of those Egyptian croaking Froggs the Filthy Capuchin-Fryers and Priests who lay lurking there too long like so many muzled Wolves and Tygers all these or the most of them banished and transported over-Sea from us And the Queen-Mother of France the more to free our hearts from feares and discontents happily also transported beyond Sea from us About which time also to settle our hearts with yet more solid comfort and the more firmly to consolidate our future hoped happines it pleased the Lord to put into the hearts of our most noble Parliamentary Patriots to unite and knit all the three Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland in-a most firme League and Conjunction of perpetuall love and amitie and of mutuall defence against all malignant Adversaries either domestick or forrein and to confirm all this by a particular act of Parliament ratified by a full consent of the King and both Houses together with an act of absolute oblivion of all exceptions and differences whatsoever formerly intervening twixt Prince and people Upon which both Armies of English and Scottish Souldiers were shortly after most happily peaceably dismissed and disbanded to the high hononr of our wonder-working God and the unexpressible joy and comfort of both Nations thus most lovingly and sweetly shaking hands of true friendship at their peaceable departure And for the farther confirmation of this our happines and due retribution of praise and glory to the Lord our God the authour of it there was an Ordinance of Parliament for a day of publick and solemn thankesgiving for this peace so happily concluded between England and Scotland which for the glorie of God and honour of our King and Worthies in Parliament I have thought fit here to insert verbatîm as it was published An Ordinance of Parliament for a day of publick thanksgiving for the peace concluded between England and Scotland VVHereas it hath pleased almightie God to give a happie close to the treatie of peace between the two Nations of England and Scotland by his wise providence defeating the evill hopes of the subtill adversaries of both Kingdomes for which great mercy it was by the Kings most excellent Majestie the Lords and Commons in this present Parliament enacted that there should be a publick thanksgiving in all the Parish-Churches of his Majesties Dominions It is now ordered and declared by the Lords and Commons in Parliament that the time for the celebration of that publick thanks to almightie God for so great and publick a blessing shall be on tuesday the 7 th of Sept. by prayers reading and preaching of the Word in all Churches and Chappels of this Kingdome whereof we require a carefull and due observance that we may joyne in giving thanks as we partake of the blessing with our brethren of Scotland who have designed the same day for that dutie According to the act of this present Parliament for confirmation of the Treatie of Pacification between the two Kingdomes of England and Scotland whereas it was desired by the Commissioners of Scotland that the loyaltie and faithfulness of his Majesties Subjects might be made known at the time of the publick thanksgiving in all places and particularly in all Parish-Churches of his Majesties Dominions Which request was graciously condescended unto by his Majestie and confirmed by the said Act. It is now ordered and commanded by both Houses of Parliament that the same be effectually done in all Parish-Churches throughout this Kingdome upon tuesday the 7 th day of Sept. next coming at the time of the publick thanksgiving by the severall and respective Ministers of each Parish-Church or by their Curates who are heerby required to reade this present Order in the Church And was not the Lord most gloriously heer seen in the Mount of admirable mercie and deliverance to England and Scotland after such a marveilous manner as never any Nation could produce the like parallell of gracious providence And may we not therefore with holy David Israels sweet singer confess we have found the Lord according to his word a sure defence for the oppressed even a refuge in time of trouble And therefore they that know thy name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast not forsaken them that have seriously sought thee Yea he that is our God is the God of salvation and unto this God and mightie Lord belong the issues from death Heer also ere I have done with this mercie let me desire the Reader to take notice of the admirable wisdome and justice of God in thus clearing the innocencie and integritie of his children O what bitter aspersions did the Prelates Arminians and malignant partie cast on our brethren of Scotland at the first nothing but traytors and rebells could be heard out of their slanderous mouths But now see I say how Gods wisdome and justice ordered it that even those tongues that had so taunted them yea and in their pulpits too should now be forced even in the face of their Congregations to give themselves the lye That of Job being heerin most clearly ratified that The poore hath hope and iniquitie stoppeth her mouth and that also of the holy Prophet David which is full to our purpose That the King and all good men shall exceedingly rejoyce and glorie in God but the mouth of them that speake lyes shall be stopped And now also let me tell thee courteous Reader to make these mercies yet more glorious to the praise of our God that in the interim that those two Armies lay so together in the North the pestilent Spirits of the Malignant partie lay not still but were most maliciously working by their agents and instruments the Popish Lords and pernicious Prelates being also maine sticklers in all these mischievous designes to disaffect and discontent his Majesties Armie by scandalous and most false accusations and imputations on the Parliament thus to engage it for the maintenance of their most wicked designes of keeping-up the Bishops in their votes Lordly honours and functions and by force to compell the Parliament to order limit and dispose their parliamentarie proceedings in such a manner as might best concurre with the intentions of their dangerous and potent faction Now this plot of bringing the English Armie from the North Southward to London against the Parliament for the causes aforesaid having been particularly enquired into and examined both by that noble and vertuous Gentleman M r Fynes and Sir Philip Stapleton with others they made report thereof to the House of Commons about June 17. 1641. That they found that for the advancing of the said plott the Earl of Strafford had attempted his escape out of the Tower and to effect it the better had promised that worthy Gentleman Sir William Belfore then Leifetenant of the Towre 20000 li. and to marry his Sonne to his Daughter and to make it one of the greatest Matches in the Kingdome but Sir Williams loyaltie was
of a charge of high treason against the Lord Kimbolton one of the Members of the Lords House and against the said Mr Hollis Sir Ar. Haslerigg Mr Pym Mr Hampden and Mr Strode by Sir Will. Killigrew Sir Will. Flemen and others in the Innes of Court and else-where in the Kings name was a high breach of the priviledge of Parliament a great scandall to his Majestie and his government a seditious act manifestly tending to the subversion of the peace of the Kingdom and an injurie and dishonour to the said Members there being no legall charge or accusation against them Recollect now then good Christian Reader thy sad and serious thoughts and muster-up thy most exquisite meditations on this so ponderous and weightie a passage of Gods admirable providence and protection of his own parliamentarie-Worthies for so me thinks I may fitly call and count them and tell me whether God was not wonderfully seen here in the Mount of straits to turn it in a moment to a Mount of deliverance to his faithfull Servants yea and in them to the whole Kingdom whose weal or woe as we all are or ought to be most sensible was wrapt-up in them being the representative Bodie thereof And when thou hast fully and feelingly recogitated and ruminated on this exuberant parliamentarie-mercie tell me I pray thee whether thou and I and all true English-hearts have not most redundanâ— reason and copious occasion with blessed Moses a little before his death and dying mens words ought to make deep impression of credence in our hearts to confesse and acknowledge That there is none like unto the God of Jesurum who rideth upon the heavens in the help of his beloved-ones and in his excellencie on the skie The eternall God is their refuge and underneath them are his everlasting armes and he shall thrust their enemies before them And they shall know that it was thy hand O Lord and that thou onely hast done it and that though they have cursed yet thou hast blessed and that when they arose thou mad'st them asham'd but hast caused thy servants to rejoyce Yea and hast carried them on Eagles wings far and free from danger and hast brought and placed them neer to thy self Yea I say again now if ever those noble and renowned parliamentarie-Worthies found that of Solomon most true That the Name of the Lord is a strong towre the righteous run into it and are safe To conclude this therefore let the gratefull and gracious consideration of this so great a deliverance cause me and thee and them all whom it so neerly and peculiarly concerns to break-out with holy David that sacred and sugred Singer of Israel and to say O give thanks unto the Lord and call continually upon his Name Sing unto him O sing Psalms to his great Name and talk of all the wondrous works which he hath done and all the glorious judgements of his mouth Now after this so terrible affront and disturbant affright to the Parliament it pleased those pious and prudent Worthies of both Houses for a space to adjourn their sitting at Westminster and to turn Both-Houses into a grand Committee and for their greater safetie and assurance from Popish-plots and combinations to sit in the Citie of London in the Grocers-Hall Where by Gods mercie and most safe protection they were most cheerfully guarded every day by the train'd-Bands of the Citie and extraordinarie lovingly entertained and most respectively used according to the high merit of their worth and work and unto theirs and our high content and singular comfort In which interim of their sitting in London very many of the well-affected and faithfull Ministers of London unanimously petitioned the Parliament both for choice of an Assembly for setling Church-discipline and for the ordering of a Monethly fast throughout the whole Kingdom untill the distresses of Ireland and the distractions of England were by Gods mercie graciously quieted and composed Which petition of theirs in both those materiall branches thereof was most favourably entertained by the Parliament and received a desired answer the Assembly of Divines being now by vote in Parliament fully resolved on and all of them nominated for all the Counties throughout the Kingdom for their advise to the Parliament for setling and ordering the pure worship of our God and true Apostolicall discipline Wherein the Lord grant they may all be as meek-hearted gracious and faithfull as holy Moses was to do nothing therein no not in the least particular thereof especially in Gods worship but most punctually according to the pattern of the Apostles practise and precepts no question fully and sufficiently to be found in Gods Word The Monethly fast also was speedily put in practise all over the Kingdom which being as it were a spirituall Militia as a reverend and learned Divine of our Citie calls it most properly puts the Kingdom into a spirituall posture of a God-pleasing holy warfare if religiously kept both for sin and from sin that we may as it were even fight and contend with God by prayers and tears by sighs and groans as good Jacob was said thus to wrastle with God yea and may be prevailers with God for a blessing on our Land our King and Parliament Church and State and thus also at length may prevail with men even against all the enemies of our peace and prosperitie both domestick and forrein Domestick I mean our imbred sins base lusts and corruptions Forrein that is treacherous projectors and clandestine malignant emulatours of our happinesse both at home and abroad And are not here two parliamentarie-mercies more of most high concernment and such as give us strong and irrefragable assurance that God is with us and will be with us if they be rightly and religiously managed and then we need not fear who is against us Yea then as the Prophet said They are moe that are with us than those that be for our enemies Yea even the Lords legions of chariots and horsemen of fire round about us to defend us and to consume them Whereby we may even alreadie triumph and exult with pious Paul and truly say Thanks be unto God who hath given us victory yea and made us more than conquerors through Christ in whom he hath freely loved us But to proceed In this time also of the Parliaments sitting in London by a grand-Committee of both Houses the stout-hearted and well-minded Ship-masters and Marriners to shew their love and loyaltie to the King and Parliament exhibited their Petition to the grand Committee and therewith also their votes and desires full of courage and candor to serve his Majestie and the Parliament to the utmost of their power which their readinesse and cheerfulnesse therein was most lovingly regarded both by the Lords and Commons and shortly after a fair and fit occasion was offered to make use of their love and service therein which they most really
manifested to the full as now you shall hear The time being now expired and the last day of the Parliaments adjourning from Westminster being now come Jan. the 11. 1641. being Teusday and their just jealousies and fears being many and great especially by that so late high breach of priviledges of Parliament mentioned Jan. the 4 rh and our Worthies now of necessity to return to Westminster the noble and renowned City of London most cheerfully and voluntarily proffered their best service and abilities to attend and guard them by land to the Parliament at Westminster and by Gods assistance to secure them from danger all the way by land to which purpose the City Captains had commanded their train'd-bands and Officers at armes to prepare themselves thereunto and their Musketteirs with powder and bullets and pikemen with glistering arms which was performed in a most gallant and martiall manner and thus our parliamentarie noble grave Senatours both Lords and Commons were in their coaches safely by Gods mercie conducted and attended to the Parliament by land By water also the same day the stout and couragious Ship-masters and Marriners had suddenly and most bravely made ready a great number of long-boats and such like vessels furnished with peices of Ordnance Muskets and other Sea war-like instruments their vessels also gallantly adorned with flags and streamers together with Martiall-musick Drums and Trumpets so as it was a most admirable rare sight to see and hear their carriage all along and when they came to Whitehall and the Parliament Houses and understood that the parliament-Worthies were safely there arrived O how bravely did the train'd-bands by land make their thick and quick volleys of shot eccho in the ayre and the valiant Sea-men let flie their thund'ring shot both great and small by water their trumpets sounding and their Drums beating in such a triumphant and congratulating manner as could not possibly but strike-dead with terrour amazement and vexation the hearts of the Popish prelaticall and malignant partie that either saw or heard it or heard of it but contrariwise as must needs extraordinarily exhilarate and rejoyce all the loyall and honest hearts of Gods people that beheld it or heard of it And as this was a singular testimonie of the cordiall affections of the Citie and Sea-men and highly advancing the glory of God who thus put into their hearts to expresse their faithfulnesse and thankfulnesse to God our King and the Parliament under whom and by whom we enjoy the Gospel of peace and peace of the Gospel in such rare and fair tranquillitie and serenitie above all Nations in the world And for the ratification of all this to be warrantable and legall to be done I have thought fit here to insert the Vote of the Parliament published by their authority Ian. 8 th 1641. At the Committee of the House of Commons appointed to sit in London to consider of the safety of the Kingdom and Citie of London and of vindicating the priviledges of Parliament Resolved upon the Question THat the actions of the Citizens of London or of any other person whatsoever for the defence of the Parliament or of the priviledges thereof or the preservation of the Members thereof are according to their dutie and to their late Protestation and the Laws of this Kingdom And if any person shall arrest or trouble any of them for so doing he is declared to be a publike enemie of the Common-wealth Resolved upon the Question That this Vote shall be made known to the Common-Councill of the City of London Nay yet to make the beautie and brightnesse of that foresaid Tewsdayes sunshine of comfort yet more glorious to our eyes and hearts That very same 11 th of Jan. I say being Tewsday came a numerous multitude of Buckinghamshire men both Gentleman Ministers and others of that County on hors-back in very fair and orderly manner with the Protestation in their hats and hands partly in the behalf of the most worthie Knight of their Shire in Parliament Mr Hampden but especially to petition the Parliament for the reformation of evils in Church and State the just punishment of Delinquents the timely relief of Ireland the sweet and harmonious concurrence of both Houses against all sinister obstructions and the expulsion of Prelates and Popish Lords out of the Parliament and to assure their best services and assistance to the King and Parliament on all just occasions And since which time even immediately after mightie multitudes out of Essex divers thousands out of Hartford-shire Barkshire Surrey and other Counties of the Kingdom in brief from all Shires and Counties of the whole Realm came still one after another to London to exhibite their petitions to the Parliament in the causes aforesaid from all parts swimming in one stream of affections and petitions all having one desire all I say as one man unanimously consenting in this one thing namely a serious and setled resolution to petition and pray a speedie refining and reforming of persons and things amisse among us And was not the Lord Jehovah seen in this rare Mount of Meries also Thus to knit the hearts of the people together so far distant in habitations from one another according to that faithfull promise of his mentioned by the Prophet I will give them one heart and one way saith the Lord that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and of their children after them And now good Reader take thankfull notice and cognizance to the everlasting praise and glorie of the Lord the onely God that hears prayers and grants gracious returns unto them in his due time that upon these confluences of unanimous desires of the Kingdom from all parts thereof the Bishops were voted against from having any intermedling with temporall affairs and dignities and so uncapable of votes in Parliament it having pleased the Lord our most wise God first to catch them in their own nooz to entangle them in their own snare whereby their persons were even by themselves first sequestred from the Parliament by Law they being fast locked up in prison in the Tower For on Febr. 5. 1641. the noble House of Commons past a Bill nemine contradicenti against their having any vote in Parliament which being sent to the renowned House of Lords those prudent Peers mended the said Bill and added that they should have no seat or place neither as well as no voice or suffrage among thm which was most gratefully entertained by the Commons with particular thanks to the Lords for their wisdom and love therein to the Common-wealth and so it past again most currently with them and being now return'd to the Lords it past clearly among them also immediately And thus on that happie fifth of February was the Church of God most mercifully freed of that pestilentiall disease wherewith it had long been infected and infested namely the Antichristian tyranny of our
much countenanced and encouraged by the Earl of Bristow and judge Mallet and for which they were both sent prisoners to the Tower of London which Petition being on the 29 th of April 1642. brought to the Parliament by some of the prime malignant-ones the rest of that rout being some certain thousands remained at Blackheath for an answer but were fain to depart with a flea in their cares they received most foul but most just disgraces at their entrance into the Citie the gate at the Bridge-foot was shut against them they themselves were disarmed their weapons being there taken from them two of their prime leaders having exhibited their Petition in Parliament were committed to safe custodie till fit opportunitie of further examination of this their high contempt and arrogancie But immediately after the truly religious honest and well-affected partie of the said County of Kent unanimously also united themselves in an honest and loyall Petition therein utterly disavowing and protesting against that other seditious and scandalous one who were all together with their Petition most courteously and lovingly entertained and dismissed with great thanks from the Parliament for that their so honest and peaceable demeanour And was not the Lord Jehovah seen here in the Mount of Mercie in thus both timely discovering and discountenancing these very dangerous designes of theirs as much as in them â—ay for the present extremly to blend and disgrace the just fair and faithfull proceedings of the Parliament and though they most secretly and subtilly carried and contrived their designes therein yet the Lord graciously caused them to be stifled in their birth So that we may most fitly take up that of the Apostle Paul who speaking of the perillous times that should come in the last dayes after a recitall of a ragged-regiment of malignant and ill-affected persons brings in Jannes and Jambres two audacious and arrogant companions who obstinately and proudly withstood Moses reviling and speaking evill of the truth men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith But they shall not proceed saies the Apostle for their folly shall be manifested to all men As t is now with ours blessed be the Lord our most wise God for it and all their malice and mischief is fallen still upon their own hoads Wherefore we may nay we must with holy David most gratefully acknowledge Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy Name be all the glory given for thy mercie and for thy truths sake Who hast not suffered the heathen or wicked to say where is now their God But our God is in heaven and hath done whatsoever he pleased Now after these things the King having prest the Parliament with divers Messages in his unhappie departure and distance from it as by and by shall be more fully and particularly set forth and thereby constrained our prudent Worthies in Parliament to clear their integritie to his Majestie and the whole Kingdom yea and to the whole world also if occasion were offered they sent to his Majestie and afterward set forth in print divers Declarations Remonstrances and Messages from both Houses of Parliament all of them written and penn'd with such prudence piâ—tiâ— and humilitie toward his Majestie as most apparently evidenced their great and godly care for the preservation of his Honour and the Kingdoms welfare to the great and unexpressible comfort and content of all Gods people especially in the most sweet continued symphonie and harmonious concurrence of Both Houses which now began to be more and more strongly increased notwithstanding the great and even mountanâ—â—â— obstructions and terrible distractions of the times mightily molesting and retarding their most important and weightie affairs ouâ— most prudent and pious Peers still shewing themselves as was toucht before more forward if possiâ—ly it might be in all good motions than the House of Commons A mercie which things and times considered we are not able sufficiently to prize and praise the Lord for it being that blessing of the Kingdom which was so long and so earnestly desired by the universall confluence of the Petitions of the whole Kingdom yea that great blessing I say which the Apostle Paul so heartily and vehemently desires among his beloved Corinthians That they might all speak the same thing and that there might be no division among them but that they may be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgement Yea that rare blessing which the Prophet David cannot set out sufficiently without a note of admiration in the excellencies of it when he said Behold how good and joyfull a thing it is brethren to dwell together in unity Yea sayes he t is like the precious oyntment upon Aarons head distilling thence to his beard and running down to the skirts of his garment Such a prâ—â—ioâ—â— oyntment may I truly say is this unity and concord in these two honourable Houses of Parliament poured on the head of our Soveraign distilling thence on the comely beard of his Kingdom this renowned Parliament and sweetly streaming thence down to the skirts or garments of the Land the people and inhabitants thereof And now see I pray the blessed effects of this happy union and precious complacencie between the King and Both Houses of Parliament at this time For about the 9 th of April the Lords and Commons in Parliament resolved to set upon the reformation of the Liturgie and government of the Church wherby Gods worship and service should be more purely performed than formerly it had been and discipline more piously administred And for this purpose they passed Votes in Both Houses and most prudently pitched upon certain eminent godly grave and learned Divines out of every Shire and Corporation of the Kingdom who should meet together at a time appointed to discusse and consult among themselves what should be most apostâ—licall orthodox and neerest to the truth of Gods word and so to advise the Parliament for the setling of the same as by their order printed and published by their authority may and doth more fully appear which here I have thought fit to insert and mention to thee The Order of the Lords and Commons touching the Liturgy and Church Discipline Apr. 9. 1642. THe Lords and Commons do declare that they intend a due and necessary reformation of the government and Liturgy of the Church and to take away nothing in the one or other but what shall be evill and justly off nsive or at the least unnecessarie and burthensome And for the better effecting thereof speedily to have consultation with gâ—â—ly and learned Divines And because this will never of it self obtain the end sought therein they will therefore use their utmost endeavour to establish learned and preaching Ministers with a good and sufficient maintenance throughout the whole Kingdom wherein many dark corners are miserably destitute of the means of salvation and many poore Ministers want
necessarie provision Now then tell me good Reader whether the Lord appeared not in a Mount of Mercie in this so unexpectible an act of long desired reformation in this kind In these two so extremly deified Diana's of our English Ephesus so long setled upon their olâ— lees and so generally applauded by the Pontifician and other ignorant and malignant partie of our land so as it was thought a thing almost impossible to be effected Yet see I say what ouâ— God can do what mountains of difficulties and disturbances he is able to remove when he once resolves it according to that of the Prophet I have spoken it saith the Lord I will also bring it to passe I have purpos'd it I will also do it Hearken unto this ye stout-hearted that are far from righteousnesse I will bring neer my righteousnesse it shall not be so far off and my salvation shall not carry and I will place salvation in Sion for Israel my glorie Yet see still the malignancie of the serpentine-brood breeding and breathing more and more threats and vexations to the sacredseed of the woman For not long after that aforesaid hopefull amiable symphonic of sweet accord between the King and his Parliament began to be besmeard with the black-coal of evil counsell and his Majesties affections to be so alienated and estranged from his grand and grave Councell of Parliament that in discontent he most unhappily sequestred his person from it almost as far as his affection even from the Southern toward the Northern parts of his Kingdom to the universall and great grief of his loyall Subjects who made their earnest desires poste as fast after him by their humble Petitions to return to his Parliament but alas all in vain for in deep discontent his Majestie goes on in his journey takes the Prince along with him was accompanied or attended on by a company of furious Cavaliers who shewed themselves in an hostile manner about Hampton Court and Kingstone upon Thames past on thence to New-market and so into the North where an attempt was made by the Earl of Newcastle to have taken in Hull and the full fraught Magazine thereof varietie of martiall ammunition for the Kings use but he was prevented and Sir John Hotham a worthie Member of the House of Commons was put in possession thereof for the use of his Majestie and the good of the whole Kingdom Not long after the King went himself in person to Hull requiring the rendition of the Town and Magazine into his Majesties hands but Sir John Hotham having order to the contrary from the Parliament refused so to do and was therefore by his Majesties command declared a traitor Propositions were made to the Gentrie of York to assist his Majesties proceedings against Sir John Hotham for the taking in of Hull into his Majesties possession by compulsion since he could not obtain it of him by perswasion About which time Sir Francis Worthly and divers others siding together and pretending themselves to be for the King with their swords drawn in an unaccustomed and unexpected manner demanded who was and would be on the Kings side By this evill act act of theirs in an especiall manner manifesting themselves â—o be truly of the serpentine-seed and therein imitating their father the devill that grand seedsman of all sedition whose main plot is and ever was to divide and separate what God hath united Making a false and foolish discrepancie and difference first between the King and the Parliament which ought not to be and secondly between the Parliament and the people which cannot be For what is the Parliament but a representative-Bodie of all the people in the whole Kingdom and therefore to make men beleeve that the Parliament intends to wrong the people by bringing in an arbitrarie government the thing which they mainly hate and labour against is to make men mad with discretion to make us think the Parliament labours to undo themselves with us and to provoke us madly to rush on them to our own certain ruin To ask a man therefore whether he be for the King or the Parliament is to ask him whether he be for the King or for himself See then discreet Reader the drift of this devillish design and false distinction which is meerly to make men fall together by the eares and to sheath their swords in one anothers bowels But now the King receiving no content in this their fruitlesse meeting the Geâ—trie but not Free-holders which was taken ill were again summoned to assemble together before the King May the 23 th being Friday to resolve upon a guard of horse and foot to safeguard his person this also was a long time fruitlesly agitated About which time or not long before his Majestie published his resolution to go in person to Ireland to subdue the Rebels which was utterly disliked by the Parliament as a businesse of very dangerous consequence The Gentrie Yeomen and Free-holders of York again are summoned together to York but the honest yeomen were discourteously and uncivilly used by many of the Cavaliers or attendants about his Majestie complaints were made thereof to the King but not answered to their desire His Majestie much about this time also forbade the exercise of the Militia contrarie to the Parliaments constitution over the Kingdom and about the 15. or 16. of May 1642. directed his Letter to Captain Philip Skippon Sergeant Major generall for the Militia of the Citie of London a brave and expert old Souldier and Commander in Arms and a most pious and vertuous Gentleman requiring his personall attendance at York all excuses set apart and that there he should know his Majesties pleasure But this command was inhibited and contradicted to the said Captain Skippon by the authority of Both Houses of Parliament as is afterward more fully declared After this about May the 26 th the King sending a letter to the Lord Keeper to remove Midsommer Term from London to York this also was opposed by the Parliament as shall also be farther declared in its proper place Much about this time also or not long after this the said Lord Keeper and seven or eight other Lords left the Parliament on a sudden and without the consent thereof and departed from London to York to the King In all which time the Parliament sending many submisse Messages and humble Petitions to his Majestie at York all of them full of wisdom pietie and patience yet receive austere and unpleasing replies even as his Majestie found unsatisfactorie returns to his expectation and desires in all or most of his negotiations in those Northern parts ever since his unhappie aboad there But what is all this it may be objected to the present intention of parliamentarie mercies to be manifested to us I answer this fore-past brief discourse serves greatly to shew us in the first place a mightie
fume and smoak now readie to break out into a most combustuous and furious flame by the perverse and most pernicious counsell of the malignant partie about the King as the Parliament had often enformed his Majestie in severall Messages if the Lords over-powering providence had not cast on the water of opâ—rtune qualification and timely quenching of the same by the admirable wisdom and singular moderation of this pious and prudent Parliament hindring the boysterous breaking-out thereof both by their modest grave and gracious Declarations their most humble Petitions their prudent and provident Votes and Orders and their patient and most submisse Messages to his Majestie at York especially by those two Declarations or Remonstrances of Both Houses March 12. and March 23. their most humble wise and moderate Petition March 26. About which time also it pleased the Lord to stir up the hearts of the Nobles and gentrie estated in Ireland but then residing in London to petition his Majesties return to London and gracious agreement with his great and highest Court of Parliament Together with the Gentrie and Commons of the County of Lincoln Staffordshire and Munmouth in Wales as also a most excellent and patheticall Petition from those of Cheshire and another cut of Lancashire all of them with an unanimous concurrence of Votes and suffrages beseeching and imploring his Majesties speedie and propitious affection and return to his Parliament Yea our ever to be honoured and intimately to be loved Brethren of Scotland also were not wanting in their love and loyaltie to send their faithfull Commissioners and among them the noble and renowned pious and prudent Lord Louthen to advise and beseech his Majestie to return and listen to his loyall and faithfull Subjects in Parliament The Gentrie also and Commons of the County of York most humbly and earnestly besought and petitioned his Majestie April the 30 th to reflect his favourable and princely affections on his great Councell at London and to cohere and adhere to their wholesome and honourable advise for his Majesties honour and welfare Together with the Knights Gentlemen and others of the County of Yorks wise and modest answer to his Majesties demands of them not long after in these words May it please your most excellent Majestie VVE shall all be ready to defend your royall Person from violence by all such wayes and means as the Law and our dutie bind us And as for the means to vindicate your Majesties honour and to put you into possession of your own we conceive that the best advise that we can offer to your Majestie is humbly to desire you to hearken to the counsell of your Parliament who we assure our selves will be carefull of your Majesties person and honour and to whom your Majestie hath already been pleased to direct a Message to that purpose Again a full and fair Declaration or Remonstrance was sent to his Majestie from Both Houses of Parliament and to the whole Kingdom bearing date May the 19 th wherein were expressed the severall Depositions of divers about the bringing in of the Armie formerly in the North and then intended against ouâ— Brethren of Scotland to London against this Parliament And since that another Declaration or Remonstrance bearing date May 26 th 1642 in answer to one under his Majesties name concerning the businesse of Hull sent in a message to Both Houses of Parliament May 21. In which Remonstrance was fully set forth the Kings of Englands deep tye of regall stipulation to rule the Kingdom according to the fundamentall Laws made by the Commons thereof or people of the Kingdom and ratifying and maintaining the Subjects immunities and freedoms to the reciprocall and harmonious happinesse of King and Subject Therein also fully and fairly clearing Sir John Hotham from the imputation of treason in his holding the town of Hull to his Majesties and the Kingdoms just use and welfare The safe transportation and removall of that great Magazine of warlike ammunition from Hull to London notwithstanding the Kings interdiction of the same The timely and happie discoverie of that dangerous plot against Hull by one Thomas Beckwith gentleman a Popish-recusant and an inhabitant of Beverly in Yorkeshire and others his confederates signified most fully and exactly by Sir John Hothams own letter to a worthy Member of the House of Commons and published in print June 3 1642. Both Houses of Parliament ratifying and confirming by their Orders unto York Lancas and all the whole Kingdom the exercise of the Militia for the better securitie and safeguard thereof both against homebred conspiring Popish recusants and forrein confederating Romish invaders of the land The Parliaments clearing of that most worthie and pious gentleman Captain Phillip Skippon from any legall disobedience to his Majesties command in not tender ng his personall attendance on him at York which was confirmed by 3. severall Votes in Parliament which for the Readers more full satisfaction I have here inserted May 17 th 1642. 1. THat this command of his Majestie to call Captain Phillip Skippon Serjeant Major generall of the Forces of London to attend his Majesties person at York is against the Law of the Land and the liberties of the Subject 2. That this command of his Majestie to call Captain Phillip Skippon Serjeant Major generall of the Forces of London to attend his Majesties person being employed by Both Houses to attend their service without their consent is against the priviledge of Parliament 3. That Captain Phillip Skippon Serjeant Major generall of the Forces of London shall continue to attend the service of Both Houses according to their former commands The same day also which was May 17 1642. It having been rumoured that Midsommer-Term should be adjourned to York and the Parliament understanding thereof the Lord Keeper was required to declare whether he had 〈…〉 any command from his Majestie to that purpose which being answered and satisfied by him to the Lords that he had such a command and the Lords conceiving how inconsistent the same was to a Parliament sitting at Westminster not to be dissolved or adjourned without their consent the Records being carried to York whereof Both Houses were to have daily use and that the Judges whose advise and assistance the House of Peers daily required should be so remote from them They therefore voted That the Kings removeall of the Term from Westminster to York the Parliament sitting at Westminster is illegall And therefore further ordered That the said Lord Keeper should not issue-out any Writs or seal any Proclamation for adjourning the said Term from Westminster to York as aforesaid About the 20. or 21. of May 1642. a Committee of Both Houses was nominated to consider how they should bring to con dign punishment those parties who are Delinquents and yet â—protected against proceedings in Parliament At which tim also the House took into consideration his Majesties
watered for and whose eager appetites had long hungred after the subversion of our Religion Secondly perfidious and rotten-hearted Prelates and Arminian-pontificians who mightily and maliciously cherishing formality or conformity and superstition greedily also gaped after a change in Religion or at the least the outragious supporting of their Eeclesiasticall-tyrannie and usurpation Thirdly profane irreligious and even atheisticall Courtiers and Councellours of State who for their own private and beggarly ends had engaged themselves as being doubtlesse mercenarie pensioners to forrein Princes to the prejudice of their own naturall King and the State at home And as you have seen the agents were potent and politick So the common principles by which they moulded and managed their craftie counsels and impious actions were as pragmaticall as prejudiciall As fiâ—st to work and win the King to stand stifly to his Royall-prerogative and the people for the maintenance of their Priviledges and Liberties that thus they might have the advantage by siding with the King against the Subject and so to be counted his fastest friends and trustie servants and thereby engrosse to themselves and their factious confederates all places of greatest trusâ— and power in the Kingdom that so they might the more safely fish in troubled waters Secondly to suppresse and stifle the sacred puritie and power of religion and to curb and keep-under all of all degrees that were best affected to it in profession and practise these being sore pearls in their eyes and the greatest impediments to that change which their voracicus and eager appetites extremely longed and laboured to introduce among us Thirdly to countenance and encourage their own fast faction and on all colourable occasions to disgrace vilifie and dishearten all the opposite partie Fourthly and lastly by slanders and false imputations to work the King to an utter-dislike of Parliaments and putting him on unjust and forcible wayes of supply yet masking them with fair pretences of great and just advantage to his Majestie though indeed they brought more losse than gain to him and great distresse and distractions to the whole Kingdom And thus have you summarily seen the Basis or foundation of their building now be pleased with as much brevitie as may be to behold what a fair fabrick and stately structure they raised and erected on it And here by the way take notice of this diffusive sememting-materiall or bracing-piece conglutinating or holding fast the body of the whole ensuing frame namely that in all the compacted and conioyned ligaments of this omiâ—ousarchitecture the Jesuites craftie counsell and as wicked as wittie wilinesse was instead of a prime architector or Master Builder of the whole edifice and had they not all been by Gods overpow'ring providence timely prevented these Jesuiticall-Artificers would undoubtedly have over-builded the Prelaticall-Labourers and instead of a new have pul'd down an old-house on the heads of all the rest of those as credulous as accursed cooperating Carpinters or work-men with them in this their Babell of confusion And now in the first yeer of the Kings reign their work began to be revived and hotly to be set upon again For it is here to be considered that in the last yeer of King James his reign it had been somewhat dampt and quâ—sht both by the breach with Spain that yeer as also by his Majesties marriage with France whose people were not so contrary unto nor so hotly active against the good of Religion and prosperitie of this Kingdom as those of Spain and besides the Papists in England being more zealously addicted and affected for matter of Religion to Spain than France yet still they retained a resolution to weaken the Protestant-partie in all parts and places of Europe yea even in France thereby to make way for an intended change at home The first effect and evidence of which their recoverie of strength was the dissolution of the first Parliament at Oxford after two Subsidies granted but no grievances removed After which many other bitter effects of this bad begiâ—â—ing followed or rather flowed and gushed-out apace as namely the losse of Rochel Fleet yea of Rochel it self a lamentable evill to the French-Protestants by the unhappie help of our ships The diversion of a most facile and hopefull war from the Wâ—st-Indies to a most expensive and successelesse attempt on Calâ—s raâ—her to make us weary of warre than prospeâ—ous in it The precipitate breach of peace with France A peace concluded with Spain without consent of a Parliament contrary to promise made by King James to both Houses whereby the Palatine câ—uâ—e was shamefully deserted by us The Kingdom soon charged with billetted Souldiers together with the concomitant project of Germane-horses to enforce men by â—ear to all arbitrarie taxations The dissolution of a second Parliament in the second yeer of his Majesties reign after a declarative intention of granting five Subsidies Violent exacting the said summe or a sum equivalent to it by a Commission of Loan Divers worthy gentlemen imprisoned for refusing to pay it Great summes of money extorted from subjects by Privie-Seals and Excise The most hopefull Petition of Right blasted in the blossome of it A third Parliament called and as quickly broken and therein Parliamentariâ— priviledges violated by after ill-usage of some of the best and worthiâ—st Members thereof who were clapt up in close-imprisonment denied all ordinarie and extraordinarie comforts of this life and preservation of health no not so much as their wives permitted to come unto them yea deprived of spirituall consolation for their souls not suffering them to go to Gods House for enjoyment of publike Ordinances or godly Ministers to come to them but kept them still in this oppressive condition not admitting them to be bailed according to Law And this crueltie might have been perpetuall to them and others had not another Parliament been necessitated to relieve and release them Upon the dissolution of those Parliaments O what scandalous and opprobrious Declarations were published to asperse and besmear their proceedings and some of their woâ—thiest Members unjustly to make them odious and the better to colour their exorbitant violence exercised on them Proclamations set out to those effects thereby also extremely disheartning the Subjects yea and forbidding them once so much as to speak of any mo Parliaments this being in the fourth yeer of the Kings reign Then injustice violence and heavie oppressions without all limits oâ— moderation brake-out upon the people like unresistible floods gushing out of a broken-down Dam or stoppage with huge inundations checking yea even choaking all our freedomes and fast fettering our free-born hearts with manacles and chains of most intolerable taxations Witnesse the mighty sums of money gotten by that plot of Knighthood under a fair colour of Law but iâ—deed a meer violation of justice Tonnage also and poundage received without any pretext or colour of Law The
malice of the malignant-partie then about him a fair and friendly Pacification was speedily agreed on and the King returned to London with much honour to himself and sweet content to all but those that wisht to have ruinated all And now tell me did not God here begin to be seen in the Mount for our deliverance in thus at the very fâ—rst on-set of their devillish designe stopping the intended current of Christan-bloodshed And as the holy Prophet David sweetly The Lord bringeth the counsell of the wicked to nougâ—â— and maâ—es their devises of none effect But the counsels of the Lord stand fast for ever and the thoughts of his heart to all generations Blessed therefore is the Nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance This unexpected reconciliation was I say most welcome and acceptable to all the Kingdom except the malignant partie who like envious elves gnashed their teeth and with malice gnawed rancorously on their own hearts and therefore began again to spit yet more envie and spight out of their mischievous mouthes against the Scots and this happie peace especially William Laud the Arch-Prelate of Canterbury and the Earl of Straford the two monstrous heads of their faithlesse faction who I say began again mightily to maligne and bitterly to inveigh against the peace and to aggravate matters and exasperate the Kings wrath against the proceedings of those Peers that promoved it making his Majesty beleeve that it was a very dishonorable peace and disgracefull to the Kingdom insomuch that the King forthwith prepared again for war with them And such was their confidence or rather immarbled impudence that having by all means fore-mentioned corrupted and distempered at least as they thought the whole frame and government of the Kingdom they now also hoped to corrupt that fâ—â—â—â—tain which was the onely means under God to restore all to a right framâ— and temper again a Parliament to which end they perswaded his Majestie to call one but not to seek counselâ— of them but to draw countenance and supplie from them and to engage the whole Kingdom in their wicked quarrell and so to make the mischief and misâ—rie too Nationall In which mean time they continued all their unjust levies of money resolving either to make the Parliament pliant to their will and as the Prophet said of the wicked in his daies to establish mischief by a law or else to break it up again at their pleasure and to shift otherwise as well as they could by colourable violence as formerly to go-on to take what might not be had with consent Now the ground alledged for the iustification of this war was this namely the undutifull demands of the Scots in their Parliament which they conceived was cause enough for his Majestie to war against them without once hearing their iustification of those their demands and so thereupon a new Armie was mustered and prepared against them their ships were seized on in all Ports and parts of our Kingdom and of Ireland also their Petitions reiected and their Commissioners refused audience In summe the whole Kingdom was thus miserably distracted and distempered with leavies of money and imprisonment of those who denied to submit and crouch to those Leavies In which interim the Earl of Strafford posted into Ireland call'd a Parliament there out of hand quickly caused them to declare against the Scots and to grant foure Subsidies toward the warre yea and to engage themselves their lives and fortunes for the prosecution of it to the utmost of their power and to give direction for an Armie of 8000. foot and 1000 horse to be immediately mustered up which were all for the most part Papists O Ireland Ireland even this verie deed of thine above all thy other high provocations of generall profanenesse and especially of complacencie with base idolatrous Papists all over thy Kingdom in thus obliging thy Self in such a most uniust warre against thine honest and harmlesse Brethren of Scotland hath I am confidently perswaded most unhappily plunged thee into that most lamentable plight of blood and miserie which now of late thou hast grievously found and felt to thy unspeakable and unparalell'd sorrow and smart and hath made thee such a deplorable prey to their most barbarous mawes and bloody teeth of those Popish-rebels or rather inhumane Caniballs and unnaturall Vipers whom thou so lately so lovingly yet most irrelegiously didst nourish and cherish as so many venemous Snakes in thy bosome And I pray God this be not too frequent a fault among us in England namely to embrace in the armes of our foolish love a Papist as equally as a Protestant to this thy utter and inevitable destruction had not the Lord in wonderfull free mercie and favour prevented it in preserving Dublin The Earl of Straford having thus acted Sinons part in Ireland to his most wicked hearts content triumphing in his treacherie with more haste than good speed returned to England where this most subtill Sinon or rather scelerous Simeon and Laud his lewd brother Levi right brothers in iniquitie together with the rest of that pernicious partie at our Parliament in England which began April 13 th 1640. had so prevailed with his Maiestie that the said Parliament was most urgently incited and stimulated to yeeld supply toward the maintenance of this war with Scotland and that before there was any provision for the relief of those great pressures and groaning grievances of the people as have been fore-mentioned But by Gods overswaying power and good providence before any such thing could be to the purpose debated or resolved on base fears and jealousies preocupating the hearts of the malignant partie they suddenly and scelerously advised the King by all means to break-off thus Parliament also and to return to their former wayes of waste and confusion in which they hoped their own evill intentions were most like to proceed and prosper But here by the way take along with thee good Reader this note or observation on these premises namely that had our Parliament afforded the least supply to that wicked war yea though but one 6. d with their consent they had made the quarrell Nationall and thereby the plague and punishment of such a great sin most justly Epidâ—micall Take this then O England as no small mercie from thy gracious God who thus mercifully freed thee from such a Land-devouring sin and heinous provocation as Ireland does wofully witnesse it Now that Parliament thus fruitlesly ended they again fell to their former tyrannicall practises and squeezing course of enforcing supplies out of the peoples estates by the Kings own power and prerogative at his own will and without their consent yea the very next day after the dissolution of that Parliament some eminent Members of both Houses had their Chambers and Studies yea their Cabinets and very pockets
other Statestarving Monopolies whereof some as hath been seen in those fore-mentioned prejudiced the Kingdom above a Million of money yeerly all quite supprest by this renowned Parliament which formerly like so many greedily gaping graves or unsatiable horsleaches were continually crying-out Give Give and restlesly sucking-out the vitall spirits of the State and pitifully debilitating thereby the nerves and ligaments of the whole Common-wealth But that which was far more worth than all those fore-said great benefits which indeed was the very root and rice of all those and such like taxations and vexations is also by power of this Parliament quite taken away viz. the Arbitrarie power pretended to be in his Maiestie to tax his subiects and charge their estates at his pleasure without consent of his Parliament which great and grievous yoke which extremely wrung our wronged necks for the present and would have done much more for the future to our posteritie is now by this happie Parliament declared by Both-Hous s to be against Law and is also ratified by an Act of Parliament And was not Elohim our God all-sufficient most gloriously seen here in the Mount for our large deliverance from such and so many pinching straits and deep distresses as we were all brought yea plunged into as have been formerly most evidently and undeniably shewn And therefore have we great cause with that sweet singer of Israel to elevate his praises herein and to say I will magnifie thee O my God and my King and will blesse thy Name for ever and ever Yea every day will I blesse thee and praise thy Name for ever and ever For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and his greatnesse is altogether unsearchable Yea and that which is very remarkable and no lesse extraordinarie comfortable to Gods children How did the Lord before this Parliament began and hitherto ever since stir-up and enflame the fire of supplicating faith or faithfull supplication and fervent zeal in private humiliation to seek the Lord in the face of Christ for mercie and reconcilement to our poor Land and Nation so as the like was never seen in this Kingdom before And O what faith-confirming and heart-cheering rich returns of prayers hath the Lord our good God cast into our blessed bosomes in both granting us the very things yea and much more than our hearts desired and crossing ours and the Churches enemies both Papists and Prelates in their plots which we feared yea and still making their own desperate devises to lite heaviest on their own heads and their own impious inventions occasions to make them still sit-down by weeping-crosse and bear the greatest damage and condigne detriment in themselves Whence we may very well conclude with Manoahs wife Sampsons mother against all false and faithlesse fears and jealousies whereunto I perceive even Gods own dear people are too-much addicted That if the Lord were pleased or had a purpose to kill or destroy us he would not have received an oblation or sacrifice from us neither would have shewed us all these things nor would as at this time have done all these great things and much more yet following for us But if God had had no delight in us but purposed to destroy us and to deliver-up our Land and lives into Papists hands and to make a prey of us and ours to them he would not surely have suffered us or given us hearts to seek him in prayer and importunate petitions and yet at last have frustrated all our hopes and expectations But contrariwise when God intended to destroy the children of Israel for their high provocations of the Lords irreconcilable wrath he flatly forbad the Prophet to pray for them whereas on the other side I say our gracious God hath freely poured on us the spirit of grace and supplication hath not onely received sacrifices from our though sinfull hands but in Christ Jesus his ever prevailing Blastus nay rather ever most meritorious blessed Son hath smelt a sweet savour in our sacrifices as hath been alreadie in part imparted to us and made clearly obvious to our eyes and understanding and comes now most copiously to be farther most fully demonstrated to us And here me thinks t is not improper or impertinent to put the Reader in mind of one remarkable mercie of the Lord unto us which though it be not I confesse on all parts absolutely concluded on yet for my part I confidently beleeve these plotting times and weightie circumstances considered and put together I may justly enroll it in one of the chief places and number of our most famous parliamentarie deliverances though I say it was and hath been covered and couched under fair machiâ—ilian vizards of other intentions when they saw God had miraculously crossed and defeated their former strong expectation For unquestionably the Popish and malignant partie had deeply perswaded if not assured themselves that long ere this especially about the time of this plot now to be mentioned their desperate projects should have been brought to a high pitch and that ere this time we and Scotland should have been deeply engaged in bloodie broils and been pell-mell together by the ears in the Northern parts of the Kingdom The sly Fox of Spain therefore must needs watch advantages on our home-bred and imbred distractions and uncivill-civill wars thus to purchase to himself the long lookt-for spoils and most precious prey of three fair Crowns at once To which purpose upon traiterous instigation and intelligence too no doubt from some of his pensioners in the Court of England he had made readie and set forth to Sea a mightie Fleet of ships a second great armado well fraught and furnished with men and ammunition and other instruments of wrath and furie for our certain perdition and designed destruction Thus unsuspected and unexpected they had smoothly and silently made their way into our narrow Seas and lay hovering within sight of Dover fearlesse it seem'd of least resistance from us if not hopefull of ample assistance to land their forces and make our Land feel the furie of Spaines conquering arm But behold as thus they lay about our coasts and we as it were lay fast a sleep in this great danger the God of our English-Israel who never slumbers nor sleeps in the protection of his people had his ever most vigilant and wakefull eye over us even then I say when we were most supine and carelesse or fearlesse of any imminent disaster so neer us the Lord our God fought for us yet without us stopt this otherwise over-flowing inundation of miserie and destruction crost and crusht their rotten-egge of windie hopes by sending our honest old neighbours of Holland to confront them though with but a very small Fleet at the first which afterward quickly encreased under the conduct and command of their heroicall and most magnanimous Admirall Martin Tromp whose honour and high renown the trump
Now this Remora thus happily though very hardly removed this clinging-clyver I mean the foresaid Earl of Straford which was ready to over-top and choak the good corn of the Kingdom thus blessedly eradicated together with the impeachment and imprisonment of Judge Bartlet and divers other Judges and Bishops t was most strange to say and see what a sudden and generall serenitie and calmnesse from late former fears and affrights shon upon the hearts and minds of most men a long time after even all over the Kingdom Especially also when that Lamb-skin'd Woolf the Arch-prelate of Canterbury who had so long and so craftily and cruelly woorryâ—d Christs innocent lambs was also impeached of high treason and thereupon forthwith put into safe custodie under the Black-rod and afterward lockt-up fast in the Tower of London for his suture safe forth-coming and thus all his former huge and hyperbolicall puffe of ayrie honour and false windie reputation among his clawing Pontificians now at last tumbled into the dust yea besmeard with the dirt of due disgrace contempt and ignominie O then t was mâ—rry with harmlesse lambs when ravening wolves were shut up fâ—st and lambs at libertie As it is recorded to be the speech of that blessed Queen Elizabeth of ever-rarest memorie upon the Lords delivering her from all her uniust great troubles by the happie decease of her fierie-Sister Queen Marie when the Romish bloodie Bishops of her time were clapt-up into prison in her stead and she delivered from their divillâ—sh thraldom Yea then I say the former thick-clouds and foggiâ—-mists of manifold fears began to be cleared and the fair sunshine of chearfull hopes to arise in the hearts of Gods people and contrariwise a stonishment and fear began to surprise the spirits of traiterous proiectors especially at Court. For much about these times or not long before and after also Sir John Finch Secretarie Windibank Mr. Jermin and since of late also the bold and waspish young Lord Digbie in the depth of the guilt of their consciences being impeached also of high treason trusting more to their heels celerity than their hearts sinceritie which it seems was none at all posted away in private like most unworthie fugitives being thus spued-out as I may say of their own native countrey like nauseous clods on the stomach of the State which could not be at any ease or content till it had by some means disgorged them Or rather as it is reported of that hatefull vermine Rats and Mice who by instinct of nature observing an old barn or rotten-house ready to fall or be puld-down they skip and scud and creep away apace to some more remote and secure place thus to save themselves from that otherwise inevitable destruction So I say did this traiterous vermine of our Kingdom those devouring rats of rapine and mice of mischief who would have gnawn and eaten into the bowels of Religion to the ruine of Church and State finding the rotten-house of their long-plotted mischiefs readie to fall on their own heads to their unavoidable destruction thought it now hâ—gh time to skip and scud and run away for their lives and to get themselves far enough beyond Sea out of the reach of Justice strong and long-reaching arm at home By which means namely justice thus cone on some of them and the said stroke of justice thus terrifying and affrighting others away out of the Kingdom the Church and State are like by Gods mercie to reap this double benefit to wit ease and freedom from fears for the present time and also most hopefull long preservation for the time to come And was not here a rare parliamentarie mercie indeed to the Kingdom to be rid any way of such Catelines of their Countrey And ought we not to be as thankfull to our God for his privative as positive favours toward us as well for the absence of evill things as the present possession of good things as well to see Gods enemies flie before us as to see his faithfull servants and dear saints returning-home unto us Yes doubtlesse and to triumph in their terrour and to laugh and reioyce when their fear comes upon them yea when it comes upon them like a fierce armed-man For so saies Solomon and the kingly Prophet David When the wicked spring as the grasse and when all the workers of iniquitie do flourish it is that they may be destroyed for ever Yea sayes he also Certainly thou O Lord didst set them in slipperie places and thou castedst them down into destruction O how suddenly do they fall into desolation and are utterly consumed with fear and terrour And then he sweetly concludes fully to our purpose The righteous shall reioyce when he seeth the vengeance he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked So that a man shall say verily there is a reward for the righteous verily it is God that iudgeth the earth Now whereas for these many yeers heretofore the discontinuance and unhappie dissolution of Parliaments hath most like the want of soveraign healing-salvâ—s to dangerous sores occasioned extreme preiudice by long fâ—stering and pâ—stering enormities in Church and State and mightily encouraged the audacious and most ungracious workers of iniquitie through strong hopes thereby of impunity Our good God hath by this blessed Parliament provided a cordiall preservative and soveraign antidote against such future pestilentiall diseases and mortiferous growing gangrenes namely in that our renowned Worthies have by a firm Act of Parliament setled a Trienniall-Parliament to be for the time to come duely called among us And yet farther since the frequent and abrupt dissolution of Parliaments hath also been no small supportation to the wicked intentions of traiterous active spirits among us It hath pleased the Lord to put into the hearts of the King and Parliament with an unanimous consent to passe a Bill for the most happie and blessed continuation of this present Parliament so as that it shall neither be dissolved nor adiourned without the consent of both Houses Which two Laws well and seriously considered especially the last of the two the incomparable happinesse whereof I am not able to relate for the present but time to come may may justly be thought more advantageous to the Kingdom than all the former because they secure a full operation of present remedie like a constant course of wholsome physick to a very crazie bodie full of encreasing and growing infirmities affording I say a perpetuall spring of remedies to Church and Common-wealths future growing griefs and maladies And because according to that old adagie a threefold knot is not easily untied or a three-fold cord not easily broken the more strongly to corroborate all our hopes and ensuing comfortâ— and to make them as constant as cordiall see how yet farther it pleased the Lord our good God to enlarge his hand of bountie and benignitie toward us to leave no means
were to be free-men of the Citie if these inconveniences continued They also hereupon took the courage and resolution to exhibite their Petition to the Parliament for speedy and timely redresse of these encroaching and growing evils Which act of theirs was so modestly and orderly managed by them that the Parliament received their petition most courteously and returned them a very fair and favourable answer in brief for the present with promise of a more full and satisfactorie answer in convenient time After whom also the Porters of London pinched with extreme povertie by reason of the decay of trading were thereby necessitated and by Gods providence thousands of them stirred up and stimulated to petition the Parliament for speedie redresse of their present pressures whose Petition also was very lovingly received by the Parliament and they received a well-pleasing replie for the present Now what an admirable and rare effect these Petitions produced to adde most justly to this catalogue of our parliamentarie mercies this subsequent passage shall clearly demonstrate to the godly Reader viz. Not long after a certain convenient number of Apprentises being very modest in carriage and well-spoken young men went very civilly and peaceably to Westminster to the Parliament for a further satisfactorie answer to their Petition as was promised to them But it pleased the Lord it so fell out that that desperate and furious Collonel Lunsford and very many ruffian-like fellows with him being at that time in Westminster-hall and there walking up and down at last took occasion by uncivill and provoking words to the said Apprentises and Citizens at that time also walking there to make a great disturbance and hubbub among them and from mocking and jeering of them and quarreling about Bishops whom the Apprentises and Citizens had indeed petitioned against in all their Petitions threatning those that durst once speak against their reverend Bishops at last they drew out their swords and the said Collonel Lunsford and his quarrelling comrades flew in the faces of the Citizens and furiously beat them out of Westminster-hall before them being all unweaponed and coming onely in a fair and unoffensive manner as aforesaid to receive an answer to their petition and as they departed home from Westminster by Whitehall they were there again most grosly abused and beaten by the Courtiers and such like so that divers of them were sorely wounded and some thereby killed by them Whereupon the next day these things falling-out about Newyeers-tyde or in Christmas-holy-dayes very many Citizens and apprentises went again to Westminster armed and better prepared than the day before for such affronts if any were offered to them But now see how it pleased the Lord it should come to passe some of the Apprentises and Citizens were again affronted about Westminster-Abbey and a great noise and hubbub fell out thereabouts othersome of them watched as it seems by the sequell the Bishops coming to the Parliament who considering the great noise and disquiet which was by land all about Westminster durst not come to the Parliament that way for fear of the Apprentises and therefore intended to have come to the Parliament by water in barges but the apprentises watched them that way also and as they thought to have come to land were so pelted with stones and frighted at the sight of such a company of them that they durst not land but were rowed back and went away to their places Now see herein good Reader a most notable over-powering impression of divine providence on this businesse and learn hence so much wisdom as not to despise seeming contemptible things and small beginnings as I have formerly touched on a like occasion These lordly and loftie Prelates among whom and a prime one too it seemed was that supercilious Arch-prelate of York Bishop Williams took foul scorn and high indignation at this affront by Boyes and prentises thus to be debarred from the Parliament especially fearing lest any thing might passe in the House against them touching their lordly dignities by their absence on which they had great cause to keep continuall jealouseyes and vigilant watch they now standing on very ticklish terms with the State and being so perpetually and universally petitioned against from all parts of the Kingdom as a prime branch of the malignant partie and speciall perturbers of all good for Church or Common-wealth therefore I say being ve xt to the heart and deeply stung with discontent they vowed revenge and thereupon gathered together into their secret Conclave full fraught with Stygian-rancour and rage and assisted no doubt with some Jesuiticall influence of Romish spirits they contrived and contracted a peice of mischief or mischievous petition to the King and House of Peers which they wholly intended against the happy and successefull proceedings of the Parliament but our good God diverted it to their own further ruine and destruction Now that you may see their own act and deed attested and avouched under their own hands I have thought fit here to insert it verbatim as they themselves penned and exhibited it to the King To the Kings most excellent Majesty and the Lords and Peers now assembled in Parliament The humble Petition and Protestation of all the Bishops and Prelates now called by His Majesties Writs to attend the Parliament and present about London and Westminster for that Service THat whereas the Petitioners are called-up by severall and respective Writs and under great penalties to attend the Parliament and have a clear and indubitable right to vote in Bils and other matters whatsoever debateable in Parliament by the ancient customes Laws and Statutes of this Realm and ought to be protected by your Majestie quietly to attend and prosecute that great Service They humbly remonstrate and protest before God your Majestie and the noble Lords and Peers now assembled in Parliament that as they have an indubitate right to sit and vote in the House of the Lords so are they if they may be protected from force and violence most ready and willing to perform their duties accordingly And that they do abhominate all actions or opinions tending to Poperie and the maintenance thereof as also all propension and inclination to any malignant partie or any other side or partie whatsoever to the which their own reasons and conscience shall not move them to adhere But whereas they have been at severall times violently menaced affronted and assaulted by multitudes of people in their coming to perform their services in that Honourable House and lately chased away and put in danger of their lives and can find no redresse or protection upon sundrie complaints made to both Houses in these particulars They likewise humbly protest before your Majestie and the noble House of Peers that saving unto themselves all their rights and interests of sitting and voting in that House at other times they dare not sit or vote in the House of
Princes too have carried themselves in those their great evils The Lord in mercie timely take from them their such a heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh and clear the eyes of their understanding so wilfully blinded that they may with those two honest self-denying and humble-hearted Bishops in Scotland whom Bishop Hall scoft and jeer'd at for it with self-denying shame and sorrow repent their horrible impietie to God and his Church and abhor such a princely pâ—mpous function never of Christs institution as even inevitably for ought I can yet see to the contrary occasions such faction and defection from sincerity and truth Which if they labour not timely and truly to expresse they must pardon me if I beleeve it were most just with our God if he should raise up against them in their impenitencie such a just judge as godly Ezra records even that heathen yet surely honest-hearted King Darius to have been in that noble and renowned sentence of his whose words are these I have made a Decree that whosoever shall alter this word namely of re-erecting and building-up again the old materiall-Temple at Jerusalem let timber be pull'd down from his house and being set up as a jibbet let him be hanged thereon and let his house be made a dunghill or jakes for this See here for This onely for This. What This Why onely for daring so much as to alter the Kings honest resolution as aforesaid But he goes on in the 12. verse And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all Kings and people note this emphaticall expression of this honest King that shall put to their hand to alter or destroy this House of God ah shame to our guilty Prelates herein which is at Jerusalem of the House of Commons wherein you shall find the true and genuine description of it to the full which is this Januarie 17 th being Munday 1641. A Declaration of the House of Commons touching a late breach of their Priviledges set forth by themselves VVHereas the Chambers Studies and Truncks of Mr Denzill Hollis Sir Arthur Haslerigg Mr John Pim Mr John Hampden and Mr William Strode Esquires Members of the House of Commons upon Munday the third of Januarie 1641. by colour of his Majesties Warrant have been sealed-up by Sir William Killigrew and Sir William Flemen and others which is not onely against the priviledge of Parliament but the common liberty of every Subject Which said Members afterward the same day were under the like colour by Serjeant Francis one of his Majesties Serjeants at Arms contrary to all former presidents demanded of the Speaker sitting in the House of Commons to be delivered to him that he might arrest them of high Treason And whereas afterward the next day being the 4 th of Januar. 1641. his Majestie in his royall person came to the said House attended with a great multitude of armed men in war-like manner to the number of about five hundred both Souldiers Papists and others all of them armed with swords and Pistols and other weapons who all came up to the very doore of the House and placed themselves there and in other parts and passages neer to the said House and divers of them pressing to the doore of the said House thrust away the doore-keepers and placed themselves between the said doore and the ordinarie attendants of his Majestie holding up their swords and some holding up their pistols ready cock'd neer the said doore and saying I am a good marks-man I can hit right I warrant you and they not suffering the said doore according to the custome of Parliament to be shut but said they would have the doore open and if any opposition were against them they made no question but they should make their partie good and that they would maintain their partie And whensoever any Members of the House of Commons were coming into the House their attendants desiring that room might be made for them some of the said Souldiers answered A Pox of God confound them and others said A Pox take the House of Commons let them come and be hang'd What adoe is here with the House of Commons And some of the said Souldiers did likewise violently assault and by force disarm some of the attendants and servants of the Members of the House of Commons waiting in the room next the said door and upon the Kings return out of the said House many of them by wicked oaths and otherwise expressed much discontent that those Members of the House for whom they came were not there And others of them said When comes the word but no word was yet given As they thus stood without at the door to the great terrour and disturbance of all the Members then sitting and according to their dutie in a peaceable and orderly manner treating of the great affairs of England and Ireland and his Majestie having placed himself in the Speakers chair he demanded of them the persons of the said Members to be delivered unto him which is a high breach of the rights and priviledges of Parliament and inconsistent with the liberties and freedom thereof But the King not finding those foresaid Members whom he came for in the House for they were purposely absent with the consent of the House on strong suspition of the said intended event as he expected thereupon he rose out of the Speakers chair and departed from them without any farther molestation whereupon the Souldiers and Cavaliers at the door seeing the King coming forth cried out a lane a lane and so went all away After which some of them being demanded what they thought the said companie intended to have done answered That questionlesse in the posture they were set if the word had been given they should have fallen upon the House of Commons and have cut all their throats horresco referens Quis enim talia fando temperet à lachrimis All this being fully proved to be most true upon severall examinations taken the same Januarie the 7 th before a Committee then appointed by the House of Commons to sit in London In which interim a printed paper in the form of a Proclamation bearing date the 6 th of Jan. 1641. issued out at Westminster or Whitehall for the apprehending and imprisoning of them therein suggesting that through the conscience of their own guilt they were absent and fled not willing to submit themselves to justice The Parliament did therefore declare that the said printed paper is false scandalous and illegall and that notwithstanding the said printed paper or any Warrant issued out or any other matter yet appearing against them or any of them they may and ought to attend the service of the said House of Commons and the severall Committees now on foot And we do further declare that the publishing of severall Articles purpourting a form
English Prelates by reason of their princely pomp and lordly dignities and familiar intermedling and tampering in temporall affairs to the continuall provocation of the wrath of God and the derogatorie dishonour of Christs will and prescript pleasure in their ministeriall function It shall not be so with you And now let the godly Reader here see and consider the admirable equitie and justice of our wise and most holy God meeting them full in their own wayes and works They who being Lords and Barons forsooth in that high Court of Parliament yet could seldome or never find a heart or voice for Christ and religion but freqently against Christ in his holy members and against the power and purity of religion have now most justly no voice or place in Parliament to help themselves but are thrust out as men not desired like that wicked King Jehoram who departed this life without being desired And take this note also by the way before we leave them That they who in themselves and predecessors ever since the time of glimmering reformation even in Queen Elizabeths dayes of ever blessed memorie to this very time all along without intermission had silenced suspended imprisoned and impoverished many hundreds if not thousands of holy painfull and profitable Preachers for Non-subscription have now by an act of subscription imprisoned themselves in the Tower of London and almost quite devested themselves of their Prelaticall arrogated superioritie over their fellow-Ministers Thus God hath taken them by their own iniquities and hath held them with the cords of their own sin Thus Goliah is slain with his own sword and Haman is hanged upon his own gallows And thus was their former furious and most injurious carriage and course a just presage and omen of their totall ruine and downfall which in substance is now blessedly come to passe in this their denudation stripping and whipping from their lordly dignities haughtie honours and busie intermedling in secular affairs the rest I hope and pray will perfectly be effected in Gods due time Now then see here and observe good Reader with a wise and most gratefull heart both in regard of the thing it self and also of those two materiall circumstances so observable therein whether the Lord was not admirably seen in the Mount of Mercie to his poore Church in this so rare and singular freedome of it from future fear of Prelaticall tyrannie And give me leave to use the Prophets own words by way of exulting gratitude to the Lord our God Hearken unto me dear Christians ye that know righteousnesse the people in whose heart is the law of the Lord. Fear ye not the reproach of men neither be ye afraid of their revilings for the moth shall eat them up like a garment and the worm shall gnaw them like wooll But my righteousnesse shall be for ever and my salvation from generation to generation Awake awake put on strength O arm of the Lord awake as in ancient dayes and as in the generation of old Art not thou it that hath cut Rahab the Prelates of England and wounded the Dragon the whore of Rome Therefore do the redeemed of the Lord return and come with singing to Zion and everlasting joy shall be on their head They shall obtain gladnesse and joy and sorrow and mourning shall flie away About this time also it pleased the good hand of God to direct the hearts of our prudent and provident parliamentarie-Worthies to take notice of the most dangerous distractions of the kingdom and as just as great fears of intestine turmoiles which might arise among us by the Papists and malignant-partie if not timely prevented and therefore to resolve according to the joynt desires of the Subject in all their petitions exhibited in Parliament to settle a Militia by Act of Parliament for a certain time namely untill it might please the Lord happily to compose our differences and to put a blessed end to our domestick and forrein fears that thus by putting the Kingdom into a posture of defence we might by Gods mercie be the better secured both from homebred treacheries and transmarine invasions For which purpose they resolved in the first place to displace Sir John Byron from his Lieutenantship of the Tower of London and to put in Sir John Connyers a man in whom they had good assurance they might confide both for his fidelity and martiall abilities which though with much strugling at last they obtained of his Majestie to theirs and the Cities full content in that particular And for the better putting of life into the sad and bad affairs of Ireland and the more speedie and certain subduing by Gods assistance of those most barbarous and inhumane Rebels and accursed idolaters of Rome It pleased our most wise God to infuse a fair and famous project into the hearts of divers heroick and worthie Citizens of London first to proffer themselves by way of subscription of certain summes of money to be paid in at severall payments by them and other well-affected Subjects both in Citie and Countrey Whereunto the thing being moved by petition and singularly approved in Parliament the Lords and Commons in both Houses gave admirable encouragement by their free and forward subscription of great summes and all their moneys so laid out to be repaid and satisfied out of the Rebels lands when by Gods aid and assistance they should be totally suppressed and destroyed and not before nor by any other wayes or means And since that by reason of the most aâ—rocious and unparralleld cruelties of those Romish-rebels in Ireland very many of the distressed and bespoiled English-Protestant inhabitants especially women and children who were necessitated to flie thence carrying their lives in their hands and glad poore souls they so escaped to Dublin and so over-Sea into divers parts of this Kingdom being thereby plunged into deplorable povertie and miserie It was I say further ordered by our truly charitable and pious Parliament that there should be a generall collection or contribution over the whole Kingdom for and toward the present relief and supplie of such distressed men women and children as could hardly subsist without present help and relief Which said collection was so fully and freely advanced in this our noble and renowned City of London that at one Church therein viz Aldermanburie under reverend and religious Mr Calamies fruitfull Ministerie upon his pious and patheticall motion and instigation to his willing people a Collection was made and gathered at the Church-doores and parishioners houses which amounted unto between 600 and 700 â— at the least Toward the latter end of Februarie also 1641. It pleased the Lord to blow-off all clouds of displeasure from the Kings royall heart and to cause his countenance to shine so serenely on the Parliaments proceedings that he sent the House of Lords a most gracious and comfortable answer intimating his royall concurrence and
desire of correspondencie with both Houses both in passing those Bils then exhibited to his Majestie and also referring all matters touching the Liturgie and Church-Government to the wisdom and pietie of the Parliament to settle and resolve on And here again good Reader let us reflect our eyes and serious thoughts and see whether the Lord does not still carryon his works of mercie to us by his own strong-arm and almightie power and providence that thus we should now have such strong and heart-chearing hope of a happie and long desired rectifying and reformation of our Liturgie and Discipline two ticklish peices to be tampered with on pain of highest indignation and displeasure in by-past times but now you see and hear of talk yea resolution of reforming them Hereby ratifying and confirming his most righteous word and promise by the Prophet in shewing himself unto our Kingdom a most resplendent glory in the midst of us Making good also that old promise of his to his ancient people of Israel namely I will turn my hand upon thee and will purely purge away all thy drosse and take away all thy tinne O that we therefore in the way of thankefulnessâ— would sincerely perform his holy and just desire of us namely in deed and in truth to obey his voice and cheerfully to do all that he hath commanded us Yet see the still invincible and inveterate malice of the malignant partie who notwithstanding that they cannot but evidently see the hand of God against them crossing all their counsels turning their perniciously boiling obstrisctions to their own destruction in the issue yet still I say they manifest right Pharaoh-like more flintinesse and hardnesse of heart presumptuously spurning at as it were and despising all Gods most wise and over powering proceedings against them thereby most clearly treasuring-up wrath and confusion unto themselves against the day of Gods vengeance and heaping up coals of calamity on their own heads against the day of the Lords burning jealousie For much about this time a most pernicious and seditious Petition was forged and framed by some of the grey-headed but not grave-hearted Citizens of London which was boldly presented to the Parliament by them A Petition I say much tending to sedition and the overthrow of the Parliaments proceedings especially concerning the Militia of the Citie ayming therein at the overthrow of the said Militia and the sure defence of the whole Realm under God which they had formerly most firmly setled over the whole Kingdom In which seditious plot and devillish design of theirs though many of no small or mean rank and qualitie in the Citie yea and some of the highest degree thereof had deep hands and spotted hearts to further it and therefore had subscribed to it yet one or two most pragmaticall spirits among them were chief agents and active instruments openly and audaciously appearing and persisting in it namely one Mr Binion a Silkman in Cheapside who carried himself most proudly and insolently therein from first to the last But the truly godly grave and loyally-affected Citizens of London understanding thereof disavowed it immediately joyned together against it in another most honest fit and fair Petition clean contrary to that other exhibited the same in Parliament desired the justice of the Parliament against â—he other which was received with singular approbation of both Houses Whereupon the other was not long after cast out of the House condemned to be burnt by the hangman as a most scandalous and seditious paper and the foresaid Mr Binion himself persisting in his obstinate and malevolent misbehaviour was made an example of terrour to the rest who more wisely shrunk-in their heads and recanted their former oversight being for his foresaid insolencies and misdemeanours fined 3000. l. disfranchised from the immunities of the Citie made uncapable of ever bearing any office in the Common-wealth and imprisoned for two yeers in the Castle of Colchester And yet again notwithstanding all this I say yea this so fresh and modern admonition as a man might have thought to those malignant spirits They not long after brake out again into a like misdemeanour in the Countie of Kent by the main instigation as it is conceived of Sir Edward Deering late a Member of the House of Commons who at the beginning and for some continuance of this Parliament was well reputed and reported of but at last brake-out into a most violent and virulent opposition of the honourable and pious proceedings of the Parliament which he further most undiscreetly prosecuted by printing and publishing a book of all his former and later Speeches in Parliament and one especially not spoken but onely intended to have been spoken in Parliament Whereupon the said Sir E. Deering was call'd to the Bar sent prisoner to the Tower cast out of the House from being any longer a Member among them his said book condemned to be burnt Which book though it cannot be denied but must be ingenuously confest did render him a Schollar and wittie acute râ—etoriâ—ian yet was full fraught with palpable expressions of an ill-affected heart not onely to the most wise worthie and untainted negotiations of the Honourable Parliament but even to religion and the power of godlines A gentleman he was whom I must acknowledge I my self much honored for the good things I conceived to be in him at first but when I had read this his book which I did all-over as advisedly and impartially as God enabled me I found therein even almost in its very portall or introduction to the matter of it and so along such an unjust and immeritorious eulogie or elogie and hyperbolicall praise of the Arch-prelate of Canterbury in generall and of his book if his of his conference with Fisher the Jesuite in speciall A book most full of pregnant expressions yet cloudily couched of the said Prelates Popish rotten-heartednesse as a most sound and learned Replie to it hath copiously and clearly discovered to all judicious and impartiall Schollars that have read it together with his affected wittie jeâ—ring and scoffing at true pietie in some places and irreligious sublime justification of grosse Popish superstition in other some I could not hereupon I say God knows my heart but greatly grieve for his sake thereby so dishonoured and blush at mine own so clear mistake who had willingly harboured so good opinions of him before But to leave him to his great Lord and Master to whom he must either stand or fall with my heartie prayers for his true and timely retractation I return to my purposed matter from which I have a little digressed but I hope not much transgressed therein Another seditious Petition I say was hatched and contrived in Kent wherein I say t is more than conceived that Sir Edward Deering had a deep hand which contained matter much to the same effect with the former of London Which also it seems was
68. 19. Iob 5. 13. Psal 94. 11. Isa 29. 14. A Parliament A plot to spoil the Parliament The Kings Queensletters Earls Lords Knights and Gentlemen ride up and down to help them God counterplots and crosses them Parliamentary Worthies chosen A blessed Colledge of Physicians Exod. 15. 11. Psal 89. 5 6 7 8. Divers difficulties at the first beginning of this Parliament Six Subsidies granted Pole-money The mountanous dispatch of great affairs of the Parliament at the first To stop the mouthes of slanderers Ship-money abolished Coat and Conduct taken away Sope. Wine Leather Salt Many other Monopolies suppressed The root of all the former evils pluckt up viz. Arbitrary government God in the Mount Psal 145. 1 2 3. A spirit of prayer and humiliation stird up in the hearts of Gods people in private Rich returns of our prayers Our enemies plots proved their owngreatest plagues Iudg. 13. 23. Against the false fears and faithlesse faintings in Gods people Ier. 7. 16. Acts 12. 20. A Fleet of Spanish-ships at Sea The Spaniard is apt to watch and catch advantageâ— The Spanish fleet on our Narrow-Seas in sight of Dover The Hollanders meet with them Martin Tromp Admirall of the Fleet. The Spanish fleet beaten and destroyed Isa 54. 17. No weapon can be forged nor tongue raised against England and Scotland A Pacification and blessed union between the three kingdoms by Act of Parliament Psal 44 34. Psal 76. 9 10. Good men made Officers of State The Scaligers of our rustie times The Star-Chamber-Court President Councell of the North c. dissolved The Earl of Straford beheaded â—ex â—alionis An English Haman Psal 62. 3. 2 Sam. 20. 12. Ier. 10. 6 7. Iudge Bartlet other Iudges and Bishops impeached of high treason and imprisoned Much content among men upon the Earls beheading The Arch-prelate of Canterbury impeached of high treason and imprisoned Q Elizabeths saying touching Popish Bishops in her dayes of deliverance The malignant partie now began to fear Sir Ioh. Finch Secretary Windibank c. flie away for fear A fit simile of Rats and Mice in an old house or barn A double benefit came to the Kingdom hereby Cateline aâ— traitor to old Rome We ought to be as thankful for privative as positive mercies Prov. 6. 11. Psal 92. 7. Psal 73. 18 19. Psal 58. 10 11. A Trienniall Parliament The most blessed continuation of this present Parliament The excellent benefit of these 2. last Laws A three-fold cord is not easily broken Both Church and State sick at the very heart The Church sick of a quotidian-ague of Popery The State of a Consumption by oppressive taxations A Protestation Wednesday May 5. 1641. Who they be that refuse to take the Protestation Friday July 30. 1641. God in the Mount of Mercies Psal 18. 1 2 3. and 31 19 23. Psal 27. 14. Parliamentarie mercies to the Church of God * Prelates and Pontificians Ier. 38. 7. Dr. Bastwick Mr. Burton Mr. Prinne freed from prison Dr. Laighton also M. Smart Mr Walker Mr. Foxely Mr. Lilborn many others set a liberty Isa 29. 20 21. Prov. 11. 8. Hesth 6. 11. Mr. Prinnes most excellent History of all those three famous-sufferers Gen. 22. 13. Psal 32. 11. 3. 1 3 4. Paarliamentaâ—â—â—rdiners State-Engineers The Prelates ill-legall Synod nullified Their accursed Canons damned Their monstrous Et caetera-Oath also condemned Scandalous priests discovered and discountenanced 1 Sam 2. 17. Non-residents and Pluralists voted against Deans Prebends voted down Godly Pastort and Lecturers set up again with the peoples consent Isa 1. 27. * Which very words the Arch-prelate of Ganterbury spake most proudly to a godly Pastour my worthy friend Our Candlesticks almost lost and stinking-snuffs setting-up Psal 126. 1. Psal 32. 7. Oxford and Cambridge hopefull to be purged Matth. 6. 23. Sabbath-dayes better sanctified The due praise of the true sanctification of the Sabbath A profane book for sports on the Lords day Most violently pressed by the Prelates on Gods people Printing-Presses set open again The Sabbaths honour thereby vindicateâ— God in the Mount Psal 47 6 7 8. Gods worship in the Church better ordered From Romish Ceremonies Crucifixes and Popish pictures in Churches dimolished All Jesu-worship prohibited and all altar-rails dimolished * Exod. 20 26. Libertie to hear the Word without controlment The miserie of mens souls by Prelates soulcrueltie A notable peice of Prelaticall tyrannies now blessedly abolished The Kings Declaration before the book of Articles The High-Commission Court most blessedly put down A fit description of the Arminian rabble Romes caterpillers blown away Persecuted Pastors return home The High-Commission-Court most blessedly put down A brief description of the High-Commission-Court The members of the High-Commission-Court duely delineated Mat. 5. 20. The Ex Officio Oath damned Church-WardeÌ„s freed from their visitation vexations Dan. 2. 5. 3 2â— * The High-Commission-Courts deserved destinâ—e being the vote of a reverend holy Minister of this Kingdome See beer the extreame malice and rage of the Prelates The Starr-Chamber Court voted down and the Councill-Table limited restrained Those last great mercies summed up together God in the Mount Isa 30. 18 19 20. England like to have been Romes perpetuall Ass Psal 7â— 19 20 23 24. A tympanie of pride An 〈…〉 fatuus oâ— self-deceit Gen. 27 38. God is an unexhausted Spring of mercies Compelling of the Subject to take the Order of Knighthood abolished Stannary-Courts and Clerkes of Markets rectified Parkes and Forrests also rightly ordered Priests and Iesuites banished Sommersett-House that cage of unclean birds cleansed The Queen-Mother of France also sent away A most happie union between all the three Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland An act also of oblivion therunto annexed Both Armies in the North disbanded August the 27. 1641. Our brethren of Scotland attested to be loyall faithfull Subjects What said our Arminian foul-mouth'd Priests to this God in the Mount Psal 9. 9 10. Psal 68. 20. Those slanderous tongues of wicked Priests forced to give themselves the lye in their Pulpits Iâ—â— 5. 16. Psal 63. 11. A notable design of the Popish Lords and Prelates with the English Armie in the North. The Earle of Straford attempted his escape out of the Tower Sir Iohn Suckling a partie in this plott The Prince also and the Earl of Newcastle were to advance the work The French also were to assist in it The hot zeale of our holy Bishops to work our destruction Master Iermines Letter intercepted Portsmouth also attempted to be got into their hands Another design with the Scottish Armie also against the Parliament Citie of London Both designes timely discovered and disappointed The most bloodie and barbarous rebellion in Ireland discovered The great danger of the utter losse of Ireland The Irish-Remonstrance Irelands Tears England mainly intended to have been the prologue of Irelands miseries Psal 124. 1 2 3 4. c. Sir Wil. Belfore put out of his Lieutenantship of the
made between the King and Parliament Insanire cum ratione Who is for the King and who for the Parliament interpreted The gentrie at York assembled again The King resolved for Ireland but contradicted therin by the Parliament Freeholders of Yorkshire discourteously used The Militia interdicted to be exercised by the King Captain Phillip Skippon summoned to York to the King The K sends to the Lord Keeper to remove Midsommer Term. The L. Keeper and divers other Lords leave the Parliament An objection The Answer Gods over-powring wisdom and mercie still preventing our hastning mischiefs Instrumentally by the pious prudent demeanour of the Parliament The Lords gentry of Ireland petition his Majesties return to London So do others Our dear Brethren of Scotland also mediate with his Majestie to return The gentry Commons of Yorkshire petitioned his Majesties return to London The Knights Gentlemen others of York-shires Answer to his Majesties demands The Declaration or Remonstrance May 19. 1642. Another Declaration or Remonstrance May 26. 1642. Sir Io Hotham cleared from the imputation of treason laid on him The Magazine brought to the Tower of London The Popish pernicious plot against Hull timely discovered The exercise of the Militia ratified by the Parliament in York Lancas c. Serjeant Major Skippon cleared by the Parliament Parliamentarie Votes clearing Serjeant Major Skippon See here one notable advantage of the legall continuation of this Parliament Midsommer Term not to be adjourned from Westm to York Delinquents to be proceeded against Votes of ParliameÌ„t against the Kings proceedings in York Two Acts of Parliament in Ric. 2. Hen. 4. proving such proceedings to be flat treason An Ordinance of Parliament sent to York touching their train'd-bands Two Orders of both Houses sent into Lancas and to all Counties in England and Wales To oppose the illegall proceedings at York The Parliaments care to see to the arms and ammunition of the Kingdom The Militia exercised in divers Counties An Ancient of Sir Ioh. Hothams imprisoned at York The 19. Propositions sent to his Majesty from the Parliament for an accommodation A harsh message returned to the Parliament in replie to their 19. Propositions The summe of all these former passages considered together A clear deseâ—ption of the ayms of the malignant partie Mr Denzell Holles in his most excellent Speech to the Lords June 15. 1642. The loyall laudable ayms and ends of 〈◊〉 the Parliament in all the forecited particulars An irrefragable testimonie of the Parliaments integrity A most blessed marriage twixt Peace Truth 2 Kin. 20 19. God in the Mount 2 King 6. 11 12. Num. 23. 23. No enchantment against England no divination against the Parliament Deut. 32. 31. We have a Rock to rest on our adversaries have but an Egyptian Reed to relie on Psal 103. 1 2 3 4. The summe of all A fourfold Vse or Observation Observation To admire adore Gods free grace and mercie Ezek. 36. 22 23. Isa 16. 11 1â— How to look on our sins Mark this wel Deut. 7 6 7 8. Psal 50 15. Gods way of saving a people by free mercy Psal 147. 20. Observation Thankfulnesse and obedience To God Psal 115 1. Psal 108. 1 2 3 4 5. Thankfulnesse must produce universall obedience True repentance is the golden-key to open the doorâ— of Gods treasurie To our renowned Parliament-Worthies Mr Calamie in his Fast Sermon p. 1â— A sutable simile Why we ought to be most obligedly thankfull to this blessed Parliament The Parliaments most just Panegyrick or due praise Envie and ingratitude against this present Parliaments proceedings The true cause of Parliament calumniations and slanders Act. 13. 10. What the Parliament intends yet farther to do * The first and famous Remonstrance of the State of the Kingdom set forth Decemb 15. 1641. Observation To make ' us more faithfull and lesse fearfull King Davids encouragement Psal 44. 1. Ver. 2. 3 4. Davids experimental faith 1 Sam. 17. 37. Nehem. 6. 11. Sweet encouragements to relie on God Infidelitie a mostdangerous means to deprive us of our happie hopes Advise not to be secure or carelesse also What fear is requisite in times of danger A great failing in Gods people Isa 51. â— A precious preservative against false fears in Gods children Observation God onely is our salvation therefore to wait on him for deliverance Psal 3. 8. Isa 36. 6. 2 Chron. 22. 20. Isa 21. 9 Ier. 51. 8. Mr Carall Pastour of Lincolnes-Inne Haba 2 2 3 Infidelitie is the root of slavish fear Deut. 32. 4 5 6 Ezra 9. 13 14. Exod. 34. 5 6 7 Isa 26. 10. Mr Calamie in his Sermon on the Fast 2 Sam. 12 20 21 22 23 24. O England take heed of Romish idolatrie and superstitious innovations Mark 5. 19. Go tell whaâ— great things God hath doâ—â— for thee Ioh. 5 14. Sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee The sin of Romish idolatrie a most dangerous sin A â—it simile Luk. 22. 32.
beholding the evident sun-shine of the truth in the subsequent and most luculent demonstrations thereof in this Kingdom of England after a speciall manner which God hath graciously made the very Land-mark of all his rich mercies to the everlasting glory of his great Name and free grace unto us a most sinfull and undeserving Nation as we have been and that in the midst of such means and miracles of mercies which he hath conferred on us and wrought for us above all our neighbour Nations round about us Now herein my purpose is omitting many former mercies to our Land of high concernment and most worthy of everlasting and indelible thankfull remembrance as the shaking off of the Antichristian shackles and yoke of Poperie begun in the dayes of King Henry the eighth and his most blessed Son King Edward the sixth but especially in the happie halcyon-dayes of Queen Elizabeths reign of ever most blessed memorie Since whose most blessed dayes and times we have enjoyed the Gospel of peace and peace of the Gospel almost these hundred yeers and now are not onely Protestants but most blessedly begin to be reformed Protestants notwithstanding the many most nefarious and treacherous plots against her sacred person happily defeated the falsly so termed Invincible Spanish Armado in 1588 and the most exorbitant and hell-hatch't Powder-plot by those Romish traytors Garnet a grand-Jesuite and his twelve impious apostles in the yeer 1605 by heavens vigilant eye of providence timely prevented together with many private and pernicious conjurations or conspiracies not so much by force as by fraud clandestinely machinated and by Gods mercie fruitlesly attempted enough to fill up voluminous Treatises and infâ—â—itâ—ly to magnifie Gods endlesse praises all which I say here to omit my purpose and main intention is as I fore promised by the blessed assistance of Gods gracious Spirit to manifest and declare to all who vouchsafe the patient and impartiall perusall hereof all the memorable and wonder-striking Parliamentary mercies effected for and afforded unto this our English Nation mauger the malice of Hell and Rome Papists and profane Atheists Satans active and able agents with inthe space of lesse than two yeers last past 1641 and 1642. And for the better and more exact setting forth of the most illustrious lustre and glorious beautie of these incomparable parliamentarie-pledges of Gods undoubted love and free favour toward us my intention is first to shew my Reader the cloudy-Mountain of Straits into which the Lord had in his wisdom and justice brought us or rather suffered us to be drawn and driven into for our sins and transgressions and then the sweet and serene-Mountain of Mercies wherein God was most gloriously seen of his meer mercie for our most timely and happie deliverance I mean I say to let the godly Reader see the deep distresse and danger whereinto we were plunged by the nefarious and multifarious plots and projects of Jesuiticall-Priests and perfidious Prelates for I may most justly couple and link them together like Simeon and Levi brothers in iniquitie of these our late and worst times and other most disloyall atheisticallagents in these desperate designes all of them faithlesse factors for the See of Rome all of them complotting and contriving to reduce us to the accursed Romish religion yea all of them combining and confederating to work and weave our three famous and flourishing Kingdoms England Scotland and Irelands fatall and finall ruiâ—e and downfall This being done I shall endeavour by Gods assistance most punctually to promulgate and most exactly to record to posterity those even myriades of remarkable mercies conferred on us to strange amazement and deep admiration of all truly pious and faithfull Christians That thus contraries being set together in an exact Antithesis or opposition they may both appear the more apparently to the eyes and understanding of ingenuous and judicious beholders that thus I say the dangers being seriously considered and worthily weighed the mercies may the more gloriously break forth like the Suns glorious rayes and heart-cheering bright beams after a thick and black cloudie storm and heart-damping tempest and that thus I say the god y Reader ruminating and recollecting Both in his sad and serious re-cogitations may justly and ingenuously acknowledge that God was in the Mount for our Deliverance Now herein for my better and more methodicall proceeding in this renowned Storie I have resolved to make our most famous and renowned Parliamentarie-Worthies first Remonstrance wherein all our Kingdoms heavie pressures and oppressions are summarily and succinctly even to the life delineated my most worthily imitable copie and pattern to write by but in these I intend to be as concise and brief as conveniently may be because my chief ayme and resolution is â—o hasten to the copious and comfortable narration and description of our Parliamentarie-Mercies and Deliverances to the everlasting glorie and precious praise of our great and good God and that at the rare and faire sight and cordiall contemplation of them the godly Reader may break out in an extasie of holy and heavenly joy and say with holy David Truly God is good to his English Israel and to all therein of an upright heart Wherefore now to pretermit all further ambages and circumlocutions and to addresse my self seriously to the matter intended I shall first with my most worthie-Masters briefly declare the root and growth of their mischievous designes and the rice of our dangerous estate thereby Secondly the maturity and ripenesse to which the malignant partie had hatcht and cherisht it before the beginning of this Parliament Thirdly the efficacious means used for the eradicating and rooting up of this evill weed so rank-grown in the garden of the Kingdom both by the Kings royall assistance and Heavens blessing on the Parliaments great wisdom industrie and providence Fourthly the bold affronts and audacious obstructions and oppositions to interrupt and check the Parliaments fair and faithfull progresse and proceedings therein all along Fifthly and lastly the counter-checking means used to annihilate and make void those obstacles and impediments which so retarded the fair fabrick and comely structure of a happie reformation of those superfluous and rank-grown evils and of redintegrating and re-establishing the ancient honour and security of this Crown and Nation even by a Parliamentarie-power the onely remedie left under God to prop-up the tottering State to force away our over-flowing fears and to heal the mortall wounds and sores of our distressed Land Now the root and rice of all the plot was found to be a pernicious woven knot of malignant active spirits combining and confederating together for the supplanting and utter subverting of the fundamentall Laws and principles of government on which the religion and government of the Kingdom were firmly establisht And those actors and promoters were fiâ—st and principally Jesuited-Papists whose teeth had long
of their wearing clothes searched for Letters and writings another of them not long after close-imprisoned for not delivering to them some Petitions which he received by authority of that House in time of Parliament A false and scandalous Declaration was then published against the House of Commons in the Kings name which yet by Gods mercie took no effect in the hearts of the people but contrariwise made the impudencie of the suspected authors of it more odious to them A forced loan of money was then attempted in the City of London to be made a president if it prevailed for the whole Kingdom but some Aldermen refusing it were sorely thrâ—atned and committed to prison About which time there fell out a mighty and tumultuous rising of Apprentisâ—s and young-men in Southwark and Lambeth side with clubs and other such weapons especially at the Arch-prelates house in Lambeth which put him into such a fright and perplexitie as made him hide his head and flie from place to place from Lambeth to Croydon and from Croydon to convey himself to some more private and remote hiding place for fear of their fuâ—y So that we might have said of him as the Prophet Jeremie did of Pashur that false prophet Jer. 20. 3. The Lord hath not called thy name Pashur but Magor-missabib even fear and terrour and trembling round about thee Which as 't was probably beleeved was the cause that the farther and more furious execution of their violent courses to get money from the Subject was not prosecuted Now though Pharaoh's Magicians were so wise and honest that at the sight of the dust of the earth turn'd into 〈◊〉 they cried out it was the finger of God yet this loftie Levite of Canterburies heart was as hard as Pharaoh's himself and would not with any remorse or penitencie of spirit acknowledge the hand of God against him but just like Pharaoh I say grew more and more out-rageous hereby For in all this interim he and the rest of the Bishops and Clergie contâ—nued their Convocation though the Parliament was dissolved and by a new-Commission turn'd it into a Provinciall-Synod in which they audaciously contrived new Canons containing many matters contrary to the Kings prerogative which they so deceitfully pretend to uphold the fundamentall Laws of the Realm Parliament priviledges and Subiects liberties and mainly tending to dangerous sedition upholding their uniust usurpations and as impudently as impiously justifying their Popish innovations idolatries and superstitious worship of God Among which their accursed Canons they had forged a new and strange Oath for the establishing of their Antichristian tyrannie with a most prodigious and monstrous Et caetera in it thereby to have deeply ensnared and grosly abused both Ecclesiasticks and Lay-men as they distinguish them Which Oath for its craft and labyrinthick intricacie and no lesse hellish crueltie so to captivate mens consciences I have thought fit here to insert The Oath I A. B. do swear that I approve the doctrine and discipline or government established in the Church of England as containing all things necessarie to salvation and that I will not endeavour by my self or any other directly or indirectly to bring in any Popish doctrine contrary to that which is so established nor will I ever give my consent to alter the government of this Church by Archbishops Bishops Deans Arch-deacons c. as it stands now established and as by right it ought to stand nor yet ever to subject it to the usurpations and superstition of the See of Rome And all these things I do plainly and sincerely acknowledge and swear according to the plain and common sense and understanding of the same words without any equivocation or mentall evasion or secret reservation whatsoever And this I do heartily willingly and truly upon the faith of a Christian So help me God in Jesus Christ Which Oath whosoever refused to take must be most severely punished with suspensions deprivations and excommunications or forced by other vexations to flie out of the Land that so the Kingdom being cleared of these squemish and nice-conscienced fellows as they call and count tender conscienc'd men a fairer and wider way might be made for the advancing of that grandâ—signe namely the Reconciliation of our English Church to the Church of Rome Now here me thinks I cannot pretermit to let the Reader see and take notice how properly this plot of theirs may be parallel'd with that of Pharaoh against the Israelites in Egypt who though kept-under with great and grievous thraldom and most heavie burthens yet grew to such a numerous multitude that Pharaoh being afraid of their number and still-increasing strength spake thus to his Lords and Counsellours Come-on my Lords let us deal wisely and endeavour timely to cure this growing Gangrene let 's keep the children of Israel under with vehement vexations and destroy all their male children in their birth lest they grow too strong for us and either forcibly get from us or joyn in battell with our enemies against us But God crossed this his craft and crueltie and made this very plot of theirs the ground-work of the greatest harm even to their whole land by Moses preservation whom God used as the main instrument of the Egyptians destruction Thus even thus I say it fared with our Prelates and Pontificians who by reason of our Scottish brâ—threns expulsion of their pernicious Prelates out of Scotland not unjustly fearing that the English Puritans would endeavour the like supplantation of their English hierarchie by the Scots example Come therefore saies the Archbishop of Canterbury to his Pontifician crew let us now deal wisely lest too late we repent it let us curâ— the courage of that encreasing Puritanicall-sect which so hates our apostolicall-Prelacie let us vex and perplex them with the heavie and hard loads of cerâ—monies superstitious innovations and new-east Canons with an c. Oath right muddie bricks straw and stable of Romish Egypt which I hope shall prove the very Quintessence of all our former plots and projects and the onely way to fix our selves fast and rivet our selves so firmly into the aposâ—olicall chair of this Kingdom by swearing the Puritans both Clergie and Laicks to our Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction as that no power either of Prince or Parliament shall ever be able to set us hereafter beside the sadle But see I pray how the Lords over-powring wisdom and goodnesse defeated their so high-built hopes crost this their deep craft and made this Oath and book of Canons the ground of their greatest overthrow So that all that see with the right-eye of a true understanding may justly say with Jethro Moses father in law Now I know that the Lord is greater than all Romes idoll gods for in the very thing wherein they dealâ— proudly the Lord was above them For after this their courage began to quail for this present Parliament was resolved on shortly after those Canons
saies our God to make England a School of mercies and to set it in the highest form thereof yea and to make it the captain of the School and thereby intend to set him one-lesson to get by heart even a lesson of true gratitude and holy obedience for the mercies which now I intend to shew and bestow upon it Such mercies indeed good Reader as thou shalt now see and to thy souls admiration and comfortable contemplation behold that had I as many tongues hands and pâ—ns as I have hairs on my head and exquisite dexteritie fitly to manage and make use of them all they would not suffice to set out the praises of our good God for them being indeed such mercies as none but God himself could miraculously conser upon us by such a mightie and admirably strange overture and turn of things which God now began to work by this Parliament and all for the better yea more and more admirable mercies to us within these two yeers than hath been bestowed on others in many ages Which now by Gods gracious assistance I shall abundantly make most clear and conspicuous to the high honour and glory of God and the unspeakable consolation and ioy of his saints and holy ones For now behold the Lord began to open the eyes and to touch the hearts of our Nobles now at York with the King and to make them wearie of their too-long silence and patience if I may so call it and to lay to heart the Kingdoms great distractions and deep distempers to be thereupon impatient of any longer delayes and very sensible of the dutie and trust which belongs to them some therefore of the most eminent of them adventured to petition the King who being now at York had there advanced his royall Standard and gathered thither the cream of the whole Kingdom yea and at such a time too when as ill Counsellours were so powerfull and prevalent with his Majestie that they had reason to expect more hazard to themselves than fair and facile redresses of those palpable and publike evils for which they then interceded At which time also of this Kingdoms deadly burning-fever or violently shaking-ague of intestine miseries and oppr ssions the Scots having been long time restrained in their trades impoverished by losse of many of their ships and goods bereaved of all possibilitie of satisfying his Majestie by any naked Supplication wherein they had been long time tired and even quite wearied-out being as frequently as fruitlesly denied their desires and now at last to shut-up quite all doors of hope from them an armie marching to the gates of their Kingdom to force them to slavish subiection and obedience They hereupon resolving to stand on their most just defence and with their swords since words would not prevail to make their own passage for audience to the King with a strong armie as their last remedy of Saints rather than Souldiers entred the Kingdom and without any hostile act or spoil in the countrey as they passed save onely being affronted by some of the Kings armie to force their passage over the Tyne at Newburn neer Newcastle and had a fair opportunitie to presse on further upon the Kings armie out that dutie and reverence to his Majestie and brotherly love and true Christian affection to our English Nation according to the tenour of a most excellent Declaration printed and dispersed over the Kingdom immediately upon their entring the Realm intituled The Scots mind and intention with their Armie which gave great satisfaction therein made them stay there piously and patiently as loving friends not foes voluntarily to wait and supplicate again to his Majestie at York for iustice in their innocent cause against their wicked enemies Whereby the King had the better leasure to entertain better Counsell according to those Noble Peers Petition also fore-mentioned wherein the Lord our God so blessed him that he summoned a great Councell of Peers then at York to meet together with him on Sept. 24 1640. The Scots hereupon the first day of the great Councill presented another most humble petition to his Majestie whereupon a treatie was appointed at Rippon in which things were so wisely and worthily agitated by the Commissioners on both sides and in all that interim a sweet cessation of Arms agreed upon that at last it was resolved that the full conclusion of all differences between is and the Scots should be referred to the wisdom and care of a Parliament declared to begin Novemb. 3 d then next ensuing as the sole means under heaven to cure all these foresaid maladies and to recover the Kingdom of its heart sick diseases and otherwise incurable mortall wounds and to settle the State of things which otherwise seemed insuperable into a right frame and posture For as hath been abundantly manifested all things were so out of joynt the King and whole Kingdom brought to such exigents and precipitating sad and bad issues that had not God thus timously struck in and thus necessitated this Parliament England undoubtedly had been made long ere this a confused Chaos of confusion a gastly Golgotha and a most foule field of Blood and posteritie might have sighiâ—gly sobd out not sung of it Ah England England once call'd Albion for thy white rocks now too justly mayest be call'd Olbion for thy black deformitie of destruction and desolation O London famous London Englands once glorious Troynovant now become a desolate wildernesse the plowmaâ—s fallow-plains or vast fields of corn or as the Prophet Jeremie by his Jerusalem might most properly have painted thee out also as in the 1 of his Lamentations But now behold thy God is come unto thee is now seen yea now I say if ever in the Mount of Mercies for thy admirable deliverance from this most profound abyss of deepest danger in this mightie mercie of thâ— Lord to thee but new-now poor gasping-England in that the English and Scottish-armies should lie so neer each other in a martiall manner and yet seem Both to shake hands together should onely look one another in the face and not embrue their hands in the blood of each other but sit still rest together in peace and at length part as they did like good friends O who can forbear but in a transcendent rapture of ioy and gratitude break-out with holy David and say or rather cheerfully sing Ascribe unto the Lord worship and honour ascribe unto the Lord the glory of his name Sing unto God ye Kingdoms of the earth O sing praises unto our God Who maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth who breaks the bowe and cuts the spear in sunder and burns the chariots in the fire Who daily loadeth us with his benefits and is the onely God of our salvation Who infatuates the wisdom of the wise and prudent and makes the counsels of Princes to come to nought
of Fame shall most worthily sound out to posteritie and crown his temples with never withering-wreathes of laurell-branches who had no sooner espied them but most fiercely and furiously he set upon their whole formidable Spanish Fleet gave them such battering broad sides and such Canon-thundring and powder-roaring salutations as quickly puld down their so late so lofty Spanish pride and maugre all their espaniâ—lized bravadoes the utmost strength of their strongest vessels was so batter'd and bruis'd their falsly suppos'd impenitrable ribs and big-swoln bellies so peirâ—'t and pestred that they quickly queld their courage fir'd sunk and took many of their greatest ships and dissipated and scatter'd the rest from our coasts few of them escaping the heroick Hollanders martiall violence to our great though unsensible yet unspeakable comfort and security we our selves not having strook one streak in our own defence nay t is well if we did not yeeld the Spaniards supplie of powder and other necessaries that time to our own destruction had not God thus strangely and strongly withstood it Say then O England did not Jehovah our great Lord and God most apparently appear now in the Mount for thy mightie deliverance did he not make good his word and promise by his holy Prophet That no weapon forged against thee shall prosper and every tongue that riseth against thee in judgement thou shalt condemne Certainly if ever at this time was this prophesie most exactly made good to England and to our faithfull brethren of Scotland For what sharp and death-wounding weapons have been forged against us both abroad and at home what slanderous tongues have risen up in judgement yea in most false iudgement against both us and them calling and counting Gods beloved ones among us factious and seditious and among our honest brethren of Scotland traitors and rebels as hath been formerly touched but now we have seen to the high honour of God and ioy of our hearts that none of their weapons have prosper'd against us yea their slanderous tongues which so falsely iudged us and our beloved brethren we have condemned to the clear eyes of all men that wilfully look not a squint on all iust things For hath not this our most noble and renowned Parliament together with the Kings full content and consent therein proclaimed our brethren of Scotland the Kings most faithfull and loyall Subiects Confirmed a fair and full Pacification and union of firm love and mutuall defence twixt us and them and the Kingdom of Ireland with an Act of oblivion of all mistakes and misconceits on either side all these I say ratified by a blessed Act of Parliament Yea and that which adds no small lustre to it that it hath hereby freed us from civill-wars which of all warres are most uncivill from intestine wars wars that would have eaten-out our own bowels from wars I say of Christians with Christians yea of Protestants with Protestants which of all wars could not but have been most fell and fatall O who then can see these things these miracles of mercies without deep admiration and holy adoration of our great God Who can forbear to break-out into cordiall praises to raise-up trophies of everlasting fame and honour to our great and glorious Lord and King Who can chuse but ingenuously acknowledge with holy David That we got not these good things into our possession by our own sword neither did our own arm save us But thy right hand O Lord and thine arm and the light of thy countenance because thou hadst a love unto us Thou art our King O command deliverance still to thy poor worm Jacob. For through thee alone shall we pull-down our enemies through thy Name onely shall we tread them under that rise up against us Tâ—â— thou O God that risest up in judgement to save all thy weak-ones on earth turning the rage and furie of man into thy praise and making the remainder of their wrath to obey thee A most remarkable mercie was it also that the Lord put into the hearts of the renowned Scaligers of our corrupted times for the better purifying not onely of the conduit-pipes of Justice to begin as about this time to put pious and noble Peers into places of honour trust and power that thus the stern of government may be the more happily steered with uprightnesse and impartialitie To which purpose as a main help thereto they have most happily taken away that State-staggering Star-Chamber-Court dissolved and dissipated into smoke the crushing-Courts of the President and Councell of the North and limited and co fined the unlimited bounds of businesses at the Councell-Table but also to scoure the muddie and even stinking channels of wrong and oppression by easing the Common-wealth of those living-grievances thereof a great advantage to the peace and tranquility of the State I mean those evill Counsellers and Officers of State who had been principall actors of all our foresaid miscries and mischiefs making thereby as it were a plaster to heal the deadly wounds of Church and State and most hopefully to recover the almost incureable diseases of the Kingdom by a plaister I say of the blood of that insulting arch-traitor the Earl of Straford who as he had well-nigh stabd the State to the heart by his deep and most dangerous plots both abroad and at home So the stroak of Justice retaliated with blood his most bold and bloodie designes maugre all his slyest shufflings and crafty jeerings of the Law to have eluded it and thereby hoping to have prevented the said just vengeance on him And here by the way I desire the Reader to take notice of Gods most equall and upright wayes and dealings with wicked ungodly and blood-thirstie men how exactly he repayes the bloody plots and purposes of all proud and ambitious Hamans in their own coyn as here is most perspicuously seen in this our English-Haman who in his heart had vow'd the wrack and ruine of all Gods faithfull ones in England Scotland and Ireland at the least But we have happily seen this proud Haman the first that felt the due stroke of justice to the honour of God and the terrour of all such daring traytors And as for the rest of that rabble I may here take-up that of the holy Prophet David How long will ye imagine mischief against men ye shall be slain all the pack of you for as a bowing or tottering-wall shall ye be and as a rotten fence Tremble therefore at this all ye perfidious conspiring Shâ—ba's and fear in time such just retaliation Certainly There is none like unto thee O Lord thou art great and thy Name is great in might Who would not fear thee O King of Nations for to thee it doth indeed appertain to do justice and take revenge for as much as among all the wise men of the world and in all their Kingdoms there is none like unto thee
or dunghill with this inscription engraven in Marble with fair capitall letters This jakes was once the High-Commission-Court So hatefull and hurtfull I say was that Court and its accursed effects to Gods people in this Kingdome especially being backâ— and â—oulsterd-up with the irresistible wrongs and unavoidable oppressive censures of the Star-Chamber whether godly men and women of all ranks and conditions that disobeyed the High-Commissions unlawfull Commands were turned over when their own Ecclesiasticall Power was not prevalent enough to punish and plague them so deeply as their malice and mischief aymed at Yea and the all-overtopping power of the Councill-Table was no small assailant of the subjects and assistant to the Prelates wicked Designes but that tyrannizing Starr-Chamber Court is by our prudent Parliamentary Worthies voted down as hath been formerly touched to the unspeakable comfort and freedome of the Kings best and most loyall Subjects and the immoderate and excessive power of the Councell-Table is by the wisdome of our most Worthy Senators so ordered and restrained that we may well hope by Gods mercie such things as were heertâ—fore frequently done to the intolerable prejudice of the Subjects libertie will appear amongst us in future times but onely in Stories to give us and our posteritie more just occasion to bless our God for his Majesties goodn ss and for the faithfull and indefatigable endeavours of this present Parliament Now then put all these last fore-mentioned Parliamentary-Mercies together into one account and then tell me whether they do not arise to a mightie 〈◊〉 and deep debt of â—â—erlastingly obliging gratitude to our so bountifull and â—pâ—n-handed enlargedhearted a God to us so und serving and rather wrath-provoking a people in thus conferring such 〈…〉 such incomparable free kindnesses on England such a sinfull naugâ—â—ie Nation Yea tell mee good Reader on serious recoâ—â—ction and recogitation of these most bounteous bl ssings whether the Lord Jehovah hath not been seen most conspicuously to England above all Nations round about it On the Mount of matchless Mercies to the ineffable joy and rejoycing of our Soules in the deepest gulfes of our stinging-Staites Whether our God hath not with admirable patience goodnes and favour waited on us that he might be gracious unto us and exalted himself that he might have mercie upon us for the Lord is a God of judgement O blessed are all they that wisely wait for him For his people shall dwell in Sion at Jerusalem and shall weep no more For he will be very gracious unto them at the voice of their cry and when he shall hear it he will answer them And though the Lord give them the bread of adversarie for a season and the water of affliction yet shall not their Teachers be removed into a corner any more but their eyes shall see their Teachers again Thus O even thus hath our gracious God directly dealt with us thus hath our English-Israels Shâ—aphâ—rd of his late poor despised stock kept a carefull watch over us who had been els made the Prelates perpetuall-Asses to bear all their Romish and slavish burthens Wherefore with holy David we may justly and ingenuously acknowledge Thy righteousnes O God is very high who hast done great things for us O God who is like unto thee Thou who hast shown us great and sore troubles yet hast quickned us again and brought us up from the depth of the grave Our lips shall greatly rejoyce when we sing unto thee and our hearts and soules which â—hou hast redeemed Our tongues shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long for they are confounded and brought unto shame which most seditiously and scelerously ought our destruction And thus have we all most perspicuously â—een and observed how gracious and propitious the Lord hath been to his late most tottering Church crossing her 〈…〉 â—n all their deepest designes most sublime imaginations leaving them still in the lurch and loss when they seemed to swell with highest concâ—ipts of cruell and accursed conquests over their harmless brethren letting them see if they wilfully blind not their eyes their big-swoln tympanie of unsufferable pride and arrogancie to be turned into a flashie ignis fatuus of self-deceiving subtiltie and changing all their vaporous puffs of gross impiety into folly and madness But now let us proceed to enlarge our most serious observations on what remains still in a most admirable measure heerin and let us yet farther see and consider how the Lord who is neverweary of well-doing nay who takes delight and great pleasure to pleasure his freely beloved Ones with his plenteous benefits Of whom we cannot say as Esau to his Father Isaac Hast thou but one blessing my Father but a God who the more he gives the more he hath to give being indeed an unexhaustible spring and never to be dryed but ever-overflowing fountain of all goodnes whatsoever But withall take this note by the way with thee good Reader that as before so now especially in these ensuing remarkable mercies thou shalt see the rage and malice of the malignant partie marveilously interposing their wicked plotts to cross and utterly to frustrate as much as in them lay all the wayes and means of Gods intended yea and miraculously performed mercies to us but yet all their plotts and desperate designes by Gods good providence were still strangely thwarted and timely discovered and disappointed to our comfort and their shame and helpless vexation Let us now then I say goe-on to see how our glorious Lord and King persists to make us of our selves I confesse and in respect of our Capernaum-like means of grace so unimproved the most infull and undeserving Nation under heaven the most beloved and happiest Nation in the world See therefore how our renowned Parliamentary-Worthies freed the Kingdome from that former illegall compelling of the Subject to receive the order of Knighthood against their will from the encroachments and oppression of the Stannary-Courts and Extortions by Clerkes of Markets from vile vexations also by Parkes and Forrests which were now by a Law reduced into their right bounds and limits Yea how they moved and prevailed with the King to set forth his Proclamation for banishing all the Romish Priests and Jesuites out of the Kingdome on pain of death upon their after-apprehension in the Land Together with an Act of Parliament for disarming of all Popish-Recusants over the whole Kingdome to the great comfort and securitie of Gods people who before were in continuall feare of their mischievous insurrections as being well acquainted with their rebellious Spirits on all advantages it also being a Principle of their Religion for the advancement of the Catholick-Cause not to keep any plighted faith with Heretickes for such they account all that are not of their Romish not faith but faction Yea that cage of most unclean birds Sommerset-House I mean in the Strand cleansed in good measure
such as not to be corrupted by such base bribes That Captain Billingslâ—y was invited by Sir John Suckling a suckling indeed in honestie but not in treacherie to have employment in this pernicious project and that one Captain Chidley brought down many instructions to the Armie That Colonell Goring should have been Leivetenant-generall of the said Armie and that the Prince and the Lord of Newcastle were to meet them in Nottinghamshire with a thousand Horse all which Propositions came from M r Jermine and were dispersed and made known by Serjeant Major Wallis and Captain Chidley The said Wallis having confessed also that the French would assist them in this their Design and that our holy or rather hollow-hearted Clergie of England whereof the reverend forsooth Bishops were the ringleaders would at their own charge set forth and maintain a thousand horse farr more than ever they yet proffered by a thousand to assist against the barbarous and bloudy Popish Rebells of Ireland To the addition of their everlasting shame and ignominie be it spoken Finally that an intercepted Letter of M r Jermines to M r Mountague imported that they expected the Earl of Straford with them in the North but blessed be the Lord their wicked hope was frustrated as aforesaid and that for the better completing of these their most accursed designes Jermine much endeavoured to get Portsmouth into their hands as one M r Bland confessed but could not compass it These and such like plotted designes for the ends afore-mentioned being farther discovered and witnessed by severall depositions of diverse examinates as the Reader may more fully see in the late Remonstrance of Ireland published by authoritie of the Parliament But when this mischeivous assigne and attempt of theirs thus to bring on that Armie against the Parliament and Citie of London which they well knew was all along a main and strong fast friend to the Parliament had been by Gods great mercie timely discovered and thereby utterly frustrated and prevented they presently undertook and attempted another design of the same damnable nature with this addition to it namely to make the Scottish Armie neutrall and so to sit still and let them alone whilst the English Armie which they had laboured to corrupt and invenome against the Parliament and Citie of London by false and slanderous suggestions should execute their malice to the subversion of our Religion and the dissolution of our long happie government Thus I say did they plott and continually practise to disturb our peace and to destroy all the Kings Dominions And for that cause had employed most industriously their Emissares and agents in them all for the promoting of these their devillish designes But by Gods infinite mercie and the vigilancie of such as were honest and well-affected to religion to peace and the prosperity of the Parliament they were all I say still timely discovered and defeated before they could be ripe enough for execution among us in England and Scotland Onely in Ireland which was farther-off and full of Papists Jesuites and Priests they had time to mould and prepare their wicked work and had brought it to much pernicious perfection For not long after the most bold and bloodie rebellion in Ireland brake-out there which had it not been timely revealed and prevented by Gods great mercie and good providence in the preservation of the Castle of Dublin but the very Eave before it should have been taken by the rebels the whole Kingdom had been fully possessed by them the government of it totally subverted the true Religion had been quite extirpated and rooted out and all the Protestants whom the conscience of their dutie to God their King and countrey would not have permitted to joyn with them had been utterly destroyed as in a most lamentable manner very many thousands of them poore souls have alreadie been as is most fully and fearfully to be seen to the terrour and amazement of all Christian hearts that read the same both in that Treatise entituled Irelands-Tears and the Irish-Remonstrance And indeed they have therby kindled such a fire there and blown it into such an over-spreading flame as nothing but Gods extraordinarie blessing upon the wisdom and endeavours of this State will be able to quench it And certainly had not God in his great mercie to our Land and Nation discovered and confounded their first designe for the grand-plot of all on England and Scotland we all in England had certainly been the prologue to this wofull tragedie in Ireland and had by this time and before them been the most deplorable spectacle of lamentation and wo ruine and confusion to all Europe that ever the Sun beheld And therefore here me thinks we may most fitly take up that of holy David with a little inversion of the words to our selves If the Lord had not been on our side now may England say and that most justly if the Lord had not been on our side when men rose up against us Then had they swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us Then the waters had overwhelmed us the proud waves and raging billows had gone over our souls But blessed O for ever blessed be God that hath not given us over as a prey to their devouring teeth Now about this time it pleased the Lord to permit the malignant partie so far to prevail with the King and among them the Lord Cottington a Popish Lord and strongly suspected to be one of the prime projecting heads of that faction that Sir William Belfore a worthy and noble gentleman then Lieftenant of the Tower of London was displaced from that office of so great trust and the said Lord Cottington made Constable of the Tower who presently kept a great pudder in the Tower placing and displacing things therein planting Ordâ—nance on the wals thereof with their mouths toward the Citie entertaining Souldiers to guard and keep it of very ill-condition and suspected for Poperie all these to the great terrour and amazement of the vigilant Citizens of London who had still extraordinarie jealous eyes on him and all his actions and carriages and thereupon complain'd and petitioned the Parliament against him and his demeanour in the Tower and the Parliament moved the King most instantly about it who on their long and urgent importunitie at last so far prevailed with his Majestie that he put the Lord Cottington from being Constable of the Tower and chose-in one Collonel Lunsford to be Leiftenant thereof a man of an ill name and condition of life and whom I my self knew a prisoner in Newgate not very long before for a great abuse offered by him to Sir Thomas Pelham now a worthie Knight of Sussex and at which time of his imprisonment there it was generally and credibly reported that upon an abuse done by him also to one of the Officers of Newgate who had been his very
good friend in the time of his imprisonment he brake prison or stole away and left the poore Clerk of Newgate in great distresse and danger thereby and a man indeed most iustly excepted against by our grave parliamentarie Senators as most unfit to have such a trust and power entrusted to him especially in times of such great and constant fears and distractions of the State and City of London Whereupon this man also was much and long petitioned against both by the Citizens of London to the Parliament and by the Parliament to the King to have him remov'd and a man of known and approved integritie on whom they might safely confide to be chosen into the place and to have the safe custodie thereof committed to him Whose removeall was also at length with much adoe condescended unto by his Maisstio and the said Collonel Lunsford put out the King putting in one Sir John Byron a gentleman though of no such ill-savour of life as the former yet not answerable to the desires of our prudent Worthies in Parliament whose wisdom and circumspection fore-saw that to be amisse in the choice likewise which much discontented them and enforced them to petition his Maiestie for his removeall also as it was the joynt desire likewise of Citie and Countrey Here therefore we may now see the great goodnesse of our God in thus wisely disposing and ordering things that though the malignant partie seemed so far to prevail and get advantages against Gods people yet even in these also the Lord still crost them and their devillish designes and regarded the desires and cleared the fears of his servants for his own Names sake Much about which time a most impious and malicious-hearted fellow audaciously sent a letter to the Parliament directed and endorsed to that ever most highly honoured Member of the House of Commons Mr. Pim a most pious patriot of his countrey and in it a filthie fresh plaster taken from a plague-sore expressing in the letter what it was and why t was sent namely in hope that the very sudden sight and thought on it he being then in the Parliament House might and would damp and dead his heart with fear and so have infected the worthie gentleman to death with it A copie of which letter I have thought fit here to insert that the Reader may see the odiousnesse of it and this action more fully The copie of the Letter sent to Mr. Pim in the Parliament House with a filthy plague-sore plasture in it MAster Pim do not think that a guard of men can protect you if you persist in your traiterous courses and wicked designes I have sent a paper-messenger to you and if this do not touch your heart a Dagger shall so soon as I am recovered of my plague-sore In the mean time you may be forborn because no better man may be indangered for you Repent Traitour Which letter was delivered I say as Mr. Pim went into the Parliament But contrary to the wicked intention of the master and message God whose will all his creatures obey to save or slay as he pleaseth as was remarkably evident in that fiery fornace seven times hotter than ordinarily yet not able so much as to singe the hair or clothes of that pair royall of God-adoring Hebrews cast thereinto preserved this Noble Gentleman from the intended evill thereof For this undaunted and conscience-unspotted couragious Worthie like that magnanimous Romane Camillus of whom Plutarch in his Lives makes mention who whiles he was delivering his Embassage to the heathen Prince to whom he was sent by the Senators of Rome and with whom the Romans that time waged war this Princes Nobles had suddenly and unknown to Camillus set a mightie Elephant close behind his back and made it suddenly and extremly to roar therby thinking to have startled and frighted this famous Romane but he was nothing moved therewith but went-on smoothly and undauntedly with his Embassage to the wonder and amazement of this Prince and his Nobles who were mightily taken with the unbended resolution of this couragious Romane so I say this piously valourous-hearted gentleman Mr Pim was nothing at all dis-heartned or distempered at the sight of the plaisture nor with the wicked threats which that atheisticall wretch sent besides in the letter to stab him with his Dagger if that plasture failed God having hitherto preserved him and I trust so will a most loyall subject to his Soveraign and a most prudent and painfull promoter of the best good in Church and Common-wealth And although it may peradventure be objected that this was but a private or particular passage and therefore not so pertinent to our purpose yet considering the eminencie of the person and his employments and use in Parliament for the publike good and the transcendent malice and envie of that malignant person whoever he was ayming at a publike mischief therein I could not conceive it impertinent to the present occasion but very worthy our observation and gratification to God for it Much about this time also it pleased the Lord to put into the hearts of the worthy Citizens of London to take into their serious consideration the great retarding and delaying of the weightie affairs of the Kingdom and the unhappie protraction of punishing Delinquents together with the uncomfortable reluctancies and disunion between both the Houses and all this by reason of an ill-affected potent and pernicious destructive partie especially in the House of Lords by Prelates and Popish-Lords striving and contriving to hinder or quite make void all good Votes among them and to advance all evill Therefore I say the most and best-affected and pious-hearted Citizens of London unanimously petitioned Both Houses of Parliament touching those and such like serious and important matters being I say most of them men of the best note and qualitie of the whole Citie both for piety and ability Who went with their Petition to the Parliament in a most grave and substantiall equipage in fiftie or sixtie Coaches at the least and were there most graciously and gratefully entertained both by the Lords and Commons and received a most cordiall and comfortable answer to their Petitions which act of theirs they being the samplar and pattern even of the whole Kingdom and upon whom the eyes of the whole Land were cast to be by them encouraged and directed begat such an honest and happie emulation in all the Counties of the Kingdom as by Gods great mercie produced most blessed effects to us all as shall be more particularly and punctually declared in its proper place Not long after also the honest Apprentises of the said Citie of London being very sensible of their Masters sufferings by those distractions in the Common-wealth and the generall decay of trading and thereby also of their own present and future great discouragements in their hope of comfortable subsistence and livelyhood when they
summons of the 14. of May commanding the gentrie to appear before him in their equipage And thereupon voted 1. That it appeared that his Majestie seduced by wicked Counseâ—â— intends to make war against the Parliament who in all their consultations and actions have proposed no other end unto themselves but the care of his Kingdom and the performance of all dutie and loyaltie to his person 3. That whensoever the King maketh war upon the Parliament it is a breach of the trust reposed in him contrary to his Oath and tending to the dissolution of this government 3. That whosoever shall serve or assist him in such wars are traitors to the fundamentall Laws of this Kingdom and have been so adjudged in two Acts of Parliament namely 11 of Ric. 2. and 1 of Hen. 4. and ought to suffer as traitors Which said two Acts taken out oâ— the Records in the Tower of London containing divers Articles 〈◊〉 treason then exhibited in the Parliament against the Archbishop of York Michael de la Pool and others in the time of Ric. 2. most exquisitely and punctually depainting the present state of things with us now were by Both Houses of Parliament voted to be printed and published in French English and Latine on May 26 1642. Since this about May the 25 a dispatch was made from the Parliament to their Committee at York with an Ordinance of Parliament to be published in all Market-towns over that whole Countie declaring that the Train'd-bands ought not to be raised by his Majesties personall command as the affairs of the Kingdom now stand And on May 27. and 28. 1642. two Orders from both Houses were printed and published The one to all high Sheriffs and all other Officers within the Countie of Lancaster and in generall to all the Counties of England and dominion of Wales Both of them to this effect that In regard of their just jealousies and grounded-fears that his Majestie seduced by wicked Counsell intended to make war against the Parliament therefore no Arms and Ammunition should be conveyed toward York And for keeping a strict watch within their severall limits and jurisdictions and to search for and seize on all such arms and ammunition and to apprehend all such persons going to York with any such and to suppresse and hinder the raising and coming together of any Souldiers horse or foot by any Warrant or Commission from his Majestie alone without the advise and consent of his Parliament By this and all other fore-mentioned means to stop and hinder the breaking out of civill broils and dissentions in the Kingdom and to maintain and propagate the blessed and happie peace thereof yea the care and providence of this Parliament continually contriving and casting about for the welfare of the King and Kingdom gave order that the severall Societies of Sadlers Aâ—mourers and Gun-smiths should forthwith certifie to the Houses of Parliament what numbers of Arms and Sadles they were to provide weekly and for whom And have been most vigilant and circumspect to cause their Ordinance for the Militia of the Kingdom for the better strengthening of it to be put into execution in Lincolnshire which his Majestie had opposed by a Proclamation which Ordinance of Parliament was notwithstanding obediently observed and exercised in Buckinghamshire Middlesex Essex Leicestershire and other Counties And about the 29. or 30. of May 1642. It having been enformed to the Parliament that an Ancient of Sir John Hothams was apprehended and imprisoned at York the Parliament presently sent to the Committee there to know the ground of his detenor and if for being in the service of both Houses then they hold it an act of hostilitie against the Parliament and are likewise to return the names of all such Members of the House as are at York their presence there tending to countenance the war intended against the Parliament And about June the second this most pious and prudent Parliament sent a most submissive Petition with 19 Propositions from Both Houses of Parliament all of them containing matters of high concernment for the singular good as they providently conceived both of Church and Common-wealth which in their most religious and prudent aymes might extraordinarily tend to a most blessed happie and deeply desired accommodation and reconciliation of differences and misunderstandings betwixt his Majestie and them protesting and seriously assuring his Majestie that if he would vouchsafe to grant those their most humble and behoofefull requests they would with all alacrity of mind and celerity of endeavour apply themselves so to regulate his Majesties revenues and to settle such an extraordinarie and constant increase of it as should be abundantly sufficient to support his royall dignitie in majesticall honour and princely plentie beyond the proportion of any of his Subjects grants to any of his Majesties predecessours But this so humble submission these fair propositions and this so loyall a protestation of fidelity and integritie toward his Majestie conceived and brought forth shortly after a very harsh and unpleasing replie unto them to theirs and our no small sorrow and continued yea and aggravated grief and discontent Now the summe of all these premised particulars so summarily mentioned together comes to thus much that all these many weightie and various premises seriously considered and impartially preponderated cannot but most copiously discover and lay open to the eyes of all that are not wilfully and obstinately blind and too extremly incredulous even against clearest sight sense and most resplendent demonstrations on the one side the most sturdie and untyred though hitherto blessed be the Lord most fruitlesse projects plots and craftie contrivements of the malignant partie under a specious colour and pernicious pretence of advancing regall authority prerogative and the Kings prosperitie and yet all of these by them most egregiously injured and abused to the slie subversion of both King and Kingdom First as a most eminent worthie and pious Member of the House of Commons lately related it most pithily and pertinently by weakning and invalidating the proceedings and power of the Parliament and making way for the utter subversion of it Secondly for this end by gathering forces together at York under a pretence of a guard for his Majesties person but purposely to make opposition against the Parliament and thereby also to support Delinquents to slight and scorn the power and orders of the Parliament and to make them of no esteem or reputation Thirdly to send out bitter invectives and unjust aspersions in his Majesties name as Declarations and messages from him onely to perplex the Parliament with â—edious expense of their precious time to answer them and thereby also by false colours and glosses to make the people disaffect the Parliament yea and if possibly to stir them up to destroy it and all Parliaments for ever and with it themselves their wives and children Fourthly and lastly to draw the
Members of both Houses away from their dutie and attendance on them and to go down to York thereby to make the Parliament as it were bleed to death and moulder to nothing and thus to blemish the actions of Both Houses of Parliament as done by a few and inconsiderable number and rather a partie than a Parliament and perhaps to set-up an Anti-parliament at York A desperate and most dangerous practise utterly to ruinate all But all in vain I trust in the Lord as hitherto we have happily seen in all their designes for ever blessed be the Lord our God for it But on the other side we may most apparently perceive and clearly behold by all those fore-mentioned particulars on the Parliaments part the most admirable and even onely-heaven-inspired wisdom moderation prudence pietie patience and indefatigable vigilancie of our ever to be honoured and everlasting renowned Peers and Commons in Parliament most humbly demeaning themselves alwayes toward his Majestie most wisely and courageously against the malignant partie most religiously and faithfully to Church and State in generall and most graciously tenderly and affectionately as so many fathers of their Countrey to all singular petitions and petitioners desiring their aid and assistance in a fair and fitting way for the good of Church and State which was most undeniably evident by the most sweet reciprocall resultaâ—ce and concurrent confluence of hearts and affections of all in City and Countrey over all the whole three Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland that had any spark or glimpse of true grace yea of but meer common-grace and goodnesse to the infinite praise and glorie of the Lord our God be it spoken and to the unexpressible joy of our souls even of the souls of all those that cordially love and desire to live to see the glorious and most happie espousals and never-again-to be-sequâ—stred-union and marriage twixt Peace and Truth the grand and gracious desire of that good King Hezâ—kiah the main if not onely ayme and â—nd of this prudent Parliament and which ought to be also of every true godly Christian with them Now therefore friendly Reader I say all those fore-mentioned particulars conglomerated into one bodie of serious animadversion those clouds of witnesses attesting this truth say was not thy wonder-working God the Lord Jehovah most admirably most gloriously even far beyond all humane apprehension or expression seen in the Mount of mercies for Englands mightie Deliverance Tell me good Reader speak thy conscience freely hath not England found yea hath not this blessed Parliament found our God raising up one Elisha or other to reveal and timely to discover all the wicked plots and devises of the malignant partie even now and of late and indeed all-along against the happie hope-breathing condition of our greatly envied Church and State So that we may say of England now adayes especially within this yeer and a half as Balaam once said of the children of Israel Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob neither is there any divination against Israel for according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel What hath God wrought So certainly we have all seen it and the very adverse and malignant partie must needs confesse it Surely there is no enchantment against England and Scotland nor is there any divination of the wicked that can prosper against the Houses of Parliament for according to these times of our wonderfull deliverances It shall be said to succeeding posteritie of England and of Scotland O what hath our most gracious God freely wrought for us Nay let me speak in particular to those of the malignant faction or let me rather sing it out with most emphaticall joy as Moses did in his sweet song of Gods high praises and let them denie it if they can Their Rock is not as our Rock even they our enemies themselves being judges For had their rock or rather Egyptian-reed been able to have over-powred our celestiall-Rock we had undoubtedly long ere this been made most wofull spectacles to them and theirs of ineffable ruine and implacable wrath whereas we are now most hopefully happie spectators of their most black shame sorrow and precipitating confusion Even so Amen Lord Jesus hasten it for thine elects sake Now then these things being thus how can we but with holy David break out into over-flowing cordiall-gratitude and say with his heart and tongue What shall we render to the Lord for all his blessed benefits toward us We will take the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord. We will pay our vows of universall true obedience unto the Lord in the presence of all the people Yea I say how can we forbear to break-forth into pious King Davids excitation and stimulation of our hearts to infinitely obliged thankfulnesse but with sincere rouzed-up souls to sing Blesse the Lord O my soul and all that is within me blesse his holy Name Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all or any of his precious benefits Who hath forgiven all thine iniquities and healed all thy great and grievous diseases Who hath redeemed thy life from destruction and hath crowned thee with loving kindnesse and tender mercies In summe therefore to wind-up all briefly let me beseech thee good Christian Reader to make this four-fold holy use and observation of all these premises these remarkable and unparalleld parliamentarie-mercies to England to unworthie sinfull England First to admire and adore the infinite and free mercie of our good God who hath done all these great things for thee even for his own Name sake because this so glorious a wonder-working attribute of free-grace and merci pleaseth him best of all Know O England that it was not for thine own sake that God hath done all these things for thee but for his holy Names sake which alas thou hadst most extremly profaned But thy God was willing to sanctifie his own great Name which thou I say hadst profaned and because he would make the wiâ—ked and ungodly among thee to know that God is the Lord and that he will be sanctified in you before their eyes and that they may see that the Lords hand is listed uâ— against them though they will not see yet they shall see and be ashamed of their envie at Gods people when the fire of Gods wrath devoures his enemies and when they shall perceive that the Lord onely hath ordained peace for his people and hath wrought al his works in us and for us Let us not therfore my dear Christian English brethren and friends so much look on our sins as to dead our hearts or to damp our faith by saying one to another O but our sins are greater than other Nations and therefore surely the Lord will not yet save and deliver us till we are fitted for mercie Alas alas if God should not be mercifull to us till
From which so high and dangerous an indignitie to our good God the Lord for Christs sake by the irresistible power of his good Spirit preserve and uphold England Scotland and Ireland and all thaâ— have by Gods gracious power and good providence shaken-off and broken in pieces that heavy yea that hellish yoke of Romes Anti-Christian tyrannie Amen and Amen All glorie be to God alone FINIS Gods 2. royall Prerogatives or attributes Mercie and Iustice Mans happinesse Satans fall foâ— pride Satan tempts man Mans fall Iob 33. 24. â—uk 1. 69. Mans restauration by the promised-Seed A combat denounced twixt the womans seed and the Serpents-seed Matt. 28. 20. The cause of the Combate 1 Ioh. 3. 1â— True religion The prosecution of the Combate In France Germanie England Scotland c. The ill-successe of the malignant Combatants The blood of the Saints is the seed of the Church Matth. 28. 20. Psal 34. 19. Mans necessity is Gods opportunitie Psal 35. 17. England the Land-mark of Gods mercies The Pope began to be pusht-down by King Hen. 8. King Edw. 6. Queen Elizabeth Spanish-Armado 1588. Powder-plot by Papists 1605. The main occasion of this Treatise Parliamentarie-Mercies The Mount of Straits The Mount of Mercies Iesuiticall-Priests and pontifick Prelates like Simeon and Levi. Contrarie juxta se posita mag is illucescunt Dangers and Deliverances opposed shew the more gloriously The first Parliamentarie-Remonstrance Psal 73. 1. The root and growth of this their plot The ripenesse of it The means of curing it The boyling obstructions against the cure The counter-checking of thoseobstacles The root and râ—ce of the plot was The Complotters Jesuited-Papists Prelates and Pontificians Profane and irreligious Courtiers Their Principles to work by To set the King people at jarres about Prerogatives and Liberties To suppresse the power and purity of Religion To countenance all their own and to disgrace all the opposite party To cause the King to disaffect Parliaments Note this wel Primo regis Caroli oâ—us servesâ—ere caepit This plot waâ— first machinated in King Iames his dayes The first Parliament at Oxford dissolved Sad effects of the dissolution of that first Parliament Rochel lost West Indie voyage diverted Câ—â—es attempted Peace with Spain without Parliaments consent The Palsgraves cause deserted Billetted Souldiers over the Kingdom German horse A second Parliament dissolved Sad events on the breach of this Parliament also A third Parliamentdissolved By which cruell usage Sir Iohn Ellâ—ot a most worthy Member of the House and pious patriot died then in prison More bad issues on the breach of the third Parliament Parliaments Parliament Members mightily vilified and disgraced Quarto Caroli Knight-hood money Tonnage and Poundage Book of Rates Ship-money Forrests enlarged Coat Conduct-money Traind-bands Arms taken away Gun-powder engrossâ—d The Forrest of Dean Many Moth-eating Monopolies Restraint of habitations trading Corporall â—â—xations and punishments inflicted on many good Subjects Star-Chamber Court a main fomenter of Suits and Censures Oppressions for Religion and Cases of Conscience No lâ—sse than transcendent barbarous crueltie Iudges displaced and discountenanced for their honestie The Privie-Councill Table a great favourer of these illegalities Selling of justice and places of judicature Prelatespranks in the Church Suspensions excommunications The high-Commission-Court little inferiour to the Spanish-Inquisition In Citie and Countrey men and women forced to flie into forrein parts Into Holland and New-England Who they were which got most preferments Court sermons what and to what end Godly Ministers thrust from their livings The faction now grown to its heighth Three parts of now perfecting thewhole plot Psal 62 9. Malum consâ—lium consultori pessimum Psal 7. 14 15 16. How they began to put their threefold plot aforesaid into full execution Scotland attempted A new Liturgie and Canons put upon them But rejected Dux faemina facti Virg. in his Aen. Zach. 4. 10. * Cap 3. 9. A great disturbance in the Church 1 Kin. 18. 44. All Scotland opposeth it They are proclaimed Rebels in all Churches in England An armie raised against them The Scots do the like The first Pacification God in the Mount Psal 33. 10 11 12. The malignant partie displeased with the Pacification Chiefly the Arch-Prelate Laud and the Earl of Straford Preparation for war again A Parliament motioned to an ill intent Psal 94. 20 The Scots prosecuted again The Earl of Straford in Ireland cals a Parliament whereby they deeply engage themselves for this war A Prosopopoeia to Ireland as touching this act and her present state A short yet sharp check to England also The Earl of Straf returned home Simeon and Levi. A fourth Parliament called April 13. 1640. The said 4th Parliament dissolved Mark this O England for thy comfort Reverend Mr. Case in his 12. Arguments of comfort to England May 5. 1640. Violent courses again exercised to get money Very ill usage to some eminent Parliament Members A scandalous Declaration published A forced loan of money urged in the city of London Aldermen imprisoned for refusing it The Apprentises rising in Southwark side and at Lambeth Exod. 8. 19. The Clergie continue their Convocation New Canons made A new-forged Oath with a monstrous c. in it Punishments on those that refused to take it Exod. 1. 9 10. Pharaohs speech to his Nobles Pharaohs policie proved meer follie The Arch-Prelate of Canterbury his speech to his Pontificians in the Synod Exod. 18. 11. Large taxations laid on the Clergie towâ—â—d the war Bellum Episcopale Praiers against the Scots as against rebels The Souldiers marching forward to York Turn rude-Reformers Non omninâ— laudo admirer tamen Iudg. 5. 23. 31. The Papists did enjoy almost a full toleration Sir Francis Windibank their great friend A Popes Nuncio Great libertie to the Papists A Popish private Parliament in England Divers notable private contrivements of the Popish partie for the full perfecting of the plot See here by all these particulars if England was not bought and sold to destruction England brought into a Mount of Straits Psal 94. 20. Jer. 16. 16. Gen. 10. 8 9. Nimrod a mighty hunter 2 Chron. 16. 9. Psal 65. 2. Nehem 9. 17. Psal 46. 1. Luk 8. 48. Exod. 14. 13. Deut. 3â— 35 36. Admirable comfort in deepest distresse Mr Cala. Fast-Ser The introduction to the now subsequent Parliamentarie-mercies A mightie and strange overture of things for the better The Nobility begins to be sensible of our sorrows The Kings royall Standard set up at York The Peers do petition the King The Scots also were vexed as well as we They enter our Kingdom with a strong Armie The Scots at New-castle The intention of the Scots Armyâ— printed and published in private The King entertains good counsell at York Sept. 24 1640. A treatie at Rippon A cessation of Armes agreed A fifth Parliament called to begin Novem 3. 1640. Râ—dis indigestaque moles Seges ubi Trâ—jâ— fuit God in the Mount Psal 68. 34. 32. Psal 46. 9. Psal
Tower The Lord Cottington made Constable of the Tower Cottington displaced Col. Lunsford made Leiftenant of the Tower Lunsford also displaced Sir Iohn Byron made Leiftenant of the Tower Petitioned against A Plague-sore plasture sent in a letter unto Mr. Pim. Dan 3. Camillus a renowned Romane Captain Plutarch in his Lives Mr. Pims most undaunted spirit against the plasture Mr. Pims due praise An objection answered The Citizens of London petition both Houses of Parliament The Citizens most grave substantiall delivery of their Petition The gracious answer to their Petition The Apprentises of London do likewise petition The Porters of London also do petition the Parliament The Apprentises of London go again to the Parliament for an answer to their Petition Are greatly affronted The Bishops the cause of the quarrell Citizens abused at Whitehall by Courtiers there 1641. A great disturbance and hubbub at Westm Abbey the next day The Bishops are frighted from the Parliament by apprentises by land water The most remarkableevent of that affront to the Bishops The Bishops just fears and jealousies of theirdownfall The Bishops do petition the King Peers touching their grievances The Bishops Petition and Protestation to the King and Peers Twelve Bishops impeached of high treason and imprisoned in the Tower Quod nequit ingenium Dâ—us fecit Job 41. 34. Mark this note well Craft and crueltie Laodicean securitie Iudges 5. O how far short came all our best Bishops of noble Q. Hester in her zeal and courage for God and his Saints 1 Cor. 16 22. Here is the pith of the note which In desire thee to mark The great impenitencie of our Prelates * Bp. Hall a most fierce but fruitlesse stickler for Diocesan Episcopacie in a book of his lately printed and published in his own defence 2 Kin. 9. 22. Bp Halls Peace of Rome Two Scottish Bishops renounced their Bishopricks as an Antichristian function * In his defence of Episcopacie Ezra 6. 11 12. * O how much more precious are the living temples of the holy-Ghost which our Prelates have been so far from building up that the worst of them have laboured to pull down and destroy the very best of them have lazily and carelesly suffered to be destroyed The great designe of Ian. 4. 1641. exactly described A Serjeant at Arms sent from the King to apprehend the five Gentlemen accused of high treason The King himself went to the Parliament with 500 attendants Papists others The Souldiers demeanour about the Parliament-door The Souldiers most audacious and accursed speeches The Parliament attendants and Servants about the doore disarmed by force The King placed himself in the Speaker of the Parliaments chair The plot blessedly crost by the absence of the gentlemen The King departed out of the Parliament The main intention of this great grievous designe A Proclamation published at Westm against those Parliament-Worthies Voted to be a scandalous illegall paper Those worthy gentlemen justified by the Parliament A brief congratulatory for Gods mercie in this their so great a deliverance Deut. 33. 26 27. Psal 109. 27 28. Exod. 19. 4. Psal 105. 1 2 â— The Parliament adjourned and turn'd into a Grand-Committee at London in the Grocers Hall The Ministers of London petition the Parliament for an Assembly and a monethly Fast An assembly of Ministers resolved on in Parliament A monethly Fast proclaimed all over the Kingdom Rom. 8. 31. 2 King 6. 16 17. 1 Cor. 15. 57. Ship-masters and Sea-men petition the Parliament and proffer their service to it on all occasions Tuesday Ian 11. 1641. Our Parliament-Worthies most bravely attended to Westm by land And by water A brief description of the brave carriage of the Souldiers and Sea men by land and water Terror to the malignant partie But joy and comfort to the godly The legality of the acts aforesaid by land water Buckinghamshire men came riding into the City to petition the Parliament Essex Hartford and other Counties come to London in great multitudes to petition the Parliament God on the Mount Ier. 32. 39. The Bishops are quite voted out of the Parliament for voice and place The House of Lords make the Bill against the Bishops most full of comfort to us all Matth. 20. 26. Note this Bishops who had no heart nor voice for Christ have now no voice nor place for themselves in Parliament 2 Chron 21. 20 Note this also Non-subscription silenced many godly Ministers now their subscription hath imprisoned and almost unbishoped our proud Prelates Prov. 5. 22. God in the Mount Isa 51 7 8 9 11. The Kingdom put into a posture of defence Sir Iohn Byron Leiftenant of the Tower displaced Sir Iohn Conniers made Leiftenant by the Parliament A fair and famous project of subscription for relieving of Ireland moved and promoved in Parliament A general collection ordered also to be over the Kingdom for the distressed English inhabitants in Ireland The most liberall collection for Ireland at Aldermanbury in London A gracious answer from the Kings Majestie touching the Liturgie and Church-government Zaâ—h 2. 5. The malignant partie still plotting first in London A seditious Petition framed and presented to the Parliament against the Militia of the City other things of dangerous consequence One Mr. Binion a mainstickler in the foresaid seditious Petition A counter-petition exhibited by the honest Citizens against it The malignant Petition censured Mr. Binions censure The Kentish malignant Petition Sir Edw. Deering Sir Edw. Deerings book of his Speeches printed Himself and his book censured The Authors opinion of him and his book The Arch-Prelates conference with Fisher a Iesuite A Replie to the said Conference Wittie but irreligious scoffing at pietie and godlinesse in Sir Eds. book The seditious petition of Kent was much countenanced by the Earl of Bristow and judge Mallet The Petition brought to the Parliament Their usage in the delivery of their petition The Honest partie of Kent petition against the malignant partie God in the Mount â— Tim. 3. 8 9. Psal 115. 1 2. 3. The King having unhappily left his Parliament sends Messages to them The Parliaments wisdom and moderation in their answers to them The sweet unanimity of both Houses notwithstanding their great discouragements 1 Cor. 1. 10. Concordiâ reâ— parvae cresâ—unt Discerdiâ magnae dilaâ—untuâ— Psal 133. 1 â— Concord â— sweet oyntment to a Kingdom The Liturgie and Church government voted to be reformed God on the Mount Acts 19. 28. Isa 46. 11 12 13. The King by his ill-affected Counsellors grows into discontent with his Parliament The King departs from London The King takes the Prince along with him The King comes into the North. Hull attempteâ— to be taken for the King But preventeâ— by Sir John Hotham The K came to Hull and required it to be delivered up to him On refusall thereof was declared to be a traitor Propositions made to the Gentrie of York Swords drawâ— Divide impera A false and foolish distinction