Sovereign And methinks it is very Vnequal for Men that give no Quarter to Loyal Subjects to stand expostulating for Privileges to Revolters Here 's King and Parliament gone at First Dash A A Confederacy Authoriz'd at Next B A Papal Dispensation from Obedience C The King and Three Estates swallowed up in the Assembly D Subjects set above the Law E The Sovereignty vested in the Multitude F Parliaments subordinated to the Kirk G The King Himself Arraign'd and Judgments denounced against him H The Judges Degraded Courts of Justice silenc'd the Rabble passing Sentence on the Supreme Magistrate Deposing of Princes Justify'd I. This is all Plain enough without Exposition But we are Now about to be yet a little Plainer Sect. 9. Principles and Positions A THe Two Houses have Legal Power to Levy Monys Arms Horse Ammunition upon the Subjects even without or against the Kings Consent and to put into safe hands such Forts Ports Magazines Ships and Power of the Militia as are intended or likely to be intended to introduce a Tyranny not only when Arms are actually raised against them but when they discern and accordingly declare a Preparation made towards it Political Catechism Page 7.1679 B A King abusing his Power to the Overthrow of Religion Laws and Liberties may be controll'd and oppos'd And if he set himself to overthrow all these by Arms then they who have Power as the Estates of a Land may and ought to Resist by Arms because he doth by That Opposition break the very Bonds and overthrow all the Essentials of this Contract and Covenant This may serve to justifie the Proceedings of This Kingdom against the late King who in a Hostile way set himself to overthrow Religion Parliaments Laws and Liberties Douglase's Coronation Serm. Page 10.1951 C The Lords and Commons are as the Master of the House Calamy's Sermon Decemb. 25. 1644. Page 22. The Parliament whom the People Chuse are the great and only Conservators of the Peoples Liberties Ibid D The Parliament of the Commonwealth of England without the King 1651. were the Supreme Authority of this Nation Jenkins's Petition Octob. 15. 1651. E The Sovereignty here among Us is in King Lords and Commons Baxter's Holy Commonwealths Page 72.1659 F The Government of England is a Mixt Monarchy and govern'd by the Major part of the Three Estates assembled in Parliament Parliament Physick for a sin-sick Nation Page 111. G The Houses are not only requisite to the acting of the Power of making Laws but Co-ordinate with His Majesty in the very power of Acting Ahabs Fall Page 42. H Resolved That in case of Extream Danger and of His Majesties Refusal the Ordinance agreed on by both Houses for the Militia doth oblige the People and ought to be obeyed by the Fundamental Laws of This Kingdom Vote of both Houses March 15. 164â— Ex. Col. 112. I Resolved That when the Lords and Commons in Parliament which is the Supreme Court of Judicature in the Kingdom shall declare what the Law of the Land is to have This not only question'd and controverted but contradicted and a Command that it should not be obey'd is a high breach of the Priviledge of Parliament Ex. Col. 114. March 16. 1641. K The Lords and Commons in Parliament do declare That it is against the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom that any of the Subjects thereof should be commanded by the King to attend Him at His Pleasure but such as are bound thereto by special Service Ex. Col. 193. May 17. 1642 L The Towns Forts Treasure Magazine Offices and the People of the Kingdom and the whole Kingdom it self is entrusted unto the King for the Good and Safety and best advantage thereof and as This Trust is for the Use of the Kingdom so ought it to be menag'd by the Advice of the Houses of Parliament whom the Kingdom hath Trusted for That purpose Third Remonstrance May 26. 1642. Ex. Col. 266. M A Parliament may dispose of any thing wherein His Majesty or His Subjects hath a Right in such a way as that the Kingdom may not be expos'd to hazard or danger thereby Ibid. 267 N The Votes of the Lords and Commons in Parliament being the great Council of the Kingdom are the REASON of the King and of the Kingdom Ibid. 278. O Supreme Head and Governour over all Persons in all Causes as it is meant of singular Persons rather than of Courts or of the Collective Body of the whole Kingdom c. And to speak properly it is only in His high Court of Parliament wherein and wherewith His Majesty hath absolutely the Supreme Power and consequently is absolutely Supreme Head and Governour from whence there is no Appeal Remonstrance May 26. 1642. Ex. Col. 703. P The Kings of This Realm ought to be very tender in denying both Houses of Parliament any thing that concerns the Publick Government and good of the Kingdom and they ought to deny themselves and their own Understandings very far before they Deny Them and that upon this ground because they lie under the Obligation of an Oath to pass such Laws if they be Just and Good for the Kingdom And it must Then be a Tender Point for a Prince to judge otherwise of those Laws that are Represented unto Him as such by the Representative Body of the whole Kingdom Ibid. Pag. 715. No Presidents can be Bounds to the Proceedings of the Parliament Ibid. Pag. 726 Q A Parliament may dispose of any thing wherein the King or any Subject hath a Right in such a way that the Kingdom may not be endanger'd thereby And if the King being humbly sought unto by His Parliament shall refuse to joyn with them In such Cases the Representative Body of the Kingdom is not to sit still and see the Kingdom perish before their Eyes and of this danger THEY are Judges and Judges Superiour to all others that Legally have any Power of Judicature in This Kingdom Ibid. No Member of either House ought to be medled withal for Treason Felony or any other Crime without the Cause first brought before Them that they may judge of the Fact and Their leave obteined to proceed Ibid. The Sovereign Power doth reside in the King and both Houses of Parliament And His Majesties Negative Voice doth not import a Liberty for His Majesty to deny any thing as He pleaseth though never so requisite and necessary for the Kingdom Ibid. 727. R When there is certain appearance or grounded suspicion that the Letter of the Law shall be improv'd against the Equity of it that is the Publique Good whether of the Body Real or Representative then the Commander going against its Equity gives Liberty to the Commanded to refuse Obedience to the Letter Ex. Col. Pag. 152. S The Clause wherein we Swear the Preservation and Defence of the Kings Person and Authority doth lye under some restreint by That limitation In the Preservation and Defence of the True Religion and Liberties of the Kingdom To
own Authority This as to the Thing it self We shall now see it in the EFFECTS §. 2. The Fruits of a Toleration A THis is that Diabolical Liberty says Beza Confess Fid. Eccl. l. 5. de sect 44. which hath filled Polonia and Transilvania with so many Plagues of Opinions Reader that thou mayst discern the mischief of Ecclesiastical Anarchy the monstrousness of the much-affected Toleration and be warned to be wise to Sobriety and fear and suspect the pretended New Lights I approve that this Treatise discovering the Gangrene of so many strange Opinions should be Imprinted James Cranfords License to the First Part of Edward's Gangrena B You have most Noble Senators done worthily against Papists Prelates and Scandalous Ministers in casting down Images Altars Crucifixes throwing out Ceremonies c. but what have you done against other kindes of growing Evils Heresie Schism Disorder against Seekers Anabaptists Antinomians Brownists Libertines and other Sects You have destroy'd Baal and his Priests but have you been zealous against Golden Calves and the Priests of the Lowest of the People You have put down the Book of Common-Prayer and there are many among Us that put down the Scriptures slighting yea blaspheming them You have broken down Images of the Trinity Christ Virgin Mary Apostles And we have those who overthrow the Doctrine of the Trinity oppose the Divinity of Christ speak evil of the Virgin Mary slight the Apostles You have cast out the Bishops and their Officers and we have many that cast down to the ground all Ministers in all the Reformed Churches You have cast out Ceremonies in the Sacraments as the Crosse Kneeling at the Lords Supper and we have many cast out the Sacraments Baptisme and the Lords Supper The Sects have been growing upon us ever since the first year of your sitting and have every year encreased more and more things have been bad a great while but this last year they are grown Intolerable And if Schism Heresie c. be let alone and rise proportionably for one year longer we shall need no Cavaliers nor Enemies from without to destroy us Ib. Epist. Ded. to the Lords and Commons C The Independent Churches like Africa do breed and bring forth the Monsters of Anabaptism Antinomianism Familism Nay that huge Monster and old flying Serpent of the Mortality of the Soul Antapologia P. 262. D As John Baptist wore a Leathern Girdle So the Doctrine that he preach'd was Leathern Doctrine Saltmarsh's Serm. at the Bath E The Saints are those that are now stiled Anabaptists Familists Antinonians Independents Sectaries c. The First party that rose against you namely the Prophane ones of the Land are fallen under you and now there is another Party Formalists and Carnal Gospellers rising up against you c. Del's Serm. to the General and Officers June 7. 1646. F Shall the Presbyterians Orthodox Godly Ministers be so cold as to let Anabaptism Brownism Antinomianism Libertinism Independency come in upon us and sleep in a whole skin Gangren Par. 1.91 G When Cartwright Hildersham Travers and many other gracious Divines by the blessing of God upon their Great diligence had undermined and well near overthrown the Episcopal Sees and all the Cathedral Ceremonies Incontinent the Generation of the Separatists did start up c. Bayly's Disswasive Pag. 12. H The famous City of London is become an Amsterdam Separation from our Churches is Countenanc'd Toleration is cry'd up Authority lyeth asleep c. Calamy's Serm. to the Lord Mayor Jan. 14. 1645. Pag. 3. Divisions whether they be Ecclesiastical or Political in Kingdoms Cityes or Familyes are Infallible Causes of Ruine to Kingdoms Cities and Families Serm. to the Lords Dec. 25. 1642. I Diversity of Religion disjoynts and distracts the Minds of men and is the Seminary of Perpetual Hatreds Jealousies Seditions Wars if any thing in the world be and in a little time either a Schism in the State begets a Schism in the Church or a Schism in the Church begets a Schism in the State c. Once for all it is the Preservation and Reservation of Religion which you have Covenanted to endeavour and not a Liberty of Opinion which will consist with neither Newcomen Serm. to Parl. Sept. 12. 1644. K Independents the most Pharisaical proud envious and malicious Sect that ever sprung up Bastwicks Independency not Gods Ordinance Wild-geese Old-geese sticklers against Parliaments and Presbytery Fighters against God Violaters of all the Laws of God and Nature a company of Rats among Joyn'd-stools not worthy to give guts to a Bear Moon-calves c. Id. Postscr Pa. 12.32 34 36. c. L The Errours and Innovations under which we so much groan'd of Latter years were but Tolerabiles Ineptiae tolerable Trifles Childrens-Play compar'd with these Damnable Doctrines Doctrines of Devils as the Apostle calls them Polygamy Arbitrary Divorce Mortality of the Soul No Ministry no Churches no Ordinances no Scripture Yea the very Divinity of Christ and the Holy Ghost question'd by some denyed by Others and the very Foundation of all these layd in such a Schism of boundless Liberty of Conscience c. Serm. before the Commons Aug. 22. 1645. Pag. 29. M The Scriptures deny'd to be the word of God Only of Human Authority Insufficient and Uncertain Edward's Gangrena Pag. 15. God has a hand in and is the Authour of the Sinfulness of his People P. 16. The Soul dies with the Body In the Unity of God there is not a Trinity of Persons Nor Three distinct Persons in the Divine Essence but only Three Offices Pag. 17. That Christs human Nature is deâ—led with Original Sin That no man shall perish or go to Hell for any Sin but Unbelief only Pag. 18. That men may be saved without Christ. That there is no Original Sin in us only Adams first sin was Original Sin Pag. 20. That the Doctrine of Repentance is a Soul-destroying Doctrine Pag. 21. c. N A Minister in Hertfordshire bringing a place of Scripture against an Anabaptist which he could not Answer said It was the Weakness of the Apostle and there he wanted the Spirit Pag. 33. Part. 1. Some of the Sectaryes Plead Miracles Revelations Visions as Christs appearing to an Anabaptist and forbidding her to baptize her Child Pag. 58. And their dressing up a Cat like a Childe Ibid. O One Cozens of Rochester in Kent sayd that Jesus Christ was a Bastard and that if he were upon the earth again he would be asham'd of many things he then did Ibid. Pag. 105. Oh Lord Thine Honour is now at stake for now O Lord Antichrist hath drawn his sword against thy Christ and if our Enemies prevail thou wilt lose thine Honour Strickland at Southampton Jun. 9. 1643. If thou dost not finish the good Work which thou hast begun in the Reformation of the Church thou wilt shew thy self to be the God of Confusion and such a one as by Cunning Stratagem hast contrived the Destruction of thine own
account shall be taken by the several Presbyteryes of all who shall refuse or shift to swear and subscribe and that they be proceeded against with the Censures of the Church as enemies to the Preservation and Propagation of Religion S. Marshall Ib. Page 11. We give now Publick Warning to all Neuters to rest no longer upon their Neutrality but that they address themselves speedily to take the Covenant and joyn with all their power in the Defence of This Cause against the Common Enemy c. Otherwise we do declare them to be publick Enemies to their Religion and Country and that they are to be censur'd and punish'd as professed Adversaries and Malignants Declaration of England and Scotland Jan. 30. 1643. If any Person or Persons whatsoever shall at any time or times hereafter use or cause the aforesaid Book of Common Prayer to be used in any Church Chappel or Publick Place of Worship or in any private place or Family within the Kingdom of England or the Dominion of Wales or Port and Town of Berwick every such Person so offending therein shall for the First Offence pay the sum of Five Pounds of Lawful English Mony For the Second Offence Ten Pounds and for the Third shall suffer one whole years Imprisonment without Bail or Mainprize Ordinance of Parliament Aug. 23. 1645. for putting the Directory in Execution Resolved upon the Question by the Commons assembled in Parliament that all Persons that have or shall come and reside in the Parliaments Quarters shall take the National League and Covenant and the Negative Oath notwithstanding any Articles that have been or shall be made by the Souldiery June 2. 1646. What Person soever having taken the Solemn League and Covenant shall go into the Enemies Quarters without Drum Trumpet or Pass shall Dye without Mercy An Article of War Notes on Sect. 7. LEt any Man that has but Eyes in his head compare Cases now Here 's a Rebellious Oath of Conspiracy opposed to an Authoritative Oath of Canonical Obedience and Allegiance Here 's a pretended scruple of Perjury in breaking a Treasonous Oath and no bones made of the Perjurious violation of a Legal One Here 's a Nullity against an Act of State and this is not the worst on 't neither Those very Men that forced a Rebellious Oath upon all people without Exception to the utmost Extremity of Tyranny and Rigour Contrary to Law are now complaining of persecution under the Common Rule of a Legal Provision Declaring at the same time that they are still determin'd to persue the ends of their aforesaid Covenant which were manifestly the subversion of the Government You see likewise how Unmercifully they dealt with People in the Case of the Common Prayer And yet who but these Men to Mutiny for Liberty in the very point wherein most injuriously they made all their Fellow-Subjects Slaves Sect. 8. The Power of the Kirk A. THe Assembly is Independent either from King or Parliament in matters Ecclesiastical B. It is lawful for Subjects to make a Covenant and Combination without the King and to enter into a Bond of Mutual Defence against the King and all persons whatsoever C. Subjects may appeal from the King and Council to the next General Assembly and Parliament and in the mean time before their Appeals are heard and discussed they may disobey the King and Council D. An Assembly may abrogate Acts of Parliament and discharge Subjects of their Obedience to them if they any way reflect on the business of the Church E. The Protestation of Subjects against Laws establish'd whether it be made coram Judice or non Judice before the Judges or the People doth voyd all Obedience to those Laws and dischargeth the Protesters from any Obligation to live under them F. A number of Men being the Greater part of the Kingdom may do anything which they themselves conceive conducing to the Glory of God and the good of the Church notwithstanding any Laws standing in force to the contrary Kings Large Declaration Fol. 407. deincep G. The Rights and Priviledges of Parliaments and the Liberties of the Kingdom are the Suburbs of the Gospel and an Inheritance bequeathed by God to Nations and Kingdoms and under That Notion Holy These be the Outworks of Religion the Lines of Communication as I may so say for the defence of This City Case's Covenant Renew'd 1643. P. 52. H. Such a height of Opposition to the Lords Anointed as never since Man was upon the Earth was there such a Supremacy framed into a Law whereby Name and Thing of all Kingly Power is plainly and explicitly taken from and extorted out of the hand of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ and given unto and setled upon the King O dangerous and Unsetling Settlement Now the Incommunicable Prerogative of Him who is King in Sion and whose Right it is to give Laws to Rule his own Church and House is alienate and appendent to the Imperial Crown of the Nation The most manifest unmasked high and horrid Usurpation of the Throne of Christ that ever the World saw But its Impossible he can sit long who sets himself upon the Mediators Throne For the Arm of Jehovah shall snatch and hurry him thence Be wise now therefore O ye Kings c. is a necessary caution here Poor Mans Cup Page 21. H. The Presbytery may forbid Unjust Suits of Law and so doth the Scripture as scandalous to Christians Our General Assembly is no other then Christs Court Acts 15. made up of Pastors Doctors and Brethren or Elders They hold I believe with warrant of Gods Word if the King refuse to Reform Religion the Inferior Judges and Godly Pastors and other Church Officers may Reform If the King will not Kiss the Sun and do his Duty in purging the House of the Lord may not Eliah and the People do Their Duty and cast out Baals Priests They may Swear or Covenant Without the King if he Refuse and build the Lords House Themselves 2 Chron. 15.9 and Relieve and Defend one another when they are oppressed They Depos'd the Queen for her Tyranny but Crown'd her Son All This is vindicated in the following Treatise This Assembly is to judge what Doctrine is Treasonable It is true Glasgow Assembly 1637. Voted down the High Commission because it was not consented to by the Church and yet was a Church-Judicature which took upon them to judge of the Doctrine of Ministers and deprive them and did encroach upon the establish'd lawful Church-Judicatures Rutherfords Preface to Lex Rex Notes on Sect. 8. DO These People talk of the Lordlyness of Prelates when His Holyness Himself never claim'd so much Bare-fac'd as these Papal Protestants do both Challenge and Practice And it is not the Slavery but the Masters that we ought to be most asham'd of Nor will the Impatient and Imperious Humour wait for the season of their Power but while they are yet in shackles Themselves they are Imposing upon their