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<DATE>2006-11-21</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<P><HI>CONCORDIA DISCORS,</HI>
OR THE
DISSONANT HARMONY
OF
Sacred PUBLIqUE OATHES, PROTESTATIONS,
LEAGUES, COVENANTS, INGAGEMENTS,
lately taken by many TIME-SERVING SAINTS,
Officers, without &s;cruple of Con&s;cience; making a ve|ry
<HI>unplea&s;ant Con&s;ort</HI> in the <HI>Ears</HI> of our mo&s;t faithfull
<HI>Oath-performing, Covenant-keeping God,</HI> and all <HI>Loyal
con&s;ciencious Subjects;</HI> &s;ufficient to create a <HI>dolefull</HI>
HELL, and <HI>tormenting Horror</HI> in the <HI>awakned
Con&s;ciences</HI> of all tho&s;e, who have <HI>taken,</HI> and viola|ted
them too, &s;ucce&s;&s;ively, without any <HI>fear of God,
Men, Devils, or Hell.</HI></P>
<P>By <HI>WILLIAM PRYNNE</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR> a Bencher of <HI>Lincolns-Inne.</HI></P>
<BIBL>Numb. 30. 2.</BIBL>
<Q>If a man vow a Vow unto the Lord, or &s;wear an
Oath to bind his Soul with a Bond, he &s;hall not break his word,
he &s;hall do according to all that proceedeth out of his Mouth.</Q>
<BIBL>Gal. 3. 15.</BIBL>
<Q>Brethren I &s;peak after the manner of men, though it be
but a mans Covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man di&s;annul|leth
or addeth thereunto.</Q>
<BIBL>Jer. 23. 10.</BIBL>
<Q>Becau&s;e of Swearing the Land mourneth, the plea|&s;ant
places of the wilderne&s;s are dryed up, their cour&s;e is evil,
and their force is not right.</Q>
<BIBL>Augu&s;tin de verbis Apo&s;toli Sermo 30.</BIBL>
<Q>Fal&s;a Juratio exitio&s;a e&s;t, vera
juratio periculo&s;a e&s;t, nulla iuratio &s;ecura e&s;t. Tantum mali habet
juratio, ut qui lapides colunt timeant fal&s;um jurare per lapides: Tu
non times Deum prae&s;entem, Deum viventem, Deum &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ientem,
Deum moven<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">em, Deum in contemptores vindicantem? Vis erg&ograve;
long&egrave; e&s;&s;e a perjurio? Jurare noli.</Q>
<BIBL>Chry&s;. Hom. 12. in Mat. 5.</BIBL>
<Q>Ni&s;i juramentu~ interdicatur, non po&s;&s;unt amputari
perjuria, Nemo e&s;t enim qui frequenter jurat, &amp; non aliquando perjuret.</Q>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>Edward Thomas</HI> at the <HI>Adam</HI> and <HI>Eve</HI>
in Little Britain, 1659.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>The di&s;&s;onant Harmony or &s;acred publick Oaths,
Prote&s;tations, Leagues, Covenants, Engagements,
lately taken, &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P>MAny are the publick Oaths, Prote&s;tations,
Leagues, Covenants, which all Engli&s;h Sub|jects
(e&s;pecially Judges, Ju&s;tices, Sheriffs,
Maiors, Mini&s;ters, Lawyers, Graduates,
Members of the Commons Hou&s;e, and all
publick Officers what&s;oever) by the Laws
and Statutes of the Land have formerly taken to their
lawfull <HI>Hereditary Kings,</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">Bracton, l. 3. Tract. 2. c. 1. Britton c. 12. Lambardi, Archaion, LL. Edwardi Con|fe&s;&s;oris Lex, 35. Spelmanni Glo&s;&s;arum, p. 267, 268. Cook 7 Rep<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> Calvins ca&s;e. 1 In&s;tit. f. 64, 65, 67, 68. Tottles Magna Charta. f. 164. Kitt. f. 46. Exact Colle|ction&punc; p. 370. Joh. Seldeni, ad Eadme|rum Notae, p. 190, 191.</NOTE> <HI>their Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors,</HI> to bind
their <HI>Souls,</HI> Con&s;ciences, to bear con&s;tant Faith, Alle|giance,
Obedience, and dutifull &s;ubjection to them; and to
defend their Per&s;ons, Crowns, and ju&s;t Royal Prerogatives,
with their Lives, Members, Fortunes, again&s;t all At|tempts,
Con&s;piracies, and Innovations what&s;oever. Which
being almo&s;t quite forgotten by tho&s;e who have formerly
taken, and as frequently violated them over and over,
in the highe&s;t degree, if not abjured them by contrary late
<HI>Oaths</HI> and <HI>Ingagements;</HI> I &s;hall pre&s;ent them in order to
their own and others view, that they may con&s;cienciou&s;ly
review, con&s;ider them afre&s;h, and bewayle their perjurious
athei&s;tical violations of them, to prevent tho&s;e temporal
and eternal Judgments, which otherwi&s;e may and will mo&s;t
certainly fall upon them, &amp; our Nation too for the &s;ame.</P>
<P>1. I &s;hall begin with the antient <HI>Oath of Fealty, a</HI> which
every <HI>Per&s;on</HI> above 14. <HI>years</HI> old, and every <HI>Tithingman</HI> was
obliged to take publickly at the <HI>Court Leet</HI> within which
he lived; and was antiently taken afre&s;h every year by all
<PB N="2" REF="3">
the Subjects under <HI>Edward the Confe&s;&s;or,</HI> and <HI>William
the fir&s;t,</HI> in &s;ub&s;tance at lea&s;t, though not in preci&s;e
words.</P>
<P>I A. B. <HI>do &s;wear, that from this day forwards, I will
<HI>be faithfull and loyal to our Lord the King, and his
Heirs,</HI></HI> and will bear<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">See Gratian Cau&s;. 22. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">u. 5. De for|ma fidelitatis.</NOTE> Faith and Allegiance to him of life
and of Member, and of terrene honour <HI>again&s;t all people</HI>
which may live and die; And that I &s;hall neither know nor
hear of any thing which may tend to their hurt or dam|mage,
which I &s;hall not with&s;tand to my power. <HI>So God
me help.</HI></P>
<P>2. The &s;econd is the antient u&s;ual<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Tottles Magna Charta, f. 166. Iura|mentum Ma|jorum &amp; Bal|livorum.</NOTE> <HI>Oath of the Maiors
of</HI> LONDON, <HI>and other Cities and Townes</HI> throughout
<HI>England,</HI> and of <HI>Bayliffs</HI> or other Chief <HI>Officers</HI> where there
were no Maiors.</P>
<P><Q>You &s;hall &s;wear, That you &s;hall well and loyally &s;erve
the KING in the Office of Maior in the City of <HI>London,</HI>
and the &s;ame City &s;hall keep <HI>&s;urely and &s;afely to the
u&s;e of our Lord the KING of England, and of his
HEIRS Kings of England;</HI> and that the profit of
the KING you &s;hall advance in all things which belong to
you to do; <HI>And &s;hall loyally pre&s;erve the Rights of the
King, and what&s;oever belongeth to the Crown</HI> in the &s;aid
City; <HI>and you &s;hall not a&s;&s;ent to the Di&s;tre&s;&s;e, nor to
the concealment of the Rights, nor of the Franchi|&s;es
of the KING.</HI> And where you &s;hall know the
Rights of the KING of his CROWN, (be it in
Lands, in Rents, or in Franchi&s;es, or in Sutes) to be
concealed or <HI>&s;ub&s;tracted,</HI> you &s;hall do your be&s;t en|deavour
to regain the &s;ame; And that if you cannot
do it, you &s;hall tell it to the King, or to tho&s;e of his
Coun&s;el, of whom you are certain they will inform the
KING thereof: And that lawfully and rightfully you
&s;hall treat the People of your Bailywick, and do right to
every one, as well to Strangers as to Prives, as well to
the Poor as to the Rich, in that which appertains to
you to do: and that neither for Honour, nor for Ri|ches,
nor for Gift, nor for Promi&s;e, nor for favour, nor
<PB N="3" REF="3">
for hatred, you &s;hall not do wrong to any one: that you
&s;hall di&s;turb no mans Right, nor &s;hall you take any thing
by which the KING may &s;uffer lo&s;&s;e, or any Right
&s;hall be di&s;turbed; And that in all things which ap|pertain
to the Maior of the &s;aid City &s;o to do, you
&s;hall well and lawfully demean your &s;elf. So God you
help, &amp;c.</Q></P>
<P>The like<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Tottles Magna Char|ta, f. 165, 157. Clau&s;. 35 E. 1. dor&s;. 7. Kit|chin, f. 46. 47.</NOTE> <HI>Oaths</HI> in &s;ub&s;tance were taken by all <HI>Privy Coun|&s;ellors
of State, Sheriffs of Counties, Recorders of Towns, E&s;|cheators,
Con&s;tables,</HI> and other publick Officers of Ju&s;tice,
and by mo&s;t Freemen of Corporations, in relation to the
<HI>King and his Heirs,</HI> and the Rights of the Crown.</P>
<P>3. The third is the<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">18 E. 3. &s;tat. 4. 20 E. 3. c. 1, 2. Clau&s;. 20 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> E. 1. pars 1. do &s;. 13. 3 R. 2. Rot. Parl. n. 38, 39, 40, 41. Ra&s;tall Iu&s;ti|ces, 2 Rot. Parl. 25 E. 3. n. 10. Cooks 3 In&s;tit. p. 145.</NOTE> <HI>Oath of all the Judges, Barons of the
Exchequer,</HI> and Ju&s;tices of the Peace, pre&s;cribed by &s;everal
<HI>Acts,</HI> thus formed,</P>
<P>Ye &s;hall &s;wear, That well and lawfully ye &s;hall &s;erve our So|veraign <HI>Lord the King,</HI> and his People in the Office of Ju|stice,
and that lawfully ye &s;hall coun&s;ell <HI>the King</HI> in his Bu&s;i|ne&s;s,
and <HI>that ye &s;hall not coun&s;el nor a&s;&s;ent to any thing
which may turn him to dammage or di&s;heri&s;on by any
manner, way or colour; and that ye &s;hall not know the
dammage or di&s;heri&s;on of him, whereof ye &s;hall not do
him to be warned by your &s;elf, or by other:</HI> and that ye
&s;hall do even Law and Execution of Right to all his Subjects
Rich and Poor, without having regard to any Per&s;on. And
that you take not by your &s;elf or by other, privilie or apertly,
Gift or Reward of Gold or Silver, nor of any other thing which
may turn to your profit, unle&s;&s;e it be meat or drink, and of
&s;mall value, of any man that &s;hall have any Plea or Proce&s;s
hanging before you, as long as the &s;ame Proce&s;s &s;hall be &s;o hang|ing,
nor after the &s;ame cau&s;e. And that ye take no fee, as
long as ye &s;hall be Ju&s;tice, nor Robes of any man great or &s;mall,
<HI>but of the King him&s;elf. And that you give none ad|vice
or coun&s;ell to no man great or &s;mall in no ca&s;e where
the King is party.</HI> And in ca&s;e that any, of what e&s;tate
or condition they be, come before you in your Se&s;sions, with
force and arms, or otherwi&s;e again&s;t the Peace, or
again&s;t the forme of the Statute thereof made, to disturbe
<PB N="4" REF="4">
execution of the Common-law or to menace the people, that they
may not pur&s;ue the Law, that ye do their bodies to be arre&s;ted
and put in pri&s;on. And in ca&s;e they be &s;uch, that ye may not
arre&s;t them, that ye certifie the King of their names, and of their
mi&s;pri&s;ion ha&s;tily, &s;o that thereof he may ordain a co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">venable
remedy. And that ye by your &s;elf, nor by other privily nor apert|ly,
maintain any plea or quarrel hanging in the <HI>Kings Court,</HI>
or el&s;ewhere in the Country. And that ye deny to no man com|mon
right <HI>by the Kings Letters,</HI> nor none other mans,
nor for none other cau&s;e: and in ca&s;e any letters come
to you contrary to the Law, that ye do nothing by &s;uch
Letters, but certifie the <HI>King thereof,</HI> and go forth to do the
Law, notwith&s;tanding the &s;ame Letters. <HI>And that ye &s;hall
do and procure the profit of the King, and of the Crown,
with all things where ye may rea&s;onably do the &s;ame.</HI>
And in ca&s;e ye be from henceforth found in default in any of the
points afore&s;aid, <HI>ye &s;hall be at the Kings Will, of Body,
Lands and Goods, thereof to be done as &s;hall plea&s;e him,</HI>
as God you help and all Saints, <HI>Anno</HI> 18 E. 3. <HI>Stat.</HI> 4.</P>
<P>The next <HI>Oath</HI> is that of <HI>Supremacy,</HI> made and pre&s;cribed
to be taken by all <HI>Judges, Ju&s;tices,</HI> Sheriffs, Maiors, Record|ers,
Civil and Eccle&s;ia&s;tical Officers, Barre&s;ters, Benchers, Gra|duates,
Mini&s;ters, Attornies what&s;oever; and all Members of
the Commons Hou&s;e, before they ought to fit or vote
therein, by the Statutes of 1 <HI>Eliz. cap. 1. 5 Eliz. cap. 1. 17
Car. cap.</HI> 7.</P>
<P><HI>I</HI> A. B. <HI>do utterly te&s;tifie and declare in my Con&s;cience,
That <HI>the Kings Highne&s;s is the only Supream Gover|nor
of this Realm, and of all other his Highne&s;s Domini|ons
and Countries,</HI></HI> as well in all Spiritual or Eccle&s;ia&s;tical
things or cau&s;es, <HI>as Temporal:</HI> and that no forein Prince, Per|&s;on,
Prelate, State or Potentate hath, or ought to have any Juri&s;|diction,
Power, Superiority, Preheminence or Authority, Ec|cle&s;ia&s;tical
or Spiritual within this Realm; and therefore I do
utterly renounce all forein Juri&s;dictions, Powers, Superiorities,
and Authorities; and do promi&s;e <HI>that from henceforth I &s;hall
bear Faith and true Allegiance to the Kings Highne&s;s,
his Heirs and lawfull Succe&s;&s;ors, and to my Power
<PB N="5" REF="4">
&s;hall a&s;&s;i&s;t and defend, all Iuri&s;dictions, Privileges, Pre|heminences
and Authorities granted or belonging to the
Kings Highne&s;s, his Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors, or united and
annexed to the Imperial Crown of this Realm.</HI> So help
me God, and by the Contents of this Book.</P>
<P>5. <HI>The 5th. (Oath of equal Latitude and Extent, as the
former of Supremacy) is that of</HI> Allegiance, <HI>pre&s;cribed by
the Statutes of</HI> 3 Jacobi, cap. 4. 7 Jac. c. 6. 17 Car. c. 7 tend|ing
only to tbe Declaration of &s;uch Duty as every true and well-affected
Subject, not only by Bond of Allegiance, but al&s;o <HI>by the
Commandement of Almighty God ought to bear to his
Maje&s;ty, his Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors;</HI> which Oath &s;uch as are
infected <HI>with Popi&s;h Super&s;tition</HI> do oppugn with many fal&s;e
and un&s;ound Arguments, the ju&s;t defence whereof, his Maje&s;ty
<HI>(King James)</HI> hath heretofore undertaken &amp; worthily performed,
to the great contentment, of all his loving Subjects notwith&s;tand|ing
the gain&s;ayings of all contentious Adver&s;aries. And to &s;hew how
greatly <HI>his Loyal Subjects did approve the &s;aid Oath,</HI> they
prostrated them&s;elves at his Maje&s;ties feet, be&s;eeching his Majesty
that it might be enacted, <HI>that the &s;ame Oath may be admi|ni&s;tred
to all his Subjects. <HI>The words whereof are
the&s;e. I</HI></HI> A. B. do truly and &s;incerely acknowledge, profe&s;&s;e, te&s;ti|fie,
and declare in my Con&s;cience before God and the world,
That our Soveraign Lord King <HI>CHARLES <HI>is lawfull and
rightfull King of this Realm, and of all other his Ma|je&s;ties
Dominions and Countries:</HI></HI> And that the Pope, nei|ther
of him&s;elf, nor by any of the Church or See of <HI>Rome,</HI> or
by any other means <HI>with any other hath any power or autho|rity
to depo&s;e the King, or to di&s;po&s;e of any of his Maje|&s;ties
Kingdomes or Dominions, or to authorize any forein
Prince to invade o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> annoy him or his Countries; or to di&s;|charge
any of his Maje&s;ties, Subjects of their Allegiance
and Obedience to his Maje&s;ty, or to give licence or leave
to any of them to bear Arms, rai&s;e tumult, or to offer a|ny
violence or hurt to his Maje&s;ties Royal Per&s;on, State
or Government,</HI> or to any of his Maje&s;ties Subjects, within his
Maje&s;ties Dominions. Al&s;o, I do &s;wear from my heart, that
notwith&s;tanding any Declaration or &s;entence of Excommunicati|on
<PB N="6" REF="5">
or deprivation made or granted by the Pope, or his Succe&s;|&s;ors,
or by any Authority derived, or pretended to be derived
from him, or his See, <HI>again&s;t the &s;aid King his Heirs or Suc|ce&s;&s;ors,
or any ab&s;olution of the &s;aid Subjects from their
obedience: I will bear Faith and true Allegiance to his
Maje&s;ty, his Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors, and him and them will
defend to the uttermo&s;t of my power, again&s;t all Con|&s;piracies
and Attempts what&s;oever, which &s;hall be made
again&s;t his or their Per&s;ons, their Crown and Dignity,
by rea&s;on or colour of any &s;uch Sentence or Declaration,
or otherwi&s;e, and will do my be&s;t endeavour to di&s;clo&s;e and
make known unto his Maje&s;ty, his Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors,
all Trea&s;ons and traiterous Con&s;piracies, which I &s;hall
know or hear of to be again&s;t him, or any of them.</HI> And
I do further &s;wear. <HI>That I do from my heart abhor, dete&s;t,
and abjure, as impious and heretical, this damnable Do|ctrine
and Po&s;ition, That Princes which be excommu|nicated
by the Pope, may be depo&s;ed or murthered by their
Subjects, or any other what&s;oever. And I do believe,
and in Con&s;cience am re&s;olved, that neither the Pope,
nor any per&s;on what&s;oever, hath power to ab&s;olve me of
this Oath, or any part thereof, which I acknowledge
by good and full Authority to be lawfully admini&s;tred un|to
me, and do renounce all Pardons and Di&s;pen&s;ations
to the contrary. And all the&s;e things I do plainly and
&s;incerely acknowledge and &s;wear, according to the ex|pre&s;&s;e
words by me &s;poken, and according to the plain
and common &s;en&s;e and under&s;tanding of the &s;ame words,
without any equivocation, or mental eva&s;ion, or &s;ecret
re&s;ervation what&s;oever. And I do make, this Recogniti|on
and Acknowledgement heartily, willingly, and truly,
upon the true Faith of a Chri&s;tian</HI> So help me God.</P>
<P>6. To the&s;e Oaths I &s;hall &s;ubjoyn the<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">See Exact Collection, p. 278, 296, 337, 340, 342, 361, 367, 491, 498, 522, 523, 666, 770, 828, 839.</NOTE> <HI>Prote&s;tation,</HI>
made and taken (in pur&s;uance of the&s;e <HI>Oaths)</HI> by all the
Well-affected Members of the <HI>Lords, and Commons Hou&s;e
the last long Parliament, and voluntarily taken by all the be&s;t affe|cted
people throughout the Realm,</HI> and by all, or mo&s;t Officers
and Souldiers of the Army; by their Authority.</P>
<P><PB N="7" REF="5">
We the Knights, Citizens, and Burge&s;&s;es in the Com|mons
Hou&s;e of Parliament, finding to the great grief of
our hearts, that the de&s;igns of the Prie&s;ts and Je&s;uites, and
other Adherents to the See of <HI>Rome,</HI> have of late been
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">And have they not been &s;o more &s;ince and now, then ever before?</NOTE> more boldly and frequently put in practi&s;e than former|ly
to the undermining, and danger of the ruine of the true
reformed Prote&s;tant Religion in his Maje&s;ties Dominions
e&s;tabli&s;hed: And finding al&s;o that there have been, and ha|ving
ju&s;t cau&s;e to &s;u&s;pect that there &s;till are, even during
this &s;itting in Parliament,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">As &s;ince and now, by dou|bled illegal Taxes, Exci|&s;es, High Courts of Ju|&s;tice, Arbitra|ry Junctoes, and their new Knacks.</NOTE> endeavours to &s;ubvert the Fun|damental
Laws of <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> and to introduce
the exerci&s;e of an Arbitrary and Tyranical Government,
by mo&s;t pernicious and wicked Coun&s;els, Practi&s;es, Plots
and Con&s;piracies: And that the long intermi&s;&s;ion, and un|happy
breach of Parliaments, hath occa&s;ioned many ille|gal
Taxations, whereupon the Subject hath been pro&s;ecu|ted
and grieved: And that divers Innovations and Super|&s;titions
have been brought into the Church, multitudes
driven out of his Maje&s;ties Dominions; jealou&s;ies rai&s;ed
and fomented betwixt the King and his people; a Popi&s;h
Army levyed in <HI>Ireland,</HI> and two Armies brought into the
bowels of this Kingdom, to the hazard of his Maje&s;ties
Royal Per&s;on, the<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">New quite &s;old and con|&s;umed.</NOTE> con&s;ump&s;ion of the Revenues of the
Crown and Trea&s;ure of this Kingdom: And la&s;tly, finding
a great cau&s;e of Jealou&s;ie, that endeavours have been, and
are u&s;ed to bring the Engli&s;h Army into a Mi&s;-under&s;tand|ing
of this Parliament, thereby to<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Have they not &s;ince that in 1648. and now again ef|fected it?</NOTE> incline that Army, with
force to bring to pa&s;&s;e tho&s;e wicked Coun&s;els, have there|fore
thought good to joyn our &s;elves in a Declaration of
our united Affections and Re&s;olutions, and to make this
en&s;uing Prote&s;tation.</P>
<P><HI>I</HI> A. B do in the pre&s;ence of Almighty God, promi&s;e, vow, and prote&s;t, to main|tain
and defend, as far as lawfully I may, with my life, power, and e&s;tate, the
true reformed Prote&s;tant Religion, expre&s;&s;ed in the Doctrine of the Church of
<HI>England,</HI> again&s;t all Popery and Popi&s;h Innovations within this Realm, contrary
to the &s;ame Doctrine, <HI>and according to the duty of my Allegiance, His
Maje&s;ties Royal Per&s;on, Honour and E&s;tate; as al&s;o the power and pri|vilege
of Parliament; The lawfull Rights and Liberties of the Subject,</HI>
and every per&s;on that maketh this Prote&s;tation, in what&s;oever he &s;hall do in pur|&s;uance
of the &s;ame. And to my power, and as far as lawfully I may, I will oppo&s;e,
and by all good wayes and means endeavour to bring to condigne puni&s;hment, all
&s;uch as &s;hall either by force, practi&s;e, coun&s;els, plots, con&s;piracies, or otherwi&s;e, do
any thing to the contrary in this pre&s;ent Prote&s;tation contained. And further, that
I &s;hall in all ju&s;t and honourable waies endeavour to pre&s;erve the Vnion and Peace
<PB N="8" REF="6">
between the three Kingdoms of <HI>England, Scotland,</HI> and <HI>Ireland;</HI> And neither
for hope, fear, nor other re&s;pect, &s;hall relinqui&s;h this Promi&s;e, Vow, &amp; Prote&s;tation.</P>
<P>7. The next in time, is the <HI>Solemn League and Covenant,</HI> ta|ken
in the mo&s;t &s;olemn manner <HI>with hands lifted up to heaven,</HI>
and &s;ub&s;cribed by all Members of <HI>Parliament,</HI> in <HI>England</HI> and
<HI>Scotland,</HI> by all <HI>Civil, Military Officers, Souldiers</HI> and well-affected
<HI>per&s;ons</HI> in our three <HI>Kingdoms,</HI> by<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">A Collection of Ordinances, p 327, 359, 390, 399, 404, 416, 420, to 428. 458, 459. 606. 690. 702. 751. 768, 769. 798. 802, 803. 806, 807, 808, 878, 879, 889.</NOTE> &s;undry &s;pecial <HI>Or|dinances</HI>
of <HI>Parliament;</HI> approving and ratifying the &s;ame.</P>
<Q><TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="covenant">
<HEAD>&para;A Solemn League and Covenant for Reformation
and defence of Religion, the Honour and Hap|pine&s;s
of the King, and the Peace and Safety of
the three Kingdoms of England, Scotland,
and Ireland.</HEAD>
<P>WE Noblemen, Barons, Knights, Gentlemen, Citizens, Bur|ge&s;&s;es,
Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, and Commons of all &s;orts, in
the <HI>Kingdoms</HI> of <HI>England, Scotland,</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> by the Pro|vidence
of God living under <HI>one King,</HI> and being of one Reformed
Religion, having before our eyes the glory of God, and the advance|ment
of the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the <HI>ho|nour
and happine&s;s of the Kings Maje&s;ty, and his Po&s;teri|ty,</HI>
and the true Publique Liberty, Safety, and Peace of the <HI>King|doms,</HI>
wherein every ones private condition is included; and calling
to minde the treacherous and bloudy plots, Con&s;piracies, Attempts,
and practi&s;es of the Enemies of God, again&s;t the true religion and
profe&s;&s;ors thereof in all places, e&s;pecially in the&s;e three kingdoms ever
&s;ince the reformation of Religion, and how much their rage, power,
and pre&s;umption are of late, and at this time increa&s;ed and exerci&s;ed;
whereof the deplorable e&s;tate of the Church and kingdom of <HI>Ireland,</HI>
the distre&s;&s;ed e&s;tate of the Church and Kingdom of <HI>England,</HI> and
the dangerous estate of the Church and Kingdom of <HI>Scotland,</HI> are
pre&s;ent and publike Te&s;timonies: We have now at last, (after other
means of Supplication, Remonstrance, Prote&s;tations and &s;ufferings,)
for the pre&s;ervation of our &s;elves and our religion from utter ruine
and destruction, according to the commendable practice of the&s;e king|doms
in former times, and the Example of Gods people in other
Nations; after mature deliberation, re&s;olved and determined to en|ter
into a mutual and Solemn League and Covenant, wherein we all
&s;ub&s;cribe, and each one of us for him&s;elf, with hands lifted up to the
mo&s;t high God, do &s;wear.</P>
<P><PB N="9" REF="6">
I. THat we &s;hall &s;incerely, really and con&s;tantly, through
the Grace of God, endeavour in our &s;everal places
and callings, the pre&s;ervation of the Reformed Religion in
the Church of <HI>Scotland,</HI> in Doctrine, Wor&s;hip, Di&s;cipline
and Government, according to the Word of God, and the
Example of the be&s;t Reformed Churches; And &s;hall endea|vour
to bring the Churches of God in the three Kingdoms,
to the neare&s;t conjunction and uniformity in Religion,
Confe&s;&s;ion of Faith, Form of Church-Government, Di|rectory
for Wor&s;hip and Catechi&s;ing; That we and our po|&s;terity
after us, may as Brethren, live in Faith and Love, and
the Lord may delight to dwell in the mid&s;t of us.</P>
<P>II. That we &s;hall in like manner, without re&s;pect of per|&s;ons,
indeavour the extirpation of Popery, Prelacy, (that
is, Church-Government by Arch-Bi&s;hops, Bi&s;hops, their
Chancellors and Commi&s;&s;aries, Deans, Deans and Chapters,
Archdeacons, and all other Eccle&s;ia&s;tical Officers depending
on that Hierarchy) Super&s;tition, Here&s;ie, Schi&s;me, Profane|ne&s;s,
and what&s;oeuer &s;hall be found to be contrary to &s;ound
Doctrine, and the power of Godline&s;s; le&s;t we partake in
other mens &s;ins, and thereby be in danger to receive of their
plagues, and that the Lord may be one, and his Name one,
in the three Kingdoms.</P>
<P>III. <HI>We &s;hall with the &s;ame &s;incerity,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Quaere, whe|ther this be not violated in every branch in the highe&s;t de|gree?</NOTE> <HI>reality, and con|&s;tancy,
in our &s;everal Vocations, endeavour with our e|&s;tates
and lives, mutually to pre&s;erve the Rights and Pri|vileges
of the Parliaments, and the Liberties of the King|doms,
and to pre&s;erve and defend the Kings Maje&s;ties
per&s;on and authority, in the pre&s;ervation and defence of
the true Religion, and Liberties of the Kingdoms; that
the world may bear witne&s;s with our con&s;ciences of our
Loyalty, and that we have no thoughts or intentions to
dimini&s;h his Maje&s;ties ju&s;t power and greatne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>IV. We &s;hall al&s;o with all faithfullne&s;s endeavour the di&s;|coverie
of all &s;uch as have been, or &s;hall be Incendiaries,
Malignants, or evil, In&s;truments, by hindering the reforma|tion
of Religion, <HI>dividing the King from his people, or
one of the Kingdoms from another, making any Faction
or parties among&s;t the people, contrary to this League
<PB N="10" REF="7">
and Covenant,</HI> that they may be brought to publike trial,
and receive condigne puni&s;hment, as the degree of their of|fences
&s;hall require or de&s;erve, or the <HI>Supreme Judicato|ries
of both Kingdoms</HI> re&s;pectively, or other, having power
from them for that effect, &s;hall judge convenient.</P>
<P>V. And whereas the happine&s;s of a ble&s;&s;ed Peace between
the&s;e Kingdoms, denied in former times to our Progenitors,
is by the good providence of God granted unto us, and hath
been lately concluded, and &s;etled by both Parliaments, we
&s;hall each one of us, according to our place and intere&s;t, in|deavour
that they may remain conjoyned in a firm peace
and union to all po&s;teritie; And that Ju&s;tice may be done
upon the willfull oppo&s;ers thereof, in manner expre&s;&s;ed in
the precedent Articles.</P>
<P>VI. <HI>We &s;hall al&s;o according to our places and callings
in this common cau&s;e of Religion, Liberty and peace of the
Kingdoms, a&s;&s;i&s;t and defend all tho&s;e that enter into this
League and Covenant, in the maintaining and pur&s;uing
thereof, and</HI> &s;hall not &s;uffer our &s;elves directly or indirect|ly
by what&s;oever combination, per&s;wa&s;ion, or terror, to
be divided, and withdrawn from this ble&s;&s;ed union and
conjunction, whether to make defection to the contrary
part, or to give our &s;elves to a dete&s;table indifferency or
neutrality in this cau&s;e, which &s;o much concexneth the
glory of God, the good of the Kingdoms, and the honour of
the King; but &s;hall all the dayes of our lives, zealou&s;ly and
con&s;tantly continue therein, again&s;t all oppo&s;ition, and
promote the &s;ame according to our power, again&s;t all Lets
and Impediments what&s;oever: <HI>and what we are not able
our &s;elves to &s;uppre&s;s or overcome, we &s;hall reveal and make
known, that it may be timely prevented or removed;</HI> All
which we &s;hall doe as in the &s;ight of God.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e the&s;e Kingdoms are guilty of many &s;ins and provo|cations
again&s;t God, and his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as is too manife&s;t
by our pre&s;ent di&s;tre&s;&s;es and dangers, the fruits thereof; we profe&s;&s;e
and declare before God and the World, our unfeined de&s;ire to be hum|bled
for our own &s;ins, and for the &s;ins of the&s;e Kingdoms, e&s;pecially,
that we have not as we ought, valued the ine&s;timable benefit of the
Go&s;pel, that we have not laboured for the purity and power thereof,
<PB N="11" REF="7">
that we have not endeavoured to receive Chri&s;t in our hearts, nor to
walk worthy of him in our lives, which are the cau&s;es of other &s;ins
and Tran&s;gre&s;sions, &s;o much abounding among&s;t us; And our true
and unfeigned purpo&s;e, de&s;ire, and indeauour for our &s;elves, and all
others under our power and charge, both in publique and private,
in all duties we owe to God and man, to amend our lives, and each
one to go before another in the example of a real Reformation, that
the Lord may turn away his wrath and indignation, and e&s;tabli&s;h
the&s;e Churches and Kingdomes in truth and peace <HI>And this Co|venant
we make in the pre&s;ence of Almighty God the
Searcher of all hearts, with a true intention to perform
the &s;ame, as we &s;hall an&s;wer at that great day, when the
&s;ecrets of all hearts &s;hall be di&s;clo&s;ed.</HI> Mo&s;t humbly be&s;eeching
the Lord to &s;trengthen us by his Holy Spirit for this end, and to
ble&s;s our de&s;ires and proceedings with &s;uch &s;ucce&s;s, as may be delive|rance
and &s;afety to his people, and encouragement to other Chri|&s;tian
Churches groaning under, or in danger of the yoke of Anti|chri&s;tian
tyranny, to joyn in the &s;ame, or like A&s;&s;ociation and Cove|nant,
to the glory of God, the enlargement of the Kingdom of Je&s;us
Chri&s;t, <HI>and the peace and Tranquility of Chri&s;tian King|doms
and Commonwealths. Sub&s;cribed by</HI> William Len|thal
<HI>Speaker, Sir</HI> Henry Vane junior, <HI>and mo&s;t now &s;itting.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>Yet notwith&s;tanding all the&s;e mo&s;t &s;olemn, &s;acred, legal
Oaths, this Prote&s;tation, <HI>Solemn League and Covenant,</HI> &s;weet|ly
according with and ratifying each other, the remaining
<HI>Fragment of the Commons Hou&s;e,</HI> &s;itting under the power of
the <HI>Army,</HI> not only violated them all in the <HI>Highe&s;t degree,</HI>
by their proceedings again&s;t the late <HI>King, his Heirs and
Succe&s;&s;ors</HI> to <HI>the Imperial Crown, the Royal po&s;terity, King|&s;hip,
Kingdom, Lords Hou&s;e,</HI> and their &s;ecluded fellow Mem|bers,
but al&s;o took upon them to &s;uppre&s;s and &s;et a&s;ide
the&s;e Oathes, yea to brand and &s;tigmatize them, for <HI>Vn|lawfull
Oathes;</HI> to ab&s;olve them&s;elves, with all others
from them; and to &s;et up an <HI>Ingagement</HI> of their own fra|ming,
in diametrical Oppo&s;ition again&s;t all and every of
them, impo&s;ed on all the three Nations with &s;tricte&s;t &s;eve|rity,
by their <HI>New Knack</HI> of 6. September 1649. di&s;abling
<HI>all Freemen of this Nation to &s;ue in any Court of Ju&s;tice what&s;oever,
or to enjoy any Civil, Eccle&s;ia&s;tical or Military Office, benefice,
<PB N="12" REF="8">
augmentation, trust, or degree of Learning in the Vniver&s;ities or
Innes of Court, and debarring all Lawyers, Attornies from
their practice,</HI> by a new kinde of <HI>Praemunire,</HI> who &s;hould not
take and &s;ub&s;cribe this <HI>Engagement:</HI> which the whole
Hou&s;e of <HI>Commons</HI> (having not the lea&s;t legal Power to<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">Exact Colle|lection, p. 769. Exact Abridgement of the Records in the Tower, p. 157. 176. 454. See Oath in the Table.</NOTE> <HI>ad|minister
any u&s;ual Oath</HI> to Witne&s;&s;es, or any per&s;on what&s;o|ever
in any ca&s;e or Age,) had neither Authority nor Pow|er
to impo&s;e upon the Nation, were it con&s;onant to the
precedent <HI>Oaths, Protestation, Covenant</HI> much le&s;s then the
<HI>Vnparliamentary Conventicle, &s;itting after the Kings beheading,
the Lords and Majority of the Commons forcible &s;eclu&s;ion, and
the</HI><NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">See my True and perfect Narrative, p. 22 to 40. 92.</NOTE> <HI>Parliaments actual di&s;&s;olution thereby;</HI> when diametrically
repugnant to all the&s;e legal Oaths, and to the Petition of
Right it &s;elf, 3 <HI>Caroli,</HI> complaining, providing again&s;t
the future admini&s;tring of <HI>any Oath not warrantable by
the Laws and Statutes of this Realm,</HI> in preci&s;e Terms;
and whether this Engagement, be not &s;uch, let all Law|yers,
Divines, and con&s;ciencious <HI>Engli&s;hmen</HI> re&s;olve.</P>
<P><HI>I do declare and promi&s;e, That</HI> I will be true and faith|full
to the Common-wealth of England, as it is now e&s;ta|bli&s;hed,
without a King or Hou&s;e of Lords&punc;</P>
<P><HI>All the Officers, Souldiers</HI> of the <HI>Army,</HI> and Garri&s;ons
through <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> were the fir&s;t men who &s;ub|&s;cribed
it, and returned their Sub&s;criptions in Parchment-Rolls
to their <HI>Journey-men</HI> and <HI>Creatures</HI> at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter;</HI> who
thereupon thought them&s;elves and their Government,
(though founded upon <HI>Bloud, Treachery, Perjury,)</HI> as
la&s;ting and perpetual, as if it had been founded on a
<HI>Rock,</HI> and the &s;incere&s;t Principles of <HI>Piety, Ju&s;tice, Righteou&s;|ne&s;s,</HI>
and <HI>general publick National con&s;ent.</HI> But tho&s;e very fir&s;t
<HI>Engagers</HI> to them, when they had done their <HI>Drudgery,</HI> and
oppre&s;&s;ed the Nation with doubled and trebled Taxes to
&s;upport their bloody wars by Land and Sea again&s;t their
<HI>Prote&s;tant</HI> King, and Brethren of <HI>Scotland</HI> &amp; the <HI>Netherlands,</HI>
on the 20th. of <HI>April</HI> 1653.<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">The true &s;tate of the ca&s;e of the Common-wealth, p. 9, 11.</NOTE> &s;odenly turned them out of
Doors, and power, with force and highe&s;t contempt, <HI>as per|&s;ons
wholy perverting the ends of Parliament, oppre&s;&s;ing the people,
making Gain the main of their Bu&s;ine&s;s, and utterly impo&s;&s;ible in
that corrupt e&s;tate, in the judgements of the mo&s;t moderate men to
<PB N="13" REF="8">
come the in&s;truments of our long de&s;ired E&s;tabli&s;hment.</HI> And
then &s;etting up <HI>a Protector</HI> over their <HI>Infant Common-wealth
much</HI> again&s;t their wills, <HI>the Mock-Parliament</HI> under him
(whiles above 150 <HI>Members</HI> duly elected, mo&s;t confided
in by the Country were forcibly &s;ecluded) by their Addi|tional
Petition and Addre&s;&s;e, the 26th. of <HI>June</HI> 1647. im|po&s;ed
this <HI>new Oath</HI> on all Coun&s;ellors of State, and Mem|bers
of Parliament.</P>
<P><HI>I</HI> A. B. do in the pre&s;ence of God Almighty promi&s;e and &s;wear,
That to the uttermo&s;t of my Power I will uphold and maintain
the true reformed <HI>Prote&s;tant Religion,</HI> in the purity thereof,
as it is contained in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New
Testament, and encourage the Profe&s;&s;ion and Profe&s;&s;ors of the
&s;ame. And <HI>that I will be true and faithfull to his High|ne&s;&s;e
the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of Eng|land,
Scotland, and Ireland, and the Dominions there|unto
belonging as chief Magi&s;trate thereof.</HI> And <HI>&s;hall
not contrive, de&s;ign or attempt any thing again&s;t the Per|&s;on
or lawfull Authority of the Lord Protector;</HI> &s;hall keep
&s;ecret all matters that &s;hall be treated of in Coun&s;el, and put un|der
&s;ecrecy, and not reveal them but by Command, or con&s;ent
of his Highne&s;&s;e, the Parliament, or the Coun&s;el; and
&s;hall in all things faithfully perform the tru&s;t committed to me,
as a Coun&s;ellour, according to the be&s;t of my under&s;tanding, in
order to the good Government, peace and wellfare of the&s;e Nati|ions.
And &s;hall endeavour as much as in me lyes, as a Mem|ber
of Parliament, the pre&s;ervation of the Rights and Liber|ties
of the People.</P>
<P>The&s;e Oaths were &s;worn (by many of tho&s;e, who had ta|ken
the premi&s;ed <HI>Oaths, Prote&s;tation, Solemn League and Co|venant,
and the Engagement</HI> too,) both to their Protector
<HI>Oliver</HI> and his <HI>Son Richard,</HI> with whom the Army-Officers,
Souldiers, and &s;undry others in the name of mo&s;t Coun|ties
and Corporations of <HI>England, Scotland,</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI>
in their &s;pecial Addre&s;&s;es to <HI>Richard,</HI> faithfully promi&s;ed
to live and die: yet lo within few Months after, not|with&s;tanding
the&s;e <HI>Oaths</HI> and <HI>Addre&s;&s;es,</HI> by a miraculous
Divine providence (admirable in all con&s;iderate mens eyes)
they not only all de&s;erted, but degraded him from his <HI>Pro|tector&s;hip,</HI>
without one <HI>&s;troke,</HI> or <HI>drop of blood &s;pilt,</HI> or <HI>Sword</HI>
<PB N="14" REF="9">
drawn in his quarrel; after &s;o much Chri&s;tian bloud &s;hed,
&s;o many Millions of Trea&s;ure &s;pent, and many years travel,
care, by his <HI>Father Oliver,</HI> to e&s;tabli&s;h his <HI>Po&s;terity</HI> in this new-erected
Supremacy, Protector&s;hip; and that by his own <HI>Ar|my-Officers,</HI>
and neare&s;t, mo&s;t <HI>endeared Relations,</HI> even in a
moment, beyond all probability or po&s;&s;ibility in humane
apprehen&s;ion.</P>
<P>To accompli&s;h this &s;trange unexpected work, the <HI>Army-Officers</HI>
called in the old <HI>Vnparliamentary Iuncto</HI> &s;itting &s;ince
the year 1648. till <HI>April</HI> 20. 1653. whom they formerly di&s;|&s;olved
and unparliamented, &s;ecluding all the re&s;t of the old
Parliament &s;itting till <HI>December.</HI> 6. 1648. by force and arm|ed
guards, with the whole Hou&s;e of Lords, re-creating them
alone for a <HI>Parliament:</HI> who u&s;urping to them&s;elves the
name and power of a <HI>Parliament.</HI> again&s;t both Law. Equi|ty,
Rea&s;on; di&s;mounted his Son <HI>Richard</HI> from his <HI>Protector|&s;hip,</HI>
unlorded, degraded his <HI>New other Hou&s;e</HI> of <HI>Mu&s;hrom
Lords,</HI> and new dubbed <HI>Knights,</HI> ca&s;hiered &s;ome of the <HI>Army-Colonells,</HI>
and other <HI>Officers,</HI> who helped to make them a <HI>Par|liament,</HI>
&amp; him a <HI>Protector;</HI> and may gratifie the re&s;t in this
kinde; Commi&s;&s;ioned &s;ome, whom <HI>Oliver</HI> ca&s;hiered; turned
mo&s;t of his Council, Commi&s;&s;ioners, Judges, Creatures out
of their Offices; and pulled down mo&s;t of that he &s;et up
with force and blood. Who now thinking them&s;elves &s;e|cure,
and forgetting all their former, with the&s;e late &s;odain
<HI>Revolutions, Changes,</HI> as the ju&s;t rewards of perfidious <HI>breaches
of Oaths; Prote&s;tations, Covenants</HI> to their lawfull Soveraigns,
they hav now afre&s;h to make us a <HI>Freestate,</HI> not only doubled
our former Taxes in <HI>effect,</HI> and more than trebled them by a
mo&s;t <HI>arbitrary new Militia on many,</HI> but al&s;o by a <HI>New Bill,</HI> ap|pointed
an <HI>Oath to be taken by their Iudges, Iustices of the Peace,</HI>
and other Officers, in form following.</P>
<P><HI>You &s;hall &s;wear, That you &s;hall be true, faithfull and con|&s;tant
to this Commonwealth, without a &s;ingle Per&s;on,
King&s;hip, or Hou&s;e of Lords.</HI></P>
<P>Which<NOTE N="&Verbar;" PLACE="marg">Juramenta illicita, jurari. et jurata &s;er|vari non de|bent. Gratian Cau&s;a 22. qu. 4. throughout.</NOTE> <HI>illegal Oath,</HI> &s;o diametrically contrary to the for|mer,
it &s;wallowed by their unarmed Judges, Ju&s;tices, and o|ther
civil Officers out of fear, will in time be impo&s;ed on the
Army Officers, Soldiers, and all others, as their former
<HI>Ingagement</HI> was, with as &s;evere penalties.</P>
<PB N="15" REF="9">
<P>Having pre&s;ented you with the&s;e contradictory, repug|nant,
irreconcileable Oathes, Prote&s;tations, Covenants and
Engagements, I &s;hall propo&s;e &s;ome few ca&s;es of con&s;cience
upon them, in this age, when <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> is &s;o much pretended,
and <HI>Liberty of Con&s;cience</HI> &s;o much <HI>pre&s;&s;ed,</HI> that tendernes of <HI>Con|&s;cience,</HI>
and <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> it &s;elf, are hardly to be found in the
greate&s;t pretenders to them.</P>
<P>1. Whether all lawfull &s;acred Oaths, Vowes, Covenants,
Prote&s;tations. doe not<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">St. Aug. de Verbis Apo|&s;toli. Serm. 30. Gratian. Cau&s;. 22. qu. 1, 2, 5. Grotius de Ju|re Belli &amp; Pa|cis, l. 2. c. 13. Jusjurandum habetur apud omnes ulti|mum atque firmi&s;&s;imum &amp; fidei mutuae &amp; veracitatis pignus. Pro|copius Per&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> corum. l. 2. Ultima fides inter homines tum G<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">cos, tum Barbaro, quam nulla delebit aetas, e&s;t ea quam per jurata pacta &s;pon&s;e|res adh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">bet Deos. Diony&s;. Hallicarna&s;t. Antiqu. Rom. Nullum Vin|culum ad ad|&s;tringendam fidem, majo|res ne&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">i Ju|ramento arcti|us e&s;&s;e volue|runt. Cice<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">
Offic. l. 1.</NOTE> firmly, immutably, inviolably bind
the &s;ouls, con&s;ciences, of all that take them, to an <HI>Ab&s;olute,</HI>
indi&s;pen&s;ible, &s;incere, faithful performance, and &s;trict ob&s;er|vation
of them, to the uttermo&s;t of their power in all e&s;tates
and conditions, as is evident by Numb. 30. 2. to 14. Jo&s;h
9. 19, 20. Gal. 3. 15. Deut. 23. 22, 23. Judg. 11. 30. 39. Job 22. 27
P&s;. 15. 4. P&s;. 22. 25 P&s;. 61. 8. P&s;. 66. 13. P&s;. 116 14, 18. P&s;. 132.
2, 3, &amp;c. Eccle&s;. 5. 4. Jer. 44. 25. Jonah 2 9. I&s;ay 19. 21.
Nah. 1. 15. Gen. 21. 23, 24, 31. c. 24. 3. to 10. 37. to 47.
c 26. 3 31. c. 47. 31. c. 50. 5, 6. Levit. 19. 12. Jo&s;h. 2. 12.
17. 20. Judg. 15. 12, 13. Deut. 8. 12. Jo&s;h. 21. 43, 44.
1 Kings 1. 13. 17. 29, 30. 2 Chron. 36. 13. Ezra 10. 5.
Neh. 13. 25. Jer. 4. 2. c 11. 5. Mat. 5. 33. 1 Kings 15. 3,
4, 5. 2 Chron. 21. 5, 6, 7. compared with Hebr 6. 16, 17, 18.
<HI>An Oath for confirmation is to men an end of all strife: wherfore God
willing more abundantly to &s;hew unto the heirs of promi&s;e the im|mutability
of his Coun&s;el, confirmed it with an Oath,
that by two Immutable things</HI> (his Oath and Covenant) <HI>in
which it is impo&s;&s;ible for God to lie, we might have &s;trong con&s;o|lation.</HI>
P&s;. 89. 3. 34. <HI>I have made a Covenant with my cho&s;en, I
have &s;worn unto David my Servant. My Covenant will I
not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lipps.
Once have I &s;worn by my holine&s;s that I will not lie unto Da|vid,</HI>
P&s;. 132. 11. <HI>The Lord hath &s;worn in truth unto David, he
will not turn from it.</HI> Jer. 33. 20. 21. <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord,
If you can break my Covenant of the day, and my Covenant of
the night, and that there &s;hould not be day and night in their &s;ea&s;on.
Then may al&s;o my Covenant be broken with David my
Servant, that he &s;hould not have a Son to reign upon his throne.</HI> If
<HI>Gods Oaths</HI> and <HI>Covenants</HI> to mortal &s;inful men be thus true,
<HI>con&s;tants, &s;incere, firme, unalterable, immutable;</HI> then by like
<PB N="16" REF="10">
rea&s;on &s;hould <HI>mens Oaths</HI> and Covenants to God and their
<HI>lawfull Kings be &s;uch,</HI> as P&s;al. 15. 4. Eccle&s;. 8. 2. Gal. 3. 15.
Levit. 30. 2. to 14. and the other forecited Texts re&s;olve.</P>
<P>2ly. Whether the late <HI>violation</HI> through fear, or &s;elf-re&s;pects,
much more <HI>the wilfull ju&s;tification, perjurious repeal, abrogation,
abjuration of our</HI> &s;acred lawful Oaths, prote&s;tation, <HI>Covenant,</HI>
be not a<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">S. Augu&s;tin, Gratian, &amp; Grotius: ibi|dem. Caelius Rhodiginus Lectionum Antiq. l. 21. c, 15,</NOTE> <HI>mo&s;t dete&s;table, crying, &s;candalous, damning &s;in, exceeding|ly
di&s;honorable to God, injurious to Religion; &amp; drawing down &s;ad,
private, per&s;onal and National judgements, on tho&s;e who are notori|ou&s;ly
guilty thereof,</HI> as is mo&s;t apparent by Ezech. 16. 59. c. 17.
13. to 27. Zech. 8. 17. c. 5. 3, 4. Ho&s;. 10. 4. Lev. 6. 3, 4. c. 19. 12.
Prov. 24. 21, 22. Jer. 5. 2. c. 7. 9. to 17. c. 34. 8. to 22. c.
52. 3, 4. Deut. 31. 20. c. 29. 20. to 29. P&s;. 78. 10. 37. 57.
to 65. 2 Chron. 36. 13. Jo&s;h. 9. 20. 2 Sam. 21. 1. to 11.
Jer. 23. 10. Rom. 1. 31, 32. 1 Tim. 1. 10. worthy &s;ad and &s;e|rious
peru&s;al. And whether tho&s;e who are deeply guilty
of the&s;e &s;ins, can ever expect to enter into heaven, &s;ince this
is made the &s;pecial character of a Citizen of <HI>Zion, Who &s;hall
dwell in Gods holy hill,</HI> P&s;al. 15. 1, 2, 4. <HI>He that walketh up|rightly
and worketh righteou&s;ne&s;s, and &s;peaketh the truth from his
heart, He that &s;weareth to his own Hurt and changeth not,</HI>
much more then when for his own and the publick good.</P>
<P>3ly. Whether tho&s;e who have made, taken, and equally
violated all or mo&s;t of the&s;e contradictory <HI>Oathes, Prote&s;tati|ons,
Covenants, Ingagements</HI> alike, be not <HI>perjured per&s;ons, and
Covenant-breakers in folio,</HI> void of all real fear of God, truth,
faith, con&s;cience, hone&s;ty, religion, if the premi&s;ed Scrip|tures,
or Eccle&s;. 9. 2 Acts 5. 3, 4, 5. may be credited? And
whether tho&s;e who have been thus perfidious, perjurious,
fidef<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">agus, treacherous to all others, can in point of ju&s;tice,
con&s;cience, prudence, policy, impo&s;e an Oath upon all or
any others, <HI>to be true, faithfull and con&s;tant, in their Oaths Cove|nants,
trusts and obedience unto them?</HI> (e&s;pecially before them|&s;elves
have taken any &s;uch Oath, <HI>to be true, faithfull, con&s;tant</HI>
to their own <HI>principles, or any fixed &s;etled Government:)</HI> &s;ince
they have taught them to be <HI>treacherous, perfidious, di&s;loyal,</HI> by
their own precedent examples; and God him&s;elf hath de|nounced
this <HI>Wo,</HI> and retaliation again&s;t &s;uch, I&s;ay 33. 1.
<HI>Wo unto thee that deale&s;t treacherou&s;ly, and they dealt not treache|rou&s;ly
<PB N="17" REF="10">
with thee; when thou &s;halt make an end to deal treacherou&s;ly,
they &s;hall deal treacherou&s;ly with thee.</HI> Which we have &s;een ve|rified
of late in &s;undry particulars even to admiration, by
divine retaliation, to deterr all henceforth from the dange|rous
&s;in of <HI>Perjury, Treachery, Oath and Covenant breaking.</HI></P>
<P>4ly. Whether it be not a mo&s;t impious, unchri&s;tian, exe|crable,
if not Athei&s;tical practice, for any per&s;ons what&s;oe|ver
(e&s;pecially without any colour of Parliamentary Au|thority)
to impo&s;e any Oath, Vow, or illegal Ingagement
upon others, diametrically repugnant to, incon&s;i&s;tent with
their former legal Oaths, Prote&s;tations, Covenants, impo|&s;ed
on them by unque&s;tionable Parliamentary Authority,
to their lawfull Soveraigns, to en&s;nare, wound their Con|&s;ciences,
and involve them in the guilt of unevitable, mo&s;t
apparent<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Qui perjura|re compellit et qui compel|litur utrique &s;unt perjuri &amp; homicidae: Dominus quia praecepit, Mi|les quia plus Dominum quam Deum &amp; animam &s;u|am dilexit. Gratian Cau&s;a, 12. qu. 5. Augu&s;tin, Serm. 30. de verbis Apo&s;to|li.</NOTE> <HI>Perjury,</HI> and breach of all their former <HI>Oaths,
Prote&s;tations, Covenants?</HI> And whether &s;uch incur not that
wo in <HI>I&s;ay</HI> 10, 1, 2, 3. <Q>Wo unto them that decree unrigh|teous
decrees, and that write grievou&s;ne&s;&s;e, which they have
pre&s;cribed, to turn a&s;ide the needy from Judgement, to
take away the right from the poor, <HI>(exiled Royal I&s;&s;ue)</HI>
and that they may rob the Fatherle&s;s; And what will ye do
in the day of Vi&s;itation, and in the de&s;olation which &s;hall
come from far? to whom will ye flee for help, and
where will ye leave your glory? If <HI>Ahabs</HI> and <HI>Je&s;abels</HI>
&s;uborning of fal&s;e Witne&s;&s;es again&s;t <HI>Naboath</HI> to gain his
Vineyard, who atte&s;ted, that <HI>Naboath</HI> did bla&s;pheme God
and the King, brought &s;uch a heavy doom upon their
per&s;ons and royal Po&s;terity, to their utter extirpation.</Q>
<HI>1 Kings</HI> 1. 21, &amp; 22. how much &s;orer judgements &s;hall they
incur, who &s;hall endeavour to make our whole 3. Kingdoms
perjured in the highe&s;t degree, by ingaging them <HI>to renounce,
bla&s;pheme</HI> both <HI>God and the King,</HI> &amp; abjure their former Oaths,
Covenants, Prote&s;tations, of purpo&s;e to di&s;inherit the royal
Po&s;terity of their Crowns and Royalties, which they have
&s;o preci&s;ely &s;worn, prote&s;ted, covenanted over and over, in|violably
to defend and pre&s;erve?</P>
<P>5ly. Whether it can be ju&s;t, equitable, prudential, ratio|nal,
for any in pre&s;ent power, to Commi&s;sion, intru&s;t, im|ploy
<HI>Anabapti&s;ts, Quakers,</HI> with other <HI>Military Officers, Soul|diers</HI>
<PB N="18" REF="11">
by Land and Sea, without pre&s;cribing any Military
<HI>Oath</HI> unto them, (after &s;o many meetings, and violations of
their tru&s;ts to the late King, Parliament, and other new
Governours, Governments of their own erecting, to their
total &s;ubver&s;ion) <HI>to be true, faithfull, obedient, and con&s;tant to
them;</HI> contrary to the <HI>Di&s;cipline of all former Ages amongst the
Romanes, Graecians, and mo&s;t other Nations,</HI> who alwaies<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">See vegeti|us de Re Mi|litari, 1. 2. Alexander ab Alexandero. Genial Di|erum, l. 1. c. 21. l 6 c. 23. Calvini Lexicon Juri|dicum: Tit. Juramentum Militare, Fr. Connanus, l. 5. c. 3. Groti|us de Jure Belli, l. 1. c. 2.</NOTE> <HI>im|po&s;ed
a Military Oath on all their Army-Officers, Souldiers,</HI> (war|ranted
by 2 <HI>Tim. 2, 3, 4)</HI> And in the mean time, to inforce
&s;uch a <HI>Oath</HI> upon all their <HI>Judges, Ju&s;tices,</HI> and Civil Offi|cers,
again&s;t their Judgements, Con&s;ciences, who are <HI>Ortho|dox
in Religion,</HI> approve of lawfull <HI>Oaths, (impo&s;ed by legal
Authority of Parliament) Magistracy, and Mini&s;try,</HI> which <HI>A|nabapti&s;ts, Quakers,</HI> and other <HI>Sectaries</HI> profe&s;&s;edly oppugn,
and now violently endeavour to &s;uppre&s;&s;e? And whether
tho&s;e now &s;itting, or any others who have taken the foreci|ted
<HI>Oaths</HI> to the late King and his Heirs, or the <HI>Prote&s;tation,
League, and Covenant,</HI> can without <HI>apparent perjury,</HI> and direct
violations of them, repute tho&s;e few Reliques of the old
Parliament, now &s;itting (forcibly &s;ecluding the Lords and
Majority of their Fellow Members) to be a lawfull Parlia|ment
within the Statute of 17 <HI>Car.</HI> c. 7? or &s;ubmit to any
Oaths, Taxes, Edicts of theirs as Parliamentarie or legal?</P>
<P>6. Whether the forecited Oaths of <HI>Supremacy, Allegi|giance,
Maiors, Sheri&s;&s;s, Judges, Recorders, Bayliffs, Parlia|ment-Members,</HI>
and others, in direct words, extending not
only to the late Kings per&s;on, but <HI>his Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors,</HI>
do not inviolably bind both them, their Po&s;terities and
our whole three Nations, Kingdoms in perpetuity, in point
of Law and Con&s;cience, &s;o long as there is any Heir of the
Crown and Royal line in being? and that upon the&s;e unan|&s;werable
Scriptural pre&s;idents and legal con&s;iderations.</P>
<P>7. Becau&s;e Gods Oath and Covenant made to <HI>Eve, Abra|ham,
Noah, their Seed and Po&s;terity,</HI> and to the <HI>I&s;raelites and
their children, and their Covenant made to God, by Gods own re&s;olu|tion,
did oblige God him&s;elf and them in perpetuity from Generation
to Generation,</HI> Gen. 3. 15. c. 8. 21, 22. c. 9. 1, to 17. c. 13. 16. c.
15. 18. c. 17. 2, to 22. c. 21. 13. c. 24. 7. c. 28. 4, 13, 14.
Exod. 28. 43. c. 34. 7. Levit. 22. 3, 4. Numb. 14. 24. c. 18.
<PB N="19" REF="11">
19. c. 25. 12, 13. Deut. 1. 8. c. 4. 31. 37. c. 5. 2, 3. c. 7. 9, 10,
11. c. 8. 18. c. 11. 9. c. 28. 46. c. 29. 1. 4, to 20. c. 30. 6, 9.
c. 31. 21. c. 34. 4. Jo&s;h. 7. 11, 15. c. 24. 3, to 29. 2 Chron.
20. 7, 8. Neh. 1. 5. c. 9. 8, 32. P&s;. 25. 13. I&s;ay 34. 5. c. 44. 3.
c. 59. 21. c. 61. 8, 9. c. 62. 22. Mal. 2. 4, to 15. c. 4. 6. Acts 2.
39. c. 3. 25. c. 7. 5, 45. c. 13. 23. Rom. 4. 13, 16. c. 9. 7, 8.
c. 11. 1, 2, 27. Gal. 3. 16. to the end. Heb. 8. 6, to 11. c. 11.
18. c. 13. 20. Lu. 1. 72, 73. Rev. 12. 17. Levit. 26. 9, 15,
25, 42, 44. 2 Kings 17. 15, to 41. P&s;al. 44. 17, 18. P&s;. 78. 10.
38. P&s;. 89. 3. 4, 5, 34, 35. P&s;. 103. 17. 18. P&s;. 105. 8, 10. P&s;.
111. 5, 9. I&s;ay 24. 5. c, 42. 6. c. 49. 8. c. 54. 3. Jer. 11. 2 to
12. c. 22. 9. c. 31. 31. 32, 33. c. 29. 10. to 20. c. 33. 20. 21. c. 50. 5.
Ezech. 16. 60. 62. c. 37. 28, 29. c. 44. 4. Ho&s;. 8. 1. Heb. 6. 16. 17.
Therefore mens Oaths, Covenants to Kings and their Po|&s;terity,
mu&s;t likewi&s;e bind in &s;ucce&s;&s;ion and perpetuity.</P>
<P>2ly. Becau&s;e Gods Oath and Covenant made <HI>to David,
and to his Hou&s;e, Royal Seed and Po&s;terity, touching their &s;ucce&s;sion
in the Royal Throne of Iudah,</HI> was hereditary, &s;ucce&s;&s;ive, extend|ing
to all his I&s;&s;ue and Po&s;terity: and though many of them
were wicked, rebellious, yet this did not cau&s;e or provoke
God to dethrone, or di&s;inherit them, or infringe his Oath
and Covenant to <HI>David,</HI> 2 Sam. 3. 12. to the end. c. 22. 51.
1 Kings 2. 33. P&s;al. 89. 2, 3, 33, to 38. P&s;. 132. 11, 12, 13.
P&s;. 18. 50. Jer. 33. 17, 19, 20, 21. 1 Chron. 28. 4, to 10.
Jer. 17. 24, 24, 25, 26. 1 Kings 11. 12. 13, 36, 39. 2 Kings
8. 9. 2 Chron. 21. 5, 6, 7. 2 Chron. 23. 3, &amp;c. Jer. 23. 4
5. Zezh. 9. 9. John 13. 13, 15. Lu. 1. 32, 33. Therefore
much more where Oaths, Covenants are made by Subjects to
their Hereditary Kings and their Po&s;terity, they mu&s;t remain
inviolable, and not be abrogated by their tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>3ly. Becau&s;e <HI>the Oath, which</HI> Jo&s;eph <HI>took of his Brethren, the
children of I&s;rael, to carry up his Bones, out of</HI> Aegypt <HI>into</HI> Canaan,
<HI>when God &s;hould bring them out of</HI> Aegypt, <HI>Gen.</HI> 50. 24, 25. though
not made preci&s;ely for them and their Po&s;terity, was reputed
by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and them, to be obligatorie to their &s;eed, as if made
by them, even in point of Con&s;cience: as is evident by <HI>Exod.
13. 19. And Mo&s;es took the Bones of Io&s;eph with him,</HI> (though driven
out of <HI>Egypt</HI> by <HI>Pharoah) for he had &s;traitly &s;worn to the
Children of I&s;rael,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>God will &s;urely vi&s;it you, and you
<PB N="20" REF="12">
&s;hall carry up my bones hence with you.</HI> Which bones of his they
(by vertue of this Oath) notwith&s;tanding <HI>Pharoahs</HI> pur|&s;uit
after them, carryed along with them through the red
Sea, and through the wilderne&s;&s;e forty years, and through
the Land of <HI>Canaan,</HI> till they had quite conquered it, not|with&s;tanding
all their wars, <HI>Io&s;h.</HI> 24. 32. near 500 <HI>years</HI> after
this Oath fir&s;t made. If then <HI>Mo&s;es, Io&s;hua,</HI> and all the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI>
held them&s;elves thus con&s;cienciou&s;ly obliged by the Oath of
their decea&s;ed Ance&s;tors above four hundred years before,
to carry up <HI>Io&s;ephs</HI> dead bones out of <HI>Aegypt,</HI> notwith&s;tand|ing
all Objections of ha&s;t and danger from <HI>Pharoah</HI> and his
Ho&s;t, their forty years wandring in the wilderne&s;&s;e, their
wars in <HI>Canaan;</HI> and meane&s;&s;e of the matter in relation to
their publick &s;afety, no wayes concerned in it. Then much
more mu&s;t our Ance&s;tors, and our own particular reiterated
Oaths in preci&s;e terms to our Kings, their Heirs and Succe&s;|&s;ors,
which &s;o much concern our publick Government, Peace,
Settlement, Safety, Pro&s;perity, engage our whole Kingdom
and three Nations to a con&s;ciencious ob&s;ervation of them to
the uttermo&s;t of their power.</P>
<P>4ly. Becau&s;e <HI>Davids</HI> Oath to <HI>Saul</HI> and <HI>Jonathan</HI> extended
to their <HI>&s;eed, 1 Sam.</HI> 24. 21, 22. <Q>Swear now therefore unto
me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off <HI>my &s;eed</HI> after
me, and that thou wilt not de&s;troy my name out of my Fa|thers
Hou&s;e: And <HI>David</HI> &s;wore unto <HI>Saul: 1 Sam.</HI> 20. 14,
to 18, 42. And <HI>Jonathan</HI> &s;aid to <HI>David,</HI> thou &s;halt not only
while I yet live &s;hew me the kindne&s;&s;e of the Lord, that I
die not, but al&s;o, <HI>thou &s;halt not cut off thy kindne&s;&s;e
from my Hou&s;e for ever,</HI> no not when the Lord hath cut off
the Enemies of <HI>David,</HI> every one from the face of the Earth.
So <HI>Jonathan</HI> made a Covenant WITH THE HOUSE OF
DAVID; And <HI>Jonathan</HI> cau&s;ed <HI>David to &s;wear again,</HI> be|cau&s;e
he loved him. And <HI>Ionathan</HI> &s;aid to <HI>David,</HI> go in
peace, for as much as <HI>We have &s;worn both of us in the
name of the Lord,</HI> &s;aying, the Lord be beeween thee and
me, and <HI>between thy Seed and my Seed for ever.</HI></Q> How
con&s;cienciou&s;ly <HI>David</HI> ob&s;erved the&s;e Oaths after the deaths
of <HI>Saul</HI> and <HI>Ionathan,</HI> is apparent, not only by his <HI>love, favor,
and affection to Mephibo&s;heth for</HI> Jonathans <HI>&s;ake, whom he re|&s;tored
<PB N="22" REF="12">
to all that was</HI> Saule, <HI>&amp; made him eat continually at his Table.</HI>
2 Sam. 9. 1. &amp;c. <HI>and by his slaying of</HI> Baanah <HI>and</HI> Rechab <HI>for mur|dering</HI>
I&s;hbo&s;heth, Sauls <HI>&s;on, his Competitor, when they brought
his head unto him, expecting a great reward,</HI> 2 Sam. 4. But more
e&s;pecially <HI>by his &s;paring</HI> Mephibo&s;heth, <HI>the Son of</HI> Jonathan, <HI>the
&s;on of</HI> Saul, <HI>becau&s;e of the Lords Oath that was between
them, between</HI> David <HI>and</HI> Jonathan, (extending to their &s;eed
and po&s;teritie) <HI>when the</HI> Gibeonites <HI>demanded 7. of the &s;ons of
Saul to be delivered up to them,</HI> 2 Sam. 21. 5, 6, 7.</P>
<P>5. Becau&s;e E&s;ther 9. 27, 28, 31. <HI>The</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">See Levit. 23. 41.</NOTE> <HI>Iews ordained and
took upon them and upon their &s;&eacute;ed, and upon all &s;uch as joyn|ed
them&s;elves unto them, &s;o as it &s;hould not fail, that they
would keep the&s;e two dayes of Purim, according to their writing, and
according to their appointed time every year</HI> (as tho&s;e in the Par|liament
of 3 Jac. c. 1. and their Po&s;teritie <HI>have ob&s;erved the</HI>
5 of <HI>November annually ever &s;ince.) and that tho&s;e dayes &s;hould be
remembred and kept throughout every Generation, every
Family, every Province, and every City: and that tho&s;e
dayes of Purim &s;hould not fail from among the Iews, nor the me|morial
of them peri&s;h from their &s;&eacute;ed: which they decreed
for them&s;elves and for their &s;eed.</HI> If the whole Nation of
the Jewes by an Ordinance and Decree, might thus binde
their &s;eed, po&s;terity, to ob&s;erve the daies of <HI>Purim for ever:</HI>
With like rea&s;on they might by an Oath &amp; Covenant oblige
them&s;elves and their po&s;terities for ever to their hereditarie
Kings, their heirs and po&s;terities for ever: And &s;o may we
and all other Nations, by the like Acts, Decrees, and the
forecited Oathes, as is clearly re&s;olved, declared, enacted by
the Statutes of 25 H. 8. c. 22. 26 H. 8. c. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">. 28 H. 8. c. 3.
35 H. 8. c. 1. 1 Eliz. c. 1. 3. 5 Eliz. c. 1. 1 Jac. c. 1. 3 Jac.
c 4. 7 Jac. c. 6.</P>
<P><HI>6ly. Becau&s;e the pre&s;ident of the</HI> Rechabites, <HI>(who upon
the command of their Father</HI> Ionadab <HI>the &s;on of</HI> Rechab,
That <HI>neither they nor their Sons for ever &s;hould drinke
Wine,</HI> nor build hou&s;e, nor &s;ow &s;eed, nor plant, nor have any vine|yard,
but dwell in tents all their dayes; held them&s;elves bound in
duty, con&s;cience to obey it, which God him&s;elf commends, records.
rewards, for others imitation, <HI>Jer. 35. 1. to</HI> 15. who might in
like &s;ort oblige them by his Oath and Covenant;) <HI>Is a convincing
<PB N="22" REF="13">
gument that as the</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Littleson, Firzh. Brook, A&s;h, Tit. War|ranty, Cove|nant, Obliga|tion, Conditi|on, Tenure.</NOTE> Warranties, Covenants, Bends, Contracts,
Feofments, Grants, Re&s;ervations of Rents, Services, Tenures in &s;ee,
<HI>by the Laws of</HI> England, <HI>and other Nations, firmly oblige
mens</HI> Heirs, Po&s;terity, A&s;signees, Executors, Admini&s;trators,
on both &s;ides in &s;ucce&s;sion and perpetuity; <HI>So likewi&s;e their Oaths,
Covenants, Prote&s;tations, to their here litarie Kings, their
Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors, oblige them equally to them in Perpe|tuity
and &s;ucce&s;sion.</HI></P>
<P>7ly. Becau&s;e it is mo&s;t evident by <HI>Gen. 3. 14, 15. c.
4 5. Exodus 17. 16. c. 20. 5. c. 43. 7. 1 Kings 2. 33. 2
Kings 5. 27. Jer. 22 30. c.</HI> 36. 31. That Parents by their ini|quities
and tran&s;gre&s;sions may draw down and entayl the
cur&s;es, the judgements of God on them, and their Po&s;terityes
after them to their prejudice: Therefore they may much
more oblige them by their Oaths, Covenants, to Obedience,
Loyalty, Subjection to their hereditary Kings and their
Heirs, for their own particular, and the<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">prov. 24. 20. 21. Rom. 13. 3. 4, 5, 6. 1 Tim 2. 2, 3. 1 Pet. 2. 13. 14.</NOTE> <HI>Publick good, &s;afety,</HI>
as well as Freehold and Copyhold Tenents in Honors,
Manors, may oblige them&s;elves, their Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors for
ever, by Homage, Fealty, Tenures, Contracts to their Land|lords,
their Heirs and A&s;&s;ignees for ever, by the Common,
Statute-laws, of our own and other Realms, though they be
no Soveraign Lords and Kings over them.</P>
<P>8ly. Becau&s;e the <HI>Saints and Churches of God</HI> in all <HI>Ages</HI> have
held them&s;elves and their po&s;terity bound in Duty and Con|&s;cience
<HI>to pray to God for the life, &s;afety, pro&s;perity of their Kings,
and their Sons and Royal Po&s;terity,</HI> in all hereditary Kingdoms,
as is apparent by <HI>Ezra. 6. 10, 11. P&s;al. 72&punc; 1, 2, 15. 1 Sam.</HI>
11. 14. 2 Sam. 16. 16. 1 Kings 1. 25. 34, 39. 2 Kings 11. 12.
2 Chron. 23. 11. P&s;al. 149. 2. Ezech. 9. 9. Dan. 2. 4. c. 3. 9.
c. 6. 6. 21. Mat. 21. 5. 9. John 12. 13, 15. 1 Tim. 2. 1, 2, 3.
by all the antient, modern Liturgyes, Collects, Letanyes,
Canons of the Churches of <HI>England, Scotland, Ireland, France,
Spain,</HI> and other hereditary Kingdoms; The Te&s;timony of
<HI>&s;undry Fathers, Councils, Hi&s;torians,</HI> and our own <HI>Clau&s;e Rolls
in the Tower,</HI><NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">my True &amp; perfect Nar|rative, p. 95.</NOTE> <HI>el&s;ewhere</HI> quoted. Therefore they may lawful|lie
oblige them&s;elves and their Po&s;terity, by Solemn <HI>Oaths,
Covenants, Prote&s;tations to obey, protect and defend their,</HI> and
their po&s;terities <HI>Royal Per&s;ons, Crowns and Royalties.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="23" REF="13">
<HI>9ly. To put this out of further que&s;tion, I &s;hall only pre&s;t
one Scripture pre&s;ident and te&s;timonie more, wherewith I
&s;hall conclude this point, and that is the Hi&s;torie of the</HI> Gi|beonites,
<HI>recorded</HI> Jo&s;h. 9. &amp; 10. <HI>and 2 Sam. 21. 1. to 13.
The</HI> Gibeonites <HI>(a remnant of the</HI> Amorites, <HI>with whom the</HI>
I&s;raelites <HI>by Gods expre&s;s command</HI> were to make no peace nor
covenant, nor &s;hew any mercy to, but &s;mite with the edge of the &s;word
and utterly de&s;troy, <HI>Deut. 7. 1, 2, 3. c. 20. 16, 17, 18.)</HI> circum|venting
<HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> and the elders of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> by a &s;tratagem, of old bot|tles,
&s;hooes, bread, clothes, and a lying information, that they came
from a farr country to make peace and a league with them. by rea&s;on
of the glorious victories God had given, and the miracles he had
wrought for them; thereupon, without asking any advice of God or
the Congregation, or examining the truth of their information, <HI>Jo|&s;hua</HI>
and the Elders of the Congregation entred into a league with
them, <HI>to let them live, and &s;ware unto them in the name of
the Lord.</HI> Within three dayes after they heard they were their
neighbours and dwelt among&s;t them, and they came unto their Cities
the third day.<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Je&s;us pacem quam dederat revocandam non cen&s;uit, quia firmata erat Sacra|menti Religio|ne, ne dum alienam perfi|diam arguit, &s;uam fidem &s;olveret. Ambro&s;ius de Officiis, l. 3. c. 10.</NOTE> But the children of I&s;rael &s;mote them not, <HI>Be|cau&s;e
the Princes of the Congregation had &s;worn unto
them by the Lord God of I&s;rael.</HI> Hereupon all the Congrega|tion
murmured again&s;t the Princes. But all the Princes &s;aid unto
the Congregation: <HI>We have &s;worn unto them by the Lord
God of I&s;rael, therefore we may not touch them.</HI> This we
will do unto them, we will let them live <HI>le&s;t wrath be upon us,
becau&s;e of the Oath that we &s;ware unto them</HI> And the
Princes &s;aid unto them, let them live as the Princes had promi&s;ed
them, but let them be he wers of wood and drawers of water to all the
congregation. And <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> called for them, and &s;pake unto them
&s;aying; Wherefore have ye beguiled us, &s;aying, We are very far
from you, when you dwell among us? Now therefore ye are cur&s;ed,
and there &s;hall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and bewers
of wood and drawers of water for the hou&s;e of my God. And they
an&s;wered <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> and &s;aid; becau&s;e it was certainly told thy &s;er|vants,
how the Lord thy God commanded his &s;ervant <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> to give
you all the Land, and to de&s;troy all the Inhabitants of the Land be|fore
you; therefore we were fore afraid of our lives becau&s;e of you,
and have done this thing. And now behold we are in thine hand,
as it &s;eemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. And &s;o
<PB N="24" REF="14">
did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children
of I&s;rael, that they &s;lew them not. And <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> made them that
day hewers of wood, and drawers of water for the congregation, and
for the Altar of the Lord <HI>even to this day,</HI> in the place which he
&s;hould chu&s;e. <HI>After this Oath and League the Princes and
Congregation were &s;o farr from &s;laying or &s;uffering them
to be &s;lain by their enemies contrarie hereunto, that when as</HI>
5. Kings &s;oon after came up with all <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ir ho&s;ts and encamped again&s;t
<HI>Gibeah,</HI> to de&s;troy is <HI>becau&s;e they had made peace with I&s;rael;</HI>
the Giheonite &s;ending this me&s;&s;age to <HI>Jo&s;hus</HI> &amp; the camp at <HI>Gilgal;</HI>
slack not thy hand from thy &s;ervants, to come up to us quickly &amp; &s;ave
us, for all the Kings of the Amorites that dwell in the Mountains are
gathered again&s;t us; <HI>thereupon Io&s;hua</HI> and all the men of Warr
with him went up from <HI>Gilgal</HI> all night, and came upon their Ene|mies
&s;odenly, and &s;mote, &amp; de&s;troyed them with a great slaughter, <HI>de|livering
them from that danger. About 395 years after this
Solem Oath &amp; League,</HI> King <HI>Saul</HI> out of his zeal to the children
of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and <HI>Iudah,</HI> &s;ought to de&s;troy all, and slew &s;ome of tho&s;e <HI>Gi|beonites</HI>
po&s;terity, contrary to this Oath and League, <HI>For which (35</HI>
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Archbi&s;hop v&s;hers Annal. Vet. Te&s;ta|menti, Anno 2553. 2983. 2986.</NOTE> <HI>years after its violation, and 430 years after its fir&s;t making)</HI>
God &s;ent a famine in the Land for three years, year after year: upon
this <HI>David</HI> inquiring of the Lord, what was the true cau&s;e there|of?
The Lord an&s;wered him, <HI>It was for Saul, and for his blou|dy
hou&s;e, becau&s;e they &s;lew the Gibeonites, who were not
of the I&s;raelites, but of the remnant of the Amorites, and
the children of I&s;rael had &s;worn unto them. whereupon</HI>
David called the <HI>Gibeonites,</HI> and &s;aid unto them: <HI>What &s;hall I
doe for you,</HI> and <HI>Wherewith &s;hall I make the Attonement,</HI>
that ye may ble&s;&s;e the Inheritance of the Lord? <HI>And they &s;aid
unto the King,</HI> The man that con&s;umed us, and devi&s;ed again&s;t us
that we &s;hould be de&s;troyed from remaining in any of the coa&s;ts of <HI>I&s;|rael,</HI>
let &s;even of his &s;ons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them
up in <HI>Gibeah of Saul</HI> which the Lord did chu&s;e; <HI>which being
accordingly done, after that</HI> God was intreated for the Land,
<HI>and removed the famine, 2 Sam. 1. 1. to</HI> 15.</P>
<P>Here we have an Oath and Covenant binding the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI>
their Governours. Heirs and po&s;terity in perpetuitie to the
<HI>Gibeonites</HI> and their po&s;teritie; which I &s;hall parallel with our
forementioned Oaths, Prote&s;tation, Covenant to our here|ditarie
<PB N="25" REF="14">
Kings, their heirs and &s;ucce&s;&s;ors, to prove them more
obliging to us and our po&s;terities, than this Oath &amp; League
of the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> to the <HI>Gibeonites,</HI> in regard of the&s;e ob&s;ervable
circum&s;tances &amp; particulars, not hitherto in&s;i&s;ted on by any;
which I be&s;eech God in mercie to &s;et home effectually upon
all our hearts, &s;pirits, con&s;ciences, both for our informati|on,
reformation, &s;ettlement, and avoiding Gods avenging
ju&s;tice on us and our po&s;terities, for our tran&s;cendent perju|ries,
breach of Oathes and Covenants to our Soveraigns.</P>
<P>1. This Oath and Covenant with the <HI>Gibeonites</HI> Emba&s;&s;a|dors,
was procured by meer fraud, circumvention, mi&s;infor|mation,
and apparent fal&s;hood, ari&s;ing meerly from tho&s;e to
whom it was made and &s;worn: yet it obliged the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI>
and their po&s;teritie, to the <HI>Gibeonites</HI> and their progenie in
perpetuitie: But the forementioned <HI>Oathes,</HI> together with
the Prote&s;tation, and Solemn League and Covenant, were
made without any fraud, circumvention, mi&s;information,
or fal&s;e &s;ugge&s;tion, upon grounds of loyaltie, dutie, ju&s;tice,
prudence, chri&s;tianitie, Religion, and State-policie, volun|tarily
propounded by the makers, takers of them, and rati|fied
in full Parliaments: Therefore they mu&s;t needs be farre
more valid, obligatory to the whole Engli&s;h Nation and
their po&s;terities, than this Oath, Covenant to the <HI>Gibeonites.</HI></P>
<P>2. This League and Oath was made very &s;odenly, ra&s;hly,
unadvi&s;edly, without any advice with God and the whole
Congregation, or examining, debating the truth of the <HI>Gibeo|nites</HI>
&s;ugge&s;tion; yet it bound them when once made: But
our Oathes, Prote&s;tation, League, Covenant, were all made
enacted, enjoyned upon long and &s;erious debate, mature
deliberation in &s;everal &s;ucce&s;&s;ive Parliaments: Therefore
ours mu&s;t be much more obliging than theirs.</P>
<P>3ly. This League, Oath, was made only by the Princes of
<HI>I&s;rael,</HI> without the Congregations privitie, a&s;&s;ent or advice,
who were di&s;contented with and murmured again&s;t them
for it, yet it obliged both the Princes, people, and their po|&s;terities:
But our Oathes, Prote&s;tation, League and Cove|nant,
were made not only by all our Princes, Nobles, Peers,
but likewi&s;e by the whole Hou&s;e of Commons in full Par|liaments,
and a&s;&s;ented to by the whole Engli&s;h Nation both
<PB N="26" REF="15">
in and out of Parliament, the<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">See 7 Jac. c. 6. 17 Car. c. 7. &amp; here, p. 7.</NOTE> Commons being the original
movers, promoters, contrivers of all or mo&s;t of them:
Therefore they mu&s;t be much more obligatorie to us and our
po<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">eri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ies, than theirs.</P>
<P>4ly. Their League, Oath, was never ratified by any pub|lique
Law or decree of the whole Congregation and people
of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in any publike Convention, but only by <HI>Io&s;hua</HI> and
the Princes alone; yet they bound the whole Nation: Ours
have been approved, ratified, e&s;tabli&s;hed, perpetuated by
&s;undry &s;ucce&s;&s;ive Acts, Ordinances, Votes of Parliament
from time to time, continuing &s;till in their full legal
force: Therefore much more valid and binding to us and
our po&s;terities, than theirs.</P>
<P>5ly. That Oath, League, was taken, &s;worn only by the
Princes them&s;elves, not by the Congregation and people of
<HI>I&s;rael,</HI> yet they were all obliged by them. Our Oaths, Pro|te&s;tation,
League, Covenant, have been &s;worn, taken not
only by all our Princes, Nobles, Officers of State, Iu&s;tices,
but likewi&s;e by all or mo&s;t of the Commons, &amp; people of the
Land from time to time, both in and out of Parliament:
Therefore much more obliging to us and ours, than
theirs.</P>
<P>6ly. This Oath, League of theirs to the <HI>Gibeonites,</HI> was
never taken and entred into for ought appears, but once,
and that &s;odeinly, without any &s;ub&s;equent renovation or
ratification; But our Oathes, Prote&s;tation, League, Cove|nant,
have been &s;wore, taken again and again, by all
Members of Parliament, Officers of State, Iu&s;tices, Gra|duates,
Lawyers, Mini&s;ters, mo&s;t Souldiers, and others;
upon &s;undry emergent occa&s;ions, both in and out of Par|liament:
Therefore much more obligatory to us and our
po&s;terities, then theirs.</P>
<P>7ly. This Oath, League, for ought wee read, was not
made explicitly in preci&s;e terms with the <HI>Gibeonites,</HI> their
heirs and po&s;teritie for ever, but only indefinitely, with the
<HI>Gibeonites</HI> then in being, <HI>who&s;e lives they &s;pared,</HI> as the
words import; yet becau&s;e they were a People, State,
Citie, Body politick, having a permanent &s;ucce&s;&s;ion; it vir|tually
and intentionally in their own and Gods account
<PB N="27" REF="15">
too, extended not only to the <HI>Gibeonites</HI> then living, but
to their &s;ucceeding i&s;&s;ues in <HI>Sauls</HI> time, near 400 years after,
and all &s;ucceeding Generations (as<NOTE N="q" PLACE="marg">1 Kings 15. 19. Cook 4 In&s;tit. c. 26. p. 155, 156. 4 II. 5. Rot. Parl. n. 24. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> E. 4. 2. See Br. &amp; Fith. Tit. Corporation, Abbie, Cooks 1 In&s;tit. f. 2. 94. 102, 150. Grotius de Jute Delli, l. 2. c. 13. Sect. 4. 7. See Magna Charta the Prologue, and cap. ult.</NOTE> <HI>perpetual National Leagues
u&s;e to do,)</HI> But our Oaths, League, Covenant in direct terms
extend not only to our Kings to whom they were fir&s;t made
and &s;worn, but likewi&s;e <HI>to their heirs, &s;ucce&s;&s;ors, and Royal
Po&s;terity for ever,</HI> (&s;ee 1 <HI>Jac. c. 1. 3. Jac. c. 4. 7 Jac. c. 6. 1 Eliz.
c. 1. 3.)</HI> Therefore they mu&s;t needs be more binding to us,
our Heirs and Po&s;terities in pre&s;ent and &s;ucceeding Genera|tions,
than their to the <HI>Gibeonites.</HI></P>
<P>8ly. Their League, Oath, was only with foreign Pa|gans,
Strangers, who became their mere &s;laves and bond|men
in perpetuitie, and had not the lea&s;t power, ju|ri&s;diction
over them; yet it bound them to &s;trict ob&s;erva|tion.
Ours are made, &s;worn to our own Chri&s;tian,
natural Kings, Princes, Soveraigns, of our own fle&s;h,
bloud, Nation, to whom we are natural borne Subjects,
and owe all dutifull allegiance by the Laws of God,
Nature, Nations; Therefore much more obliging to
and mo&s;t religiou&s;ly to be kept by us and our po&s;terities
after us, than theirs.</P>
<P>9ly. (Which is mo&s;t con&s;iderable) this their Oath,
League, was made with &s;uch an idolatrous remnant of
the <HI>Ammonites,</HI> as God him&s;elf by expre&s;s precepts had
commanded <HI>the I&s;raelites to make no League, nor Covenant
with, upon any terms, but utterly to destroy with the edge of
the &s;word without mercie, without &s;aving any of them alive,</HI>
Exod. 23. 32. c. 24. 12. 13. Deutr. 7. 1, 2, 3, &amp;c. c. 20.
16, 17, 18. P&s;al. 106. 34. 35.) yet notwith&s;tanding having
once entred into a <HI>League with, and &s;worn to them in the
name of the Lord, that they &s;hould live,</HI> (though by their
own fraud, circumvention, and mi&s;information) God
was &s;o jealous of <HI>his own name, honour, glory,</HI> &s;o unwil|ling
that his own people &s;hould perjuriou&s;ly, treache|rou&s;ly,
perfidiou&s;ly break their Oathe, Covenant &s;worn
in his name,<NOTE N="r" PLACE="marg">Hebr. 6. 16, 17, 18. Gro|tius
de'Jure Belll.</NOTE> <HI>being the highe&s;t, the mo&s;t &s;acred inviolable Obli|gations,
&s;ecurities that can be betweene God and men, man
and man, Nation and Nation;</HI> that he would rather have his
<PB N="28" REF="16">
po&s;itive judicial Law, (which<NOTE N="&s;" PLACE="marg">Grotius de Jure belli, l. 2. c 13. &sect;. 4. 7.</NOTE> <HI>&s;ome conceive to bave a tacit
condition in it)</HI> violated and di&s;pen&s;ed within this ca&s;e, (it
being not &s;implie evil in its own nature to &s;pare the <HI>Gibeo|nites</HI>
upon their &s;ubmi&s;sion, but onlie a <HI>prohibited evil</HI> by
particular Precepts) than his Name prophaned, di&s;honour|ed,
Religious Oaths wittinglie infringed, and perjurie
committed by his own people, again&s;t his moral Law, Pre|cept,
being &s;inful, &s;candalous in their own nature, and of
dangerous con&s;equence to all Po&s;teritie, if admitted, ap|proved,
to encourage them to commit perjurie, and violate all
lawfull Oaths, Covenants, in &s;ucceeding Ages, to the &s;can|dal
of Religion, and prejudice of Mankind. Wherefore this
Oath, League, though again&s;t the&s;e judicial Precepts, not on|ly,
firmly bound the Princes who made them, and all the
Congregation in that Age, but King <HI>Saul</HI> him&s;elf, and all
the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> in &s;ucce&s;&s;ion four hundred years after. Of which
we have another Pre&s;ident of <HI>Jo&s;huaes</HI> and the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> care
to perform their Spies Oaths made to <HI>Rahab,</HI> and <HI>&s;worn unto
her by the Lord, to &s;ave her, her Parents, Kindred, and Family
alive</HI> (though <HI>Canaanites</HI> devoted by God to de&s;truction)
<HI>Io&s;h.</HI> 2. 1, to 24. compared with c. 6. 21, 22, 23. Heb. 11.
31. But our Oaths, Prote&s;tation, League, Covenant were
all made not to, or with <HI>Amorites</HI> or <HI>Canaanites</HI> particularly
deuoted by God to the Sword, Slaughter, and utter extir|pation
without any Truce or League of Peace; but to and
with our own hereditary lawfull Chri&s;tian Kings, their
Heirs, Po&s;terities, and Succe&s;&s;ors, who&s;e Per&s;ons, Lives,
Crowns, Rights, and Royal Authoritie we are all expre&s;ly
obliged, commanded by God him&s;elf, to <HI>defend, protect with
our own lives, fortunes, e&s;tates to the uttermo&s;t of our Powers, a|gain&s;t
all Attempts, Trea&s;ons, Con&s;piracies, Traytors, and In|va&s;ions
what&s;oever.</HI> yea preci&s;ely prohibited to <HI>offer the lea&s;t
violence, injury to their Per&s;ons, Lives, and Regal Authority, in
thought, word, or deed,</HI> Prov. 24. 20, 21. Eccle&s;. 8. 2 c. 10.
10. 1 Sam. 24. 3, to 20. c. 26. 8, to 12. 2 Sam. 1. 12, &amp;c. c. 4. 10,
11, 2 Sam. 18 3 c 21 17 E&s;tch. 2. 21. 12. 23. c. 6. 2 Rom 13. 1,
2. 3. 1 Pet. 2 12. 13, 17. Tit. 3. 1 1 Tim 2. 2. 3. John
18 36. Therefore our Oaths, League, Covenant, are
much more obliging, and con&s;cienciou&s;lie to be ob&s;erved
<PB N="29" REF="16">
by us, and our Po&s;terities for ever, than theirs to the <HI>Gibeo|nites,</HI>
as the only ready way to our peace and &s;ettlement.</P>
<P>10ly. This League of theirs to the <HI>Gibeonites</HI> was ratified
only with one &s;ingle <HI>Oath,</HI> yet it bound both them and their
Po&s;terity; but ours to our <HI>Kings, their Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors,</HI>
is ratified with &s;even &s;ucce&s;&s;ive <HI>Oaths, Prote&s;tations, Covenants,</HI>
here recited, be&s;ides &s;undry others of like nature taken <HI>by
our Ance&s;tors in former Ages,</HI> which I pretermit. Therefore
much more &s;trong, indi&s;&s;oluble, obliging to us and our Po|&s;tericies
than theirs. If <HI>a threefold cord be not ea&s;ily broken,</HI> Ec|cle&s;.
4. 12. much more then <HI>a &s;evenfold Oath</HI> &s;ucce&s;&s;ively renu|ed,
&s;hould not ea&s;ily or quicklie be broken, but remain in|violable
to all po&s;teritie.</P>
<P>11. The violation of this Oath League to the <HI>Gibeonites</HI>
by <HI>Saul,</HI> and the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> near 400 years after its fir&s;t ma|king,
when perchance quite forgotten by them, or concei|ved
to be unbinding to them as gotten by &s;urpri&s;e, as not
made or taken by them&s;elves, per&s;onal to the <HI>Gibeonites</HI> and
<HI>I&s;raelites</HI> then living when fir&s;t made, or at lea&s;t expired and
grown quite out of date by &s;o long a tract of time; was re|puted
by God him&s;elf a great <HI>&s;inne, perjury in them,</HI> and exem|plarie
puni&s;hed by God with three years famine on the
whole Land, though <HI>Saul</HI> and the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> then living never
took this Oath, nor made that League them&s;elves, but onlie
their Ance&s;tors, &s;o long time before their births. There|fore
our violations of the forecited Oaths, Prote&s;tation,
League, Covenant, &s;o fre&s;hlie made, taken, &s;worn, &s;ub&s;cribed
with hands lifted up to Heaven, &s;ucce&s;&s;ivelie one after ano|ther,
by whole Parliaments, the generalitie of our Nation;
and not onlie by our decea&s;ed Ance&s;tors, but by our &s;elves
in per&s;on, and &s;o oft reiterated, yet infringed by us time after
time in the highe&s;t degree, mo&s;t needs be a more dete&s;table
damnable Perjurie, crime, in the eyes of God than theirs,
and draw a more long-la&s;ting famine, and other &s;orer judge|ments
of God upon our particular Per&s;ons,<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Va&s;tat &s;tir|pemque, do|mumque, He|rodotus, lib. 11.</NOTE> Families, Nati|on,
than that breach of their Oath and League with the <HI>Gi|beonites,</HI>
brought down on them.</P>
<P>12ly. That Oath, League, continued in force to bind
the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> both to ob&s;ervation and puni&s;hment, when
<PB N="30" REF="17">
violated by King <HI>Saul</HI> and them, after the whole frame of
their Government was quite changed from a Principality or
Common-wealth (as mo&s;t of our pre&s;ent Grandees would
have it) into a <HI>King&s;hip and Kingdom,</HI> by the earne&s;t unani|mous
de&s;ire, con&s;ent of all the Elders of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> the genera|lity
of the people, and by Gods own approbation, as is e|vident
by the 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> c. 8, to c. 13. Jo&s;h. 9. 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 21. compa|red
together. Therefore our Oath, Prote&s;tation, League,
Covanant forecited, mu&s;t by like rea&s;on, con&s;equence, much
more oblige our whole Nation in pre&s;ent and future to our
Kings, their Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors, notwith&s;tanding all
late violent forcible illegal Alterations, Revolutions of our
Governments and Governours, again&s;t the Votes of both
Hou&s;es of Parliament, the de&s;ires of the generality of our
three Nations, &s;ince our Laws admit no <HI>Interregnum</HI> nor Di&s;|&s;ei&s;in
of the <HI>Crown, King&s;hip, Kingdom,</HI> (as the Statutes of
<HI>Praerogativa Regis, 1 Iacobi, ch. 1. Cooks 7 Rep. f.</HI> 10. and<NOTE N="u" PLACE="marg">See <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 span"> B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">ook, A&s;h. Title Intru&s;i|on, Preroga|tive.</NOTE> <HI>other
Lawbooks</HI> re&s;olve) And &s;o our violations of them mu&s;t be
more perjurious, &s;infull, and exemplarily puni&s;hable, than
theirs.</P>
<P>13. This Oath, League with the <HI>Gibeonites</HI> was violated
by King <HI>Saul,</HI> only out of <HI>zaeel to the Children of I&s;rael,</HI> &amp; <HI>Iudah,</HI>
who (it &s;eems) &s;olicited him thereunto for their own &s;elf|ends
or advantage: yet this was no &s;ufficient excu&s;e, nor ju|&s;tification
thereof in Gods e&s;teem, being puni&s;hed with ex|emplarie
ju&s;tice on his po&s;terity, and a three years famine up|on
all the Land. Therefore the violation of all our precedent
Oaths, Prote&s;tations, Covenants, by the Army-Officers, con|federate
Members, and their Adherents (again&s;t the Votes
of both Hou&s;es, the dehortations of our Mini&s;ters, and de&s;ires
of our three whole Kingdoms) mu&s;t needs <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word"> a far more
dete&s;table crime, and be avenged with a more heavy puni&s;h|ment
both on them and us, than theirs was heretofore.</P>
<P>14. This breach of Oath, Covenant, notwith&s;tanding all
circum&s;tances which might extenuate it, was mo&s;t exemplary
puni&s;hed, though not on <HI>Saul</HI> the chief Offendor during his
life, yet upon &s;even of his Sons, and Family after his death,
in King <HI>Davids</HI> Reign, 35 years after this Offence commit|ted,
and upon the whole Nation by a three years famine,
<PB N="31" REF="17">
though it was never infringed but only by one &s;ingle Act, in
&s;laying &s;ome of the <HI>Gibeonites</HI> po&s;terity, and not re-violated
by any other &s;ub&s;equent &s;laughter of them. Therfore though
many of the grand Infringers of the precedent Oaths, Prote|&s;tation,
Covenant, may perchance &s;cape &s;cot-free for a time in
their own per&s;ons, and die without exemplary ju&s;tice inflicted
on them for it, yet let them from this memorable Pre&s;ident
conclude for certain, that God will &s;ooner or later avenge it
upon their <HI>Children and Posterity</HI> to their utter extirpation,
(and on the whole Nation too, as he hath done in a great
mea&s;ure already,) it may be 35 years after the Perjuries,
Trea&s;ons, committed in this kind, e&s;pecially when not com|mitted
only once, but perpetrated and acted over &s;undry
times by a continued, uninterrupted &s;ucce&s;sion of New Perju|ries,
Trea&s;ons, and Violations of them in the highe&s;t degree
from day to day without fear or &s;hame, as Exod. 20. 5. c 34.
7. Gen. 3. 14, 15. 1 Kings 2. 33. 2 Kings 5. 27. Jer. 22. 30.
c. 36. 31. I&s;ay 14 20 21. Mich. 2. 2, 3, 4, 5. Jer. 6. 15 c. 8. 12. may
a&s;&s;ure all our late and pre&s;ent. Delinquents in this kind and
their Po&s;terity, which texts they may do well mo&s;t &s;eriou&s;ly
to peru&s;e, with bleeding and relenting hearts.</P>
<P>15. This their violation of their League, Oath to the
<HI>Gibeonites</HI> was never openly ju&s;tified, pleaded, written, preach|ed,
printed for, nor carried on with &s;olemn Fa&s;ts and Humi|liations,
(mo&s;t<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">I&s;ay 58. 3, 4. 6. &amp;c. c. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word"> 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">. to 16 c. 6<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">. 3. Prov. 21. 27.</NOTE> dete&s;table unto God when thus abu&s;ed)
nor yet &s;olemnly abjured by new contrary Oaths or Engage|ments
forcibly impo&s;ed on all the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> by <HI>Saul</HI> and his
<HI>Coun&s;el of State,</HI> to extirpate the <HI>Gibeonites:</HI> yet it was thus
&s;everely puni&s;hed by God him&s;elf on <HI>Sauls</HI> po&s;terity and
the <HI>I&s;raelites.</HI> O then what &s;oarer overflowing, de&s;olating
Judgements, may our perjurious, Fidifragus <HI>Grandees, Saints,
Nations,</HI> mo&s;t ju&s;tlie fear and expect will undoubtedly befall
them&s;elves, their po&s;terities and our Kingdoms, (now al|mo&s;t
ripened for de&s;truction in wi&s;e mens apprehen&s;ions)
who have not only infringed all our Oaths, Covenants, Pro|te&s;tations,
to our lawfull Kings, their Heirs, Succe&s;&s;ors, and
Po&s;teritie over &amp; over in the highe&s;t degree, but mo&s;t impu|dently
ju&s;tified, pleaded, preached, written, for the lawful+ne&s;s
thereof; yea kept manie Hypocritical, Athei&s;tical <HI>Mock-Fa&s;ts
<PB N="32" REF="18">
and Humiliations,</HI> to promote our mo&s;t dete&s;table Perju|ries,
Treacheries, Abominations; and publicklie abjured all
our former loyal Oaths, Prote&s;tations, Covenants, by new
Trea&s;onable enforced Oaths and Engagements, diametrical|ly
repugnant to them. Certainlie if this breach of Oath by
<HI>Saul</HI> in &s;laying the <HI>Gibeonites</HI> could not be expiated, nor
the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word"> years famine inflicted on the whole Land for it, remo|ved
by all King <HI>Davids</HI> and the <HI>I&s;raelttes</HI> Fa&s;ts Prayers, Tears,
Sacrifices; till this &s;in of theirs was particularly be wailed,
repented, removed, and full &s;atisfaction made to the mur|dered
<HI>Gibeonites</HI> by <HI>David</HI> and his people, by delivering up
&s;even of <HI>Sauls</HI> Sonnes and Po&s;teritie to be hanged up before
the Lord in <HI>Gibeah</HI> of Saul, for this perjurie and blood&s;hed
committed &s;o long before by <HI>Saul</HI> their Ance&s;tor, the prin|cipal
Malefactor. We may ju&s;tlie fear and conclude, that all
our prayers, tears, fa&s;ts, humiliations, will never expiate
the manifold open violations of the&s;e our <HI>Oaths, Prote&s;tati|ons,
Leagues, Covenants,</HI> by the murders of our late King,
and manie thou&s;ands of our Prote&s;tant Brethren of all &s;orts
for adhering to him, his heirs and po&s;teritie; the violations
of the rights, privileges of Parliament, beyond all Pre&s;idents
of former Ages; and &s;ecuring, &s;ecluding the whole Peers
Hou&s;e, and Majoritie of the Commons heretofore and now
again, and trampling our fundamental Laws, Liberties, Pro|perties,
Remon&s;trances, Declarations, as well as Oaths quite
under foot, by new Arbitrarie, Tyranical Acts, Impo&s;itions,
proceedings of all kinds, exceeding the wor&s;t of our former
Kings; unle&s;&s;e all the&s;e perjuries, treacheries, breaches of
Oaths, Prote&s;tations, Covenants in this kind be particu|larly
and publickly confe&s;&s;ed, bewayled, reformed, repented
if not expiated with the like Ju&s;tice and Executions upon the
per&s;ons or Sons of &s;ome of the mo&s;t capital Delinquents in
this kind, to appea&s;e Gods wrath, and pre&s;erve our whole
three Kingdomes from utter ruin; our perjuries and breaches
of all Oaths, Faith, Tru&s;ts, being now &s;o generallie and uni|ver&s;ally
infamous throughout the world, that FIDES ANG|LICA,
is become as proverbial AS<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Era&s;mi A da|gia. Wal&s;ing|ham Hi&s;t. Ang. Antiquit. Eccl. Brittan. p. 295, 296. Gi|raldus Cam|brenfis Typo|graphiae Hy|berniae, c. 20, 22, 24.</NOTE> FIDES PUNICA,
SCOTICA, or HYBERNICA in former Ages, to our per|petual
infamie: Which, if this Publication may redre&s;&s;e, re|form
<PB N="33" REF="18">
for the future, I &s;hall ble&s;s God for it, and have &s;ome
hopes of better times, things, then yet we can po&s;&s;ibly expect
whiles under the guilt, breach of &s;o many contradictory
Oathes, Prote&s;tations, Leagues, Covenants, Ingagements.</P>
<P>By the antient Oath of <HI>Fealty</HI> and <HI>Allegiance,</HI> (which both
the Subjects of <HI>England,</HI> and <HI>Kings, Bi&s;hops, Nobles,</HI> and <HI>Sub|jects</HI>
of <HI>Scotland,</HI> made to the Kings of <HI>England</HI> and their
heirs, as &s;upreme Lords of <HI>Scotland,</HI> in the&s;e words.) <HI>Ero
fidelis &amp; legalis, fidemque &amp; legalitatem &s;ervabo,</HI> Henrico (&amp; Ed|wardo)
<HI>Regi Angliae, et Haeredibus &s;uis, de vita &amp; membris,
&amp; terreno honore, contra omnes qui po&s;&s;a it vivere &amp; mori: Et nun|quam
pro aliquo portabo arma, nec ero in con&s;ilio vel auxilio contra
eum vel Haeredes &s;uos, in aliquo ca&s;u qui po&s;&s;it contingere, &s;ed
fideliter recogno&s;cam, et fideliter faciam &s;ervitia quae pertinent ad
tenementum quod de eo tenere clamito, Sic me Deus adjuvet &amp; om|nes
Sanctos ejus.</HI> (Which Oath<NOTE N="1" PLACE="marg">Roger de Hoveden, An|nal. pars po|rior, p. 545, 546</NOTE> <HI>William</HI> King of <HI>Scots</HI> and
all his Nobles &s;wore to King <HI>Henry</HI> the 2. <HI>et Haeredibus &s;u|is,
&s;icut ligio Domino &s;uo:</HI> And<NOTE N="2" PLACE="marg">Tho, Wal|&s;ingham Hi&s;t. Angliae, p. 22. 33, 34. Mat. We&s;tm. Anno 1293, 1294, 1297.</NOTE> <HI>Iohn Balliol, Iohn Comyn</HI>
with all the Nobles of <HI>Scotland</HI> to King <HI>Edward 1. and his
heirs:</HI> Anno 1293, 1294, 1297.) they all in expre&s;s terms
obliged them&s;elves and their heirs, to be true and faithfull
Subjects to the <HI>King and his heirs:</HI> Which though valid, ob|ligatories
in it &s;elf to our Kings po&s;tertie, yet &s;ome of our
Kings in their life-times, made both the Scots and Engli&s;h
Subjects to take a new Oath of Fealty and allegiance to
their heir apparent and his heirs, <HI>&s;aving the fealty, homage and
allegiance done to them&s;elves.</HI> Thus<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Hoveden, p. 545, 546, 549, 550,</NOTE> <HI>William King of Scots</HI> with
all his Nobles, Barons, and Knights of <HI>Scotland,</HI> did <HI>Fealty</HI>
and <HI>Homage</HI> to king <HI>Henry</HI> the 2. and to Henry his &s;on, and
<HI>his heirs,</HI> as to his Liege Lords, <HI>&s;alva fide Domini Regis pa|tris
&s;ui.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Hovenden Annal. pars po&s;terior, p. 480. Simeon Dunclmen&s;is Hi&s;t, col. 254. Radulphus de Diceto Ab|brev. Chron col. 504. Chronicon Johan. Bromoton.col. 1006. Henry de <HI>Knyghton</HI> de Eventibus Angliae l. 2. c. 9. Gul. Nubrigen&s;is, Hi&s;t. l. c. 3. 4. 30, 3 a. Mart. Paris, Mat. We&s;tmini&s;ter, Holin&s;hed, Caxton, Fabian, Speed, in the live of H. 1. Stephen, &amp; H. 2.</NOTE> Anno 1175. Yea before this, Anno 1128. by the
commad of king <HI>Henry</HI> the 1. the Archbi&s;hops, Bi&s;hos,
Abbots, <HI>David</HI> King of <HI>Scots,</HI> with all the Earls and Barons
of <HI>England,</HI> &s;wore homage and &s;ealtie to <HI>Maud</HI> his daughter
and heir <HI>ut filiae &s;uae Imperatrici <HI>Fide &s;ervata,</HI> regnum Angliae
<HI>Haereditario jure</HI> po&s;t dies &s;uos <HI>sibi et haeredibus &s;uis legiti|me
<PB N="34" REF="19">
procreatis &s;ervarent</HI> ni&s;i &s;obolem virilis &s;exus ip&s;e Rex in po|&s;terum
procrearet.</HI> The per&s;idious violation of which Oath by
them after King <HI>Henries</HI> death in crowning <HI>Stephen,</HI> brought
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Holin&s;hed, Vol. 3. p. 46.</NOTE> <HI>exemplary judgements</HI> on <HI>the wilfull violaters</HI> therof, and a <HI>blou|dy,
long-la&s;ting civil warr within the bowels of the Realm</HI> between
<HI>Maud,</HI> her &s;on <HI>Henry,</HI> and the U&s;urper <HI>Stephen,</HI> to the
great oppre&s;&s;ion, deva&s;tation, de&s;olation of the publique,
&amp; peoples, as our Hi&s;torians ob&s;erve; all the good they hoped
for by di&s;inheriting <HI>Maud,</HI> and crowning <HI>Stephen</HI> upon
their own terms, again&s;t his own and their <HI>Oathes,</HI> becom|ming
<HI>void and null</HI> by his <HI>perfidiou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> through divine, Ju&s;tice,
<HI>which will never permit any good things to &s;pring out of &s;uch enor|mous
evils as perjury and treachery;</HI> which produced &s;undry
judgments and civil wars, never cea&s;ing till <HI>Henry</HI> the right
heir <HI>was re&s;tored to the Crown by a friendly agreement;</HI> the only
probable, &s;peedy way not now to end our pre&s;ent wars, oppre&s;|&s;ions,
di&s;tractions, Military Government, and re&s;tore peace,
and pro&s;peritie in our Nations. After this, An. 1191. upon
the dejection of the in&s;olent Bi&s;hop of <HI>Ely</HI> from his Vice|gerent&s;hip
under King <HI>Richard</HI> the fir&s;t,<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Hoveden Annal. pars po&s;terior, p. 702. 718.</NOTE> all the <HI>Nobles of
England</HI> a&s;&s;embling together, <HI>&s;wore Fealty</HI> to <HI>Richard King of
England, and to his heir again&s;t all men.</HI> The Citizens of
<HI>London</HI> &s;wore the like <HI>Oath; and that if</HI> King <HI>Richard &s;hould
die without i&s;&s;ue, they would receive Earl</HI> John <HI>his Brother for
their King and Lord, &amp; juraverunt ei Fidelitatem contra om|nes
homines, &s;alva fidelitate Regis</HI> Richardi <HI>fratris &s;ui</HI> as <HI>Hove|den</HI>
relates.</P>
<P>In Clau&s;. 24 H 3. m. 15. dor&s;o, &s;oon after the birth of
<HI>Edward</HI> the 1. &s;on and heir apparent to King <HI>Henry</HI> the third,
I find this memorable writ i&s;&s;ued to all the Sheriffes of <HI>Eng|land,</HI>
to &s;ummon all per&s;ons above 12. years old, to &s;wear
<HI>Fealty</HI> to him, as <HI>Heir to the King,</HI> and to &s;ubmit them|&s;elves
faithfully to him as to their Liege Lord after his
death.</P>
<P>Rex Vic. <HI>Eborum&punc;</HI> &s;alutem; Praecipimus tibi quod in fi|de
qua nobis teneris, et &s;icut teip&s;um et omnia tua diligis
venire facias ad loca certa &amp; ad dies certos, &s;icut commodius
fiery potevit, <HI>Omnes</HI> liberos homines de balliva tua aetatis
12. Annorum et &s;upra, et <HI>eos omnes coram te jurare facias;</HI>
<PB N="35" REF="19">
ita quod haec &s;it forma juramenti &s;ui, &s;cilicet: <HI>Quod ip&s;i &s;al|vo
Homagio et fidelitate no&s;tra, qua Nobis tenentur, &amp; cui in vi|ta
no&s;tra nullo mode renunciare volumus, Fideles eritis Ed|wardo
filio no&s;tre primogenito, ita quod &s;ide Nobis humanitus
contigerit, eidem tanquam hearedi no&s;tro et Domino &s;uo li|gio
erunt fideliter intendentes, et eum pro Domino &s;uo
ligio habentes. Et talem circa hoc exhibeas diligentiam, ut in|de
merito debeatis commendari.</HI> Te&s;te meip&s;o apud <HI>We&s;tm.</HI> 24
die <HI>Febr.</HI> Ann. r. n. 24. Eodem modo &s;cribitur omnibus
Vicecomitibus: and it appears by <HI>Dor&s;.</HI> 12. they were &s;um|moned
and &s;worn accordingly.<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Exact A. bridgement of the Records in the Tower, p. 426, 427. 662. 663.</NOTE> In the Parliament of 5 H.
4. rot. Parl. n. 13. &amp; 17. The <HI>Lords Spiritual</HI> and <HI>Temporal,</HI>
and <HI>Commons,</HI> were &s;worn <HI>to bear faith and true allegiance to
the King, to the Prince, and to his i&s;&s;ue, and to every
one of his Sonnes &s;everally &s;uc&eacute;eding to the Crown of
England; and that of their own accord.</HI> The like Oath was
taken to the <HI>King, Queen, Prince Edward,</HI> and the <HI>Heirs of
the Kings body</HI> in the Parliament of 38 H. 6. rot Parl. n.
26. And to<NOTE N="g" PLACE="marg">The fir&s;t Part of my Regi&s;ter of Parliamen|tary Writs, p. 108, 109.</NOTE> <HI>Prince Edward</HI> Son and heir apparent to King
<HI>Edward</HI> the 4th <HI>and his Heirs,</HI> in the <HI>Parliament of</HI> 11 E. 4.
entred in the Clau&s;e Roll of 11 E. 4. m. 1. dor&s;o. Yet in
point of Law, Con&s;cience, the fir&s;t Oathes of <HI>Fealty</HI> and <HI>Al|legiance</HI>
to each of the&s;e <HI>Kings his heirs and &s;ucce&s;&s;ors,</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">26 H. 8. c. 2. 28 H. 8. c. 7.</NOTE> obli|ged
all that took them as firmly to their <HI>heirs and &s;ucce&s;|&s;ors,</HI>
as their <HI>Homages</HI> made by them to the&s;e Kings or other
<HI>Lords,</HI> (which extend equally to their heires, and &s;hall not
be<NOTE N="h" PLACE="marg">Littleton, Sect. 148, 149. Britton f. 175, 176. Cookes 1 In&s;tit. f. 103, 104.</NOTE> <HI>reiterated,</HI> nor <HI>renewed</HI> to them upon this Account,
unle&s;s in &s;ome &s;pecial ca&s;es) and binde not only tho&s;e that
took them, but their heirs and po&s;teritie likewi&s;e, although
they never tooke the&s;e <HI>Oaths</HI> them&s;elves, at lea&s;t to a <HI>religious
con&s;cientious ob&s;ervation,</HI> though not to <HI>the actual legal penalties
of Perjury;</HI> as <HI>Angelus de Clava&s;io</HI> in his <HI>Summa Angelica,</HI> tit.
<HI>Juramentum</HI> 5. &s;ect: 24. 40. and other Canoni&s;ts di&s;tingui&s;h;
and the forecited Scriptures infallibly demon&s;trate; e&s;pe|cially
being made for the publick good, peace, &s;ettlement.
of the Kingdom, warranted by the policie, pre&s;idents of all
ages, pre&s;cribed by our Lawes, Parliaments, for the &s;afetie,
&s;ecuritie, &s;ettlement, as well of our Religion, Church, King|doms,
<PB N="36" REF="20">
Government, as of our Kings and their po&s;terities,
and &s;o not <HI>o to be violated, through fear, menaces, hopes of worldly
gain or preferment,</HI> nor di&s;pen&s;ed with by any <HI>Papal or other
human power what&s;oever;</HI> the<NOTE N="i" PLACE="marg">see Aug. &s;erm. 30. Gra|tian Cau&s;a 22. q 1. 25 sum|ma Angelica, Tit. Juramen|tum &amp; Perju|rium. Bochel|lus Decreta Eccle&s;. Galli. canae, lib. 8. Tit. 13. De Jurejurando &amp; Perjurio. Chry&s;o&s;tom Homil. 17 in Mat. &amp; Hom. 9 12. in Acta Apo&s;t. Dr Beards Thea|tre of Gods Judgements, l. 1. c. 28 Cooks 3 In|&s;tit,. c 74.</NOTE> breach of Oaths, Leagues, Co|venants,
being A GRAND VICKEDNESSE <HI>and high pro|phanation
of the</HI> TRUTH, FAITHFULNESSE, NAME,
AND CONSTANCY OF GOD HIMSELF, <HI>as well as
tran&s;gre&s;sion of his Law and Go&s;pel,</HI> de&s;erving the highe&s;t tem|poral
and Eccle&s;ia&s;tical cen&s;ures in this world, as well as
eternal condemnation in the world to come, <HI>Ezech. 17.
16, to 22. &amp; Jer. 34. Neh</HI> 5. 12. 13.</P>
<P>7. Whether the late illegal Oaths, Ingagements to the New
<HI>Republicans</HI> and <HI>Protectors,</HI> enforced on the people again&s;t
their Con&s;ciences, without any lawfull Parliamentary
Authority (which <HI>only legally</HI> make, pre&s;cribe, impo&s;e new
<HI>Oaths</HI> upon the Nation, as the marginal<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Mag. Charta c. 28. 51 <HI>H.</HI> 3. Stat. of the E&s;chequer, 51 H. 3. c. 22. 3 E. 1. c. 14. 40. 6 E. 1. c. 8. 9 E. 3. Stat. 2. c. 6, 14 E. 3. c. 5. 18 E. 3. stat. 3. 20 E. 3. c. 1, 2. 25 R. 3. c. 1. 27 E. 3. Par. 2. c. 1. 10. 16. 24. 26. 5 R. 2. c. 2. 12, 13. 6 R. 2. c. 12. 12 R. 2. c. 28. 17 R. 2. c. 9. 21 R. 2. c. 5. 4 H. 4. c. 10. 18. 20. 21. 2 H. 5. c. 4. 6, 7. 4 H. 5. c. 2. 4. 2 H. 6. c. 10. 18 H. 6 c. 4. 10. 20 H. 6. c. 10. 23 H. 6. c. 2. 33 H. 6. c. 3. 5. 3 E. 4. c. 3. 7 E. 4. c. 1. 8 E. 4. c. 2. 12 E. 4. c. 2, 3. 17 E. 4. c. 2. 1 R. 3. c. 6. 19 H. 7. c. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">4. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> H. 8 c. 8. 3 H. 8. c. 2. 14. &amp; 15 H. 8. c. 3. 21 H. 8. c. 16. 21 &amp; 22 H. 8. c. 7. 23 H. 8. c. 5. 25 H. 8. c. 20. 26 H. 8. c. 2. 4. 13. 27 H. 8. c. 27. 28 H. 8. c 7. 10. 32 H. 8. c. 45. 35 H 8. c. 1. 5 E. 6. c. 5. 1 Eliz. c. 1. 5 Eliz. c. 1, 23 Eliz. c. 6. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> Eliz. c. 12. 43 Eliz. c. 12. 1 Jac. c. 31. 3 Jac. c. 14, 15. 7 Jac. c. 2. 6. 21 Jac. c. 7. 20, 21. The Petition of Right 3 Car. 17 Car. c. 7. 1 Car. c. 1. 2 Car. c. 1.</NOTE> <HI>Statutes</HI> re&s;olve, pa&s;t
all di&s;pute) being directly contradictorie to their former
lawfull Oaths to our Kings, their Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors, be
not ab&s;olutely void in con&s;cience, yea mere prophanings,
abu&s;es of Gods &s;acred Name; and if taken out of <HI>fear or
weakne&s;&s;e, no wayes to be ob&s;erved,</HI> no more than <HI>Davids Oath,
re&s;olution to &s;lay</HI> Nabal <HI>with all his Family,</HI> 1 Sam. 25. or <HI>He|rods
Oath to Herodias,</HI> which he had <HI>more ju&s;tly violated than
ob&s;erved in beheading</HI> John the Bapti&s;t, <HI>Mat.</HI> 14. 6, to 13.
or tho&s;e <HI>Jews</HI> Vow, <HI>who vowed they would neither eat nor drink
till they had killed Paul,</HI> Acts 23. 21. &amp;c. Which <HI>&s;inful Oaths, Vows,</HI>
were no <HI>wayes to be ob&s;erved by &s;hedding innocent blood,</HI> as both
the <HI>Fathers, Councils, Canoni&s;ts, Ca&s;ui&s;ts,</HI> and <HI>Scoolmen</HI> re&s;olve,
as you may read at large in <HI>Gratian Cau&s;. 22. que&s;t. 4. Summa
Angelica, Tit. Juramentum, &s;ect. 3. 45. Peter Lombard, Sent.
l. 3. di&s;tinct</HI> 29. &amp; mo&s;t <HI>Schoolmen</HI> on his Text, who&s;e definitive
Doctrine is this: <HI>Si quis alicui juraverit contra fidem, charita|tem
<PB N="37" REF="20">
&amp; officium, quod ob&s;ervatu~ pejorem vergat in exitum, potius est
mutandum quam implendum: Qui enim &s;ic jurat vehementer peccat,
cum autem mutat ben&egrave;facit: Qui autem non mutat dupliciter pec|cat;
Et quia inju&s;te juravit, et quia facit quod non de|bet.</HI>
And<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Summa An|gelica. Jura|mentum 5. &s;ect. 16.</NOTE> <HI>that when a man hath once obliged him&s;elf by a legal
Oath to God and his Soveraign, any latter Oath repugnant to, or
incon&s;i&s;tent with it is unlawfull:</HI> Upon which account our
<NOTE N="m" PLACE="marg">Glanvil l. 9, c. 1. Mirrour. c. 3. Bracton, f. 78, 80. Brit|ton, f. 170, 171. Little|ton, &s;ect. 85. Cook 1 In&s;tit. f 64. 65. spel|manni Glo&s;&s;a|rium, p. 356, 357, 358.</NOTE> <HI>Lawbooks</HI> and <HI>Laws</HI> re&s;olve, that when ever any man
&s;wears Fealty, or doth Homage to his Landlord for the
Lands held of him, it &s;hall be with this &s;pecial exception,
<HI>&s;aving the Faith which I owe to our Lord the King,</HI> who
is the Soveraign Lord of all his Subjects, principally <HI>&s;worn
unto, and to be obeyed in the fir&s;t place</HI> before all or any others.
Hereupon<NOTE N="n" PLACE="marg">Cooks 1 In&s;tit. f. 65.</NOTE> <HI>Walter</HI> Bi&s;hop of <HI>Exeter,</HI> Anno 6 E. 1. for omit|ting
this Clau&s;e out of the Homage he received of his Te|nants
in <HI>Cornwall,</HI> IN CONTEMPTUM DOMINI REGIS,
<HI>&amp; ad manife&s;tam, quo ad</HI> PRIVILEGIUM IPSIUS DOMINI
REGIS EXHAEREDATIONEM, ET DAMNUM IP|SIUS
DOMINI REGIS <HI>ad valentiam</HI> DECEM MILLE LI|BRARUM,
he had judgement given again&s;t him for it up|on
an <HI>Information,</HI> and was put to a great fine and ran&s;ome
for this his tran&s;cendent offence. Upon this very account
<HI>Honnore Bonhor</HI> Prior of <HI>Salon,</HI> an eminent Doctor of the Ca|non
law, in his <HI>Larbre des Battailles,</HI> ch. 50, 51. re&s;olves,
out of other Doctors, <HI>That if the King moves war again&s;t any
Baron of his Realme, his Tenants and Homagers are not bound to
a&s;si&s;t him in his wars again&s;t the King by their Homage or Fealty,
but rather to a&s;si&s;t the King against him,</HI> BECAUSE THE
KING IS SOVERAIGN LORD TO THEM BOTH; and
the Barons le&s;&s;er and inferiour Dominion, <HI>is &s;wallow|ed
up or &s;u&s;pended by the pre&s;ence of the King, the greater and &s;upe|rior
Lord; and becau&s;e the Baron commits both Trea&s;on and Perju|ry
against the King, by violating his Homage, in taking up
Arms again&s;t him;)</HI> Whereupon <HI>his Tenants are not bound to
ayd him in his Perjury and Trea&s;on again&s;t his Soveraign.</HI> And
ch. 100, 101, 102. he determines, <HI>That if a man be a Subject
to two Kings, States, or Cities, which afterwards wage war a|gain&s;t
each other, he is bound to &s;erve the King, State, City in
<PB N="38" REF="21">
the wars, to which</HI> HE WAS FIRST SWORN AND OBLI|GED,
becau&s;e his latter Oath and Homage to his la&s;t <HI>So|veraign
cannot invallid nor di&s;charge his fir&s;t Oath and Allegiance
to his old one;</HI> Much le&s;&s;e then can the&s;e later <HI>Trea&s;onable Oaths,
Engagements</HI> to a <HI>New Protector</HI> or <HI>Republick,</HI> di&s;pence with
tho&s;e antecedent legal Oaths, Prote&s;tation, Covenant to
our <HI>lawfull King and his Heirs,</HI> nor oblige us in the lea&s;t de|gree
to fight again&s;t or oppo&s;e their <HI>Per&s;ons, Titles, Rights,</HI>
to perpetuate our wars, mi&s;eries, taxes, oppre&s;&s;ions, con|fu&s;ions,
and prevent our future &s;ettlement.</P>
<P>Let us therefore all now &s;eriou&s;ly remember, con&s;ider in
the fear of God, That as all who have been <HI>Judges, Ju|&s;tices,
Maiors, Bayliffs of Towns, Barre&s;ters, Benchers, Mini|&s;ters,
Graduates in Vniver&s;ities, Attorneys, Civil or Eccle&s;ia&s;ti|cal</HI>
Officers in any kind, <HI>Members of the Commons Hou&s;e,</HI> or
Tenants to the King, before the year 1649. have oft taken the
premi&s;ed Oaths of <HI>Maiors, Iu&s;tices, Fealty,</HI> or at le&s;t of <HI>Supremacy</HI>
and <HI>Allegiance;</HI> So all <HI>Aldermen, Governors, A&s;si&s;tants, Livery
men, Common Coun&s;el-men,</HI> and <HI>Freemen</HI> what&s;oever of every
<HI>City, Corporation, Society, Company, Fraternity,</HI> through|out
the Realme, have likewi&s;e taken another <HI>Oath</HI>
be|ginning thus, <HI>You &s;hall &s;wear, to be good and true, or true
Liegeman to our Soveraign Lord the Kings Maje&s;ty,
and to his Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors.</HI> Which if they will all
now con&s;cienciou&s;ly verifie and re&s;olutely fulfil to the <HI>Right
Heir and Succe&s;&s;or of the Crown,</HI> they may &s;oon put a period to
all their pre&s;ent <HI>Oppre&s;sions, Taxes, Exci&s;es, arbitrary Militiaes,
Di&s;tractions, Fears, Dangers,</HI> under their New <HI>Aegyptian Tax-Ma&s;ters,</HI>
and make them&s;elves real <HI>ENGLISH FREE|MEN,</HI>
without any new Warr, or much feared forein
inva&s;ion, in&s;tead of continuing <HI>Bond&s;laves</HI> under a mi&s;named
<HI>Free-State,</HI> in which no wi&s;e men can yet di&s;cern the lea&s;t
&s;hadow of <HI>Freedom</HI> or <HI>Security,</HI> but inovitable de&s;olation in
the pre&s;ent po&s;ture of its publick Affairs, and a nece&s;sity of
involving him&s;elf in the guilt of <HI>New Oaths,</HI> more trea&s;on|able
than the<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">See Cooks 3 In&s;tit. cap. 1. 74. Capterbu|ries Doom, p. 19. 26. 40.</NOTE> Bi&s;hops late &amp;c. <HI>Oath,</HI> which can neither be
impo&s;ed, nor admini&s;tred without danger, and the guilt both
of <HI>Perjury and High Trea&s;on</HI> to the <HI>King, kingdom,</HI> and <HI>Parlia|ment,</HI>
by all our known Laws re&s;olution.</P>
<PB N="39" REF="21">
<P>I &s;hall clo&s;e up all with this memorable &s;ea&s;onable antient
Canon, Re&s;olution, and <HI>Anathema</HI> of the 4th. <HI>Council</HI> of <HI>To|lede</HI>
in <HI>Spain</HI> Anno 681. Can. 74. as an effectual means
(through Gods ble&s;sing) to reclaim us from our former
Perjuries, Treacheries, Regends Di&s;loyalties to our lawfull
Kings and their Po&s;teritie, to re&s;tore them to their here|ditarie
Rights, divert Gods heavy Judgements from us, to
&s;ettle us in firm, la&s;ting peace for the future, and re&s;tore our
pri&s;tine Tranquility, Unity, Trade, Honour, Pro&s;perity &s;o
long expected, de&s;ired.<NOTE N="k" PLACE="marg">Surius Con|cil. l. 2. p 736, 737. See King James his A|poligy for the Oath of Alle|giance.</NOTE> <HI>Multarum gentium (ut fama e&s;t,</HI> being
then principally intended of the antient<NOTE N="l" PLACE="marg">Gildas de excidio &amp; conque&s;tu Britanniae Concil. c. 12 Calcuth, Spelmanni Concil. p. 295, 296. Malme&s;|buri de Ge&s;tis Reg. l. 1. c. 3. p. 16, 27. Mat. We&s;tm. Anno 838.</NOTE> <HI>Britains, Saxons,
Northumberlanders,</HI> exceeding all other Nations <HI>in Perju|ry,
Treachery to, rebellions again&s;t and murders of their
Kings,</HI> and now exceeded therein by us of this Age) <Q>tanta
 extat perfidia animorum, <HI>ut fidem &s;acramento promi&s;&s;am
Regibus &s;uis ob&s;ervare contemnant, et ore &s;imulant
Iuramenti profe&s;sionem, dum retinent mente perfidiae
impietatem. Iurant enim Regibus &s;uis, et fidem, quam
pollicentur, praevaricantur;</HI> nec metuunt volumen illud
judicii Dei, per quod inducitur maledictio, multaque poe|narum
comminatio &s;uper cos, qui jurant in nomine Dei
mendaciter. Quae erg&ograve; &s;pes talibus populis, contra ho|&s;tes
laborantes, erit? Quae fides ultra cum aliis gentibus
in pace credenda? quod foedus non violandum? quae in
ho&s;tibus jurata &s;pon&s;io &s;tabilis permanebit, <HI>quando ip&s;is
propriis Regibus juratam fidem non &s;ervant?</HI> Quise|nim
ade&ograve; furio&s;us e&s;t, qui caput &s;uum manu &s;ua propria
de&s;ecet? Illi (ut notum e&s;t) immemores &s;alutis &s;uae, pro|pria
manu &s;eip&s;os interimunt, <HI>in &s;emetip&s;os &s;uo&s;que
Reges proprias convertendo vires.</HI> Et cum dominus
dicat, Nolite tangere Chri&s;tos meos, &amp; David: quis in|quit,
extendet manum &s;uam in Chri&s;tum Domini, &amp; inno|cens
erit? <HI>Illis nec vitare metus ett perjurium, nec Regi|bus
inferre exitimn.</HI> Ho&s;tibus quippe fides pacti datur, nec
violatur. Quod &s;i in bello &s;ides valeat, quanto magis in
&s;uis &s;ervanda e&s;t? <HI>Sacrilegium quippe e&s;t &s;i violetur
a gentibus Regum &s;uorum promi&s;&s;a fides, quia non &s;o|lum
iu eos &s;it pacti tran&s;gre&s;&s;io, &s;ed et in Deum, in su|jus
<PB N="40" REF="22">
nomine pollicetur ip&s;a promi&s;&s;io.</HI> Ind&egrave; e&s;t, quod
multa regna terrarum, caele&s;tis iracundia it&agrave; permutavit;
ut pro impietate fidei et morum, alterum ab altero &s;olvere|tur.
Unde &amp; nos cavere oportet, ca&s;um huju&s;modi gen|tium,
n&egrave; &s;imiliter plaga &s;eriamur praecipiti, et poena pu|niamur
crudeli. Si enim Deus Angells in &s;e praevarican|tibus
non pepercit, qui per inobedientiam coele&s;te habita|culum
perdiderunt; unde &amp; per <HI>E&s;aiam</HI> dicit: <HI>Inebriatus
e&s;t gladius meus in coelo:</HI> quant&ograve; magis nos no&s;trae &s;alutis
interitum timere debemus, n&egrave; per infidelitatem eodem &s;ae|viente
DEI gladio pereamus? Qu&ograve;d, &s;i divinam iracundi|am
vitare volumus, et &s;everitatem ejue ad clementiam pro|vocare
cupimus, &s;ervemus erga Deum religionis cultum,
atque timorem, <HI>cu&s;todiamus erga Principes no&s;tros
pollicitam fidem atque &s;pon&s;ionem.</HI> Non &s;it in nobis, ut
in quibu&s;dam gentibus, infidelitatis &s;ubtilitas impia, non
&s;ubdolae mentis perfidia, <HI>non perjurii ne&s;as, et conju|rationum
nefanda molimina.</HI> Nullus apud nos prae|&s;umptione
regnum arripiat, nullus excitet mutuas &s;editio|nes
civium, <HI>nemo meditetur interitus regum;</HI> &s;ed, de|&s;uncto
in pace Principe, Primates gentis cum &s;acerdotibus
(filium ejus) Socce&s;&s;orem Regni <HI>Con&s;tlio communi con|&s;tituant,</HI>
ut dum unitatis concordia &agrave; nobis retinetur,
nullum patr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="2 letters">e genti&s;que di&s;&s;idium, per vim atque ambi|tum
moliatur. Qu&ograve;d &s;i haec admonitio mentes no&s;tras
non corrigit, et a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;alutem communem cor no&s;trum ne|quaqu&agrave;m
perducit, audi &s;ententiam no&s;tram. Quicun|que
erg&ograve; ex nobis, vel totius Hi&s;paniae populis, qualibet
conjuratione vel &s;tudio <HI>Sacramentum Fidel &s;uae,</HI> quod
pro patriae genti&s;que Gotthorum <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word">, <HI>vel con&s;ervatione
Regiae &s;alutis pollicitus e&s;t temeraverit aut Regem ne|ce
attrectaverit aut pote&s;tate Regni exuerit, aut prae|&s;umptione
tyrannica regni fa&s;tigium u&s;urpaverit.</HI> Ana|thema
&s;ic in con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">pectu Dei Patris, et Angelorum, Chri|&s;ti,
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 word"> Apo&s;tolorum ejus, Spiritus Sancti et Martyrum Chri|&s;ti,
atque ab Eccle&s;ia Catholica, <HI>Quam perjurio pro|phanaverit,</HI>
efficiatur extraneus, &amp; ab omni caetu Chri|&s;tianorum
alienus, cum omnibus impietatis &s;uae &s;ociis,
<PB N="41" REF="22">
quia oportet, ut una poena teneat obnoxios, quos &s;imi|lis
error invenerit implicatos. Quod iterum, &s;ecun|do,
et tertio, replicamus et acclamamus. Qui contra hanc
no&s;tram definitionem prae&s;ump&s;erint, Anathema, Marana|tha;
hoc e&s;t, perditio in adventu Domini &s;int, et cum
Juda Scarioth partem habeant ip&s;i &amp; &s;ocii &s;ui, et cum Di|abolo
et Angelis ejus aeternis &s;uppliciis condemnantur</Q>
Amen,</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="postscript">
<HEAD>A POSTSCRIPT.</HEAD>
<P>MAny are the Pre&s;idents of Gods &s;evere per&s;onal and
National Judgements inflicted upon perfideous per|jurious
Infringers of their <HI>Oaths</HI> and <HI>Covenants</HI> to their law|full
<HI>Soveraigns</HI> and their <HI>Heirs,</HI><NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg">See Huntin|don Hi&s;t. l. 7. p. 367, 368. Hoveden An|nal pars prior, p. 449.</NOTE> Both at home and abroad:
For dome&s;tique Pre&s;idents of this nature, I haue pre&s;ented
you with &s;ome &s;ignal ones, in <HI>the Second Part of my Legal and
Hi&s;torical Vindication of the Fundamental Liberties, Rights and
Laws of</HI> England, <HI>London 1655. p.</HI> 29 to 37, 44, 46, 47,
56, 57, 60, <HI>to</HI> 65, 79, 80. <HI>&amp; Part 3. p.</HI> 23. 31, 54, 55, 58,
85, 97, 98, 102, 103, 106, 136, 138, <HI>to 146, 170, to</HI> 175,
201, <HI>to</HI> 229, 254, 256, 258. 260, 266, 267, 322, <HI>to</HI>
327, 333, <HI>to</HI> 370. before the Conque&s;t. The like Pre&s;idents
&s;ince, you may peru&s;e in <HI>Henrici Huntindonen&s;is,</HI> Hi&s;t. l. 8. p.
291, 292, 293. <HI>Regeri de Hoveden Annalium pars prior,</HI> p. 483.
<HI>Holin&s;hed, vol. 3. p. 46.</HI> and Doctor <HI>Beards Theatre of Gods
Iudgements,</HI> Book 1. ch. 28. I &s;hall in&s;tance only in two re|markable
forein Examples of this kind.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is in the u&s;urping <NOTE N="b-c" PLACE="marg">Ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="tech" EXTENT="1 letter">onis Chronicon. Grim&s;tons Im|perial Hi&s;tory, in the life of Rodulph. Dr. Beards Thea|tre of Gods Judgements, l. 1. c. 28, p. 174 Henrici Mutii Chronicon Germaniae, l. 15.</NOTE> <HI>Emperour Rodulph,</HI> Duke of
<HI>Swethland.</HI> Pope <HI>Hildebrand,</HI> antichri&s;tanly Excommuni|cating
<PB N="42" REF="23">
his Soveraign, the Emperour <HI>Henry</HI> the fourth, and
ab&s;olving his Subjects from their Allegiance to him, profered
the Empire to this Duke <HI>Rodulph:</HI> who remembring his <HI>Oath</HI>
of Allegiance &s;worn by him to this <HI>Emperor,</HI> and how vile a
part it would be for him to <HI>betray</HI> or <HI>&s;upplant</HI> him <HI>he had &s;worn
to obey and defend,</HI> at fir&s;t refu&s;ed the Popes offer; yet after|wards
by the &s;ophy&s;try and per&s;wa&s;ion of &s;ome Bi&s;hops,
he accepted and took upon him the Title of <HI>Emperour,</HI> oppo|&s;ing
his Liege Lord <HI>Henry</HI> in four &s;everal Battels fought be|tween
them for the Empire; in the la&s;t whereof being van|qui&s;hed,
he was &s;ore wounded, and lo&s;t his right hand.
When he was readie to die of his wounds, one brought his
right hand cut off in the Battel unto him, which he behold|ing
with much regret, in dete&s;tation of his <HI>Perjury,</HI> and <HI>Trea|chery</HI>
through the <HI>Popes</HI> violence, brake forth into the&s;e me|morable
words in the pre&s;ence of many Bi&s;hops who had
per&s;waded him to this rebellion. <HI>Behold here the right hand
wherewith I &s;wore faith and allegiance to my Liege Lord the Empe|ror</HI>
Henry: <HI>this will be an argument of my breach of faith before
God, and of your Trayterous impul&s;ion and advice thereun|to.</HI>
Which having uttered, he immediately expired of his
wounds in a kinde of de&s;pairing manner, as the ju&s;t puni&s;h|ment
of his <HI>Perjury</HI> and <HI>Treachery</HI> by his own confe&s;sion;
<HI>magnumque mundo documentum datum e&s;t, ut nemo contra Domi|num
&s;uum cen&s;urgat Nam</HI><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">The right hand of a per|jured per&s;on was to be cut off by &s;undry Laws: Con&s;ti|tutionum Si|cularum l. 3. <HI>Tit. 59.</HI> Capit. Caroli Magni, l. 5. Tit. 125. Legis Longo|bardorum, l. 2 Tit. 58.</NOTE> <HI>ab&s;ci&s;&s;a</HI> Rudolphi <HI>dextera digni&s;|&s;imam
perjurii vindictam demon&s;travit, qui fidem Domino
&s;uo Regi juratam violare non timuit, et tanquam alia vulnera non
&s;ufficerent, ad mortem acce&s;&s;it etiam hujus membri poena, ut per
poenam agno&s;ceretur et culpa:</HI> as an<NOTE N="c" PLACE="marg">Germaniae Hi&s;toriarum Tom. 1. Fran|cofurti 1558. p. 383.</NOTE> <HI>Hi&s;torian</HI> of that age
ob&s;erves in the life of <HI>Henry</HI> the 4th. Let tho&s;e perjurious
perfidious Army-Saints and other <HI>Grandees</HI> who have ta|ken,
&s;ub&s;cribed the precedent <HI>Oathes, Protestation, League
Covenant,</HI> with hands layd upon the <HI>Bible,</HI> and lifted up to
the mo&s;t <HI>high God;</HI> and yet have &s;ince taken, &s;ub&s;cribed with
the &s;elf-&s;ame hands, an Oath and Ingagement diametrical|ly
contrary thereunto, to the de&s;truction of our Kings,
Kingdoms, Parliaments and their Privileges; and are &s;till
&s;tretching out their perjured hands again&s;t the lawfull Heir
<PB N="43" REF="23">
and Succe&s;&s;or to the Crown, remember this &s;ad pre&s;ident
of <HI>Rodulph</HI> with fear and trembling.</P>
<P>To which I &s;hall annex another &s;adder and more tragi|call
Spectacle, never to be forgotten;<NOTE N="d" PLACE="marg">Aeneae Pico|lominei Car|dinalis Status Europae &s;ub Frederico 3. c. 4. Knolls Turki&s;h Hi|&s;tory, p. 297, 298.</NOTE> <HI>Vladi&s;laus</HI> King of
<HI>Hungary,</HI> having made a Truce with <HI>Amurath</HI> the 2. (the
&s;ixt King of the Turkes) which he &s;ealed and &s;wore unto
in the name of Chri&s;t: by the command of Pope <HI>Euge|nius,</HI>
and per&s;wa&s;ions of his Legat, <HI>Cardinal Julian</HI> and
other Prelates, who ab&s;olved him from this Oath, he vio|lated
it in a mo&s;t perfidious manner, and &s;oon after ta|king
<HI>Amurath</HI> unprovided to fight, gave him battle at <HI>Var|na</HI>
with a pui&s;&s;ant Army, and was likely to rout him
upon the fir&s;t encounter. Upon which occa&s;ion <HI>Amu|rath</HI>
being in extream fear and danger, beholding the
<HI>Crucifix</HI> in the di&s;played en&s;igns of the Chri&s;tians, pluckt
the writing out of his bo&s;ome wherein the League was
compri&s;ed, and holding it in his hands with his eyes ca&s;t
up to heaven, u&s;ed the&s;e words. <HI>Behold thou crucified
Chri&s;t, This is the League thy Chri&s;tians in thy Name
have made with, and &s;worn to me; which yet they have
without any cau&s;e on my part, violated; Now if thou be a God, as
they &s;ay thou art, and as we dream, Revenge the wrong
now done unto thy Name and me, and &s;hew thy Power
upon thy perjurious People, who in their Deeds deny
thee to be their God.</HI> Upon the uttering of which words,
the Battel pre&s;ently turned, <HI>Huniades,</HI> that valiant General
and the <HI>Hungarians</HI> fled, the whole Army was routed,
many thou&s;ands of them &s;lain, and taken Pri&s;oners; perjured
King <HI>Vladi&s;laus, Cardinal Julian,</HI> with mo&s;t of the Prelates
and Nobles who per&s;waded him to this breach of Faith &s;lain
in the field; the greate&s;t part of <HI>Hungary</HI> overrun, gained,
and ever &s;ince po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed by the Turks, <HI>Vdali&s;laus</HI> his head cut
off in the Battel, after was fixed on a poll, carried through
<HI>Grecia</HI> and <HI>A&s;ia</HI> in triumph, and &s;hewed to the people as a
monument of Gods ju&s;tice on him for his perjury. And
will not the blood of our beheaded King, the di&s;inheriting
of his Heir and Succe&s;&s;or, the abjuration of King&s;hip it &s;elf,
&amp; the Hou&s;e of Lord, the &s;ubvertion of all the Rights, Free|doms,
<PB N="44" REF="24">
Privileges of Parliament, by tho&s;e in late and pre|&s;ent
power, again&s;t all the premi&s;ed Oaths, Prote&s;tations,
Solemn League and Covenant, &s;worn by them in the name,
pre&s;ence of God him&s;elf, and the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, with
hands laid on the Evangeli&s;ts, and li&s;ted up to Heaven, and
then &s;ub&s;cribed for a perpetual Memorial; cry aloud to God
and Chri&s;t for the like avenging Ju&s;tice from Heaven a|gain&s;t
the perjurious Infringers of them in a far higher degre
than <HI>Vladislaus</HI> was guilty of, if &s;pread and held up before
them by the di&s;inherited King and Lords? No doubt it will
in Gods due time, if not &s;peedily, really and deeply bewailed
repented of, by a plenarie &s;atisfaction and re&s;titution: <HI>And
cau&s;e God to &s;hake out every man (and his Po&s;terity too) from
his Hou&s;e, and from his labour, and empty him and his</HI> of all pre|&s;ent
honours and enjoyments, (as <HI>Nehemiah &s;haked and
emptied his lap,) that performeth not the&s;e Oaths, Prote&s;tation,
League, Covenant, to which he and all the Congregation have
&s;aid Amen,</HI> Neh. 5. 12, 13. <Q>Since the<NOTE N="e" PLACE="marg">Titus Livius Hi&s;t. l. 1. &amp; 20. Caelius Rhodiginus. Antiqu. Lect. l. 21. c. 15. A|lexander ab Alexandro, Gen. Dierum l. 5. c. 10. Grotius de Jure Belli. l. 2. c. 13.</NOTE> very <HI>Pagan Grae|cians,</HI>
and <HI>Romanes</HI> in&s;inuated as much in the Ceremonies
of their &s;acred Oaths, wherein they prayed, That if they did
not faithfully ob&s;erve them without guile, that <HI>Jove</HI> and
the other Gods would &s;mite and &s;lay them as they did the
lamb they then &s;acrificed to them, and that they might
be ca&s;t out and peri&s;h like the &s;tone they threw out of their
hands when they &s;wore; the Religion of an Oath, being
&s;o great among&s;t the very Heathens, that they thought all
human Society aboli&s;hed with its violation, and tho&s;e
per&s;ons unworthy to live or breath among&s;t men, who
dur&s;t pre&s;ume to infringe it, though to their lo&s;&s;e and
prejudice.</Q> And &s;hall they not condemn us Chri&s;tians,
and tho&s;e mo&s;t refined <HI>Saints</HI> of this Age, who like the per|fidious
Athei&s;tecal<NOTE N="f" PLACE="marg">Alexander ab Alexandro l. 5. c. 10.</NOTE> <HI>Carthagenians, The&s;&s;alonians,</HI> and <HI>Parthians,</HI>
regard neither <HI>God,</HI> nor <HI>Altars,</HI> nor <HI>Covenants,</HI> nor <HI>Oaths, no
farther than they &s;erve their turnes to cheat and circumvent men;</HI> to
whom profit is more &s;acred than <HI>Faith</HI> or <HI>Oaths?</HI> No doubt
they will.</P>
<P><HI>Ezech. 17. 18, 19, 20, 21.</HI> Seeing he de&s;pi&s;ed the Oath by
<PB N="45" REF="24">
breaking the Covenant, (when lo, he had given his hand) and
hath done all the&s;e things, he &s;hall not e&s;cape. Therefore thus &s;aith
the Lord GOD, As I live, &s;urely mine Oath that he hath de&s;pi&s;ed,
and my Covenant which he hath broken, even it will I recompence
upon his own head. And I will &s;pread my net upon him, and he &s;hall
be taken in my Snare, And I will bring him to <HI>Babilon,</HI> and will
plead with him there, for his Tre&s;pa&s;&s;es that he hath tre&s;pa&s;&s;ed a|gain&s;t
me. And all his Fugitives, with all his Bands &s;hall fall
by the &s;word, and they that remain &s;hall be &s;cattered towards all
Windes; and ye &s;hall know, that I the <HI>LORD</HI> have &s;po|ken
it.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<HEAD>ERRATA.</HEAD>
<P>P. 13. l. 6. 1647. r. 1657. p. 16. l. 6. Ju&s;tification, r. <HI>Pre|varication.</HI>
p. 18. l. 2. Meetings, <HI>r. Mutinies.</HI></P>
<P>Margin. P. 23. l. 7. r. <HI>Sacramenti.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
