Garments and Orders Ceremonies Gestures be rooted out from amongstus Trouble they will bring upon us for the time to come if they be not now cut off Pag. 36. As to the KING and his PARTY what a sad thing is it my Brethren to see our King in the head of an Army of Babylonians refusing as it were to be called the King of England Scotland Ireland and chusing rather to be called the King of Babylon Those that made their Peace with the King at Oxford were Judases of England and it were just with God to give them their Portion with Judas Here follows next their Opinion of the COVENANT The walls of Jerico have fall'n flat before it the Dagon of the Bishops Service-Book brake its neck before this Ark of the Covenant Prelacy and Prerogative have bow'd down and given up the Ghost at its feet Take the Covenant and you take Babilon the Towers of Babilon and her Seaven Hills shall move It is the Shiboleth to distinguish Ephramites from Gileadites Pag. 27. Not only is that Covenant which God hath made wiâ—h Us founded upon the Blood of Christ but that also which we make with God Pag. 33. See now the TENDERNESS of these men of tender Consciences Whensoever you shall behold the hand of God in the fall of Babilon say True here is a Babilonish Priest crying 〈◊〉 alas alas my Living I have Wife and Children to maintain Ay but all this is to perform the Judgement of the Lord. Pag. 13. Though as Little ones they call for pity yet as Babilonish they call for Justice even to Blood pag. 11. We are now entring upon the State of the WAR wherein you will finde in the first place who sounded the Trumpet to it To you of the Honourable House Up for the Matter belongs to you We even all the GODLY MINISTERS of the Country will be with you The First Enginiers that batter'd this great Wall of Babilon who were they but the poorer and meaner sort of People that at the First joyn'd with the Ministers to raise the Building of Reformation Here is an Extraordinary appearance of so many Ministers to encourage you in this Cause that you may see how real the Godly Ministry in England is unto this Cause This was upon calling in the Scots And again If I had as many Lives as I have hairs on my head I would be willing to Sacrifice all those Lives for this Cause Ibid. You shall read Numb 10. that there were two Silver Trumpets and as there were Priests appointed for the Convocation of their Assemblies so there were Priests to sound the Silver Trumpets to proclaim the War And Deut. 20. When the Children of Israel would go out to War the Sons of Levi one of the Priests was to make a Speech to encourage them Nor were they less cruel and fierce in the Prosecution of the War then they were forward in Promoting it In vain shall you in your Fasts with Joshua lie on your faces unless you lay your Achans â—n their Backs In vain are the High Praises of God in your Moâ—hs without a Two edged Sword in your hand Pag. 31. The Bâ—od that Ahab spar'd in Benhadad stuck as deep and as heavily on him as that which he spilt in Naboth The Lord is pursuing you if you execute not Vengeance on them betimes Pag. 48. Why should life be farther granted to them whose very lifâ— brings death to all about them pag. 50. Cursed be he that with-h ldoth his Sword from blood that spares when God saith strike c. pag. And let it not be now pretended that this War was not Levy'd against the King for they both disclaim his Authority and even the opposing of him on expresse terms It is lawfull says Dr. Downing of Hackney in a Sermon to the Artillery Men for defence of Religion and Reformation of the Church to take up Arms against the King It is commendable says Calamy to sight for peace and Reformation against the Kings Command And Case again Why come not in the Scottish Army against the King If the Devil can but once get a Prophet to leave Gods service for the Kings he hath taken a Blew already and is ready for as deep a Black as Hell can give him pa. 28. But what do they say all this time to his AUTHORITY The Parliament whom the People chuse are the Great and only Conservators of the peoples Liberties pag. 2. They are the chief Magistrates pag. 38. All those that fought under the Kings Banner against this Parliament fought themselves into slavery and did endeavour by all bloudy and Treacherous ways to subvert Religion and Liberties pag. 9. The Lords and Commons are as Masters of the House pag. 22. The Parliament of the Common-wealth of England without the King 1651 were the Supreme Authority of this Nation The Houses are not only requisite to the Acting of this Power of making Laws but Coordinate with his Majesty in the very Power of Acting pag 42. The Reall Sovereignty here in England was says Baxter in King Lords and Commons pag. 72. And those that conclude that the Parliament being Subjects may not take up Arms against the King and that it is Rebellion to resist him their grounds are sandy and their Superstructure false pag. 459. 460. The next Point is their Animating the MURTHER of the KING Do Justice to the Greatest Sauls Sons are not spar'd no nor may Agag or Benhadad tho' themselves Kings Zimri and Cozbi tho Princes of the people must be pursu'd into their Tents This is the way to Consecrate your selves to God pag. 16. The Execution of Judgment is the Lords word and they shall be cursed that do it negligently And cursed shall they be that keep back their Sword in this Cause You know the story of Gods Message unto Ahab for letting Benhadad go upon Composition pag. 26. But you shall now hear the MURTHER of his Sacred Majesty press'd more particularly in these Words Think not to save your selves by an unrighteous saving of them who are the Lords and the Peoples known Enemies you may not imagine to obtain the favour of those against whom you will not do Justice For certainly if you act not like Gods in this particular against men truly obnoxious to Justice they will be like Devils against you Observe that place 1 Kings 22. 31. compared with Cap. 20. It is said in Chap. 20. that the King of Syria came against Israel and by the mighty power of God he and his Army were overthrown and the King was taken Prisoner Now the mind of God was which he then discover'd only by that present Providence that Justice should have been executed upon him but it was not Whereupon the Prophet comes with ashes upon his face and waited for the King of Israel in the way where he should return and as the King passed
them still Bolder and Bolder More and more Greedy still and more Insatiable They must have the Militia too the Command of the Kings Towns and Forts and put the Kingdom into a posture of defence themselves They cry for Justice upon Delinquents the very Rabble demanding the Names of those in the House of Peers that would not consent to the Proposition made by the House of Commons concerning the Forts Castles and the Militia when it was rejected by a Major Part twice And declaring them for Enemies to the Common-wealth Loyall and Legall Petitions being still rejected and the seditious countenanc'd In a Word they grew higher and higher till they brought the King to the Block which was no more then a Natural Conclusion from such premises And the First Petition how plausible soever was the Foundation of all our Ruines These Petitions you must know do not ask to Obtain but to be Deny'd and only seek an Occasion to pick a quarrel and if they cannot finde it they 'l make it If this be not provided for they tell us It is the Case of many a Thousand in England and great troubles will come of it The very Stile of them is Menacing and certainly nothing can be more Evident then their evil Intention There 's Malice in the Publication of them too beside that by the Number of the Subscripâ—ions they take an Estimat of the strength of their Party which is their safest way of Muster The Last Section under the Head of Popular Petitions is the Effect of them which in our Case was no less then the destruction of Three Kingdoms and let the Matter be what it will the Method is a most necessary Link in the chain of a Rebellion And it is the securest experiment too of attempting a Commotion being the gentlest of Political Inventions for feeling the pulse of the People If it takes the work is half done and if Not 't is but so much Breath Lost and the Design will be kept Cold. But may not Men Petition you will say and Petition for a good thing Yes if the thing be Simply Good the Petitioners Competent Judges of it and every man keep himself to his Own Post I see no hurt in 't But for the Multitude to interpose in Matters of State as in the Calling or Dissolving of Parliaments Regulation of Church Government or in other like Cases of Doubtful and hazardous Event wherein they have no Skill at all nor any Right of Intermedling why may not 20000. Plow-Iobbers as well Subscribe a Petition to the Lord-Mayor of London for the Calling of a Common-Council Or as many Porters and Carmen here in London put in for the better government of the Herring-Trade in Yarmouth every jot as reasonable would This be as the Other And that 's not all neither for the Thing they take to be a Cordial proves many times to be a Poyson and after Subscription they are yet to learn the very meaning of the Petition And then the Numerous Subscriptions prove it manifestly to be a Combination For the Number of Hands adds nothing to the Weight of the Petition and serves only for Terrour and Clamour It is a kinde of an odd way of putting the Question as who should say Sir May we be so bold and the sufferance or Patience of the Prince seems to answer them Yes you may and so they go on The Transition is so natural from a Popular Petition to a Tumult that the One is but the Hot Fit of the other and little more in effect then a more earnest way of Petitioning By these says his Late Majesty must the House be purg'd and all Rotten Members as they please to call them cast out By these the Obstinacy of men resolv'd to discharge their Consciences must be subdu'd by These all Factious seditious end schisâ—natical Proposals of Government Ecclesiastical or Civil â—st be back'd and abetted till they prevail God forbid says Mr. Pym that the House of Commons should proceed in any way to dishearten people to obtain their jâ—t desires in such a way It would fill a Volume to tell the Insolencies of the Rabble upon lâ—mbeth-Lâ—mbeth-House upon the Persons of the Archbishop of York and all the Loyall Members of both Houses their Oâ—tcries for Justice upon Laâ—d and Strafford under the Conduct of Ven and Maâ—waring Their Exclamations No Bishops No Popish Lords Proclaiming several of the Peers by their Names to be evil and râ—tton-hearted Lords Their besetting of Sheriff Garnets House when the King Dinâ—d there crying out Priviledges of Parliament their aâ—onting the Lâ—rd Mayor Sir Richard Gourny and tearing his Chain from about his Neck and using Sir Thomas Gardiner the Recorder little better following them with Reproaches Remember the PROTESTATION Nay the King himself had his Coach stopt and Walkers Seditious Libel To your Tents O Israel thrown into it in the street This was upon the dispute about the Five Members when at their Return from Westminster they made a stand at White-hall-gate bauling out that they would have no more Porters Lodge but speak with the King when they pleas'd About a hundred Lighters and Long-Boats were set out by water laden with Sacres Murthering-Pieces and other Ammunition drest up with Mast-cloths and Streamers as ready for fight calling out as they past by Whitehall Windows what 's become of the King whither 's he gone The Tower of London and Hull being both besieged at the same time Now what was the End of These Tumults but over and above the Guilt and Calamities of a Civil War a Vengeance in the Conclusion upon the Heads of all the First Abetters of them These very men that first by Tumults forc'd away the King from Whitehall and their Fellow-members from attending their Duty at Westminster were Themselves afterward cast out by succeeding Tumults under the Character of Persons Disaffected the Independents at that time being too hard for the Presbyterians and the City too was whipt with its own rod. No man is so blinde says the Late King as not to see herein the Hand of Divine Justice They that by Tumults first occasioned the Raising of Armies must now â—e chastened by their own Army for new Tumults In fine a Tumult is a seditious action in Hot Bloud and only accounted the less Criminal for that there is not in it the Malice Prepence of a Rebellion If it succeeds the Principals of the Faction form it into a Conspiracy but if it miscarries it passes only as That did in Scotland 1637. for an Outrage of the Rabble Where many People agree in the Desiring of the same thing they seldom fail of Engaging afterwards towards the Procuring of it and so the Project advances from Petition to Protestation or Covenant the One Leading so naturally to the Other that the Late Popular Petition was no sooner set on foot but it was immediately followed upon the
Return'd yet before the Munday after Twelfth nor allow'd to Act as Common-Counsil men till the Indentures of their Election be Returned from the War 〈◊〉 Inquest to the Town-Clerk and a Warrant Issu'd from the Lord Mayâ—r to the Sâ—rjeant of the Chamber to Summon them But the Faction however made bold to dispence with these Puntillo's though the constant Rule and Custom of the City and a Common-Council being held December 31. 1641. by the Kings Express Order all that Gang of the New Choice thrust themselves in and took their places with the Old This Intrusion was opposed by several but out of respect to a Message from his Majesty which was then brought them by the Lord Newbourgh complaining of Tumults about White-hall and Westminster and recommending to the care of the City the preventing of any further disorders the question was let fall for the present and the Court apply'd themselves to dispatch an answer to his Majesty which was in effect an acknowledgment of his gracious Goodness exprest to the City the Courts disavowing of the Tumults their promise of doing their best for the future to prevent or suppress them and their humble desire that whosoever should be found guilty of them might be brought to condign punishment On the Last of December the House of Commons under pretence of finding themselves in danger sent to the King for a Guard but it must be a Guard out of the City of London and to be commanded by the Earl of Essex To which Message his Majesty offer'd them Jan 3. a Guard of his own appointment for their security But this Trick would not pass upon the King so that they were forc'd to do their business another way Upon the Fifth of Jan. another Common-Council was call'd by the Kings Order when his Majesty was pleased in person to acquaint the Court with the Reasons of his demanding the five Members the day before admonishing them not to harbour or protect those men in the City Fowke and his new Brethren contrary to all Right or President were got in again and there he most audaciously affronted his Majesty with a Discourse of fears and Jelousies Priviledges of Parliament c. the King only replying in effect that they were dangerous men and that they should have a Legal Tryal On the same day being Wednesday the House adjourned till the Tuesday following and Order'd a Committee to set next morning at Guildhall taking upon themselves little less then Soveraign Power The Committee met at Grocers Hall where the Five Members met under the Guard of the City-Train'd-stands where they past such Votes of Priviledge as never any Age heard of before extending it even to the Exempting and justifying 〈◊〉 Treason it self On Saturday Jan. 8. upon a Debate for the safe meeting of the Five Members at Westminster the Tuesday following the Result was That the Sheriffs of London should and might raise a Guard of the Train'd-Bands for the Defence of the King and Parliament and that they might warrantably march out of their Liberties A Rout of Sea-men offering their service by water as the Other by Land This Subject set all the Puritan Pulpits on work to inflame the People against their Soveraign in favour of the Five Members Upon the fatall 10th of January the King was forc'd to withdraw from London which was then left at the Mercy of the Faction and that very day the Indentures of the Election were Return'd Upon all Questions about These Elections the Decision was formerly in the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen but by the Violence and Importunity of these New Intruders it is left to a Committee of the Common-Council being the Committee a so for the safety of the City so call'd This Committee was their first approach toward the Militia and then follow'd another for putting the City into a Posture of Defence consisting of Six Aldermen and Twelve Commoners most of them of the New Cutt and 300l per annum allow'd to Skippon as an assistant to the Committee Having already modell'd the Common-Council to their liking they furnish themselves with all sorts of Military Provisions augment the Train'd-Bands from 6000. to 8000. the Six Aldermen are made Colonels and the Committee for the Posture of Defence are to choose their Officers the authority of Summoning Common Councils is taken away from the Lord Mayor and lodg'd in people of the Faction and whensoever they 'l have One call'd the Lord Major must obey without so much as asking a Reason for 't They took away his Power also of Dissolving them and kept him to his seat till they thought fit to discharge him And again whereas all Proposals were formerly offer'd to the Court and all Questions put by the Recorder from the Lord-Mayor when the Faction had any thing to propound wherein the Lord Mayor would neither Command the Recorder nor the Recorder act without the Lord Mayor Ven Pennington and Vassel help'd them out at a dead lift with an Order from the House of Commons And finally they brought the Orderly Constitution of the City-Government to a Levell confounding Mayor Aldermen and Commons in the Blending of their Votes The Schismatiques have now got the Riches and the Strength of the City in a manner at their own Disposal For if the major part of the Common-Council may Call Continue and Dissolve the Court at pleasure put what Questions they list and Determine all things by a Plurality of Votes there needed little more then a Pack't Common-Council to do their business Let us consider now the Harmony betwixt the Two Junto's of Westminster and the City The Commons Jan. 26. Petition'd his Majesty about the Tower Forts and the Militia to which his Majesty returns them a Refusal Jan. 28. in the most obliging Terms imaginable telling them that he did not doubt that his having granted more then ever King had granted would ever perswade his House of Commons to ask more then ever Subjects had ask'd About the beginning of Feb. there was held a Common-Counâ—ll which sat till One in the Morning When the Couâ—t was quite weary and tir'd out Ven took that Opportunity of presenting an Order of the Commons desiring a return of the Names of those Persons whom the City intrusted with the Militia of London The Court was a little surpriz'd at it but yet being desirous to be gone and considering whatsoever past at One Council was in course to be debated at another sent the Names of the Committee for the Posture of Defence in return to the Houses Order By this fetch the Lord Mayor Sheriffs and Court of Aldermen were understood to have voluntarily relinquished their Own Interest and lodg'd the Power of the Militia in the Committee for the Posture of Defence whereof the Major Part was wholly at the Devotion of Ven and his complices At the next Common-Council upon reading the Orders of the last meeting
some of the Aldermen Protested against them as having no thought of either shuting out the Mayor or making the Committee so absolute as they found the two Houses had done Whereupon it was mov'd that the Houses might be Petition'd to reverse the Order But that being carryed in the Negative Ven produces another Order for the adding of Skippon to the Committee for the Militia which was carry'd without much Difficulty The Court of Aldermen reflecting upon the Indignities cast upon the Mayor and Government of the City Petition'd the House apart from the Commons that the Mayor and Sheriffs might be nominated of the Committee but to no purpose For they knew Sir Richard Gourny was a person of two much Honour and Loyalty to comply with their Designes After this Repulse several of the most Eminent Citizens both for Worth and Estates Petition'd the Two Houses in their own Names for the Removall of That Scandal but there was no relief to be had and they were barbarously treated for their pains over and above Sir George Benyon to his Honour as the framer and chief Promoter of that most reasonable Petition was fin'd 3000l Disfranchiz'd in the City never to bear Office in the Kingdom to be Committed for two year to Colchester Goal and at the end of the Term to give security for his good Behaviour Methinks the bare Recital of This Inhumane Insolence should turn the Bloud of every honest Citizen This Committee was now becom the masters of the Militia they remov'd Sir Richard Gourny and put Pennington into his place they make Ordinances to pass for Laws and Rebellion to be a point of Conscience they persecute the Orthodox Clergy Oppress their Fellow Citizens and the whole Nation and where they have not Credit to borrow they make use of their Power to Take away living upon the Spoil without any regard to the Laws either of God or Man And to shew the world that as the Faction had subverted the Government of the City so they intended to perpetuate the slavery See as follows Vicesimo Octavo Februarii 1648. An Act of the Commons of England in Parliament Assembled For Removing Obstructions in the Proceedings of the Common-Council of the City of London THe Commons of England in Parliament assembled do Enact and Ordain and be it Enacted and Ordained by the Authority aforesaid that in all times to come the Lord Mayor of the said City of London so often and at such time as any 10. or more of the Common-Council-men do by Writing under their hands request or desire him thereunto shall summon assemble and hold a Common-Council and if at any time being so required or desired he shall fail therein then the ten persons or more making such request or desire shall have Power and are hereby Authorized by Writing under their hand to summon or cause to be summoned to the said Council the Members belonging thereunto in as ample manner as the Lord Mayor himself usually hath done and that the Members appearing upon the same Summons being of the Number of 40. or more shall become a Common-Council And that each Officer whose duty it shall be to warn in and Summon the Members of the said Councill shall perform the same from time to time upon the Warrant or Command of ten persons or more so authorized as aforesaid And it is further Enacted and Ordained by the authority aforesaid that in every Common-Council hereafter to be assembled the Lord Mayor of the said City for the time being or in his absence such Locum tenens as he shall appoint and in default thereof the Eldest Alderman present if any be and for want of such Alderman or in case of his neglect or refusal therein then any other person Member of the said Council whom the Commons present in the said Council shall chuse shall be from time to time President or Chairman of the said Council and shall cause and suffer all things offered to or proposed in the said Council to be fairly and orderly debated Put to the Question Voted and Determined in and by the same Council as the Major part of the Members present in the said Council shall desire or think â—it and in every Vote which shall pass and in the other Proceedings of the said Council neither the Lord Major nor Aldermen joynt or Separate shall have any negative or distinct Voice or Vote otherwise then with and among and as part of the rest of the Members of the said Council and in the same manner as the other Members have and that the absence and withdrawing of the Lord Major or Aldermen from the said Council shall not stop or prejudice the proceedings of the said Council And that every Common-Council which shall be held in the City of London shall sit vnd continue so long as the Major part of the Council shall think sit and shall not be dissolved or adjourned but by and according to the Order or Consent of the Major part of the same Council And that all the Votes and Acts of the said Common-Council which was held 13 January last after the departure of the Lord Mayor from the same Council and also all Votes and acts of every Common Council hereafter to be held shall be from time to time duly registred as the Votes and Acts of the said Council have used to be done in time past And be it further Eâ—cted and Ordained by the Authority aforesaid that every Officer which shall sit in the said Council shall be from time to time chosen by the said Council and shall have such reasonable allowance or Salary for his pains and service therein as the Council shall think fit And that every such Officer shall attend the said Common-Council and that all Acts and Records and Register Books belonging to the said City shall be extant to be perused â—od searched into by every Citizen of the said City in the presence of the Officer who shall have the Charge of keeping thereof who is hereby required to attend for the same purpose Hen. Scobel Cler. Parliament Take notice that the Vote of Common-Council in the Act above-recited of Jan. 13. 1648. when the Lord Mayor went off and dismissed the Court was a Treasonous Vote for the speedy bringing of the King to Justice You have here the State of the New-Model'd Government of the City and effectually of the whole Nation together with the Methods of Hypocrisy and State that brought us into that miserable Condition And what were they but Canting Sermons Popular Petitions Tumults Associations Impostures and Disaffected Common-Councils We have likewise set forth how these Advantages were gain'd with their Natural Tendency to the Mischiefs they produc'd And who were they that promoted and brought all these Calamities upon us but men of desperate Fortunes and Principles Male-contents broken Tradesmen Coblers Thimble-makers Dray-men Ostlers and a world of this sort of People whose Names are every where up and down