unassayed that might conduce to a perfect cure and therefore I say how he put into the hearts of our ever to be honoured Worthies in Parliament both Peers and Commons seriously to consider how sick at the very heart the Commonwealth was both Church and State Religion panting by many fearfull fainting-fits of a strong and violent Quotidian-Ague of Poperie Arminianisme and many Popish apish innovations mightily tending to idolatry and superstition and the State brought into a deep consumption almost hopelesse of remedie by reason of those many and mischievous taxations and impositions most unjustly pressing and oppressing its strength and abilities as hath been most abundantly set forth and shewn in our preceding descriptions of them Therefore I say on judicious advise and premeditation of the condition of Both our most noble Colledge of expert Physitians by Gods good providence timely thought on an Aurum-potabile a precious potion a select electuari to recover its almost irrecoverable health and strength a most pious and prudent Protestation to be taken next to the heart all over the Kingdom to revi◠their formerly fainting spirits like pure Aqua-vitae or most soveraign stomack-water to help us all against the future chilling and killing qualms of Poperie and Oppression The Protestation I A. B. do in the presence of almightie God vow and protest to maintain and defend as far as lawfully I may with my life power and estate the true reformed Protestant Religion expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England against all Popery and Popish innovations within this Realm contrary to the same doctrine and according to the dutie of my allegiance his Majesties royall person honour and estate As also the power and priviledges of Parliament the lawfull rights and liberties of the Subiect and every person that maketh this Protestation in whatsoever he shall do in the lawfull pursuance of the same And to my power and as far as lawfully I may I will oppose and by all good wayes and means endeavour to bring to condign punishment all such as shall either by force practise counsels plots conspiracies or otherwise do any thing to the contrary of any thing in this present Protestation contained And further that I shall in all iust and honourable waies endeavour to preserve the union and peace between the three Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland and neither for hope fear or other respect shall relirquish this promise vow and Protestation A Protestation I say most worthie to be taken by all honest-hearted English Protestants over the whole Kingdom a Protestation which I dare be bold to say and justifie none but hard'ned impious Papists profane atheisticall Libertines or grossely ignorant asses and carnall earth-worms onely can dare to be so gracelesse or else shamelesse either directly to refuse or so much as dissemblingly to defer or neglect on any colour of pretence whatsoever And that ye may see the substance of what I say herein ratified by the Worthies of our Parliament I thought fit to give you here their own Vote thereon Resolved on the Question That this House doth conceive that the Protestation made by them is fit to be taken by every person that is well affected in Religion and to the good of the Commonwealth and therefore doth declare that what person soever shall not take the Protestation is unfit to bear office in the Church or Commonwealth Now then good Reader put all these last recited admirable mercies together and tell me whether thou dost not most evidently see and mayest not most freely and faithfully say that our great Jehovah hath most blessedly brought us out of the Mount of many mightie straits and been seen for our most happie deliverance from them all in the Mount of mercies And seeing these so great and gracious mercies to so sinfull and so undeserving a Nation and provoking people as we are so ungratefull so unfruitfull O who can forbear to break-forth in holy exultation to the high exaltation by praises of our good God and with the pious Prophet David that sugred singer of Israel say and sing with the 〈◊〉 llifluous melodie of a most gratefull heart I will love thee O Lord my strength the Lord is my stonie-rock my fortresse and my deli◠rer my God my strength in whom I will trust my buckler the horn of my salvation and my high towre O how great is thy goodnesse O Lord which thou bast laid-up for them that fear thee and which thou hast laid-out and wrought for them that trust in thee even before the sons of men O therefore love the Lord all ye his Saints for the Lord preserveth the faithfull and plenteously rewardeth the proud doer Yea I say wait on the Lord therefore and be of a good courage and he shall strengthen thy heart wait I say on the Lord. Thus have we seen what wonders God hath wrought for us in the Commonwealth he pleased now therefore to lengthen-out and lend me thy Christian patience and I shall now also shew thee how the Lord hath been as gloriously seen if not much more in the Mount of parliamentarie-mercies to his poor afflicted and affrighted Church among us which yet the Reader must be pleased to take notice were intermixedly performed together with the most and first of those fore-mentioned in the Commonwealth onely I have ranckt them together for mine own better and more methodicall handling of them About the beginning of this blessed Parliament the Lord put into the hearts of our grave and godly parliamentarie Senators to act their first pious parts about reformation of Religion by a most diligent inquisition and search after oppressions and oppressours of the Church of God and by their parliamentarie power to break and knock off the pushing horns of those fat buls of Bashan wherewith they had fiercely and furiously yea and as it were even frantickly pusht at and almost goard to death the people of God and first upon the petitions of Mrs. Bastwick and Mrs. Burton the pious but then most disconsolate and too untimely widowed-wives of their thrice noble and heroick husbands as also a petition exhibited in the behalf of most precious Mr. Prinne that incomparable and rare pair-royall of most worthy witnesses of Gods truth the pious Parliament like noble Ebed-melech redeemed those just Jeremies of the Lord out of their otherwise perpetually captivating most remote and desolate dungeons to the great joy and comfort of Gods dear Saints together with religious Dr. Laighton a long and lamentable Sufferer for the great cause of Religion as also reverend and religious Mr. Smart Mr. Walker Mr. Foxley and that undaunted picus young gentleman Mr. John Lilborn and many others all of them immediately set at libertie on the exhibiting of their petitions to the Parliament who had most of them been most unjustly and most injuriously clapt up in close imprisonment some of them fast fetter'd in irons all
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
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
book of Ratâ—s inhansed to an high proportion A new and unheard of yet most heavie taxation over the whole Kingdom by Ship-money Both these under a colour of guarding the Seas by which there was charged on the Subject neer upon 700000 li. some yeers and yet Merchants constantly left naked to the violent robberies of Turkish-pirates to the great losâ—e of many fair Ships and much goods and imprisonment of their bodies in most miserable bonds of Turkish-slaverie The enlargement of Forrests contrary to Magna Charta The exaction of Coat and Conduct-money The forcible taking away of the Train'd-band Arms. The desperate designe of Gunpowder engrossed into their hands and kept from the Subject in the Tower of London and not to be had thence but at excessive rates and prices The destruction of the Forrest of Dean that famous timber-Magazine or Store-house of the whole Kingdom sold to Papists The canker-eating Monopolies of Sope Salt Wine Leather Sea-cole and almost all things in the Kingdom of most necessarie and common use Restraint of Subjects liberties in their habitations and trades and other just interests together with many other intolerable burthens which poore Isachars shoulders were not able to bear but grievously to groan under and which for brevities sake I desire to passe over as not being my main intention to insist on but to hasten to our most happie deliverance from them for refusall of which fore-said heavie pressures O what great numbers of his Majesties loyall Subjects have been vext with long and languishing suits some fined and confined to prisons to the losse of health in many of life in some some having their houses broke-open and their goods seized on some interrupted in their Sea voyages and their ships taken in an hostile manner by Projectors as by a common enemie The Court of Star-Chamber having chiefly fomented and encreased these such like most extravagant censures most unjust suits both for the improvement of devouring Monopolies and of divers other causes wherein hath been none or very small offences yea sometimes for meer pretences and surmises without any proofs yet punisht as severely as foulest malefactors yea and that in matters of Religion and spirituall cases of conscience for which the good Subject hath been grievously oppressed by Fines Imprisonments stigmatizings mutilations whippings pillories gaggs confinements banishments yea and that into perpetuall close-imprisonments in the most desolate remote and as they hoped and intended â—emorslesse parts of the Kingdom and that also in such rough and rigid manner as hath not onely deprived them of the societie of neer and dear friends exercise of their professions comfort of books use of poper or ink but even violating that neerest-union which God hath establisht twixt men and their wives by forced and constrained separation Judges also put out of their places for refusing to do ought against their oaths and consciences others so over-awed that they durst not do their duties Lawyers checkt for faithfulnesse to their Clients and threatned yea punished for honestly following lawfull suits The Privie Councill also a mightie maintainer and prosecuter of illegall-suits against the Subject The Court of Honour Chancery Exchequer-Chamber Court of Wards and almost all other English-Courts have been exceeding grievous in their excessive iurisdictions Titles of Honour places of Judicature Serieant-ships at Law and other offices of trust have been sold for great summes of money and they that buy must needs sell And thereby also occasion hath been given too frequently of bribâ—rie extortion and partiality it being indeed seldome seen that places ill-gotten should be well-used These and such like Land-devouring enormities have been countenanced and practised in our long-languishing Common-wealth And if we look into the course and carriage of things in the Church also O how many impieties and irregularities have we there long beheld abounding and surrounding us to the high dishonour of God and disgrace of true Religion The Bishops and the rest of the Pontifician or rotten-hearted Clergie and Arminian-faction under a pretence forsooth of peace uniformitie and conformitie have like so many siâ—ly Cesars triumphed in the chariots of their Spirituall Courts by their suspensions Excommunications Deprivations and Degradations of divers painfull learned and pious Pastors of our Church and in the vexatious and grievous grinding oppressions of great numbers of his Majesties good Subjects In which cases the high Commission-Courts pragmaticall pranks have been unsufferable the sharpnesse and severity whereof grew to such an unlimited monstrous growth heighth and strength as was not much unlike and very little inferiour to the Romish or Spanish-Inquisition yea and in many cases by the Archbishops super-superlative power it was made much heavier it being as often as they pleased assisted and strengthened both by the furious power and authoritie of the Star-Chamber and Councill-Table when the wrath and rage of their own-Courts could not reach as high as their hatred extended to the utter wracking and worrying of the innocent and holy lambes of Christ whom indeed the world was not worthie of This they did both in Cities and countreys extremely vexing and perplexing those of the meaner sort Tradesmen and Artificers even to the deep impoverishing of many thousands of them and so afflicting and troubling others with threats and expensive suits that great numbers to avoid these miseries and mischievous molestations departed out of the Kingdom some into Holland some into New-England and other desert and uninhabited parts of America thereby exposing themselves their wives children and estates to the great danger of windes and waves by Sea and many other inevitable hazards by Land Those onely were held fittest for preferments at home and obtained them soonest who were most officious and sedulous to promote and propagate idolatrie superstition innovations and profanenesse and were most violent and virulent sons of Belial in railing against and reviling godlinesse and honestie Now all this while also the most publike and solemn sermons at Court before the King were nothing else for the most part but either to advance the Kings prerogative above Laws and to beat-down the Subiects just propriety in their estate and goods or full of such like frothie kind of invectives the onely way in those dayes to get fat morsels rich benefices and Ecclesiasticall preferments the onely-prey they sought after And thus also labouring as the second main part of their play to make those men odious to the King and State who conscientiously sought to maintain Religion Laws and liberties of the Kingdom and such men were sure still to be wrung and wrested out of their livings if Ministers And out of the Commission of peace if of the gentrie and all other places of imployment and power in the government of the Common-wealth Yea and those few godly and religious Noble personages which were of the privy-Councill though Councellors in name yet not
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
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