Insurrection who kept not any one Article that was there agreed upon the King called a Parliament that met Aug. 13. 1640 which at first was thought to be well enough disposed till Sir Hen. Vane then Secretary of State demanded Twelve Subsidies in stead of Six which put the Commons into such a flame that upon May 4. his Majesty by the Advice of his Council thought fit to Dissolve them In August following the Scotch Confederates holding very good Intelligence with the English entred England with an Army which the King oppos'd with what force he was at that time able to Raise upon his own Credit His Majesty upon this pinch summons his Great Council of Peers to assemble at York Sept. 24. where they met accordingly and advised the King to a Treaty which was held at Rippon and a Peace was there Concluded and Signed Oct. 26. His Majesty being ply'd in the Interim with Petitions to call a Parliament and his work cut out ready to his hand in the matter of Property and Religion Those Petitions might have been spar'd the King having before hand resolved to call a Parliament to meet on the 3d of November next They were no sooner met but they fell upon Grievances and Impeachments beginning with the Earl of Strafford and the Bishop of Canterbury and so proceeding till all his Majestys Friends were made Traytors and the Law it self was found to be the Greatest Grievance There is a Malignant and Pernicious Designe says the Remonstrance of Dec. 15. 41. of subverting the Fundamental Laws and Principles of Government upon which the Religion and Justice of this Kingdom is firmly establish'd And there are certain Counsellors and Courtiers who for private Ends have engaged themselves to further the Interest of some Foreign Princes and States to the Prejudice of his Majesty and the State at Home Take notice now that the King had already by their own confession pass'd more Good Bills to the advantage of the Subjects then had been in many ages Coat and Conduct-money were all damn'd The Earl of Strafford beheaded The Archbishop of Canterbury Judge Bartlet and several other Bishops and Judges Impeach'd two Bills pass'd the One for a Triennial the Other for Continuance of the Present Parliament the Star-Chamber High-Commission Courts of the President and Council in the North taken away the Council-Table Regulated the Power of Bishops and their Courts abated Innovators and Scandalous Ministers terrifiâ—d by accusations the Forrests and Stannary-Courts brought within compass and yet after all this other things pa. 15. of main Importance for the Good of this Kingdom are in Proposition But their Intention pag. 19. is only to reduce within Bounds that exorbitant Power which the Prelates have assumed to unburthen mens Consciences of needless and superstitious Ceremonies Suppress Innovations and take away the Monuments of Idolatry To support his Majesties Royal Estate with Honour and Plenty at home with Power and Reputation abroad and by their Loyall Affections Obedience and Service to lay a sure and lasting Foundation of the Greatness and Prosperity of his Majesty and his Royall Posterity after him pag. 2. Declaring and Protesting further to this Kingdom and Nation and to the whole world pag. 663. in the presence of Almighty God for the satisfaction of their Consciences and the discharge of that Great Trust which lies upon them that no Private Passion or Respect no evill Intention to his Majesties Person no designe to the prejudice of his JUST Honour and Authority engaged them to raise Forces and take up Arms against the Authours of that War wherein the Kingdom was then Inflamâ—d Let us see now how well they acquitted themselves as to this Profession They put the Kingdom into a Posture of Defence by the Authority of Both Houses Pag. 96. They require anâ— Obedience to it Pag. 112. They Vote it a Breach of priviledge not to submit to any thing as Legal which they declare to be Law Pag. 114. And declare Pag. 150. that upon Certain Appearance or Grounded Suspition the Letter of the Law shall be emproved against the Equity of it and that the Commander going against its Equity discharges the Commanded from Obedience to the Letter to shorton the business they make it Treason upon any presence whatsoever Pag. 576. to assist his Majesty in the War with Horse Arms Plate or Monies and his Majesty Sums up the Malice of that Declaration in these Sixth Petitions First That they have an Absolute Power of Declaring the Law and that whatsoever they declare to be so ought not to be questioned either by King or people So that all the Right and safety of the Prince and Subject depends upon their pleasure Secondly That no Presidents can be Limits to bound their Proceedings which is so the Government of the Turk himself is not so Arbitrary Thirdly That a Parliament may dispose of any thing wherein the King or Subject hath a Right for the Publick Good speaking all this while of the remnant of the two Houses That they without the King are this Parliament and Judge of this Publick Good and that the Kings Consent is not necessary So that the Life and Liberty of the Subject and all the Good Laws made for their security may be dispos'd of and Repâ—al'd by the Major Part of both Houses at any time present and by any ways and means procured so to be and his Majesty has no Power to Protect them Fourthly That a Member of either House ought not to be troubled or medled with for Treason â—lony or any other crime without the Cause first brought before them that they may Judge of the Fact and their leave obtained to proceed Fifthly That the Soveraign Power resides in Both Houses of Parliament the King has no negative Voice and becomes Subject to their Commands Lastly That the Levying of Forces against the Personal Commands of the King though accompany'd with his presence is not Levying War against the King But to Levy War against his Laws and Authority which they have power to declare and signify is Levying War against the King and that Treason cannot be committed against his Person otherwise then as he is intrusted with the Kingdom and discharging that Trust and that they have a power to judge whether he dischargeth it or no. And all this still for the maintainance of the true Protestant Religion the Kings JUST Prerogatives the Laws and Liberties of the Land and the Priviledges of Parliament Pag. 281. Nay they will not allow the King any great Officer or Publick Minister the Power of Treating upon War or Peace or any matter of State conferring Honours no not so much as the Power of appointing any Officer Civil or Military without leave of the two Houses The Scale of their wickedness in One Word wherein their hireling-Pulpitiers fail in as pat with them as two Tallies was this First they fell upon the Kings Reputation they Invaded his Authority in the
A SEASONABLE MEMORIAL IN SOME HISTORICAL NOTES UPON THE LIBERTIES OF THE PRESSE and PULPIT WITH THE Effects of Popular Petitions Tumults Associations Impostures and Disaffected Common Councils To all Good Subjects and True Protestants LONDON Printed for Henry Brome at the Gun in S. Pauls Church-yard 1680 A Seasonable MEMORIAL c. THis Title may perhaps give the Reader an expectation if not a Curiosity to hear more then the Authour is willing to tell him For it is his intent only to expose the Mistery of the Contrivance of our late Troubles without the names of the Persons and to shew that the great work of Destroying three Kingdoms was only the Project and Influence of a Private Cabal and that the Rebellion it self was excited and carry'd on by the Force rather of an Imposcure then of a Confederacy The Generality of the people being powerfully and artificially Possess'd by the pretended Patrons of our Religious and Civill Liberties that Popery and Arbitrary Power were breaking in upon us and the design promoted by the Interest of a Court-Faction It could not chuse but create in them the tenderest affection imaginable for the one Party and as violent a Detestation for the other Especially considering that the Person and Authority of the King were as yet Sacred and uot any man open'd his Mouth but for his Honour and safety the Purity of the Gospel and the Peace of the Kingdome For such was the Reverence the Nation had at that time for the King and the Law that the least word against the Government had spoyl'd all This Double-refining spirit came into the World even with the Reformation it self when by flying from one Extreme to another it left the Truth in the middle which Calvin himself rakes notice of in a Letter to the Protector in Ed. 6. There are two sorts of Seditious men says he speaking of the Papists and the Puritans and against both these must the sword be drawn For they oppose the King and God himself It was the same Spirit that mov'd the Distemper afterward at Frankfort and the same still that made such havock in Scotland and flew in the face of Q. Eliz. her Parliaments and Councill till she was forced to suppress it by Severity and Rigour Her successor King James after a long Persecution in Scotland and a fresh attempt upon him at Hampton Court by the same Faction took them up roundly once for all and so past the rest of his days in some measure of quiet But the Plot succeeded better under King Charles when taking advantage of his Majesties necessitys with the Infinite goodness of his Nature that made him apt to believe the best of all men and a Popular mixture in the House of Commons that was still ready for their turn they pursu'd him with Remonstraâ—ce upon Remonstrance through four Parliaments and at last by the help of the Act for the continuance of the Parliament Tumultâ— and that Execrable Libel of Dec. 15. 1641. Entitled A Remonstrance of the State of the Kingdome they accomplished their ends under ehe Countenance of the Fifth By what steps and Methods they gained their Poynt comes now to be consider'd Their first advance toward a Sedition was the introducing of a Schism by distinguishing themselves under the Name of the Godly Party from the rest of the Nation which they found to be the safest way of approach and the most plausible expedient To this end they brought in Lecturers over the Heads of Parochial Ministers whose maintenance being dependent upon the Faction made them wholly at the devotion of their Patrons They had their Emissaries also in all Corporations and Populous parts of the Kingdom that were appointed as Feoffees to deal for Impropriations under the charitable pretext of making a better Provision for the Ministry And these were men of publick business in the World as Clergy-men Lawyers c. well known and made famous for their Zeal by the Reputation of so pious an Undertaking By this project they advanced considerable Sums of Money but the Incumbents little the better for it For either it stuck to the Feoffees fingers or it was applyed to other uses and with the Tithe of a Parsonage in one place a Lecture was set up in another After the Choice of fit Instruments their next work was to secure them from any trouble of Church-Censures To which end they bought some Headship or other in an University for some Eminent man of their own way for the training up of Novices in their Discipline And then they had a kind of a Practical Seminary at St. Antholines in London where their Disciples were in a manner upon a Probation for Abilities and Affections and out of this Nursery they furnish'd most of their New-bought Impropriations These young Emissaries of theirs had their Salary and were subordinate to a Classis or Clero-Laicall Consistory to be transplanted at their pleasure And yet this Consistory did not so strictly confine themselves to their Own Members but upon Letters Testimonial from the Patriarchs of the Party that such or such a man was fit for their turn or had given proof of his fidelity to the Cause by undergoing some sentence for contemning the Orders of the Church and persisting Obstinately in that disobedience to such a man I say in such a Case they commonly allow'd a Preference And the better to avoid the danger of the Spiritual Courts they made it their business to provide Commissaries of their Own Leaven where they had any special Plantation And Lastly to make sure of their Agents that they should not fall off when they had serv'd their own turns they kept them only as Pentioners at pleasure and liable to be turn'd out at any time either if they cool'd in the Holy Cause or fail'd of Preaching according to the direction of the Conclave Let it be noted here by the by that the design and mischief of those Lecturers when they could nor so well Congregate in Private Meetings is in our days supply'd if not outdone by a greater number of Conventicles to the very same Intent and God grant it prove not with the like effect They were as yet but upon the Preparatory to the great work of their Thorough Reformation which in plain English was the Dissolution of the Government So that the Pulpits had nothing more to do at present then to dispose and accommodate the Humours and Affections of the People The Common Subject of the Pulpit and they all sung the same Song was First to irritate the Multitude against Popery which had been well enough if they had not Secondly by sly Insinuations under the Notion of Arminianism intimated the Church of England to be leaning that way By this Artifice the People were quickly brought into a dislike of the English Communion and by degrees into as fierce an Aversion to the One Church as to the Other Now whatsoever the Government Lost the
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