of their enemies then it is requisite that they should conjoyn their forces for their joynt freedom and link themselves fast together by some such solemn engagement or Protestation lest the crafâ—… and cunning wilinesse of their enemies should make a breach or division amongst them And Secondly When a people generally desire some speciall blessing from God or the continuance of his love unto them and Gospel amongst them then people should oblige and knit themselves by a strict and solemn Protestation and Vow to continue in the truth of the Gospel and the maintenance and profession thereof in purity and sincerity and to root out all Popery superstition and idolatry from amongst them What necessity is there for us in this Land at this time to take this or the like Protestation From the Preamble before the Protestation these Reasons may be collected namely 1. Because the designes of the Priests and Jesuites and other Adherents to the Sea of Rome have of late been more boldly and frequently put in practise then formerly to the undermining and danger of the ruine of the true reformed Religion amongst us 2. Because some have endeavoured to subvert the fundamentall Laws of England and Ireland and to introduce the exercise of an Arbitrary and Tyrannicall Government amongst us 3. Because many illegall taxations have been levied and laid of late upon the Subjects to their great grievance and oppression 4. Because divers innovations and superstitions have of late been brought into our Church and an Oath devised to make us practise and perpetually to maintain them 5. Because many have been exiled and the mouthes of many Ministers stopt for these Innovations and Superstitions and other Ceremonies 6. Because some have endeavoured to raise and soment jealousies between the King and his people Ezra 4. 13 14 15. 7. Because Armies have been raised in England and Ireland of dangerous consequence to wit First For the making or taking part with the Conspirators as hath been confessed or discovered by some And Secondly For the weakning of the Land by a consumption of the Treasure thereof making us thereby lye more open to forraign invasion Wherefore should both Prince Peers Parliamentaries and People or Commons make such a Protestation or Promise at such times or upon such occasions as were named even now First Because our enemies usually strengthen and binde themselves by wicked oaths and vows to ruine us and therefore much more should we by religious and pious Protestations and promises assist one another in the resisting and rooting out whom or whatsoever might on danger our lives laws liberties or religion Secondly Because our ordinary resolutions and purposes are like Sâ—…psons cords which we break as fast as straws and therefore we had need upon the occasions mentioned to help our frail purposâ—…s with some firm Protestations and Vows Thirdly Because the Lord only can do for us what we desire He is wiâ—…r stronger and more potent then all our enemies he can deliver us from all evils he can avenge us of all our adversaries he can turn away all his plagues he can impart unto us any blessing or grace which we stand in need of yea he can do for us above all we are able to ask or think but we are not certain that he will except we enter into a holy Covenant with him and by a firm Protestation and Vow joyn our selves unto him to serve honour obey and worship him with all our hearts and with all our souls all the dayes that we have to live How many things are observable in this Protestation or Vow These four Viz. The Matter Manner Intension and Extension thereof First The Matter of this Protestation and Vow must be Christian and Religious respecting God Religion the King the Laws the Liberties of the Subject the Patriots of the Land the enemies of the Church and State and the union or unity of the Kingdomes united Particularly 1. This Protestation must respect the Lord and that thus Upon the times and occasions before mentioned we must make solemn Protestations and Vows unto God to worship and serve him sincerely and purely and to abstain from all sin and iniquity as much as in us lyes totally and perpetually if he will be pleased to deliver us from our enemies and those evils which we fear and to blâ—…sse us with those blessings which we sue and supplicate for And 2. This Protestation must respect Religion for when we see That in some eminent and apparent danger and that It is like to be justled and shouldred out of the doors of Church or State by any innovations superstitions sects errours heresies or Popish vanitiâ—…s thâ—…n we must labour to support and stay it by some firm and joynt promises and vows And 3. This Protestation must respect the Kings sacred Majesty for when we see either his royall person honour estate or soul in danger or endangered by any wicked Counsellors Achitophels Trâ—…ors Uâ—…derminors of States Machiavâ—…llians or any of Antichrists imps or brood Then the representative Body of the Land must by some holy and unanimous Protestation and promise strenghen themselves and each one the other for the presertion and safety of his Noble person estate and honour and the eternall salvation of his precious soul And 4. This Protestation must respect the Laws of the Land the power and priviledges of Parliaments and the liberties of the Subject for when by the malice mischief and treachery of any Laws are in danger to be subverted Parliaments stinted and straitned and people to be envassalled and deprived of their immunities and priviledges Then all so far as Religion and Law will allow them by some religious Protestation and Vow should unite themselves for the maintenance and defence of their liberties and laws And 5. This Protestation must respect the Patriots of the Land for when we see those whom the Lord hath endued with wisedom zeal courage and resolution to speak boldly for the good of Church or State and undantedly to oppose the enemies of either or both of them then as farre as warrantably we may we must support and uphold them by some faithfull promise or vow as They the Pillars of the Land labour to maintain our Common-wealth and Us by their standing and speaking for our Religion and Laws For it they who are zealouâ—… courageouâ—… and resolute for the good of their Countrey and who are not afraid to lay down their lives for their Countrey should not be maintained and defended to the utmâ—…t of our power it would utterly discourage any to speak for the common good or good and welfare of the Common-wealth or Commons And 6. This Protestation must respect the enemies of Church and State for we must oppose as farre as lawfully we may and by all good wayes and means endeavor to bring to condign punishment all such as shall by force practise counsell plots conspiraciâ—…s or otherwise do or
errors and â—…uperstitions they utteâ—…ly ruine both And therefore let your Honours who stand at the Helm take hâ—…ed of these devouriâ—…g shelves and rocks which without your 〈◊〉 care and help threaten our shipwrack and ruine Oh considâ—…r grave gratious and sage Senators what Innovations and Altarations have of late yeers been introduced into our Church How many of late yeers have been preferred in our Church by some of our principall Prelates who were either loose and lewd in their lives or lazy in their callings or Papisticall or Pelagianists in their opinions or superstitious in their practises or extollers of ceremonies above substance or set forms of prayer above conceived or of reading above preaching that thereby people might be nuzled up in ignorance What courses of late yeers have been taken to put down Lectures on the week day yea preaching on the Lords day in the afternoon That so people being deprived and robbed of the light of Gods Truth might stumble and fall into errors and be robbed of their souls and everlasting welfare What Popish and Arminian Tenents have been preached and printed of late yeers with the allowance leave license liking and approbation of some in authority in the Church What courses of late have been taken to discountenance discourage keep low and curb those who like Candles did consume themselves and their strength to give the benefit of light and knowledge unto others I mean who did not only labour to benefit their particular flâ—…ck and charge by their painfull and industrious preaching but also the whole Church yea future ages by their profitable writings What cursed and crafty care hath been taken of late dayes for the expunging out of Books tendred to the presse of Orthodoxe truths and grounds which overthrow those Tenents which are Heterodoxe I may say here Experto crede Richardo that sad experience hath taught me this truth But I passe it by because I hope your Honours in your depth of wisedome will take care for the rectifying of this abuse for the time to come I will conclude this with the saying of the Psalmist If the Lord had not been on our side now may the Church of England say If the Lord had not been on our side and with a strong * North winde turned the stream and hindred the proceedings of these wicked Achilles and Achitophels we had ere long been overwhelmed in the deluge of ignorance heresie superstition popery and blindnesse But blessed be God who hath hitherto delivered us from this danger and the Lord in mercy so blesse your Honours and all your proceedings and undertakings that this jugling legerdemain and water-mens tricks to look one way and row another may be more and more discerned and discovered by you to their shame but our rejoycing In the next place the point propounded and proved may fitly be applyed to all your Honours now assembled and met in High Court of Parliament When Carthage was besieged by Scipio Hannibal sought for peace who never before that time refused warre professing ingenuously that he might better have lost all the battels within and beyond the Alpes thâ—…n one at the Gates of Cartbage for there he adventured nothing but the superfluity of youthfull bloud who sought their destiny in the field of honour under the banner of Mars but here the Common-wealth was laid to stake and they plaid their lives liberties wives children religion and all at one game I may aptly apply this Religious Senators unto you whom we have betrusted with our lives liberties estates Religions and all and therefore it behoves us all as those who fight pro aris focis to tug and wrestle with the Almighty God of Jacob for you That you may be One in the maintenance and furtherance of this one truth More particularly Two things we pray for you and of you Viz. 1. That you may be one amongst your selves And 2. That you may be a means to make us one Now of these in their order First We beseech you and we implore the throne of grace for you That all you may be like Jerusalem at unity amongst your selves The Fowler is to be condemned of folly who takes in hand to talk or treat of hunting and the Merchant is counted mad who meddles with the rules of Astronomy But it is allowed to every man to treat and talk of his own trade and to discourse of those things which concâ—…rn his own calling a and therefore seeing I do not read a Lecture of Law or state policy unto you but keep my self in my own element of Divinity I hope your Honours will not only bear with me but as Credendum artifici in suà arte so also give credit to what I speak Indeed it may be said That the Sowe teacheth Pallas and the Asse Apollo when Phormio treats of warre before Hannibal or an ignorant Attorney of law before the learned Judges or a weak Divine of the peace and distractions of the Church before or unto those Divine Spirits who have long made the causes effects and remedies thereof their chiefest study and observation But because I bring a message unto you the Lords Jehues who are by him appointed for the purging out of allidolatry out of our Church Let not the meannesse or weaknesse of the Messenger be the least let to hinder your Honours from hearing and bearing the word of exhortation patiently Yea because I come unto you from the Lord and in his Name be pleased although I am unworthy to speak unto you to be exhorted To be one and to adhere to this holy Vnion of Truth and as far as you go in matters of Religion and the Church to proceed by that One Rule of Truth and to minde one thing b and in your rowing to strike altogether c and in your grave and godly Assembly to drink one to another in Philothesius his cup d and to conspire altogether e for the establishiâ—…g of this holy Vnion of Truth amongst us and to preserve the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of peace amongst your selves f Three things I have here to recommend to your Honours most serious consideration Viz. 1. The Motives which should move perswade you to be one 2. The Manner wherein you must be one 3. The Means wherby you may be one And of these in their order First The Motives which should incite and induce you to be one are these Viz. 1. Because great must our misery needs be if you should be Many The Proverb saâ—…th Quot capita tot sensus So many men so many mindes but God forbid that ever we should take up this Proverb of you who are our Patriots our publike parents our Guardians and Law-givers and therefore if you jar or differ we perish g What a Greek Poet said once of Megalopolis in Arcadic sâ—…ffingly The great City is become a forsaken Wildernesse h must needs be said of
us and our Land if you be divided Contraries we say are best Commentaries i and from contrary propositions contrary conclusions may be collected and therefore if your Vnity and Unanimity be our blisse your dissentions and breaches will become ouâ—…â—…ane and therefore be ye one Solonsâ—…aw to the Athenians adjudged him to dye who iâ—… civiâ—… Garboyles became a Neuter Now if it be a crime deserving death to be a Neuter in dissâ—…ions and to take â—…o part tâ—…en certainly it is much worse to be an Incendiâ—…ry and a party to throw and kindle the coals of 〈◊〉 But lâ—…st I should seem to any to blemish those whom sincerely I honour I will noâ—… prosecuâ—…e this Motive the Body of our Land haâ—…ng with admiâ—…ation and holy thaâ—…kfulnesse observed hoâ—… the eyes of this Honourable Assembly look not a squint but 〈◊〉 with one mâ—…tion and a mâ—…st pious unanimous consent in â—…ose things which simply concern Religion And therefore Mâ—…cte virtute estâ—… Go on in Gods Name and the Lord prosper you and all your grave gracious and godly proceedings 2. Another inducement is Because if yee be one yee shall be the Patriots Preservers safeguard and defence of the Land which to youâ—… honâ—…ur and everlâ—…sting praise will be registred in the Records of Fame for future and succeeding ages The Heathens thought it a thing worthy of applause and praise for a man to dye for his Countrey k and Christians cannot have a lower value and esteem of those who protect and preserve their Country from desolaâ—…ion and destruction Anaximenes being about to travell to Aâ—…hens for the study of Phylosophy a friend comes to him to disswadâ—… him from his intended journey and he coul invent no stronger argument then this Ob friend hast thou no care of or regard unto thy Country l I dare not I may not say thus unto you whose care is evidently seen and made apparent unto all you waking when we sleep yea waking that we may sâ—…curely sleep and sparing neither cost nor pains for our good but denying your selves for your Countries welfare I will only make bold to tell you that both Church and State cry unto you as they of Mâ—…cedonia did unto Paul Come and help us for both stand in need of your help And therefore for their good be yee one Antistbenes said That Unity and Unanimity amongst Counsâ—…llors of State were better for a City or Common-wealth thâ—… any wall or the like defence m and Agesilaus being demanded by one Wherefore Sparta was not walled about He shewed him the unanimous Citizens armed for their own defence and safety with these words n These are Sparta's walls signifying thereby That a Common-wealth can have no surer not safer Forts or Bulwarks then Unity and Unanimity among the Heads Pilots and Stears-men thereof Now although this be most true yet it is not more true in a State then in a Church and therefore be yee one That by your Unity and Unanimity our sinking and half ruined Republike and drouping and declining Church may be saved and reduced to their best and purest estate You the Parliamentaries are our Bulwarks Wals and Gates under the Lord yea the Hoast of the Lord and of Gideon his annointed chosen out of the Land for the glory of your God the honour of your King the demolishing of idolatry and Popery the promoting of Religion the peace of the Church the punishing of delinquents in Church and State the encouraging and countenancing of the good the relieving of the distressed the rectifying of what is amisse the reforming of abuses and the advancing of the honour peace and welfare of the Common-wealth And therefore that the expectation of Church and State be not frustrated be yee one 3. Another Inducement to perswade you to this holy Unity is Because thereby your Assembly shall be the more strong and impregnable yea plainly invincible For many can do that with ease which one cannot with pains o Scipio Africanus having overcome the Numantines asked Prince Tiresus p How it came to passe that Numantia was formerly so victorious but now overcome and conquered To whom Tiresus returns this answer Concordia victoriam discordia exitium praebuit Concord presages victory but discord destruction Whence Mycipsa lying at the point of death as Salust tels us admonished his sonnes to be at Unity amongst themselves Because saith he q by Unity a Molehill will become a Mountain but by dissention a Mountain a Molehill Many brooks meeting together in one will make a swelling and over flowing River and a great stream cut into many rivulets may quickly be stepped over And hence Scilurus having eighty sonnes when he lay upon his death bed caused a bundle of Arrows to be fetched and then bad his sonnes break them which none of them could oâ—…ong as they were bound up but being loosed every one could break them one by one Whereupon the old man takes occasion to give this seasonable admonition and carefull Caveat unto his sonnes r My children saith he if ye will be of one minde and bold close together in mutuall love then you shall be strong and invincible but if yee be severed with jarâ—…es and discord then every one will wrong and trample upon you I have rehearsed these Histories that your Honours may fee that so long as you are of one minde one judgement one opinion and one affection in Religion nothing can interrupt your proceedings but like a swelling billow or surge you shall with ease carry all before you yea a Mountain before you the Lords Zorobahâ—…ls shall become a plain But if ever which the Lord in mercy avert and forbid you should for a punishment of our sins be rent with divisions and discord then this great and strong Assâ—…mbly would thereby be so weakned that neither Church nor State could be supported or redressed thereby and therefore for the Lords sake be yee one As in a body the best constitution is made of the temperature of heat cold moisture and drynesse so in a politick or ecclesiastick body the best Assemblies are when theâ—…e is unity of opinion and affection in men of different dispositions and parts I mean when some are more fiery some more moderate some better Speakers some better contrivers some more acute some more sound and-solid some more able to invent some to prosecute a thing set a foot by another some more skilfull in one art or science and some in another When I say all these severall persons of such various parts shall deny themselves and the seeking of themselves and with an unanimous consent all joyntly labour to improve their proper gifts for the good and benefit of that Church and State wherein they live and for whose prosperity and peace they are assembled then all things must needs succeed prosperously and well with them And therefore be ye one As the members of a