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<DATE>2011-09-26</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>THE EQVITY Of the Solemne <HI>LEAGVE</HI> and <HI>COVENANT</HI> IVSTIFIED, Again&s;t an Infectious and Libellous Pamphlet: INTITVLED, THE INIQVITY Of the late Solemne <HI>League</HI> and <HI>Covenant</HI> Di&s;covered.</P>
<P>As it was lately &s;ent from <HI>Oxford:</HI> and intercepted by the way to <HI>London.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Written by way of Caution to all tho&s;e who either have or &s;hall reade the &s;aid dangerous Paper.</HI></P>
<P>Printed for <HI>Iohn Field.</HI> 1644.</P>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD>THE EQVITY OF THE SOLEMNE <HI>LEAGVE</HI> and <HI>COVENANT</HI> IVSTIFIED.</HEAD>
<P>_IT being my fortune to meet with a frivolous and groundle&s;&s;e pamphlet, penned as by the Title appeares, on purpo&s;e to traduce the <HI>Equity</HI> and <HI>Ju&s;tne&s;&s;e</HI> of our <HI>Sacred Solemne League</HI> and <HI>Cove|nant,</HI> and to poi&s;on the People with a mi&s;under|&s;tanding thereof: And being informed that many of the papers were by <HI>Malignants</HI> and other ill Members procured and di&s;per&s;ed abroad by &s;tealth, and in a clande&s;tine way: I thought my &s;elf bound by the duty I owe unto God, and the publike obliga|tions of this <HI>Covenant,</HI> wherein I have a peculiar intere&s;t, to take in hand to an&s;wer it, and remove tho&s;e &s;cruples, and ill-contrived &s;tum|bling-blocks, which are ca&s;t in the way of tho&s;e which have not as yet come in, and &s;ub&s;cribed to this holy Covenant.</P>
<P>I will not at all take notice of the bitterne&s;&s;e of the Traiterous and Seditious preamble, which &s;ufficiently &s;ets forth the Con&s;tituti|on of the Author. But con&s;idering that <HI>Oxford</HI> is the place from whence it came (where all their Doctrine is railing) I purpo&s;ely pa&s;&s;e it by, and will in a facile moderate way, betake my &s;elfe to the ground work of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>It is pretended to be written to a gentleman of his own party now in Durance, which de&s;ired &s;atisfactiun upon the point, who was intended to take the <HI>Covenant,</HI> as a meanes to procure his liberty; which be|fore he ab&s;olutely re&s;olved upon, he de&s;ires information from this dangerous Coun&s;ellour, who tels him, if his re&s;olution and advice
<PB N="4" REF="3">may in time be herad, it &s;tands this upon the&s;e two points.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>I. <HI>That no man can with a &s;afe Con&s;cience enter this Covenant by rea&s;on of the gro&s;&s;e and palpable Iniqvity of the Contents thereof.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>II. <HI>That he who through his own ignorance and cunning of others, hath been &s;educed, or by their threats and menaces forced, or by any other meanes brought to enter this Covenant with them, is not bound to the performance of the Contents, but having by the taking of it, contracted their guilt of a grievous &s;inne, it bound to a &s;peedy re|pentance for the &s;ame.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The&s;e were notable convincing points indeed, if they were pro|ved: But he cares not for the reality of proof, &s;o he may reduce his arguments to &s;ome &s;pecious frame; for the maine &s;cope, or end, which he pretends to by rea&s;oning upon the&s;e two points, is &s;et downe in the&s;e two particulars.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, In the re&s;olving and keeping a good con&s;cience (as he &s;tiles it) in the refu&s;all of this <HI>Covenant,</HI> by rea&s;on of the gro&s;&s;e and palpable Iniquity of the contents thereof.</P>
<P>Secondly, For the recovery of the Con&s;cience en&s;nared by entring this <HI>Covenant,</HI> wherein is con&s;idered the not binding of it, if taken; which particulars, if thou can&s;t make good, <HI>Tu Dominus, Tu vir, Tu mihi frater eris:</HI> I &s;hall mo&s;t willingly Sub&s;cribe.</P>
<P>Thus far we have a fair porch to the building, and which might take any man at the fir&s;t fight: But let us now make entry, and &s;ee what furniture wee can finde within to entertaine a mans under|&s;tanding.</P>
<P>He proceeds to frame Obiections again&s;t the &s;everall Articles of the <HI>Covenant.</HI> And the fir&s;t thing he excepts again&s;t, is, <HI>that we are bound to endeavour the extirpation of Prelacie, and Church-Govern|ment by, Archbi&s;hops Bi&s;hops, &amp;c.</HI> By the fir&s;t and &s;econd Articles; and not onely &s;o, but really and con&s;tantly to endeavour the &s;ame. Now he bids him &s;ee the Iniquity of this.</P>
<P>Object. 1. <HI>Fir&s;t, he &s;ayes, here is &s;edition: Subjects entring into a Covenant for a change of e&s;tabli&s;hed government, without and again&s;t their Soveraignes Command and Authority.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I an&s;wer, that this is not done again&s;t the Authority of our Soveraign, but this covenanting again&s;t Prelacie, is ordained, and entred upon, by tho&s;e who have Soveraign Authority communicated unto them from the King in Parliament, and by them it is commen|ded
<PB N="5" REF="3">unto the People to be &s;worne again&s;t, as a government incon|&s;i&s;tent with the good of the Kingdomes. Out of what Lawes Divine, or Civill and Nationall, do you read, that an Act of the grand E&s;tates of a Kingdome lawfully convened, may be called &s;edition.</P>
<P>Object. 2. <HI>Secondly, hee &s;ayes, Here is inju&s;tice to fellow-&s;ubjects: Subjects entring a Covenant, and binding them&s;elves to do notorions wrong and injury to others; that is, to extirpate a company of men, who&s;e Function is of Apo&s;tolicall in&s;titution, and hath continued in this Land from the fir&s;t receiving of the Chri&s;tian Faith; who&s;e immuni|ties al&s;o, and priviledges, are undeniably; mo&s;t ancient and legall in this Kingdome.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. Fir&s;t, I an&s;wer, That it could never be proved yet (though there have been many papers vented pretending the probation of it) that &s;o much as regulated Epi&s;copacie, was of Apo&s;tolicall in&s;titu|tion, muchle&s;&s;e Prelacie an order of a higher &s;traine, with all its Hie|rachicall Appurtenances, both of them being held in the opinion of the mo&s;t and be&s;t Prote&s;tants unque&s;tionable and obvious to all men, to be but of humane in&s;titution.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 2. Secondly, I an&s;wer: Be it granted that their immunities and priviledges are ancient and legall within this Kingdome; yet you mu&s;t remember, that tho&s;e immunities and priviledges were at fir&s;t conferred upon them by the favour and indulgence of the State, in tho&s;e dayes of the growing greatne&s;&s;e of the Clergie, why then may not the &s;ame power of the State, in the an|cient and legall Court of Parliament, derived to their &s;ucce&s;&s;ors, now lawfully a&s;&s;embled, with as much rea&s;on deprive them of tho&s;e immunities, together with their greatne&s;&s;e, which have proved un|deniably &s;o prejudiciall to the Kingdome.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 3. Thirdly, I an&s;wer, that our covenanting to extirpate Prelacie cannot be called inju&s;tice, nor injury to our fellow-&s;ubjects by the &s;ame rea&s;on al&s;o: Becau&s;e the abolition of tho&s;e accidentall priviledges, the fruitfull p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">rents of &s;o many intolerable exorbitances, is agreed upon by the Supreme Court of Ju&s;tice, the repre&s;entative Body of the Nation, which of it &s;elf is &s;ufficient to annull the Hie|rarchie; but becau&s;e Authority is of little availment, without the addition of forcible power in times of difficulty, oppo&s;ition &amp; rebel|lion of de&s;perate Incendiaries; therfore it was nece&s;&s;ary that the loy|all partee of the Land &s;hould be ingaged by Covenant, to defend the Parliament in the pro&s;ecution of their mo&s;t ju&s;t proceedings, to re|dre&s;&s;e
<PB N="6" REF="4">the grievances of the Subject, of which, Prelacy is not the lea&s;t, as al&s;o, for the cha&s;tizing of Delinquents; And how is it po&s;&s;ible that this Prelaticall government &s;hould be convenient for a State or Kingdome: whereas,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. They have been burthen&s;ome in all ages, what oppo&s;ites in <HI>England</HI> have they been to our Kings, till their intere&s;ts were changed?</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Secondly, all reformed Churches have expelled them, as in|compatible with Reformation.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Thirdly, they have &s;et three Kingdomes together by the eares, which now lie weltring in their own blood.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Fourthly, experience now &s;hewes, there is no inconvenience in their want, either in <HI>Scotland</HI> or <HI>England.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Object. 3. <HI>The third Objection is, that here is &s;acriledge, in &s;poyling them, or a Church rather, of tho&s;e po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions and intere&s;ts, which be|&s;ide the right of dedication, do by as good Law and Title belong to them, as any Liberty and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion doth to other Subjects.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> Be it granted, that the right of their po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions hold good by Law; yet when their Order and Function &s;hall be di&s;annulled by Law, there mu&s;t be a nece&s;&s;ity of di&s;po&s;ing their Revenues other|wi&s;e, to the benefit of the Church, and &s;o the end of the dedication being kept, by di&s;po&s;ing them to that u&s;e whereto they were at fir&s;t intended, it were vain and fooli&s;h to call this &s;acriledge and &s;poiling of the Church.</P>
<P>Object. 4. <HI>The fourth and la&s;t objection again&s;t the fir&s;t and &s;econd Articles of the Covenant is, that here is rebellion with the greate&s;t impiety: Subjects endeavouring this by force of Armes (as it will ap|peare by the &s;ixt Article, they that Covenant bind them&s;elves to do) that is to compell your Soveraigne to &s;uch an extirpation and &s;poiling, again&s;t which he is bound by the Law of God, and by expre&s;&s;e oath, and cannot be relea&s;ed of that oath, without their con&s;ent to whom he makes it, viz. tho&s;e that mu&s;t here be extirpated and &s;poiled.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. Fir&s;t I an&s;wer, that here is neither Rebellion, nor im|piety in the lea&s;t kind, to endeavour the extirpation of tho&s;e by Armes, which have been the maine cau&s;e of this pre&s;ent warre a|gain&s;t the Parliament, and enemies to Reformation; with whom, be|cau&s;e the King is now there in per&s;on, being &s;educed by evill Coun|cellors, and &s;uch as have a de&s;igne to alter our Religion, invade
<PB N="7" REF="4">our Liberties, and bring in Popery; therefore we &s;hall not defend our &s;elves, our Religion and Liberties, nor labour to deliver the King from them, but you will &s;ay, we Covenant to compell His Maje&s;tie to that which in con&s;cience he cannot do, that is, to extir|pate prelacie; which brings me to my &s;econd an&s;wer.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 2. Secondly I an&s;wer, that no oath is to be ob&s;erved, but in <HI>licitis &amp; honestis,</HI> &s;o farre forth as the matter &s;worn to is approved and found lawfull; and it holds good in Divinity, that &s;uch oathes as are not lawfull, are rather to be repented of, then per&s;i&s;ted in. But upon politicke con&s;iderations there needs not any repentance, where the &s;ame power which ordained the things &s;worn to, doth after the manife&s;t inconvenience of it, with the pre&s;ent con&s;titution of publike affaires, ordaine al&s;o the aboli&s;hment thereof: for then the obligation becomes altogether invalid, and in no wi&s;e binding to the &s;wearer: And therefore it is frivolous to &s;ay that the King can|not be relea&s;ed of &s;uch an oath as he hath taken to maintain Prelacie, unle&s;&s;e the Prelates give con&s;ent; when at the be&s;t (to u&s;e the Language of the learned Exhortation to the taking of the Covenant) their whole government is but a humane con&s;titution, and &s;uch as is found and adjudged by both Hou&s;es of Parliament: (in which the judgement of the whole Kingdom is involved and declared) not only very prejudiciall to the civill State, but al&s;o a great hindrance to the perfect Reformation of Religion.</P>
<P>His &s;econd exception is again&s;t the fourth Article, whereby he &s;ayes, he which enters this Covenant doth profe&s;&s;e, that he allow all tho&s;e which adhere to His Maje&s;tie in this cau&s;e, &s;hould be e&s;teemed, and proceeded again&s;t, as Malignants, Incendiaries, and as in the fir&s;t Article they are &s;et out, common enemies: Al&s;o by the &s;ame, fourth Article he binds him&s;elf to di&s;cover all &s;uch, that they may be brought to puni&s;hment.</P>
<P>Object. <HI>Now he tels him that the iniquity of this appears by what was &s;aid upon the former Articles; but more e&s;pecially by the duties unto which the Oathes of Supremacy and allegiance bind all Subiects, viz. the a&s;&s;i&s;ting of His Maje&s;tie again&s;t all attempts, and the di&s;|covering unto Him all con&s;piracies, duties contrary to what is under|taken here.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I an&s;wer, that it is great equity and rea&s;on, that tho&s;e now about his Maje&s;ty, which have involved him in this war, and are
<PB N="8" REF="5">declared and known to be Incendiaries and Malignants, and the common Enemies of the Kingdome, &s;hould be di&s;covered and proceeded again&s;t thereafter; and that the equity of that Ar|ticle may further appeare, the intent of it is the very &s;ame with tho&s;e, in the Oathes of Supremacie and Allegiance, <HI>viz.</HI> The a&s;&s;i&s;ting of his Maje&s;tie again&s;t attempts, and the di&s;covering of con&s;piracies; which doth not only evidence the equity, but al|&s;o the &s;ea&s;onablne&s;&s;e of this Covenant, being taken in &s;uch a time, when there are &s;o many attempts, practices and con&s;pi|racies in hand by a de&s;perate partee of Cavaliers again&s;t Reli|gion, and the Kingdome; the greate&s;t of which attempts is ab|&s;olutely again&s;t his Maje&s;tie, though it &s;eem otherwi&s;e, by engage|ing his Per&s;on in a bloody and &s;trange war.</P>
<P>Object. <HI>The third exception taken, is concerning a clau&s;e in the third Article, for pre&s;erving and defending the Kings Maje&s;ties Per&s;on, and Authority, without any thought or intention of dimi|ni&s;hing his ju&s;t power and greatne&s;&s;e;</HI> And all which he hath to &s;ay again&s;t it, is this: <HI>That though hee which enters this Covenant, may thinke this clau&s;e to be ju&s;t and faire, yet is it indeed a fear|full collu&s;ion and mocking of God, there being nothing more again&s;t his Maje&s;ties authoritie and power, then the intent and pur&s;uit of this Covenant.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> All the an&s;wer which I &s;hall give to this, is, that it is but his &s;ay &s;o, and I &s;hall referre the impertiall Reader, to my former an&s;wers.</P>
<P>Object. <HI>His fourth exception is again&s;t the fifth Article; and hee objects, that hee which enters this Covenant, doth binde him|&s;elf by that Article, to indeavour the continuance of peace between the two Kingdomes, which, according to the intent of this Cove|nant, hee mu&s;t do, by joyning with tho&s;e who have actually broken the Pacification, and in pur&s;uit of this Covenant, invaded this King|dome, which is al&s;o a fearfull collu&s;ion and macking of God.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I an&s;wer, that it is ab&s;urd to &s;ay, that the Pacification between the two Kingdomes of <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Scotland</HI> is broken by this Covenant, when both the Kingdomes by an unanimous con&s;ent, are joyned in this holy League for the mutuall defence and pre&s;ervation of each others peace; and with as little rea&s;on may it be called an Inva&s;ion, or a collu&s;ion and mocking of
<PB N="9" REF="5">God: For it is mon&s;trous to conceive that any men &s;hould af|firm that ratification to be broken, when the per&s;ons ratifying do joyntly pro&s;ecute the pre&s;ervation of it, by vertue of this Covenant, with all earne&s;tne&s;&s;e and alacrity, which is manife&s;ted at this day by an ample te&s;timony of the full and free concurrence of the Bodies of both Nations.</P>
<P>The fifth exception taken, is again&s;t the &s;ixt Article; becau&s;e he that enters this Covenant doth profe&s;&s;e by the &s;ixt Article, that he allowes and approoves the A&s;&s;i&s;ting and defending of all tho&s;e, that take this Covenant, in the maintaining and pur&s;uing thereof, again&s;t all oppo&s;ition, and lets or impediments what&s;oever; and by the &s;ame Article binds him&s;elf really and con&s;tantly, to endeavour the &s;ame to his power, without giving him&s;elfe to a dete&s;table neutrality in this cau&s;e, or making a defection to the contrary part.</P>
<P>Object. <HI>Now &s;ee,</HI> &s;aies he, <HI>the iniquity of this Article, which &s;o plainely &s;peakes the language of de&s;perate Rebellion, that he which Co|venants with them, doth by this Article binde him&s;elfe to endeavour by force of Armes, to compell his Soveraigne to the Reformation pre|tended by this Covenant, and doth, as much as in him lies, cut him&s;elfe off from returning to his Duty and Obedience, which is here called, a de|fection to the contrary part.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I an&s;wer, that by this you may &s;ee the Iniquity of the Au|thor, and the de&s;parate &s;ence he makes u&s;e of to mi&s;-informe the Gentleman he wrote unto. The Equity of the Article is apparent; That there &s;hould be a firme adhearing to this Covenant and conti|nuance in his &s;ame, notwith&s;tanding all oppo&s;ition, contradiction, or di&s;wa&s;ion to the contrary what&s;oever. <HI>All the people &s;tood to the Covenant,</HI> 2 <HI>King.</HI> 23.4. This was <HI>Io&s;iah</HI> his care not onely for him|&s;elfe, but for all the people; He made all that were found in <HI>Iudeth</HI> and <HI>Benjamin</HI> to &s;tand to it, <HI>&s;o all his dayes they turned not backe from the Lord God of their Fathers,</HI> 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 34.32, 33. But as for that &s;launder of compelling our Soveraigne by force of Armes to a Reformation; I an&s;wer, that it is not properly to compell him, but rather to expell tho&s;e from him, which are enemies to Reformati|on, and in time would approve them&s;elves &s;o unto him al&s;o, if not re&s;i&s;ted by his faithfull Subjects, and compell him to enact what them&s;elves plea&s;e; which, what it would be if con&s;idered, is enough
<PB N="10" REF="6">to engage all true Chri&s;tian hearts again&s;t them: And therefore they are bound to this Covenant by that duty, obedience, and loy|ty which they owe unto their Soveraigne his Crowne and dignity, and the welfare of the Kingdomes, without defection to the con|trary part.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> His la&s;t Exception is again&s;t a clau&s;e in the &s;ixth Article, <HI>That he which enters this Covenant, doth profe&s;&s;e that he approves, and binds him&s;elfe to all the premi&s;&s;es in the Articles, as to that which much concernes the glory of God, the good of the Kingdoms, and the honour of the King: and this he &s;aies is to fill up the mea|&s;ure, and to mocke God Almighty to his face.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> I an&s;wer, Let all men judge how unrea&s;onable and hel|li&s;h a &s;launder this is, and ob&s;erve with what wre&s;ting the&s;e black characters of a fal&s;e Comment, are here brought in under pretence of writing information to a Gentleman, to defame the genuine, and innocent &s;ence of a glorious Covenant.</P>
<P>Thus I have done with the fir&s;t particular of his di&s;cou&s;e, which pretended to proove a nece&s;&s;ity of refu&s;ing this Covenant, by a fal&s;e imputation of gro&s;&s;e and palpable Iniquity upon the contents thereof. Now I &s;hall proceed to the &s;econd particular, pretending to prove a nece&s;&s;ity of repenting of it, if once taken.</P>
<P>If he could have proved the premi&s;&s;es, then the Conclu&s;ion would have followed more current, for I grant what he &s;aies, That the matter and intent of any Covenant being unlawfull, it cannot binde to performance, no more then <HI>Herods</HI> oath did bind him to proceed to execution, <HI>Matth.</HI> 14. or the great cur&s;e under which the forty Con&s;pirators, <HI>Act.</HI> 23. combined them&s;elves to make an end of <HI>Paul,</HI> could indeede obliege them to performanc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">; But the former point being not proved, the &s;ence of the Covenant being rather defamed and traduced, then controverted ju&s;tly; This latter point grounded upon the former, mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity fall of it &s;elfe, and therefore it needs not an an&s;wer, running altogether <HI>ex fal&s;a Hypothe&s;i,</HI> upon a fal&s;e &s;uppo&s;ition of Iniquity in the Cove|nant which is not as yet proved, nor can it be by the Ie&s;uits, and Ie|&s;uited impugners at <HI>Oxford.</HI> If they can furni&s;h us with &s;ome con|vincing Arguments in this way, I my &s;elfe who am a Covenanter, will not &s;peedily repent of it, but al&s;o per&s;wade others: but till then you mu&s;t pardon me.</P>
<PB N="11" REF="6">
<P>Now in relation to the latter part of his di&s;cour&s;e, I &s;hall onely give you notice that the frame of it is grounded upon a fal&s;e in|&s;inuation,</P>
<P>Object. <HI>That this Covenant doth contrary the Oathes of allegi|ance and &s;upremacie; and that the Iudges here tooke it with this re|&s;ervation: as thus, I take this Covenant &s;o far forth as it doth not con|trary the Oathes of Allegiance and Supremacie.</HI> But,</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. Fir&s;t, I an&s;wer with the words of the learned exhor|tation to the taking of the Covenant, that this Covenant is &s;o far from cro&s;&s;ing the Oathes of Supremacy and Allegiance, that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">t binds all, and more &s;trongly engageth them to pre&s;erve, and de|fend 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 Kingdomes.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 2. I an&s;wer that the Iudges tooke it without any &s;uch re|&s;ervation he &s;peakes of, or any other at all.</P>
<P>But this latter part need no an&s;wer (in regard as I &s;aid before) of the grounding it upon a fal&s;e &s;uppo&s;ition of the illegality and inju&s;tne&s;&s;e of this Covenant, which is not as yet proved: And there|fore I advi&s;e all to take heed both of the former and the latter, and to weigh the former objections with the an&s;wers impartially and &s;eriou&s;ly, not as men fore-armed with prejudicate opinions but as tho&s;e that de&s;ire &s;incerely to be informed of the nece&s;&s;ity and excel|lency of this holy Covenant.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> &s;peakes of <HI>Pauls</HI> writing, that in them &s;ome things are hard to be under&s;tood, which they that are unlearned, and un&s;table, wre&s;t, as they do al&s;o the other &s;criptures, to their own de&s;truction. 2. Epi&s;t. chap. 3. ver&s;. 16. But here on the con|trary, though the text of this Covenant be ea&s;ie to be under&s;tood, we &s;ee that &s;ome (who at le&s;t think them&s;elves) learned, and who are not only &s;table but &s;tiffened (as mo&s;t of the Oxford partie are) in their own erroneous principles and opinions, will be trying their skill (or rather malice) to wre&s;t or (as the Greek word <HI>&s;treblou&s;i</HI> imparts) to torture and &s;et this Covenant upon the racke, to make it &s;peake, and confe&s;&s;e a &s;ence never intended by the compo&s;ers, or propo&s;ers of it: And whereof (if but common ingenuity be the judge) it never will, nor can be found guilty: But at this time, I &s;hall &s;ay no more to the Author of this ba&s;e, injurious paper, but that in the clo&s;e of the ver&s;e quoted from the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter;</HI> Let him
<PB N="12" REF="7">take heed &s;uch wre&s;ting as this be not to his own de&s;truction.</P>
<P>Thus I hope in an&s;wering this virulent Pamphlet, I have given the Readers &s;ome in&s;ite into the matter of this holy League &amp; Covenant, according to the &s;incere aime of tho&s;e that made it; Take it then Reader and &s;weare to it: Who but an Athei&s;t can refu&s;e the fir&s;t Article? Who but a Papi&s;t the &s;econd: who but an oppre&s;&s;or, or Rebell the third? Who but the guilty the fourth? Who but men of no fortune, de&s;perate Caviliers the fifth (Who but light and empty men, un&s;table as water the &s;ixt? In a word the duty is &s;uch that God hath ordained, the matter is &s;uch as God approveth, and the con&s;e|quence will be &s;uch as God hath promi&s;ed, the accompli&s;hment of our peace and happine&s;&s;e in this life, and the finall con&s;ummation of it in that which is to come.</P>
<P>This is Licenced and entred according to Order.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
