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<DATE>10-13-14</DATE>
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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P><HI>FOVRE Deliberate, and Solid QVERIES Of State, Re&s;olved to the three KINGDOMES.</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>1.</HI> What is the chiefe and principall cau&s;e of the di&s;tempers and de|&s;tructive differences now on foote, and po&s;sible or likely to be?</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>2.</HI> What is the mo&s;t proper and &s;peedy remedy to remove or take away that di&s;ea&s;e, with the cau&s;e thereof the &s;topping or ob&s;truction in the cau&s;e of Iu&s;tice in matters of humanity, and which ought to be between man, and man?</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>3.</HI> What is or may be the be&s;t meanes to prevent &s;uch di&s;tempers as are now on foot in this Kingdome, or their like which may happen in future time?</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>4.</HI> How may this remedy for the pre&s;ent di&s;temper and meanes of preven|tion again&s;t the &s;ame or the like for future be admini&s;tred or ap|plyed for the releife and pre&s;ervation of humanity and Con&s;cience, when the head by much corruption from within, and without, is &s;educed and made uncapabable of performing its of fice, the cour&s;e of Government, and execution of Iu&s;tice i&s;&s;uing from thence? With a di&s;covery of a true Church and the di&s;cipline, and Government thereof.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P><HI>LONDON Printed in the Yeare 1647.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
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<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="5" REF="2">
<P>_TO di&s;cover the My&s;terie of divine and devili&s;h policie, that men may know when in Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Government they are really &s;ubject under God, or the Devill, and which they doe actually wor&s;hip, let it be con&s;idered.</P>
<P N="1">1. That the &s;ame &s;pirit that ruleth in any naturall body, ruleth in the policie thereto belonging.</P>
<P N="2">2. That the humane part of man is &s;ubjected by the cur&s;e; and redemption to the predomination of a &s;pirituall &s;ub&s;tance i&s;&s;uing from God or the Devill, by which men are ruled and governed per&s;onally, and politiquely as hath been expre&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P N="3">3. That the&s;e predominating &s;pirits in man, are point blanke contrary in their nature and qua|lity as the fountains and fathers thereof, and by the quality and di&s;po&s;ition of the ruling &s;pirit in &s;tate per&s;onall, or politicall, tis to be judged in the pre&s;ent condition whether it be of God, or not: to this purpo&s;e is the Coun&s;ell of the Holy Gho&s;t, &s;aying, <HI>beleeve not every Spirit, but try the Spi|rits whether they be of God for</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Iohn</HI> 4.1. and it is a po&s;itive way of di&s;tintion u&s;ed in Scrip|ture, in determining truths, as in <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.9. <HI>Now if any man have not the Spirit of Chri&s;t he is none of his. Ver&s;e</HI> 14. <HI>and as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the &s;ons of God;</HI> and the like mu&s;t needs be of the contrary part, herein the di&s;coveries of policies and natures both gives large &s;atisfaction, but that men may &s;ee to purpo&s;e, or appeare willingly ignorant, take notice. God for the nature or quality of his &s;pirit is called Love, 1 <HI>Iohn</HI> 4.8. and 16. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13.11. he is called the God of love, &amp;c. the &s;ame &s;pirit or quality which ruleth in, or is the life of the Father of Spirits, is the like, of his naturall for, and of his adopted &s;ons, as former Scriptures and e&s;&s;entiall rea&s;on plainely prove, and in all beareth the &s;ame fruit, <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.22 23.24.</P>
<P>Likewi&s;e the nature or quality of the &s;pirit of the politique power of the vi&s;ible Church of Chri&s;t the new Ieru&s;alem, the Kingdome of King; and Prie&s;ts, is the &s;ame with that of God and all his Children, even of love as the Treati&s;e of policies proveth to the full, but for farther proofe ob&s;erve.</P>
<P N="1">1. Every thing that is God, as participating of his nature, or repre&s;enting the &s;ame in police, mu&s;t needs be the &s;ame with his owne, or contrary to him, and its apparent in all the Churches up|on record in the new Te&s;tament there was no exerci&s;e or practi&s;e of any violence u&s;ed to bring, or keep in or to ca&s;t people out of the Church, nor in that way was the performance of any act in|joyned, but reproved 3. <HI>Iohn</HI> 1.9.10. and in that way al&s;o God may &s;oone have more then h<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="2 letters"> requireth of wor&s;hip in &s;pirit and truth.</P>
<P>Likewi&s;e to prove the quality of the Spirit of the politique power of Chri&s;ts Church, to be of love, every office of admini&s;tration therein is of &s;ervice, not of command, there is no authority above the Church, and this appeares in Chri&s;ts advi&s;e of remedy for tre&s;pa&s;s done by a brother, wi&s;hing upon neglect of former meanes, to complaine to the Church, Mat. 18.17. and in his appea&s;ing the indignation of the ten moved by the reque&s;t of the Mother of <HI>Zebedees</HI> Children, hee &s;aith unto them, <HI>ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exerci&s;e dominion over them, &amp;c. but it &s;hall not be &s;o among you, &amp;c. and who&s;oever will be chiefe among you let him be your &s;ervant, Mat. 20.2<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI>
<PB N="6" REF="3">25, 26, 27. and to the &s;ame purpo&s;e read <HI>Luke</HI> 22.25. And further con&s;ider the quality of the &s;pirit or di&s;po&s;ition of the Lawes and ordinances thereof, and it will be found &s;ut<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">ble to that of God, the builder and maker of the whole, together with that of the chiefe corner &s;tone, and the matter and forme of the Kingdome of the Go&s;pell, even of divine love, which the Holy Gho&s;t approveth by <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.13.14. in the&s;e words, but by love &s;erve one another, for all the Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, <HI>thou &s;halt love thy Neighbour, &amp;c. love covereth all &s;ins, Prov.</HI> 10.12. 1 Pet. 4.8. and what is the Chri&s;tian cour&s;e or law of the Sanctuary in ca&s;e of offence done, but forgivene&s;s untill 70. times 7. yea as we de&s;ire God to forgive us, we are to forgive, <HI>Mat.</HI> 18.21, 22. v. 35. here|by its clearely evident, that the quality of the &s;pirit of the Church of Chri&s;t, throughout every part thereof is divine love, which al&s;o is te&s;tified in the &s;aid foregoing Treati&s;es, and the very titles by which the Holy Gho&s;t &s;tyleth it, &s;ignificantly confirmeth the &s;ame, as the body of Chri&s;t the <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 word"> of Chri&s;t, the Bridegroome, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Every truth di&s;covereth its oppo&s;ite in the nature thereof, and &s;o what hath been &s;aid of the <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1+ letters">|lity of the &s;pirit of God and all that is of him, naturally and politiquely, and in &s;peciall of the <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1+ letters">|&s;ible Church of Chri&s;t, tis &s;ufficient to &s;et forth the nature and quality of the &s;pirit of the <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 word"> Antichri&s;t, and all that is of him, and e&s;pecially, that of the fal&s;e eccle&s;ia&s;ticall &s;tate, the fal&s;e <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 word"> which is called Chri&s;ts, but in &s;pirit and truth is not, and is indeed the My&s;ticall body of Anti-chri&s;t: but that men may winck and &s;ee, let the nature and quality of the &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">rit of the man of &s;in, the My|&s;tery of iniquity, be pre&s;ented to con&s;ideration al&s;o, and as it i&s;&s;ueth from the old Serpeat the Dragon, the man-de&s;troyer, the old lyer, the deluder of the world, and as it agreeth with the &s;pirit of the fal&s;e Church, in matter and forme of it, in the &s;tate and lawes thereof, even through|out the whole, will appeare to be of violence and compul&s;ion, as hath been proved in the former di&s;coveries, but to revive and enlarge the proofes, can be but nece&s;&s;ary paines for all &s;ides, and the better to cleare this point, it will be good to di&s;tingui&s;h of violence and compul&s;ion, whereof there is two &s;orts.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Is humane, which tendeth to the pre&s;ervation of the nature and being of men, which is practi|&s;ed or u&s;ed by the civill Maje&s;trate, in ca&s;es between man and man, in prevention of mens de&s;troy|ing or murthering each other, or counting actions leading and tending thereunto, and this is was Gods allowance, as the Holy Gho&s;t ju&s;tifieth, <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.4. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.9.10.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Is inhumane, or devili&s;h, which cau&s;eth mans de&s;truction without ju&s;t cau&s;e of offence given in any ca&s;e depending between man and man, &s;uch <HI>Caine</HI> u&s;ed to <HI>Abell,</HI> &s;uch the Iewes to Gods Prophets, &s;uch was u&s;ed to Chri&s;t and his Saints, as the Scriptures Prophetically and Hi&s;torically abundantly declare, which people cannot be ignorant of, that any jot u&s;e them.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>And that this inhumane, or divili&s;h violence and compul&s;ion, is the quality or nature of the ruling &s;pirit of the fal&s;e Church, twill appeare two wayes.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, By charging and &s;naring men unnaturally and cau&s;elelly, with criminall injunctions and impo&s;itions, in matters of con&s;cience [which in no re&s;pect is under the command of humane power, much le&s;s under what is devili&s;h] after the manner of <HI>Aegypt</HI> and <HI>Babilon.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, By killing, or cau&s;ing men to be killed for refu&s;ing &s;ubjection in con&s;cience, without any civill tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, as in former pre&s;idents, and herein the Holy Gho&s;t &s;etteth forth the man of &s;inne, &s;itting and ruling over con&s;cience, in a higher way then ever the &s;onne of God did. 2 <HI>The&s;,</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">.4. Chri&s;t &s;eeketh not &s;ubjection of con&s;cience, but the obedience of faith, which worketh by love, he craveth not the u&s;e of any externall power to effect it, but u&s;eth only the Doctrine of &s;alvation; he proclaimes no &s;ervice for &s;laves but Volunteeres, but Antichri&s;t &s;eeketh all &s;ubjection of con&s;cience: after the manner of Sathan, with all power, and &s;ignes, and lying wonders. 2. <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2.9.10. the Kingdome of heaven, for perfection of who&s;e quality of &s;pirit, of love and &s;alvation, of &s;oul and bo|dy all humane &s;ervice is due unto it, yet therein, and therewith, was no power of violence given or u&s;ed, to make men tender it whether they would or no, neither in abu&s;e, or di&s;re&s;pect of it to bekilled
<PB N="7" REF="3">or &s;poiled in body, goods, or liberty, the Bea&s;t which did ari&s;e out of the Sea or the earth, the King|dome from beneath, I meane of Hell although the profe&s;&s;ion of T<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1+ letters">rany, and to be abhorred of all men for de&s;truction in &s;oule and body, and all that apertaine to both, receiveth power and State, and great authority from the Dragon, which the world wondereth after, and wor&s;hipeth, and hath power which cau&s;eth all &s;mall, and great, rich and poore, bound, and free to receive a marke, or be &s;ubject to it, and that none &s;hould buy or &s;ell, &s;ave he that did, or doth &s;o, <HI>Revel.</HI> 13.</P>
<P>Such as are no<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter"> able to de&s;erne any politique body by the e&s;&s;entiall parts of it, the matter and forme, nor the nece&s;&s;ary circum&s;tantiall parts there unto belonging, as the meanes of it, the &s;tate or manner, and the lawes and Ordinances thereof, yet they cannot be &s;o &s;imple, or ignorant, but to de&s;erne and di&s;tingui&s;h of the quality of the &s;pirit and the life thereof, whether it tendeth to com|fort of love and pre&s;ervation of the nature of man, or to a &s;lavi&s;h and fearefull liveing in bondage (the way of the de&s;truction of humane nature) it were convenient al&s;o to relate the &s;everall &s;orts of Anti-Chri&s;te, but it will be tedious, there be many. 1 <HI>Ioh.</HI> 2.18. 2 <HI>Ioh.</HI> 1.17. but they are all of one &s;pirit, and though verbally, and deceivably, yet not really con&s;e&s;&s;ing Chri&s;t, to become in the fle&s;h, &s;o as to yeeld him the Throne of his Father <HI>David,</HI> and to hold him as &s;ole head of the Church, and this is that Spirit of Anti-Chri&s;t. 1 <HI>Ioh.</HI> 4.3. But if Chri&s;t be allowed the name of of an head, (which is mon&s;terous for a body to have two heads,) yet the Pope in the Sea, or a &s;pi|rituall Court, (his Image) in the earth, the King al&s;o it may be, wearing the Title, as a Chipher likewi&s;e) carrieth the office of a head, together with the powre and priviledge, in who&s;e name power and authority, all the Church &s;ervice is performed, this is effected, and contrived in practice withall deceivablene&s;&s;e of uprightne&s;&s;e. 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2.10. undoing the world in the&s;e la&s;t times, as in the begining with Divelli&s;hnes, through faire promi&s;ing Guile, and deceipt.</P>
<P>And now O Civell &s;tate, both head and foote, trie the Spirit of the Church of England and of o|ther Nations under the &s;ame head of government, and in&s;tead of the &s;pirit &s;o qualified, as to bring forth the fruits of love, joy peace long &s;uffering gentlne&s;&s;e, goodne&s;&s;e, &amp;c. which are belonging and proper to the &s;pirit of God, <HI>Gall.</HI> 5.22.23. which &s;hould extend to all in the true Church, and without it, <HI>Gall.</HI> 6.10. and in&s;tead thereof doth appeare a ruling &s;pirit qualified with a clean con|trary working in our civell head with his whole &s;tate, and e&s;tate, both &s;ubjects, &s;word and mainte|nance, the &s;ervice of the fal&s;e Prophet the &s;econd bea&s;t, &s;pirituall courts of power the Image of the fir&s;t bea&s;t, with powre to kill and &s;lay &s;uch as cannot do any thing in con&s;cience, in way of confor|mity, in matters of Church wor&s;hip, witnes the truth of this, mens &s;ufferings (when there be enough ould and new, and publique al&s;o) under the &s;perit of the power of the Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Courts, when there hath been no injurie don in any Civill re&s;pect at all, whereby the power of common Courts of ju&s;tice, could take any hould Civillity if thou ha&s;t any &s;ence of the judgments denounced again&s;t <HI>Egipt</HI> and <HI>Babilon,</HI> put away from thee the &s;pirit thereof in all re&s;pects, bondage and oppre&s;&s;ion of all &s;orts, e&s;pecially foule Tyrany, and &s;lavery, and looke to your charge the drift and end of your calling even the pre&s;ervation of one another in all civill maner, and leave con&s;cience in govern|ment to God, who alone hath the power and di&s;po&s;ition of &s;perits and &s;oules and let people be&s;afe and quiet in the u&s;e thereof which will prove if the truth be in them or not, for the &s;upporting of accompli&s;h power, our con&s;cience and the u&s;e of it pre&s;enteth all a like, and filleth the world with his pocri&s;ie, and a way of excu&s;e therein, which God in all his wayes abhorreth if the highe&s;t in ci|vell &s;tate were as <HI>Adam</HI> in his innocencie (which cannot be &s;ince the cur&s;&s;e) yet he might be re|membered to be wi&s;e (as <HI>Adams</HI> ca&s;e proveth) and to beware, lea&s;t the tempter by his &s;pirit in his In&s;truments be too hard for him, and couzen him of his Paradice, even by li&s;ting him a bove the go|vernment of humane nature, and lift him out of all, con&s;ider violence is no right way in conjuncti|on of &s;pirits, Chri&s;t, did not &s;o reconcile and reunit God, and man, that is proper to cour&s;e, dre&s;&s;it, and earthey compo&s;itions, wherein is confu&s;ion, the finer, and pure &s;ub&s;tance &s;uppre&s;&s;ed by that which is wor&s;e, and therefore God in the&s;e &s;ub&s;tantiall times of wor&s;hip, in &s;pirituall matters, (men keeping the maine bounds of civillity) leaveth them free in the u&s;e of their &s;onles, and &s;pirits, to &s;erve under
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page"><PB N="6" REF="4">
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<PB N="8" REF="5">that &s;pirituall head from whence they are, and to whch they belong and incline, and likewi&s;e that men in civill command might be without excu&s;e, for &s;erving a fal&s;e Church &s;tate, and further you may call to mind, how &s;ubject you are to be deluded, being <HI>Adams</HI> Sons, and be drawne by mock|ers and &s;coffers of the&s;e la&s;t times, to put &s;uch unrea&s;onable gulls, for true &s;ervice upon God, which in your owne ca&s;e your &s;elves cannot &s;wallow, or dige&s;t as good and right in your owne judge|ment, any power interpo&s;ing in civill policie, notwith&s;tanding all faire pretences, is held to bee depriving and entercepting the Soveraignty of the head, and loyalty of the body, and &s;o high Trea&s;on, which al&s;o can be no le&s;&s;e; thinke of this States-men and Subjects, &amp; what can it be other|wi&s;e, then the like again&s;t God and Heaven, when all wor&s;hip and Church &s;ervice mu&s;t pa&s;&s;e tho|rough the power and plea&s;ure of men rulers, and &s;uch as take upon them to di&s;po&s;e of Gods people, and their affaires; and let it plea&s;e you to deale with God, as with rea&s;onable men, in way of Govern|ment, without u&s;urpation and interpo&s;ition of power, or &s;upporting any which cannot &s;tand by it &s;elfe, and be &s;atisfied with the onely u&s;e of civill command, and power in earth other, which endeth in the peace and &s;afety of all, confined within the bounds of humanity, then &s;hall you be a refuge to the innocent, and a terrour to the wicked, as is the will of God, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13.4.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The Que&s;tions and An&s;wers follow.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. Que&s;t. <HI>WHat is the chiefe and principall cau&s;e of the di&s;tempers and di&s;tructive differences now on foote and po&s;sible or likely to be in this or any other humane Civill politique State and Kingdome?</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It is an ob&s;truction, or &s;toppage in the veines or pa&s;&s;ages of ju&s;tice, and equity, in matters be|tweene man, and man, which al&s;o is the gate or meanes of pa&s;&s;age from mercy, and equity, to cruel|ty, and oppre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>The truth of this an&s;wer, will appeare to be without contradiction, by con&s;idering from the light and rule of Gods word and humane rea&s;on.</P>
<P N="1">1. What the nature, or &s;pirit, and u&s;e of humane, and civill Governement is, which is given by way of allowance and approbation by the Trinity, to the Kings and Nations of the Earth.</P>
<P N="2">2. What the nature or &s;pirit and u&s;e of the true Church-State, the true Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Governe|ment is, which is given to Chri&s;t and his redeemed ones by his Father.</P>
<P N="3">3. What the nature or &s;pirit and u&s;e of the fal&s;e Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Governement is, which is given to the &s;onne and children of Pride, by their father the Devill, through the patience and long &s;uffering of the ble&s;&s;ed Trinity.</P>
<P>In the foregoing Treati&s;e is di&s;covered the knowledge of the Three States, by the Spirit of them, and now by the knowledge of the nature and u&s;e of them, when any Nation or part of the world is in violent di&s;tempers, the highway of di&s;truction, it will bee ea&s;ie to con&s;ider what is the mo&s;t chiefe and eminent cau&s;e thereof, and therefore in the&s;e times of great di&s;tractions, you &s;hall finde by examination.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Of the nature of civill or humane Governement, it is, and ought to be, in quality according to the &s;econd Table of the Morall Law of God, without all, or any exceptions, pre&s;erving mankind in generall, in all re&s;pects, only betweene man, and man, harmele&s;&s;e, and from wrong, as well the &s;tranger as the neighbour, and the poore, as the rich, without partiality; wi&s;edome is expre&s;&s;ed a&s;&s;uredly by the greate&s;t and mo&s;t a&s;&s;entiall commandements of God, tending to the being, and wel|being of mankind, and tho&s;e are &s;ummed up in two great Commandements, upon which hangs all the Law and the Prophets, <HI>Thou &s;halt love the Lord thy God with all thy, &amp;c. and thy neighbour as &amp;c.</HI> and by the &s;ame wi&s;edome, doe Kings raigne, and Princes decree ju&s;tice; <HI>By mee Princes rule, and Nobles, even all the Iudges of the Earth, Prov.</HI> 8.15.16. If this Scripture be not full enough to prove, that the nature of the Governement of the Kings of the earth, the &s;tate of the Magi&s;tracie is in the highe&s;t pitch, or large&s;t extent of it, the admini&s;tration of ju&s;tice meerely in matters be|tweene man, and man, before Chri&s;ts time, and &s;ince common rea&s;on in the judgement of a &s;parke of
<PB N="9" REF="5">humanlty will doe the worke, tis mo&s;t apparent there are but two kindes of policie in the wold, and they are Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall, or Divine, and Civill or Humane, all politique States, whe|ther true, or fal&s;e, are under one of the&s;e titles: I neede not &s;tand to proove tis day when the Sunne &s;hineth, before Chri&s;ts time that which was Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall or Divine, it was peculiarly by &s;peciall commi&s;&s;ion given to the <HI>Iewes</HI> and their Governours, excluding the Gentiles, in generall all the Na|tions thereof, and their Governours. <HI>Deut.</HI> 7.6.14.2.26.18.19 &s;inee Chri&s;ts comming who brake downe the partition wall, paying the price of Redemption, and privildged the Gentiles as well as the Iew, in the &s;tate of Chri&s;tianity, hee hath received the power and Kingdome Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall from his Father, by commi&s;&s;ion it is given him, and Chri&s;tians excluding all of every nation, not &s;o qua|lified both Iew, and Gentile, and high, and low, <HI>Luke</HI> 1.32.33. <HI>Mat.</HI> 28.18. Such as wor&s;hip God in &s;pirit and truth (not externally, and in &s;hew onely) doth he allow to wor&s;hip him) <HI>Iohn</HI> 4.23, 24. God re&s;pecteth not per&s;ons for Nation, Tribe, Art, or civill degree, but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is excepted of him. <HI>Acts</HI> 10.34, 35. to the company of them that are &s;o qualified in &s;pirit as afore&s;aid, belongs that &s;piritual kingdom or Government Eccle|&s;ia&s;ticall, which Chri&s;t &s;aith, is not of this world, &amp; they are now the cho&s;en, generation, the holy nati|on, which in time pa&s;t, were not a people, but are now the people of God, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.8 9 10. <HI>Tit.</HI> 2.14.</P>
<P>Further proofe hereof, you will finde the u&s;e of civill Governement to bee, which al&s;o upon exa|mination will appeare to be meerely for the maintenance and pre&s;ervation of ju&s;tice in matters be|tweene man, and man, which common rea&s;on affords from truths of former con&s;ideration, but full to prove the u&s;e of it to be as afore&s;aid, take the words of the holy Scriptures, and the impo&s;&s;i|bility of any Farther extent, &s;peaking of Maje&s;tracie, it is &s;aid Rulers are not a terror to good works but to the evill, wilt thou not then be afraid of the power, doe that which is good, and thou &s;hal<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> have prai&s;e of the &s;ame, for he is the Mini&s;ter of God to thee for good, but if thou do&s;t that which i<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> evill, be afraid for he beareth not the &s;word in vaine for he is the Mini&s;ter of God, a revenger to ex|ecute wrath upon him that doth evill, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13.3, 4. now by all rules, and principles, in divine and humaine nature and policie, the Mini&s;ter and his &s;word mu&s;t relate and belong in u&s;e onely to ju|&s;tice in humaine affaires, for no man is, or can bee a Chri&s;tian in &s;pirit and truth by compul&s;ion, and farther, if he were &s;o, he could not live without doing evill again&s;t God, and in &s;uch ca&s;e, what is du<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1+ letters"> pennance, yea how &s;hould the Mini&s;ter or Subject live, neither hath any Chri&s;tian Mini&s;ters an<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;word to revenge or to execute Iu&s;tice; they u&s;e onely (by allowance) the &s;word of the &s;pirit, th<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> word of God; the highe&s;t penalty that the Scripture records, which Chri&s;t advi&s;ed his Di&s;ciple when he &s;ent them forth to preach the Go&s;pel, if people of any place received them not, they wer<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> to &s;hake off the du&s;t under their feete in te&s;timony again&s;t them, for any other puni&s;hment was t<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> remaine in the hand of God to be excuted in the time of his Iudgement. <HI>Marke</HI> 6.11. and this wa<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> the practi&s;e in ca&s;e of oppo&s;ition, <HI>Acts</HI> 13.51. The u&s;e of civill Governement is al&s;o &s;et forth by th<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> Apo&s;tle, &s;hewing the u&s;e of the Law, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.8, 9, 10 the Governement, of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, which is his by Birth-right &amp; Commi&s;&s;ion, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 9.6, 7. <HI>Luk</HI> 1.32, 33. <HI>Mat.</HI> 28.18. is that only which is tru<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1+ letters"> Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall or Divine, higher and greater in nature then that which is civill &amp; including the &s;ame as every greater doth the le&s;&s;e no waies repugnante thereunto, but in his policie as in his per&s;ona<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> nature, advancing the &s;ame for a more &s;peciall &s;ervice, the &s;pirit thereof is divine Love, enjoynin<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> men through redemption and &s;anctity, the &s;ervice of the Trinity, in as free a way as members of <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 word"> naturall body &s;erve their head &amp; one another in the &s;ence thereof: Of this Governement, are not un|rea&s;onable men, which have not faith, who&s;e unruly di&s;po&s;itions require the u&s;e of the Civill &s;word, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 word"> prevent inhumane pa&s;&s;ages, but the meeke, the mercifull, the pure in heart, with all the ble&s;&s;ed men|tioned, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. tho&s;e that neede none but the &s;word of the &s;pirit, the word of God, the holy &s;eri|tures (which are able to make wi&s;e unto &s;alvation through faith whch is in Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, all which a<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1+ letters"> given by in&s;piration of God, and are profitable in Divine Governement, for Doctrine, for reproof for correction, for in&s;truction in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.15, 16.) hereof I have &s;poken largely former pa&s;&s;ages, and the foregoing Ttreati&s;e; This Governement hath no touch in nature of a<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="10" REF="6">externall violence in gathering to geather into fellow&s;hip, formalizeing any therein, in any mea|&s;ure or ca&s;ting out any, but &s;uch who by their impenitent wickedne&s;&s;e de&s;pi&s;e their ealling, and by continuing in lewde lu&s;ts exclud them&s;elves.</P>
<P>The u&s;e of this government, is to make happy the life of the faithfull, Gods cho&s;en; by liveing in vi&s;ible fellow&s;hip with him in the Kingdome, and Government, of his deare Sun (who is made unto them, Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, Sanctification, and Redemption,) <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.30, and that they by a Chri&s;t like Spirit (who without any compul&s;ion in uprightne&s;&s;e to God and man, in a free, and loveing, yea a liveing way of life, &s;hewed forth the vertues of his Father, even him that &s;ent him) even his cho&s;en generation, his royall Prei&s;t-hood, his holy Nation, his peculiar people &s;hould &s;hew forth the pray&s;es of him, who hath called them out of darkne&s;&s;e, into his merveilous Light. 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2.9. and walke as not re&s;raained from evill by the terror of the Law, and &s;word of ju&s;tice, but ready to do good unto all, and &s;uffer for well doing if need be, which government in u&s;e, can no way wrong that of Civility, but rather of due, may have &s;ervice from it.</P>
<P>The Government of Anti-Chri&s;t which is again&s;t, and contrary to the nature and Spirit of that of Chri&s;t (wherein is accepted only tho&s;e of every Nation, which feare God, and worke righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, not any compelled) and which al&s;o is deceiving, and undoing civill Government in &s;aluation both of life, and e&s;tate, tis in nature and &s;pirit of violence and compul&s;ion, forceing holine&s;&s;e and &s;anctity, or as it may be ju&s;tly &s;aid externall formallity, in an externall way of wor&s;hip, upon Na|tions, People, and Languages, a &s;ort of &s;ervice, which men of common rea&s;on, de&s;pi&s;e in compa|ri&s;on of any i&s;&s;uing from naturall affection much more doth God abhorr it, although performed with the lea&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter"> mea&s;ure and manife&s;tation, of Hipocracie, and wherein is either greater or more e|minent, then in acting any thing by compul&s;ion, which &s;hould i&s;&s;ue from the utmo&s;t freedom of the &s;pirit, the nature of this violence and compul&s;ion, is contrary to that of Civility, which pre&s;erveth humanity, keeping Civill bends, for this without breach of humanity (forcing the &s;hew of con&s;ci|ence where is none, or making men act again&s;t con&s;cience both which are contrary to Chri&s;tianity) depriveth people without &s;pirituall &s;ubjection of naturall life, and lively hood, liberty, and e&s;tate, and de&s;troyeth the life of Chri&s;tianity, and this mu&s;t needs be the nature of the man of &s;in, the &s;on of perdition, who oppo&s;eth and exalteth him &s;elfe above all that is called God, or is wor&s;hiped, 2. <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2, 3, 4 this is the di&s;cription which the Holy Gho&s;t giveth of the fir&s;t and &s;econd Bea&s;t, <HI>Revel.</HI> 13 16, the fal&s;e Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall State which the world doth &s;o much wonder after and wor&s;hip, the u&s;e hereof doth al&s;o helpe to &s;et forth the nature and &s;pirit of it, togeather with former pa&s;&s;ages in the foregoing Treati&s;es. &amp;c.</P>
<P>The u&s;e of it is contrary to that of Chri&s;tianity, and humanity, to cur&s;e the upright in con&s;cience and to &s;anctifie rude Nations, and multitudes, whereby the bea&s;t, the fal&s;e &s;tatetis kept alive, for if light be not put and kept out, darkene&s;&s;e cannot remaine, the Divell cannot have his forth upon the world in deluding the po&s;terity as the fir&s;t Parents, and &s;ince Chri&s;ts time, as before, in <HI>Egipt</HI> and <HI>Babilon,</HI> wherein mens &s;oules and con&s;ciences, &s;lav<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">uized to mo&s;t fooli&s;h and diveli&s;h wayes of wor&s;hip, but the old &s;erpent is not to learne how to keepe his Kingdome, and Government one foote, he knows how to make mankind his owne, fron the begining, although it were with giving God the Lye, Goddifie man with a litle flatery, and lying, and foole him out of all hapine&s;&s;e, and &s;o hath he dealt with the world in the&s;e later times &s;ince Chri&s;ts comming, &s;et up a &s;tate of fal&s;e ho|<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter">ine&s;&s;e, by &s;latering Nations, with Lyes, which with a hi&s;&s;e of the fal&s;e Prophet rai&s;e warr again&s;t the Saints, and bla&s;pheming again&s;t God, his name, his Tabernacle, and them which dwelt in heaven, as you may read, <HI>Revel.</HI> 13. at large for the &s;tate of humanity, the u&s;e of this &s;tate of An|ti-Chri&s;t, is contrary to it with a witne&s;&s;e, but if one tell it the truth of it, humane policie, (which was erected &s;ince the cur&s;e) doth &s;o much exceed Adams, &s;trength and wi&s;dome, which he had in innocency, that it will pre&s;ently fall foule, with truth and plaine dealing, tell her of &s;heding inno|rent blood, in &s;ubjecting her &s;word, and powre, to &s;uch as call for it, to kill men for maters of con|&s;cience, without any civill offence, or wrong done to humane nature, &s;he will indure to heare of i<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">,
<PB N="11" REF="6">as the Iewes did of killing the Prophets, and betraying the ju&s;t one, <HI>Acts.</HI> 7.52, 53, 54, not without cau&s;e did Chri&s;t &s;ay to the Iewes, <HI>I am come in my Fathers name and ye receive me not, if a nother &s;hall come in his owne name, or without Gods &s;ending him, ye will receive, Ioh.</HI> 5.43, both Chri&s;te him&s;elfe, his Apo&s;tles, and De&s;iples, upon record, in &s;cripture, have given large warning of fal&s;e Chri&s;ts, and fal&s;e Prophets, which come in &s;heeps clothing, but are inwardly ravening Wolves, he and his Deciples, lived in a way of plaine dealing, and doing good, and in&s;tituted a &s;tate for that u&s;e according to the Proclamation of his comming, Glory to God in the highe&s;t, on earth peace, good will towards men <HI>Luke.</HI> 2.14. he came and &s;ent his Deciples abroad, into the world, not to re|ceive but to admini&s;ter, and the u&s;e of the &s;tate of Chri&s;ts Government is not to compa&s;&s;e the world but to admini&s;ter &s;alvation, but this of Anti chri&s;t as it hath relation to the &s;tate of humanity, its al|together deceiving the &s;oules with a forme of godline&s;&s;e without powre, and the body of e&s;tate, of which you may read, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.2. <HI>The&s;.</HI> 2, 2, <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. and were not the u&s;e hereof deceiptfull gaine, who would be the Divells &s;lave, to be the Mini&s;ter of a nationall Church State which Chri&s;t put an end unto, that he might e&s;tabli&s;h that which is mo&s;t perfect, of divine u&s;e but the world and Nation thereof, have ever been more apt to beleeve the Divell, then Father, Son, and Holy Gho&s;t, and ther|by he hath brought them to this pa&s;&s;e, that if men will have any part of the world, they mu&s;t fall downe and wor&s;hip him, or be killed, and be &s;pitefully u&s;ed by the peopl thereof, as Chri&s;t, Prophets Apo&s;tles and De&s;ciples, have been in former times, for further &s;atisfaction in the u&s;e of this &s;tate, I re|ferre you to former pa&s;&s;ages.</P>
<P>Now con&s;ider the nature and u&s;e of civell government, that of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, and that of Anti-Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>And its apparent that of civillity, is to maintaine and pre&s;erve the rude Nations, and multituds of the earth, by correcting Malefactors, or evill doers, and by cutting of murderers with the &s;word of Iu&s;tice, without any relation to con&s;cience.</P>
<P>That the true Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall &s;tate, the Church of Chri&s;t, is to &s;hew a more excellent way, of life it alloweth the former in its owne u&s;e, not requiring it to rectifie con&s;cience, but in the nature and u&s;e of his government, &s;etting forth a being of love, mercie, and forgivene&s;&s;e, to that life and height as we would God &s;hould forgive us our tre&s;pa&s;&s;es again&s;t him.</P>
<P>That the fal&s;e Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall &s;tate, the worlds Church &s;tate, which the Divell hath &s;et up to de|lud men, of the world in matters of &s;oule and body, and to &s;poile men of con&s;cience, withall, to kill and handle the Saints of Chri&s;t, as him&s;elfe with &s;pite, is away of living in bla&s;pheming, and lying again&s;t God, cur&s;ing what he hath ble&s;&s;ed, and ble&s;&s;ing what he hath cur&s;ed, and &s;pilling in|nocent blood, &s;o deluding civillity, as to make her thinke &s;he doth God &s;ervice in cuting off men in maters of concience, which is a worke God, never required of Maje&s;trates, as hath beene plainly proved over and over.</P>
<P>Now all Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall government exerci&s;ed in the earth, or amonge&s;t the Nations, under civil<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> Government, medleth not without the approbation of civillity, in inflicting puni&s;hment upon <HI>no<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> conformi&s;ts</HI> in maters of con&s;cience, and hath no powre but what is given them of Civility, to in force any thing upon con&s;cierce which the Bea&s;t, and fal&s;e prophet, have along time ploughed wit<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> all they have built, &amp; pre&s;erved their Sion with blood, yea with the blood of &s;uch who neither com|mited &s;ealony nor Trea&s;on, as this Kingdome well knoweth, Chri&s;t when he was ri&s;en from th<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> dead and te&s;tified to be the Son of God, without exception by the world, he &s;ent his De&s;ciples to i<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter">+lighten the Nations with the way of truth, and &s;alvation, he &s;ought it not with the wrong of Civil<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> and humanly di&s;po&s;ed per&s;ons, nor yet once moved Civility to convert people with the &s;word t<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> the Government of his Kingdome, all the wayes of the Kings of the earth in their &s;tate, (I &s;ay no their per&s;ons) can be nouri&s;hing Fathers to that of Chri&s;t, is only by doing of ju&s;tice, releeving th<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter"> oppre&s;&s;ed, and pre&s;erving the innocent, (as mo&s;t men know, but are a&s;hamed to ju&s;tifie it) and if be not the part of the calling of Maje&s;tracie, to urge maters of con&s;cience one Chri&s;t his part, I am &s;ure, and it is plaine to all men tha<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter"> its no part of that calling to order matters of con&s;cience again
<PB N="12" REF="7">Chri&s;ts Government and there owne two, and therefore it mu&s;t needs he con<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="2 letters">ded, that if there be any di&s;temper in any Nation or Common wealth, an ob&s;truction or &s;topping in the veines and pa&s;&s;ages of ju&s;tice, and equity, in matters betweene man, and man, mu&s;t needs bee the chiefe cau&s;e thereof.</P>
<P N="2">2. Que&s;t. <HI>But if in ju&s;tice and injurie done and &s;uffered between man, and man, not Religion, e&s;pe|cially that of Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, be the principall cau&s;e of di&s;tempers in this Kingdome or any other &s;tate of civill Policie.</HI></P>
<P><HI>What is the mo&s;t proper and &s;peedy remedy to remove or take away that di&s;ea&s;e, with the cau&s;e thereof, the &s;topping or ob&s;truction in the cau&s;e of Iu&s;tice in matters of humaity, and which ought to be betweene man, and man.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> It is a maxime in all natures, and an infalble rule, take away the cau&s;e, and the effect, or that which is wrought thereby, will follow, and &s;o in taking away the cau&s;e of this ob&s;truction, the re|medy is had or gained: which that it may be accompli&s;hed, let it be con&s;idered.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, what the cau&s;e is.</P>
<P>Secondly, From whence it is, whether from within the body or without it, for all bodies &s;ubject to corruption are incident to be hurt both waies, as experience teacheth.</P>
<P>The cau&s;e whether within, or without the body, or &s;tate of civill, or humane policie, is an evill hu|mour, &s;pirit, or di&s;po&s;ition, contrary and di&s;tructive to the nature of the &s;ame, and that is mo&s;t com|monly, and mo&s;t ordinary in the life of man, per&s;onally and politically, one, or both, Pride and co|vetuou&s;ne&s;&s;e (the parents of cruelty and oppre&s;&s;ion) wherein humane nature is partially dealt with, not ju&s;tly, but under, and over, not duely valued in one man as well as another; and &s;o without all doubt as in the Religious policie, &s;o and much more in the humane, whence is di&s;cord, contention, or &s;triffes, onely by Pride, <HI>Prov.</HI> 13.10. And from whence commeth warres and fightings among men, come they not hence, even from their Lu&s;ts, unruly, and envious de&s;ires, &s;eeking more then is due, <HI>Iames</HI> 4.1. and that the body of civill policie, the whole &s;tate thereof, from the King to the meane&s;t &s;ubject thereof, is &s;ubject to be corrupted, both from inbred corruption and from without, experience is witne&s;&s;e, not to be refu&s;ed or &s;corned, and that Kings and great ones in the civill &s;tate of this Kingdome have committed oppre&s;&s;ion, and behaved them&s;elves proudly over their &s;ubjects, and &s;ought their owne ends without tendering their &s;ubjects good from inbred corruption, let re|cords and experience te&s;tifie, I &s;peake it not to di&s;parage either the per&s;on or the office of any way of Maje&s;tracie: and that the like hath beene wrought, is, and will bee cau&s;ed by corruption from without the civill body, is likewi&s;e not to be denyed, and that is a fal&s;e Clergy, the be&s;t or fal&s;e Prophet, witne&s;&s;e the truth hereof civill and con&s;cionable mens &s;ufferings, without cau&s;e of any civill offence given to civill &s;tate, of which &s;pirituall deluders, and their mi&s;erable effects wrought upon the State of humanity: I referre you to the foregoing Treati&s;es, And O civill State from the highe&s;t to the lowe&s;t, bee not angry for plaine dealing, tis mo&s;t hone&s;t and &s;afe: the &s;tate of the Iewes which exceeded yours for all high priviledges, hath beene &s;ubjected under the &s;ame conditi|ons, of which &s;pake the Holy Gho&s;t hi&s;torically, and of this prophetically, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 22. from 25. to 31. <HI>Mich.</HI> 3.9, 10, 11, 12. for the &s;ame purpo&s;e, &s;ee <HI>Mat.</HI> 10.16, 17, 18. &amp;c. <HI>Revel.</HI> 16.13, 14 <HI>Revel.</HI> 17.12, 13, 14 now minding the nature and u&s;e of civill Governement, what the cau&s;e of di&s;temper is therein, and from whence, which being taken away, the di&s;temper cea&s;eth, and the remedy is pre&s;ently gained or had: God hath &s;hewed thee O man what is good, and what he doth equire of thee, to doe ju&s;tly love mercy, and walke humbly with God, by the rule of his wi&s;edome, not mans vaine concepts, <HI>Mich.</HI> 6.8.</P>
<P N="3">3. Que&s;t. <HI>But &s;ince in &s;tates of Policie who&s;e heads and bodies are &s;ubiect to corruption and utter di&s;truction without remedy, (which many times commeth to late) what is or may bee the be&s;t meanes <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="1 letter">o prevent &s;uch di&s;tempers as are now on foot in this Kingdome, or their like, which may happen in fu|ture time.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> What divine wi&s;edome teacheth, and humane experience generally proveth for good, is
<PB N="13" REF="7">a rule to be followed not to be contemned by any, no, not by the greate&s;t of men except they think to ju&s;tifie wrong cour&s;es again&s;t God and their owne welfare, this Kingdome has learned, formerly and &s;ince our Kings Raigne, that his Maje&s;tie hath by flatery the goulden cover of pride, covetou&s;|ne&s;&s;e of Court and Clergie bin (and twere hapie if I might &s;ay is not) made &s;tranger to the com|minalty of all his Dominions, whil&s;t all Civill Courts of admini&s;tion of ju&s;tice have bin made trapps and &s;nares to undo, not to right men in ca&s;e of wrong and the way of Religion, intended for inlargement of light and truth, not to confine it and &s;uch as know and practi&s;e the &s;ame, hath bin carried in away again&s;t the life of con&s;cience, to impri&s;on, bani&s;h, and puni&s;h civill di&s;po&s;ed per&s;ons, differing in matters of con&s;cience, which is inlightened only from above, &s;o that ju&s;tice being per|verted, and the light of the Go&s;pell of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t mea&s;ured out and confirmed by a Iewi&s;h and more Antichri&s;tian governement, the common weale mu&s;t needs bee in a lamentable pickle if not fitted for utter de&s;truction.</P>
<P>The meanes of preventing the&s;e evills pre&s;ent, and the like for future time, Divine wi&s;edome and common rea&s;on with experience, teacheth to be, not the permitting, but taking away the interpo|&s;ition of flatterers betweene the head and body, whereby grievances of both, may be freely commu|nicated, and jountly releeved. Take away the wicked from before the King, and his Kingdome &s;hall be e&s;tabli&s;hed in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, <HI>Prov.</HI> 25.5. and if there be any wicked, flatterers are wicked, tho&s;e that have re&s;pect of per&s;ons elivating corrupt nature of men, more in one per&s;on then another &s;liting the nature of ju&s;tice, for, for a peece of bread that man, will tran&s;gre&s;&s;e, <HI>Prov.</HI> 28.21. A ly|ing tongue hateth tho&s;e that are afflicted by it, and a flattering mouth worketh ruine. <HI>Pro.</HI> 26.28.</P>
<P N="4">4. Que&s;t. <HI>But how &s;hall this remedy for the pre&s;ent di&s;temper and meanes of prevention again&s;t the &s;ame or the like for future, be admini&s;tred or applyed for the reliefe and pre&s;ervation of humanity and con&s;cience, when the head by much corruption from within, &amp; without is &s;educed &amp; made unca|pable of performing its office, the cour&s;e of Governement &amp; execution of ju&s;tice i&s;&s;uing from thence.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Although the ordinary cour&s;e of Governement is in all bodies i&s;&s;uing from the head, yet in &s;uch who&s;e head with the whole body is &s;ubject to corruption, the law of the nature therof for|bids not, but rather enjoynes any way po&s;&s;ible, of the pre&s;ervation of the whole, both head &amp; mem|bers: the advice of wi&s;edom in that expre&s;&s;ion, take a way the wicked from before the King intirnateth as much, wherein the King is rendered as the patient or partie &s;uffering &amp; another acting the remedy injoyned, both which cannot be performed by one in&s;trument, at one &amp; the &s;ame in&s;tant of the act in any ca&s;e in the world, neither is it proper for the hand to &s;ay to the head, be thou whole, but actually to helpe; by the rule of policie, which all States follow, or ought &s;o to do, wi&s;edomes advi&s;e is given to the body, who&s;e the head is, and who mu&s;t &s;uffer with the head when that &s;uffereth, or that part of the body which may beare &s;way by rule of policie, the &s;ound in nature, the major part thereof, and this either in the body in generall, or in the body repre&s;entative, &amp; intru&s;ted by the whole, for the advice of the welfare thereof, or for the more private &amp; common coun&s;aile mo&s;t u&s;uall about the King; the nature of the act mu&s;t needs properly belong to all, and &s;uch as &s;trive not in it, to doe it when its a generall ca&s;e, mu&s;t needs be of the wicked before the King, for hee that acteth not indeede, and con&s;ent, as the cau&s;e requireth again&s;t murther, pertaketh therein, the thing needeth no proofe, and &s;ure enough he that careth not to helpe, pre&s;erve, and maintaine Iu&s;tice, is no faithfull and true &s;ub|ject, but fal&s;e and corrupted, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith of the &s;tate of Matrimony, The man is the head of the woman, yet they are not their owne but one anothers to &s;erve each other in that condition, according to naturall bonds, &s;o in civill Goveraement, which union cannot exceede in nature the other, neither come &s;hort, being of grea|ter con&s;equence, but keepeth the &s;ame bonds of naturall affection, and like unto the naturall head and body, which both &s;ub&s;i&s;t by the power and &s;pirit of one nature, and are thereby made one body: &s;o al&s;o the head in civill Governement in u&s;e, is not his owne but the bodies, and the body the like, both &s;ubjected under one life of ju&s;tice, and &s;o the King in his office, is the poore&s;t &s;ubjects, as the riche&s;t, ju&s;tice rendereth the pre&s;ervation of nature all alike in the ordinary cour&s;e, when there is any po&s;&s;ible way of the pre&s;ervation of all, and &s;o the King is the bodies ingenerall without the exception of any particular, and without any partiality, and when a|&s;tate &s;ervice requireth the &s;trength of nature from the whole, both head and body, it is performed by the Law and power of one nature, or at lea&s;t ought to be, or if the head or any member thereof by any corruption falle to fulfill its office, the body in generall, and the body intru&s;ted are by the lawe of nature to gather their for|ces together for the recovery thereof out of any di&s;ea&s;e hartfull to the nature of the body, extrea mity in any grie&s;e calleth for extraordinary meanes of remedy; if by violence the head be abu&s;ed, and natu<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="page cropped" EXTENT="2 letters">
<PB N="14" REF="8">prevented of its cour&s;e, by force of Armes, it mu&s;t be recovered (if it may be) to prevent the ruine, &s;lavery, and abu&s;e of the whole body, (which is now the cau&s;e of this Kingdome) wherein the cour&s;e which the Parliament (the body, pre&s;entative and intru&s;ted for the common welfare) taketh it to be commended, and being ju&s;tified by principles of all natures and policies (except what is fal&s;ely Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall and Devilli&s;h) is to bee encouraged with the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of all &s;ubjects, humanely di&s;po&s;ed with life and e&s;tate, for when after due patience and u&s;e of gentle means, the de&s;ea&s;e is increa&s;ed and growne &s;tronger, what other remedy can be u&s;ed by edvice of true Wi&s;dome, tis not unknowne ever &s;ince his Maje&s;ties Raigne, his regall powre hath been abu&s;ed in a very high nature, houlding the comminaltyat Staves-End with &s;corne and oppre&s;&s;ion through interpo&s;ition of a proud and diveli&s;h Clergy, and their projecting creatures, who have caried him along as one a&s;&s;ended of an higher, nor humatie generatio<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter"> and as a perfect head in health, notwith&s;tanding the mi&s;eries of his body, the common|weale, or at lea&s;t have po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed him with a conceit, that none could wi&s;h, and act his welfare like them &s;elves, and &s;ince the time of Parliament, and the ri&s;ing of differences betweene his Ma|je&s;ty and it, in mo&s;t Declarations &s;et forth in his highne&s;&s;e name. The rea&s;on why he cannot con|di&s;cend to the perticulers incontrover&s;ie, is, becau&s;e his rea&s;on and con&s;cience houldeth them not right and ju&s;t, and taking them to be again&s;t his Prerogative, and the previledges of the Crowne, the ground from whence this judgment and con&s;cience &s;pringeth, and that which iu&s;tifieth the &s;ame, mu&s;t be the old Councell or none, for others cannot be heard, and tis &s;trang, that neither the many and great &s;traights which &s;latering projecting &amp; Councellors have &s;nared his Maje&s;ty withall, by interpo&s;ing between his Royalty and comminalty, nor the con&s;ideration of the great dependance which the Commons welfare hath upon his Maje&s;tie, for if either his, or theirs uterly faile, the whole body will be e&s;&s;entially undon, which cannot but move his Commons to the mo&s;t faithfull Councell for pre&s;ervation of both, which only is obtainable, by re|&s;erveing and &s;afe keeping the due prorogative and previledges of the Law and Government of the one nature and life, both of head and body, I &s;ay tis to be wondered at, that neither of the&s;e Motives &s;hould provoke his Maje&s;ty to alter his cour&s;e, but oh the weakne&s;&s;e of humane nature, before and &s;ince the cur&s;e, and the cur&s;ed effect of &s;lattery from the begining, that now is, and will be to mans end, Take notice, ye rulers of the earth, no externall profe&s;&s;ion of Religion, &s;aveth a man or Nation, tis not much &s;acrifice nor rare expre&s;&s;ions in preaching, or praying doth that worke, witne&s;&s;e the ca&s;e of the Jewes, <HI>Caine,</HI> and <HI>Iudas,</HI> &amp;c. obedience is bet|ter then &s;acrifice, and the Rulers do iu&s;tly love mercy, and acknowledge, God in wi&s;dome above you, according to <HI>Mich.</HI> 6.8. <HI>Math.</HI> 7.21. tis not a few or many great men, about a King in pompe and formality, which is his honour, but the multitude of People, <HI>Pro.</HI> 14.21. tis not great mens lookes, nor &s;latering, nor partiall doting on, or of them, but mercy and truth pre&s;erve the King, and his Throne is upholden by mercy, <HI>Pro.</HI> 20.28, not by vaine &s;lateries and conceipts of a prerogative above orbeyond the Law of nature, or Tytanicall cariage, but the King, by iudgment &s;tabli&s;heth the Land, <HI>Pro,</HI> 29.4. wherefore O King to uphould your Throne and e&s;tabli&s;h the Land, your owne, and yours, laying a &s;ide all pa&s;&s;ion and pertial re&s;pects returne with peace in &s;avour to your greate&s;t and &s;afe&s;t councell of your Land, and Nation, your pre&s;entative body, your Parliament.</P>
<P>And likewi&s;e you highe&s;t Court of Parliament, and cheife Coun&s;ell of the Land, be ye faithfull to your head and Soveraigne, if no other wayes prevaile to regaine and pre&s;erve him in the nature of his office, if his health &amp; &s;trength afford him not powre to put away, doe ye take away the wicked before the King, anger will die, when the Thron is or &s;hall be e&s;tabli&s;hed, in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e (as a fore &s;aid) when a free union is accom|pli&s;hed, and interpo&s;ition di&s;per&s;ed, and the head and body fit and ready to Act, be not unmindfull of former pa&s;&s;ages, what &s;oever tendeth to the inlargment of all freedome of life in all humanity, and good con&s;cience, the glory thereof will be to the giver of every good gift, and the comfort to your Soveragine and &s;ucce&s;&s;ors, with your &s;elves and the whole Land, for pre&s;ent, and the time to come.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
