be noted that till this Third time that they make their peace with God by burnt-offerings and peace-offerings God doth not give them an answere of peace and prosperous successe Hence then ô England take thy patterne of seeking God and asking Counsel of Him First doe not first resolve with thy selfe to fight and then goe aske of God not whether thou shalt fight or no but onely who shall goe up first For then thou mayst speed as they did Secondly thinke it not sufficient to powre forth teares of worldly sorrow for thy discomfiture and therupon resolve to renew the battaile for which also though they had an Answere of God for it yet it was without any Promise of good Successe But Thirdly a Generall Fast must be Proclaimed over the Land and a Solemne Day must be kept in offering up the burnt offerings of an humble and contrite heart and peace offerings of reconciliation with God through faith in Christ joyned with a thorow Reformation of thy notorious Sins and transgressions wherewith the whole Land is burthened and defiled Then then I say and not before alwayes provided the Cause of Warre be known to be just as that of the Israelites was against the Benjamites their Brethren mayst thou with a good Conscience and sure confidence in God make thy Warre But what Sins are those which thou must reforme In brief thou must ô England call in those wicked and ungodly Bookes Orders Edicts Declarations whereby the Doctrines of Grace have been suppressed the Sanctification of the Sabbath cryed down Ministers persecuted and put out of their places much innocent blood hath been shed especially of those 3 banished Close Prisoners and to Summe up all in one head-Sinne to cast out those who are the maine Instruments and movers of all these and other outrages in the Land to wit the Prelates who as the limbs of Antichrist and so Christs adversaries doe of late especially challenge their Lordly Jurisdiction from Christ alone * which notwithstanding he hath expresly forbidden as heathenish and tyrennicall and which his ‡ Apostles branded for Antichristian and the Mystery of Iniquity So as till these usurpers of Christs Throne be cast out with all their Baggage and Trumpery of their Cermonies and will-worship be sure ô England thou canst not look to prosper in any thy undertakings be they never so just for in maintaining thy Prelates thou maintainest open Warre against Christ and his Kingdome and hadst thou eyes to see it against thine own Kingdome too and the peace and prosperity thereof But it will be alledged that thy Reverend Prelats hate a Publick Fast as being Puritanicall and consequently any such Reformation as aforesaid as being all Puritanicall that their Order is most Christian and consonant to Civil Government and most agreeable with the Monarchy and the like And therefore that thou art bound to defend them yea though it be by making open Warre against all those that doe withstand their Hiearchy Iâ— this be thy resolution ô England then know this for a certainty that thou canst not long stand seeing thy so maintaining of that Antichristian Tyranny is to wage open Warre against Iesus Christ the onely King of his Church And therfore if this be the cause and end of thy warlike preparations be sure thou shalt not prosper in why way how art thou so blind as not to se how thy prosperity must of necessity be thy ruine For as Christ saith * A Kingdome divided against it selfe cannot stand And so if the Iland which consists of two Kingdomes under one King be divided against it selfe and the one Kingdome destroy the other is it not as with the body when the right hand cuts off the left And shalt not thou ô England be hereby exposed to thy false friends and deadly enemies without who could not wish a better opportunity for the effecting of their long wished desire then to see this goodly Iland to imbrue her hands in her own bowels and blood And therefore if thou hast any such designe ô England who could who would counsel and instigate thee unto it but the Spirit of Iezebel of Rome possessing thy â—relotes who as those ‡ false Prophets bid thee to goe up against Ramâ—th Gilead and prosper But it wil be pretended they are Rebells whom thou wilt Warre against Wherein Rebells For casting our Christs enemies those Antichristian usurpers the Prelates Indeed thus thou didst deale with those 3 above said as Seditious Persons because they convinced the Prelates of their usurped title of Iurisdiction from Christ wherein they did not in the least point transgresse or yet so much as trench upon any of thy Laws but defended them against the Prelates And if in so doing any shal be accounted of thee to be Rebells certainly they which doe it not are neither good Christians nor good Subjects But if indeed thou wilt Warre against any such as Rebells let the Case first be tryed in a faire and Judiciall way a better then which cannot be then the present Parliament And because the Prelates are Parties let them be excluded out of the Court till the matter be deciâ—ed For no Reason that Parties should sit as Judges as the Prelates did in the Censuring of those former three though they excepted against them in open Court And if indeed by such a faire tryall any shal be found judicially to be Rebells against their King then make Warre against them and spare not and I could wish to be the foremost in the fight But if they onely stand to defend their ancient Rights and Liberties and those good Laws of the Land which as the Ligatures doe bind unite and fasten the Head and Body the King and his Subjects together and which both Prince and People are bound by mutuall Covenant and Sacred Oath to maintaine let the Parliament determine whether that be Rebellion or no Which till it be determined let me crave thy patience ô England in a few words and hearken to the Counsel that I shall give thee in Gods own Name and words And because the present Parliament is the Representative Body of the whole State of the Land let me first addresse my Speech to it now Assembled in both the Houses Now where Gods word saith * By wise Counsel thou shalt make thy Warre he immediately addeth And in a multitude of Councellers there is Safety And you most Noble Senate are a Multitude of Councellers whose wisdome and Councel is requisite at this time for the making of Warre or not and much more for the making of Warre against your Brethren and in the very bowells of the Land Which Warre if it be for the Prelates Hierarchy let me say as he did ‡ If Baal be a God let him plead for himselfe For otherwiseâ— the making of such a Warre cannot be for safety and therfore I hope a multitude of such Counsellers will never give their consent much lesse their Counsel for such a
humane Law and in their own Names as absolute and independent Lords as those Heathen Princes did Thus have they not with the Beast their Syre in the * Revelation made a perfect Image of the first Beast to wit of the Heathen Empire from top to toe whose whole forme and State of Dominion they set up in their Prelaticall Hierarchie Doth not the ‡ Beast which cometh out of the earth having two hornes like a Lamb but speakes as a Dragon which is the Papall Hierarchie exercise all the power of the first Beast before him namely of the Roman Emperour there described yea and cause the Earth with all that dwell therein to worshâ—p the first Beast that is to subject themselves to the Throne and Authority of the Hierarchie which is now invested with an absolute Imperiall independent power which yet they blush not to affirme to be jure divino and from Christ himselfe How can any thing be more diametrically contrary to Christs words here It shall not be so among you Yes saith this Shamelesse Beast it shal be so with us and this Imperiall jurisdiction we doe and will exercise over the People As they doe indeed Yea these Spirituall Lords do not only exercise all the power of the first Beast as of Heathen Princes over the bodies and goods of men by imprisoning fyning undoing of Men and their whole Families yea and faggotting also the deare Saints and Servants of God onely by a pretty conveyance making the Civil Magistrate to be their executioner as the High Priests having condemned Christ delivered him over to the Secular Power to Pilate the Roman Governour but they also usurpe and exercise a most transcendent and Tyrannicall Dominion over the Soules and Consciences of Gods people as whose Canons and Constitutions even their whole Canon Law written in blood signified by their red Inke like to Draco his Laws which for their cruelty were sayd to be written in bloodâ— are most cruelly pressed upon the peoples soules for a full conformitie to all those humane Rites and Ceremonies of their will-worship in their Divine Service as they call it A bondage infinitely more bloody and cruel then that of Gods people of old under the Egiptian Taskmasters And yet not withstanding all these things is this their Lordly and Princely Jurisdiction jure Divino from Christ Or are Prelates herein the Apostles Successors Were the Apostles ever such Princes Lived they in such Palaces Kept they such Courts Did they imprison persecute and undoe Gods Saints Did they make any Canons or Laws for will worship Did they presse so much as any one ragge of a Ceremony of their own devising upon the Conscience of any of Gods people Nay did they not expresly forbid and condemn it Not as Lords over Gods Heritage saith * Peter to the Presbyters Not as having dominion over your Faith saith ‡ Paul to Gods Ministers and People Yea this was also one branch of that Dominion which the Heathen Emperours exercised over the people namely to force their Conscienses in matters of Religion ‡ Darius made a Decree that none should make any request to God or Man for 30. dayes save to the King alone § Nebuchadnezzar proclaimes his Commandment that all should fall downe and worship his golden Image And Iulian the Apostata would force the Christians to offer sacrifice to his Idols or at least to cast but a little incense upon the fire before them And such as refused were sorely persecuted punished yea put to death And doe not the Prelates exercise the like Dominion over mens Soules I say even to the utter undoing and exterminating of all those that refuse to submit their necks to such an Antichristian yoake Nay doe they not fast Chaine to their Tyranny all Ministers that take their Oath of Canonicall obedience even as Temporall Princes take an Oath of Allegiance of their Subjectsâ— Only here is the difference the Subjects are by their Oath bound to the Prince to obey him according to Gods Law and the Laws of the Land but Prelates by imposing the Oath of Canonicall obedience doe exact of all Ministers absolute and unlimited obedience to all their Canons not onely those in being although they be both contrary to Christs Law and are not authorised by the Law of the Land but to whatsoever other Canons they should in time frame and compose Which was one great Coale that hath caused the Smoaking out of all the Prelates out of our neighbour Countrey Thus we see that the Prelates exercising the like yea even the same Authority and Dominion which the Heathen Princes used in all points over their People are here flatly and expresly forbidden by Christ himselfe So as their Prâ—lacie is so farre from being sure divino of divine Authority as that it is an open rebellion against Christ and his Kingdome and a very trampling of his words under their feet But it shall not be so among you Againe for the words in Luke The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise Authority upon them are called Benefactors But ye shall not be so Ye shall not be called e'uergétai Benefactors or Gracious Lords as some Translations render it In which word or Title Christ forbids all such Titles to be assumed by his Apostles as are Heathenish or such as did set forth the magnificence pompe and State of Heathen Princes or such Titles as the Scripture doth not give to Gods Ministers Now it was not unusuall with the Heathen to call their Kings who were the greatest tyrants and oppressors of the People * Benefactors or the like in flattery of them Thus they did incrustare vitia parget or roughcast their vices as the Poet speakes And it seems the Popes learned of the Heathen this fashion of changing of their Names as if he were deformed to call him Formosus if cruel Clemens c. But for Prelates are they not called Euergetae Benefactors your Grace your Honour Right reverend most Reverend Father in God My Lord My Reverend Discesan My Patron and Benefactor Our Metropolitan Primate My Ordinary and many such like devised Titles no where to be found in Scripture but serving to bolster out their Pontificiall pride All such Titles Christ forbids to his Disciples here as elswhere also ‡ Be ye not called Rabbi for one is your Master even Christ and all ye are brethren And call no man Father upon Earth such Fathers as Prelates are called for one is your Father which is in heaven Neither be ye called Masters for one it your Master even Christ But the Prelates will say Distingue tempora Distinguish the times the Apostles were poore the Church was then but in the Infancie Swadling clouts might serve the Turne but now we that are the Successors of the Apostles are men grown and know how to use the honours pleasures and preferments of the world being cast upon us and being now promoted to be
in this point is notoriously erronious as both is proved before and which the Prelates own words here will sufficiently convince of fashood For first Christ left none when he went into heaven but his Apostles and Disciples such as he inspired with his Spirit to instruct and governe his Church But the Prelate a * little after confesseth that one of these visible Iudges Arch-bishops and Bishops are infallible Therfore Christ left no such Iudges and when he went into heaven there were no Prelats extant nor yet hatched and therfore Christ cannot be so much as thought much lesse beleeved to have left any such visible Iudges as the Prelate mentioneth Secondly it cannot be safe to beleeve that Christ left any such to be visible Iudges in matters of faith and Religion who are in their judgement not onely erronious but in their affections malicious against Christ and his word and his trile Church For the universall and constant practise of Prelates and especially ever since Antichrist hath been exalted in his Throne in persecuting the Professors of the Gospell doth proclaime them to be of the malignant Church and of ‡ the bendwoman that where of Babylon whose â—eed doth persecute the true Church and Children of God and therefore Christ would never appoint such to be visible Iudges in matters of Faith and Religion in his Church Thirdly the Prelate in making such visible Iudges besides Christs Law-booke the Scripture as he saith doth hereby deny and exclude the Scripture from being the Sole Iudge in all matters of Faith and Religion And the Church of England formerly before this her Metropolitan started up was of this beliefe that the Scripture was the Sole Iudge and Rule of Faith and admitted of no other Iudges to sit on the same Bench with it This the many learned works of our English Divines yet extant can abundantly testifie Therfore except the Church of England hath lost her wits and hath no more grace left her then the grace and faith of Canterbury she cannot be so madde as to beleeve Christ left any such visible Iudges as her Prelate speakes of Fourthly it can never be beleeved of any sensible man much lesse of any even common Christian that Christ would leave notorious hypocrites to be Iudges in matters of Religion who under a faire pretence of Truth and Peace doe labour utterly to destroy both Truth and Peace in his Church As here the Prelate names Truth and Peace as the end of his Hierarchicall Government but his practises doe prove him to be the greatest enemy both of Truth and Peace that ever Sate in the Chaire of Canterbury For first for Truth as the Truth of the Doctrines of Grace layd down in the Articles of Religion of the Church of England hath he not in the Declaracion before those 39 Articles but set forth in the Kings Name for all must be under a gracious King baffled it making the Articles to speake nonsense or in the language of the Delphick Oracle ambiguous that may be taken either way as favouring the Arminian aswell as the Orthodox so as by this meanes his Arminian Crew may prove their Heresies out of those Articles aswell as the Orthodox can the Truth Is this visible Iudge then for Truth Againe how doth he suppresse all preaching of the Doctrines of Grace by terrifying Ministers in all the Visitations of these visible Iudges So cleare it is that he governes for Truth Secondly for Peace What Peace I pray you hath either the Church or State of England had since this Polypragmatick began to stirre and stickle both in Church and State Nay what Peace hath the neighbour-Neighbour-Kingdome had since his Arme hath been imped out to put his hot coale under the Eves of that Church also So as now when Scotland burneth is 't not time for England to looke out and to cast on water and to quench the fire not with more fire to consume all but by quenching the coale that both first kindled and still fomenteth the flame Thus we see what a Governour here is under a Gratious King For Truth and Peace But fiftly he addeth According to the Scripture This is something And yet as good as nothing for he immediately annexeth And her own Canons and Constitutions Canons enough to batter the Scripture and Constitutions to undermine and blow it up For what Scripture can stand in any force where his Canons come And much more where these Canons of his Church of England are seconded by his Catholike Church Wherein his Church of England and that of Rome are become according to his * own words one and the Same Church of one and the Same Faith and Religion And thus indeed the Church of England may enter Common with Rome in her Canons as namely in her Canon Law and so make Corpus Cononicum the Rule whereby to governe this new Corporation of the Two Churches now become one againe So as let but the Canons of the Church of England be seconded with those of her Prelates Catholicke Church and then all Scripture is gone in Common Law So vaine is it that with Scripture he names and yoakes his Canons of England and Rome by which his Figures of value he conjures the Scripture within the circle of a meere Cypher But Sixtly he concludes with this qualification which crosse not the Scripture and the just Laws of the Realme But first for the Scripture who shal be Judge whether the Canons doe crosse it Who but the Canon-makers and Canon-masters the Prelates And will they trow you turne the mouth of their own Canons against themselves Nay their Canons though never so crosse to Scripture yet are like to Darius his Decree which though against the Scripture yet rather then it shal be broken Daniel must to the Lions denne to try whether the Lions or the Kings Decree be more cruell So the Prelates Church Catholick Canons are like the Laws of the Medes and Persians all the Daniels in the world shall rather to the Lions denne then the Canons be reversed To give but one instance for many That Canon De Haeretibus comburendis Of Burning the Hereticks which is one of those speciall Canons of his Catholick Church and a most damnable Canon as any in all the packe and such as if Christ and his Apostles were now upon the earth and did Preach as once they did they should by vertue of that Canon be brought to the Stake as Christ was by the High Priests * Law to his Crosse that Canon I say though it crosse the Scripture as being against all true Chistians whom this Canon calls Hereticks and burnes for the Scripture-sake yet shall it not be for ever in force so long as there is one Hereticke remaining upon the face of the earth and one Pope or Prelate to discharge the Canon But the Prelate addes And the just Laws of the Realme If the said Canons crosse not the just Laws of the Realme This is as
and just Lawes and not by a Lawlesse Tyranny which it selfe is an Hierarchicall Tyranny and such as Tyranniseth over soules bodies and estates Or can Prelates be true Friends to Princes who under a false vizard of Friendship labour to corrupt them by their flattery to make them forget they are men to make them disaffected with their good Subjects to make them the Authors of Innovation in Religion by suppressing the Truth by their publicke Edicts which tends to fill the People with discontents and to stirre up Sedition and the like Can this be safe for Monarchie or peaceable for the Civil State or a thing in it selfe most Christian Nor is it so onely with our present Prelates Revolve all Histories since Antichrists exaltation and ye shall find that never any great Treasons have been either against the persons of Princes or their Civil States if they were but suspected of disaffection to the Papacy or Romish Religion but either a Prelate or some of his faction had his finger in it But there it may suffice that our eyes have been witnesses of the effects of Prelaticall pranks and practises in being so busie and bold to bring in againe the Romish Religion and after the Gospel had taken such deep rooting So as if our Kings wisdome had not been the greater in composing things in a peaceable way as foreseeing the dangerous Consequences that might have ensued in case he should have by a strong hand gone about to have reduced that Antic bristian Government into that Kingdome which it had now cast out God knows what wofull calamities such a Warre might have produced But blessed be God for preventing it Againe As the Pope lifts up himselfe above and against all Emperious Kings and Princes yea setting his feet on their necks causing them to hold his stirrop to lead his palfrey and doe such like Offices as his Holinesse Booke of Ceremonies and other Histories shew to hold their Kingdomes in Fee from him and the like and as his Cardinalls take place of Kings his Arch-prelates of Dukes his Prelates of Lords So our Prelates which come from them and proâ—esse still to be of one and the same Church with them of one and the same Hierarchicall Catholicke Church of one and the same Faith and Religion as before is noted doe they not the like according to their proportion and degree Doe not Archprelates take place of Dukes and Prelats of Lords Nay doe they not set their feet upon the neck of the Kings Laws while they though as yet de jure they cannot yet de facto they doe exempt themselves from them in that they by their power in Court and threatnings in their own Courts so terrifie all Prohibitions that they dare not peep or shew their Faces in the High-Commission as the Author of the * Apologie and Two Sermons For God and the King hath observed though he hath payd dearely for his truth telling Thus doe they not u`praÃrethai highly exalt themselves above all that is called God as above Kings and Civil States while they dare thus withdraw their necks from under the obedience of their good and just Laws the benefit whereof the Kings good Subjects should enjoy in relieving themselves and their innocent Cause from the Prelates unjust and tyrannicall oppressions in the lawlesse proceeding in their Courts and so set their proud feet upon the Kings both Laws which are the sinews and loyall People which are the members of the same Body Politick whereof the King is the Head Do they not herein come neere their Father Pope who trampleth upon Emperours necks when they dare tread upon the Kings feet as ‡ the Serpent did upon Christs heele And for this Cause is the Hierarchie or Antichristianisme called by the Apostle the Mysterie of Iniquity Yea the Mystery tes a'nomÃas of Lawlessenesse for which cause the Head of this Mystery to wit the Grand Antichrist or the Pope is called o`anomos that Lawlesse one which our English turnes That wiâ—ked So as here may fitly come in Antichrists Fift Title o` a'nomos that Lawlesse one This the Pope proves himselfe to be as being subject to no Laws either of God or man So as he saith he hath all Laws folded up in the Cabinet of his own brest as being the great Oracle of the world and the onely infallible Iudge in matters of Faith at least when he Sits in Peters Chaire and that he can dispense with the Aposâ—â—â— and the like But how doth his agree with our Prelates Are they also such a'nomi such Lawlesse ones as to merit the next place to the Pope for the Title of Antichrist Yes surely they hold a correspondence with their Syre so as in all things they doe patrifare shew themselves to be his Sons Of their Lawlessenesse in regard of Subjection to Princes Laws we spake but now And now remaines to shew how they are Lawlesse in regard of Gods Laws First their Hierarchâ—e is 〈◊〉 at all nor in any thing as neither gâ—oâ—â—ded so regulated by the Law of God and of Câ—â—ist but meerly by their own Lawlesse Canons which are the Laws of their Lawlesse Kingdome Yea and when they list they have a Prerogative to goe either beyond or against their Canons in case their lust find not scope enough Secondly as is noted before they not onely can dispense with Gods Law but dare and doe annihilate it and make it of no authority For they doe unmoralize the 4th Commandement as concerning the Sabbath day for Christians they allow profane Sports thereon which Gods Law hath altogether forbidden they forbid preaching on that day which Gods word commandeth to be both in season and out of season they altogether forbid preaching of the Doctrines of Grace which Gods word commends unto us and commands to be preached they Suspend the sense of the Articles of Religion touching Gods free Grace thereby giving way to the contrary Errours which they forbid Preachers to confute flatly against * Gods Commandement they dispense with the fift Commandement dissolving the bond of obedience in Children and Servants to the Parents and Masters and stripping those Governours of their Authority over them while they give them liberty to Sport and run riot on the Lords day and threaten all that shall dare to controule them And herein also they destroy Mans Law for the Law of the Land no where either allows any such profane Sports on the Lords dayes but flatly forbids them or forbids Parents and Masters to restraine their youth from such profanatiâ—ns or to correct them if they offend and will not obey then Lawfull Commands nor much lesse hath the Law of the Land given any such power and authority to any Civil Magistrate or other to punish those that shal be brought before them for exercising their lawfull authority over those under their charge And we all know that the Prelates had the chiefe hand not onely in penning but in publishing that Booke for Sports on
First Protest against the Hierarchy as an Antichristian Tyranny over the Soules Bodies and Estates of all the Kings Subjects and therefore ought to be rooted out and not suffered in any Christian Church or Common Weale Secondly and consequently Protest against all Altars Images and such like Popish Idolatrous Reliques utterly unlawfull to be erected in any true Christian Church Thirdly Protest against all humane Rites and Ceremonies whatsoever imposed upon mens Consciences in the worship of God as being all of them Antichristian bringing into bondage mens Soules which Christ hath redeemed with his precious blood who is the onely Lord of the Conscience and the onely Law-giver to his Church for all matters of Faith and of the worship of God Fourthly Protest against all such generall Taxes layd upon the Subjects as whereby both their ancient Liberties and the fundamentall Laws of the Kingdome are overthrowne and so vindicate the Honour both of the King and of this noble Kingdome that it may not be recorded to Posterity for a State of Tyranny and Slavery Fiftly and consequently Protest against all those wicked Iudges which have in such wise declared their opinions for intollerable Taxes expresly contrary to the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdome as thereby they have given occasion for the betraying of all and the bringing of the whole Land under perpetuall Slavery Sixtly Protest against that Prelaticall Declaration set forth in the Kings Name before the 39 Articles wherein those Articles of the Dostrines of Grace are made voyd and so all preaching of them suppressed Seventhly Protest against that Booke for Sports on the Lords dayes as whereby both the fourth Commandement and the fifth are most desperately overthrown as also against all those Bookes that have been set forth for the maintaining of such profanation as whereby God is greatly dishonoured and his wrath provoked even to the Spewing out of such a Nation out of his mouth Eightly Protest against all that Prelaticall Tyranny in oppressing the preaching of Gods Word on the Lords dayes in the after-noone and other dayes in the week and their Antichristian persecuting and putting out of all godly and painfull Ministers such as will not conform to their lawlesse Ordinances Ninthly Protest against that most terrible and odious shedding of the innocont blood of those 3 forementioned now perpetuall Exiles and Closse Prisoners even their very Wives most lawlesly detained from them with aâ—â— their other severe punishments one of them being a Minister who in discharge of his duty first preached in his own Church and then published his Sermons in Print against the Prelates notorious practises and Popish Innovations for which he underwent punishments so great so many as no Ageâ— no Christian State can parallell so as their blood doth incessantly cry against this whole Land as guilty thereof though shed onely by the Prelates instigation as aforesaid untill it be purged Tenthly Protest against that accursed Booke Relation of a Conference c. published in Print and Dedicated to the King by the now Prelate of Canterbury wherein he belyes and so blasphemes God Christ the Holy Ghost the holy Scriptures the Church of England in saying it is one and the Same with that of Rome of the same Faith and Religion with that Whore of Babylon and many such like impious assertions the whole Booke professedly tending to reconcile England and Rome and so to bring the whole Land backe againe to Popery Eleventhly If this great and Warlike preparation be by the Prelates Diabolicall Instigation as by no other it can be except by the Pope and his Iesuiter and his Nuncio's Negotiation have also a hand in it to goe against the Scots and if the cause shal be found to be no other but that they have abandoned and Remaunded to Rome all their Prelates as the grand Enemies of Christ and his Kingdome and of the peaceable and prosperous estate of the Realme and consequently of the Kings Crown and Dignity and that they stand for the maintenance of their just Laws and Liberties the continuance whereof is the Kings honour and the establishment of his throne If I say no other cause can justly be alledged and yet they shal be invaded as Rebells Protest against all ayd and assistance of such an Invasion as being against the Law of God of Nature and of Nations and as being a Warre directly against Jesus Christ in the maintenance of Antichrist and his Antichristian Hierarchy and so such as must needs recoyle and that in divine fury upon England it selfe which having burned her neighbours house exposeth her owne to the flames Yea for England to Invade Scotland for no other cause in truth then before mentioned namely for their maintaining of the true Faith and Religion of Christ and their just Lawes and Liberties which all true Christians and Civil States ought to lay down their very lives for as the light of Nature taught the very Heathen Pugnare pro Aris ac focis and that Grecian could say A'iresomai teleutan mallon è a'neleutheros sun I choose rather to dye a Free-man then to live a Slave And the Monarchicall estate governed by good Laws was ever preferred and opposed to Tyranny were to renounce and give up her own ancient Liberties and to betray and persecute and destroy the true Faith and Religion of Christ and so set up and professe the Infidelity and Idolatry of Antichrist and so with him and his cursed Crue to goe into perdition The Primitive Christians under Julian the Apostata served him in the Warres against his Enemies but when he Commanded them to goe against Christians who refused to worship or offer Incense to his Idols they cast down their Weapons acknowledging the Emperour of heaven And when Saul * commanded his Servants to fall upon the Lords Priests none of them would doe it And I read of a Secretary to an Empresse who being commanded by her to draw an Edict againg the Christians he still found delayes but at length she growing instant upon him for it so as he could no longer delay it he tooke off his Military girdle the Ensigne of his service and cast it at her feet and so discharged himselfe from her Court Thus if you make and leave these Christian zealous and just Protestations among the Recods of Parliament in case it shal be by the malice and inchantments of the Prelates unhappily dissolved before you can produce them into a full Act and establish them for a Law though otherwise ye cannot effect a reall Reformation of all the mischiefes and maladies which the Prelates in speciall have filled the Land withall yet forasmuch as you have thus publickly both for your own persons and as the Body representative of the whole State of the Land solemnly protested against all these things there is no question to be made but that God in his mercy and favour will accept of your will for the deed it selfe and will still preserve both you and your
posterity and the whole Land from destruction and will find out some other way for the rooting out of the Hierarchy according to those Prophesies in the Revelation the full filling of which cannot be farre off Now the Lord Iesus Christ guide and govern the Kings heart to the love of God and of his truth and let him clearely see how miseraby he hath been abused by those notorious hypocrites his flattering and Sycophantising Prelates and so take off and divide his Noble heart from them that being reconciled to God in reforming the manifold and horrible abuses which the Prelates to the dishonour of God and of the King have been the Authors and Instruments of and being united to his loving and loyall People as the Head to the Body in this Body representative the Parliament he may long raigne over this Land and all his other Kingdomes in much peace and prosperity And the same Lord Iesus Christ so unite the hearts of this Parliament unto God and to the King and among themselves and so guide them by the wisdome of his Spirit and Grace that they may sit and consult and conclude such righteous Acts and Decrees as may be for the honour of God and of the King for the advancement of Christs Kingdome and the establishment of the Kings Throne upon the Pillars of good Government with justice and mercyâ— in punishing the wicked and relieving the afflicted and oppressed Innocents as David in that Psalme penned for his Sonne Salomon a type of Christ prayed saying * Give the King thy judgemens ô God and thy righteousnesse unto the Kings Son He shall judge thy people with righteousnesse and thy poore with judgement He shall judge the poore of the people he shall have the children of the needy and shall breake in pieces the oppressors Even as the Heathen also said of the duty of Kings which was Parcere subjectis et debellare superbos To spare his Subjects and the proud beat down And as they said of Iulius Caesar Caesar dando sublâ—vando ignoscendâ— gloriam adeptus est Caesar by giving relieving and pardoning got himselfe a glorious Name And lastly the same Lord Iesus Christ power his Spirit of Grace and Supplication upon all the people of the Land that being sensible both of their own Sins and of the Nationall Sins of the Land as also of the heavy yoake of Anticrhist and the burthens of Egypt wherewith those Taskemasters the Prelates have pressed them down and broken their backs and made their lives bitter unto them they may truly repent and reforme their lives and cry alowd to the Lord as his People in Egypt did against their Taskmasters and pray incessantly for the good successe of this Parliament that it may be as a Moses sent of God in the ‡ doubling of their Bricks to deliver them from the Spirituall Egyptian bondage of the Prelates and dayly to pray for the King their Soveraigne and for his happy and truly Religious Raigne over them that they may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty Amen Even so come Lord Iesus and helpe thy poore England and thy poore People therein Amen FINIS * 2 Thes. 2. 4. Histor. Concilii Trident. ‡ Conference pag. 176 177. Confe pag. 200. Confer. pag. * Confer pag. 183. * Mark 9. 32. Luke 9. 45. * Mark 9. 33 34. * Luk. 19. 16 17 18 19. Math. 25. 16 17 18 c. ‡ Psal. 16. 11. ‡ Luk. 6. 24 25 26. * Luk. 46 7. § Phil. 3. 18 19. †lam 3. 15. * Confer. pag. 176. * 2 Cor. 11. 13. ‡ 2 Thess. 2. 3. * Rev. 13. 14. ‡ ver. 12. * 1 Pet. 5. ‡ 2 Cor. 1. 24. ‡ Dan. 6. 7. § Dan. 3. * Euergétal Horat. ‡ Mat. 23. 8. 9 10. ‡ Bernard De Consider. ad Eugen. 4. lib. 4. c. 2. Phil. 2. 6 7 8 9 10 1. * ver. 5. * Sect. 16. ‡ Confer. pag. â—57 * pag. 157. ‡ pag. 220. 226. ‡ pag. 200. â— Tim. 3â— 2. Tit. 1 7. * pag. 210 21. * lbid. ‡ Gal. 4. 29. * Confe Epist. Dedicatory pag. 376. * Ioh. 19. â— * pag 15. * Heb. 12. 15. ‡ Mat. 15. 13. ‡ Rom. â—â—◠§ 2 Thess. 2. †1 Iohn 2. * Ovid Meta. ‡ Dan. 2. * Mâ—t. 15. 9. * 1 Cor. 5. 3 4 5. * Confer pag. 175 176. ‡ pag. 183. ‡ Heb. 5. 4 5. § Confer. pag. 177. †pag. 198 199. * ler. 23. 30 31 32. ‡ 1 Pet. 5. ‡ Hist. Concil. Tâ—id * Confer. pag. 370. ‡ Revel. 17. 15. Vid Espencaeum in Tim. Gen. 10. 8 9. * Hist. Concil. Trid. * Eph. 4. 11. * 1 Tim. 3. 1. ‡ 1. Pet. 5. 2. ‡ Vides omnem Ecclesiasticum zelum fervere sola pro dignitate tuenda Ber. 1 Tim. 3. ◠‡ Confer. pag. 176. ‡ 1 Pet. 1 2 3 4. * Chap. 2. ‡ Confer pag. 298. * Confer. pag. 204. ‡ Socrat. Hist. Eccle. lib. 1. c 2. * â— Pet. 5. 1. ‡ â— Luk. 16. * Luk 21. 12. Mat. 24. 9. * Iob. 16. 2. ‡ Heb. 10. 27. ‡ 2 Tim. 4. 8. * 1 Cor. 9. 1. ‡ Iohn 16. 13. ‡ Act. 8. 26. 16. 6. § Mat. 28. 19. 20. †Act. 13. 2◠‡ Phil. 2. 25. * Revel. 1. 20. ‡ An. 26. 1â— Col. 1. 23. * Mat. 28. 20. Objection Answer ‡ Gal 3. 2. Act. 10. 44. § Gal. 4. 19â— * Aristot. Dâ— Ortu in teritu lib. 2. * Rom. 8. 14◠‡ Ioh. 15. 7. § Iob. 16. 13. †Ioh 14. 26. * Isa. 8. 20. * Cap. 3. ‡ See the Prelates Relation Sect. 16. throughout § Esa. 8. 20. ‡ Ioh. 6. 53. ‡ 1 Cor. 11. 23 * Relation of the Conf. p. 136. ‡ As in Dr. Coosins Booke of Private Devotions or Canonicall Houres * Esa. 56. 10 11 12. ‡ Act. 8. * Verse 16 17. ‡ verse 8. ‡ v. 18. § v. 19. †v. 20. ‡ v. 14. * v. 22. * v. 8. ‡ v. 18. § v. 10. †v. 21. ‡ v. 2â— * Con. pag. 261. ‡ Confer pag 226. 227. § Epist. Dediâ— pag. 19. 20. * 1 Cor. 2. 9. 10. ‡ Rev. 13. 8. 2 Thes. 2. 10. § Mat. 24. 5. * Mathâ— * Hist. Concil. Trid. lib. 1. ‡ In Platina of the lives of the Popes § Mat. 19. 24. * Psal. 82. * See the Apologie His Epistle to the Iudges His Sermons ‡ Gen. 3. 15. * Tit. 1. 9. * pag. 378. ‡ pag. 31. * pag. 80. 194. ‡ Lighius Hosius de expresso Dei Verbo ‡ 1 Cor. 3. 10. 17. 6. 19. 2 Cor. 6. 16. * Mat. 24. 5. Mark 13. 6. Luk. 21. 8. * Tit. 2. 16. ‡ Psal. 45. * 2 Tim. 4. 5. ‡ Hist. Concil. * Epist. Dedi pag. 20. 2 Cor. 11. 13. 14. Gal. 1. * Gen. 11. ‡ Ephes. â— 15 16. Socrat. Hist. Eccl. lib. 1. c. 35. Confer pa. 176. * Euseb. Hist. Eccl. lib. 2. c. 15 ‡ Ibid c. 14. ‡ Ibid c. 14. * Psal. 81. 1â— 12. ‡ Psal. 5. 10. ‡ Psal. 2. 1 2 3 4. * â— Psal. 33. 10 11. ‡ v. 16 17. ‡ Pro. 20. 5. * Mat. 20. 25. Mark 10. 42. Luk. 22. 25. ‡ 2 Thess. 2. 4. 7. 3 loh 9 10. * Mat. 12. 25. ‡ 1 King 22. * Pro. 24. 6. ‡ Iudg. 6. 31. ‡ Iudg. 6. 31. * 2 Thess. 2â— * 1 Sam. 22. * Psal. 72. ‡ Cum duplicantur Lateres tunc venit Moses 〈◊〉 2â— 2.