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<NAME>Kate Allen</NAME>
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<PB REF="2"> A JUSTIFICATION Of the Pious and Solemn LEAGUE COVENANT, Made, and Entered into, by the Repre&s;entative Bodies of the Three Kingdoms.</P>
<P>Again&s;t Malignant Extremes, of many cavilling con|tendings of Hereticks, Carnal Libertines, and of ridged, uncharitable, and ignorant Separati&s;ts.</P>
<P>By <HI>George Palmer,</HI> A &s;triver for true Faith and Peace, be|tween exorbitant Extremes.</P>
<Q><BIBL>JOB. 38. 2.</BIBL>
<P><HI>Who is that, that darkneth Coun&s;el by words without knowledge?</HI></P>
<P><HI>&V;nder&s;tand ye bruiti&s;h among the people, and ye fools, when will ye be wi&s;e?</HI></P><BIBL> PSAL. 94. 8.</BIBL>
<P><HI>A gift doth blind the eys of the wi&s;e, and pervert the words of the righteous.</HI> <BIBL>DEUT. 16. 9.</BIBL></P></Q>
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<OPENER><DATELINE><DATE>Octob. 16.</DATE></DATELINE></OPENER>
<P> <HI>Imprimatur,</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>JOHN DOVVNAME.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>Matthew Simmons,</HI> 1649.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
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<HEAD>To the Readers.</HEAD>
<P>_BEloved, let it not &s;eem to you exceeding &s;tranger, to re|ceive &s;ome pa&s;&s;ages of Divine Truths, from the heart, head and hand of a private man, in the&s;e times of great confu&s;ions; although he appeareth but with his &s;ingle Mother-Tongue, &s;ith worthy and learned Preachers of the Word of God, appear but thin in our Pulpits, by rea&s;on of unhappy divi|&s;ions which now are among&s;t us: And if <HI>Aquila</HI> and his Wife, in the Apo&s;tles times, did help (extraordinarily) for want of plen|tiful and well enabled Preachers; I hope I may without blame, in the&s;e times (of &s;ilenced Mini&s;ters) put forth my Talent the more publikely; e&s;pecially, it coming forth with an unmasked face, in token of hone&s;ty and hone&s;t employment: pa&s;&s;ing on in the middle way of moderation, like the heart in the Body; It endea|voureth not to wander too much on the right hand of &s;uper&s;tition, nor to the left hand of profane Athei&s;me; but it gladly would re|concile extremes in all Parties. It doth not compare it &s;elf with its betters, neither doth it aym at their di&s;paragement. It de&s;ireth but plain entertainment; and is willing to admit of a tryal, and a ju&s;t correction. It looketh for mildne&s;s, though not for flattery. It di&s;cerneth &s;uch madne&s;s, that it cannot but &s;peak, though it &s;uffer for Truth, &s;ith Truth now doth &s;uffer, whil&s;t its Subjects are &s;lain. It will not be daunted without &s;ome ju&s;t cau&s;e. If cau&s;le&s;s affronted, it will yeild a reply. If kindly you'l u&s;e it, 't will thank|ful then be.</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>Farewel,</SALUTE> <HI>till (perhaps) another appeareth, who&s;e title may be</HI> A Boanergical Hunter of Vices; or an Examination of mens Aymes and Actions, with their excu&s;ive Pre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ences.</CLOSER>
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<HEAD>A JVSTIFICATION OF THE SOLEMN <HI>LEAGVE and COVENANT.</HI></HEAD>
<P>MAny are the differences, divi&s;ions, and &s;trivings (not only between true Chri&s;tians and Papi&s;ts, and other Heretiques, but) among&s;t and between Chri&s;tians and Chri&s;tians, notwith&s;tanding the&s;e divers years la|bour in a Parliamentary proceeding, and numerous &s;trikings with tongues and pens, and multiplicities of fightings and war|rings with materiall weapons; by which means much bloud hath been &s;hed, mens riches wa&s;ted, here&s;ies encrea&s;ed, (except Popery) and many thou&s;ands of bodies &s;lain. And yet our ca&s;e is &s;till eminently dangerous. So that we may revive the ancient complaint: <HI>The winter is pa&s;t, the &s;ummer is ended, but we are not helped.</HI></P>
<P>Although many were the di&s;tempers of the mi&s;ticall body of Chri&s;t, at the beginning of this our Parliament, yet the wor&s;t of them was attained by the attempt of Poperie, occa&s;ioned by the want of vigillancy to keep it out: or at lea&s;t, by not preventing its over-&s;preading among&s;t us, in or by affinitie. But now, (that being well proceeded again&s;t) we are (at pre&s;ent) well rid of it. And now our chief care is (or ought to be) how to keep it out: that being the &s;in that cau&s;eth de&s;olation (chiefly,) as in <HI>Matth.</HI> 24. 15. &amp;c. and <HI>Malachie</HI> 2. 11. 12.</P>
<P>But now we have proceeded &s;o far again&s;t that &s;inne, that we have (for the mo&s;t part of us) lo&s;t our way, and (almo&s;t) our &s;elves too; not knowing which way to turn to find out &s;uch Truths as are but meat for babes; or at lea&s;t but for &s;mall chil|dren. Yea, many have been a long time learning, and yet have &s;carce attained to milk; <HI>viz.</HI> the fundamentall Doctrines of &s;a|ving Truths. Some &s;aying this is Truth; another denying it, &s;aith the Truth is with him; and others di&s;&s;enting from them both. So that now it is high time to be obedient to the Prophets exhortation, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 8. 20. <HI>The Law and the Te&s;tament; if they &s;peak not according to this rule, it is becau&s;e there is no light in them.</HI> And if they were to have recour&s;e to the old Te&s;tament then, which had the New Te&s;tament inclo&s;ed in its womb of &s;hadows;
<PB N="2" REF="4"> we are to have our addre&s;&s;es to both: to the New as the birth, to the old as the mother that bare it; or to the one as the &s;hadow, to the other as being the &s;ub&s;tance of it.</P>
<P>But, although all are to &s;earch the Holy Scriptures, yet all are not able to under&s;tand many Truths therein contained, nece&s;&s;a|ry to be known by common Chri&s;tians. And therefore the A|po&s;tle doth command <HI>Timothie</HI> to teach the people, &amp;c. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 11. and 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. 2. And our Saviour Chri&s;t told his Di&s;ci|ples, that he would have his Pa&s;tors Stewards at his la&s;t coming, that &s;hould give to his hou&s;hold their meat in due &s;ea&s;on, as in <HI>Luk,</HI> 12. 42.</P>
<P>But, methinks I do hear &s;ome complaining &s;ay this, <HI>Our Pa|&s;tors and Teachers are defective in knowledge them&s;elves, and how then &s;hall we be taught the truth by them, at lea&s;t tho&s;e Truths about which we &s;o much di&s;cord: for they are not &s;o able as tho&s;e ought to be, that the Word of God &s;hould be committed unto, to be Teachers of others; as in</HI> 2 Tim. 2. 2. <HI>that is not able enough?</HI></P>
<P>To this I an&s;wer, Fir&s;t, We mu&s;t know that it is a &s;ign of Gods high di&s;plea&s;ure to us for our unan&s;werable walking be|fore him, according to that time and means of Grace that God already hath be&s;towed upon us; as in <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 28. 11. thus, <HI>By men of other tongues, and &s;tammering lips, will I &s;peak to this peo|ple.</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 3. 26. And therefore we mu&s;t take the councel of the Prophet <HI>Jeremy, Lam.</HI> 3. 40, 41. <HI>Let us &s;earch and try our waies, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>And turn every one of us from our evil waies, and from the violence that is in our hands,</HI> as in <HI>Ionah</HI> 3. 8. And if we &s;o do, then this will be the voice of the Lord to us, as it was by the Prophet, <HI>Ier.</HI> 3. 15. <HI>I will give you Pa&s;tors according to my heart, which &s;hall feed you with know|ledge and under&s;tanding.</HI> But untill this be done, God will &s;peak to us by men of &s;tammering lips, as in <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 28. 11. afore&s;aid, and <HI>Ezek.</HI> 3. 26. fully doth appear.</P>
<P>But may &s;ome man &s;ay unto me, How &s;hall tho&s;e of us, who are weak in knowledge, demean our &s;elves in the interim, &s;eeing wickedne&s;s, violence, and abhominations are &s;o numerou&s;ly com|mitted in all places in our land, in all &s;orts of people, yea among&s;t
<PB N="3" REF="4"> many of tho&s;e that are in places of tru&s;t, to manage tho&s;e things that &s;hould be carried on for our happine&s;s in this world, and in the world to come: Yea, who fight and war (many of them) to make greater divi&s;ions among&s;t us, that &s;o they may fi&s;h the bet|ter in our troubled waters. Many of the one party to &s;atisfie their carnal lu&s;ts, plead for the Kings right in pretence, (but ayming at an unlimited power in the King) hoping that a toleration would then be granted them to live as they li&s;t, to dominere, &s;wagger, &s;wear, &s;trout, and look &s;tern over their brethren, becau&s;e of their gay clothes, large revenues, rich coffers, and windy Titles, though void of vertue, and as empty of good employment: yea, many living upon robbery, and the &s;poil of hone&s;t men. The&s;e would have their old waies of government revived again, or el&s;e they will accept of none at all: although (by that means) Po|pery come in again, accompanied with &s;even devils wor&s;e than it was before this Parliament began: for, by rea&s;on of the affinity with Popi&s;h Idolaters, they being fru&s;trate of their enterpri&s;es,) we &s;hall (too &s;oon) &s;ee them acting as fiery, as <HI>Samp&s;ons</HI> fiery tayled foxes, to &s;cortch the true godly Chri&s;tians. And thus much for the one party, chiefly (for the pre&s;ent) that hindreth the &s;et|ling of a godly government in the three Kingdoms e&s;pecially, both in Religion, and in the Civil Rights and Safeties of all men therein in general. I call the&s;e one party, becau&s;e they all &s;tick to|gether in this way, agreeing like <HI>Herod,</HI> and <HI>Pontius Pilate.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd Party that hindreth our welfare both in Church and State (for the pre&s;ent) are the rigid Separati&s;ts, (for although many on both &s;ides be wayward, and too ignorant and peevi&s;h, yet the extremes are tho&s;e that work our mi&s;ery) the&s;e are as much too wide on the one hand, as the former are on the other. The&s;e would have no Government, be it good or bad; neither Superiour nor Inferior; and herein they differ not onely from the &s;haddow-rea&s;onable, and &s;tinging Bees, but are al&s;o wor&s;e herein than the Devils, for they have a &s;uperiority among&s;t them.</P>
<P>And I am &s;ure there is a &s;uperiority among&s;t the Cele&s;tial creatures: for the Scripture telleth us of an Arch-angel, and Angels, Seraphins, and Cherubims, &amp;c. And when God cho&s;e him a people out of all the Nations of the earth, he then appoint|ed
<PB N="4" REF="5"> Superiors and Inferiors: Fir&s;t, a <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and an <HI>Aaron,</HI> and after that (as the people multiplyed) divers Judges (&s;ubordinate|ly) as Governors of thou&s;ands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And in the Admini&s;trations of holy things, there were High-Prie&s;ts, chief Prie&s;ts, and Levits, &amp;c. Yea, afterwards (when they became National) they had their Nobles al&s;o. Thus had they their Rulers, and their ruled; their Superiors, and their Inferi|ors; but never were they allowed to be as tho&s;e which we call wild-Iri&s;h. Afterwards when our Lord Je&s;us came in the fle&s;h, and altered the Admini&s;tration of heavenly things, he did not ordain a parity among&s;t men; there were Admini&s;trators of the Word and Sacraments (to be &s;ucce&s;&s;ively, &s;o after his going from this world (corporally) and after his twelve Apo&s;tles decea&s;e,) as in <HI>Titus,</HI> and al&s;o <HI>Tim.</HI> as when him&s;elf was on earth, he cho&s;e illiterate men, and taught them the my&s;terie of their &s;alvation, and enabled them with extraordinary knowledge and under|&s;tanding in the &s;ame, that they might be able to preach the true doctrine of &s;alvation to others, after his departure, without here|&s;ies or errors. But, after Chri&s;t was gone from them, they them|&s;elves ordained to be the Preachers of the Go&s;pel and becau&s;e tho&s;e which they ordained to be the Preachers of the Go&s;pel to others, were not &s;o eminently infallible, or &s;o &s;ublime in their knowledg in the my&s;tery of God in Chri&s;t, as them&s;elves were, and yet mu&s;t be the ordainers of other Preachers of the Go&s;pel, therefore they had a Directory given them, as a rule to guide them in the proving and chu&s;ing of the Preachers and Teachers of the Word of God to the people; as in <HI>Tit.</HI> 1. 5. to the end of the ninth ver&s;e. Yea, S. <HI>Paul</HI> renders a rea&s;on to him, why he committed this and the like great bu&s;ine&s;s to his care and performance, as a hint to him to prove him&s;elf by; le&s;t &s;ome that &s;hould be the pro|vers of others for the Mini&s;try of the Go&s;pel, &s;hould (too unhappi|ly) be too defective them&s;elves; as in 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3. 10. to the end of the 15. ver&s;e, in the&s;e words, <HI>Thou ha&s;t fully known my doctrine, man|ner of life, &amp;c.</HI> And <HI>Timothy</HI> mu&s;t <HI>commit tho&s;e things which he had received of the Apo&s;tle, to faithful men, who were (able) to teach others al&s;o,</HI> as in 2 Tim. 2. 2. But <HI>Timothy</HI> might not chu&s;e a No|vice to be a preacher of the Go&s;pel; and the rea&s;on thereof <HI>Paul</HI>
<PB N="5" REF="5"> rendreth in the&s;e words, <HI>Le&s;t he be puffed up with pride (of &s;pirit) and &s;o fall into the condemnation of the devil.</HI> For &s;uch men will teach many things which they do not under&s;tand, becau&s;e they would be thought to be more knowing in divine Truths then they are, and &s;o lead &s;illy men and women into errors and here|&s;ies. And for want of a lawful and well regulated ordination, many (among&s;t many &s;orts of people among&s;t us in the&s;e our daies) do mo&s;t fearfully mi&s;carry, in matters both of doctrine, manner of divine wor&s;hip, and Church-government, and al&s;o in the Civil State. Therefore the&s;e things being thus out of order, you are to cleave clo&s;e to the fundamental Truths of our true Religion, until the Lord be plea&s;ed to remedy it at his plea&s;ure. In the mean time, you are to pray to him for amendment in the &s;ame, and to u&s;e all lawful means to procure it in your &s;everal vo|cations, &amp;c. The means to be u&s;ed for the procuring of a godly &s;et|led government, both in Church and Civil State, to prevent both parties of their exorbitant extremes; the one from their licenti|ou&s;ne&s;s, and the other from &s;chi&s;mes, here&s;ies, and confu&s;ions, is (as I conceive) for the more moderate party on both &s;ides, to &s;ettle them&s;elves clo&s;e to the &s;olemn League and Covenant, made by our Worthies of the Synod, and authori&s;ed by the honourable A&s;&s;embly in Parliament; the which hath bin entred into, both by them&s;elves who repre&s;ented us&punc; and many of us in our own per&s;ons, and for the breach of which, both parties have bin hither|to plagued from God.</P>
<P>Therefore it is good for us to take notice of this Covenant, a|gain&s;t tho&s;e that contemn it. And to the end that none may e|&s;teem light of it, let us examine it, whether it be warrantable ac|cording to the Analogie of holy Scriptures, both for the &s;ub&s;tance of it, and al&s;o for its binding nature to tho&s;e that have entred in|to it, by a promi&s;ary oath, with lifted up hands to almighty God, who will not be mocked (as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith,) As al&s;o the ble&s;|&s;ings promi&s;ed to tho&s;e that keep their vows, and lawful Cove|nant with God. And the fearful cur&s;es that are threatned to the carele&s;s contemners of the &s;ame, together with dreadful examples of Gods wrath upon &s;uch as have broken the &s;ame.</P>
<P>To be brief in tho&s;e pa&s;&s;ages that lea&s;t concern us, is tolerable:
<PB N="6" REF="6"> as &s;ome things are in the &s;ame, at lea&s;t in this fir&s;t branch of it.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is to pre&s;erve the reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland, in Doctrine, Wor&s;hip, Di&s;cipline and Government, again&s;t our common enemies. This concerneth them&s;elves to &s;ee whether it be true or fal&s;e: for we are tyed but to endea|vour to pre&s;erve it to them: we are not bound to make it our rule or guide; at lea&s;t no farther than we can prove it warrant|able by the Word of God: this clau&s;e of this fir&s;t Article extend|eth to us no farther: therefore hitherto we are &s;afely and war|rantably engaged.</P>
<P>The next branch is, concerning the Reformation of Religi|on, in the Kingdoms of England and Ireland, in Doctrine, Wor|&s;hip, Di&s;cipline and Government, according to the Word of God, and the example of the be&s;t reformed Churches.</P>
<P>This clau&s;e &s;uppo&s;eth &s;ome defects in our Churches of England and Ireland, in Doctrine, Wor&s;hip, Di&s;cipline and Government: but &s;o far, and no farther than we can &s;o prove it to be by the Word of God; but if we &s;ee &s;omething to be hardly under&s;tood in the Word of God, for guiding us in &s;ome points for decency, or uniformitie and unitie in &s;ome things of lea&s;t concernment (in them&s;elves con&s;idered) then, we are to look to the practice of other Chri&s;tian Churches. And this is commanded in <HI>Canticles:</HI> that when we are out of the way, or at lea&s;t in doubt of being right in it, &s;omethings (e&s;pecially of &s;mall concernment) we then are to follow the foot-&s;teps of the flock, chap. 1. ver&s;. 8. And therefore this branch doth bear &s;ound fruit, you may feed of it without danger.</P>
<P>The third and la&s;t branch of this Article is, That we endea|vour to bring the Churches of God in the three Kingdoms, to the neere&s;t conjunction and uniformitie in Religion, confe&s;&s;ion of Faith, form of Church Government and Directory for Wor|&s;hip and Catechi&s;ing. This branch aimeth at a great conveni|encie, and that is declared in the concluding rea&s;on; <HI>viz.</HI> That we and our po&s;teritie after us, may as Brethren live in faith and love, that &s;o the Lord may delight to dwell in the mid&s;t of us. Conjunction in uniformitie in Religion, occa&s;ioneth unitie of af|fection, as brethren &s;hould have. And this is &s;o ble&s;&s;ed a union,
<PB N="7" REF="6"> that the Prophet <HI>David</HI> did admire it in the&s;e words, <HI>O how hap|py a thing it is for brethren to live together in unitie? it is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aarons beard: that went down to the skirts of his gra|ment, as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that de&s;cended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the ble&s;|&s;ing, even life for evermore.</HI> P&s;al. 133. And be&s;ides all this, when three are well united together, they will be then the more able to with&s;tand the common enemie; And &s;o goeth the common proverb thus, <HI>A threefold cord will hardly be broken.</HI> Thus have we &s;ailed &s;afely thorow this fir&s;t Article, and are arived at the &s;econd.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t &s;tep in our landing is &s;et again&s;t Popery, without re|&s;pect of per&s;ons, for the extirpation thereof. I hope all hone&s;t men do &s;ay Amen to this; for God hath in all the Scripture for|bid that Mon&s;ter, and threatned it, and its adherents. If any will take its part to oppo&s;e me in this; I am ready to give him a reply.</P>
<P>The &s;econd is again&s;t Prelacy: and that you may know what is meant by this word, it is therefore expounded within two Semi-circles, by way of parenthe&s;is. To &s;peak briefly, it is to extirpate the former high order and form of the govern|ment of the Church. This alteration is thought to be conveni|ent to keep out the former mon&s;ter. And &s;urely the height of that order was not tollerable, although in ca&s;e the prime of that order had been taken away, and the re&s;idue of them only clipt, and better quallified by lawfull cannons and decrees, for rules for them to rule by, and re&s;traints to them&s;elves al&s;o. They might (perhaps) have been lawfull and convenient too: but if another Government may be as convenient for the Church as that &s;o qua|lified afore&s;aid might then have been, Why may not we now ac|cept of it; and the rather becau&s;e our neighbour Church is al|ready &s;o governed, and mo&s;t other of reformed Churches, <HI>viz.</HI> Presbyterially, and it keeps the Church at a greater di&s;tance from Court: And al&s;o becau&s;e uniformitie in Government occa&s;ioneth a clo&s;er unitie in affection? But I could wi&s;h it might be per|formed with as little prejudice and hinderance to the e&s;tates of
<PB N="8" REF="7"> tho&s;e in the former frame of Government as may po&s;&s;ibly be. However, we have now covenanted with God by oath, again&s;t that high order of Government: and therefore we mu&s;t now &s;tand to it (it being not again&s;t any &s;pecial part of Gods Word, if differing from any of it.) You may &s;ee this to be a truth, by examining the Covenant made by the Elders of I&s;rael with the Gibeonites, as is in the foot of this Covenant quoted, with the cur&s;e of God to I&s;rael upon the breach of it, by King <HI>Saul</HI> and his &s;ubjects. Therefore, thus far we may conclude in this Article with excu&s;ing con&s;ciences.</P>
<P>The next in order in this Article, is called Super&s;tition, or, unruly will, in unwarrantable wor&s;hip and &s;erving of God. A dangerous fellow (if followed can be) the fore-runner of here&s;ie: therefore both the&s;e are worthy to be extirpated, as we have pro|mi&s;ed to our God, to our power.</P>
<P>The next pillar of mi&s;chief is called Schi&s;me: And this is contrary to the con&s;titution of Chri&s;ts Church, and the rea&s;on of its good con&s;titution, as in 1 Cor. 12. 24, 25. &amp;c. <HI>God hath tem|pered the body together, &amp;c. that there &s;hould be no &s;chi&s;me in the body, but that the members &s;hould have the &s;ame care one of ano|ther; and whether one member &s;uffer, all the members &s;uffer with it: or one member be honoured, all the members rejoyce with it, &amp;c.</HI> And therefore tho&s;e that do di&s;allow this branch of the Cove|nant, made, and taken again&s;t it, mu&s;t be thought to be Schi&s;ma|ticks. And tho&s;e that are &s;uch, are wor&s;e than the &s;ouldiers that would not rend the coat of Chri&s;t, John. 19. 14. for Schi&s;me is rending, and tho&s;e that rend the my&s;tical body of Chri&s;t, are (&s;piritual) murderers of &s;ouls and bodies al&s;o; For tho&s;e that rend member from member, (e&s;pecially many members a&s;under) mu&s;t needs be deprivers of the body of its life; for they thereby do hinder tho&s;e members of their mutual &s;uccours that &s;hould pre&s;erve them; as in 1 Cor. 12. 24, and 25. afore&s;aid, <HI>viz.</HI> By taking care each of other divers waies, for the good of both &s;oul and body. And therefore this kind of dividing is utterly forbid by S. <HI>Paul,</HI> Rom. 16. 17. and many other places more. But, in the&s;e our times, we are &s;o blind (by rea&s;on of Gods judgements upon us becau&s;e of our &s;ins) that tho&s;e that are the chief Schi&s;ma|tical
<PB N="9" REF="7"> &s;oul-murderers, do not believe (or at lea&s;t will not confe&s;s) them&s;elves to be tho&s;e &s;chi&s;maticks &s;poken of in holy Scripture, although they do confe&s;s that &s;chi&s;me or rending a&s;under, is the dividing of true members, (according to the rule of charity by which we &s;hould judge; that is to &s;ay, the &s;ame that the Pro|phets and Apo&s;tles have laid down for us to be guided by) a&s;un|der, the one from the other; for God only, (or &s;trictly and in|fallibly) knoweth the heart. The rule therefore laid down for us to judge a member of Chri&s;ts my&s;tical body by, is their con|fe&s;&s;ion and practi&s;e of that which God in Chri&s;t hath command|ed, and in the &s;everal degrees and mea&s;ures, as tho&s;e that are re|corded in holy Scriptures, and accounted members of Chri&s;ts my|&s;tical body did perform. The matter of confe&s;&s;ion of faith in Fundamentals, are not very much in contention among&s;t us, at lea&s;t, not among&s;t the moderate party on both &s;ides; but about our pre&s;ervation and well-being on the &s;ame. Therefore I will pa&s;s by that point, and in&s;i&s;t a while upon the &s;econd; namely, the practi&s;e of tho&s;e that were in the holy Scriptures, e&s;teemed members of Chri&s;ts my&s;tical body; and more chiefly upon tho&s;e, or &s;ome fevv of tho&s;e that were e&s;teemed lea&s;t fruitful. Le&s;t we looking for a hundred fold, or at lea&s;t &s;ixty fold, do not regard, or rightly judge or e&s;teem of the ground or trees that bring but thirty fold of good fruit, and &s;o rend our &s;elves from them, and expo&s;e them to mi&s;ery, and procure the judgements of God up|on our &s;elves too, for our &s;o doing.</P>
<P>In 1 Cor. 6. we may &s;ee, that they too much hankered after fornication, and had &s;ome want of love (in &s;uch a mea&s;ure as ought to be in them) yea, they did defraud and wrong each o|ther, as you may &s;ee in ver. 8. and yet tho&s;e, the Apo&s;tle acknow|led <HI>to be wa&s;hed and &s;anctified by the Spirit, that had wrought in them true faith:</HI> as in the latter part of ver&s;e 11. you may &s;ee. And although he told them in the former part of this ver&s;e, that they had bin &s;o bad, and in the latter part of it, that now they were wa&s;hed, which might imply, that they were not now &s;uch gro&s;s &s;inners as we are apt to conceive them to be: for you may therefore &s;ee in the former ver&s;e, that they formerly had taken their full &s;wing in tho&s;e &s;ins he mentioneth to them there:
<PB N="10" REF="8"> But &s;till they had &s;uch a mea&s;ure of unmortified corruption in them, that they were &s;wayed towards it &s;till; &s;o, as they were too ready to be overtaken in tho&s;e &s;ins, though not habitually in the capital actings of them; as in the 8. ver&s;e afore&s;aid is cleer|ly to be &s;een. For S. <HI>Paul,</HI> who had (perhaps) brought forth the hundred fold of good fruit, cryed out, <HI>O wretched man that I am, who &s;hall deliver me from the body of this death. &amp;c. I find a Law in my fle&s;h, rebelling again&s;t the Law of my mind, leading me captive to the law of &s;in:</HI> that is to &s;ay, to &s;uch &s;ins as were not capital &s;ins; or to &s;peak &s;afely and &s;urely, not habitually to commit &s;uch &s;ins. And in Colo&s;&s;. 3. 5. <HI>Paul</HI> exhorteth them <HI>to mortifie their members, which were then too earthly, as to for|nication, uncleane&s;s, inordinate affection, evil concupi&s;cence, and the Idolatry of covertou&s;ne&s;s:</HI> and he telleth them in the next ver&s;e, that <HI>the time was that they lived in tho&s;e &s;ins;</HI> that is, they habitually committed tho&s;e &s;ins in the capital action, without reluctance. And in ver&s;e 8. you may &s;ee what &s;ins they had not yet put off, (by rea&s;on of their unadvi&s;edne&s;s, and want of a great|er mea&s;ure of godly fear and care) as <HI>anger, wrath, malice, bla&s;|phemy, filthy communication,</HI> and the like: And yet, notwith|&s;tanding all this, he &s;aith in the latter part of ver&s;e 9. that <HI>they had put off the old man with his deeds;</HI> that is, they had in the gene|ral purpo&s;e of their &s;ouls, &s;et them&s;elves again&s;t the body of their old corruptions, though &s;till they could not ab&s;olutely over|come them &s;o fully, but that their corruptions would &s;omtime &s;oyl them &s;till. I need not produce any more &s;criptures to prove this point of Doctrine; it is &s;o cleerly proved already, that I may &s;ay to him that will &s;till oppo&s;e it, as &s;omtime it was &s;aid, and &s;o is yet &s;till; <HI>Let him that is ignorant, be ignorant &s;till.</HI></P>
<P>What, do you think that tho&s;e that have but the &s;malle&s;t mea|&s;ure of &s;aving grace, have &s;o great a mea&s;ure of hungring and thir&s;ting after holy things, as tho&s;e that have the greater gifts of faith and &s;anctity? Or, have all the like mea&s;ure of brokenne&s;s of heart? Have all the like degree of fiery zeal, and obedience? If &s;o, Why then did our Saviour prevent the di&s;couraging of weak ones, by &s;aying, <HI>He did not come to break the brui&s;ed reed, neither would he quench the &s;moking flax?</HI> What more familiar, tender,
<PB N="11" REF="8"> and indulgenter expre&s;&s;ion can be put forth to the encourage|ment of tho&s;e of &s;mal beginnings of &s;aving-grace, than this is? And what &s;maller beginnings can there be imagined to be in any man, than this which our Saviour doth own; Flax being an ex|ceeding combu&s;tible &s;ub&s;tance, taking flame with the lea&s;t fire, and will hardly &s;moke before it flame; &s;o apt is it to fire: Yet if a man have but &s;o &s;mal an inclination to that which is the word and will of God, that he can but &s;moke as it were, he is regar|ded of Chri&s;t; the &s;eed of Grace are as &s;mal as mu&s;tard&s;eed; and therefore the fir&s;t &s;prouting of them mu&s;t needs be &s;mal.</P>
<P>God is not &s;o &s;trict with weak Chri&s;tians, as to exact of them hearts &s;o broken as <HI>Davids</HI> was, as is mentioned in his 51. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> But if &s;ome hearts be but brui&s;ed a little, it is accepted for the pre&s;ent: It might be expected by us, that &s;o weak a creature as a reed is, &s;hould be broken quite a&s;under, if once &s;mitten by Gods hand; but Chri&s;t is more tender towards &s;uch a one; as it is in the text, <HI>I came not to break the brui&s;ed reed,</HI> &amp;c. and tho&s;e that are but &s;o little wrought upon, have more remnants of corru|ptions in them, than tho&s;e &s;o broken as <HI>Davids</HI> was; his heart being &s;mitten with a greater &s;troke.</P>
<P>And now I &s;hall de&s;ire to be re&s;olved (by tho&s;e of the Separa|tion among&s;t us) the&s;e following que&s;tions,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Whether it be not a &s;ufficient rule for you and us to ap|prove of tho&s;e to be members of a true Church, whom we hear acknowledge the fundamental Truths of our true Religion, and profe&s;&s;e to live accordingly, although they have as many failings in their practice of Godly actions, as tho&s;e had which the Apo|&s;tle acknowledged to be the members of the true Church, in the Apo&s;tles time of his preaching to them?</P>
<P>Secondly, Whether you do not deny &s;ome now to be accoun|ted the members of the true Church, or my&s;tical body of Chri&s;t, who are not (at lea&s;t to your knowledge) &s;o bad in their de|meanour, as tho&s;e the Apo&s;tle did receive to be members of the true Church of Chri&s;t, in the time of his preaching or writing to them?</P>
<P>Thirdly, Whether it be warrantable to expunge &s;ome quite out of the religious A&s;&s;emblies of the Church, that are more di&s;|orderly
<PB N="12" REF="9"> and di&s;obedient to the doctrine and di&s;cipline of the Church, than tho&s;e were in the former Epi&s;tles now lately quo|ted; e&s;pecially upon your meditating of tho&s;e pa&s;&s;ages of the &s;ame Apo&s;tle in his Epi&s;tles to the The&s;&s;alonians, 1 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 5. 14. and 2 <HI>The&s;.</HI> 3. 14. the words in the fir&s;t Epi&s;tle are the&s;e, <HI>Warn the unruly.</HI> The words of the &s;econd Epi&s;tle are the&s;e, <HI>If any man obey not our Epi&s;tle, note that man, and have no company with him; that he may be &s;hamed: yet count him not as an enemy, but admoni&s;h him as a brother&punc;</HI> as in ver&s;. 15?</P>
<P>Fourthly, Whether the Congregational party, or any other Church can (ordinarily and certainly (at lea&s;t &s;ingular-generally) know a true member of the true Church of Chri&s;t; <HI>viz.</HI> whe|ther he hath &s;aving grace in his heart?</P>
<P>Fifthly, If in ca&s;e no Church can u&s;ually, or ordinarily, by &s;ignes or otherwi&s;e, know &s;ingular-generally and exactly, who hath &s;aving grace in his heart: why then &s;hould any Church be &s;o boldly &s;trict in the choice of their members, as the Congrega|tional party, or as the Separates are with us?</P>
<P>Sixthly, Why then are the more part of the Congregational party, or Seperati&s;ts, &s;o much again&s;t a Parochial mini&s;tery of the word of God; if the more part of my premi&s;ed que&s;tions be granted me?</P>
<P>Seventhly, Whether every Pari&s;h (that hath men inhabiting in it) may not and ought not to have a preaching Mini&s;ter of the word of God to them, if in ca&s;e that none of them have &s;aving Grace in them, (&s;o as they are content to have one in either of them,) for-as-much as it is the means to beget Faith in tho&s;e that have it not in them?</P>
<P>Eighthly, Why &s;hould the Congregationall or Separati&s;t par|ty plead, That men mu&s;t come out from their Pari&s;hes or remote dwellings to hear the word of God, or el&s;e they &s;hall not have it carried home to them; &s;ith we (and I hope many of them) know that it is the word of God carried home to a people, that mu&s;t fir&s;t beget a liking of it, and a de&s;ire to follow it; as we have clear example hereof, in our Saviours practice, and in his Apo&s;tles al|&s;o, who went and preached to tho&s;e that were unbeleevers, to beget this love and de&s;ire to hear it in the time following.</P>
<PB N="13" REF="9">
<P> Ninthly, Whether (if in ca&s;e few or none would by that means for the pre&s;ent be converted) that yet many by tho&s;e Preachers might not be thereby re&s;trained from breaking out into many &s;ins; by illuminating their under&s;tandings, and &s;etting their Con|&s;ciences to accu&s;e them?</P>
<P>Tenthly, Whether the want of this Parochial mini&s;try, hath not, doth not, and yet &s;till will not be a means to pervert the more part of the whole Kingdom (if it be not timely redre&s;&s;ed) to here&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s, and all ungodline&s;s, to their everla&s;ting damnation, and the mole&s;tation and rooting out of the godly Chri&s;tians from this Kingdom?</P>
<P>Eleventhly, Whether the Separati&s;ts by their unwarrantable &s;eparating from other Chri&s;tians in their publike A&s;&s;emblies in the Wor&s;hip and Service of God; have not occa&s;ioned the more part of all this mi&s;chief and mi&s;ery that have come upon the&s;e three Kingdoms the&s;e la&s;t three yeers and more; when the go|vernment of the Church might have bin &s;etled according to good Propo&s;itions, and a&s;&s;ented unto by the King (at that time,) and the extreme Carnali&s;ts, and the &s;ubtil Je&s;uits prevented of their aimes?</P>
<P>Twelftly, Whether it can be proved out of holy Scripture tolerable, to &s;eparate from tho&s;e that (according to the Analogie of Scripture) may be thought to be true members of a true Church, in their religious A&s;&s;emblies; though there be &s;ome differences in their Ceremonial ge&s;tures in &s;ome &s;mall matters, e&s;pecially doubtfully mentioned in the Word of God?</P>
<P>Thirteenthly, Whether you would have more liberty for your Con&s;ciences, then God by his Word doth allow you?</P>
<P>Fourteenthly, Whether it be not wilfulne&s;s, or &s;uper&s;titious ob&s;tinacy in any man, to plead for more liberty of Con&s;cience than the Scriptures doth afford: the Scriptures being plain for the rule of Con&s;cience, unle&s;s in &s;ome few ca&s;es of le&s;&s;er weight?</P>
<P>Fifteenthly, Whether in tho&s;e ca&s;es of le&s;&s;er weight, the De|crees or Laws of the Church (made by the more Superior Pow|ers of the &s;ame) for uniformity and conveniencie, be not a rule warranted by the Word of God for the &s;atisfying of a (true) ten|der Con&s;cience, in tho&s;e ca&s;es; &s;ith S. <HI>Paul</HI> giveth general rules
<PB N="14" REF="10"> in his Epi&s;tles for &s;ome things, and exhorteth the Churches to the obedience to the &s;ame. <HI>What&s;oever things are comely,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>pro|vide things honest in the &s;ight of all men. Judge in your &s;elves,</HI> &amp;c. Yea, he &s;aith of him&s;elf, that in a ca&s;e mentioned in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7. 25, 26. He <HI>had no command from God, but would give his advice,</HI> &amp;c. That, being but his advice, was to be a rule for (all) tho&s;e Chur|ches, and ours too, (in the like ca&s;e as they were in.) And the&s;e are &s;ome of tho&s;e ca&s;es of le&s;&s;e concernment that he gave his ge|neral exhortations to tho&s;e in tho&s;e times for their complyance thereunto; as thus, <HI>be ye [all] of one mind, and of one judgement,</HI> &amp;c. For although that the&s;e things are but &s;mal (in them&s;elves con&s;idered) yet are they exceeding convenient in their unifor|mitie; or mi&s;chievous when they are in the contrary; and will too &s;oon occa&s;ion men to be in the extremes; and after that make a rent or &s;chi&s;me?</P>
<P>Sixteenthly, Whether the adhering to a warrantable Cove|nant (&s;uch as I hope this will appear to be) will not e&s;pecially remedy the&s;e things thus much now ami&s;s, and bring many able preachers (who now are not labourers in the preaching mini&s;te|ry of the word of God) to be fellow-helpers in that work, who are kept out by rea&s;on of their &s;iding too much on the contrary extreme part: This being as &s;o many articles or decrees for rules for both the extreme parties, like that made by the Apo&s;tles, in <HI>Act.</HI> 15. for the regulating of tho&s;e primative Churches, when tho&s;e Chri&s;tians became numerous. For although one &s;teward may &s;erve a few per&s;ons, yet more Officers and al&s;o lawes and decrees for their guidance (like Statute Lawes to keep them in a due order) are required for greater numbers. And thus much (at pre&s;ent) &s;hall &s;uffice about the word Schi&s;me, and &s;ome of the Schi&s;maticks mentioned in this Covenant; adding one word on our party for our warrant for our not walking with them in &s;uch divi&s;ions; and that is out of <HI>Rom.</HI> 16. 17. in which place we are commanded to avoid them; and are told in plain terms, that <HI>tho&s;e that were the makers of tho&s;e divi&s;ions did not &s;erve the Lord Chri&s;t, but their own paunches:</HI> although many of the &s;e|duced were innocent-hearted, as many among&s;t us are in the&s;e our times.</P>
<PB N="15" REF="10">
<P> The next puddle mentioned in this &s;econd Article, is Profane&s;s, and what&s;oever &s;hall be found to be contrary to &s;ound Doctrine, and the power of Godline&s;s&punc; None will di&s;like this, but profane and ungodly per&s;ons. And if they will not embrace this, in love to God and godline&s;s, yet they have cau&s;e to adhere to it, for fear of the danger that will follow the contemners of it, as is menti|oned in the following words <HI>(viz.)</HI> Le&s;t we partaking in other mens &s;ins, do al&s;o partake in their puni&s;hments; and that the Lord may be one in the three Kingdoms. This is a &s;weet pre|&s;ervative from a helli&s;h potion. Thus have we pa&s;&s;ed the&s;e dan|gerous rocks, and &s;afely are landing at our Ca&s;tle of defence, which is our third Article; By which we are enjoyned, to endeavour with &s;incerity of heart, reality, and con&s;tancie, in our &s;everal vo|cations, with our E&s;tates and Lives, mutually to pre&s;erve the the Rights and Priviledges of Parliament, and the Liberties of the Kingdoms; and to pre&s;erve and defend the Kings Maje&s;ties Per&s;on and Authority, in the pre&s;ervation and defence of the true Religion, and Liberties of the Kingdoms; that the world may bear witne&s;s with our Con&s;ciences of our loyalty, and that we have no thoughts or intentions to dimini&s;h his ju&s;t power and greatne&s;s. I &s;ee no difficulty in all this Article, wherein any ho|ne&s;t man may be perplexed. As for our adhering to the King, we, and tho&s;e that plead mo&s;t for him, may well agree together in this branch, unle&s;s they would have him pre&s;erved without the maintaining of the true Religion among&s;t us; by which, both King and Subjects mu&s;t be &s;aved; and without which, both King and Subjects mu&s;t be damned: Some little &s;cruple may &s;eem to ly in this expre&s;&s;ion, as though &s;ome defect were in the ex|tent of; but however, if this be too &s;hort, yet &s;o much as is expre&s;|&s;ed, may &s;afely be adhered unto. Therefore tho&s;e that oppo&s;e this, are in the &s;tate (for the pre&s;ent) of the incarnate devils. And therefore it is fitting, that this faithfulne&s;s of his well-affected Subjects, &s;hould be publi&s;hed, to declare their fidelity to all the world, for a te&s;timony again&s;t tho&s;e that are their crafty and &s;landerous accu&s;ers. And this is a cau&s;e of joy and exaltation, warranted by Scripture, Rev. 12. 10. <HI>The Accu&s;er of our Bre|thren is ca&s;t down, which accu&s;ed them before our God day and</HI>
<PB N="16" REF="11"> <HI>night, &amp;c.</HI> Therefore hitherto we have walked (not upon rot|ten boggs, but) upon firm &s;ure ground, and are approched to the fourth Article.</P>
<P>This fourth Article doth aym at the arming of our &s;elves, and endevoring to pre&s;erve us from tho&s;e that would prevent us from the having and enjoying of that happy condition mentioned in the immediate precedent Article. And who dares &s;ay, but that this is warrantable, as a Ca&s;tle, or Bulwark, to keep out ene|mies that would de&s;troy us? And the better to &s;ecure our &s;elves from this harm, (we having e&s;pied another defen&s;ive Hold, adja|cent to this our own) we have united our &s;elves to it, for our more &s;ure defence; And this Hold is the Scots, mentioned in the fifth Article next &s;ucceeding. None will be again&s;t this, but tho&s;e that have a de&s;ire to &s;poil us. And therefore they are like that <HI>roaring Lyon, who rangeth about continually, &s;eeking whom he may devour:</HI> as in 1 Pet. 5. 8. whom we are to re&s;i&s;t, ver&s;e 9.</P>
<P>I am now to view the &s;ixt Article, wherein I find the &s;cope to be (for preventing our ruine) to defend each other in the main|taining this Covenant, again&s;t all tho&s;e that by any means would make a divi&s;ion among&s;t the Covenanters, to weaken their joynt affections from the &s;ame. And this we are to do zealou&s;ly all the daies of our lives, by all po&s;&s;ible means, to prevent or remove the &s;ame mi&s;chief: and this we are to do, as in the &s;ight of God; that is, with true and &s;incere hearts: and good rea&s;on, that good actions &s;hould be performed with &s;incerity of heart, as well as with the bodily members. To this agreeth that in the Proverbs, <HI>My Son, give me thy heart;</HI> and in other places, the voice of God is in complaint again&s;t men, in the&s;e words; <HI>Their hearts are far from me.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;eventh and la&s;t Article or conclu&s;ion, containeth an humble and &s;orrowful confe&s;&s;ion of our &s;ins to Almighty God; the which hath brought the&s;e manifold di&s;tre&s;&s;es upon us, as the fruit of our &s;ins, and the &s;ins of the Kingdoms in general, &amp;c. and that now we would amend our demeanour in time to come, in all things; that the Lord may turn away his wrath and heavie indignation from us, and e&s;tabli&s;h the&s;e Churches and Kingdoms in Truth and Peace. And this Covenant we make in the pre|&s;ence
<PB N="17" REF="11"> of Almighty God, the &s;earcher of all hearts, with a true intention to perform the &s;ame, as we &s;hall an&s;wer at that great day, when the &s;ecrets of all hearts &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ll be di&s;clo&s;ed; praying to God, that he would give us grace to perform this our duty, and to ble&s;s our de&s;ires, and endevours to perform the &s;ame &s;o, as may be deliverance and &s;afety to his people, and encouragement to other Chri&s;tian Churches, groning under, or in danger of the yoke of Antichri&s;tian tyrannie, to joyn in the &s;ame or like A&s;&s;o|ciation and Covenant, to the glory of God, the enlargement of the Kingdom of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and the peace and tranquility of Chri&s;tian Kingdoms and Common-wealths.</P>
<P>This la&s;t Article, is for the reformation of our lives and con|ver&s;ations; by Confe&s;&s;ion, Repentance, and Humiliation, Pray|er, and promi&s;e by the a&s;&s;i&s;ting Grace of God, to live to his glory in time to come; and that according to this Covenant, taken &s;o|lemnly in the pre&s;ence of God the &s;earcher of all hearts. And that God would be plea&s;ed to turn away his wrath and indignation from us, and e&s;tabli&s;h us in peace. And that hereby other Chri&s;ti|an Churches may be encouraged to joyn in an A&s;&s;ociation and Covenant &s;omwhat an&s;werable to this, to the glory of God, the enlargement of the Kingdom of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and the peace and happine&s;s of them all.</P>
<P>The whole Book of God commands and commends all this Article unto us, threatning the neglect and contempt thereof. And therefore who but ungodly men will refu&s;e to &s;ub&s;cribe to this Article?</P>
<P>Now then, all the &s;cope of this Covenant being &s;o con&s;onant to the will of God, we are to expect the ble&s;&s;ing of God, (in ca&s;e we do endeavour to keep and perform it) and the cur&s;e of God (in ca&s;e we contrariwi&s;e behave our &s;elves towards it.) And there|fore, as &s;ome were to &s;tand upon Mount Gerizzim to ble&s;s the children of I&s;rael, in ca&s;e they would be obedient to the Will and Command of God, and others to &s;tand upon the Mount E|bal to pronounce the cur&s;e unto them (if in ca&s;e they would be di&s;obedient to God:) &s;o here, on the one &s;ide of this lawful Co|venant, are the ble&s;&s;ings of God, placed for the comfort and en|couragement of tho&s;e that endeavour to keep it. And on the other
<PB N="18" REF="12"> &s;ide of it, are the cur&s;es of God placed, for the terror of tho&s;e that at any time unhappily contemn it. And underneath it, is an example of Gods wrathful di&s;plea&s;ure, upon &s;ome that did break the League and Covenant which they made in the &s;ight of God, with &s;ome that were but heathens; <HI>viz.</HI> upon the I&s;raelites with a famine, and upon King <HI>Sauls</HI> hou&s;e with death.</P>
<P>And now I will an&s;wer &s;ome objections which are made by &s;ome that think it is not binding to them that have taken it, though lawful and warrantable in it &s;elf. And al&s;o concerning &s;ome other that have taken it again&s;t their wills, as they &s;ay. And &s;ome other that have not taken it as yet, and therefore think they are not bound to ob&s;erve it: And al&s;o, becau&s;e (&s;ay they) the King hath not taken it him&s;elf, nor commanded it to be taken by his Subjects; and therefore it is not binding to them.</P>
<P>To the&s;e objections I will an&s;wer briefly thus; Fir&s;t, that the more part of this Covenant, is an e&s;&s;ential or &s;ub&s;tantial part of the Word and Will of God, for our faith and obedience; and therefore, that mu&s;t not be di&s;pen&s;ed with, by any man nor An|gels: And therefore the Apo&s;tles an&s;wer mu&s;t be ours: that is. <HI>We mu&s;t obey God rather than man.</HI> And thus much for the e&s;&s;en|tial part of it.</P>
<P>Secondly, for the other part of it, which is for conveniency, and our wel-being in the true Religion, both for our temporary, and for our everla&s;ting good, it is al&s;o as nece&s;&s;ary to pre&s;erve us in tho&s;e &s;ub&s;tantials or e&s;&s;ential parts before &s;poken of, and therefore may not be neglected or omitted, no more than the body that hath life, may be neglected or debarred of its due nutriment that is appointed for its &s;ub&s;i&s;tance, and without which it mu&s;t of ne|ce&s;&s;ity (according to the ordinary cour&s;e of nature) die; For we mu&s;t look to the means appointed by God for its pre&s;ervation. The&s;e things therefore we mu&s;t &s;tand for, as to pre&s;erve us in the way of everla&s;ting &s;alvation.</P>
<P>Thirdly, in the obtaining of &s;ome of the&s;e things (that may be obtained divers waies) we are to be &s;ubject to the Will and di&s;|cretion of tho&s;e that are in lawful authority over us, until we be warrantbly occa&s;ioned to vow to the contrary, according to the liberty allowed us by God, in &s;ome ca&s;es laid down in holy
<PB N="19" REF="12"> Writ, among&s;t which ca&s;es, &s;ome vows might be broken by &s;ome men that had power over &s;ome of tho&s;e votaries; as a husband might break &s;ome vows of his wife, and a father might break the vow of his vir|gin daughter in &s;ome ca&s;es, as in <HI>Num.</HI> 30. to the end, doth appear, and in ver&s;. 13. you may &s;ee what kind of vows &s;ome of tho&s;e were, that they had liberty to make; but none had power to break tho&s;e vows, but the husband of the wife, and the father of his virgin daugh|ters. Neither might one man break the vow of another; neither had tho&s;e in authority, as their Elders, any power to break or hinder them from performing tho&s;e vows, made by either private men, or wives, or daughters. I &s;ay that vows lawfully made (that is, war|rantable by the word of God) might not be made void by tho&s;e in authority, though private men made them. Much le&s;s when divers men in authority, and others with them, have made vows and cove|nants, both to God, and to each other al&s;o, of things of a higher na|ture, commanded, and commended by God more &s;pecially; &s;uch as National vows are, of things more nece&s;&s;ary to fit us for the glory of God, and the &s;alvation of the &s;ouls and bodies of the men of three or more Kingdoms.</P>
<P>And if &s;uch a League as was made by the Elders of I&s;rael with the Gibeonites, tho&s;e heathen people, and &s;uch as were by Gods &s;pecial command to be de&s;troyed, was to be kept and performed, though they wre&s;ted it from the Elders of I&s;rael through guil, for if <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> and the Elders had not bin deceived by them, the I&s;raelites &s;in herein had bin very great, in making this covenant with them, for it would then have bin a wilful &s;in; and perhaps, if it had not bin concerning the Civil State onely, (for it was but to live in the land with them) it might, or would have bin broken by Gods &s;pecial command, &s;ee|ing tho&s;e Gibeonites did work deceitfully in the obtaining of it by a ly; I &s;ay, if &s;uch a league &s;o procured by guil, by heathens of the peo|ple of God, otherwi&s;e forbid (though but a civil matter, but yet made by the oath of God between them) was to be &s;o exactly kept and performed, how much more are we bound to keep this Cove|nant of things lawful to vow, and of an higher nature, which we have made to God, and to Chri&s;tians, of things more &s;ub&s;tantial for the glo|ry of God, and the &s;alvation of all our &s;ouls, than that league of the Gibeonites was.</P>
<PB N="20" REF="13">
<P> And as for tho&s;e that took it again&s;t their wils (as they &s;ay) through fear, and tho&s;e that have not taken it as yet; my an&s;wer is, fir&s;t, they ought to have taken it, becau&s;e of its warrantablene&s;s. Secondly, they may take it yet, better late than never.</P>
<P>Thirdly, if they never did, nor never will take it, yet they are bound to &s;tand to it, becau&s;e our Elders (the Repre&s;entative Body) have entred into &s;o good a League and Covenant by oath to God and men. And this you may &s;ee in that league made by the Elders of I&s;|rael with tho&s;e Gibeonites; for tho&s;e Elders only did make that oath league, the common people did not &s;wear to them, and yet they were to &s;tand to it, and might not break it, as in that chapter you may &s;ee, <HI>viz.</HI> Jo&s;h. 9. and God did &s;orely plague the breach of that oath-co|venant afterwards, as you may &s;ee in 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 21. by a famine in all the land. And tho&s;e that took it again&s;t their wills (as they &s;ay) are bound to &s;tand to it, as tho&s;e that took it not.</P>
<P>Therefore in the con&s;ideration of all the&s;e things, and of all the mi&s;chiefs, &s;laughters, and &s;oul-damnings, by rea&s;on of our Schi&s;ma|tical divi&s;ions, and carnal licentiou&s;nes among&s;t our &s;elves, again&s;t this Covenant? it is high time for us all, or if all will not, yet for the more moderate party on both &s;ides, to joyn together in it; that God may joyn his favour to us. The which he grant unto us for Chri&s;ts &s;ake, his deer Son, and our merciful Saviour.</P>
<P>And for the other two extreme parties, on the two contrary &s;ides, who will not yet be per&s;waded to this Godly and warrantable mo|deration; I will &s;peak &s;omthing by way of expo&s;tulation, as &s;omtime it was &s;aid, Care you not that we peri&s;h? what, both temporary and everla&s;tingly too? what, both &s;ouls and bodies in hell fire for e|vermore? what, Fathers and children together drink brim&s;tone and fire? what, tormented for evermore? what, husband and wife coupled (as it were) with devils? what, weeping and gna&s;hing their teeth e|ternally? what, mothers and children together? what, a kingdom of people? what, three Kingdoms? what, (as much as in you lyeth) all people and nations for ever after? and all by your mi&s;chievous mad|nes? then how do you think to e&s;cape the greater damnation your &s;elves? &s;hall not you drink the dregs of the cup of Gods wrath, who have occa&s;ioned &s;o many millions to drink &s;o much wrathful di&s;plea|&s;ure? what, mu&s;t you make the doctrine of the Lord Chri&s;t your cloak
<PB N="21" REF="13"> to covery our murderous de&s;igns? what, will you crucifie again the Lord of life? will you imbrue your hands in his blood, and bleeding bowels? <HI>Con&s;ider I pray you, all ye that pa&s;&s;e by, if ever there were a|ny &s;orrow in your daies, like this &s;orrow? or any affliction like this af|fliction wherewith the Lord hath afflicted us,</HI> (by the&s;e cur&s;ed catiffs) <HI>in the day of his &s;ierce anger;</HI> where children are fretting and gnaw|ing out the bowels of their own mothers, and in &s;o doing &s;lay them|&s;elves too? Oh wor&s;e than the cur&s;ed viperous brood: Oh wor&s;e than <HI>Iudas</HI> that betrayed Chri&s;ts per&s;on only, (for he immediately repented, though not &s;avingly,) but you betray both him the Head, (in his members,) and his body (the Church) together, perpetually, without a ce&s;&s;ation or &s;igne of repentance. Yet he is &s;aid to have had but one devil in him; therefore tho&s;e in you may be &s;aid to be legi|ons. Ye Adamantine-hearted Vipers, depart from us, for we will weep in &s;ilence, our &s;ouls &s;hall mourn in bitterne&s;s; We will cry un|to the Almighty in our daies; Pittie, oh pitty with us, the howlings of the damned. Oh ye Salamanders, that cannot nor will not be but in the fire, with bitter vinegar, more unmollified than <HI>Hanibals</HI> rocks, will not the&s;e things melt you? Con&s;ider what allurements you &s;in again&s;t, held forth by the Lord of life, to &s;ave you from death: you are invited to eat of the hid Manna, better than that which fell to the Jewes from heaven (as the Scriptures &s;peak,) the which is called An|gels food, and to eat of the fruit of the tree of life, and to the &s;itting with Chri&s;t in his Throne, with crowns on your Heads, and palmes in your hands; and to &s;up with him, to be joynt-heirs of Heaven with him; to have a Citie paved with Gold; and to have Angelical com|pany with holy and heavenly mu&s;ical Songs, and to have all the&s;e ravi&s;hing delights (and many more) for ever without end: And the&s;e joyes Chri&s;t doth (by the Mini&s;tery of his word) be&s;eech and intreat you to receive; as &s;aith the Apo&s;tle thus, <HI>We then are Amba&s;|&s;adors for Chri&s;t, as though God did be&s;eech you by us: we pray you in Chri&s;ts &s;tead, be ye reconciled to God,</HI> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. 20. What more can be &s;aid or done for your welfare? But if none of the&s;e means will pre|vail with you for your conver&s;ion, you mu&s;t be eternally lo&s;t: If nei|ther the mu&s;ical golden bells of <HI>Aaron;</HI> nor the well tuned Cim|bals of <HI>David,</HI> nor the dolefull dittie of <HI>Iohn</HI> the Bapti&s;t, together with many other Thunderers mentioned in holy Scripture will pre|vail,
<PB N="22" REF="14"> then mu&s;t you hear and receive that dolefull malediction from your Judge, <HI>viz. Go ye cur&s;ed into everla&s;ting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels.</HI></P>
<P>And therefore (the premi&s;es con&s;idered) I will conclude with <Q><BIBL>S. <HI>Iohn, Rev.</HI> 15. 3.</BIBL> <HI>Iu&s;t and righteous are thy Iudgements, thou King of Saints, to thee be rendred all honour, glory, and loving thankful prai&s;e, world without end.</HI></Q></P>
<CLOSER>Amen.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="appendix">
<HEAD>An Appendix to this Book, con&s;i&s;ting of Que&s;tions for a happy Pacification.</HEAD>
<P N="1">1. WHether a way may not be devi&s;ed, that the King may not be for&s;worn concerning his oath which he hath &s;worn at his Coronation, and to King <HI>James</HI> his father, concerning the government of the Church, by the old Order of Bi&s;hops, and that we his Subjects may keep our Oath al&s;o, to perform the League and Covenant made in a Parliamentary way?</P>
<P N="2">2. If that cannot be done (but with great inconveniencies) then whether it be not better that one break his oath, though it be the King, than that the re&s;idue of the whole Kingdoms break their (lawful and warrantable) oath with God, of things more nece&s;&s;ary, and thereby procure the vengeance of God for their &s;o doing?</P>
<P N="3">3. Whether the punitive judgements from God, will not be greater upon <HI>many</HI> that thus do &s;in by breach of oath, than it will be for the ra&s;h oath of <HI>one,</HI> though it be the King?</P>
<P N="4">4. If the breach of the Kings oath onely, be the le&s;&s;er fault, then whether a general fa&s;ting and praying to God, for the di&s;pen&s;ing with the Kings oath, may not be as tolerable (in this exigent) as the I&s;rae|lites invention was for wives for the Benjamites, and as <HI>Davids</HI> eating of the Shew-bread in his great nece&s;&s;ity?</P>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>FINIS.
<PB REF="14"></TRAILER>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
