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<DATE>2012-08-24</DATE>
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<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
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<PB REF="1">
<PB N="1" REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>Certain con&s;iderable and mo&s;t materiall Ca&s;es of CONSCIENCE, wherewith divers wel-affected in this King|dom are much perplexed, the cleering where|of would worthily de&s;erve the paines of the A&s;&s;embly at <HI>London.</HI></HEAD>
<P N="1">I. <HI>_WHether there be any clear evidence of Scripture, wherein the con&s;cience of a Chri&s;tian may &s;afely re&s;t for taking up of Armes again&s;t his Prince?</HI></P>
<P>If it had not been forbidden, there had been the le&s;&s;e doubt, but there being &s;o many places of Scripture &s;o evidently and &s;o directly again&s;t it, how &s;hall ordinary capacities that are but ordi|narily enlightned, be &s;ure that in joyning with the two Hou|&s;es now at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> he doth not tran&s;gre&s;&s;e Gods Com|mandement, and draw upon him&s;elfe damnation? There are three things pretended, but they do not &s;atisfie tender con|&s;ciences.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it is &s;aid, This was is not again&s;t the King. What it is in Gods fight. God knowes; but to any humane under&s;tanding it &s;eemes to be again&s;t the King. It was fir&s;t undertaken to fetch the King to Parliament; it is pro&s;ecuted &s;till that we may obtain our de&s;ires of the King; and when we &s;end to Treat about Peace, we &s;end to Treat with the King; and if the King &s;hould chance to mi&s;carry by a Bullet in the&s;e Wars (which God forbid) who then, that hath contributed any a&s;&s;i&s;tance
<PB N="2" REF="2">to the Parliament, could have any comfort in his &s;oul, that he were free from the guilt of killing the King?</P>
<P>A &s;econd pretence is, That this is a defen&s;ive war. Indeed if our Armies did alwayes retreat and go back from the King, we &s;hould think &s;o too; but now when we &s;ee our Armies &s;till pur&s;ue him as at fir&s;t time al&s;o, when we &s;ent to fetch him to the Parliament, it &s;eemes to be again&s;t all &s;ence and rea&s;on to count this War a defen&s;ive War.</P>
<P>Thirdly, it is pretended, A Parliament may do that which private men cannot do. And that is certainly true without all doubt; but yet the que&s;tion doth &s;till remain, whether the two Hou&s;es (which make not a full Parliament) can law|fully take up Arms again&s;t their King? It hath been al|wayes ob&s;erved in this kingdom, That a Parliament cannot be till the King call it, and if it cannot lawfully be without him, it is not ea&s;ie to be beleeved that it may lawfully Act without him, much le&s;&s;e again&s;t him; and it &s;eemes &s;omething &s;trange, that the King of his goodne&s;&s;e having continued this Parliament, &s;hould now be di&s;tre&s;&s;ed by that unto which he him&s;elf hath given life: And here it is to be con&s;idered from whence the Parliament hath that power which they have; if it be &s;aid, From the King, without que&s;tion he gave them not power to take up Armes again&s;t him&s;elf: if it be &s;aid, From the People (which is in deed our Pachamentary doctrine) our own doings do convince us, for our hearts tell us, That the people, for the major part, are Enemies to our proceedings, el&s;e why have we &s;ent for the Scots?</P>
<P>There is another thing pretended al&s;o, at lea&s;t among&s;t the vulgar, whereby we would, many of us, quiet and &s;till our con&s;ciences, and yet it will not do. It is &s;aid, That the King and Parliament are one, others expre&s;&s;e it thus (to give it the better colour) That the Parliament is a part of the King: And that which is inferred thereupon is this, That the Parliament can do nothing again&s;t the King, and that what&s;oever any
<PB N="3" REF="2">man doth for the Parliament, he doth for the King, becau&s;e the King and Parliament are one. Now it is true indeed, the King and Parliament are one, one body politique, whereof the King is head; and &s;o it is true too that the husband and the wife are one body, whereof the husband is the head, and the union between them is &s;o neer, that a neerer cannot be imagin|ed between the King and Parliament, and yet, it follows not, becau&s;e the husband and the wife are one, that it is impo&s;&s;i|ble for the wife to mi&s;carry her &s;elfe towards her husband: who knows not that there are &s;ome untractable women in the world, that carry them&s;elves mo&s;t unchri&s;tianly towards their husbands, both with froward words, and cro&s;&s;e actions? and if any man &s;hall take the wifes part in &s;uch away, it cannot be &s;aid of him, he is for the husband and the wife; for while he is for the wife in &s;uch a way, &s;urely he is again&s;t the husband: So for the difference in hand, though the King and Parlia|ment be one, it follows not that it is impo&s;&s;ible for the Par|liament to be di&s;loyall, and they carrying them&s;elves in &s;uch a way, who&s;oever &s;hall be for them, it cannot be &s;aid of him he is for the King and Parliament, for while he is for them in &s;uch a way, he mu&s;t needs be again&s;t the King. This infer|ence therefore follows not. Indeed thus we may rightly argue, The husband and the wife are one, therefore the wife ought not to be injurious and di&s;loyall to her husband; and &s;o, the King and Parliament are one, therefore the Parliament ought not to be di&s;loyall to the King; this Argument will hold, but we &s;ee the other holds not. And as the only way for a man to &s;hew him&s;elf a friend both to the husband and the wife in &s;uch a ca&s;e as is mentioned, and to make peace in the familie, is to let the wife know her duty; &s;o the onely way for a man now to &s;hew him&s;elfe a friend both to King and Parliament, is to let the Parliament know their duty, and to endeavour to reduce them thereunto. This compari&s;on doth make the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e plain, onely in one thing the compari&s;on holds not.
<PB N="4" REF="3">If the wife at any time pretends her husband doth her wrong, there is a Judge on earth above them to end the &s;trife, namely the King, or his Deputy: But if at any time the Parliament conceives the King doth them wrong, there is no higher Judge on earth to flie unto, they mu&s;t &s;eek unto heaven by their Prayers, and wait on the Lord for a redre&s;&s;e of their injuries.</P>
<P N="2">II <HI>Whether he that offers violence to the Kings Per&s;on, can be free from the &s;inne of Rebellion, becau&s;e he pretends to de|fend the Kings Power?</HI></P>
<P>What violence hath been offered to his per&s;on is too evi|dent. The unworthy and di&s;honourable words that have been uttered of the King, in Pamphlets, in Declarations, yea, and in Pulpits al&s;o, to humane rea&s;on &s;eeme no &s;mall indig|nities, but much more to be excluded from his Hou&s;es, to have his Revenues with-held, to be pur&s;ued with Armies, and &s;hot at with Bullets, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="3">III <HI>Whether we do not oppo&s;e the Kings Power, when we got about by force to dimini&s;h his Power?</HI></P>
<P>As in Election of his Coun&s;ellors, his negative voice, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="4">IIII <HI>Whether the practice of any former Parliaments, held in time of thick and dark Popery, may be a &s;ufficient war|rant for Parliaments now to walk by?</HI></P>
<P>Some former Parliaments have been too bold with Kings (as our Chronicles &s;hew, neither may we think all that out Parliaments have done in that behalf to be lawfull, becau&s;e it is recorded in our Chronicles) &s;ome former Parliaments indeed have been too bold with Kings, but they were Popi&s;h Parlia|ments:
<PB N="5" REF="3">&amp; though it be true, all that is, or hath been done by Pa|pi&s;ts is not unlawfull, yet it becomes not us, who intend to root out Popery, to tread in their &s;teps, nor depend on their opinions, much le&s;&s;e to make them our pre&s;ident, un|le&s;&s;e we have other warrant for our doings by the word of God.</P>
<P N="5">V <HI>Whether the practice of any of the Saints walking contrary to the rule of the word, and yet approved of God, may be a warrant for us to wolke in the &s;ame way, unle&s;&s;e the circum|&s;tances be in all things the very &s;ame, and we our &s;elves &s;ure we have the &s;ame &s;pirit that they had?</HI></P>
<P>The examples of Saints in tho&s;e wayes, wherein they have walked be&s;ides, or contrary to the word, and yet without cen|&s;ure, they are at the mo&s;t, but as it were, particular excepti|ons from the common rule, granted onely to them and for that time; and if we make bold to follow them, not having the &s;ame occa&s;ions that they had, or not the &s;ame accidents and circum&s;tances inforcing &amp; accompanying the occa&s;ion, or not ob&s;erving the method and manner of their proceeding, or not having the &s;ame extraordinary motion and direction (which in the&s;e dayes is not u&s;uall) if we pretend to follow them, and faile in any of the&s;e particulars, we do not follow them indeed, neither can we &s;ay we take the exception we find in Scripture, but we make to our &s;elves an exception from the common rule, and this can no way be &s;afe, nor warrantable for us. As for in&s;tance; The example of the people re&s;cuing <HI>Ionathan</HI> 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 14.45. is much in&s;i&s;ted on for the ju&s;tifying of this Warre; but there are &s;o many doubts in it, that the con&s;cience of a Chri&s;tian cannot &s;afely without doubting and danger re&s;t on it. As, 1. whether they did re&s;cue him with intreaty and Petitions, or with force and violence, it is not plainly expre&s;&s;ed. 2 If they did it with violence,
<PB N="6" REF="4">yet it doth not follow, becau&s;e they did it that therefore t'was ju&s;tifiable. Doctor <HI>Taylor</HI> &s;peaking of this Scripture in his Comment on <HI>Tit.</HI> 3.1. pag. 554. doth plainly confe&s;&s;e, That it cannot ju&s;tly be collected from thence, whether <HI>Ionathan</HI> were delivered by interce&s;&s;ion, or by mutinie and &s;edition, and withall he addes, that if it were done by oppo&s;ition it is to be condemned. There is in that Scripture a narration of the thing done, but no Te&s;timony given that it was well done. The&s;e &s;ame people at the &s;elfe &s;ame time as is recorded in the &s;ame Chapter, ver. 33. did mo&s;t palpably &s;inne again&s;t Almighty God, and they that did not &s;tick to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e again&s;t the Maje&s;ty of Heaven, &s;hall we think it impo&s;&s;ible for them to mi&s;carry them&s;elves towards his Vicegerent here on earth? they that were &s;o guilty in the one, how can we be confident they were not faulty in the other? &s;urely there is nothing in the Text that can per&s;wade a man they were not faulty, but onely his own willingne&s;&s;e &s;o to apprehend it; nay, is it not plain they carried them&s;elves like &s;wearing Ruffians even in the very re&s;cue it &s;elf? (though this doth not hinder but they might petition too) <HI>as the Lord liveth,</HI> &s;ay they, &amp;c. cer|tainly it cannot but be a great blemi&s;h to the Action, where there is &s;o little care of con&s;cience even in the very Acting; but &s;uppo&s;e the whole work to be done out of pure con&s;cience, and to be approved of God too, which yet hath no &s;uch evidence, yet it is a que&s;tion, whether there be an exception granted to us from the common rule of the fifth Commande|ment, becau&s;e there was an exception granted unto them, for &s;peciall facts are no warrant for us. 4 If their example do grant us an exception too, why then we mu&s;t not digre&s;&s;e from their example; their example mu&s;t be to us an example indeed; but between their ca&s;e and ours at pre&s;ent, &s;ee what a manifold difference there is. Fir&s;t, <HI>Ionathan</HI> was the heir ap|parent to the Crown, and the hope of the future age, for ought the people as yet knew, and it would trouble a Nation to
<PB N="7" REF="4">have the hope of their &s;ettlement cut off in the very bud; there is no &s;uch thing here with us. Secondly, it was mo&s;t manife&s;tly evident, that <HI>Ionathan</HI> was mo&s;t innocent, and had not de&s;erved to dye at all, and it would trouble religious people (as the Jewes pretended to be) to have the guilt of innocent blood brought upon the Kingdom; there is no &s;uch thing with us. Thirdly, they proceed not on bare jea|lou&s;ies and feares, the thing was mo&s;t certain, <HI>Saul</HI> had vowed his death; there is no &s;uch vowed de&s;truction threatned to us or ours. Fourthly, they were now already Armed before there was occa&s;ion of this re&s;cue; they did not put them&s;elves into Armes of purpo&s;e for that &s;ervice, but being Armed, upon a &s;udden this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e happened, and to the view of man, that may be &s;omewhat tollerable upon a &s;ud|den motion or pa&s;&s;ion, which both in the &s;ight of God and man is intollerable to be done upon deliberation. In all the&s;e particulars we &s;ee there is a great difference; the like may be|&s;hewed in all other examples, as of <HI>David</HI> and others that are produced to the like purpo&s;e And what a&s;&s;urance &s;uch ex|amples that differ &s;o much from our condition, can give to the con&s;cience of a Chri&s;tian, may ju&s;tly be doubted by all that in &s;incerity make con&s;cience of their doings.</P>
<P N="6">VI <HI>Whether there can be in any Chri&s;tian State or government, &s;o much as any pretence of any fundamentall law, which is contrary to the law morall, all, and to the expre&s;&s;e Com|mandements of the written word of God?</HI></P>
<P>There is much &s;peech of a fundamentall Law, but plain and &s;imple hearted Chri&s;tians know not what to make of it, nor where to finde it; and that it &s;hould have power to enable us to that which Gods word &s;o expre&s;&s;ely forbids, is cau&s;e of no little wonder and a&s;toni&s;hment.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="5" MS="y">
<P N="7">VII <HI>Whether it be lawfull in the &s;ight of God or man, for a com|pany of people that hath gotten head in any Kingdom, and made a &s;trong party, by the force of Arms, not by he An|cient orderly way of that &s;tate, to overthrow the known laws, and change the Ancient government of that Kingdom?</HI></P>
<P>This is the cour&s;e of bea&s;ts, among which the &s;tronger al|wayes beareth &s;way; And be&s;ides, there &s;hould then be no cer|tainty of Peace in any Nation, for &s;till as any faction groweth &s;trong, &s;o it &s;hould be lawfull for them &s;till to frame a new government, though it were never &s;o well &s;etled before. The Presbyterians now may bear the &s;way, but in a &s;hort time, the Independents may be more powerfull, and then we mu&s;t have new Warres, and after that, who knows how &s;oon may ari&s;e a Sect of a higher &s;train? (as the Devill is alwayes bu&s;ie) and then we mu&s;t goe to cutting of throats again; thus we &s;hall never have Peace, if this cour&s;e be lawfull.</P>
<P N="8">VIII <HI>Whether they that have &s;worn to the Kings Supremacy and now hold any coequall and coordinate power are not for&s;worn?</HI></P>
<P>To him that is &s;upream there can be no equall; neither will it help to &s;ay, The oath hath reference to forraign powers, for though in the proce&s;&s;e of it, it hath reforence indeed to forraign powers, yet in the beginning of it, we do te&s;tific and declare in our con&s;ciences, that the King is the onely &s;upream Governor &amp;c. ab&s;olutely, and generally without any excepti|on or limitation at all; and who can give us a power to un|der&s;tand the oath with a limitation, when we have all taken it without a limitation?</P>
<PB N="9" REF="5">
<P N="9">IX <HI>Whether it be not contrary to the &s;uch, to go about to Wre&s;t the Militia out of the Kings hand, when we have in the &s;ame oath of Supremacy declared in our con&s;ciences, That the King is &s;upre can Governor, &amp;c. in all things or can|&s;es both &s;puituall and temporall?</HI></P>
<P>If the Militia be a temporall bu&s;ine&s;&s;e (temporall or &s;piri|tuall) the King by this oath, mu&s;t be &s;upream therein; And here it is to be con&s;idered, whether the Militia be not already &s;ttled by Act of Parliament; if yea, why is not that cour&s;e followed, which by Law is pre&s;cribed? if no, why then it is to be thought it belongs to the Kings prerogarive, which we have all bound our &s;elves to maintain, both by our oath of A|legiance, and al&s;o by our late Prote&s;tation, and indeed how can he el&s;e be a King? for without it he cannot afford that Protection which he owes to his Subjects as he is their King.</P>
<P N="10">X <HI>Whether all we that do not take up Arms in behalf of the King, having taken the Oath of Allegiance to him, be not for&s;worn?</HI></P>
<P>The words of the Oath are the&s;e, I will bear faith and true Allegiance to His Maje&s;ty, his heirs and &s;ucce&s;&s;ors, and him &amp; 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 him or their per&s;ons, their Crown and Dignity, &amp;c. The&s;e are the very words of the Oath; now whether our di&s;|regard of his Commands, our depraving his Government, our fighting again&s;t his Armies, &amp; our endeavour to take him cap|tive, in the &s;ight of the Almighty will be e&s;teemed, as tending to the defence of his Per&s;on, Crown, and Dignity, is &s;uch a &s;cruple, that the Malignants, who take up Arms for him, &s;eem more directly to follow the words of the Oath, and thinke that none do rightly perform this Oath but them&s;elves.</P>
<PB N="10" REF="6">
<P>Neither will it &s;erve the turn to &s;ay, That Oath was made to prevent all encouragements of Rebellion that might be brought from <HI>Rome;</HI> for divers rea&s;ons &s;hew that the intent of the Oath, is to binde the Subjects to true Allegiance, what|&s;oever encouragement from any power might be pre&s;ented to them, (though becau&s;e the Romani&s;ts or Papi&s;ts were at that time principally &s;u&s;pected, the Oath doth principally bend its Forces again&s;t them;) for fir&s;t, there was an Ancient Oath of Allegiance before, which did binde the Subjects indefinitely, that is, generally to bear to their Soveraign <HI>truth and faith, both of life and member,</HI> without application to any particular power from whence Rebellion might be &s;u&s;pected, and it were a vain thing to imagine, that in an Oath newly framed, there &s;hould be a gap left open to endanger the Prince, which had been prevented in the old. Secondly, in this latter Oath we are bound to defend the Kings Per&s;on, &amp;c. again&s;t all con&s;piracies and attempts what&s;oever, which &s;hall be made by rea&s;on of any incouragement from Rome, <HI>or otherwi&s;e.</HI> Thirdly, it is acknowledged by us in that Oath, That neither Pope nor <HI>any other per&s;on what&s;oever,</HI> hath power to ab&s;olve us of this Oath, or any part thereof; whereby it is evident, the Oath doth binde us to perfect Allegiance, without digre&s;|&s;ing upon any occa&s;ion what&s;oever.</P>
<P N="11">XI <HI>Whether all we that have taken the Prote&s;tation, to main|tain the Priviledges of Parliament do not violate our Prote&s;tation &s;o long as we joyn with the two Hou&s;es at</HI> We&s;tmin&s;ter.?</P>
<P>It is one Priviledge of Parliament, That none of the Mem|bers &s;hould be excluded thence, or hindred from Voting there, and that freely: it is another priviledge, that no forraigners,
<PB N="11" REF="6">Scotti&s;h Commi&s;&s;ioners, or others &s;hould have any power there; whiles both the&s;e things are done, and &s;uffered by the two Hou&s;es at <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter,</HI> how are the priviledges of Parlia|ment maintained by them? and how do we keep our Prote&s;ta|tion while we con&s;ent unto and joyn with them?</P>
<P N="12">XII <HI>Whether a man who hath &s;ub&s;cribed, that there is nothing in the Book of</HI> Homilies <HI>contrary to the word of God, as all Beneficed men, and Lecturers have done, (as will appear if the</HI> 3. <HI>Article of &s;ub&s;cription in the</HI> 36. <HI>Canon be compared with the</HI> 35. <HI>Article of Religion) whether he that hath thus &s;ub&s;cribed, can joyn with the two Hou&s;es, but that he mu&s;t make not onely them, but him&s;elf al&s;o guilty of Rebellion?</HI></P>
<P>There be four Homilies again&s;t Rebellion, or rather four parts of one Homilie, wherein the&s;e wayes of taking up Arms again&s;t the Prince are wholly condemned, and this mu&s;t needs be con&s;ented to for &s;ound and orthodox by all Mini&s;ters in the Kingdom, or el&s;e they mu&s;t &s;ay, they &s;ub&s;cribed meerly in a colour, that they might hold a Lecture or a Benefice.</P>
<P N="13">XIII <HI>Whether we all that have vowed by our late Prote&s;tation, with our Lives and E&s;tates, to maintain the Doctrine of the Church of England, as it is oppo&s;ed to Popery, do not violate our Prote&s;tation, if we maintain not all the Doctrine contained in the Homily again&s;t Rebellion?</HI></P>
<P>Who knows not that the Homilies again&s;t Rebellion, were compiled purpo&s;ely again&s;t Popery, the Popi&s;h
<PB N="12" REF="7">Prie&s;ts in tho&s;e dayes being &s;o bu&s;ie to &s;tirre up Rebellion? it being al&s;o one &s;peciall point of Popery, to ju&s;tifie the Arms of Subjects again&s;t their Soveraign. The fa&s;hood of &s;uch tenets and the iniquity of &s;uch practi&s;es is fully declared in the Homily again&s;t Rebellion and if any Doctrine may ju&s;tly be &s;aid to be e&s;tabli&s;hed in the Church of <HI>England,</HI> &s;urely this is one part of it, becau&s;e by Act of Parliament in the 13. of <HI>Elizabeth,</HI> the Articles of Religion are confirmed, among which Articles this is one, <HI>viz.</HI> Article 35. That the Book of Homilies doth contain Godly and whol&s;ome Do|ctrine, &amp;c. The Doctrine then that forbids the taking up of Arms again&s;t the Prince, is Godly Doctrine, e&s;tabli&s;hed in the Church of <HI>England</HI> by Act of Parliament, and &s;o e&s;ta|bli&s;hed as oppo&s;ite to Popery; and if we maintain not this Doctrine, what care do we take of our Prote&s;tation? pay that which thou ha&s;t vowed. <HI>Eccle&s;</HI> 5.4. if we maintain not this Doctrine, what care do we take of Acts of Par|liament?</P>
<P N="14">XIIII <HI>Whether tho&s;e Mini&s;ters that have taken the oath of Canonicall obedience, can &s;afely take the new Scotti&s;h Covenant, or yeeld to a change of the pre&s;ent Go|vernment of the Church of</HI> England, <HI>&s;o long at lea&s;t as the&s;e Bi&s;hops are living?</HI></P>
<P>And yet if the oath of Canonicall obedience be not enough, &s;ee how the Mini&s;ters are all bound not only to the pre&s;ent Li|turgie, but al&s;o to the pre&s;ent Government, both by their &s;ub|&s;cription, and al&s;o by a vowed promi&s;e, with a calling of God to witne&s;&s;e and help thereunto. As for the Act of Parlia|ment, whereby the Liturgy is confirmed, (in which Liturgy the Bi&s;hops by a pre&s;cribed Order more then once or twice
<PB N="13" REF="7">are appointed to be prayed for) it binds all the Subjects as well as Mini&s;ters. It is the Law of the Kingdom e&s;tabli&s;hed by So|veraign Authority, and this Authority the Apo&s;tle &s;aith we mu&s;t be Subject unto, both for fear of wrath, and al&s;o for con&s;cience &s;ake. This doth concern all the Subjects of the Kingdom; but the Mini&s;ters, A&s;&s;embly men, and all are yet &s;omewhat further bound. For at their Ordinations they have put it under their hands (and that willingly and <HI>ex ani|ma,</HI> as they profe&s;&s;ed at lea&s;t) that the Book of Common Prayer containeth in it nothing contrary to the word of God, and that they them&s;elves will u&s;e the form in that Book pre|&s;cribed, and <HI>none othen.</HI> And to this they have &s;ub&s;cribed not once onely, but again and again, &s;ome of them when they took degrees in the Univer&s;ities, all of them when they were admitted into Orders both of Deaconty &amp; Prie&s;t hood, and al&s;o at their &s;everall In&s;titutions to their Livings, and admi&s;&s;i|ons into Lectures as appears by the 36. Canon forementioned, &amp; yet be&s;ides all this, they made a vowed promi&s;e at their Or|dination; for a que&s;tion being thus demanded of them, <HI>will you reverently obey your Ordinary, &amp;c?</HI> This An&s;wer was re|turned by them, <HI>I will &s;o do; the Lord being my helper.</HI> Now whether men that have &s;o often bound them&s;elves willingly and with all their heart, and have lived accordingly, &s;ome of them 20. &s;ome 30. &s;ome 40. yeers, may lawfully endevour by the &s;word to free them&s;elves from this bond, or encourage others by the &s;word to procure a liberty for them, or enter into a Covenant, quite contrary to this bond; is a ca&s;e of con|&s;cience &s;o de&s;ervedly con&s;iderable, that all who have any con|&s;cience, or do beleeve there is a Heaven or Hell to go to here|after, cannot but &s;tartle at the very fir&s;t hearing of it, &amp; that &s;o much the rather, becau&s;e all Mim&s;ters of the Kingdom have yet be&s;ides made another &s;olemn Vow, to their power to maintain quietne&s;&s;e and Peace; for at their Ordination this que&s;tion being demanded of them, <HI>Will you maintain and &s;et for|wards
<PB N="14" REF="8">(as much as lyeth in you) quietne&s;&s;e, peace, and love among all Chri&s;tian people, &amp;c?</HI> The An&s;wer they have all returned is this, <HI>I will &s;o do, the Lord being my helper.</HI> O God that art the helper of all them that do not for&s;ake thee, make them all that fear thee mindfull of their Vowes, and carefull to perform them.</P>
<P N="15">XV <HI>Whether the tampering &s;o much with Oathes underta|king to di&s;&s;olve &s;ome, and impo&s;e others, viz. new Covenants contrary to our former Oathes, whereby the con&s;ciences both of Prince and people cannot but be in|&s;nared, whether this doth &s;eeme to argue any &s;incerity of zeal and purity of Religion, or rather whether it doth not argue a wilfull purpo&s;e and re&s;olution to compa&s;&s;e our own ends, if po&s;&s;ible, though it be with the wrack of mens &s;oules as well as of their E&s;tates and Lives?</HI></P>
<P N="16">XVI <HI>Whether there be any rea&s;on or con&s;cience, the Clergy onely among all the Subjects of the Kingdom, &s;hould be excluded from Voting about tho&s;e Laws, to the ob|&s;ervance whereof it is expected they &s;hould be bound as well as the re&s;t of the Subjects?</HI></P>
<P>What a &s;ingular encouragement is here to be a Clergy-man in the Kingdom of <HI>England?</HI></P>
<P N="17">XVII <HI>Whether the A&s;&s;embly of Divines at</HI> London <HI>have any lawfull calling?</HI></P>
<PB N="15" REF="8">
<P>Ju&s;tly doubted; for an ordinary calling all the Kingdom knows they have not, they were not cho&s;en by the voyces of the Clergy; neither were they gathered together by the Kings will and Commandement, without which there can be no &s;uch Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall A&s;&s;embly, as they them&s;elves have put un|der their hands; (compare the third Article of &s;ub&s;cription before mentioned with the 21. Article of Religion, and it will ea&s;ily appear;) and be&s;ides, there is an Act of Parliament again&s;t &s;uch A&s;&s;emblies, as have not the Kings con&s;ent there|unto, in the 25. of <HI>Henry</HI> 8. An ordinary calling then they have not; &amp; an extraordinary, by any &s;upernaturall in&s;piration, it is to be thought, they will not a&s;&s;ume to them&s;elves, and &s;o they have no lawfull calling at all. However, the guides of the Kingdom they have taken upon them to be, and therefore they may do well, briefly and plainly to re&s;olve the&s;e perplex|ing doubts, with &s;ome Manife&s;to, that we may know it is done or approved by them. If we be mi&s;led, woe be to us, we &s;hall peri&s;h in our iniquity, <HI>I&s;ay</HI> 9.16. but our blood &s;hall be required at our watchmens hands. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 3.18.</P>
<P N="18">XVIII <HI>Whether men lawfully</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;t of temporall E&s;tates, and having by their la&s;t will and Te&s;tament or any other lawfull means be&s;towed the &s;ame to the maintenance of the Clergy with fear|full cur&s;es, &s;ome of them, and imprecations on tho&s;e that &s;hould divert it from that u&s;e; whether tho&s;e E&s;tates, can &s;afely be alienated from the way, which the Doners them&s;elves devi&s;ed, without &s;acriledge?</P>
<PB N="16" REF="9">
<P>True the cur&s;e cau&s;ele&s;&s;e will not come, but that the&s;e cur|&s;es are &s;uch, who can &s;ay? nay, and if there were no cur&s;e, yet who can &s;ay it is not &s;acriledge! if <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira</HI> might not alienate what them&s;elves had given, who hath power to alienate that which is given by another man? To rob <HI>Peter</HI> and pay <HI>Paul</HI> will not be &s;ufficient to excu&s;e the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. A man had need be &s;ure of his warrant, before he take upon him to be a divider. <HI>Luk.</HI> 12.14.</P>
<P N="19">XIX <HI>Whether we</HI> who endeavour to change the government of the Church, that we may procure liberty of con&s;cience, &amp; yet exerci&s;e cruell Tyranny up|on mens Con&s;ciences our &s;elves, by requiring them to joyn with us, though there be &s;o many &s;cruples of con&s;cience again&s;t; it by plundering and impri&s;oning them, if they will not joyn with us; and by impo&s;ing new Covenants contrary to former Oathes; whether we &s;eeme not to the Malignants too ju&s;tly to be guilty of deep Hypocri&s;ie, e&s;pying a mote that was in the Bi&s;hops eyes, and not di&s;cerning the beam that is in our own?</P>
<P N="20">XX <HI>Whether we that</HI> cryed out upon the Papi&s;ts, for en|deavouring to bring in the Spaniards, and upon the King for intending as we conceived, to bring in the Danes, be not unexcu&s;able before God and man, for doing that our &s;elves, in bringing in the Scots which we condemned in others? <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.1 &amp;c Item whereas we complained of the Tyranny of the Bi&s;hops, that many thereby were driven to for&s;ake their Native Countrey, and yet we by our
<PB N="17" REF="9">cruelty &s;hall do the &s;elf &s;ame, are we not in this behalf al&s;o unexcu&s;able? many more &s;uch Items may be added.</P>
<P N="21">XXI <HI>Whether it can &s;tand</HI> with the quiet of Chri&s;tian con&s;ciences, to make &s;uch an effu&s;ion of Chri&s;ti|an blood, as now hath been &s;pilt, and yet is in &s;pilling meerly upon carnall motives?</P>
<P>Religion is indeed partly pretended, but draw this faire Curtain a&s;ide, and behind it there &s;tands the carnall care of &s;elf-&s;eeking, &s;eeking to &s;ave our Skins and Pur&s;es; we are un|willing to &s;uffer for Religion, and therefore we would e&s;ta|bli&s;h a Religion, according to our own minds; we would wil|lingly prevent Ship-money, and other burthens, and there|fore we de&s;ire to have more power in our own hands, and le&s;&s;e in the Kings; &s;o this War in the up &s;hot, is altogether to &s;ave our &s;elves from trouble; which we know not whether it will ever come upon us; and yet here it is to be con&s;idered withall, whether the good that is aimed at in it, will ju&s;tifie all the evils that have been committed by it? nay whether, if all that was feared by our over-forward jealou&s;ies had been brought upon us, we could po&s;&s;ibly have been in &s;o bad a condition as this War hath put us? &s;o doth the wi&s;e Lord ju&s;tly Cro&s;&s;e mens carnall proceedings.</P>
<P N="22">XXII <HI>Whether it be not extream ra&s;hne&s;&s;e to affirm, That the whole Catholike Church, in the point of Epi&s;copacy was in an error, all the world over</HI> 1500. <HI>yeers to|gether?</HI></P>
<P>That the whole Church was governed by Bi&s;hops all the world over, till Mr. <HI>Calvins</HI> time of late at <HI>Genevae</HI> is known to all; and among&s;t tho&s;e Bi&s;hops, to reckon up how many burning and &s;hining lights, how many zealous propagators
<PB N="18" REF="10">and propugnators of the truth, how many learned Profe&s;&s;ors, how many con&s;tant Confe&s;&s;ors, how many glorious Martyrs, have been found from time to time (though among&s;t them as among&s;t men of all callings, there have been &s;ome faulty) were a work large enough to fill a &s;pacious volume; and if, not|with&s;tanding all this, we &s;hall blemi&s;h them and the whole Church of God, that not onely tolerated but honoured them, if we &s;hall blemi&s;h them all with an error about the lawfull|ne&s;&s;e of their calling, &s;hall we not take more upon us, then the P&s;almi&s;t dur&s;t to take upon him&s;elf? he did not dare to con|demn the generation of Gods Children, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 73.15.</P>
<P N="23">XXIII <HI>Whether our party being &s;o divided, &s;ome being Pre&s;|byterians, and &s;ome Independents, and both &s;ides contending &s;trongly that each of their &s;everall di&s;ci|plines is that di&s;cipline, which Chri&s;t hath or|dained and appointed in his Church, whether it be not apparent to all the world, that one of them mu&s;t be in an error?</HI></P>
<P>Two contraries can never be both true, and while one maintains a dependency, and the other an Indepency, there is between them a contrariety.</P>
<P N="24">XXIIII <HI>Whether, it being undeniable ra&s;hne&s;&s;e to condemn Epi&s;copary, as before, and an error being unavoyd|ably acknowledged in one branch of our party, both branches al&s;o being equally confident of their a&s;&s;er|tions and both introducing novelty, whether there be not ju&s;t cau&s;e to &s;u&s;pect them both as erroneous and le&s;&s;e agreeing to the word of God then is E|pi&s;copacy?</HI></P>
<P N="25">XXV <HI>Whether the ca&s;e being &s;o uncertain and di&s;putable, there be any nece&s;&s;ity &s;o much blood &s;hould be &s;pilt,
<PB N="19" REF="10">and &s;o many lives lo&s;t, for the removoll of the old, and bringing in of a new government?</HI></P>
<P>It was <HI>Davids</HI> Prayer, and he utter'd it with &s;ome &s;en&s;e o|a heavy burthen that was upon him, <HI>deliver me from blood-guiltine&s;&s;e, O God;</HI> and he had killed but one <HI>Vriah</HI> and a few more with him but &s;o many thou&s;and being lo&s;t among&s;t us, and &s;o much blood &s;pilt for the change of a government, if it be without nece&s;&s;ity, Oh how intolerable will this guilt be, on whom &s;oever it lights, whether on the Parliament that begun it, or on the a&s;&s;embly that did not &s;ince warn them of it, or on us all that have been their well-wi&s;hers and abettors in it?</P>
<P N="26">XXVI <HI>Whether Chri&s;t did ever pre&s;cribe &s;uch a way as this for &s;etting up his throne,</HI> viz. <HI>the u&s;e of the bloody &s;word?</HI></P>
<P>Our Saviour doth injoyn his Di&s;ciples to take up the Cro&s;&s;e and follow him, &s;o far is he from commanding them to im|po&s;e the Cro&s;&s;e on others; and when the <HI>Samaritans</HI> would not receive him, he did not allow his Di&s;ciples to execute vengeance upon them; yea, when his Enemies came to appre|hend him, yet he forbids <HI>Peter</HI> to u&s;e a &s;word for his own de|fence; neither will it help, to &s;ay that our Saviour was at that time to &s;uffer for our Redemption, and that therefore he did forbid <HI>Peter</HI> to u&s;e a &s;word in his defence; had our Saviour aimed at nothing el&s;e, it had been enough to have rebuked <HI>Peter</HI> for his pre&s;ent action, without mention of a rule for perpetuity; but when our Saviour doth not onely rebuke him but al&s;o as a rea&s;on of his rebuke, doth annex the e&s;tabli&s;h|ment of a perpetuall Law, <HI>all that take the &s;word &s;hall perri&s;h by the &s;word,</HI> he doth thereby &s;hew that not onely at that time, but al&s;o at all times, he forbids a &s;word to be taken up again&s;t the civill Magi&s;trate for his &s;ake.</P>
<PB N="20" REF="11">
<P N="27">XXVII <HI>Whether in our con&s;ciences, we be not per&s;waded that the State of the Kingdom might without war, and with his Maje&s;ties good leave and furtherance, have been reduced from its devia|tions unto the happy condition, wherein it flou|ri&s;hed in the ble&s;&s;ed dayes of good Queen</HI> Elizabeth?</P>
<P>About the beginning of this Parliament, there was &s;ome &s;uch thing commended by His Maje&s;ty in his &s;peech unto the Parliament for a Reformation, not an Alteration; and never did any Nation live more happy, then the people of <HI>England</HI> did in tho&s;e golden dayes, (which were &s;ince continued al&s;o, though &s;ome ecclip&s;es of that happine&s;&s;e, a ju&s;t judgement up|on us for the abu&s;e of our long Peace and Plenty, have of late befallen us;) Religion flouri&s;hed, Soules were &s;aved, &amp; every man &s;ate under his own Vine in &s;afety: and if we might have obtained &s;o happy a condition without War, let all the world judge whether that which we de&s;ire beyond the condition of tho&s;e times, be worthy of the lo&s;&s;e of &s;o much as one mans life or no; and if not of one, much le&s;&s;e of &s;o many thou&s;ands. The Parliament-men were cho&s;en, &amp; &s;ent up out of their &s;eve|rall Countreys re&s;pectively, for the good of the Kingdom, and Oh that they would &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider, as they expect to an|&s;wer it before Gods tribunall &s;eat at the great Judgement day, whether would be better for the Kingdom to have been re|&s;tored to the condition it injoyed in Queen <HI>Elizabeths</HI> dayes, or to be reduced to the plight in which now it &s;tands? I, but though it be bad now, yet it will be better, when we have wrought a perfect reformation, hereafter! Be it &s;o, and let us feed our &s;elves with tho&s;e hopes; but yet the que&s;tion doth &s;till remain. The happy condition of Queen <HI>Elizabeths</HI> Reign we might have had freely, the glorious contentment which we dream of, beyond the condition of that Queens dayes hath already co&s;t much blood; the que&s;tion is whether
<PB N="21" REF="11">that glorious contentment, which we think to obtain, God knows when, will be a &s;ufficient recompence for all the lives that have and &s;hall be lo&s;t in the obtaining of it? neither is this all, the lo&s;&s;e of &s;o many thou&s;and friends, and Countrey-men &s;lain by the &s;word; but unexpre&s;&s;ible al&s;o are the calamities under which they groan that are yet alive. It is with them at <HI>London,</HI> as once it was with <HI>Samaria,</HI> the Metropolis, when time was, of the Kingdom of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> They tru&s;ted in the Moun|tain of <HI>Samaria,</HI> a &s;trong place, and being in &s;afety and plenty them&s;elves, they took not to heart the affliction of <HI>Io&s;eph,</HI> that is, the mi&s;eries of their Brethren and Countrey-men that lived abroad in other parts of the Kingdom, and for this cau&s;e there is a &s;harp judgement, <HI>woe be to them,</HI> denounced by the Prophet <HI>Amos</HI> 6.1.6. There is no place &s;o &s;trong that <HI>woe</HI> may not enter; and therefore O God that art the God of mercy, and delighte&s;t in the pro&s;perity of thy people, give un|to our Parliament a de&s;ire to be like unto thy &s;elf, and to put on bowels of mercy both towards them&s;elves, and towards their mi&s;erable, yea, now ga&s;ping Countrey, that we may ac|cept of, and be contented with, and thankfull for &s;o much as we had under the Reign of Queen <HI>Elizabeth,</HI> rather then out of a de&s;perate re&s;olution of having more, to lo&s;e all, and bring a totall de&s;olation upon the whole Kingdom.</P>
<P N="28">XXVIII <HI>Whether they that hold the head,</HI> The head of the body politick, and the head of the body my&s;ticall, are ju&s;tly to be per&s;ecuted by us?</P>
<P><HI>Iob</HI> &s;aith no; The&s;e are his words, <HI>Ye &s;hould &s;ay, why per|&s;ecute we him? &s;eeing the root of the matter is found in me,</HI> Job. 19.28. Nay, we &s;hould &s;ay, why per&s;ecute we him that is the head of the body politick, and holds the head of the body my&s;ticall? the root of the matter (that is, the profe&s;&s;ion of the true Chri&s;tian Faith) being found in him. The true Circum|ci&s;ion, that is, the true Children of <HI>Abraham,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle
<PB N="22" REF="12">doth declare <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.3. are they who <HI>wor&s;hip God in the &s;pirit, and rejoyce in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, and have no confidence in the fle&s;h.</HI> And this is the Religion profe&s;&s;ed by the Church of <HI>England;</HI> this is the doctrine of the Church, That for &s;alvation they depend onely on Chri&s;t Je&s;us, and have no confidence in their own works: And as for tho&s;e Ceremonies u&s;ed by them in the externall wor&s;hip of God, they have no confidence in them neither, nor reckon them a part of the wor&s;hip This may well be e&s;teemed to be the <HI>root of the matter</HI> (though <HI>Iob</HI> in|deed applies this phra&s;e peculiarly to the faith of the Re&s;urre|ction through Chri&s;t, which as being a particular, is compre|hended in this generall, of imbracing Chri&s;t by Faith with all his benefits) and to &s;lur this profe&s;&s;ion, <HI>the root of the matter,</HI> with the odious imputation of Popery, what is it le&s;&s;e then Bla&s;phemy? and to pur&s;ue the profe&s;&s;ors of this Religion with the &s;word, as Papi&s;ts, (though neither Papi&s;ts nor Browni&s;ts, for their Religion are thus to be pur&s;ued) what is it le&s;&s;e then a bloody pro&s;ecution of the truth?</P>
<P N="29">XXIX <HI>Whether in the &s;ight of God and all indifferent men they are not to be accounted factious and &s;editious who by the power of the &s;word endevour any where the &s;ubver&s;ion of the Ancient government and known Laws contrary to the will and liking of the Supream Magi&s;trate?</HI></P>
<P>Indeed among us at this day, they that are for Peace are e&s;teemed factious, and they that are for innovation even by the &s;word are accounted Peaceable; the &s;trange&s;t paradox that ever was heard of. But the coun&s;ell of the Holy Gho&s;t is this (and good it is for Chri&s;tians to follow his coun&s;ell) <HI>Fear thou the Lord and the King: and meddle not with them that are given to change.</HI> Pro. 24.21. The knitting together of the&s;e du|ties in this place is very ob&s;ervable: for the Holy Gho&s;t here|by &s;hewes, That they fear not God, who fear not the King; &amp; that one evidence of the want of the fear of God, is to &s;tudy
<PB N="23" REF="12">or endeavour any innovation without or again&s;t the King; with &s;uch he wi&s;hes us not to joyn, and a rea&s;on he addes in the next ver&s;e, <HI>for their calamity &s;hall ri&s;e &s;uddenly, &amp;c.</HI> To the like purpo&s;e is that in <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 10.8, 9. If this Scripture be Scripture &s;till, we know not how to joyn with the Parliament for an alteration again&s;t the Kings will; nay, be&s;ides the&s;e two places, the Scripture doth frequently require &s;ubjection, and forbids re&s;i&s;tance; who knows not tho&s;e eminent places <HI>Rom.</HI> 13.1, 2, 5. <HI>Tit.</HI> 3.1. and 1. <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.13, 14. We have all prote&s;&s;ed to defend the priviledges of Parliament; but that the Parliament hath any priviledge more then private men to walke contrary to the word of God, or that they have any di&s;|pen&s;ation granted from walking according to Scripture rules, is not yet made evident; if this priviledge were once cleerly manife&s;ted, we &s;hould never make any more doubt at all.</P>
<P N="30">XXX <HI>Whether to have &s;uch thoughts as this,</HI> I will go on in the way I have cho&s;en, even to the effu&s;ion of Rivers of blood, though I &s;ee &s;o many doubts (doubts that &s;eeme unan&s;werable) though my con&s;cience have no warrant out of Scripture for it, whether this be not the re&s;olu|tion of a man, who&s;e &s;alvation is de&s;perate?</P>
<P>For the Apo&s;tle tells us, that <HI>what&s;oever is not of faith is &s;in.</HI> Rom. 14.23. and who&s;oever doth wilfully continue in any &s;in, is not yet in the &s;tate of Salvation; for the Lord will not be mercifull to them that offend of malicious wickedne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="31">XXXI <HI>Whether it be not</HI> more &s;uitable to Chri&s;tian Religion, &amp; &s;afer for a Chri&s;tians &s;oul, upon the&s;e grounds, even to &s;uffer under the King, if he &s;hould prove Tyrant or per&s;ecuter (which upon many evidences, we have good cau&s;e to hope he never will, and &s;hould
<PB N="24" REF="13">with our Prayers, endeavour to obtain he never may) rather then upon no grounds, but bare feares and jealou&s;ies taken up by an implicit faith pinn'd upon the &s;leeve of a few men not priviledged from error, contrary to Gods word, to Acts of Parliament, to &s;ub|&s;criptions, Oathes, and Vowes, to Rebell again&s;t him?</P>
<P>Vpon the&s;e con&s;iderations and &s;uch like, many have fallen off already from the Parliament, and unle&s;&s;e &s;ome cleer &s;ati&s;|faction be hereunto &s;peedily given, (if at lea&s;t any &s;atisfactory rea&s;on may be given how we &s;hould break all the&s;e &s;acred bonds and not be guilty) it is to be thought, many more will fall off. Great is the truth and will prevaile. And O thou that are the God both of truth and peace, direct our hearts, that we may under&s;tand the truth, and incline our mindes to follow tho&s;e things that make for Peace, yea, Lord grant unto us all with &s;etled purpo&s;e and &s;erious re&s;olution, to walke in tho&s;e wayes that are mo&s;t &s;uitable to the Go&s;pell, as knowing that tho&s;e are the wayes that make mo&s;t for the glory of thy name, and mo&s;t for the comfort of our own, otherwi&s;e erring and indanger'd &s;oules.</P>
<Q><L>&mdash;Turpe haec opprobria nobis</L>
<L>Et dici potui&s;&s;e &amp; non potui&s;&s;e refelli.</L></Q>
<Q><HI>Satius e&s;t de media via recurrere quam &s;emper currere male.</HI></Q>
<Q>Be not deceived, God is not mocked. <BIBL><HI>Gal.</HI> 6.7.</BIBL></Q>
<TRAILER><HI>FINIS.</HI> 1645.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="13">
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