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<DATE>2013-06-05</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B120731.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A82259">
<STC T="W">D794</STC>
<STC T="T">E370_25</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99861822</BIBNO>
<VID>160119</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A DECLARATION SET FORTH By the <HI>Presbyterians</HI> within the COUNTY OF KENT.</P>
<P>WHEREIN, They declare their Re&s;olutions and Determi+nations concerning the Independent Government, and the Church of <HI>ENGLAND.</HI></P>
<P>Al&s;o, the apprehending and examination of di|vers Independent Mini&s;ters, by a Committee of the Hou&s;e of Commons, being taken preaching at a Conventicle near White-Hall. With their an&s;wer and reply to the Articles objected again&s;t them.</P>
<P>This Declaration is ordered to be publi&s;hed, and to be read in all Churches throughout the County of KENT.</P>
<P><HI>Ianuary</HI> 12. Printed for F. Brown, 1647. <ADD>1646</ADD></P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>THE EXAMINATION OF Divers Independents and Separates taken at their Private-Meetings neere Charing-Cro&s;&s;e, and examined by a Committee of the Hou&s;e of Commons,</HEAD>
<P>THe great Bu&s;ine&s;&s;e which at this in&s;tant lyeth in agitation, about a matter of great concernment, and the chiefe&s;t particular which the whole Kingdome de&s;ireth to bee re&s;olved in; it being the Kingdoms chiefe&s;t Work upon which they have now fixed their eyes.</P>
<P>And having for many years by-pa&s;t, de&s;ired a firme and well-grounded Government in
<PB REF="3">Church &amp; State, have now in &s;ome part their de&s;ires &s;atisfied: For, having obtained a ful &amp; po&s;itive an&s;wer from both Hou&s;es of Parlia|ment, for the &s;peedy &s;uppre&s;&s;ing of all Sects and Sectaries, are in &s;ome mea&s;ure and &s;atisfi|ed, and doth begin to execute the Parliaments Commands again&s;t all &s;uch per&s;ons, which &s;hall a&s;&s;emble them&s;elves together, either for preaching or expounding the Scriptures, at a|ny place or meeting what&s;oever. In&s;omuch, that many thou&s;ands of Citizens and others are grieved to the very &s;oule; e&s;pecially, di|vers men of emineney, who hath hazzarded both life and limbes in the Parliaments cau&s;e again&s;t the enemies of England, who&s;e tru&s;t and fidelity hath been performed with much alacrity and faithfulne&s;&s;e; as hath apparent|ly been made manife&s;t, by their gallant &s;er|vice, and heroick actions, obtained again&s;t the potent enemy of this Kingdome.</P>
<P>But becau&s;e I cannot di&s;pen&s;e too much with time, I &s;hall here briefly communicate unto you, &s;ome pa&s;&s;ages worrhy your ob&s;er|vation, viz.</P>
<P>Upon the 4. of this in&s;tant Moneth of Ja|nuary, a Report was made to the Hou&s;e of
<PB REF="3">Commons, that &s;ome certain per&s;ons were ap|prehended, which were met together at a Con|venticle, namely, one Mr Wayt and Goff, Who were taken preaching in Harts-horne Lane neer Charing-Cro&s;&s;e, which parties were exa|mined by a Committee of the hou&s;e of Com|mons, in the queens Court, &amp; after &s;ome time &s;pent, and divers Arguments laid open before them, for confuting of their ways, and convin|cing them of their erroneous Opinions, and being &s;trictly examed about one prrticular point, concerning their pre&s;umption, in un|dertaking &s;o great a Charge, which belonged chiefly to Learned Divines, and Orthodoxe Mini&s;ters.</P>
<P>They replyed, and began to expre&s;&s;e them|&s;elves, as followeth:</P>
<P>That whereas they were plea&s;ed to lay o|pen this accu&s;ation again&s;t them for preach|ing, they indeavoured to vindicate them&s;elves &s;aying, that they had onely Bibles in their hands, and were reading.</P>
<P>Then Wayt was accu&s;ed to &s;ay, that the Parliaments Declaration was made at twelve a clock at night when above halfe the Mem|bers were away, and that he knew the knave|ry
<PB REF="4">of it. But they intend to pro&s;ecute the Or|dinance of both hou&s;es again&s;t all &s;uch per|&s;ons what&s;oever, and hath ordered that it &s;hal be executed throughout the whole Kingdome of England. Which Ordinance, the Kenti&s;h|men are re&s;olved duly to ob&s;erve, and to put in execution, as will appear by their late De|claration, which I &s;hall here in&s;ert, and give you verbatim.</P>
<P>WHereas we under&s;tand that &s;everall Petitions are &s;et on foot, and promo|ted by divers per&s;ons within this County, wherein they take to them&s;elves a liberty of venting their own private thoughts, and de|&s;ires, in matters concerning the publike and great affaires of the Church and State, which can produce no other effect, then the rai&s;ing and countenancing of contrary parties and factions within the County: We doe hereby declare, &amp; admoni&s;h all &s;orts of per&s;ons what &s;oever, within this County, that they forbear to give any countenance or furtherance to a|ny &s;uch Petitions, upon what pretence &s;oever; and that they avoyd all &s;uch occa&s;ions of new di&s;tractions in the County; as they tender the
<PB REF="4">welfare thereof. And we do hereby require all Mini&s;ters of the &s;everall Pari&s;h Churches, o|penly to read this &s;ignification in the Pari&s;h Churches upon the next Lords-Day, after the receipt hereof, before the end of the Morning Exerci&s;e.</P>
<P>Thus having given you the chiefe&s;t particulars of the great bu&s;ine&s;&s;e in agitation within the Kingdom of England, I &s;hall advance Northwards, and give you the proceedings of the Parliament of Scotland, reflecting upon the Government of both Nations.</P>
<P>Among&s;t other things, If his Maje&s;ty &s;hall have thoughts of comming to this Kingdome at th s time, he not having as yet &s;ub&s;cribed the League and Covenant, nor &s;atisfied the law|ful de&s;ires of his loyall Subjects in both Nations, We haue ju&s;t cau&s;e to fear that the con&s;equences of it may bee very dange|rous, both to his Maje&s;ty and the&s;e Kingdoms; Which there|fore we de&s;ire may be timely prevented.</P>
<P>For &s;o long as his Maje&s;ty doth not approue in his heart, &amp; &s;eal with his hand the League and Covenant, we cannot but apprehend, that according to his former Principles, hee will walk in oppo&s;ition to the &s;ame, and &s;tudy to draw us unto the violation thereof and the di&s;&s;olution of the Union &s;o happily begun between Us and our Brethren, to weaken the confi|dence and tru&s;t, and to entertain jealou&s;ies, and make divi&s;ions among&s;t our &s;elues.</P>
<P>Neither is it po&s;&s;ible but that our receiving Him in this pre&s;ent po&s;ture of affairs, will confirme the &s;u&s;pi|cions of the Engli&s;h Nation, of our under-hand dealing with Him before his comming to our Army; &amp; make them, not without cau&s;e to thinke that We purpo&s;e to di&s;po&s;e of him without their con&s;ent, and to their pre+judice: Which is contrary to the Profe&s;&s;ion of the&s;e that were in tru&s;t at his Maje&s;ties fir&s;t comming to the
<PB REF="5">Scots Quarters, and overthroweth all the Arguments that have been u&s;ed by the Commi&s;&s;ioners of our Parl. in their Papers concerning The di&s;po&s;ing of his Maj. Per&s;on by the joynt advice &amp; common con&s;ent of both Kingdoms given into both Hou&s;es of Parliament in England, nor doe we &s;ee how we can vindicate &s;uch a practice from a direct breach of our engagements to them by Covenant and Treaty, which were not onely to expo&s;e us into the hazard of a bloody war, but to in|volve us in the guilt of Perjury. And what greater di&s;|&s;ervice could be done to his Maje&s;ty and his Po&s;terity, then to g<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">ve way to a cour&s;e that might prove prejudi|ciall to their intere&s;t in the Crown and Kingdome of England.</P>
<P>Our carriage now for many yeers pa&s;t, in the mid&s;t of many tentations, hath put us beyond all &s;u&s;pition in the point of our Loyalty.</P>
<P>Nor have wee the lea&s;t thoughts of de&s;erting his M<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">|je&s;ty in a ju&s;t and good Cau&s;e, being bound by our Co|venant in our &s;everall Vocations, to endeavour with our e&s;tates and lives, to pre&s;erve and defend his Per&s;on and Authority, in the defence and pre&s;ervation of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdoms; And &s;o farre as his Maje&s;ty &s;hall be for the&s;e, we really are, and wee tru&s;t the re&s;t of his Kingdoms will be for him: Yet we cannot deny, but openly avouch it,</P>
<P>That if his Maje&s;ty (which the Lord forbid) &s;hall not &s;atisfie the ju&s;t de&s;ires of his People, Both Nations &s;tands mutually obliged by that inviolable Covenant to pur&s;ue the ends therein expre&s;&s;ed (which cannot be divi|ded) again&s;t all lets and impediments what&s;oever.</P>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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