by the Lord of Hoasts not only refuse to disband but as aforesaid march up and bring that evill upon the Parliament which by their own and the Kingdoms Protestation they feared from the Northern Army Viz A Rape and Force upon them And that by your continuance in Armes should occasion as through the Activity of Malignant Spirits so generally through the sence the Countries and the Kingdom had of their unsupportable burthen by your means to be again imbroyled in a New War Wherein as you are not guiltlesse as in the occasion of the war So chiefly in the interruption of that peace so generally desired And therefore when as the poor Kingdom torn and rent with civill wars weary of its burthen seeing no hopes of ending by the Sword but that one extremity did daily beget another had prevailed by their Petitions to the Parliament for a Treaty which was obtained and in it such a progresse made as that the Parliament notwithstanding your Remonstrance voted The Kings last Answer to be a good foundation for a Peace and settlement Yet who hath disappointed the Kingdoms hopes but you not only inveighing against the Treaty as just or safe for the Parliament to mannage though you durst when time was presume to Treat with him your selves when it was unquestionably unjust for you having no delegation from the Kingdome or its Representatives but also by the power of the Sword to interrupt it without and against the consent of the oppressed Kingdom whose cry I fear is gone up to heaven against you Besides which with your interposition in the affaires of the Kingdome in taking the work out of the hand of the Kingdoms Representative Have you not by your late practises not only endeavoured but acted those iniquities which you were only raised to prevent in the forces raised by the King namely the subverting of the fundamentall Laws of England the power and priviledges of the Parliament and the lawfull Liberties of the Subject And all under the colour of laying new foundations for freedome which in the language of Justice Sedgwick have little of right freedome or common safety in them being framed with restect to your own private interest why therefore saith he doe you dissemble with men holding forth a foundation to settle the Kingdom when that you doe professe your selves to be appointed and called for breaking in pieces the powers of the world page 48. But if there be any reall intentions in you of a settlement which your intimate friend doth much question that you may see what your private spirits confident of their Abillity and Judgement for greatest matters of State Policy have produced to impose upon the Kingdome I shall give you the description of your intended Government by Justice Sedg Not in his New View but in his True View of the Army p. 22. For your present forme of Government it is such a headlesse Monster such a boddy doddy such an all breech so different from the Majesty of God and the Wisdome of men that it would fright solid and serious men to their Armes If I should fight against any thing I should fight against this But more seriously hoping that God will never permit you to erect and set up a second Fabrick that falling so short of the glory of the first Temple of our Government should fill all Spectators with watery eyes and yet extreamely fearing lest that under all your pretences for justice instead of any kinde of Government you are laying the foundation of perpetuall misery unto this Kingdome both by intestine and Forraigne troubles Oh let Odeds interrogation take hold of your hearts are there not with you even with you sinnes against the Lord your God not onely in Relation unto the King and Parliament but in Relation unto the whole Kingdome But in the fourth place let me be your Remembrancer a little further And with Oded aske you Are there not with you even with you sinnes against the Lord your God not onely in relation to King Parliament and Kingdome but also in relation to the Metropolis of the Kingdome the Famous City of London the great assistant of the Parliament Famous for its incouragement to the Parliament in maintaining it as was acknowledged by Mr. John Pym in his Speech to them Novemb. 10. 1641. Not to speake of its sufferings in common with the Kingdome by the meanes of your former disobedience to the Parliament Or to minde you at large of the contempt you poured upon the City shortly after when you marched through the City as Conquerours with Bayes in your hats your possessing your selves of the Tower of London casting out their Lievetenant put in by the Parliament at their request impeaching and imprisoning by your meanes some of their Aldermen that were knowne to be of Publique Spirits not inriching themselves with the ruines of the Kingdome together with some of the Common Councell both for piety and stability to their Principles Protestation Vow and Covenant without exception charging the whole City with defection and Apostacy from the Parliament I beseech you seriously consider cannot they taxe you with unfaithfulnesse as well as King Parliament and Kingdome Peruse but your Letter sent to them from Royston June 10. 1647. Wherin you professe you desire no alteration of the Civill Government nor that you seek to open a way unto licentious liberty under pretence of obtaining ease for tender consciences page 5. and doe not you professe that when the State hath once made a settlement you have nothing to say but to submit or to suffer Do but compare your practices with this profession made unto the City and consider whether you have not much cause to be humbled are not all your present practices in opposition to the Parliament Kingdome and City made our of measure sinnefull by acting so contrary unto your profession But besides all this Consider I pray you the feares and the dangers which you have exposed them unto in this your last expedition against the Parliament not to speake of your unreasonable demands for monies in such vast summes your menacing pressing for your arreares even for those twelve moneths service past since the Vote of your disbanding Is not your possessing your selves of the gates of the City planting Ordinances against them as in Black-friers and other places your violent seizing upon the person of their Shreive Major Generall Browne Are not these most injurious and unchristian carriages to the City And besides the unconceivable damage you have brought unto it by the decay of trade and merchandizing who knoweth what further danger may arise by quartering the Army thus amongst them These things thus laid together and well weighed must needs bring you to a sound conviction that there are with you even with you sinnes against the Lord your God in relation to the City Again are there not with you even with you sins against the Gedly learned and sound Ministers in the Kingdome Are you not such
of publique danger and the extremity thereof that yet from evill intentions and an inordinate temper of spirit you would breake those bonds of law and Magistracy which you finde to restraine you Besides which are not you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condemned of your selves even out of the words of your owne mouths as being defective as in that which you your selves doe propound must concur to their full justification that shall plead Salus populi for you say he that ingageth page 5. Vpon such pretences must do it really for publike ends and but upon publike necessity or extremity and with a sober spirit But whether you are not unquallified in all these I leave it to God the World and your owne Consciences when awakened to judge whether in your pleading of Salus populi and your actings upon it instead of reall publike ends private interest carnall feares ambition pride an apprehension of your neglect in the Treaty no assurance of pardon for your fore-mentioned practices against the King and Parliament without and contrary unto commission are not really your publike ends that put you upon this plea of Salus populi That it is not for publike necessity and extremity except to beget it you have the cry of the whole Kingdome against you for it and if you have the quallification of the agent a sober spirit for your iustification let your actions upon it in the violent seising upon the persons of so many grave godly and publike Patriots of the Kingdome with horrible indignitie by turning them into Hell with such unheard of taunts and reproaches as are upon record in your Moderate Intelligencer that came out the tuesday following plead for you These things I say doe cry loud in the eares of God to whom you have appealed and as you acknowledge hath appeared as a severe avenger against such pretenders page 5. and without repentance will be a swift witnesse against you there being in you even in you sins against the Lord your God committed with this and many other aggravating circumstances For the Lords sake if you be Saints such as should be grieved at the least rise of corruption in your soules that should avoid all appearances of evill Oh let what I have propounded stay you in this your sinnefull progresse that you proceed not to fill up the measure of your iniquities Methinks it should move you if I should be your Remembrancer but of those miserable effects that are or may be the products of your abused trust and your unwarrantable walking by providence without a precept Should not the glory of God the honour of his great name be deare unto you Oh my soule thou hast heard the reproach of the adversary how are they confirmed in their profanenesse and superstition in their opposition unto the Reformation that hath cost so deare See See say they how all your hypocrisie is discovered and rather then they shall goe unpunished for their rebellion against their King those who were raised up to be their saviours shall be executioners of Gods vengeance upon them and though the Kings Party with his Cavaliers could not be avenged on this City the nursery of all this Rebellion yet it shall be done by an Army of their owne raising What is more common then such reproaches in the day of our calamity which you have brought upon us And is this nothing unto you Oh where I say is your zeale for God and his cause which you professe unto How is the name of God blasphemed amongst Atheists Papists Malignants profane and carnall persons by your fore-mentioned practises which hath opened their mouths against you how are your friends upbraided to the peircing of their souls when they say unto them Lo are these your Saints your godly and religious party which held forth nothing but justice Righteousnesse who were raised for the preservation of the fundamentall Lawes and of the priviledges of the Parliament and the liberty of the Subject and are now risen up in armes to ruine the King and his posterity to destroy the Parliament and give lawes unto the Kingdome did ever the profanest Officers or souldiers under Essex Waller or Massey attempt any of those things which they have effected Oh Sirs should not this be for a lamentation that instead of putting to silence 1 Pet. 2.15 the ignorance of foolish men by a conformitie unto those Gospell precepts 1 Pet. 2.13 Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as supreame or unto Governours You should open their mouths by your evill workes that they behold Oh Sirs consider at the last these true taunts of the adversary by which God is dishonoured and let them not only pierce your eares but your hearts Let me further I pray you be your remembrancer of another effect and a sad one too of these your present practises and that is this That you are not onely thereby cast out of the esteeme of Morall men as walking in such waies that by their light doe looke of an ill complexion But also out of the approbation of very many tender conscienced Christians who as they dare not say unto you in this your way we wish you will in the name of the Lord or bid you God speed least they should be partakers of your evill deeds 2 John ver 11. So they cannot remember you unto God in their prayers except it be that he would restraine you and hedge up your way with thornes and is not this a sad effect indeed Oh pray Sirs let this consideration take hold of your hearts and like Jeromes Surgite emortuis be ever sounding in your eares both in your Counsells and the execution of them That the arme of flesh being broken on which they trusted that staffe your selves on which they leaned having peirced them and gone into their hands they have betaken themselves unto the old and never failing weapons of the Church praeces lachrimae prayers and teares the mouths of which Cannons being turned against you Which I think though you are good souldiers should somewhat affright you and will if you are spirituall because they are spirituall weapons Besides which I pray let me remember you of another effect of your unwarrantable waies in relation unto the publicke now it comes in my minde and that 's this you have justified all the jealousies and feares that many dissenting from you had of you in your minoritie before moddellizing That if the power of the sword were wholly put into Independents hands they would abuse it for their owne selfe interest against the publicke have not you justified the Cities Remonstrance and their feares in this respect have not you made many supposed scandals in the Gangrend to be but true predictions But besides your justification of the feares of many which might fill your faces with shame As another effect of your miscarrages Have not you blasted the reputation of some eminent persons
execution of justice whilst they break out into such courses as are full of unrighteousnesse and tend to the ruine of others as well as themselves I beseech you Sirs weigh this seriouslie and consider whose case this is that I have propounded whither there be not in you even in you sins against the Lord your God in relation to all that are godly who upon the grounds aforesaid are exposed unto the irritated enmity of the men of the world though M. Peters say it is only for a little holines c. And though I hope that God wil take care of those professors that shal professe their present dislike of your present practises and mourn for them so as that they may be preserved if God see it good for them from that calamitie that shall come upon you yet assure your selves that without repentance you shall feele the justly exasperated rage of the men of the world and bee brought into a suffering condition as evill doers and where then will the spirit of glorie be to rest upon you you may peradventure by this argument think that I am too great a legalist and may think your selves to be above all these feares because that you are Saints and have your sins forgiven you But know that Aaron the Saint of the Lord with Moses and Samuel though God forgave their sins yet he took vengeance of their inventions Ps 90.8 and therefore be not high minded but fear least God to vindicate his glory to let the world know that he stands not in need of the sins of men to preserve his Church or Cause But that he is the Lord that loveth judgement and hateth robbery for a burnt offering Isa 61.8 should take vengeance on your inventions by exposing you unto a suffering condition as evill doers that have invented and do so strongly urge and act for it a Toleration that you might keep your selves from a suffering condition in relation to what you hold forth as truth we have a memorable example in the book of Martiers of one that could not burn for Christ and yet to save some goods his house being on fire was burnt and consumed by it The Lord give you in this your day to know the things that do belong unto your peace and that you may prevent that danger and destruction which these practises will produce For as there are in you sins against the Lord your God as in relation to others so unto your own selves these your unwarrantable waies and actions if they should not bring destruction upon the Kingdome yet as I have already intimated will without making your repentance as publicke as your offence bring you unto ceraine ruin and destruction And that you may see the danger you have brought your selves in as by all those sins of which I have been your Remembrancer so in particular by your intended change of the Government both of Church and State in opposition to King Parliament and Kingdom I shall commend unto your view Mr. Henry Burtons two Sermons for God and the King I shall onely give you his text with some part of its explication leaving it to your own application Prov. 24.21 22. My son feare thou the Lord and the King And meddle not with them that are given to change for their calamity shall rise suddenly and who knoweth the ruine of them both I shall only remember you of the admonition with his reason explicated in his own words Meddle not with them which are given to change Meddle is not meant here that wee may not meddle at all by way of reproofe detection conviction impeading or impeaching their wicked courses and practises that are given to change But not meddle that is have no fellowship side not countenance not approve not applaud not such men in their evill waies But who are these men we are admonished of Such as are given to change the best Interpreters expound it of Innovations of Religion or of the Republike So Mercer and Lavater and Pagnin renders it Such as change and break the commandements of God and of their Princes and fall away from the feare of God and the King in their rebellious lives but we need goe no further then our owne translation which is very full meaning it of all such as are factious seditious given to change the Lawes of God and the King page 6. 7. Now is the reason of the admonition annexed which is taken from the dangerous condition that those that are given to change are obnoxious unto the matter of their danger calamity and ruine set downe in its suddennesse in its certainty It shall rise that is although they seeme to be so high that are given to change as to surmount all feare of dangers as trampling all under their feet yet calamity shall rise above them and bring them to ruine as the Lord saith Ier. 37.10 page 8. 2. It shall arise suddenly and unexpectedly that is though there be no outward appearance of ruine to these men but that all things prosper and seeme to be on their side page 5. Yet who knoweth the ruine of them both this is subject to sundry interpretations the glosse and Lyra to both to Arch-heriticks and those that are seduced by them Mercenus and Lavater understand ruine of them both in an Active sense referring the ruine of those that are given to change to God and the King who both shall bring ruine upon those that are given to change So that those ring-leaders with their adherents and complices shall both fall and perish together and both God and the King that is the justice of Gods law and mans law shall conspire together to root them out page 8. And thus now having laid before you that from Mr Burtons explication of the Text which if but mixed with faith and applied must needs be energeticall in its operation to change your purposes I shall goe on as your Remembrancer having with Odeds interrogation indeavoured to convince you that there are in you even in you sinnes against the Lord your God both absolutely and relatively in relation to King Parliament Kingdome Ministery City with all that professe godlinesse I shall proceed to minde you of some aggravating circumstances with which some of your most publique sins are cloathed and also with some sad effects of them As first doe not you professe in your Remonstrance page 4. You are not ignorant that rule of salus populi suprema lex is of all others most opt to be abused or misapplied and indeed you show wherein it may be abused and how most truly But doth it not aggravate your guilt that you should abuse it in all those kindes The Lord give you tender consciences and then you will confesse that you have as truly abused it as you have described how it may be done For doe not your practices since the publishing of your Remonstrance together with what is in agitation by you declare page 4. That notwithstanding your pretences