive Warre to Assayle pursue and dis-possesse When you shot five peeces of Ordnance before one was returned at Edge-hill was that defensive When you besieged Redding which you after slighted was that defensive When you affronted Basing-house was that defensive The warrantable weapons against an angry King are Exhortation Disswasion wise reprenfe by such as are nearest to him Petition Prayer and Flight All other weapons will at last wound them that use them The second Example was left us out of the New Testament by Him that is the true president of all holy obedience our blessed Saviour whose humilitie and sufferance was set before us as a Copie for all generations to practise by The temporall kingdome of the Jewes successively usurpt by those two heathen Princes Augustus Tiberius two Contemporaries was his natural Birth-right descended from his Type and Auncestor King David Had not he as great an Interest in that Crown as we have in this Common-wealth Was not He as tender-eyed towards his own naturall people as we to one another Was not the Truth as deare to Him who was the verie Truth and the way to it as direct to Him that was the only Way as to us Was not He the great Reformer Had the Sword been a necessary stickler in Reformation how happened it that he mistook his weapon so In stead of a trumpet he lifted up his Voice Were Plots Policies Propositions Prophanations Plunderings Militatie Proparations his way to Reformation Were they not his owne words He that taketh up the Sword shall perish by the Sword Nor was it want of strength that he reformed not in a Martiall way Could not he command more then twelve legions of Angels Or had he pleased to use the Arme of flesh could not he that raysed the dead rayse a considerable Army Sure S. John the Baptist would have ventured his head upon a fairer Quarrell and S. Peter drawn his sword to a bloodier end No question but S. Paul the twelve Apostles and Disciples would have proved as tough Colonels as your associated Essex Priests did Captaines and doubtlesse S. Peter who converted 3000 in one day would have raysed a strong Army in six Our blessed Saviour well knew that Caesar came not thither without divine permission In respect whereof He became obedient to the very shadow of a King and whom he actively resisted not he passively obeyed I but there was a necessity of his obedience subjection to make him capable of a shamefull death No his obedience as well as death was voluntarie which makes you guiltie of a shamefull argument But He was a single person We a representative body what is unexpedient in the one is lawfull in the other Worse and worse If our blessed Saviour be not Representative Tell me where of art thou a Member woe be to that Body politick which endeavours not to be conformed according to the Head Mysticall He preacht Peace Your Martiall Ministers by what authoritie they best know proclaime Warre He Obedience They Sedition He Truth They Lyes He Order They Confusion He Blessednesse to the Peace-makers They courage to the Persecutors He Blessednesse to the persecuted They brand them with Malignitie that call them blessed God was not heard in the whirlewind but in the still voice But his thoughts are not as our thoughts neither are our wayes like his wayes But whence proceeds all this even from a viperous Generation which hath long nested in this unhappie Island and those encreased multitudes of simple soules seduced by their sceming sanctitie who taking advantage of our late too great abuse of Ceremonies are turn'd desperate enemies to all Order and Discipline being out of charity with the very Lords Prayer because it comes within the Popish Liturgie How many of these have lately chalenged the name of sanctified Vessels for containing the poyson of unnaturall Sedition How many of these have usurpt the stile of well-affected for dis-affecting Peace How many of these have counterfeited the honour of good Patriots for largely contributing towards the Ruines of their Country How many does this Army consist of How for their sakes is Blasphemy connived at Sacriledge permitted How for their encouragement are Lyes and brasse-brow'd Impudencies invented nay publisht nay published in their very Pulpits and tolerated if not commanded even by them who peâ—chance were this quarrell ended would throw the first stone at them How many of
THE LOYALL CONVERT VIRO Improbus haec tam culta novalia miles habebit Barbarus has segetes HOM. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} OXFORD Printed by Henry Hall 1644. To the Honest-hearted READER READER IHere protest before the Searcher of all hearts that I have no End either of Faction or Relation in this ensuing Treatise I am no Papist no Sectarie but a true Lover of Reformation Peace My Pen declines all bitternesse of Spirit all deceitfulnesse of heart and I may safely in this particular with saint PAVL say I speake the truth in Christ and lye not my Conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost that I neither walke nor write in craftinesse nor handle the holy Scriptures deceitfully Therefore if thy Cause be Iesus Christ in the name of Iesus Christ I adjure thee to lay aside all wilfull ignorance all prejudice all private respects and Interests and all uncharitable censures Deale faithfully with thy Soul and suffer wholesome admonitions Search the severall Scriptures herein contained and where they open a Gate climbe not thou over a Stile Consult with Reason herein exerciz'd and where it finds a mouth find thou an eare And let Truth prosper though thou perish and let God be glorified although in thy Confusion THE LOYALL CONVERT THe kingdome of England that hath for many Ages continued the happiest Nation on the habitable earth enjoying the highest blessings that heaven can give or earth receive the fruition of the Gospell which setled a firme Peace which Peace occasion'd a full Plentie under the gracious Government of wise and famous Princes over a thriving and well-contented People insomuch that shee became the Earths Paradise and the Worlds Wonder is now the Nurcerie of all Sects her Peace is violated her Plentie wasting her Government distempered her People discontented and unnaturally embroyl'd in her owne Blood not knowing the way nor affecting the meanes of Peace insomuch that shee is now become the By-word of the Earth and the scorne of Nations The Cause and ground of these our Nationall Combustions are these our nationall Transgressions which unnaturally sprung from the neglect of that Truth we once had and from the abuse of that Peace we now want Which taking occasion of some differences betwixt His Majestie and his two Houses of Parliament hath divided our Kingdome within it selfe which had so divided it selfe from that God who blest it with so firme a Truth so setled a Peace and so sweet an Unitie At that sinne brought this division so this division sharpned with mutuall Jealousies brought in the Sword When the Lyon râ—â—res who trembles not And when Judgement 〈◊〉 who is not troubled Among the rest I who brought some Faggors to this Combustion stood astonisht and amazed to whom the mischiefe was farre more manifest then the Remedy At last I laid my hand upon my heart and concluded It was the hand of God Where being plundered in my understanding I began to make a scrutinie where the first Breach was made that let in all these Miseries I found the whole Kingdome now contructed into a Parliament which consisted of three Estates A King a House of Peeres and a House of Commons by the Wisdome and Unitie whereof all things conducible to the Weale-publique were to be advised upon presented and established I found this Unitie dis-joynted and growne to variance even to Blood The King and his Adherents on the one party and his two Houses and their Adherents on the other The presence of this division was the true Protestant Religion which both protested to maintaine the Libertie of the Subject which both protested to preserve the priviledges of Parliament which both promise to protect Yet neverthelesse the first never more profaned the second never more interrupted the third never more violated Standing amazed at this Riddle I turned mine eyes upon his Majesty and there I viewed the Lords Annointed sworne to maintaine the established Lawes of this Kingdome I turned mine eyes upon the two Houses and in them I beheld the Interest of my Countrey sworne to obey his Majestie as their supreme Governour I heard a Romanstranoe cryed from the two Houses I read it I approved it I inclined unto it A Declaration from his Majesty I read it I applauded it I adhered to the justnesse of it The Parliaments Answer I turned to the Parliament His Majesties Reply I returned to his Majestie Thus tost and turned as a Weathercâ—â—k to my own weaknesse I resolved it impossible to serve two Masters I fled to Reason Reason could not satisfie me I fled to Policies Policie could not resolve me at length finding no Councellour but that which first I should have sought I hyed me to the Book of God as the Great Oracle and ushering my Inquest with Prayor Humiliation I opened the sacred leaves which not by chance presented to my first eye the 20 of the Proverbs v. 2. The fear of a King is as the roaring of a Lyon who so provoketh him to Anger sinneth against his own soule Now I began to search and found as many places to that purpose as would swell this Sheet into a Volume so that in a very short space I was so furnished with such strict Precopts backt with such strong Examples that my Judgement was enlightned and my wavering Conscience so throughly convinced that by the Grace of that Power which directed me neither feare nor any By-respects shall ever hereafter remove me unlesse some cleaner light direct me But above all the Rest a Precept and an Example out of the Old Testament strongly confirmed by a Precept and an Example out of the New setled my opinion and established my Resolution The first Precept out of the Old Jeremy 27. v. 6. Where it pleased God to owne Nebuchadnezzar his servant although a a known Pagan a profest Idolater and a fierce Porsecuter of all Gods Children concerning whom he saith v. 8. They that serve not the King of Babylon and that will not put their necks under his Yoak I will punish them with the Sword Pamine and the Pestilence till I have consumed them v. 9. Therefore hearken not to your Diviners and Prophets that say unto you You shall not serve the King of Babylon for they prophosio a lye unto you v. 10. But the nations that shall serve the King of Babylon and bring their necks under his Yoak those will I let remain in their own land saith the Lord and they shall till it and dwell therein Can there be a stricter Precept or could there be a more impious Prince And yet this Precept and yet this Prince must be obeyed nay sub paena too Upon the paine of Gods high wrath fully exprest in Famine Sword and Pestilence not onely upon the People but upon the Priests also that shall perswade them unto disobedience The second Precept is enjoyned us out of the New Testament Rom. 13. 1. Let every soule be subject to the