obstruct the way to our peace and happinesse they have brought the businesse to this Dilemma His Majesty must either treat and that face to face too with a grand Rebell in all probability imployed on purpose to give a defeat to the whole Treaty or else must expect to have the Odium of refusing peace cast upon Him Well! to draw a conclusion from these but too true and too sad premises If neither the gracious Messages and Invitations of His Majesty nor the sorrowfull prayers and supplications of the distressed as well in England as Ireland nor the earnest perswasions of their owne discouraged or relenting party nor the frequent returnes unto their alleagiance of such as are daily undeceived amongst them If neither the bleeding miseries actually ruinating in two Kingdomes at home nor the invied dangers threatning from abroad If none of these can or if all these with our Religion Lawes Lives and Fortunes likely to be buried in the ashes of this imminent destruction cannot prevaile one whit upon these fierce spirits to soften their hard and hitherto unrelenting hearts and incline them to thoughts of Peace and Accommodation what can the inference amount unto lesse then what we promised to make good in the beginning viz. That the firebrands of this pestilent faction are in a desperate travaile for the birth of some monstrous designe which cannot be ushered into the world but by confusion We all know whose expression it was I hate the name of Accommodation and the spirit of contradiction and dissention was not raised in them as they raised it in the people by the conjuration of Plots and Conspiracies under-ground workes which no body could discover but their owne Artists that invented them to imbitter the minds of men against His Majesty But all this was the fruit of that Spirit of contention which they first brought with them to the service though it had proved the disservice of the Kingdome witnesse that prodigious Omen that long agoe presaged ourapproaching ruine When that potent Gentleman put Moderation into the Catlogue of his vices he left us to expect nothing else but those bitter fruits of violence which we have since too sufficiently tasted Now the said accounts of Warre have taught the people the price of Peace what doe they oppose to stop the current of their solicitations 1. They make speeches in the House in disgrace of Peace and from that common sense a sense must be derived unto the whole Kingdome Till they have spilt all the blood of the ungodly or malignant as they tearme them they plead an impossibility of enjoying peace with her due investitures as if because they have begun such a Warre they could not conclude any other Peace but what is a stranger unto truth and righteousnesse The Lord Brookes and others have made great use of their talents this way to their great honour amongst the bretheren of the Separation When these prevailed to thrust peace out of the Houses there was anot her plot to cut the throat of it in the Citie A multitude as they had found by long experience is good at a dead lift and if they be set upon 't to have all matters tryed by club law there is no appealing from them Well! such forces must be levied as offer up their prayers unto both Houses by an implicite faith in a language they understand not thinking any thing a blessing that â—uch a heavenly man as Doctor Burgesse invites them to petition for and so poore fooles are earnest suitors to be wedded to the miseries of a civill warre from which other Nations long to be redeemed If shame or discretion or conscience makes men backward to this hellish designe then the Pulpit must be turn'd into a Mount Ebal from whence the Emissaries of the House of Commons curse them Lest sedition should not thrive fast enough they suborne these Preachers and obtrude them upon almost every Parish to sow the seeds thicker and these men though not of so long a standing have improved their stocke of impudence beyond the Devill himselfe He came whiles the servants slept but these disperse their tares in the field whiles they looke upon them These are the Bellowes to this fire the Trumpets to this warre that boggle nor at blasphemy to perswade the people that God is ingaged in their conspiracy against his Anointed and to this end their prayers are of a more saguine complexion then Esaus pottage These are they that have taken this advantage of stirring up the people to spoile and rapine that they may this way root out a regular Ministry and be planted in their places Insomuch as one of them tells us in his Plaine English He hath a great deale of reason to be confident that scarce any considerable man he speakes of the Clergy who hath beene engaged in this quarrell on the Parliament part if he retaines his integryty he should have changed that word for sedition dares abide the issue of a present Accommodation Certainly there can be nothing but their owne guilt that should move them to distrust the protection of that Law which they have beene bred and borne to These men can have no fishing but in troubled waters and therefore when they have done sweating in the persecution of Peace in the Pulpet they assault her in the Presse and in both they have a great advantage for they wrestle at liberty whiles the Champions of Peace have their hands tyed behind them They speake plaine English whiles the other have their tongues clipt or if they speake out are imprisoned So that Peace is first awed into silence and then by these men prest to death because she doth not plead to her endightment These are the instruments so destructive to our peace so industrious in fomenting this execrable Warre These are the very Becons that being set on fire themselves with their prodigious blazes have raised so many Countries in Armes to their owne ruine These are the grand Projectors to raise men and money making their Ministry but a Pander to Rebellion Their stratagemes have beene to awaken them by sounding this Alarm in their eares That Gods cause the Protestant Religion Lawes Liberties Properties Priviledges of Parliament yea their lives with the lives of their deare wives and children ly all at the stake They went a step higher in the beginning perswading them they were to fight for the defence of the Kings Rights and to rescue His Sacred Person from the hands of the Cavaliers so in a disgrace they termed His Majesties Illustrious Nephewes with the chiefe Nobility and Gentry of the Kingdome who as they said had surprized Him When they were supplied with men animated by these devices what course did they leave unattempted to raise money to maintaine them Under the name of the publike faith a chest that is bottomelesse and insatiable they have erected a new lotterie to cheat our faith and begger the publike From hence the adventurers were sure to
to it And we take it more unkindly to be led downe by those we put in trust then if we had been maliciously precipitated by others And if you have forgotten the Antidote you gave us we meane the Protestation it workes too much upon us to be forgotten and by vertue of that we shall joyne our selves to repell that violence which hath been too long offered to the property of our estates and liberty of our persons Having taken this strict view of so many particular pretences and finding them but colourably alledged what aires can we imagine they should heare so pleasing in the sound of the Drum and Trumpet bewitch them to continue this most unnaturall and most bloudy Warre And what advantage will accrue to the whole Kingdome for we would not be engaged further in the quarrell for particular mens ends and benefit to countervaile the charge of our expences Is it the Militia that we fight for and will nothing make you forbeare the use of the sword till you have gotten the full power of it then we must professe His Majesty hath not given so much as a colourable ground for this quarrell unlesse it be thought ground enough for his subjects to quarrell on that His Majesty does not as unreasonably resigne up all his just rights as you demand them of Him If His Majesty delights in Peace and to see His Subjects flourish under it as the long experience of His gracious disposition sheweth what use have you for a Militia I pray God restore us to that happinesse which we enjoyed when the sword and sheath too were both in the Kings own keeping Is a Warre the way to conquer the Kings affections and doe wee thinke to force Acts of grace from Him Your sword is like to be the way which God hath appointed for you to make Him glorious but remember you may have need enough to find Him gracious and therfore provoke His Majesty no further unto a just severity Is the quarrell continued for Delinquents then you should have done well to have set the King a precedent in delivering Alderman Pennington and the rest to a legall tryall That would have been a faire invitation to His Majesty to have resigned up those that are about Him to the proofe of their innocency And whatever the Authour of Plaine English and other seditious and schismaticall Clergy-men that cannot be preferred for their merit and therefore seeke it by faction what ever these men are affraid of if you have retained the integrity of honest men and worthy Patriots you may dare to abide the issue of a present Accommodation And let me tell you if those about His Majesty laying downe their relation to the House of Parliament the priviledges whereof if any were to this purpose are as common and beneficiall to them as to your selves offer to submit to a legall tryall as Subjects should doe when the Government and knowne Lawes may have their free course and you being under as high a charge can plead nothing but priviledge of Parliament for your justification and in the interim refuse to submit to the like legall tryall you must needs be reputed Delinquents indeed whilest they are cleared by the verdict of every impartiall Judgement And if you have gone so farre beyond and against the Law that you are growne affraid to be try'd by it what shall we conclude from hence but this that you have undertaken this Warre in the prosecution of some new designe and not as hath been all this while pretended for the security of our old Protestant Religion Rights and Liberties That this designe was the subversion of the ancient Government of the Church and Kingdome is upon these grounds more then probable That a change was aim'd at in the Church no man can deny and it is made evident 1. By the suspending of all Ecclesiasticall Lawes and Censures according to ancient Constitutions insomuch as Incest Rapes and all Vices have gone unpunished and this Jubilee of Indulgence hath drawne all offenders to comply with them 2. By setting the people a-worke for some Close-Committee was the first wheele that moved this businesse to petition against the present Government and Service of the Church 3. By the Bill long debated and since concluded on for the abolishing of that Government 4. By the chiefe persons countenanced and imploy'd in the businesse who were Brownists Anabaptists and all sorts of Sectaries and Schismaticks The Patrimony of the Church was to be alienated under a pretence of establishing a preaching Minister throughout the Kingdome but the truth is if their zeale had been but in a seventh degree so hot for that good work as it was for fighting for a bad one they might have finisht it for a twentieth part of that charge which they have in a desperate fury put the Kingdome to Now we beleeve if the Revenue of the Church were at their disposall they would change those colours which they have worne so long for fashion-sake and make the religious charity of their Ancestors for the advancement of Gods worship under a learned Ministry serve onely to dis-ingage their publike faith which is not like to be a saving faith otherwise When the Government of the Church had been subverted the designe then was to be put in execution upon Monarchy This is not a groundlesse conjecture if we consider these evidences 1. That Declaration upon the Earle of Straffords suffering with this caution that it might not be drawne into example for the future Certainly this was with an eye to that subversion of Government which themselves I mean the Projectors of this designe intended that being more guilty of the same crime by vertue of such a Declaration they might be secured from the punishment 2. The pulling downe of so many Courts of Justice which were thought to be of very good use in the time of our wise Ancestors and if there be no way of Reformation left when exorbitances are crept into Courts and Callings but their extirpation as their practice hath been of late what will the doome be of the Supreme Court and the severall callings of the Kingdome with a notable blow at the Councell-Table These may relieve a part of the Subjects from some pressures but if something be not setled in their roome may encourage others in licenciousnesse and prove the Prodromes as we see by these beginnings to the ruine of our Monarchy 3. The nineteen Propositions whereby the King was demanded to lay downe His Crowne to compound for His Peace with them 4. That expression so little understood and so much talk't of in many of their papers of a power of resuming the trust which is falsly pretended to be derived unto His Majestie by the meere humane pactions and agreements of the politique body of the people And 5. According to this Doctrine their pretending to and usurping of the power of the Militia both by Sea and Land 6. Their actuall exercising of this power in disposing of offices having made their Speaker Master of the Rolls Lastly that expression of the Gentlemen to Sir Edward Deering when he was privie to some of their Cabinet consultations That if they could bring downe the Lords to the House of Commons and make the King as one of the Lords the worke were done It seemes they intended to reserve the honour of the Chaire for His Majestie when they had taken downe His Throne and it might have been His good fortune to have had a casting voice though he is now denied His negative one amongst them This plot was laid and this designe in agitation though it be a night-piece which few have hitherto discover'd fully before the Warre commenced and in order to this worke without doubt the Militia was first exercised and the Scots a second time invited But we hope their Commissioners that tasted so much of the late feast will not encourage their brethren to the fray When wee consider these things adding to them those bloudy Treasons uttered publikely without checke as well against the whole Line of the Bloud Royall as against the sacred Person of our Soveraigne and those sevâ—rall assaults made upon them our haire begins to stand upright on our heads and our consciences often reflect upon our oathes of Allegeance and Supremacie together with our late Protestation whereby we stand obliged to our utmost power to maintaine His Majesties Royall Person Crowne and Dignity against all treacherous practices that may ruine dishonour or impaire them and so by Gods help we will doe And finding His Majesties late Propositions as His Messages formerly so just and reasonable as nothing can be more and yet so little listened after for our peace We advise all our Knights and Burgesses to vote no more against our gracious Soveraigne or the peace of the Kingdome that they make no fuâ—ther use of our owne trust to murder us for 't is not our sâ—nse that they should proceed to shed the bloud of the ungodly as they terme them when they meane all such as dissent from their wilde opinions And as we doe protest against such Ordinances as are made against the King or without His consent so shall we withdraw our trust and power of representation from such as shall goe on to abuse it And finding no possibility of peace till the packe that contrived this new designe and this Warre in order to the effecting of it be new shuffled we shall joyntly labour to shuffle that packe and dissolve that knot wherein we see our miseries are tryed and after due election of new Members into their places resolve to call them to a strict account for betraying our trust interrupting our peace and violating all our ancient liberties and shall not doubt of the assistance of all good men to effect it PSAL. 5. 6. Thou O God shalt destroy them that speake lies The Lord will abhorre both the bloud-thirsty and deceitfull man FINIS
SOBER SADNES OR Historicall ObservationsVPON The Proceedings Pretences Designs of a prevailing party in both Houses of PARLIAMENT With the resolution of all loyall Subjects and true Protestants of the Church of ENGLAND thereupon ISAIAH 33. 1. Woe to thee that spoilest and thou wast not spoiled and that dealest treacherously and they dealt not treacherously with thee when thou ceasest to spoile thou shalt be spoiled ISAIAH 29. 16. Surely your turning of things upside downe shall be esteemed as the Potters clay Printed for W. Webb Book-seller neer Queens Colledge M. DC XLIII A Preface to the READER THe particular exorbitances of mans life are so many thriving off-sets from that bitter root his originall depravation He that allowes his soule to be impaired only in her inferiour faculties his deniall of the rest is proof enough against him His mind and conscience is defiled and in this constitution makes snares of every clew ordain'd to guide him as wel those of divine as those of humane spinning Being sensible that his lampe by nature wants oyle and trimming if hee pretends to have his defect of light supply'd by the extemporary flashes of inspiration he presently inviteth Satan to be his guide with his dark Lantherne When this light is set up before him he thinks he hath lest all the world bâ—sides in that darknesse to which himselfe travelleth mistaking singulariâ—y for the straight way This light kindled on purpose to distract and dazle puts him into a restlesse phrenzie This phrenzie is put upon the account of zeale and every murther that zeale commits is a reputed Sacrifice The time will come saith Christ That he that killeth you will thinke he doth God service This strange fire as wilde as 't is hath been offer'd up by sundry Sects in all Ages of the Church but through the wisdome and justice of God hath been dispos'd to consume the offerers The Factious of our times are like to draw the same Judgement upon their own heads iâ— we may conjecture by the sudden answer to that Petition so often repeated by the Lord Brooke before his last enterprise viz. Lord if this action be not for thy gloâ—y cut me off speedily No armour is of proofe to withstand God so earnestly challenged to the vindication of his owne glory This Lord being once demanded according to the usuall salutation of the times what newes reply'd hee could tell no newes but hee could tell miracles and these were nothing else but that strange successe which God had given against all advantages on the other side to his Annointed I 'le leave the expression betwixt jest and earnest Every man may carry it as his iudâ—ement shall direct him But surely wise men are of opinion his Lordship had at that time little reason to speake Ironically Whether he marcht against the light of a self-conviction I determine not There are that take upon them to cite all men living to the Barre of their private consure and not confining their Iâ—risdiction here sit upon the life and death of those soules that have past their accounts to their owne Masters Let them reioyce in this practice that retaine it as a distinguishing marke of their profession For my part I shall say no more then I may say safely God in his wisdome thought it not fit to advance his owne glory any further by the life and action of such an Instrument And let his example be an admonition unto us that have surviv'd him to premeditate at least our imprecations considering how soone omnipotencie can returne them into our owne bosomes If men would seriously consider how many parties have followed the direction of such guides as pretended to infallibility and yet their Reliâ—â—on hath been Rebellion their faith Faction and their zeale a murthering â—â— innocents by a common construction and then reflect upon the disâ—â—â—pers of these times and then have been dieted This might prove â—n effectuall meanes to recover some and prevent the farther spreading of this dangerous leprofie in others To this purpose serves this insuing discovery wherein a strict account is taken of three generall heads as the most received summes out of which our miseries have been more parâ—â—cularly disbursed They are the proceedings pretences and designes of c. â—â— the designes we see the end aimed at In the pretences the way by which â—hey have travail'd towards the end And in their proceedings their proâ—â—sse in that way We shall decline that exact method used in handling â—ery Discipline because what are praecognita to them as all designes are â—â— the contrivers are post cognita to us We can deduce them but by way â—â— inference and therefore having laid downe the other as the two promiâ—â—s we shall draw these into the conclusion 1. In their proceedings If our discourse be guilty of too much proâ—â—xity as it may be to those who have heard them â—o oft repeated reâ—ember we are to relate by what meanes their party grew to be so potent â—is Maâ—esties sundry invitations unto Peace and readinesse to embrace â—etitions of that nature whiles they labour to stifle or reiect them The â—â—ndry practices they have used to support their declining cause and 〈◊〉 and how violently they have borne themselves up as well aâ—ainst sundry discouragements as against the solid grounds of truth and 〈◊〉 2. Amongst their pretences wee shall find these colours The Defence â—nd Reformation of Religion by rooting out Episcopacy Scandalous Ministers â—luralities and the Temporall employments of the Clergie The security of â—is Maiesties Royall Person Crowne and Dignity with the Liberty and Property of the Subiect The triall of Delinquents c. 3. Their designes The subversion of the Government both of Chuâ—ch and State found upon good evidence with a serious recollection of our selves to the practice of a resolved loyaltie The COMPLAINT of the Kingdome against the evill Members of both Houses who have upon designe brought in Ruine under a pretence of Reformation Relating to that former Complaint made by the Citie and Counties adjacent WE are glad our brethren are so well recovered out of their Lethargie as to be able to informe us that they are growne sensible of their miseries Wee confesse our selves lay stupified in a too unhappy dreame or tamenesse till this Alarm did awaken us and now besides the sympathie and compassion that we have of the afflictions of our neighbours the sense of our owne sufferings is so sharpe that wee are forced to circumflect the sad accents of their just Complaint More neede not be added to that Relation by way of supplement to perfect the horrible Anatomy of our miseries Yet we conceive it will not be in vaine to discover who they were that pretending to reforme even our happinesse and then to secure that happinesse by such impregnable fortifications as God never yet vouchsafed to defence in temporall blessings withall did at the same time nothing else but make that interruption and breach of our sweet
carry away nothing but blankes the prizes being designed for themselves and the Officers that were neere them some of which are not ashamed to sound the Trumpet for it When the free Contributions were exhausted from Voluntiers men came to be prest to these prodigall expences After they had lent some they were justly paid the use by having the rest taken from them Men were not onely forced to part with their own but to disburse others money also or committed to prison for their refusali This was I angherne and Vivians case who were committed to Colchester Goale for denying to pay 2000l which was due to the Prince from them and yet the Receiver plundred of the money These men are no lesse carefull for the maintenance of the Kings children then of his Majestie provided it may be done by taking away their Revenues and thus all the Rights as well of King as People have beene secured by an Antiphrasis of Parliament When the Merchants were in dispute about the laâ—ing of the Ship called Sancta Clara these charitable men that love no strife betweene brethren umpir'd in the businesse and to reconcile the difference seized upon the goods which must not be redeemed to the use of the right owner under the loane of 20000l I pray God they have not this trick to comprimise all the differences of the Kingdome To raise mâ—ney they have robbed both the Church and the Spittle six thousand pounds being collected for the repairing of S Andrewes Holborne were fetcht away by the Earle of Manchester and others in the night If this Church fall they have ingaged themselves to build God a new house in bloud We reade of Hezekiah that he gave all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord to make his peace with a forreigne and idolatrous King but for subjects to take Gods money to wage Warre against a pious Prince we beleeve this may be made one of the first precedents They have not beene more favourable to the mysticall then to the materiall Temples of God A great collection was made for the reliefe of the poore Protestants in London Derry and besides those vast summes raised by Subsidie for the Armies there this was all converted to the use of this bloudy War whilest those our miserable brethren are ready to perish as many that went before them in their distresses To recompence them from this wrong they have imployed their Preachers to advance another collection for them which comming into the same hands we suspect will be conveighed the same way They tooke like care for the disposall of that collection made for Brainceford for the poore of the Parish have not beene a farthing the better for it hitherto and we beleeve the Spring will have so well recovered them that their Physitians will thinke it needlesse to administer what was so long agoe provided for them Whether these men that would have no summe passe by their owne bagge care more to relieve the poore then Judus did may appeare by diverse instances amongst the rest they brake into the Hospitall at Gilford in Surrey and tooke 400l from them and a fine device was lately set on foot to raise another summe There is a pretence for poore children to be sent over to get good breeding in New-England a collection must be made for them and this must be committed to the hands of their trusty and well-beloved Alderman Pennington which is like to be imployed to the use for which it was pretended as faithfully as those summes gathered for London Derry and Branceford were Now lest the peoples zeale should wast with their purses they keepe them warme by a continuall breathing of reports upon them If Letters come that speake but upon heare-say they first expunge so much of the relation as might tend to the discouraging of their party and then publish them as the History of some great defeat and if need be as there is need enough they have their Observatour to write Commentaries upon them lest the people should mistake the rare passages of Gods providence on their side Another while they declaime against the Kings Army as Popish forgetting that their good wroke is supported by men of any Nation or Religion and that the Lord Say and the Lord Brookes two leading Cards of that faction have often protested they would dispence with all sorts of Religions though now they make an exception of the true Protestant so they might exercise their owne freely and that such a generall Toleration ought to be granted is their avowed opinion and indeed their independency cannot consist otherwise for if I be accountable to none I will use what Religion I please without controule It hath been well observed that when there hath beene any businesse of consequence to be debated in the Houses they have still had the good fortune to be encouraged by the newes of some strange successe or exasperated by some great provocation suggested by such as made the discovery for advantage But they have beene so provident as to lay reports of this nature at a considerable distance that they might not be confuted before the present turne were served Thus wee were made beleeve whilest His Majesties Army was in Yorkeshore and in those remote parts that they consisted of none but Papists and Delinquents but this mist cast before the peoples eyes to blind them was soone dispelled by the rayes of our Soveraignes piety as He drew neare us And however the Earle of Newcastles Forces lie all under the same scandall now yet as great a cloud as this hath vanish'd into nothing and 't is possible they may draw so neare us that notwithstanding their duty and alleagiance have brought some Papists into that Army we may distinctly understand that the Masse which they say is so commonly used will prove no other then the Booke of Common-Prayer With these jugling and slight-of-hand trickes wee have beene long amazed but they bave beene plaid so often over that every man who is not wilfully blinde discovers them and now they serve for no use but for wise men to lament and boyes to laugh at we may justly wonder what springs they move by that drive them on so furiously against the stteame of truth law and reason and yet we may cease to wonder for we have beene sufficiently informed that some of this violent party are spurr'd on by the law of their owne necessities A Captaines pay per annum is More money then five of their prime Instruments were ever owners of The Honest Letter hath told us on which side the beggerly Lords and Gentlemen are of and 't is easily conclude◠〈…〉 consider who they are that take the present pay out of a publike stocke whilest their Cure is served by their under-officers and who they are that serve in their owne persons and besides the hazard of their residence raise and maintaines Forces at their owne charges Others we know pursue this designe out of