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<NAME>TCP Staff (Michigan)</NAME>
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<PB N="1" REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>THE Coffin opened: OR, Self-Intere&s;t Di&s;covered, to be laid up in the Coffin, under the Name of the GOOD OLD CAUSE. In An&s;wer to a late Pamphlet printed, and reprinted, Entituled, <HI>A Coffin for the Good Old Cau&s;e:</HI> Written by a Di&s;carded Officer of the Army, in the be|half of him&s;elf and Complices.</HEAD>
<BYLINE><HI>By</HI> H. P. <HI>a known Friend to the Cau&s;e and Commonwealth.</HI></BYLINE>
<P>THe Pamphlet begins with that of <HI>Solomon, That a wi&s;e man fore&s;eeth an evil, and preventeth it, but fools go on, and are puni&s;hed:</HI> What wi&s;dom then can the Parlia|ment hope to finde in his advice, that fore&s;aw not the lo&s;s of his place, but went on and was puni&s;hed for interrupting them? But (to prevent the &s;leighting of the Pamphlet) he tells us, It is the Judgement of <HI>all</HI> the Parliaments friends in <HI>Eng|land,</HI> that they are ruining the Good Old Cau&s;e. A full Judi|catory indeed; did he not &s;peak by <HI>Hyperbole?</HI> Hath he tried, or doth he know the thou&s;andth part of the Parliaments friends? 'Tis likely the Excluded Army Officers judged &s;o, and the late <HI>armed</HI> Sectarians (as he calls them) judged &s;o: But are they this Parliaments friends, that took up Arms again&s;t them, and turned them out of doors? ble&s;&s;ing God that Hell was broke up (as one of them canted it) to whom Parliaments are Antichri&s;tian, as Mr. <HI>Robotham</HI> (in his Treati&s;e on the <HI>Revelations,</HI> and in the De|dication of it to <HI>Oliver</HI>) with <HI>Deering, Pinchion,</HI> and <HI>Chillingworth,</HI>
<PB N="2" REF="2"> learnedly proves. What &s;ober per&s;on of <HI>England</HI> took up Arms again&s;t this Parliament to ca&s;t them out? What Sectarian did not? of would not? I hope (of his <HI>All</HI>) he w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ll except the Lord General <HI>Monck, Okey, All<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">red, Morley,</HI> &amp;c. with all the Army now in <HI>London,</HI> from thinking the Cau&s;e now nigh its Interment by this Parliament.</P>
<P>But he addes, Men mu&s;t not go a &s;tep beyond rea&s;on: True, but what rea&s;on had he for marching again&s;t this Parliament, and breaking them up? the Parliament act (in his judgement) with|out rea&s;on in excluding the rebellious Army Officers: but they acted rationally in excluding the Parliament. It will ruine the Cau&s;e (he thinks) to moddel the Army, and &s;leight the Sectari|ans, but not for the Army and Sectarians to eject the Parliament. He proves it thus:</P>
<P><HI>The Parliaments Army is un&s;ettled, their H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">u&s;e divided; their Friends di&s;couraged, their Trade decayed, their Trea&s;ure exhau&s;t|ed, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">r Enemies increa&s;ed;</HI> therefore the Cau&s;e is dying.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>The Army is un&s;etled, and not like to be otherwi&s;e, while there are &s;o many &s;trange faces among them.</HI> 1. This is not the fir&s;t time the Army hath been thus un&s;etled, and yet the Cau&s;e much ad|vantaged by it: witne&s;s the Moddel in 1645. and 1647. and other times, when nigh, if not full as many Officers were chan|ged, as now. 2. You think the Soldiers will not follow their new Ma&s;ters: Do you think meet that the Parliament mainta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">n an Army, who will march under no other Conduct than what plea|&s;es the Rendezvouz? 3. Where had our Parliament been, and how un&s;etled had the Nation been, had not the Army been thus un&s;etled, and ma&s;ter'd? 4. Were the Soldiers &s;o zealous for their old Officers (as you think they are) why did they revolt from them, and with &s;corn contemn their Authority, not &s;taying (though much intreated) till their Officers were indempnified? 5. If that truly meritorious p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ice of our Blood and Trea&s;ure <HI>(the Ble&s;sing of a Commonwealth)</HI> be ob&s;tructed by this un&s;ettle|ment of the Army, we mu&s;t found our ruine on your Treache|ries: Not but that we &s;ee the Cau&s;e (under God) &s;ufficiently &s;ecured by this renowned Parliament, and General <HI>Monck:</HI> but if it &s;hould be ca&s;t (as you would have it) into the late Officers and Sectarians hands again, this Parliament (as formerly) mu&s;t
<PB N="3" REF="2"> endure a third Martyrdom, and the be&s;t of Cau&s;es turn to the wor&s;t of Cur&s;es, an Arbitrary Sword-dominion. 6. The Parlia|ment have laid by the Anabapti&s;ts (not (as you averre) becau&s;e of a different per&s;wa&s;ion in Religion, but) becau&s;e they are true heirs to the <HI>Mun&s;trian</HI> &s;pirit, evidenced in their late Rebellions, and therefore they &s;till cheri&s;h tho&s;e more &s;ober Anabapti&s;ts, that hated tho&s;e Extravagancies of the Army and Sectarians. 7. And &s;ince you judge, the Parliament not to tru&s;t <HI>Capital Offenders,</HI> why do you complain? What can be a more Capital Offence, than to chop off the Parliament, the Politick Head of the three Nations? yea, the Maje&s;ty of the people was thru&s;t at, and thru&s;t out by your Swords in their Repre&s;entatives. 8. But you di&s;like the Parliaments tru&s;ting the Presbyterian, becau&s;e <HI>Booth</HI> and <HI>Love</HI> oppo&s;ed them. Sir, the Commonwealth intends to thru&s;t out Faction, and to tru&s;t all (as far as may be &s;afe for it.) Did not <HI>Lambert, Fleetwood,</HI> and the whole ho&s;t of Sectarians, not onely <HI>oppo&s;e,</HI> but <HI>depo&s;e</HI> our Parliament, yea <HI>ex|po&s;e</HI> them to the mercy of a Bullet? Did Presbyterians ever break up Parliaments, as you have done? Yet Presbyterians are not tru&s;ted as Presbyterians, but as obedient to government: To which frame of &s;pirit could the Sectarians come, this Parliament and Commonwealth have a ring for their finger, a&s;well as they had a Jewel for <HI>Lamberts</HI> ear, while he obeyed.</P>
<P N="9">9. But you &s;u&s;pect the Cau&s;e, while one of the Commi&s;&s;io|ners refu&s;eth the Oath again&s;t the <HI>Stuarts:</HI> Sir, <HI>that</HI> your Army Officers would never have ventured your places upon? you ne|ver &s;crupled, either the taking, or breaking any Oath: you have &s;worn to this Parliament, <HI>Oliver, Dick,</HI> this Parliament again, and (might you be admitted) would doubtle&s;s &s;wear once more: thus have you marched and counter-marched in Oaths and In|gagements without &s;cruple; being &s;o hardy as not to dread an Oath, That Commi&s;&s;ioners fault is to refu&s;e &s;wearing, and your hone&s;ty is to refu&s;e keeping an Oath. But Sir, they that know the Oath not pa&s;&s;ed the Hou&s;e (as you imply in you la&s;t page) will hardly believe it was yet offered, to any Commi&s;&s;ioner to take.</P>
<P N="10">10. But you farther &s;u&s;pect the bu&s;ine&s;s, becau&s;e that old Ca|valier Sir <HI>Anthony A&s;hly-Cooper,</HI> is admitted a Colonel; what, be|cau&s;e
<PB N="4" REF="3"> (among all your Lords, <HI>Lambert, Hew&s;on, Fleetwood,</HI> &amp;c.) you had none &s;o high as a Knight before? or are you a&s;hamed to &s;ee a di&s;ingaged enemy (as you think) more faithful to the Parlia|ment, than your &s;elf their ingaged Va&s;&s;al? Sir <HI>Anthony</HI> was no old Cavalier, when you would have made him one of <HI>Olivers</HI> pri|vy Council: but now 'tis a &s;in in the Parliament to receive him, though a duly elected Member. God grant the Commonwealth more &s;uch converts.</P>
<P N="2">2. You urge <HI>the Hou&s;e is divided, and therefore cannot &s;tand.</HI> But &s;eriou&s;ly, did you ever hear of a Parliament Hou&s;e that was not divided? Did Chri&s;t &s;ay or intend, that a Hou&s;e divided in point of judgement or debate, cannot &s;tand: which is the pre&s;ent ca&s;e. Do not mo&s;t of the be&s;t Acts pa&s;s, by dividing the Hou&s;e? you think you could &s;ecure the Cau&s;e, if the Hou&s;e were exclu|ded; why then do you make ready the Coffin, when 'tis but divi|ded? what's divi&s;ion among them&s;elves, to their ex<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">lu&s;ion by you? and yet the Cau&s;e is upon it's feet. Sir, an equal divi&s;ion in the Hou&s;e, eagerly pro&s;ecuted is a State of War: but a Major vote makes union, becau&s;e 'tis called and obeyed as a vote of Parliament; which is the pre&s;ent Ca&s;e, and therefore, yet there is no need of your Coffin.</P>
<P N="3">3. You in&s;i&s;t, <HI>That the Parliaments friends are di&s;couraged.</HI> But Sir, 1. Were they not much more in <HI>October</HI> la&s;t, when they were thrown out of Commi&s;&s;ion and Credit, only for being faith|full to the Parliament? the nine Officers Letter, judge you in the ruiners of the Cau&s;e? 2. Whom do you mean by the Par|liaments friends? but &s;uch (as you de&s;cribe them) as need the Parliaments pardon, are turned out in this new Model, and re|moved from the Conduct of the Army. What friends they are, appears by their twice trampling the Parliament under foot, re|pealing the la&s;t Acts they made, valuing nine of them&s;elves at a higher rate than the whole Parliament of <HI>England,</HI> calling the Parliament (in their Declaration and Plea) a ru&s;h they catched at, to &s;ave them&s;elves from drowning; impri&s;oning their friends, turning out of the Army &s;uch as &s;tood for them, murdering &s;ome that fought for them at <HI>Port&s;mouth,</HI> and &s;etting forth what Ar|mies and &s;trength they could make, again&s;t the Parliament Ge|nerals in the North, and at <HI>Port&s;mouth,</HI> for the utter &s;ubver&s;ion
<PB N="5" REF="3"> of them; rai&s;ing up all the Sectarians of the Nation into a Militia again&s;t them. Heavens! with what face can the&s;e men rule them&s;elves the Parliaments friends? 3. But are the Parliaments real friends di&s;couraged? Is General <HI>Monck,</HI> or any Colonel of his faithful Army dis&s;atisfied? Are the Iri&s;h or Scoti&s;h Parlia|menters troubled and di&s;turbed at the&s;e things? or indeed, any one per&s;on that loved the Parliament? Let the World judge the truth of it. You in&s;i&s;t, but their reputation <HI>now</HI> withers in good mens e&s;teem. True, but as <HI>Micaejahs</HI> did with <HI>Ahab,</HI> becau&s;e he would not do, and &s;ay what <HI>Ahab</HI> would have him. And by cal|ling your &s;elf and Complices <HI>good men,</HI> you &s;hew, that you would &s;peak long enough, before you would &s;peak any evil of your &s;elf. Yet, while you call the Army and Sectarian <HI>tumuknaries</HI> good men; their own works, and the Nations words declare the con|trary. You &s;ay the Parliament hath put out good Sir <HI>Henry Vane,</HI> and let bad <HI>Oliver St. John</HI> rule the ro&s;te. Sir, your judg|ment which of them is good or bad, might have done well, had not your intended Protector <HI>Lambertiz'd:</HI> but now you might have &s;u&s;pended it, till you came to Rhadamanthus &s;eat.</P>
<P>But yet you &s;ay, you are &s;urer friends to the Parliament, than <HI>Oxford</HI> or <HI>Cambridge,</HI> Lawyer or Clergy, <HI>Calamy</HI> or <HI>Ca&s;e.</HI> I be|lieve &s;o to; in that you &s;ent them home to dye in peace; while the&s;e with might and main cho&s;e them to tho&s;e in&s;upportable burdens of governing this Nation, as the peoples Repre&s;enta|tives. You would have &s;ent them out of the&s;e Turmoiles into Heaven, with Piques and Mu&s;quets, in your late marches again&s;t them; but the&s;e would fain keep them here, appears by their late &s;iding again&s;t the Army, &amp; Sectarians that fought the Parliament. Your &s;tory of Col. <HI>Riches</HI> unhand&s;ome u&s;age by the Hou&s;e, being &s;o vain: the Gentleman doth and oftentimes hath di&s;proved it: But I do not much wonder at your calumniations, remembring that while the Lord General <HI>Monck</HI> actually appeared in Arms for this Parliament, you rendered him to the world, as one that had e&s;pou&s;ed the Intere&s;t of <HI>Charles Stuart.</HI></P>
<P>But you fervently urge, <HI>That the Sectarian and</HI> Charles Stuart <HI>both cannot be &s;uppre&s;&s;ed.</HI> I &s;uppo&s;e your mean the rebellious Se|ctarian, for others the Parliament &s;uppre&s;&s;es not; and then I an|&s;wer? 1. The rebellious Sectarian is as much an enemy to the
<PB N="6" REF="4"> Cau&s;e of a Commonwealth, as <HI>Charls Stuart,</HI> for he ran into Mo|narchy with <HI>Oliver, Richard,</HI> and <HI>Lambert,</HI> again&s;t a Common|wealth; yea into &s;uch a Monarchy as never was exerci&s;ed in <HI>Eng|land.</HI> 2. If the Parliament cannot (as you judge) keep down both, they mu&s;t in prudence, rather accept <HI>C. Stuart,</HI> than any other &s;ingle Per&s;on: and admit the old Monarchy, rather than that Ca|nonical Government, Sword-men and Sectarians have &s;et up. 3. Why cannot the Parliament keep down the Sectarian and <HI>C. Stuart,</HI> rather than the &s;ober party and <HI>C. Stuart,</HI> whom they lo&s;t out of their re&s;pect to the Sectarian? 4. God is the &s;ame, and the Army (as to its &s;trength) the &s;ame, and the conduct (being in that mo&s;t experienced Souldie<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">, General <HI>Monk</HI>) far better; Why then is the Coffin <HI>now</HI> brought forth&punc; 5. You di&s;honour the Parliament of <HI>England,</HI> by in&s;inuating their Intere&s;t to be &s;o narrow, as (if you are &s;aid a&s;ide) they cannot find per&s;ons capa|ble to wield their &s;word in the face of their mo&s;t daring enemies. Admit the turbulent Sectarians were indulged, they would do the Commonwealth a&s;much &s;ervice as they did you; to wit, hide their heads in the day of trouble. 6. In brief, the Good old Cau&s;e is maintained, not by rallying up Sectarians, again&s;t the &s;ober Party, but Commonwealths-men again&s;t a &s;ingle Per&s;on; and till the Commonwealth is framed, it is uphold by this Par|liament and Army, and the many thou&s;ands, ingaged upon the account of &s;everal Lands bought of the State; which is a firm <HI>Ba&s;is,</HI> while Sectariani&s;m (upon too &s;ad experience) appears to degenerate into the vile&s;t Monarchy. And after the Common|wealth is formed, 'tis &s;upported by its own &s;weetne&s;s and profit|ablene&s;s. Thus <HI>Royali&s;ts and Sectarians mu&s;t both be kept out of office, to uphold the Commonwealth.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4, You &s;ay <HI>decay of trade will force the people to de&s;troy the Par|liament and the Cau&s;e; as judging they were the Cau&s;ers of it.</HI> Not &s;o, for 'tis clear that the &s;torms the A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">my rai&s;ed (while rampant) made rich men unwilling to venture their E&s;tates in way of tra|ding; but the Armies hurle-burlies being now laid, by the ele|ction of the turbulent Officers, trade will &s;oon revive, with &s;uch lifts as the Parliament will give to it.</P>
<P N="5"><PB N="7" REF="4">5. You &s;ay, <HI>Our Trea&s;ure is exhau&s;ted, it will be difficult to come by more, and the Army will not fight without pay; therefore the Cau&s;e mu&s;t fall.</HI> 1. Who exhau&s;ted our Trea&s;uries, but the late Officers? who hardned peoples hearts, but the late Officers and Armies Abu&s;es? 2. Would you (if you were in place again) fight without pay? or will the Sectarians, if the Parliament ac|cept them? 3. The Parliament will be able to give the Army pay, and fill up their Trea&s;uries better than any other Intere&s;t. 4. To ea&s;e the people of Taxes, the Parliament hath farmed out all the Offices of the Nation. 5. Your Expedient of receiving again the late rebellious Officers and Sectarians, will neither make the Tax come in the fa&s;ter, nor the work be carried on the cheaper, &s;ince both Sectarian and Wallingfordians are perfectly hateful to the people; &s;o that your way will never keep the Cau&s;e out of the Coffin.</P>
<P N="6">6. You farther urge, <HI>That the Parliaments enemies increa&s;e, therefore the Cau&s;e mu&s;t fall, and farewel to it for ever.</HI> 1. Its &s;trange men &s;hould &s;ay their enemies increa&s;e, who within the&s;e two Moneths, had two Armies in <HI>England</HI> again&s;t them, and now not a man that takes up a &s;word again&s;t them? 2. The &s;ober &s;ort of Engli&s;h men that were once Neuters, are now won to the Parliament, for their &s;ub<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ecting the Military to the Civil Sword, and humbling the campant Sectaries and Army Officers. 3. The&s;e new enemies (as you call them) are old ones, having fallen off from the Parliament with <HI>Ol<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ver,</HI> 7. years &s;ince; and proved their enem<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">es a&s;much as any; and therefore &s;ure you &s;peak Ironically, when you &s;ay, the Parliament kicks off their fa&s;te&s;t friends; when they lay a&s;ide &s;uch as have twice tr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">mpled on them. 4. You con|fe&s;s Malignants, Neuters, and Presbyterians come into the Par|liament, and &s;urely this is hot loo&s;ing friends, or increa&s;ing ene|mies. 5. The Parliament is ha&s;tening in that noble and glorious &s;truction of a Commonwealth; which when once &s;ettled, how ambitious will men be to &s;it under the &s;hadow of it. 6. They are about to fill up the Hou&s;e, which will actually ingage the whole Nation. I like your advice of &s;o bearing to put all magi&s;tracy <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">nto one pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;wa&s;ion<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> hand: which is a danger at the heart of all you &s;aid before, concerning Sectarians and your equal Com|monwealth is incon&s;i&s;tent with your Officers you plead for.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="5">
<P>Upon the whole matter, it appears to be the great concern of the Parliament. 1. To make all Per&s;ons that have acted in the la&s;t Rebellion, uncapable of any place of tru&s;t, or of electing o|thers to it. 2. Forthwith to fill up the Hou&s;e, that Taxes may come in peaceably, and the dis&s;atisfactions of the people may be removed. 3. To take &s;pecial care, that the old Army Officers may be &s;ecured from coming among, or tampering with the Soul|diery. 4. Not to &s;pare Seque&s;tration, and Sale of any Per&s;ons E|&s;tate not indemnified; in that thereby they be&s;t &s;ecure the Cau&s;e. Now, &s;hould the Parliament be influenced by the Coffin, the World will di&s;tru&s;t Parliamentary policy; for they run on the rock, by which they have been twice already &s;plit: they will hug tho&s;e Serpents, who&s;e venom they have &s;adly felt: and will cer|tainly loo&s;e their loyal Servant General <HI>Monck,</HI> and his faith|full Army (as is too manife&s;t already) and &s;uffer their true friends <HI>Okey, Alured, Crook,</HI> &amp;c. to be bearded by their &s;cornful ad|ver&s;aries: Crouch to tho&s;e whom they lately ca&s;hier'd: force the Nation into implacable enmity again&s;t them; tru&s;t whom they have many wayes di&s;obliged: become a Sanctuary for Traytors. And at la&s;t (in&s;tead of a happy Commonwealth) leave the har|ra&s;&s;ed Nation, to the boundle&s;s Tyranny of a Protector and his Ba&s;&s;age, till &s;ome forreign Prince be ready to &s;wallow us up: with this unhappy di&s;advantage, to decline the only friends that owned them, in the hour of their temptation: while they em|brace their trayterous enemies, that eagerly pur&s;ued theirs and <HI>Englands</HI> ruine.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>James John&s;on,</HI> 16<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">.</P>
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