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<DATE>2011-05-06</DATE>
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<NAME>Jason Colman</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B110210.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<VID>164870</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>PLAIN ENGLISH TO THE <HI>PARLIAMENT</HI> and <HI>ARMY,</HI> and to the re&s;t of the PEOPLE.</P>
<P><HI>To</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Convince the ob&s;tinate.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>&V;ndeceive the &s;imple.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Vindicate the innocent.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Settle the wavering.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>By <HI>John Reding&s;tone.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Prov. 25.11.</HI></BIBL>
<P>A word fitly &s;poken, is like apples of gold, in pictures of &s;ilver.</P></Q>
<P>January 12. 1648. <HI>Imprimatur</HI> Gilbert Mabbot.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>Henry Hil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> and are to be &s;old over again&s;t <HI>Thoma&s;es</HI> Ho&s;pitall in <HI>Southwark,</HI> M.DC.XLIX.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="text">
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<HEAD>Plain Engli&s;h to the PARLIAMENT AND ARMY, And to the re&s;t of the PEOPLE.</HEAD>
<P>_IT is evident that the higher powers, Rulers, Kings,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rev.</HI> 13.</NOTE> <HI>&amp;c.</HI> When contrary to their con&s;titution, they per|vert Ju&s;tice, and become a terrour to good workes; and ju&s;tify the wicked in their evil: &s;uch tyrants are not only <HI>abomination to the Lord,</HI> but by the te|&s;timony of the Go&s;pel, they doe forfeit their au|thority al&s;o: And in this very ca&s;e the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> calleth <HI>Ananias a whited wall,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Act.</HI> 23.3, 4, 5.</NOTE> not High Prie&s;t nor Ruler (and gives the rea&s;on) <HI>for &s;itte&s;t thou to judge me after the Law, and commande&s;t me to be &s;mitten con|trary to the Law:</HI> affirming, that he knew not that he was the high Prie&s;t (<HI>viz.</HI> becau&s;e he had forfeited his calling, and the Apo&s;tle &s;pake truth) &s;aying, <HI>It is written thou &s;halt not &s;peak evil of the Ruler of my People:</HI> Therefore what Ruler &s;o ever wilfully and publikely perverts the Law, introducing an arbitrary, tyrannicall and un|ju&s;t cau&s;e, acting again&s;t the publicke good and &s;afety, to the ruine of the People, lo&s;eth his power, and cea&s;eth to be Ruler, and ought to be declared &amp; proceeded again&s;t for &s;uch a one. For double&s;&s;e the Apo&s;tles practice, and the Scripture is a good rule to walk by; <HI>For all Scripture is given by in&s;piration of God; and is profitable for Doctrine, for reproofe, for correction, for in&s;truction in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e.</HI> 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.6.</P>
<P N="2">2. Whereas the King, not regarding the publike good and &s;afe|ty of the People, did introduce an arbitrary and tyrannicall cour&s;e; and indeavoured, with an high hand, by force of armes
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to &s;ubvert <HI>Salus populi,</HI> and the de&s;truction of the Kingdome; &s;et|ting up his Standard, and waging an open war upon the Parlia|ment, and again&s;t all his good and loyall Subjects; per&s;i&s;ting in full oppo&s;ition to the Parliaments humble &s;uits and Declarations made unto him,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Parl. Decl. <HI>20</HI> May, <HI>1642.</HI></NOTE> &s;hewing that when&s;oever the King makes warre upon the Parliament, <HI>it is a breach of the tru&s;t repo&s;ed in him by his Peo|ple; contrary to his Oath; and tending to the di&s;&s;olution of his Government. That who&s;oever &s;hall &s;erve and a&s;&s;i&s;t him in &s;uch war, are Traytors by the fun|damentall Laws of this Kingdome,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">11 <HI>Rul.</HI> 2. 1 <HI>Hen.</HI> 4.</NOTE> <HI>and have been &s;o adjudged by two Acts of Parliament:</HI> Therefore we may &s;ee by the Parliaments Declarati|on, and the Kings practices compared, that the King is wholly elap&s;ed in his &s;plendor, dignity, honour, Kingly power, Maje&s;tie, and &s;tands guilty of all the precious blood, rapines, and ruines of millions of People in the&s;e three Kingdomes, and hath di&s;obli|ged the Parliament, Army and People of their allegiance to him; and this may be a good rea&s;on why the right honorable the Lord <HI>Fairfax</HI> his Excellency, and this Army, took their Commi&s;&s;ions onely for defence of the Parliament and Kingdome, and have done mo&s;t righteou&s;ly in &s;o doing.</P>
<P>God &s;ealing to their endeavours, by his ble&s;&s;ing, with extraor|dinary &s;ucce&s;&s;e, to the &s;ubduing of the King, with all his trayte|rous forces, and made the King their conquered, and captivated pri&s;oner, who hath not minded, <HI>lex talionis,</HI> and that he that ru|leth over men, mu&s;t be ju&s;t, ruling in the fear of God; And that <HI>Adoni-bezek,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2. <HI>Sam.</HI> 23.3</NOTE> though a heathen King, acknowledged, &s;aying, <HI>As I have done, &s;o God hath requited me; and they brought him to Jeru&s;alem,</HI> Judg. 1.6, 7.</P>
<P N="3">3. The King perverting his duty, rejecting the feare of God, de&s;pi&s;ing good councel, when &s;ea&s;onably given him, by them of whom he ought to have received it, and wholly adheared to, and followed perver&s;e, fooli&s;h, &s;landerous, wicked, proud, haughty, deceitfull, murtherous mens councels; who endeavoured utterly to root out, extirpate, and extingui&s;h the very name and being of all tho&s;e who were the faithfull of the Land, and endeavoured a thorow reformation of all wicked, unrighteous practices, in the King, his family, and Kingdomes; therefore the King with all his heathen adherents, took councel together, <HI>again&s;t the Lord, and a|gainst his anointed,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 2.</NOTE> <HI>&s;aying, let us break their bonds in &s;under, and ca&s;t their cords from us;</HI> and making war upon them; <HI>they compa&s;&s;e the camp of the Saints about,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rev.</HI> 20.9.</NOTE> <HI>and the beloved City, Mount Zion;</HI> The habitation of
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the Saints, where the Saints receive their Commi&s;&s;ion from the great King, King of Kings, to have a two edged &s;word in their hands, to execute judgement upon the Heathen, and puni&s;hment upon the people; <HI>To binde their Kings with chaines,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;al.</HI> 149.</NOTE> <HI>and their Nobles with fetters of iron;</HI> to execute upon them the judgement written, <HI>This honour have all the Saints.</HI> Hence then we &s;ee what a type of Holy Writ lies upon our Parliament and Army, to execute judgement upon the King and his wicked Adherents? although others have beene &s;o exemplary before them? Al&s;o we may &s;ee how Mr <HI>Prynne</HI> doth play the Je&s;uite by his mo&s;t &s;candalous and fal&s;e Pamphlets, endeavouring to &s;ubvert others to the di&s;turbance of the publique welfare and &s;afety of the Kingdome; not minding that <HI>Salus po|puli</HI> is <HI>Suprema lex,</HI> &amp; that he may in due time ju&s;tly &s;uffer as an evil doer, according to his demerits, and be taught, <HI>That it is an abomi|nation to Kings to commit wickedne&s;&s;e, for the Throne is e&s;tabli&s;hed in righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> Prov. 16.12.</P>
<P N="4">4. And &s;urely all the Kings fal&s;e dealings pretending the King|domes welfare and &s;afety, &s;ealed with mo&s;t &s;olemne abjurations and execrations again&s;t Him&s;elfe, his Throne and Po&s;terity, there|by to hide his iniquity from the eies of the people, the more ea&s;ily to &s;educe them to beliefe, and to joine with him, was the highe&s;t cruelty and meanes that could be, to bring Gods heavy wrath up|on his owne head, and to remove the Throne from him&s;elfe and his po&s;terity; <HI>For the Lord will not hold him guiltle&s;&s;e that taketh his name in vaine: And mercy and truth pre&s;erve the King. As a roaring Lyon,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Prov.</HI> 20:28: <HI>Cap.</HI> 28.15, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></NOTE> <HI>and a ranging Beare, &s;o is a wicked Ruler over his people.</HI> And are not &s;uch de&s;tructive bea&s;ts to be taken and de&s;troyed? Againe, the Prince that wanteth under&s;tanding is a great Oppre&s;&s;or; tis much that Mr <HI>Prynne</HI> doth not remember this truth ever &s;ince the King &s;uffer|ed his eares to be cut off. Againe, a man that doth violence to the bloud of any per&s;on, &s;hall fly to the pit, let no man &s;tay him. God makes no di&s;tinction of King or Beggar, he is no Re&s;pecter of per&s;ons; But the &s;oule that &s;inneth it &s;hall dye, no man ought to &s;tay him from it: King <HI>Ahab</HI> and Queene <HI>Jezebeel</HI> mu&s;t dye, be|cau&s;e <HI>Naboth</HI> is unju&s;tly ca&s;t off, and his Vineyard taken from him; Moreover the dogges mu&s;t eate her fle&s;h, and licke up his bloud al&s;o, in that very plat of ground: It is very &s;trange that Mr <HI>Prynne</HI> cannot minde this truth, not knowing that the King did not one|ly &s;hed much private or particular mens bloud, his owne being one, but hath publiquely bereaved multitudes of his mo&s;t faithfull
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people of their lives and e&s;tates for many yeares together: And can unrighteous warre extenuate his fault? Was not that the utter ruine of <HI>Hanun</HI> the King of <HI>Ammon,</HI> and his Kingdome? although what he acted was not again&s;t his owne Subjects; but <HI>Davids</HI> &s;er|vants onely defacing them in &s;hew, haire and habits? And can we thinke that God hath forgot to be ju&s;t? <HI>Ahab</HI> and <HI>Jezebeel's</HI> &s;inne was coloured over with as much piety as might be: But God will not be mocked, for what&s;oever a man &s;oweth, that &s;hall he al&s;o reap<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gal.</HI> 6. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 110.</NOTE> God will &s;trike through Kings in the day of his wrath, and his in&s;truments to execute the judgement, written, This honour have all the Saints, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 149.</P>
<P N="5">5. And is it not the Parliaments and Armies duty, now God hath delivered the King into their hands, and left him at their di&s;po&s;e, to execute the judgement written upon him and his Adherents? And to &s;ecure them&s;elves and the people, who have alwaies &s;tucke clo&s;e unto them in their greate&s;t di&s;tre&s;&s;es? Hath not the King beene a corrupt fountaine, poi&s;oning every &s;treame and rivolet he hath had acce&s;&s;e unto? And will he not doe &s;o &s;till if he be not cut off? Hath not this husband adulterated his bed, and &s;pent his &s;trength with &s;trangers, being fallen into a loath&s;ome and poi&s;onous di&s;ea&s;e (wor&s;e then King <HI>&V;riah's</HI> lepro&s;ie) and is &s;ick unto death? Hath not this Father murtherd a multitude of his be&s;t children, and would gladly kill all the re&s;t? Is it not then high time for the Kingdome to have a Bill of divorce? And al&s;o to have him brought to a ju&s;t triall? That God and all the world may be witne&s;&s;es, they will give him no further opportunity or meanes, either by cohabitation or communion with them to de|&s;troy them? And doe not their &s;pirits groane, and their backes bowe under the burden of their irrepairable lo&s;&s;e?</P>
<P N="6">6. Al&s;o now God hath by his &s;ingular goodne&s;&s;e, through greate&s;t difficulties, given the faithfull of the Land &s;ome re&s;t and peace with their Lives, E&s;tates, Lawes, Liberties and Priviledges, anciently and inherently in them&s;elves; but with much expence of bloud, lo&s;&s;e of friends, and hard&s;hip regained by right of con|que&s;t: Is it not then their duty to keepe that which God hath re|po&s;&s;e&s;t them of? Did not <HI>Jephtha</HI> and <HI>I&s;rael</HI> doe &s;o with that which was the <HI>Amorites</HI> by originall right; they onely won it by the &s;word, and did weare it, <HI>Judg.</HI> 11.19, 20. &amp;c.</P>
<P N="7">7. And doth not the eminency of the Kings per&s;on aggravate his &s;inne and judgement? And hath it not made him &s;ucce&s;&s;es?
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And was it not <HI>Coniah</HI> King of <HI>Judahs</HI> ca&s;e? <HI>As I live, &s;aith the Lord, though Coniah the &s;on of Jehojakim King of Judah were the &s;ignet upon my right hand, yet will I pluck him thence. Write this man childle&s;&s;e</HI> (to wit in re&s;pect of kingly Government, el&s;e not) <HI>a man that &s;hall not pro|&s;per in his daies,</HI> Jer. 22.24, 30.</P>
<P N="8">8. Nor could the Army any longer defer to &s;eclude from the Parliaments fellow&s;hip; all &s;uch who undermined and di&s;appoin|ted their proceedings for the executing of Ju&s;tice, &amp; &s;etling of the Kingdome, and that tho&s;e who are faithfull might act freely for the Kingdome, in judgement and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: <HI>Wi&s;dome is better then weapons of warre, but one &s;inner de&s;troieth much good.</HI> And is it not great wi&s;dome to execute judgement &s;peedily, and to pre&s;erve the Kingdom, as much as may be from further war, by executing the judgement written.</P>
<P N="9">9. We know the Parliament have the King authoritatively with them, both for the making and executing of Law in its royal power, office and capacity, they have the Sword, the Scepter and the Seal, that they may <HI>doe ju&s;tly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God,</HI> Mic. 6.8. And hath it not been in this &s;ence, the King cannot deceive, nor be deceived, never dies, can neither doe, nor take wrong? and is it not in this &s;ence wee have fought for the King and Parliament, when the King was in per&s;onal oppo&s;ition unto both? And is it not mo&s;t righteous and ju&s;t, that his Per&s;on in this &s;ence &s;hould be &s;ubject unto the power authoritative.</P>
<P N="10">10. And is it not evident that the Kings tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion is tran|&s;cendent unto <HI>Sauls?</HI> who did only &s;pare Gods enemies, and yet his Kingdome was taken from him, and given unto <HI>David;</HI> but our King hath &s;lain and de&s;troied the Lords deare&s;t friends, his fir&s;t borne, his peculiar trea&s;ure and jewels, mo&s;t dear and tender un|to him, <HI>He that toucheth them, toucheth the apple of his eye;</HI> the&s;e are his truly anointed ones, <HI>He hath reproved Kings for their &s;akes, &s;aying, Touch not mine anointed, nor doe my Prophets no harm,</HI> P&s;al. 105.</P>
<P N="11">11. And many have added this evil u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> to all their &s;ins, to aske them &s;uch a King to rule over them (as M. <HI>Prin</HI> and many others) one who is corrupted, &s;tained and rejected of God, and not with|out blemi&s;h as <HI>Saul</HI> was, when de&s;ired by the people, and yet God &s;aith, that in &s;o doing they had rejected him. And the people did very &s;en&s;ibly confe&s;&s;e the Lords ju&s;tice, and wrath again&s;t them, for that they had added this evil (of asking them a King) unto all their &s;ins, intreating <HI>Samuel</HI> to pray unto the Lord his God for
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them, that they die not. O that all the people in <HI>England,</HI> who are guilty in this kinde, were but as &s;en&s;ible of Gods wrath again&s;t them, and that they would intreat the Lords Prophets and anoin|ted ones, to pray unto the Lord their God for them; and that they did but know, that the Lord for this &s;ame purpo&s;e hath rai|&s;ed up the King, that he may &s;hew his power in him. And that the name of the Lord may be declared throughout all the earth, And now let all the world take notice and know, that the Lord will not for&s;ake his people for his great names &s;ake, becau&s;e it hath plea&s;ed him to make them his people, only <HI>fear the Lord and &s;erve him in truth with all your heart: For con&s;ider how great things he hath done for you,</HI> 1 Sam. 12. Had ever any Parliament and Army the like ex|perience of the Lords goodne&s;s unto them? And is it not that you may execute Ju&s;tice, and that righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e may run down like a mighty &s;tream? And that the Lords people may be &s;et free from all tyrants and oppre&s;&s;ours hands, every one freely enjoying their Rights, Priviledges and Liberties, only be very couragious in do|ing the work of the Lord, and love him with all your hearts, for he hath promi&s;ed, he <HI>will never leave you nor for&s;ake you:</HI> So that you may boldly &s;ay, <HI>The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man &s;hall doe unto me.</HI> But as all tho&s;e who will not walk in Gods way and coun&s;el, according to the truth plainely and &s;incerely &s;et forth unto them, <HI>If ye &s;hall &s;till doe wickedly ye &s;hall be con&s;umed both yee and your King,</HI> 1 Sam. 12. ult.</P>
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