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<DATE>2010-07-29</DATE>
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<NAME>Megan Marion</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE GOOD OLD CAuSE DRESS'D IN IT'S PRIMITIVE LUSTRE, AND SET FORTH TO THE VIEW OF ALL MEN.</P>
<P><HI>Being a &s;hort and Sober Narrative of the great Revolutions of Affairs in the&s;e later times.</HI></P>
<P>By R. FITZ-BRIAN, an affectionate Lover of his Country.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>G. C.</HI> at the Black-&s;pread-<HI>Eagle</HI> at the We&s;t end of St. <HI>Paul</HI>'s Church-yard. 1659.</P>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="2" REF="2">
<HEAD>The good old Cau&s;e dre&s;t in it's primi|tive Lu&s;tre, &amp;c.</HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="preface">
<HEAD>The Preface. When it is, that changes evenes in States.</HEAD>
<P>_THe changes, and revolutions in States and Common|wealths, as they have by degrees i&s;&s;ued out of the corrupti|on, and male-Admini&s;tration of Governments, &s;o have they u&s;ually been accompanyed with mo&s;t remarkeable Pro|vidences; And by how much the more &s;piritual the de&s;igns of God are in the wombe of &s;uch productions, by &s;o much the more vi&s;ibly doe's He let out the &s;ignal Testimonies of his Pre&s;ence and Glory. When States are at the wor&s;t; when vitious, and pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">|cant humours are every where predominant; when the prevalency of evil Coun&s;ells doe's take place to the introducing of new, and Arbitra|ry impo&s;itions, contrary to the e&s;tabli&s;hed Con&s;titutions; They mu&s;t then either nece&s;&s;arily &s;inke under their own weight, and crumble in|to di&s;order, Anarchy and ruine; Or el&s;e there will follow &s;ome notable alterations: And the di&s;tempers being &s;o great, and enormous, that they cannot po&s;&s;ibly admit of a redre&s;s, and healing, and con&s;erve &s;till their old frame, Things mu&s;t unavoydeably wheele about, and fix them&s;elves upon another Ba&s;is. In &s;uch a Mappe as this, may we view the more than ordinary tran&s;actions of our later times; which, though they were &s;mall in their beginnings, yet have they by &s;everall &s;teps, and progre&s;sions been advanced to a con&s;iderable height: And I may &s;ay, there have been &s;uch interweavings of &s;tupendious Provi|dences; &s;uch diver&s;ifications in the manner of proceeds; &s;uch glo|rious exertings of power, and goodne&s;s, &s;uch a&s;toni&s;hing &s;ucce&s;&s;es, and &s;uch legible characters of divine ownings, That we are now bigg with ju&s;t hopes of arriving in the end unto &s;ome eminent e&s;tabli&s;h|ment, even above the magnificence of all tho&s;e forms, which meerely have the worldly &s;tamp upon them.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>Sect. I.</HI> The true Sources of our late Revolutions.</HEAD>
<P>IF we &s;uffer not our &s;elves to be mi&s;guided with prejudices, bu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> im|partially trace things into their beginnings, we may ea&s;ily di&s;cover t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">
<PB N="3" REF="2">inlet of all our mi&s;chiefs, and the naturall &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ing of our late alterati|ons. The hinges upon which they gradually turned, were the prela|ticall Tyranny of the Bi&s;hops, innovating in things of Religious con|cernment, and laying in&s;upportable burdens upon the con&s;ciences of tender Chri&s;tians: And the &s;ecret, and politick in&s;inuations of evil Councellours, and Favourites, invading all rights, &s;ubverting the funda|mentall con&s;titutions, and forcibly &s;way<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ng all things unto an ab&s;olute Domination. Both the&s;e joyned hand in hand together, and mutu|ally con&s;pired to accompli&s;h the &s;ame de&s;ign; The tendency where|of was in the i&s;&s;ue to trample upon all Lawes, to inthrall us at plea|&s;ure, and to &s;ubject us under the iron yoke of an ab&s;olu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e di&s;po&s;all. The Epi&s;copal Juri&s;diction was in it's day very fierce, and lofty: wit|ne&s;s tho&s;e &s;evere &s;entencings to impri&s;onments, to wh ppings, to Pil|lories, and to &s;tigmatizing<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">, which were then frequen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ly thundred a|gain&s;t many hone&s;t innocent per&s;ons; in whom there was found nothing criminall, but that they wor&s;hip't God in purity of &s;pirit, and dur&s;t not conform to their &s;uper&s;titious in junctions What a rabble of exotick ceremonies, &amp; unwarrantable traditions were then brought in, and impo&s;ed, All that con&s;ult with the naked hi&s;tory of that genera|tion, may ea&s;ily take notice of: And as if a prophane and profligate &s;pirit were the fitte&s;t to &s;wallow down, and without &s;cruple to live under &s;uch &s;uper&s;titious rites, and ob&s;ervances; They decryed and di&s;countenanced Preaching, they pleaded publiquely for, and with the face of Authority tolerated &s;ports, and pa&s;times on the Sabbath dayes. Hence was it, that the&s;e two being thus twi&s;ted, and married together, there &s;prung up a mon&s;trous brood of all di&s;orders, and u&s;urpations; And the generality having thereby their rea&s;on darkned, and be&s;otted, as well as their con&s;ciences, were in a pliant temper to re|ceive the impre&s;&s;ions of &s;lavery, and unju&s;t encroachments. In this juncture the precious people of God, who were at once made the object both of their &s;corn, and fury, were trampled upon by the foot of pride, and in&s;olency: They were driven into corners; They were made to &s;erve with rigour, and hard bondage; Their ruine&punc; and ex|tirpation was de&s;igned; Many of them being haled to their illegall Courts, endured cruelties as barbarous, as are acted in the Inqui&s;i|tion: And others being willing to pre&s;erve peace wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">hin, and to free them&s;elves from their mixtures, and defilements, were enforced to exile them&s;elves from their native comforts, and relations here, and to wander de&s;olate in forrain de&s;erts. At the &s;ame time, and confederate with this Exorbitant power, did the evill Councill<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> of the
<PB N="4" REF="3">Nation, in things al&s;o of civill cogn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">zance, hurry all things head long into one ab&s;olute Grandeur. The great Ma&s;ter-piece of their de&s;ign was if (po&s;&s;ibly) to elude all Parliaments, knowing, that tho&s;e one<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">y &s;tood in the way to hinder, and d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;appoint their intendments. And the better to &s;trengthen them&s;elves herein, They &s;tarred many projects, and inventions, hoping either by their Monopolies, or by <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">heir Knight|hood, or by their &s;hipp-<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">onies, or by &s;ome &s;uch ob&s;olete quillet to have pre&s;erved their Trea&s;ures full, and entire; And they cea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ed not to &s;crew up, and di&s;tort&punc; as well their own wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">s<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">, as our rights, by endeavouring to make tho&s;e devices of their's to appear with the face and colour of a Law. Things being thus po&s;tured, there wanted but very little of effecting what they &s;o &s;trenuou&s;ly &s;ought after, to be the ab&s;olute Ma&s;ters of our lives, liberties and e&s;tates at their own plea|&s;ure: The whole current of the Admini&s;tration of Ju&s;tice being out cou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e; the Judges of the Land, that &s;hould be the directours of what is Law and Right, either corruptly oppo&s;ing, or el&s;e not daring to declare the truth; And tho&s;e that did &s;peak their judgements free|ly, and hone&s;tly, being upon that very account immediately di&s;pla|ced, and put out of Office.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>Sect. II.</HI> The dawning of the day of Reformation.</HEAD>
<P>WHen the thicke&s;t darkne&s;s of the night had thus over&s;hadowed us, and the declining of the Sun towards its Biuniall &s;ol&s;tice had &s;ufficiently a&s;&s;ured us, that it was a &s;harpe and rigorous winter; B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">hold all on a &s;udden the day began to dawn, and the return of the long ab&s;ent Sun gave us the unexpected hopes of an approaching Summer. The grievances of the Nation were become in&s;ufferable; Arbitrari|ne&s;s, and Lordly Domination was ri&s;en up to the height, all things were &s;tretch't out to their utmo&s;t length; and the whole frame of affairs was &s;o deplorable, that we were as hopele&s;s of having redre&s;s, as we were certain, that we were plunged under ruin. Yet even then did the light breake forth, and that very di&s;mall &s;ea&s;on, when it was at the blacke&s;t, prov'd the vertical point, which at once put a &s;top to the further carreer of our de&s;igned mi&s;eries, and brought backe the glorious di&s;playings of our revived comforts. When rea&s;on was p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;led, and could not di&s;cern the lea&s;t probability of &s;uccour; when our enemies triumphed that their mountain &s;tood &s;trong, and that they had &s;o firmly &s;eated them&s;elves, as that it was impo&s;&s;ible for them to be removed; the Divine power, and goodne&s;s, which befool's the
<PB N="5" REF="3">wi&s;dome of the wi&s;e, &amp; works contrary to humane appearances, over|th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ew their confidences as in a moment; And wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">king wonders for his people, exalted them from the dunghill unto a condit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">on of em<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">nency, and enlargement. It is a delight to con&s;ider, what a lively, gene|rous active &s;pirit was poured out in tho&s;e daies upon tho&s;e good hearts, which befo e had &s;uffered hard things: who being awakened by the ar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ing of the glory of the Lord upon them, did pray, believe, and act vigorou&s;ly to reduce this di&s;ordered, &s;hattered Naton unto a po&s;ture of a &s;ixt and happy &s;ettlement. The eminent Worthies then a&s;&s;embled in Paliament did &s;weat and toil, and thought no hard&s;hip's too much to be undergone, no difficulties too great to be encountred with, to promote, and accompli&s;h a perfect Reformation. How much do &s;uc|ceeding generations owe to them for all their diligence, and &s;edulity, for all their watchings, and pains-taking for all the affronts, and &s;corns, which they endured? The fruit and &s;ucce&s;s whereof we are at this day reaping, and enjoying It cannot be thought, but that &s;o great a work, undertaken in &s;uch a di&s;tempered dreggy juncture of time, &s;hould meet with &s;trong oppo&s;itions, and that many great Mountains &s;hould then &s;tand in the way, as hard to be removed, as they were powerfull to darken, and over&s;hadow tho&s;e &s;mall beginnings. Hence was it, that all &s;ober, and good men, knowing them&s;elves deeply concerned in tho&s;e concernments, and that all that was dear to them, was wrapt up in the happy and uninterrupted proceedings of the Parliament; they did to their utmo&s;t capacities endeavour to &s;trengthen their hands, and did bring in &s;everal materials to advance &s;o excellent a &s;tructure. The Parliament is no other, than the high and &s;upream Court of Judica|ture, entru&s;ted with the rights, and liberties of the Nation; and they acting &s;ingly for the good, and advantage of tho&s;e whom they repre|&s;ent, and to redre&s;s all oppre&s;&s;ions, and grievances lying upon them, They ought to challenge all their endeavours, their coun&s;els, and their abillities to a&s;&s;i&s;t, and &s;upport them in that work. It would be a pro|digie in the con&s;titution, if the Parliament &s;hould betray, and &s;acrifice the Native freedomes of their Country unto the exorbitant will, and lu&s;t of any per&s;on, or Authority: And it would be as g eat a &s;en&s;le&s;ne&s;s, and &s;tupour in the people, if by de&s;erting the Paliament they &s;uffer them to &s;inke, and be ruined, whil&s;t they are contending with any Malevolent power, that ri&s;es up to in&s;lave them. There was in the&s;e virgin daies &s;uch a mutuall, &s;trict, and lovely harmony and agreement as this between the Parliament, and the hone&s;t unbia&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">d peop<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e of the Nation; whe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">eby it came to pa&s;s that the management
<PB N="6" REF="4">of the affairs then in their hands, though intricate, and perplexed enough, and forcibly re&s;i&s;ted, yet made &s;o &s;uccesfull a progre&s;s. It was the great aim of tho&s;e worthy Reformers, to take away every thing, that had the impre&s;s of u&s;urpation upon it; And as pro|phanene&s;s and &s;uper&s;tition had their birth, and ri&s;e together, and availed mutually to rivet, and e&s;tabli&s;h each other in the Commonwealth; &s;o was their extirpation and downfall together. All that will-wor&s;hip, All tho&s;e &s;upe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">tious rites and ob&s;ervations of daies, and places; All tho&s;e exactions, that had been pre&s;t upon the con&s;ciences of tender Chri&s;tians; all Innovations what&s;oever not warranted by a Divine rule, all prophane rioting, di&s;orders and exce&s;&s;es, and all &s;ports, and pa&s;times, the bane of youth, and the poy&s;on of good manners, not con&s;i&s;tent to a well-guided Commonwealth: The&s;e and what&s;oever el&s;e was contrary to &s;ound Doctrine, to an holy conver&s;ation, and was an offence to good men, were removed, and taken out of the way. And <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">hey did not onely clean&s;e the out&s;ide, and pare off &s;ome &s;uper|ficiall excre&s;cencies, but they pierced into the very heart and marrow, and by mak<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ng the vitals &s;ound they endeavou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ed to prevent the re|turn of &s;uch de&s;truct<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ve maladies. That great Tree which had &s;pread it &s;elf not onely to the hurt of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">he Nation, but even to the terrour of all gracious &s;pirits, had not onely &s;ome of it's lofty boughs lopt off, but was even pluckt up by the very roots: They w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ll knowing, that &s;uper&s;tition, and rigour would in time have pullulated, and bud|ded forth afre&s;h, had any of that Epi&s;copall &s;temme been left remai|ning. This was a great atchievement, very unfei&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ble in the eye of rea&s;on; but God who levells Mountains, and m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">kes rough things &s;mooth, put it in the hearts of the Nobles to effect it, and the people were willing unto the work. And as it was an inlet, and a nece&s;&s;ary precedency to their great mutations, that were to follow, &s;o it could not be compa&s;t without a dreadfull noi&s;e; &s;uch unexpected, and un|u&s;uall &s;hakings being ever accompanyed wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">h the fury and di&s;plea&s;ure of the mighty ones: Nor did they terminate onely here, conten|ting them&s;elves to take away tho&s;e things, and that Juri&s;dict<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">n out of which, as out of a corrupt Fountain, tho&s;e di&s;orders had i&s;&s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">d; But they proceeded al&s;o to call into que&s;tion tho&s;e per&s;ons, who by their evil coun&s;ells had been the Author of al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> our m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">chiefs. There is no greater Plague to a Commonweal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">h, than the &s;warm of Sycophants, and evill Coun&s;ellours, who are &s;till exciti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">g <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">he Prince, or chief Magi&s;trate, to tread upon all Lawes, and to incroach upon the peoples rights; who being, it may be, in &s;ome things obnoxious
<PB N="7" REF="4">them&s;elves to the cen&s;ures of the Law, can never think them&s;elves &s;afe, but by walking in irregular &amp; extraordinary paths, and by diverting the &s;tream of all things into the channel of Ab&s;olutene&s;s. It was therefore the wi&s;dom of our Worthies in Parliament, not onely to degrade, and remove &s;uch from their places, and imployment, but to bring the mo&s;t notorious offenders in that kind unto condigne puni&s;hment: That as they had publiquely offended, &s;o they might publiquely an&s;wer it at the barre of Ju&s;tice; under the &s;troke of which &s;ome of them fell, though not without a mighty crackling, and payd the puni&s;hments due to &s;o great enormities; Whereby, there was as well publique &s;atisfacti|on given to the Nation for the pa&s;t in juryes it had &s;u&s;tained, as a terrour, and di&s;couragement left to &s;uch as &s;hould &s;ucceed from attempting the like practi&s;es for the future.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>Sect. III.</HI> The Cau&s;e in its fir&s;t ri&s;e and production.</HEAD>
<P>IN the pur&s;uit after a thorow Reformation, as a regard was had to the great intere&s;ts and concernements of the people of God, that their Con&s;ciences &s;hould not be under Snares and Yoaks, by rea&s;on of rigid impo&s;itions, nor their per&s;ons &s;ubjected to the Tyranny of any in&s;ulting Juri&s;diction; So the ju&s;t Liberties of the Nation in things of a civill re&s;pect were indu&s;triou&s;ly conte&s;ted for and a&s;&s;erted. This being an indubitable Principle, That the civill Liberties, do in their true and genuine intention, con&s;erve the intere&s;ts of the people of God, and the intere&s;ts of the people of God do reciprocally uphold and give a ble&s;&s;ing to the civill Liberties: So that they cannot, they ought not in rea&s;on to be divided; But to make up a flouri&s;hing Common-Wealth, they &s;hould twine and intimately embrace each other in an union ne|ver to be di&s;&s;olved. It was therefore nece&s;&s;ary to enquire into the antient and fundamentall Con&s;titutions, which being e&s;tabli&s;hed by a grand Charter, and &s;o often renued, and atte&s;ted by the Petition of Right, it was not lawfull for any Power what&s;oever to alter &amp; invade. Hereupon the pri&s;on doores were opened, and &s;uch as had been ca&s;t into Durance, and confinement by an high hand, and by an Arbitra|ry Lawle&s;s Act of &s;upreme will, were relea&s;ed, and &s;et at liberty. The illegall oppre&s;&s;ive Courts, which had been ejected meerely to &s;erve the lu&s;t of one man, and to gratifie the in&s;atiable humours of cor|rupt &s;pirits, and Intere&s;ts, were at once condemned, and exploded: And all things that were mi&s;erably blended, and put out of order, were made to revert again into the known and warrantable cour&s;e, and
<PB N="8" REF="5">proceedings of Law, and equity. In the progre&s;s of this inquiry into our undoubted rights, and immunities, It was found that the chief Magi&s;trate had u&s;urped a Prerogative, which was never rightly inherent in him to di&s;&s;olve Parliaments at hs plea&s;ure; When as by the an|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">ent foundation they were to continue, as long as any grievance was unremoved, or any Petit on was unan&s;wered. It was al&s;o found, that he had not power to defer the a&s;&s;embling of Parliaments at his own Arbitrement, as was generally practi&s;ed, and believed; but according to the ancient con&s;titution, He was to call them once a year, or oftner, as occa&s;ion &s;hould require: Which were to be for the better Gover|ment of the people of God, and to g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ve redre&s;s to &s;uch injuries, as any had &s;u&s;tained by the means of the King, Queen, and Prince, or by the mi&s;government of any per&s;on what&s;oever. It was found likewi&s;e, that He had injuriou&s;ly u&s;urped the power of a Negative voice, either to a&s;&s;ent unto, or di&s;&s;ent from tho&s;e Acts, which the Parliament brought unto him, according as he plea&s;ed; when as He was obliged by the inviolable bond of his oath to confirme, and ratifie all &s;uch Laws, as the people, by their Repre&s;entatives in Parliament, &s;hould make choice of. It was further made evident, that the power of the Militia, which He would have gra&s;pt into his own hands, was &s;olely and intrin&s;ecal|ly re&s;iding in the Parliament: It being not con&s;i&s;tent with rea&s;on, nor with the Maximes of Nature, that any &s;hould have the power of declaring, and making war, but the Repre&s;entatives of the people, who&s;e blood and trea&s;ure was nece&s;&s;arily to be &s;pent, and ingaged therein. It was al&s;o evident, that the Revenue of the Nation was not to be imbe&s;led, and &s;quandred away by the will of any, but that the Parlia|ment had onely, and ab&s;olutely the di&s;po&s;all thereof: And that no tax, or impo&s;ition, either by way of Loan, or fine, or by any other project: or invention, upon any pretence what&s;oever, was to be levyed upon the people without the con&s;ent of their Repre&s;entatives in Parliament, The&s;e are without doubt the naturall, fundamentall, and e&s;&s;entiall Principles con&s;tituting this Commonwealth; which at once both propa|gates our Liberties, and di&s;tingui&s;h us from Brutes and Slaves; Which cannot be infringed much le&s;s parted with to any be the Government in what mode and form &s;oever without manife&s;t, and open violation of our indubitable rights, And in this channell glide along the &s;tream of the &s;pirits of our renowned Patriots, never to be mentioned without re&s;pect and honour; Who wearied, and wa&s;ted them&s;elves with indefa|tigable paines; who encountred with ravenous, and Lion-like tempers, and conte&s;ted unto blood, that they might both vindicate us, and all
<PB N="9" REF="5">that is of neare&s;t concern unto us, from under the paw of Tyranny|cal encroachments. Whil&s;t the&s;e things were on the &s;tage, there were many various occurrences, and providentiall appearances, evi|dently witne&s;&s;ing to the truth, and righteou&s;ne&s;s of &s;uch underta|kings. There were about two years &s;pent in endeavouring to bring them to an happy birth, but they proved &s;ucce&s;le&s;s; &s;o great an influence had the Malignant a&s;pects of the evill Coun&s;ellours, to hinder the Nation of &s;uch high advantages. And though &s;ome faint conce&s;&s;ions were made in order thereunto, yet it was with the re&s;erve of &s;uch an unlimited power, that would in time have bla&s;ted all the re&s;t, and have certainly &s;ubjected us again, under the thral|dome of our ancient grievances. The conte&s;ts and differences here|upon did &s;well to an irreconcileable height; a civil war brake forth, the flame being &s;o fierce, and violent, that it could not be quenched, till the &s;word had given a deci&s;ion, on what part the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the quarrell lay. It is undeniably evident, that the whole &s;eries of tho&s;e proceedings were di&s;ta&s;tfull, and again&s;t the hair; But that which was in view, and openly declared to be the point they brake on; was the Negative voice, and the power of the Militia: Wherein every one that is not of a perver&s;e cavilling &s;pirit, may receive full and pregnant &s;atisfaction, by having recour&s;e to the naked &s;tory, and pa&s;&s;ages of tho&s;e times. It was upon this account, that both parties joyned i&s;&s;ue, that they entred into the field, and fought &s;o many fierce, and bloody Battels. In the pro&s;ecution whereof, knowing, that our lives, liberties, and e&s;tates, and all our &s;piritual, as well as civil en|dearments were involved in it, we did make &s;o many &s;olemne, and &s;erious appeals unto the righteous God, and whereunto He was plea&s;ed reciprocally to return &s;o many glorious pregnant proofs of his power, and goodne&s;s. Hence it is, that we call it by way of Eminency, our Cau&s;e, our fir&s;t, and virgin-Cau&s;e, never to be receded from, nor blotted out of memory; &s;ince God has &s;tampt upon it &s;o many golden characters, and pledges of his in|comparable Pre&s;ence. And as it was a blemi&s;h in any of the people of <HI>England</HI> in tho&s;e daies to de&s;ert the Parliaments Intere&s;t, and to joyne with that power, that would have in&s;laved them: So it will &s;trike po&s;terity with a&s;toni&s;hment, If after we have broken that rod, that did oppre&s;s and &s;mite us; after we have re&s;cued our liberties out of the very fire, we &s;hould again re&s;ign the bucklers, and pro&s;titute them, and our &s;elves, to the will, mercy,
<PB N="10" REF="6">and courte&s;ie of any: This being a &s;afe prudentiall Maxime, that it is ea&s;ier for the people to keep what they have rightly gotten, than by intru&s;ting it to others, upon apprehen&s;ion of their inge|nuity, and candour, to fetch it back again out of their encroach|ments</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>Sect. IV.</HI> The provident all uniting of the hone&s;t party in a victorious Army.</HEAD>
<P>THis Warre being undertaken, the &s;ucce&s;&s;e was for a long time vari|ous, the i&s;&s;ue doubtfull; It &s;eemed to bechecquered with d fferent &amp; uncertain appearances; The victory &s;ometimes inclined to the one, &s;ometimes to the other party: There was much blood &s;pilt, much trea&s;ure exhau&s;ted, and yet a de&s;ired and happy end thereof was to the eye of rea&s;on, as remote and far di&s;tant as ever. But in a good and beautifull &s;ea&s;on, well known to the wi&s;dome and love of our God, to whom we had &s;ilently committed our &s;elves and our cau&s;e, There was on a &s;udden, the breaking forth of a mighty pre&s;ence, the di&s;playings of an invin&s;ible &s;pirit to decide the Controver&s;ie: And when men failed, &s;ome de&s;erting and proving treacherous, &s;ome de&s;igning the ruin of the In&s;truments engaged in the worke, and almo&s;t all contemning them as uncapable to carry it on; Even then did the Lord exalt him&s;elf, and accompanying tho&s;e poor de&s;pi&s;ed ones, even to wonders, ble&s;&s;ed them with uninterrupted &s;ucce&s;&s;es. It was then when the Providence of God, contrary to all humane appearances, and beyond their intentions, had modelled and brought together his own people, and imbodied them in an Army, to effect his great de|&s;ignes. It was by the&s;e that he thra&s;h'd the Mountains, that he hew'd downe the towring Okes, that he brake the in&s;ulting tyranicall powers; And whom he particularly &s;ingled out from among&s;t all others, to ac|compli&s;h the great Affaires then on the Wheel; As if he di&s;tinctly pointed out thus much, that he had re&s;erved for them the honour of the day; that it was peculiarly for their &s;akes that he had brought about tho&s;e unexpected Revolutions; That as they had been the chiefe&s;t &s;ufferers, and been trampled upon by the haughtine&s;&s;e of tho&s;e in&s;ufferable Oppre&s;&s;ors, &s;o they &s;hould be the chiefe&s;t and mo&s;t eminent, that &s;hould at once both worke tho&s;e deliverances, and enjoy the fruits of them. And though they were of different appre|hen&s;ions and judgements, in &s;ome things pertaining to the Con&s;cience, yet they were all indifferently made u&s;e of, and in the bonds of
<PB N="11" REF="6">&s;tricte&s;t love united in the carrying on of that common Cau&s;e. And there was not the lea&s;t incon&s;i&s;tency but that they might &s;till have mu|tually joyed in the Advantages ari&s;ing from thence, without jarrings and di&s;cords, untill the day &s;hould dawn, that by the revelation of Truth in its cleare&s;t appearances, expelling all mi&s;ts and mi&s;takes, they might firmly fix, and center in one heart and in one mind.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>Sect. 5.</HI> The interpo&s;all of a juri&s;diction as de&s;tructive as the former.</HEAD>
<P>AFter that this righteous Cau&s;e had been &s;o triumphantly owned, and witne&s;&s;ed unto, even beyond the face of a deniall; After that the name of God had been &s;o lifted up, and magnified in the vindication of it, that all the adver&s;e Forces were &s;cattered and broken, with all their Complices and Adherents; After that we had ri&s;en up to full grown expectations, that we &s;hould undoubtedly reape the ble&s;&s;ings of our long and difficult conte&s;ts, and of the expence of all our toll, trea&s;ure, and blood; There pre&s;ently brake forth, a furious fiery party which endeavoured to erect a Dominion as rigid and as de&s;tructive to the Peace and Liberties of the people of God, as ever that Power was which had been formerly extirpated; who breathing out threatnings, and being of fierce &s;pirits, twi&s;ted &s;evere rods for our backes, and layd impo&s;itions upon our con&s;ciences, as heavy, and grievous to be born, as tho&s;e were, under which the former generation had mi&s;e|rably groaned. It is well known, to what an height the Presbyteri|an juri&s;diction did all on a &s;udden Mount; how ruggedly they dealt with many precious tender hearts, that could not in all things con|form to their pre&s;criptions: And as if they had &s;et them&s;elves, not onely to equall, but even to outvy the Epi&s;copall Tyranny, they ca&s;t into pri&s;ons &s;uch as did encourage, and frequent Chri&s;tian meetings in private hou&s;es, Wherein they did very little differ from their Predece&s;&s;ours, the Bi&s;hops, who branded the &s;pirituall communion of the Saints in tho&s;e daies with the name, and crime of Conventicles. They exacted Tythes without remor&s;e; they arrogated to impo&s;e Articl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters"> of Faith, to be nece&s;&s;arily owned, and believed, &s;uitable to the narrow limits of their darke under&s;tandings. They condemned for bla&s;phemy, errour, here&s;ie, and &s;ectari&s;m, all &s;uch opinions, as did in the lea&s;t differ from their over-weening conceits, and apprehen&s;ions: and a&s;&s;uming as it were an infallibi|lity to their dictates, and interpretations, They pro&s;ecuted all
<PB N="12" REF="7">di&s;&s;enters with fire, and &s;word, and &s;uited for them re&s;pective puni&s;hments, according as their Arbitrary, and enraged wills did hurry them. They ambitiou&s;ly a&s;pired to &s;eat them&s;elves in the chaire; and like the Epi&s;copal Grandeur, they encroach't over the civill power, &s;etting their foot upon it, and wieling it, at once both to &s;erve their own Intere&s;ts, &amp; to execute the &s;everity of their injunctions. They gra&s;p't after a Lordline&s;s to in&s;lave the Nation under their girdle; and as their pride, incon&s;iderate zeal, and hot tempers did &s;way them, they laid the foundation of a mo&s;t bloody, and in&s;upportable per&s;ecution. It was &s;trange to &s;ee, how all our hopes were da&s;ht on a &s;udden, how the heavens were over|ca&s;t, and the &s;erenity, which we rejoyc'd in for a &s;ea&s;on, was ob|&s;cured with the interpo&s;all of a thick dark cloud. What a poor, and barbarous requitall was it to the Army, and to tho&s;e good Hearts, that had borne the burden of the day, that had willingly hazarded them&s;elves in the vindication of the ju&s;t liberties of the Nation, to be put to this &s;treight for their con&s;cience &s;ake, either to imbrace a pri&s;on, or el&s;e to cho&s;e an exilement from their na|tive comforts, relations and into remote and forraign countries? How di&s;&s;onant was it, not onely to all Ingenuity, but even to the very ends, and intrin&s;ick intendments of their ingaging at fir&s;t in that quarrell, to have the name only changed, but to be really under as great yokes, pre&s;&s;ures, and burdens, to have arbitrarine&s;&s;e, op|pre&s;&s;ion, unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and &s;lavery perpetuated under as &s;trong enforcements, as they were, before the beginning of the&s;e differen|ces? Yet &s;urely, if we will not betray, and forfeit our under&s;tand|ings we mu&s;t needes &s;ay, that the power, which then had ri&s;en up with a new &s;hape, as dreadfull, and dangerous, as that former was, which had been abandoned, and &s;ubdued.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="section">
<HEAD><HI>Sect. VI.</HI> The cau&s;e in it's &s;econd appearance, explained and enlarged.</HEAD>
<P>BUt in this difficult perplexed juncture, the Lord of glory, who had great di&s;coveries of Love, and goodne&s;&s;e to di&s;pence forth, did not then de&s;ert his people, nor their cau&s;e; He was plea&s;ed to take that advantage to advance their's, and the Nations concernes to an higher, and more flouri&s;hing State, than at fir&s;t was in the eye, I had almo&s;t &s;aid in the wi&s;hes of our Reformers. The Army therefore groaning under tho&s;e unju&s;t provocations; Having bleed|ing
<PB N="13" REF="7">hearts for the enthralments, and &s;ufferings of their fellow-bre|theren; being excited, and awakened by the Lord; being a&s;&s;i&s;ted with the united prayers, and coun&s;ells, and &s;trength of his people; they did &s;ea&s;onably interpo&s;e; And, according to the duty incumbent on them, and to the opportunity offered them, They did endeavour, as well to remove the mi&s;eries then impending, and threatned, as to carry on the work, &s;o happily begun, to its utmo&s;t period. It cannot be denied, but that there brake forth then a mo&s;t righteous maje&s;tick &s;pirit: And as they took in the whole compa&s;s, and latitude of the cau&s;e, as it was fir&s;t &s;tated, and declared; &s;o they did explain it, and annex &s;ome additionall enlargements, mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary to bring it to a perfection. Neither did they make herein &s;ome faint overtures, and e&s;&s;ayes, but as the exigency of the jun|cture did require, They did bind them&s;elves under mo&s;t inviolable promi&s;es, and ingagements unto the Nation, to contend for them with all earne&s;tne&s;s, untill they were effected. It was too ju&s;t, and univer&s;all a complaint, That all things were out of cour&s;e, that Tyranny, oppre&s;&s;ion, and inju&s;tice had mingled them&s;elves every where; whereupon it was publiquely a&s;&s;erted, that all expedients &s;hould be enterpri&s;ed to remove all burdens, and exactions, that &s;o righteou&s;ne&s;s might diffu&s;e it &s;elf, and run down, like a mighty &s;tream, throughout all the Nation. And becau&s;e that the management of things in the hands of unrigh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">eous men was the great rea&s;on of &s;uch di&s;orders, and mi&s;carriages, It was declared, that it &s;hould be their Principle, to imploy the hone&s;te&s;t, and mo&s;t upright per&s;ons in all places of power, tru&s;t, and advantage. It was the wounding of the hearts of all good men, that impo&s;itions &s;hould be put upon the under&s;tanding, and upon the faith of an|other, a cruelty more rigorous, than ever the <HI>Aegyptian</HI> Task-ma&s;ters exerci&s;ed; That any &s;hould be en&s;nared for his con&s;cience &s;ake; and becau&s;e he differs in &s;ome principles, and apprehen&s;ions, that he &s;hould be pro&s;ecuted as an heretique, &s;ectary, bla&s;phemer; It was therefore re&s;olutely conte&s;ted for, That there &s;hould be an univer&s;all liberty, and toleration held forth, and that no coaction, nor compul&s;ion &s;hould be layd upon any in matters of belief, and wor&s;hip. It was very grievous to con&s;ider, That the pri&s;ons &s;hould be fill'd with the free &s;ubjects upon any &s;mal preten&s;ions what&s;oever; either upon mi&s;takes, conjectures, or &s;u&s;picions, which had not the lea&s;t ground of beliefs, but onely in the jealous head of &s;ome great Stati&s;t; Or, becau&s;e the opinions of &s;ome do not in every
<PB N="14" REF="8">thing &s;uite with anothers under&s;tanding; or becau&s;e the rich being exa&s;perated again&s;t &s;ome poor men, who were indebted to them, would forthwith ca&s;t them into durance, not &s;o much to gain their own, as to gratifie their revenge: or el&s;e, becau&s;e men of e&s;tates, having a purpo&s;e to defraud their Creditors, were re&s;olved to convert a pri&s;on into their habitation; It was therefore re&s;olved on, that all pri&s;ons &s;hould be opened to &s;uch, again&s;t whom there was nothing obj<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">cted, but that they di&s;&s;ented from others in &s;ome points, and principles of religion, pertaining either to doctrine, or wor&s;hip; That the poor, who had nothing to pay their debts with, &s;hould be freed from the bondage of a perpetuall confinement, and permit|ted to follow their re&s;pective vocations for their &s;ub&s;i&s;tence; that none &s;hould take a lea&s;e of a pri&s;on for his life, but that all &s;uch illegall pri&s;ons &s;hould be in&s;pected into, and for the future regu|lated: And that the Impri&s;oned, either meerly upon &s;u&s;picions, or otherwi&s;e, &s;hould be brought in &s;ome convenient time to their Trialls, that either they might be acquitted, or el&s;e, being found guilty, might receive puni&s;hments due to their Offences. Moreover the groans and complaints of poor Con&s;ciencious men, who upon ju&s;t &s;cruples dur&s;t not pay Tithes, and yet were vexed, impri&s;oned' and ruined about it, moving and exciting Bowells of compa&s;&s;ion; It was earne&s;ty de&s;ired, That all tenderne&s;&s;e might be had to &s;uch in that particular, and that &s;ome way of ea&s;e and redre&s;&s;e (if po&s;&s;i|ble) might be found therein. Further upon due con&s;ideration had, That the corruption and abu&s;es, which in tract of time, had crept in|to the practice of the Lawes, were unju&s;tifyable as well as in&s;uffera|ble; that the management of &s;uits at Law was &s;o tedious, ex|pen&s;ive, and delatory, that they were become at once both the &s;hame and impoveri&s;hment of the Nation: It was therefore ex|pre&s;ly determined, That &s;ome expedients &s;hould forthwith be made practicable for the regulating of the Courts for the mittigating of the Fees, and for the freeing of the Nation from &s;o horrid a cheat; It being not rea&s;onable, that a generall good and advantage, &s;hould be &s;ubjected under the emoluments of a particular party. Upon the whole, It was &s;olemnely declared and profe&s;&s;ed, that they would not imitate the unnece&s;&s;ary worldly formes of Power and Great|ne&s;s, neither would they gra&s;pe after empty Titles, and a Lordly Domination; But as there was a change of Per&s;ons and Things, &s;o there &s;hould be al&s;o of Principles and Practi&s;e; and that they &s;hould alwayes rejoyce to be found walking in tho&s;e even and un|crooked
<PB N="15" REF="8">paths of Truth, Hone&s;ty, Humility and Moderation. Sure|ly the&s;e were the good things at fir&s;t engaged for, and promi&s;ed; which were again and again avowed as emergencies did ari&s;e; Which were conte&s;ted for unto Blood; and which were &s;ealed, and witne&s;&s;ed unto by wonderfull and glorious Victories and Succe&s;&s;es. In the endeavours after tho&s;e things, that the Nation might at length reap the ble&s;&s;ed fruit of them, it was very clearly manife&s;ted, that &s;o excellent a Super&s;truction could not be erected upon a rotten de|crepit foundation. For, the &s;ingle Per&s;on, the Lords, and the cor|rupt Intere&s;ts, which were nece&s;&s;ary to be &s;haken and abridged in their illegall u&s;urpations, if &s;uch things as tho&s;e were once reduced in practi&s;e, did unanimou&s;ly combine together to retard and &s;lugg their motions, and if po&s;&s;ible to di&s;appoint them. After many conte&s;ts, after many vain attempts u&s;ed to reconcile things upon their old bottome, Divine Providence, by degrees, did point out the ne|ce&s;&s;ity of the change of Government; and King&s;hip being laid a&s;ide as unnece&s;&s;ary, chargeable and dangerous, it was divolved into a Commonwealth: This being a certain Rule, <HI>That corrupt and degenerate States cannot be perfectly healed, and regulated, but by &s;tepping in to tho&s;e formes, which are the farthe&s;t di&s;tant from tho&s;e wherein they were corrupted.</HI> And withall, &s;uch as the Prin|ciples are &s;uch mu&s;t the form of Government be; Tho&s;e principles, that are pure, and refined, that more &s;pecially regard the intere&s;ts of the People, cannot be attained to, and made practicable, but in the current of a Popular State. The tendency then of our late occurences having been to &s;taine the pride of all glory: to bring down the loftine&s;&s;e of all fle&s;hly excellencys; to &s;erve the Liberties of the people of God; and to &s;et the Nation free from all Yoaks, and &s;lavery; It will be a vain thing to imagine that tho&s;e can be otherwi&s;e propagated and upheld, than in the mo&s;t unblended, and unblemi&s;hed intere&s;ts of a Commonwealth. But I advi&s;edly put a &s;top here, And draw a Curtain over what remains: and &s;ince it is night, &s;ince the day is eclip&s;ed and darkened, I think it mo&s;t proper to be covered with Sables, and to wander &s;olitary in &s;hades and ob&s;curity.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="conclusion">
<PB N="16" REF="9">
<HEAD>The Conclu&s;ion, <HI>God with us,</HI> the e&s;tabli&s;hment of the Commonwealth.</HEAD>
<P>TO conclude, Behold then here as in a Chri&s;tall Mirrour, the <HI>good old Cau&s;e</HI> purg'd from tho&s;e dreggs and defilements, which in time it had contracted: You that &s;co&s;t at it, you that have &s;tart|ed from it, you that have mix'd it, may herein clearly veiw as in a Summary and Compendium, <HI>The Cau&s;e in its fir&s;t ri&s;e and management, and as it was &s;econded, and re-inforced with its cir|cum&s;tantiall explanationss:</HI> It hath been the price of Blood, if you de&s;ert it now, and ba&s;ely betray it in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">o the power of any, it will either argue, that the blood &s;pilt therein has been innocent, and cau&s;ele&s;s, or el&s;e convince you of &s;tupour and &s;orri&s;hne&s;s, that you know not the value of that which you have &s;o dearly purcha&s;ed. It hath been confirmed by your many and &s;olemne Covenants and Engagements, if you are not con&s;cientious to fullfill them, you will leave on your names to all Po&s;terity, the &s;tain and blem &s;h of Fal&s;hood and Unfaithfullne&s;s. It hath been &s;ignally owned by God, having had the impre&s;&s;e of his Name and Pre&s;ence upon it; If you &s;hall court the worldy Powers, Advantages, and Grandures, which he hath bla&s;ted and for&s;aken, you may indeed embrace a &s;hadow, but you will lo&s;e the &s;ub&s;tance; you may indeed have the empty &s;hinings of mans favour, but you will therein be depri|ed of the face of God. It will certainly be our &s;afety, it will be our honour to pre&s;erve the&s;e two in an in&s;eparable union, and con|junction, and to have them alwayes ingraven together, as it were in letters of Gold upon burni&s;ht bra&s;s, GOD WITH US, THE COM|MON-WEALTH OF <HI>ENGLAND.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>THE END.</TRAILER>
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