God in the mount, or, Englands remembrancer being a panegyrich piramides, erected to the everlasitng high honour of Englands God, in the most gratefull commemoration of al the miraculous Parliamentarie, mercies wherein God hath been admirably seen in the mount of deliverance, in the extreme depth of Englands designed destruction, in her years of jubile, 1641 and 1642 / by ... John Vicars. Vicars, John, 1579 or 80-1652. 1642 Approx. 399 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 60 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A64897 Wing V308 ESTC R4132 12246672 ocm 12246672 56961 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A64897) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 56961) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 881:7) God in the mount, or, Englands remembrancer being a panegyrich piramides, erected to the everlasitng high honour of Englands God, in the most gratefull commemoration of al the miraculous Parliamentarie, mercies wherein God hath been admirably seen in the mount of deliverance, in the extreme depth of Englands designed destruction, in her years of jubile, 1641 and 1642 / by ... John Vicars. Vicars, John, 1579 or 80-1652. [8], 110 p. Printed by T. Paine, and M. Simmons for John Rothwell and Thomas Underhill, London : 1642. Reproduction of original in Union Theological Seminary Library, New York. Included are declarations of the House of Commons and other documents concerning the role of Parliament. Some editions appear as part of his Jehovah-Jireh. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO. 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Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng England and Wales. -- Parliament -- Anecdotes Great Britain -- History -- Early Stuarts, 1603-1649. 2007-06 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2007-07 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2007-10 John Latta Sampled and proofread 2007-10 John Latta Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion GOD In the Mount. Or , Englands Remembrancer . Being a Panegyrick Piramides , erected to the everlasting high honour of Englands God , In the most gratefull commemoration of al the miraculous Parliamentarie . Mercies wherein God hath been admirably seen in the Mount of Deliverance , in the extreme depth of Englands designed Destruction , in her years of jubile , 1641. and 1642. By the unworthie admirer of them , JOHN VICARS . Jehova-jireh . Genes . 22. 14. I will praise thee , O Lord , with my whole heart , and wil shew forth all thy marvellous works . Psal . 9. 1. Commit thy cause to God which doth great things and unsearchable , marvellous things without number . Job 5. 8 , 9. Deut. 33. 29. Happie art thou , O Israel , who is like unto thee , O People , saved by the Lord ! the sheild of thy help , and who is the sword of thine excellencie ; And thine enemies shall be found lyers unto thee , and thou shalt tread on their high places . Psal . 111. 2 , 3 , 4. The works of the Lord are great , sought-out of all them that have pleasure therin . His works are honourable and glorious , and his righteousnesse endureth for ever . He hath made his wondrous works to be remembred ; the Lord is gracious and full of compassion . LONDON : Printed by T. Paine , and M. Simmons for John Rothwell and Thomas Vnderhill . 1642. TO THE ETERNALL , ALMIGHTY , AND MOST GLORIOUS , WONDER-WORKING , INCOMPREHENSIBLE , AND INDIVISIBLETRINITIEIN UNITIE ; JEHOVAH-JIREH . GODIN THE MOVNT : J. V. HIS MOSTUNWORTHIE AND SINFULL SERVANT DOTH DEDICATE AND CONSECRATE ( BY CHRIST JESUS HIS ONLY MERITS AND MEDIATION ) HIM-SELF AND THESE HIS POOR LABOVRS , TO HIS EVERLASTING PRAISE AND GLORY . TO THE RIGHT Honourable , thrice Noble and illustrious Senatours of the House of Peers in Parliament . TO OUR Trulie Honourable and most renowned Patriots ; the House of Commons , in Parliament . RIght Noble Lords and Englands Commons rare , ( For , whom the Lord hath joyn'd , disjoyn who dare ? ) Your humble Servant , Vowed — Votarie , Hath to Heav'ns-Honour And your — Memorie ☞ * Most humblie , this Pyramides — erected , Hopefull , by your just power to be protected From sturdiest Stormes which Mischiefs mightiest blast May dare on It or your blest actions cast , By foule — aspersions , Causelesse — Calumnies , To rob-both us and you Of our fair — prize , ☞ * Even , happy Halcyor daies , Which , God , — by you , Begins — to — bring To blessed Britains view . Whose eyes and heart ( late ) full of frights and tears Your untyr'd Prudence , Providence re-chears Courage — great Patriots God is on your — side Whiles you do to — his Gospel — close abide . ☞ * Go — on , like Davids Worthies , — valiantly , To curb — and crush Truths-foes-malignity . Go on , I say , like Nehemiah's brave , Like Ezra's and Zorobabels most grave To work — a pure , A perfect — Reformation , As men most — famous In your — generation . ☞ * Yea , — most renowned To — Posteritie , As Faiths fast — friends And — props of Veritie . As wise Repairers of those Breaches great , Which did both Church and State so sorely threat . Go on , though you great obstacles endure ; Sol shines most clear , though clouds It ( oft ) obscure : Heav'n crown your Counsels ( still ) with good successe , And you and yours for all your labours blesse . So — ever — prayeth Your most humbly — devoted , John Vicars . TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL HIS MOST WORTHY and ever most highly honoured good friends , Sir RICHARD SPRIGNALL , Sir IOHN WOLLASTONE , Alderman PENNINGTON , and Alderman WARNER , Together with each of their most truly virtuous and pious Consorts , my singular good friends ; All of them eminent Patrons and Patterns of Piety , Vertue , Religion and Learning : J. V. unfainedly prayeth the most happie , fair and full fruition of the glorious effects of the plenarie-Reformation intended by this pious Parliament , here ; And of the Saints celestiall beatificallvision , in Heaven , hereafter . HAving by Gods good hand of providence and direction ( Right Worshipfull and my most highly honoured good friends ) undertaken a subject of Gratitude to our holy God in this succeeding historicall narration of all his wonder-striking Parliamentarie-mercies to us of this English-Nation , in generall ; I could not but reflect my serious thoughts on your Worships as most worthie objects also of my thankefull heart , for many singular favours and courtesies toward me , in particular . And somuch the rather because of that which Chrysostome , in his 51 Homilie on Genesis , hath as sweetly as succinctly touched . Nihil tam gratum Deo & homini quam anima grata & gratias agens . Nothing in the world is so acceptable to God or man as a gratefull-heart and a thankefultongue . The due and deep consideration whereof ( I say ) hath made me most desirous ( as most bounden ) to tender this ●umbl● and plain-sti●'d historie of Englands God in the Mount of Mercies , ●r , Englands Remembrancer of gratitude to God for all the Parliamentarie precious blessings most fully and freely conferred ; or rather poured-down upon her within these 2 yeers last past , as a ●estimonie of my most thankfull-heart to your good Worships for many both publike and private favours to me and mine . Which historie though I ingenuously acknowledge it might well have befitted a far more fluent and high-soaring rhetori●all-Penman than my poor and plain unworthie-self ; yet since it hath pleased the Lord that my poor zeal for Gods glorie hath thus prevented them , I most humbly hope and heartily desire candide and courteous acceptance of it and of my sincere desire and endeavour , mainly , to manifest my infinitely obliged gratefull-heart , first , to our ever-living and ever-loving wonder-working Lord God ; next , to our most Pious Patriots , his precious Agents and instruments in these great and glorious works ; and then to your worthie selves my much honoured friends : Which my endeavour herein , though short ( I say ) of your judicious exp●ctation , and of the histories due desert , yet hoping it may remain as a pledge of my plighted humble services and bounden gratitude , and as the best Barthol'mew-faring , which my poor abilitie was able to present to your good Worships , with the humble tender also of m● heartiest poor prayers to the throne of grace for all sanctified sublunarie blessings and celestiall soul-cheering graces on you and a●l yours , I ever rest , Your good Worships in the Lord , to be alwayes commanded , JOHN VICARS . GOD IN THE MOVNT , OR , ENGLANDS REMEMBRANCER . THE omnipotent and omniprudent great God of heaven and earth , having by his unsearchable wisdom , unresistible power , and most pure and inculpable righteousnesse , from all eternitie both fore-seen and preordained the wayes and means of manifesting and declaring to the world his two especiall and most glorious attributes of Mercie and Justice ; Mercie on his elect and choice vessels of honour , and justice on the forsaken vessels of wrath , those devoted vassals of the devill , and both these in that admirable Master-piece of his workmanship of the world , Man. Who , as the Prophet David saies of himself , was fearfully and wonderfully made : And , for this and and purpose having put this excellent creature , Man , into a most pure and perfectly holy condition , placing him in Eden or Paradise , a place of most wonderfull delight , and admirable varietie of sense-affecting contentments ; and having also given him an absolute power to have persisted and continued in that holy and blessed estate . Satan , that subtill and accursed Serpent , and that arch-enemie of mans holinesse and happinesse , being by self-pride and arrogancie thrust out of heaven , and thrown headlong into hell , and so to abide to all eternitie , in an unrecoverable cursed estate of damnation ; Hereupon being become Gods enemie , extremely envied that holy and happie condition of Gods ( then ) darling , Mankind , and therefore , to bring his malignant spight to the issue he aymed at , fals a belying of God to man ▪ tempts and at last deludes man , makes him fall into his sin , pride and disobedience , thus , prevails in his project , and thereby made man , unhappie man as miserable as himself , by being , for sin , deprived and divested of his former fair rooes of beautie and holinesse , and depraved and poysoned in his whole soul and body with sin and uncleannesse , and thus in himself a forlorn creature , perpetually liable to Gods wrath , and so consequently to eternall damnation . But , now , God out of his infinite wisdom and mercie found out a ransome and mighty Redeemer for man ( even so many as he had predestinated to salvation ) the Lord Jesus Christ , the second person in Trinity . In whom , and by whom , even this promised seed of the deceived woman , the Lord resolved to repay and revenge Satans malice and mischief to man ; promising , that though Satan by mans fall had bruised the womans heel ; yet her seed the Lord Jesus Christ should ( by a strange way ) break his head , even by his death be Satans death and destruction . And hereupon the Lord God denounced an everlasting combate and irreconcilible enmity between these two and their off-spring to the end of the world , namely , Christ , and the rest of the holyseed of the woman even all the succeeding Saints & chosen-children of God in Christ : And , the Devil and his angels , even all the desperate profane-ones and craftie hypocrites of the world , who should from time to time , in all ages , most maliciously harbor in their hearts a natural antipathie against the godly to hate and despise them , and therewith also take pleasure and delight in plotting and practising all mischief and villanie toward them , though ( God in his wisdom and mercy having so graciously ordered it ) alwayes , for the most part , with ill-successe to themselves in the issue : God , who is most faithfull and able to perform , having promised to be with his Church , in a way of protection and preservation , even to the end of the world . Now thus you have briefly seen the combate decreed , and the combatants also to maintain the warfare : whereby the Church of God is put into a truly militant condition , and daily constrained to exercise its spirituall Militia ( as the wicked do their Malitia against them ) and to be alwaies armed , not onely with the whole armour of God , spoken of by the Apostle Ephes . 6. but also with worldly weapons and humane power and prudence to defend themselves and offend their enemies as God shall enable them . But if you ask me , now , the cause of their quarrell , the reason and ground of the grudge and clandestine hatred which the wicked of the world bear to the holy and humble Saints and servants of the Lord ? Truly , the answer is easie and at hand , yea the Apostle hath made it for me , who by way of argumentation asks himself the very same question , touching Cain and Abel , Wherefore did Cain , who was of that wicked-one ( the devill ) kill his godly brother Abel ? Because ( saies he ) his own works were evill , and his brothers righteous . Religion , innocent-religion and true Holinesse is the great eye-sore to the ungodly , and therefore ( as the said Apostle in the same place , ver . 13. ) marvell not that the world hates them . This , then , I say , is the main-ground of the quarrell betwixt these two combitants ; which hot combustion and contention , as it hath been fiercely followed in all ages past , from the beginning of the world , and will be so till the end thereof : So , it was never more mischievously manifested to be so , than in these our dayes , I mean , for , at least , these two or three hundred yeers last past , to this present time ; and that , in all the parts of Europe , especially by the Papists or Romish Catholiques , as they call themselves against the Hugonets , in France , Lutherans and Calvenists in Germanie , and Protestants in England , Scotland , and Ireland ; and in brief , by the Romish Antichrist , against the Reformed-Christian in all parts . And the implacable rage of this arch-adversarie of the Lord Jesus Christ hath far transcended all the malice and mischief of all former ages cruelties , both of the old Assyrians and Philistines to the ancient Isra●lit●s , or the last ten persecuting heathen-Emperours to the Primitive-Christians . But , as in all those former ages , the more Satan , by his impious agents and wicked instruments , hath with inveterate vexations and extremest persecutions mangled and maligned the people of God : So , the more propitiously God hath preserved and encreased them , like innumerable Phenixes rising and reviving out of their dead ashes , fully confirming that old adagie , The blood of the Saints is the seed of the Church . This truth , in both its branches hath been also most copiously confirmed in these our more modern times , and chiefly ( I may well say ) in this our Kingdom of England , among all the Nations of Europe ( Germany onely and Ireland excepted at this time fo● cruelties but not for preservations ) which hath tasted the bitterdrafts of Romes wrath in a deep measure ; and yet the more this Antichristian enemie hath raged against Christ and his faithfull servants against the Gospel and its true professors , the lesse he hath prevailed ; and the more they have encreased to the glory of God , and the terrour and amazement of the wicked of the world ; Their divellish and desperate aymes having been deceived in the issue ( as was toucht before ) and God having faithfully performed his good word and promise to his Church and children to be with them , and for them , to the end of the world ; And though he suffers them ( oft-times ) to be closely and strictly hem'd in on all sides with great straits and distresses , yet their greatest necessities have ever proved Gods fairest and fittest opportunities to be seen in the Mount for their deliverance ; even then ( I say ) when the enemie thought to have swallowed them up quick , without all humane hope of redemption and redresse , then , yea even then , hath our good God alwayes ( for the most part ) plucked the prey out of their devouring jaws , broke the cheeks and teeth of the ungodly ▪ and rescued and recovered his darling ( the Church ) from the Lyons-den , their destinied destruction . Which is the main scope and drift of our intentions , at this time , and in this Treatise ▪ even to make clear to the eyes and understanding of all the world that will not wilfully blind them , and obstinately shut them up from beholding the evident sun-shine of the truth , in the subsequent and most luculent demonstrations thereof , in this Kingdom of England after a speciall manner , which , God hath graciously made the very Land-mark of all his rich mercies , to the everlasting glory of his great Name , and free grace unto us , a most sinfull and undeserving Nation , as we have been , and that in the midst of such means and miracles of mercies which he hath conferred on us , and wrought for us , above all our neighbour Nations round about us . Now , herein , my purpose is ( omitting many former mercies to our Land of high concernment , and most worthy of everlasting and indelible thankfull remembrance , as the shaking off of the Antichristian shackles and yoke of Poperie , begun in the dayes of King Henry the eighth and his most blessed Son , King Edward the sixth , but especially in the happie halcyon-dayes of Queen Elizabeths reign , of ever most blessed memorie ; Since whose most blessed dayes and times we have enjoyed the Gospel of peace , and peace of the Gospel , almost these hundred yeers ( and now are not onely Protestants but most blessedly begin to be reformed Protestants ) notwithstanding the many most nefarious and treacherous plots , against her sacred person , happily defeated ; the falsly so termed , Invincible Spanish Armado , in 1588 ▪ and the most exorbitant and hell-hatch't Powder-plot , by those Romish traytors , Garnet a grand-Jesuite and his twelve impious apostles , in the yeer , 1605 , by heavens vigilant eye of providence timely prevented , together with many private and pernicious conjurations or conspiracies , not so much by force as by fraud clandestinely machinated , and by Gods mercie fruitlesly attempted ; enough to fill up voluminous Treatises , and inf●●it●ly to magnifie Gods endlesse praises ) all which , I say , here , to omit , my purpose and main intention is , as I fore promised ( by the blessed assistance of Gods gracious Spirit ) to manifest and declare to all ( who vouchsafe the patient and impartiall perusall hereof ) all the memorable and wonder-striking Parliamentary mercies effected for and afforded unto this our English Nation , ( mauger the malice of Hell and Rome , Papists and profane Atheists , Satans active and able agents ) with inthe space of lesse than two yeers last past , 1641 , and 1642. And for the better and more exact setting forth of the most illustrious lustre and glorious beautie of these incomparable parliamentarie-pledges of Gods undoubted love and free favour toward us , my intention is , first , to shew my Reader , the cloudy-Mountain of Straits , into which , the Lord had in his wisdom and justice brought us , or rather suffered us to be drawn and driven into for our sins and transgressions ; and then the sweet and serene-Mountain of Mercies , wherein God was most gloriously seen ( of his meer mercie ) for our most timely and happie deliverance . I mean , I say , to let the godly Reader see the deep distresse and danger whereinto we were plunged by the nefarious and multifarious plots and projects of Jesuiticall-Priests and perfidious Prelates ( for I may most justly couple and link them together , like Simeon and Levi , brothers in iniquitie ) of these our late and worst times , and other most disloyall atheisticallagents in these desperate designes , all of them faithlesse factors for the See of Rome , all of them complotting and contriving to reduce us to the accursed Romish religion , yea all of them combining and confederating to work and weave our three famous and flourishing Kingdoms , England , Scotland and Irelands fatall and finall rui●e and downfall . This being done ▪ I shall endeavour , by Gods assistance , most punctually to promulgate and most exactly to record , to posterity , those even myriades of remarkable mercies conferred on us to strange amazement and deep admiration of all truly pious and faithfull Christians . That thus , contraries being set together in an exact Antithesis or opposition , they may both appear the more apparently to the eyes and understanding of ingenuous and judicious beholders ; that thus , I say , the dangers being seriously considered and worthily weighed , the mercies may the more gloriously break forth , like the Suns glorious rayes and heart-cheering bright beams , after a thick and black cloudie storm and heart-damping tempest , and that thus , I say , the god y Reader ruminating and recollecting Both in his sad and serious re-cogitations , may justly and ingenuously acknowledge , that , God was in the Mount , for our Deliverance . Now , herein , for my better and more methodicall proceeding in this renowned Storie , I have resolved to make our most famous and renowned Parliamentarie-Worthies first Remonstrance , ( wherein all our Kingdoms heavie pressures and oppressions are summarily and succinctly even to the life delineated ) my most worthily imitable copie and pattern to write by : but in these I intend to be as concise and brief , as conveniently may be , because my chief ayme and resolution is ●o hasten to the copious and comfortable narration and description of our Parliamentarie-Mercies and Deliverances , to the everlasting glorie and precious praise of our great and good God , and that , at the rare and faire sight and cordiall contemplation of them , the godly Reader may break out , in an extasie of holy and heavenly joy and say , with holy David , Truly , God is good to his English Israel , and to all therein , of an upright heart . Wherefore , now , to pretermit all further ambages and circumlocutions , and to addresse my self seriously to the matter intended , I shall first ( with my most worthie-Masters ) briefly declare the root and growth of their mischievous designes , and the rice of our dangerous estate thereby . Secondly , the maturity and ripenesse to which the malignant partie had hatcht and cherisht it , before the beginning of this Parliament . Thirdly , the efficacious means used for the eradicating and rooting up of this evill weed so rank-grown in the garden of the Kingdom ; both by the Kings royall assistance and Heavens blessing on the Parliaments great wisdom , industrie and providence . Fourthly , the bold affronts and audacious obstructions and oppositions to interrupt and check the Parliaments fair and faithfull progresse and proceedings therein all along . Fifthly and lastly , the counter-checking means used to annihilate and make void those obstacles and impediments which so retarded the fair fabrick and comely structure of a happie reformation of those superfluous and rank-grown evils , and of redintegrating and re-establishing the ancient honour and security of this Crown and Nation , even by a Parliamentarie-power , the onely remedie left ( under God ▪ to prop-up the tottering State , to force away our over-flowing fears , and to heal the mortall wounds and sores of our distressed Land. Now the root and rice of all the plot was found to be a pernicious woven knot of malignant active spirits combining and confederating together for the supplanting and utter subverting of the fundamentall Laws and principles of government ▪ on which the religion and government of the Kingdom were firmly establisht : And those actors and promoters were fi●st and principally , Jesuited-Papists whose teeth had long watered for ▪ and whose eager appetites had long hungred after the subversion of our Religion . Secondly , perfidious and rotten-hearted Prelates and Arminian-pontificians , who mightily ( and maliciously ) cherishing formality , or conformity and superstition , greedily also gaped after a change in Religion , or at the least , the outragious supporting of their Eeclesiasticall-tyrannie and usurpation . Thirdly , profane , irreligious , and even atheisticall Courtiers , and Councellours of State , who for their own private and beggarly ends had engaged themselves ( as being , doubtlesse , mercenarie pensioners ) to forrein Princes , to the prejudice of their own naturall King and the State at home . And , as you have seen the agents were potent and politick : So , the common principles by which they moulded and managed their craftie counsels and impious actions were as pragmaticall as prejudiciall . As , fi●st , to work and win the King to stand stifly to his Royall-prerogative , and the people for the maintenance of their Priviledges and Liberties , that thus they might have the advantage by siding with the King against the Subject , and so to be counted his fastest friends and trustie servants , and thereby engrosse to themselves and their factious confederates all places of greatest trus● and power in the Kingdom ; that so they might the more safely fish in troubled waters . Secondly , to suppresse and stifle the sacred puritie and power of religion , and to curb and keep-under all of all degrees that were best affected to it , in profession and practise , these being sore pearls in their eyes , and the greatest impediments to that change which their voracicus and eager appetites extremely longed and laboured to introduce among us . Thirdly , to countenance and encourage their own fast faction , and on all colourable occasions , to disgrace , vilifie , and dishearten all the opposite partie . Fourthly and lastly , by slanders and false imputations to work the King to an utter-dislike of Parliaments , and putting him on unjust and forcible wayes of supply , yet masking them with fair pretences of great and just advantage to his Majestie , though indeed they brought more losse than gain to him , and great distresse and distractions to the whole Kingdom . And thus have you summarily seen the Basis or foundation of their building ; now be pleased with as much brevitie as may be , to behold what a fair fabrick and stately structure they raised and erected on it . And here by the way , take notice of this diffusive sememting-materiall , or bracing-piece conglutinating or holding fast the body of the whole ensuing frame ; namely , that in all the compacted and conioyned ligaments of this omi●ousarchitecture , the Jesuites craftie counsell , and as wicked as wittie wilinesse was instead of a prime architector or Master Builder of the whole edifice ; and had they not all been ( by Gods overpow'ring providence ) timely prevented , these Jesuiticall-Artificers would undoubtedly have over-builded the Prelaticall-Labourers , and instead of a new , have pul'd down an old-house on the heads of all the rest of those as credulous , as accursed cooperating Carpinters or work-men with them , in this their Babell of confusion . And , now , in the first yeer of the Kings reign , their work began to be revived , and hotly to be set upon again . For , it is here to be considered that in the last yeer of King James his reign it had been somewhat dampt and qu●sht ▪ both by the breach with Spain , that yeer , as also by his Majesties marriage with France , whose people were not so contrary unto , nor so hotly active against the good of Religion , and prosperitie of this Kingdom as those of Spain ; and besides the Papists in England being more zealously addicted and affected ( for matter of Religion ) to Spain , than France ; yet still they retained a resolution to weaken the Protestant-partie in all parts and places of Europe , yea , even in France ▪ thereby to make way for an intended change at home . The first effect and evidence of which their recoverie of strength was the dissolution of the first Parliament at Oxford , after two Subsidies granted , but no grievances removed . After which , many other bitter effects of this bad begi●●ing followed , or rather flowed and gushed-out apace ; as namely , the losse of Rochel Fleet , yea of Rochel it self ( a lamentable evill to the French-Protestants ) by the unhappie help of our ships . The diversion of a most facile and hopefull war from the W●st-Indies to a most expensive and successelesse attempt on Cal●s ; ra●her to make us weary of warre than prospe●ous in it . The precipitate breach of peace with France . A peace concluded with Spain , without consent of a Parliament , contrary to promise made by King James to both Houses , whereby the Palatine c●u●e was shamefully deserted by us . The Kingdom soon charged with billetted Souldiers , together with the concomitant project of Germane-horses to enforce men by ●ear to all arbitrarie taxations . The dissolution of a second Parliament ▪ in the second yeer of his Majesties reign , after a declarative intention of granting five Subsidies . Violent exacting the said summe , or a sum equivalent to it , by a Commission of Loan ▪ Divers worthy gentlemen imprisoned for refusing to pay it . Great summes of money extorted from subjects by Privie-Seals and Excise . The most hopefull Petition of Right blasted in the blossome of it . A third Parliament called , and as quickly broken , and therein Parliamentari● priviledges violated , by after ill-usage of some of the best and worthi●st Members thereof , who were clapt ▪ up in close-imprisonment , denied all ordinarie and extraordinarie comforts of this life , and preservation of health , no not so much as their wives permitted to come unto them , yea deprived of spirituall consolation for their souls , not suffering them to go to Gods House for enjoyment of publike Ordinances , or godly Ministers to come to them , but kept them still in this oppressive condition , not admitting them to be bailed according to Law. And this crueltie might have been perpetuall to them and others , had not another Parliament been necessitated to relieve and release them . Upon the dissolution of those Parliaments , O what scandalous and opprobrious Declarations were published to asperse and besmear their proceedings , and some of their wo●thiest Members , unjustly to make them odious ; and the better to colour their exorbitant violence exercised on them , Proclamations set out to those effects , thereby also extremely disheartning the Subjects , yea and forbidding them once so much as to speak of any mo Parliaments , this being in the fourth yeer of the Kings reign . Then , injustice , violence and heavie oppressions , without all limits o● moderation , brake-out upon the people , like unresistible floods gushing out of a broken-down Dam or stoppage with huge inundations , checking , yea even choaking all our freedomes , and fast fettering our free-born hearts with manacles and chains of most intolerable taxations . Witnesse , the mighty sums of money gotten by that plot of Knighthood , under a fair colour of Law , but , i●deed , a meer violation of justice . Tonnage also and poundage received without any pretext or colour of Law The book of Rat●s inhansed to an high proportion . A new and unheard of ( yet most heavie ) taxation over the whole Kingdom , by Ship-money ; Both these under a colour of guarding the Seas , by which there was charged on the Subject neer upon 700000 ▪ li. some yeers , and yet , Merchants constantly left naked to the violent robberies of Turkish-pirates , to the great los●e of many fair Ships and much goods , and imprisonment of their bodies in most miserable bonds of Turkish-slaverie . The enlargement of Forrests , contrary to Magna Charta . The exaction of Coat and Conduct-money . The forcible taking away of the Train'd-band Arms. The desperate designe of Gunpowder engrossed into their hands , and kept from the Subject in the Tower of London , and not to be had thence , but at excessive rates and prices . The destruction of the Forrest of Dean , that famous timber-Magazine or Store-house of the whole Kingdom , sold to Papists . The canker-eating Monopolies of Sope , Salt , Wine , Leather , Sea-cole , and almost all things in the Kingdom of most necessarie and common use . Restraint of Subjects liberties in their habitations and trades , and other just interests ; together with many other intolerable burthens which poore Isachars shoulders were not able to bear , but grievously to groan under ( and which for brevities sake I desire to passe over , as not being my main intention to insist on , but to hasten to our most happie deliverance from them ) for refusall of which fore-said heavie pressures , O what great numbers of his Majesties loyall Subjects have been vext with long and languishing suits , some fined and confined to prisons , to the losse of health in many , of life in some ; some having their houses broke-open , and their goods seized on , some interrupted in their Sea voyages , and their ships taken in an hostile manner by Projectors , as by a common enemie . The Court of Star-Chamber having chiefly fomented and encreased these & such like most extravagant censures & most unjust suits , both for the improvement of devouring Monopolies , and of divers other causes wherein hath been none or very small offences , yea sometimes for meer pretences and surmises without any proofs , yet punisht as severely as foulest malefactors , yea and that , in matters of Religion and spirituall cases of conscience , for which the good Subject hath been grievously oppressed by Fines , Imprisonments , stigmatizings ▪ mutilations , whippings , pillories , gaggs , confinements , banishments , yea and that into perpetuall close-imprisonments in the most desolate remote ( and as they hoped and intended ●emorslesse ) parts of the Kingdom , and that also , in such rough and rigid manner , as hath not onely deprived them of the societie of neer and dear friends , exercise of their professions , comfort of books , use of poper or ink , but even violating that neerest-union which God hath establisht twixt men and their wives by forced and constrained separation . Judges also put out of their places for refusing to do ought against their oaths and consciences , others so over-awed , that they durst not do their duties . Lawyers checkt for faithfulnesse to their Clients , and threatned , yea punished for honestly following lawfull suits . The Privie Councill also a mightie maintainer and prosecuter of illegall-suits against the Subject The Court of Honour , Chancery , Exchequer-Chamber , Court of Wards , and almost all other English-Courts have been exceeding grievous in their excessive iurisdictions . Titles of Honour , places of Judicature , Serieant-ships at Law , and other offices of trust have been sold for great summes of money ; and they that buy must needs sell . And thereby also occasion hath been given too frequently , of brib●rie , extortion , and partiality , it being , indeed , seldome seen that places ill-gotten should be well-used . These and such like Land-devouring enormities , have been countenanced and practised in our long-languishing Common-wealth . And if we look into the course and carriage of things in the Church also , O how many impieties and irregularities have we , there , long beheld abounding and surrounding us , to the high dishonour of God , and disgrace of true Religion ! The Bishops and the rest of the Pontifician or rotten-hearted Clergie and Arminian-faction , under a pretence ( forsooth ) of peace , uniformitie and conformitie have like so many si●ly Cesars triumphed in the chariots of their Spirituall Courts , by their suspensions , Excommunications , Deprivations , and Degradations of divers painfull , learned and pious Pastors of our Church , and in the vexatious and grievous grinding oppressions of great numbers of his Majesties good Subjects . In which cases , the high Commission-Courts pragmaticall pranks have been unsufferable ; the sharpnesse and severity whereof grew to such an unlimited monstrous growth , heighth , and strength , as was not much unlike , and very little inferiour to the Romish or Spanish-Inquisition , yea and in many cases , by the Archbishops super-superlative power it was made much heavier , it being ( as often as they pleased ) assisted and strengthened both by the furious power and authoritie of the Star-Chamber and Councill-Table , when the wrath and rage of their own-Courts could not reach as high as their hatred extended to the utter wracking and worrying of the innocent and holy lambes of Christ , whom indeed the world was not worthie of . This they did both in Cities and countreys , extremely vexing and perplexing those of the meaner sort , Tradesmen and Artificers even to the deep impoverishing of many thousands of them , and so afflicting and troubling others with threats and expensive suits , that great numbers , to avoid these miseries and mischievous molestations departed out of the Kingdom , some into Holland , some into New-England and other desert and uninhabited parts of America , thereby exposing themselves , their wives , children and estates to the great danger of windes and waves by Sea , and many other inevitable hazards by Land. Those onely were held fittest for preferments , at home , and obtained them soonest who were most officious and sedulous to promote and propagate idolatrie , superstition , innovations and profanenesse , and were most violent and virulent sons of Belial in railing against and reviling godlinesse and honestie . Now , all this while , also , the most publike and solemn sermons at Court before the King , were nothing else , for the most part , but either to advance the Kings prerogative above Laws , and to beat-down the Subiects just propriety in their estate and goods , or full of such like frothie kind of invectives , the onely way ( in those dayes ) to get fat morsels , rich benefices , and Ecclesiasticall preferments ( the onely-prey they sought after ) And thus also labouring ( as the second main part of their play ) to make those men odious to the King and State , who conscientiously sought to maintain Religion , Laws and liberties of the Kingdom ; and such men were sure ( still ) to be wrung and wrested out of their livings , if Ministers ; And out of the Commission of peace , if of the gentrie , and all other places of imployment and power in the government of the Common-wealth . Yea and those few godly and religious Noble personages , which were of the privy-Councill , though Councellors in name , yet not in power or authority , onely used at the Councill ▪ board to execute and countenance , not to debate and deliberate-on their State resolutions ; nay , so far from being employed in any place of trust and power that they were utterly neglected , discountenanced , and on all occasions injured and oppressed by the rest of the contrarie faction ; which now was grown to that heighth and entirenesse of power , that now they began to think-on the complete catastrophe and consummating of the whole work , to their hearts desire , which stood on these three parts or pillars of confusion . First , that the Government must be arbitrarie , set free from all limits of Law , both concerning persons and estates . Secondly , that there must be an union and conformitie between Papists and Protestants , both in doctrine , discipline and ceremonies , onely it must not ( yet ) be called or counted Poperie . Thirdly , Puritans ( under which name all that were zealous for the Laws and Liberties of the Kingdom , and for the maintenance of Religion , in the power of it , were included ) must be either rooted out of the Realm , by force , or driven away by fear : And thus now at last we have the full dimensions , every way , of this pestilent and most pernicious plot . And could they possibly have digged deeper ? or in humane apprehension and contrivement have founded it firmlier ? Whatsoever worldly wit and wealth could do , whatsoever carnall craft , power and policie could effect was wholly for them with full and copious concurrence , they now seemed to carry all irresistibly before them . And now nothing was wanting fully to finish the work , no stone unturned , no Remora to be removed , save onely one ; In which , God gave them the lie to their teeth , according to that of the Psalmist : Surely , men of low degree are vanity , and m●n of high degree are a lie , and both to be laid in the ballance , they are altogether lighter than vanity it self . Such vanity , yea such lying-vanity these great-ones in their supercilious high-built hopes and bigg-swoln timpanie of ambition , pride and perfidie , began to be now rendered by the wisdome and mercie of our good God. This one rub , I say , now to be remov'd , proved the main break-neck of their whole designe , and makes way for mine also , which is , to let you and all the world see moss cleerly how heaven made these impious plotters fall by their own folly and madnesse , by their own creft crest all their secret counsels and confederacies , and made their own invented mischief work-out their own miseries . According to that of the sween Singer of Israel , most pertinent to this purpose . Behold he travelled with iniquity , hath conceived mischief , and brought forth falsehood . He made a pit , and delved it , and is fallen into the ditch , which he made for others , his mischief shall return upon his own head , and his violent dealing shall fall upon his own pate ; Whiles Gods dear Saints of England and Scotland escaped as birds out of the snare of those Fowlers , and by Gods free grace and rich mercie found full and fair deliverance . Which , I say , is the main scope and principall aym of this our present history . For now , as they verily beleeved , they had made England their absolute-asse to bear all their back , yea , soul-breaking burthens : So that they thought it most fit , now , in the last place , to reduce Scotland to such Romish-harmonie and conformitie to embrace those Popish superstitions and innovations as might make them apt to joyn with England in that great change which they intended ; for , as for Ireland , they were sure enough to prevail there at their pleasure , as t is too well known to us all , and to themselves also by their late bloody experience , which had been much more , had not God crost their plot ( there ) also , and enabled us to help them . Whereupon our Church-Canons and a new-minted Liturgie ( not the very same which is used with us in England , which , with our vestures , gestures , and superstitious service-ceremonies , had been abundantly enough to have vext them ; but with most pestilent Popish-additionals and unsufferable new inventions of the Arch-prelate of Canterbury , or some of his Romish-factors framing , put in , over and above ours ▪ to make them starke mad , ( as it were ) must be sent unto them , and most violently obtruded on them ; Both which , they instantly and stifly opposed , especially when they considered and called to mind those three rare gentlemen ( as some imminent Scots have acknowledged ) who ▪ had been so lately and barbarously abused on pillories in England ( but the 30 th . of June before ; and this attempt on them , was in August immediately following ) for opposing and writing against those and such like Romish fopperies ; their women in Scotland being the first and forwardest stoutly to resist such an uncouth and strange imposition on them . Where , by the way , let me desire the godly Reader not to passe over this remarkable passage sleightly , as a triviall thing . For , though this child of hope was , now , but in the embrio and unpolisht conception , and as yet had no strength at all to bring forth a perfect birth of deliverance to them or us in the eye of the world ▪ yet let us remember what a notable caution the Prophet gives us . Despise not the day of small things . For , they shall rejoyce , and shall see the plumet in the hand of Zerubbabel , with those * seven eyes of the Lord which run to and fro through the whole earth . Now the women having thus begun to oppose this new English-Romish Pope an Archbishop of Scotland appointed ( as they called it ) to read and publish it in his fine linen Ephod , and other Popish-Pontificalibus , were seconded by the men , between whom was a huge hubbub made in the Church at the bringing in of the new Liturgie or Service-book , which they , I say , thus utterly rejected and cast out from amongst them ; and upon this first and small rising , like the cloud ( at first ) no broader than a hand , it quickly grew so bigge that the whole Land was over-spread with it , the Kingdom in generall being highly incensed also against it did utterly refuse to admit it among them . Whereupon , foule calumnies and scoffs were cast upon them in England , yea a Proclamation read in all Churches , calling and counting them Rebels and Traytors for thus resisting our Prelats most injurious impositions on them ; and an Armie was speedily raised at the Prelates instigation to enforce them by fierce compulsi●● to obedience , and to take that yoke on their necks ; for the advancing of which said armie , our Prelates with the rotten-hearted Clergie and Papists were most free and forward with libe●all contributions . The noble and valiant Scots were thereupon constraine● to do the like , in their own just defence . But , when both Armies were met ▪ and ready for a bloody encounter , God who hath the hearts of Kings in his hands , by the honest and wholesome counsell of his Nobility , so wrought on the heart of our King , that ( maugre all the pr●gging malice of the malignant-partie , then , about him ) a fair and friendly Pacification was speedily agreed on , and the King returned to London with much honour to himself and sweet content to all , but those that wisht to have ruinated all . And now , tell me , did not God ( here ) begin to be seen in the Mount for our deliverance , in thus at the very f●rst on-set of their devillish designe stopping the intended current of Christan-bloodshed . And as the holy Prophet David sweetly , The Lord bringeth the counsell of the wicked to noug●● , and ma●es their devises of none effect . But the counsels of the Lord stand fast for ever , and the thoughts of his heart to all generations . Blessed therefore is the Nation whose God is the Lord , and the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance . This unexpected reconciliation was , I say , most welcome and acceptable to all the Kingdom except the malignant partie , who like envious elves gnashed their teeth , and with malice gnawed rancorously on their own hearts , and therefore began again to spit yet more envie and spight out of their mischievous mouthes against the Scots and this happie peace ; especially William Laud the Arch-Prelate of Canterbury , and the Earl of Straford , the two monstrous heads of their faithlesse faction , who I say , began again mightily to maligne and bitterly to inveigh against the peace , and to aggravate matters and exasperate the Kings wrath against the proceedings of those Peers that promoved it , making his Majesty beleeve that it was a very dishonorable peace , and disgracefull to the Kingdom , insomuch that the King forthwith prepared again for war with them . And such was their confidence or rather immarbled impudence , that having ( by all means fore-mentioned ) corrupted and distempered ( at least as they thought ) the whole frame and government of the Kingdom , they now also hoped to corrupt that f●●●●tain which was the onely means ( under God ) to restore all to a right fram● and temper again , a Parliament ; to which end , they perswaded his Majestie to call one , but not to seek counsel● of them , but to draw countenance and supplie from them , and to engage the whole Kingdom in their wicked quarrell , and so to make the mischief and mis●rie too , Nationall . In which mean time they continued all their unjust levies of money ▪ resolving either to make the Parliament pliant to their will , and ( as the Prophet said of the wicked in his daies ) to establish mischief by a law ; or else to break it up again at their pleasure , and to shift otherwise ▪ as well as they could by colourable violence ( as formerly ) to go-on to take what might not be had with consent . Now the ground alledged for the iustification of this war was this , namely , the undutifull demands of the Scots in their Parliament , which they conceived was cause enough for his Majestie to war against them without once hearing their iustification of those their demands : and so thereupon a new Armie was mustered and prepared against them , their ships were seized on in all Ports and parts of our Kingdom , and of Ireland also , their Petitions reiected , and their Commissioners refused audience : In summe , the whole Kingdom was thus miserably distracted and distempered with leavies of money , and imprisonment of those who denied to submit and crouch to those Leavies . In which interim , the Earl of Strafford posted into Ireland , call'd a Parliament there , out of hand quickly caused them to declare against the Scots , and to grant foure Subsidies toward the warre , yea and to engage themselves , their lives and fortunes for the prosecution of it to the utmost of their power , and to give direction for an Armie of 8000. foot , and 1000 horse , to be immediately mustered up , which were all for the most part , Papists . O Ireland , Ireland , even this verie deed of thine ( above all thy other high provocations of generall profanenesse , and especially of complacencie with base idolatrous Papists all over thy Kingdom ) in thus obliging thy Self in such a most uniust warre against thine honest and harmlesse Brethren of Scotland , hath , I am confidently perswaded , most unhappily plunged thee into that most lamentable plight of blood and miserie which now of late thou hast grievously found and felt to thy unspeakable and unparalell'd sorrow and smart , and hath made thee such a deplorable prey to their most barbarous mawes and bloody teeth of those Popish-rebels , or rather , inhumane Caniballs and unnaturall Vipers , whom thou so lately so lovingly ( yet most irrelegiously ) didst nourish and cherish , as so many venemous Snakes in thy bosome ( And I pray God this be not too frequent a fault among us in England , namely , to embrace in the armes of our foolish love , a Papist as equally as a Protestant ) to this thy utter and inevitable destruction , had not the Lord in wonderfull free mercie and favour prevented it in preserving Dublin . The Earl of Straford having thus acted Sinons part in Ireland , to his most wicked hearts content , triumphing in his treacherie ; with more haste than good speed , returned to England , where this most subtill Sinon , or rather scelerous Simeon , and Laud , his lewd brother , Levi , right brothers in iniquitie , together with the rest of that pernicious partie ( at our Parliament in England , which began , April , 13 th , 1640. ) had so prevailed with his Maiestie , that the said Parliament was most urgently incited and stimulated to yeeld supply toward the maintenance of this war with Scotland , and that , before there was any provision for the relief of those great pressures and groaning grievances of the people , as have been fore-mentioned . But , by Gods overswaying power and good providence ( before any such thing could be to the purpose debated or resolved on ) base fears and jealousies preocupating the hearts of the malignant partie , they suddenly and scelerously advised the King by all means to break-off thus Parliament also , and to return to their former wayes of waste and confusion , in which they hoped their own evill intentions were most like to proceed and prosper . But here , by the way , take along with thee , good Reader , this note or observation on these premises , namely , that , had our Parliament afforded the least supply to that wicked war , yea though but one 6. d ▪ with their consent , they had made the quarrell Nationall , and thereby the plague and punishment of such a great sin , most justly Epid●micall . Take this , then , O England , as no small mercie from thy gracious God , who thus mercifully freed thee from such a Land-devouring sin and heinous provocation as Ireland does wofully witnesse it . Now that Parliament thus fruitlesly ended , they again fell to their former tyrannicall practises and squeezing course of enforcing supplies out of the peoples estates , by the Kings own power and prerogative , at his own will , and without their consent ; yea the very next day after the dissolution of that Parliament , some eminent Members of both Houses had their Chambers and Studies , yea their Cabinets and very pockets of their wearing clothes searched for Letters and writings , another of them , not long after close-imprisoned for not delivering to them some Petitions , which he received by authority of that House in time of Parliament . A false and scandalous Declaration was then published against the House of Commons in the Kings name , which yet ( by Gods mercie ) took no effect in the hearts of the people , but contrariwise made the impudencie of the suspected authors of it more odious to them . A forced loan of money was then attempted in the City of London , to be made a president ( if it prevailed ) for the whole Kingdom ; but some Aldermen refusing it , were sorely thr●atned and committed to prison . About which time there fell out a mighty and tumultuous rising of Apprentis●s and young-men in Southwark and Lambeth side , with clubs and other such weapons , especially at the Arch-prelates house in Lambeth , which put him into such a fright and perplexitie , as made him hide his head and flie from place to place , from Lambeth to Croydon , and from Croydon to convey himself to some more private and remote hiding place for fear of their fu●y ; So that we might have said of him as the Prophet Jeremie did of Pashur that false prophet , ( Jer. 20. 3. ) The Lord hath not called thy name Pashur , but Magor-missabib ; even fear , and terrour and trembling round about thee . Which ( as 't was probably beleeved ) was the cause that the farther and more furious execution of their violent courses to get money from the Subject was not prosecuted . Now , though Pharaoh's Magicians were so wise and honest , that at the sight of the dust of the earth turn'd into 〈◊〉 they cried out it was the finger of God : yet this loftie Levite of Canterburies heart was as hard as Pharaoh's himself , and would not , with any remorse or penitencie of spirit , acknowledge the hand of God against him , but , ( just like Pharaoh , ( I say ) grew more and more out-rageous hereby . For , in all this interim , he and the rest of the Bishops and Clergie cont●nued their Convocation ( though the Parliament was dissolved ) and by a new-Commission , turn'd it into a Provinciall-Synod , in which they audaciously contrived new Canons containing many matters contrary to the Kings prerogative ( which they so deceitfully pretend to uphold ) the fundamentall Laws of the Realm , Parliament priviledges , and Subiects liberties , and mainly tending to dangerous sedition , upholding their uniust usurpations , and as impudently as impiously justifying their Popish innovations , idolatries , and superstitious worship of God. Among which their accursed Canons they had forged a new and strange Oath for the establishing of their Antichristian tyrannie , with a most prodigious and monstrous Et caetera , in it , thereby to have deeply ensnared and grosly abused both Ecclesiasticks and Lay-men , as they distinguish them . Which Oath for its craft and labyrinthick intricacie , and no lesse hellish crueltie so to captivate mens consciences , I have thought fit here to insert . The Oath . I , A. B. do swear , that I approve the doctrine and discipline , or government established in the Church of England , as containing all things necessarie to salvation ; and that I will not endeavour , by my self or any other , directly or indirectly to bring in any Popish doctrine , contrary to that which is so established : nor will I ever give my consent to alter the government of this Church by Archbishops , Bishops , Deans , Arch-deacons , &c. as it stands now established , and as by right it ought to stand , nor yet ever to subject it to the usurpations and superstition of the See of Rome . And all these things I do plainly and sincerely acknowledge and swear , according to the plain and common sense and understanding of the same words , without any equivocation or mentall evasion or secret reservation whatsoever . And this I do heartily , willingly and truly upon the faith of a Christian . So help me God in Jesus Christ . Which Oath , whosoever refused to take must be most severely punished with suspensions , deprivations , and excommunications , or forced by other vexations to flie out of the Land , that so the Kingdom being cleared of these squemish and nice-conscienced fellows , ( as they call and count tender conscienc'd men ) a fairer and wider way might be made for the advancing of that grand●signe , namely , the Reconciliation of our English Church to the Church of Rome . Now , here ( me thinks ) I cannot pretermit to let the Reader see and take notice , how properly this plot of theirs may be parallel'd with that of Pharaoh against the Israelites in Egypt , who though kept-under with great and grievous thraldom and most heavie burthens ; yet grew to such a numerous multitude , that Pharaoh , being afraid of their number and still-increasing strength , spake thus to his Lords and Counsellours . Come-on , my Lords , let us deal wisely , and endeavour timely to cure this growing Gangrene , let 's keep the children of Israel under with vehement vexations , and destroy all their male children in their birth , lest they grow too strong for us , and either forcibly get from us , or joyn in battell with our enemies against us : But God crossed this his craft and crueltie , and made this very plot of theirs the ground-work of the greatest harm even to their whole land , by Moses preservation , whom God used as the main instrument of the Egyptians destruction . Thus , even thus , I say , it fared with our Prelates and Pontificians , who , by reason of our Scottish br●threns expulsion of their pernicious Prelates out of Scotland , not unjustly fearing that the English Puritans would endeavour the like supplantation of their English hierarchie , by the Scots example ; Come , therefore ( saies the Archbishop of Canterbury to his Pontifician crew ) let us now deal wisely , lest too late we repent it , let us cur● the courage of that encreasing Puritanicall-sect which so hates our apostolicall-Prelacie , let us vex and perplex them with the heavie and hard loads of cer●monies , superstitious innovations and new-east Canons with an &c. Oath ( right muddie ▪ bricks , straw and stable of Romish Egypt ) which , I hope shall prove the very Quintessence of all our former plots and projects , and the onely way to fix our selves fast , and rivet our selves so firmly into the apos●olicall chair of this Kingdom ( by swearing the Puritans , both Clergie and Laicks to our Ecclesiasticall iurisdiction ) as that no power either of Prince or Parliament shall ever be able to set us , hereafter , beside the sadle . But , see , I pray , how the Lords over-powring wisdom and goodnesse defeated their so high-built hopes , crost this their deep craft , and made this Oath and book of Canons the ground of their greatest overthrow . So that all that see with the right-eye of a true understanding , may justly say with Jethro , Moses father in law . Now I know that the Lord is greater than all ( Romes idoll - ) gods , for , in the ( very ) thing wherein they deal● proudly , the Lord was above them . For , after this , their courage began to quail ( for this present Parliament was resolved on , shortly after those Canons and Oath were made ) their proiects prospered not , all their devis●s were on the declining hand , Gods vindicative indignation continually prosecuting them to their shame and ( I hope ) to the utter ruine of their most insolent and unsufferable Antichristian tyrannie , as the sequill shall manifestly make clear , in the description of our deliverances , whereunto I mainly addresse my thoughts and intention . Now for the yet more absolute furthering of their most p●stiferous proiects , they ( in that Synod ) laid great taxations on the whole Cl●rgie , as namely , 6. Subsidies , besides a bountifull contribution to forward the intended war against Scotland , to which , they all ( of the pontifician and scandalous rout especially ) shewed themselves , generally , very free and affectionate , and which war , some of them , in their mad and hair-braind zeal , were not asham'd to stile and entitle , the Bishops War ; yea , a solemn prayer was composed and enjoyned by the Bishops , to be used in all Churches , calling the Scots Rebels in it , thus , as much as in them lay , to embrew both Nations in blood , and to make the wrath and furie between them irreconcilible . And here , now , the Reader must be pleased to take notice , that the Armie was now going forward for York ; and therefore we may ( here ) not unfitly observe ( as a first demonstration of Gods beginning to crosse & countercheck their malevolent machinations ) how the souldiers , which were pressed and now passing forward to York , did most strangely and uncontroulably turn rude-reformers , as they marched through the Countreys , forcibly intruding and getting into Churches , and there , irresistibly , pulling-down altar-rails , turning altars into Communion-Table postures , making enquirie , in the Towns where they came , how the Ministers carried themselves in their pastorall charges : if godly and diligent Preachers , they reverendly and respectively used them ; but , if Romes Minions ( I mean Arminians ) superstitious lazie drones , rotten-hearted Baals priests , or covetous pluralists , where-ere they came and found such , they vexed , derided , and most contemptuously used them , utterly disdaining also and refusing to be ordered or commanded by popish-Leaders . Now although I do not , I may not justifie these their mis-carriages , yet , who can denie a speciall hand of divine providence taking most high displeasure and just offence against our Prelates and Pontificians former violent and furious practises , and beginning thus at the very first on-set in this their great designe , to blast their bloodie intentions . And , certainly , if prudent Deborah did curse Meros , iustly , and the inhabitants thereof , with bitter curses , because they went not out to help the Lord against the mightie : What bitter curses , think we , then shall fall upon those who most affectionately afforded strong aid to mightie and most malicious Popish enemies , against the Lord and his dear saints and servants ? Even so , O Lord , ( as she goes on ) let all thine enemies perish , but let those that love thee , be as the bright and glorious sun when he goeth forth in his resplendent might . But , to go forward . At this time also the Popish faction enjoyed such exemptions and exceptions against the penall Laws of the Land , as amounted very neer to a full toleration of their religion ; Besides many other favours and Court-encouragements . They had a Secretarie of State , Sir Francis Windibank a powerfull ag●nt for the expediting of all the Papists desires ; a Popes Nuncio . residing here to act and govern them according to Romes influences , and to mediate for them , with the concurrence of forrein Popish Princes . By this Nuncio's authority , the Papists of all sorts , Nobilitie , Gentrie and Clergie were convocated after the manner of a private Parliament , new Popish jurisdiction erected of Romish Archbishops , taxes leavied , a new government of State contrived independant to ours ; yea contrarie to ours both in interest and affection , secretly corrupting the ignorant or negligent professors of our religion , and closely combining and uniting themselves against such as were sound professours , and in this posture onely watching and waiting for an opportunity by force to destroy those whom by fear or fraud they were hopelesse to seduce . For the full effecting whereof , they were strongly strengthened with all kind of war-like ammunition , encouraged by Popish prayers weekly enjoyned by their Nuncio ; and such power had they then procured at Court , that secretly a Commission was issued out , intended for some great Ones of the Popish profession both for leavying and martiall command of Souldiers according to those private instructions . His Majesties treasure also was extremely exhausted and consumed , his revenews anticipated , his Servants and Officers compelled to lend him great summes of money , multitudes tyred with attendance on the Councill-Table for refusall of illegall payments , prisons were filled with their commitments , and many Sheriffes summoned into the Star-chamber , and some imprisoned for not being quick enough in leavying the Ship-money , and generally all the people , over the whole Kingdom , languished twixt grief and fear of the issue of these strong and strange snares and entanglements , no visible signe , nor hope of humane help being left us , but in dolour and desperation . And was not England , now , brought into a Mount of straits indeed ? Could hell it self or the fiercest fiends and furies the rein have hatcht a more horrid and hideous contrivement , and that under a colourable pretence of law and right , forsooth , and royallprerogative ? Were not these like to prove rare Common-wealths-men and States-men , who , as the Prophet David complains , ( and as toucht before ) would establish and set up wickednesse by a Law ? Yea , these were truly , Those many fishers , which the Lord threatens to send against his sinning people to fish them , and many hunters to hunt them . Yea , I say , those most nefarious Nimrods , those mightie hunters , even most audaciously before the Lord , who , to raise-up and erect this their Babel of confusion , hunted not beasts , but the best of men , not for recreation , but for rapine and the utter ruine of true Religion . Wherefore , now at last , the Lord our great Jehovah , whose eyes run to and fro , through-out the whole earth , to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him ; hearing the groanes and crying prayers of his poor afflicted people , to whose throne of grace and mercie they now made their onely earnest addresses and pressing approaches ; who , I say , being a God hearing prayers , pardoning sins and a present help in greatest straits and distresses , gives them a gracious return , bids them be of good comfort , and fearlesse , yea bids them stand still and see the salvation of the Lord , which he will shew them . For , to me ( saith the Lord ) belongeth vengeance and recompence ; your enemies foot shall slip , in due time ▪ for the day of their calamitie is at hand , and the the things that shall come upon them do make haste . For the Lord will judge his own people , and repent himself for his servants iniuries , when he seeth that their power is gone , and there is none else to help . I am therefore graciously resolved ( saies our God ) to make England a School of mercies , and to set it in the highest form thereof , yea and to make it the captain of the School , and thereby intend to set him one-lesson to get by heart , even a lesson of true gratitude and holy obedience , for the mercies which now I intend to shew and bestow upon it . Such mercies indeed ( good Reader ) as thou shalt now see , and ( to thy souls admiration and comfortable contemplation ) behold , that had I as many tongues , hands and p●ns , as I have hairs on my head , and exquisite dexteritie fitly to manage and make use of them all , they would not suffice to set out the praises of our good God for them , being indeed such mercies , as none but God himself could ( miraculously ) conser upon us , by such a mightie and admirably strange overture and turn of things , which God now began to work by this Parliament , and all for the better , yea more and more admirable mercies to us within these two yeers than hath been bestowed on others in many ages . Which now by Gods gracious assistance , I shall abundantly make most clear and conspicuous , to the high honour and glory of God , and the unspeakable consolation and ioy of his saints and holy ones . For , now , behold , the Lord began to open the eyes and to touch the hearts of our Nobles , now at York , with the King , and to make them wearie of their too-long silence and patience ( if I may so call it and to lay to heart the Kingdoms great distractions and deep distempers , to be thereupon impatient of any longer delayes , and very sensible of the dutie and trust which belongs to them ; some , therefore , of the most eminent of them adventured to petition the King ( who being , now , at York , had there advanced his royall Standard , and gathered thither the cream of the whole Kingdom ) yea and at such a time too , when as ill Counsellours were so powerfull and prevalent with his Majestie , that they had reason to expect more hazard to themselves , than fair and facile redresses of those palpable and publike evils for which they then interceded . At which time , also , of this Kingdoms deadly burning-fever or violently shaking-ague of intestine miseries and oppr ssions , the Scots having been long time restrained in their trades , impoverished by losse of many of their ships and goods , bereaved of all possibilitie of satisfying his Majestie by any naked Supplication , wherein they had been long time tired , and even quite wearied-out , being as frequently as fruitlesly denied their desires , and now at last ( to shut-up quite all doors of hope from them an armie marching to the gates of their Kingdom to force them to slavish subiection and obedience . They , hereupon , resolving to stand on their most just defence , and with their swords ( since words would not prevail ) to make their own passage , for audience , to the King ; with a strong armie ( as their last remedy ) of Saints rather than Souldiers entred the Kingdom , and without any hostile act or spoil in the countrey , as they passed save onely ( being affronted by some of the Kings armie ) to force their passage over the Tyne at Newburn , neer Newcastle , and had a fair opportunitie to presse on further upon the Kings armie , out that dutie and reverence to his Majestie , and brotherly love and true Christian affection to our English Nation ( according to the tenour of a most excellent Declaration , printed and dispersed over the Kingdom , immediately upon their entring the Realm , intituled , The Scots mind and intention with their Armie ; which gave great satisfaction therein ) made them stay there , piously and patiently , as loving friends , not foes , voluntarily to wait and supplicate again to his Majestie at York , for iustice in their innocent cause against their wicked enemies : Whereby the King had the better leasure to entertain better Counsell , according to those Noble Peers Petition also , fore-mentioned , wherein the Lord our God so blessed him , that he summoned a great Councell of Peers ▪ then at York , to meet together with him , on Sept. 24 , 1640. The Scots hereupon , the first day of the great Councill presented another most humble petition to his Majestie , whereupon a treatie was appointed at Rippon , in which , things were so wisely and worthily agitated by the Commissioners on both sides , and in all that interim , a sweet cessation of Arms agreed upon , that at last , it was resolved that the full conclusion of all differences between is and the Scots should be referred to the wisdom and care of a Parliament declared to begin , Novemb. 3 d , then next ensuing , as the sole means ( under heaven ) to cure all these foresaid maladies , and to recover the Kingdom of its heart ▪ sick diseases and ( otherwise incurable ) mortall wounds , and to settle the State of things ( which ( otherwise ) seemed insuperable ) into a right frame and posture . For , as hath been abundantly manifested , all things were so out of joynt , the King and whole Kingdom brought to such exigents and precipitating sad and bad issues , that had not God thus timously struck in , and thus necessitated this Parliament , England ( undoubtedly ) had been made , long ere this , a confused Chaos of confusion , a gastly Golgotha , and a most foule field of Blood , and posteritie might have sighi●gly sobd ▪ out ( not sung ) of it . Ah , England , England , once call'd Albion , for thy white rocks , now too justly mayest be call'd Olbion , for thy black deformitie of destruction and desolation ! O London , famous London , Englands ( once ) glorious Troynovant , now become a desolate wildernesse , the plowma●s fallow-plains or vast fields of corn ; or , as the Prophet Jeremie , by his Jerusalem ▪ might most properly have painted thee out also , as in the 1 ▪ of his Lamentations . But , now , behold , thy God is come unto thee , is now seen , yea , now , I say , if ever in the Mount of Mercies for thy admirable deliverance from this most profound abyss of deepest danger , in this mightie mercie of th● Lord to thee but new-now poor gasping-England , in that the English and Scottish-armies should lie so neer each other in a martiall manner , and yet seem Both to shake hands together , should onely look one another in the face , and not embrue their hands in the blood of each other , but sit still , rest together in peace , and at length part ( as they did ) like good friends . O who can forbear , but in a transcendent rapture of ioy and gratitude , break-out , with holy David , and say , or rather cheerfully sing ; Ascribe unto the Lord worship and honour , ascribe unto the Lord the glory of his name . Sing unto God ye Kingdoms of the earth , O sing praises unto our God. Who maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth , who breaks the bowe , and cuts the spear in sunder , and burns the chariots in the fire . Who daily loadeth us with his benefits , and is the onely God of our salvation . Who infatuates the wisdom of the wise and prudent , and makes the counsels of Princes to come to nought . But , now , to proceed where I left ; A Parliament was ( I say ) appointed to begin , Novem. the third , a Parliament said I ? ( strange word ) what ? a Parliament ? why , who durst ( once ) be so bold , as onely to whisper his desires of a Parliament ? who ( once ) durst mutter , much lesse utter-out such a word , A Parliament in England , again ? Yet , thus it was , yea and thus timely too yea and such a Parliament too , as this Kingdom never saw ●he like , for length and strength of goodnesse , for Church and State ; to Gods due glorie and everlasting praise be it spoken . Certainly ( then ) if ever , now was our God gloriously seen in the Mount of Merci s for Englands greatest good and hoped happinesse . But now see again ▪ ( as I premised at the beginning ) the serpentine-seed , Satans agents , must be still working and plotting against all the springing hopes and budding comforts of Gods people , if it were possible to blast them in the blossomes . For , now , since they saw to their secret sorrow , a Parliament must needs be , & this omen also unavoidable , all their crafty pates were contriving and casting about how to stifle this conception of comfort in the very wombe . For , the malignant partie spying well that they could not ( as I said ) put off the Parliament , they therefore cunningly and closely endeavour by their Courtly agents to have such Members of it chosen in every Corporation , City , and Shire as might onely advance their mischievous Machinations and base designes in Parliament . They , therefore , procure the Kings and Queens Letters to Counties and Shires , get both Earls , Lords , Knights and Gentlemen to ride in person and rove up and down to all parts and places of the Kingdom to make parties for them in choice of such as they should nominate . Yet , see again , on the other side how the Lord counter-plotted and infatuated all their craft , care , and industrie therein ; for , notwithstanding all their cost and coyl , all their running and riding , God , I say , frustrated their impious expectation , in most places . The Lord , who holds the hearts of all men in his hands , caused the willing people from all parts , spontaneously to flock and assemble together like such unheard of numerous swarmes of bees of all requisite sorts and qualities , with most unbended courage and irrefragable resolutions to chuse-out and select , such pious , prudent and every way accomplisht Worthies for this high and honourable work , as are most hopefull , by Gods gracious support and assistance to strike the stroke of a most blessed and long looked for , yea longed-for happie Reformation ; yea , I say , making up such a blessed Colledge of Phisicians , as are likely ( by Gods benediction on them and protection over them ) to cure the ( else ) almost curelesse maladies and infirmities of Church and State , which were readie to sink into the inevitable gulf of wo and wretchednesse , and to drink the last draft of deadly destruction . O , who can passe-by such a remarkable passage of Gods admirable providence , surpassing admiration in this speciall piece of comfort to us ! yea , I may justly say , this master-peece of the whole ensuing frame of all our succeeding parliamentarie-rejoycings ? and not cry-out with most emphaticall cheerfulnesse , with holy Moses , Who is like unto thee , O Lord , among the gods ? Who is like unto thee ? glorious in holinesse , fearfull in praises , doing wonders . And with the sweet Psalmograph , holy David , The heavens shall praise thy wonders , O Lord , thy faithfulnesse , also , in the assembly of Saints . For , who in heaven can be compared to the Lord ? Who , among the sons of the mightie can be likened to our God ? Now , at the first sitting and meeting of this blessed Parliament , though all oppositions seemed to vanish , the fore-mentioned mischiefs of the malignant partie being so evident ( which their accursed counsels and co-operations produced ) that no man durst stand-up to defend them : yet , the whole work it self afforded difficulty enough , if you cast your eyes on these particulars . First , the multiplied evils and long-rooted corruptions of 16. yeers growth , at least , by custome and authority of the concurrent interest of many powerfull delinquents who were , now , to be brought to judgement and reformation . Secondly , the Kings houshold was to be provided for ; for , they had brought him to that want that he could not supply his meer ordinarie and necessarie expenses without the assistance of his people . Thirdly , two armies were then to be paid , which amounted very neer to 80 thousand pounds a moneth , and yet the people over the Kingdom must be tenderly charged , having been formerly miserably exhausted with many burthensome projects . Fourthly , the contra●ieties they met with , in all these , were very incompatible , which yet in a great measure they calmly reconciled ; these difficulties therefore , seemed to be invincible , yet by Gods good providence , and these most renowned Worthies indefatigable care and diligence , they comfortably over ▪ came them At the beginning of the Parliament , six Subsidies were freely granted , together with the passing of a Bill of Pole-money , for speedie supply of present occasions , which could not amount to lesse than 600000. l. besides the said six Subsidies . Yea , these prudent patriots contracted that great arrere-of charges due to our faithfull brethren of Scotland , to 220 thousand pounds . And notwithstanding all these most urgent and inevitable charges and pressing occasions ▪ the Lord so blessed the proceedings of this precious Parliament , that the kingdom is for the present , and will be much more for the future , by Gods mercie , a great gainer by all those charges , as will evidently appear by the subsequent cloud of witnesses , the many remarkable parliamentarie mercies , which our great Jehovah hath graciously strewed into our happie laps and bosomes by them . And this is here the rathe toucht and mentioned to stop the mouthes of those repining envious elves of ingratitude , who notwithstanding these so conspicuous , and egregious restimonies of these ever to be honoured Worthies most impregnable pains and industrie , yet would fain fasten their fangs of calumnie and detraction on their most honourable actions and proceedings , which even their inf●rnall black-mouth'd mother Envie her self , cannot but ( though contrarie to her nature ) most justly commend . As , first , that uncouth and ( till of late ) unheard of heavie taxation of Ship-money , by this Parliament abolished , which drained from the Kingdome above 200 thousand pounds a yeer . Coat and Conduct-money taken away from unjustly troubling the Subject , which in many countreys amounted to little lesse than Ship-money . That scouring project of New-sope also overthrown which brought an hundreth thousand pounds a yeer into private proiectors purses . That soaking plot also on Wine , which amounted to above three hundred thousand pound . And that of Leather , which rightly computed could not chuse but exceed both those former , put together , this is also annihilated . Yea , that unseasonable ( and indeed unreasonable ) patent for Salt puld out of their enhansing hands , which could not but countervail in value , that of Leather Besides many other Statestarving Monopolies , whereof some ( as hath been seen in those fore-mentioned ) prejudiced the Kingdom above a Million of money yeerly ; all quite supprest by this renowned Parliament , which formerly , like so many greedily gaping graves or unsatiable horsleaches were continually crying-out , Give , Give , and restlesly sucking-out the vitall spirits of the State , and pitifully debilitating , thereby , the nerves and ligaments of the whole Common-wealth . But , that which was far more worth than all those fore-said great benefits , which , indeed was the very root and rice of all those and such like taxations and vexations , is also , by power of this Parliament , quite taken away , viz. the Arbitrarie power pretended to be in his Maiestie to tax his subiects , and charge their estates at his pleasure , without consent of his Parliament , which great and grievous yoke which extremely wrung our wronged necks , for the present , and would have done much more for the future , to our posteritie ) is now by this happie Parliament declared by Both-Hous s to be against Law , and is also ratified by an Act of Parliament . And was not Elohim our God all-sufficient , most gloriously seen here in the Mount for our large deliverance , from such and so many pinching straits and deep distresses as we were all brought ▪ yea plunged into , as have been formerly most evidently and undeniably shewn ? And , therefore , have we great cause , with that sweet singer of Israel to elevate his praises , herein , and to say , I will magnifie thee , O my God and my King , and will blesse thy Name for ever and ever . Yea every day will I blesse thee , and praise thy Name for ever and ever . For great is the Lord , and greatly to be praised , and his greatnesse is altogether unsearchable . Yea , and that which is very remarkable , and no lesse extraordinarie comfortable to Gods children ; How did the Lord ( before this Parliament began , and hitherto ever since ) stir-up and enflame the fire of supplicating faith or faithfull supplication and fervent zeal in private humiliation to seek the Lord in the face of Christ for mercie and reconcilement to our poor Land and Nation , so as the like was never seen in this Kingdom before . And , O , what faith-confirming and heart-cheering rich returns of prayers hath the Lord our good God cast into our blessed bosomes , in both granting us the very things ( yea and much more than ) our hearts desired ; and crossing ours and the Churches enemies both Papists and Prelates in their plots which we feared , yea and still making their own desperate devises to lite heaviest on their own heads , and their own impious inventions occasions to make them still sit-down by weeping-crosse , and bear the greatest damage and condigne detriment in themselves . Whence we may very well conclude with Manoahs wife , Sampsons mother , against all false and faithlesse fears and jealousies ( whereunto I perceive , even Gods own dear people are too-much addicted ) That if the Lord were pleased or had a purpose to kill ( or destroy ) us , he would not have received an oblation or sacrifice from us , neither would have shewed us all these things , nor would ( as at this time ) have done all these great things and much more yet following for us ; But if God had had no delight in us , but purposed to destroy us , and to deliver-up our Land and lives into Papists hands , and to make a prey of us and ours to them , he would not ( surely ) have suffered us or given us hearts to seek him in prayer and importunate petitions , and yet at last , have frustrated all our hopes and expectations : But contrariwise when God intended to destroy the children of Israel for their high provocations of the Lords irreconcilable wrath , he flatly forbad the Prophet to pray for them : whereas on the other side , I say , our gracious God hath freely poured on us the spirit of grace and supplication ; hath not onely received sacrifices from our ( though sinfull ) hands , but in Christ Jesus ( his ever prevailing Blastus , nay rather ever most meritorious blessed Son ) hath smelt a sweet savour in our sacrifices , as hath been alreadie in part imparted to us , and made clearly obvious to our eyes and understanding , and comes now most copiously to be farther most fully demonstrated to us . And , here , me thinks , t is not improper or impertinent to put the Reader in mind of one remarkable mercie of the Lord unto us , which though it be not ( I confesse ) on all parts absolutely concluded on ; yet for my part , I confidently beleeve ( these plotting times and weightie circumstances considered and put together ) I may justly enroll it in one of the chief places and number of our most famous parliamentarie deliverances , though I say it was and hath been covered and couched under fair machi●ilian vizards of other intentions ▪ when they saw God had miraculously crossed and defeated their former strong expectation . For ( unquestionably ) the Popish and malignant partie had deeply perswaded ( if not assured ) themselves that long ere this ( especially about the time of this plot now to be mentioned ) their desperate projects should have been brought to a high pitch , and that ere this time we and Scotland should have been deeply engaged in bloodie broils , and been pell-mell together by the ears in the Northern parts of the Kingdom . The sly Fox of Spain therefore , must needs watch advantages on our home-bred and imbred distractions and uncivill-civill wars , thus to purchase to himself the long lookt-for spoils and most precious prey of three fair Crowns , at once ; To which purpose , upon traiterous instigation and intelligence too , no doubt , from some of his pensioners in the Court of England ▪ he had made readie and set forth to Sea , a mightie Fleet of ships , a second great armado , well fraught and furnished with men and ammunition , and other instruments of wrath and furie for our certain perdition and designed destruction . Thus unsuspected and unexpected , they had smoothly and silently made their way into our narrow Seas , and lay hovering within sight of Dover , fearlesse ( it seem'd ) of least resistance from us , if not hopefull of ample assistance to land their forces , and make our Land feel the furie of Spaines conquering arm . But , behold , as thus they lay about our coasts , and we ( as it were ) lay fast a sleep in this great danger , the God of our English-Israel , who never slumbers nor sleeps in the protection of his people , had his ever most vigilant and wakefull eye over us , even then , I say , when we were most supine and carelesse or fearlesse of any imminent disaster so neer us , the Lord our God fought for us , yet without us , stopt this ( otherwise ) over-flowing inundation of miserie and destruction , crost and crusht their rotten-egge of windie hopes , by sending our honest old neighbours of Holland to confront them , though with but a very small Fleet ( at the first ) which afterward quickly encreased , under the conduct and command of their heroicall and most magnanimous Admirall Martin Tromp , whose honour and high renown , the trump of Fame shall most worthily sound out to posteritie , and crown his temples with never withering-wreathes of laurell-branches , who had no sooner espied them , but most fiercely and furiously he set upon their whole formidable Spanish Fleet , gave them such battering broad sides , and such Canon-thundring and powder-roaring salutations as quickly puld down their so late so lofty Spanish pride , and maugre all their espani●lized bravadoes , the utmost strength of their strongest vessels was so batter'd and bruis'd , their falsly suppos'd impenitrable ribs and big-swoln bellies so peir●'t and pestred , that they quickly queld their courage , fir'd , sunk and took many of their greatest ships , and dissipated and scatter'd the rest from our coasts , few of them escaping the heroick Hollanders martiall violence , to our great ( though unsensible yet unspeakable ) comfort and security , we our selves not having strook one streak in our own defence , nay t is well if we did not yeeld the Spaniards supplie of powder and other necessaries ( that time ) to our own destruction , had not God thus strangely and strongly withstood it . Say , then ( O England ) did not Jehovah , our great Lord and God most apparently appear , now , in the Mount for thy mightie deliverance ? did he not make good his word and promise by his holy Prophet . That no weapon forged against thee shall prosper , and every tongue that riseth against thee in judgement thou shalt condemne . Certainly , if ever , at this time was this prophesie most exactly made good to England , and to our faithfull brethren of Scotland . For , what sharp and death-wounding weapons have been forged against us , both abroad and at home ? what slanderous tongues , have risen up in judgement , yea in most false iudgement against both us and them , calling and counting Gods beloved ones among us factious and seditious , and among our honest brethren of Scotland , traitors and rebels , as hath been formerly touched ; but now we have seen , to the high honour of God and ioy of our hearts , that none of their weapons have prosper'd against us ; yea their slanderous tongues , which so falsely iudged us and our beloved brethren , we have condemned to the clear eyes of all men , that wilfully look not a squint on all iust things . For , hath not this our most noble and renowned Parliament , together with the Kings full content and consent therein , proclaimed our brethren of Scotland , the Kings most faithfull and loyall Subiects ? Confirmed a fair and full Pacification and union of firm love and mutuall defence , twixt us and them and the Kingdom of Ireland with an Act of oblivion of all mistakes and misconceits on either side : all these , I say , ratified by a blessed Act of Parliament ? Yea , and that which adds no small lustre to it , that it hath hereby freed us from civill-wars , which of all warres are most uncivill , from intestine wars , wars that would have eaten-out our own bowels ; from wars , I say , of Christians with Christians , yea of Protestants with Protestants , which of all wars could not but have been most fell and fatall . O who , then , can see these things , these miracles of mercies , without deep admiration and holy adoration of our great God ? Who can forbear to break-out into cordiall praises , to raise-up trophies of everlasting fame and honour to our great and glorious Lord and King ? Who can chuse but ingenuously acknowledge with holy David , That we got not these good things into our possession by our own sword , neither did our own arm save us : But thy right hand , O Lord , and thine arm , and the light of thy countenance , because thou hadst a love unto us . Thou art our King , O command deliverance , still , to thy poor worm Jacob. For , through thee alone shall we pull-down our enemies , through thy Name onely shall we tread them under that rise up against us . T●● thou O God that risest up in judgement to save all thy weak-ones on earth , turning the rage and furie of man into thy praise , and making the remainder of their wrath to obey thee . A most remarkable mercie was it also , that the Lord put into the hearts of the renowned Scaligers of our corrupted times , for the better purifying not onely of the conduit-pipes of Justice , to begin ( as about this time ) to put pious and noble Peers into places of honour , trust and power , that thus the stern of government may be the more happily steered with uprightnesse and impartialitie . To which purpose ( as a main help thereto ) they have most happily taken away that State-staggering Star-Chamber-Court ; dissolved and dissipated into smoke ▪ the crushing-Courts of the President and Councell of the North ▪ and limited and co fined the unlimited bounds of businesses at the Councell-Table ; but also to scoure the muddie and even stinking channels of wrong and oppression , by easing the Common-wealth of those living-grievances thereof ( a great advantage to the peace and tranquility of the State ) I mean those evill Counsellers and Officers of State , who had been principall actors of all our foresaid miscries and mischiefs ; making thereby ( as it were ) a plaster to heal the deadly wounds of Church and State , and most hopefully to recover the almost incureable diseases of the Kingdom , by a plaister , I say , of the blood of that insulting arch-traitor , the Earl of Straford , who as he had well-nigh stabd the State to the heart by his deep and most dangerous plots both abroad and at home : So the stroak of Justice retaliated with blood his most bold and bloodie designes maugre all his slyest shufflings and crafty jeerings of the Law to have eluded it , and thereby hoping to have prevented the said just vengeance on him . And here by the way , I desire the Reader to take notice of Gods most equall and upright wayes and dealings , with wicked , ungodly , and blood-thirstie men , how exactly he repayes the bloody plots and purposes of all proud and ambitious Hamans in their own coyn ; as , here , is most perspicuously seen in this our English-Haman , who in his heart had vow'd the wrack ▪ and ruine of all Gods faithfull ones in England , Scotland and Ireland , at the least . But we have happily seen this proud Haman , the first that felt the due stroke of justice , to the honour of God , and the terrour of all such daring traytors . And as for the rest of that rabble , I may here take-up that of the holy Prophet David , How long will ye imagine mischief against men , ye shall be slain all the pack of you ; for , as a bowing or tottering-wall shall ye be , and as a rotten fence . Tremble , therefore , at this , all ye perfidious conspiring Sh●ba's , and fear in time such just retaliation . Certainly , There is none like unto thee , O Lord , thou art great , and thy Name is great in might . Who would not fear thee , O King of Nations , for , to thee it doth , indeed , appertain ( to do justice , and take revenge ) for as much as among all the wise men of the world , and in all their Kingdoms , there is none like unto thee . Now , this Remora thus happily ( though very hardly ) removed , this clinging-clyver ( I mean the foresaid Earl of Straford ) which was ready to over-top and choak the good corn of the Kingdom , thus blessedly eradicated ; together with the impeachment and imprisonment of Judge Bartlet and divers other Judges and Bishops , t was most strange to say and see what a sudden and generall serenitie and calmnesse from late former fears and affrights shon upon the hearts and minds of most men a long time after , even all over the Kingdom . Especially , also , when that Lamb-skin'd Woolf the Arch-prelate of Canterbury , who had so long and so craftily and cruelly woorry●d Christs innocent lambs , was also impeached of high treason , and thereupon forthwith , put into safe custodie under the Black-rod , and afterward lockt-up fast in the Tower of London , for his suture safe forth-coming , and thus all his former huge and hyperbolicall puffe of ayrie honour and false windie reputation among his clawing Pontificians , now at last tumbled into the dust , yea besmeard with the dirt of due disgrace , contempt , and ignominie . O then t was m●rry with harmlesse lambs when ravening wolves were shut up f●st , and lambs at libertie . As it is recorded to be the speech of that blessed Queen Elizabeth of ever-rarest memorie , upon the Lords delivering her from all her uniust , great troubles , by the happie decease of her fierie-Sister , Queen Marie , when the Romish bloodie Bishops of her time were clapt-up into prison , in her stead , and she delivered from their divill●sh thraldom . Yea , then , I say , the former thick-clouds and foggi●-mists of manifold fears began to be cleared , and the fair sunshine of chearfull hopes to arise in the hearts of Gods people : and contrariwise , a stonishment and fear began to surprise the spirits of traiterous proiectors , especially at Court. For , much about these times , or not long before and after also , Sir John Finch , Secretarie Windibank , Mr. Jermin , and since of late also , the bold and waspish young Lord Digbie , in the depth of the guilt of their consciences , being impeached also of high treason , trusting more to their heels celerity , than their hearts sinceritie , which , it seems , was none at all , posted away in private like most unworthie fugitives , being thus spued-out ( as I may say ) of their own native countrey like nauseous clods on the stomach of the State , which could not be at any ease or content till it had by some means disgorged them . Or rather , as it is reported of that hatefull vermine Rats and Mice , who by instinct of nature , observing an old barn or rotten-house ready to fall or be puld-down , they skip and scud and creep away , apace , to some more remote and secure place , thus to save themselves from that ( otherwise ) inevitable destruction : So , I say , did this traiterous vermine of our Kingdom , those devouring rats of rapine and mice of mischief , who would have gnawn and eaten into the bowels of Religion to the ruine of Church and State , finding the rotten-house of their long-plotted mischiefs readie to fall on their own heads , to their unavoidable destruction , thought it now h●gh time to skip and scud and run away for their lives , and to get themselves far enough beyond Sea , out of the reach of Justice strong and long-reaching arm at home . By which means , namely , justice , thus cone on some of them , and the said stroke of justice , thus terrifying and affrighting others away out of the Kingdom ; the Church and State are like , by Gods mercie , to reap this double benefit , to wit , ease and freedom from fears for the present time , and also most hopefull long preservation for the time to come . And was not here a rare parliamentarie mercie indeed , to the Kingdom ? to be rid ( any way ) of such Catelines of their Countrey ? And ought we not to be as thankfull to our God for his privative , as positive favours toward us , as well for the absence of evill things , as the present possession of good things , as well to see Gods enemies flie before us , as to see his faithfull servants and dear saints returning-home unto us ? Yes doubtlesse ; and to triumph in their terrour , and to laugh and reioyce when their fear comes upon them , yea , when it comes upon them like a fierce armed-man . For , so saies Solomon and the kingly Prophet David ▪ When the wicked spring as the grasse , and when all the workers of iniquitie do flourish , it is that they may be destroyed for ever . Yea , sayes he also , Certainly thou , O Lord , didst set them in slipperie places , and thou castedst them down into destruction . O , how suddenly do they fall into desolation , and are utterly consumed with fear and terrour ! And then , he sweetly concludes fully to our purpose . The righteous shall reioyce when he seeth the vengeance , he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked . So that a man shall say , verily there is a reward for the righteous , verily it is God that iudgeth the earth . Now , whereas for these many yeers , heretofore , the discontinuance and unhappie dissolution of Parliaments hath ( most like the want of soveraign healing-salv●s to dangerous sores ) occasioned extreme preiudice by long f●stering and p●stering enormities in Church and State , and mightily encouraged the audacious and most ungracious workers of iniquitie through strong hopes ( thereby ) of impunity : Our good God hath by this blessed Parliament provided a cordiall preservative and soveraign antidote against such future pestilentiall diseases and mortiferous growing gangrenes , namely , in that our renowned Worthies have by a firm Act of Parliament , setled a Trienniall-Parliament , to be for the time to come duely called among us . And yet farther ; since the frequent and abrupt dissolution of Parliaments hath also been no small supportation to the wicked intentions of traiterous active spirits among us : It hath pleased the Lord to put into the hearts of the King and Parliament with an unanimous consent to passe a Bill for the most happie and blessed continuation of this present Parliament , so as that it shall neither be dissolved nor adiourned without the consent of both Houses . Which two Laws well and seriously considered , ( especially the last of the two , the incomparable happinesse whereof I am not able to relate for the present , but time to come may ) may justly be thought more advantageous to the Kingdom than all the former , because they secure a full operation of present remedie , like a constant course of wholsome physick to a very crazie bodie full of encreasing and growing infirmities , affording , I say , a perpetuall spring of remedies to Church and Common-wealths future growing griefs and maladies . And , because ( according to that old adagie ) a threefold knot is not easily untied , or a three-fold cord , not easily broken ; the more strongly to corroborate all our hopes and ensuing comfort● , and to make them as constant as cordiall ; see , how , yet farther it pleased the Lord our good God to enlarge his hand of bountie and benignitie toward us , to leave no means unassayed that might conduce to a perfect cure ; and therefore , I say , how he put into the hearts of our ever to be honoured Worthies in Parliament , both Peers and Commons , seriously to consider how sick at the very heart the Commonwealth was , both Church and State ; Religion panting by many fearfull fainting-fits of a strong and violent Quotidian-Ague of Poperie , Arminianisme , and many Popish , apish innovations , mightily tending to idolatry , and superstition ; and the State brought into a deep consumption , almost hopelesse of remedie , by reason of those many and mischievous taxations and impositions most unjustly pressing and oppressing its strength and abilities , as hath been most abundantly set forth and shewn in our preceding descriptions of them . Therefore , I say , on judicious advise and premeditation of the condition of Both , our most noble Colledge of expert Physitians , ( by Gods good providence ) timely thought on an Aurum-potabile , a precious potion , a select electuari to recover its almost irrecoverable health and strength , a most pious and prudent Protestation , to be taken ( next to the heart ) all over the Kingdom to revi● their formerly fainting spirits , like pure Aqua-vitae , or most soveraign stomack-water to help us all against the future chilling and killing qualms of Poperie and Oppression . The Protestation . I , A. B. do in the presence of almightie God , vow and protest to maintain and defend , as far as lawfully I may , with my life , power , and estate ▪ the true reformed Protestant Religion , expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England , against all Popery and Popish innovations within this Realm , contrary to the same doctrine ; and according to the dutie of my allegiance , his Majesties royall person , honour and estate ; As also the power and priviledges of Parliament ; the lawfull rights and liberties of the Subiect , and every person that maketh this Protestation ▪ in whatsoever he shall do in the lawfull pursuance of the same . And to my power , and as far as lawfully I may , I will oppose , and by all good wayes and means endeavour to bring to condign punishment , all such as shall either by force , practise , counsels , plots , conspiracies , or otherwise , do any thing to the contrary of any thing in this present Protestation contained . And further , that I shall in all iust and honourable waies endeavour to preserve the union and peace between the three Kingdoms of England , Scotland , and Ireland ; and neither for hope , fear , or other respect , shall relirquish this promise , vow and Protestation . A Protestation , I say , most worthie to be taken by all honest-hearted English Protestants , over the whole Kingdom ; a Protestation , which I dare be bold to say and justifie , none but hard'ned impious Papists , profane atheisticall Libertines , or grossely ignorant asses , and carnall earth-worms onely ▪ can dare to be so gracelesse or else shamelesse , either directly to refuse or so much as dissemblingly to defer or neglect on any colour of pretence whatsoever . And that ye may see the substance of what I say , herein , ratified by the Worthies of our Parliament , I thought fit to give you here their own Vote thereon . Resolved on the Question . That this House doth conceive that the Protestation made by them is fit to be taken by every person that is well affected in Religion , and to the good of the Commonwealth ; and therefore doth declare , that what person soever shall not take the Protestation is unfit to bear office in the Church or Commonwealth . Now then ( good Reader ) put all these last recited admirable mercies together , and tell me whether thou dost not most evidently see , and mayest not most freely and faithfully say that our great Jehovah hath most blessedly brought us out of the Mount of many mightie straits and been seen for our most happie deliverance from them all in the Mount of mercies ? And seeing these so great and gracious mercies to so sinfull and so undeserving a Nation and provoking people as we are , so ungratefull , so unfruitfull ; O who can forbear to break-forth in holy exultation to the high exaltation , by praises ▪ of our good God , and with the pious Prophet David , that sugred singer of Israel , say and sing with the 〈◊〉 llifluous melodie of a most gratefull heart , I will love thee , O Lord , my strength , the Lord is my stonie-rock ▪ my fortresse and my deli● rer , my God , my strength in whom I will trust ; my buckler , the horn of my salvation , and my high towre . O how great is thy goodnesse , O Lord , which thou bast laid-up for them that fear thee , and which thou hast laid-out and wrought for them that trust in thee , even before the sons of men . O , therefore , love the Lord all ye his Saints , for the Lord preserveth the faithfull , and plenteously rewardeth the proud doer , Yea , I say ▪ wait on the Lord ( therefore ) and be of a good courage and he shall strengthen thy heart , wait , I say , on the Lord. Thus have we seen what wonders God hath wrought for us , in the Commonwealth ; he pleased now therefore to lengthen-out and lend me thy Christian patience , and I shall now also shew thee how the Lord hath been as gloriously seen ( if not much more ) in the Mount of parliamentarie-mercies to his poor afflicted and affrighted Church among us ; which yet , the Reader must be pleased to take notice , were intermixedly performed together with the most and first of those fore-mentioned in the Commonwealth , onely I have ranckt them together for mine own better and more methodicall handling of them . About the beginning of this blessed Parliament , the Lord put into the hearts of our grave and godly parliamentarie Senators to act their first pious parts about reformation of Religion by a most diligent inquisition and search after oppressions and oppressours of the Church of God , and by their parliamentarie power to break and knock off the pushing horns of those fat buls of * Bashan , wherewith they had fiercely and furiously , yea and as it were even frantickly pusht at and almost goard to death the people of God : and first , upon the petitions of Mrs. Bastwick and Mrs. Burton , the pious , but ( then ) most disconsolate and too untimely widowed-wives of their thrice noble and heroick husbands , as also a petition exhibited in the behalf of most precious Mr. Prinne , that incomparable and rare pair-royall of most worthy witnesses of Gods truth ; the pious Parliament , like noble Ebed-melech , redeemed those just Jeremies of the Lord out of their ( otherwise ) perpetually captivating most remote and desolate dungeons ▪ to the great joy and comfort of Gods dear Saints ; together with religious Dr. Laighton , a long and lamentable Sufferer for the great cause of Religion ; as also , reverend and religious Mr. Smart , Mr. Walker , Mr. Foxley , and that undaunted picus young gentleman Mr. John Lilborn , and many others , all of them , immediately set at libertie on the exhibiting of their petitions to the Parliament , who had most of them been most unjustly and most injuriously clapt up in close imprisonment , some of them fast fetter'd in irons , all of them most grievously abused ( by our fathers ( forsooth ) of the Church , as they will be most falsely termed ) especially those three former most renowned suffering-worthies , whom these persecuting Prelates had even most barbarously , as it were , buried alive in most remote and remorselesse ( as they entended it ) imprisonment from sight , much lesse society of any friends , yea utterly debarring their wives from coming to them , clean contrary to the Laws of God and Man ; This , I say ( to their everlasting shame and infamie ) being perpetrated by those right terrible-Ones ( indeed ) mentioned by the Prophet Yea , those proud scorners , who watched for iniquitie , to make a man an offender for a word , and laid snares for any that durst reprove in the gate , and turned aside the iust for a thing of nought . But , whom now the Lord our God hath consumed and brought to nought , and by their own pernicious and craftie counsels , hath justly cut-off , and left in their own snare , which they had prepared for others , just according to that of wise King Solomon , The righteous is delivered out of troubles , and the wicked cometh in his stead . The Lord having most resplendently cleared the honour and integritie of all those his honourable suffering heroes , restoring them to comfort , credit , and high reputation , ever since their ( as it were , princely and triumphant ) return to London , and most sumptuous entertainment to all Gods people , being brought home like three conquering Cesars on horsback . Even so as that we may say , and most justly declare before them , as king Ahasueros caused to be proclaimed before good Mordecai , when he so highly honoured him in the very sight and presence of wicked Haman ; Thus shall it be done to the man whom the King delighteth to honour . As it is most worthily and punctually related , at large , in their own most famous historie of all their magnanimous sufferings and even Princelike restauration and return from their captivity to former freedom , penned by pious Mr Prinne himself , my ever much honoured and most precious friend . And did not the Lord , here most strongly and strangely shew himself in the Mount for the redemption of all these his beloved Isaac's from their unparalell'd thraldom , and threatned utter ruine , and cause his wrath to lay hold on those Romish-Rams who were entangled in the bushes of their Bishoplyabuses to Gods children , and so ( by his admirable wise providence ) to make them a prey to his just indignation instead of his innocent and tenderly affected Isaac's his beloved lambs ? As hereafter in its proper place we shall have more full and fit occasion yet farther to make manifest to the eyes and understanding of all wise and impartiall Judges . We may therefore sing and say with holy David : Be glad in the Lord , therefore , O ye righteous , who thus taste and trie his great love and truth unto you , and shout for ioy all ye ●hat are upright in heart . Reioyce , I say , in the Lord , O ye righteous , for , praises are comely , for the godly . Sing a new song to the Lord , yea sing cheerfully and skilfully with a loud noise ; for the word of the Lord is right , and all his works are done in truth . Then also did our wise parliamentarie Gardiners stub and grub up those noysome trees and shamefull shrubs , whose spreading spight and unprofitable power did mightily overtop , and furiously infest the happie harvest and fair and full crop and encrease of Gods blessedly fruitfull Orchard-trees , fruitfull I say , in holinesse of life , and painfull and profitable administration of the Word and Ordinances in their power and purity . For , about this time , also , our expert State-Engineers , our Worthies in Parliament did most prudently countermine , and by their parliamentarie power blow-up the out-works and Babel-batteries and mischievous-mounts of our Prelaticall Canoneers , making their spureous Synod to be utterly illegall ; turning the mouthes of their accursed Canons , on themselves , making them ( indeed ) truly paper-Canons which could neither rend us , nor roar against us , but flash in their own faces , and spoil themselves ; damming them up , or rather damning them , as most Antichristian and illegall , by an unanimous Vote in Parliament . And as for that monstrous Et-Caetera-Oath , that hideous and prodigious Hydra , that bottomlesse abysse , I say , and deep-devouring whirl-pool of Romish craft and subtiltie which should have supt and swallowed-up into its wide-yawning iaws both Church and Common-wealth , this they also happily stifled in the Embrio of it , ere it could come to its birth , much lesse any of its intended Romish destroying growth and maturitie . Then those most prudent Senators for the better purifying of the Churches channels and Conduit-pipes of the Gospel of grace , and , ( by Gods blessing ) to cause them to issue forth more wholesome and pure streams for Gods people to drink of ; discovered and discountenanced too , a stinking heap of atheistical and Romane-rubbish , a rotten-rabble of scandalous priests and spurious bastard-sons of Beliall , who by their affected ignorance and lazieness● , their false ▪ doctrines and idolatrous and superstitious practises in Gods worship , as also by their most abhominable evill lives and conversation had , like Hophni and Phincas made the Lords Ordinances to be even abborred by the people , who to their hearts unexpressible grief having continually complained of their grosse misdemeanours to those who would be counted the grave pi●lars ( forsooth ) of the Church , but were , indeed , but Rom●s rotten-posts in thus fostering such fostering henbane of the Church , their functions infamie and the foulest stains of that holy calling ; yet could find no redresse of those evils ; but contrariwise , scoffs and jeers and more hard encreased pressures heaped on them ( just like the children of Israel in their slavish brick ▪ kils ) yea and sometimes punished for complaining ; Till , now , those our most pious and prudent Reformers voted against them as most unfit to abide in the Ministerie . Yea , then those our parliamentarie Worthies , the better to help forward the most blessed work of Church-reformation , unanimously voted against and discountenanced all our too-rich and lazie Non-residents and soul-pining , if not soul-plaguing Pluralists , those spirituall Polygamists , who ( were the law of man as firmly exact and strict for spirituall as it is for carnall Polygamie , or having two wives ) we all know what their danger and just demerit should be . With these also have they most worthily voted down , a sweatlesse swarm of droanish Deans and unprofitable Prebends , and such like Clergie-trash , who lay lurking in the Bec-hives of the Church , and lurching-away the sweet honey from the laborious Bees , painfull Preachers , yea infesting and molesting them with their waspish-stings of Antichristian tyrannie ( just like the mustie Munches and lazie-Abbeylubbers of Rome , in times past , and which base and blockish condition , they ( certainly ) longed and laboured ( secretly ) to set up again , but I trust their eyes and heart too , shall fail them ere they effect it ) untill they had quite driven them out of their honey-combes , and kill'd or starv'd-up them and theirs by prisons or exile ; all these , I say , were by those our blessed Master-builders in Parliament by their unanimous suffrages not onely voted against as a superfluous and unprofitable burthen on Gods Church , but thereby also a way was made plain , and wide-doores were set open for a blessed restauration and replantation of most faithfull and painfull Pastours , and laborious Lecturers , chosen and set up with the peoples consent and good liking , and not to have dumb-dogs or soul-robbers and theeves which came not in at the doore , but through the windows of the Church , violently obtruded on them , whereby the Gospel begins to thrive and flourish again , and Sions young-converts to be graciously growing up among us , in the true judgement and knowledge of Christ Jesus ; whereas , formerly the Prelates and Pontificians durst scoffe , fleer , and jeer familiarly at those faithfull and painfull Lecturers , and most atheistically ask in derision , What kind of creatures those Lecturers were , and most impiously and audaciously ( even in the presence of the great God of heaven ) vow to * worm them out ●re they had done with them . But our good God gave these curst cows ( or rather wilde buls of Bashan ) short horns , and though they had gone-on in a great measure , and done much mischief therein , yet they could not do the hurt which their hearts aymed at , ever blessed and praised be our good God for it . And now good Reader reflect thine eyes and review these rare mercies , and tell me then , was not Englands God , herein , also seen in the Mount of Mercies , by this so strange an overture and alteration of things interposed between such eminent and imminent danger of utter losse of our bright and burning Candlesticks of the Gospel , and fear of stinking snuffs of ignorance , errour and atheisticall profanenesse to be set up in their places , and little or no hope ( at least it● humane apprehension ) of help by lesse than such miracles of mercies as God himself hath in these our happie dayes wrought and poured-down upon us , and such indeed as none but a God could procure for us . O how sweetly and suddenly hath God turned our Captivitie into admirable freedom and libertie . And who can consider these things without serious and deep admiration ? and who can call them to remembrance without heart-ravishing ioy and delight ? yea who can chuse but acknowledge in his most gratefull heart the great praises of the Lord ? and with holy David , that harmonious chanter and musicall inchanter of Israel , confesse Gods infinite free favour and love to England in thus encompassing and begirting us about with sweet songs of such deliverances . But yet here 's not all , for our blessed parliamentarie Worthies have also given us great hope ( by Gods goodnesse ) of timely purging also the two famous Fountains of our Kingdom , Oxford and Cambridge from the much myre and mud of Romish innovations , which , setling there also hath made their streams stink of Poperie ; yea , I say , great hopes of happily healing the ( once most clear-sighted , but now and of long time ) blear-eyes of our Nation , grown mightie sore with Romish-rednesse , by drinking in too much of the wine-lees of poysoning Popish fopperies ; in so much that Truths clear sighted Servants eyes began to be mightily offended by but looking on them ; and not without cause , for , as our Saviour himself saies ; If the eyes be evill , the whole bodie will be full of darknesse ; and , if the light that is in a kingdom ( and especially which is to give light to a whole kingdom ) be darknesse , O how great is that darknesse ! and such truly began to be our Kingdoms condition ; but now we have , I say , great hopes , by Gods gracious assistance , that our Parliament will seasonably provide a soveraign Collyrium or eye-salve , some well-distilled eye-bright of Reformation to purifie the sight of these two , once most glorious lights in the whole Christian world . Yea , these our noble Nehemiahs , and grave and gracious Ezra's have taken most pious pains to see Gods Sabbaths more sincerely sanctified than of late they have been , and the profane soil of trauelling Carriers , Taverns , Ale-houses , and Tobacco-shops , and other loose and irreligious Shop-keepers ( who heretofore mightily polluted that day ) most sweetly swept away any cleansed . A work of great concernment and high esteem for the glorie of the Lord , than which , I am certain , a greater , a better cannot be undertaken , as being the very prop and promoter of all true Religion , and without the entire and sincere sanctification whereof all true religion would quickly decay , and be utterly lost ; yea , I say , a Nation-upholding Christian dutie of richest valuation , as having more precious promises annexed to it than any other I know of in the whole book of God , and which hath more ennobled our Realm and made our Kingdom more illustrious ( God alone who hath so graciously upheld it among us , have all the praise and glorie of it , and we onely the comfort ) than all our reformed Neighbours about us ; yea such a blessed and holy duty as hath caused more mercies to fall , yea flow , upon our English-Nation than ever did on any people of the Christian world . Yet our most iniurious Prelates , together with their profane Pontificks have most shamelesly striven to viciate and defile this our Sabbaths precious honour ( the main readie and road-way to have brought the curse of God upon us ▪ and utterly to have ruinated our whole Kingdom ) by whose means it began in King James his dayes to receive a deep died stain by that most wicked and accursed book of tolerating vain sports and profane recreations , forsooth , on the Lords day , which , since hath been avowed and advanced more highly by them , than , at the first ; but now , since , in our present Soveraignes time more pertinaciously pressed and perniciously enforced on Gods dear Saints and servants in the ministerie than formerly it had been , whose tender-consciences could not endure it , and who ( being in their most just zeal for the Lords high honour therein , and sincere love to true Religion transported above all fears and frowns ) were most egregiously abused , vexed and punished for refusing to admit and read the said wicked-book in their Churches : untill it most graciously pleased our good God by the blessed Parliament to prevent the most mischievous growth of this unexpressible abomination of our so holy Fathers of the Church together with the rotten rable of Pontifick-Arminians , Romes Minions indeed , by a particular Order from the House of Commons in Parliament for the more strict sanctification of that day , which I have hereunto annexed . The Order of the House of Commons for the due sanctication of the Sabbath or Lords day , April , 10 th . 1641. IT is this day ordered by the House of Commons that the Aldermen and Citizens that serve for the Citie of London , shall intimate to the Lord Maior , from this Hou e that the Statutes for the due observing of the Sabbath be put in execution . And it is further ordered , that the like intimation from this House be made to the Justices of Peace in all the Counties of England and Wales . And the Knights of the Shire of the severall Counties are to take care that copies of this order be accordingly sent to the Justices of Peace in the severall Counties . And also by setting our Printing-Presses open whereby a happie way was laid open again for Gods learned and loyall Servants by their pious pens and elaborate labours to vindicate the Sabbaths most glorious lustre to the honour of godlinesse and purity of Religi n. And was not the Lord , herein , also , seen in the Mount of Mercies for Englands preservation from the guilt of such a wrath provoking sin , of such a Land-scourging r●● as this might have proved to out Kingdom ▪ had it so continued , as by the hellish zeal of out Prelates it was intended ▪ Sing praises , therefore , O England , sing praises unto God , O sing praises , sing praises to our glorious King. For , God is the King of all the earth , sing praises , therefore , O England , to thy God with understanding . Thy God , O England , reigns over the whole world , and sits gloriously triumphing on the throne of his holinesse . Yet , here 's not all , for , our ever to be honoured heroick Parliamentarie ▪ Worthies have added to that former pious pains o● theirs , this their godly care also , namely , to 〈◊〉 and purifie the holy worship of our God from the filthie l●●s and dregs of Popish Ceremonies , whereby the tender ●onsciences or godly Ministers are not so tyed to Romish trumper●● of vestures ▪ and gestures , crouchings and cringings , and Jesu-worshippings , and a multitude of such like mimicall actions in Gods worship and service , as formerly they had been most tyrannically pressed and enforced to . Yea , all Images , Crucifixes , and any pictures or representations of any of the persons of the Trinity , or of the Virgin Mary , quite dimolished and extirpated out of Gods house ; All corporall Jesu-worship , I say , and altar-adoration ( sure and infallible signes of Popish ignorance , and of the Romish-Strumpets outward-paintings , but inward rottennesse , what ever fair ( yet false ) pretences foolish men and women would , like Jeroboam for his golden calves-worship , impiously put upon them ) most piously prohibited , and Altar-rails pull'd-down , and Communion-Tables set in their proper postures ; yea all high-steps and ascents to their Altars ( clean * contrary to Gods prescript word ) by degrees commanded to be levelled ; burthens and conscience-grievances , which neither we nor our fore-fathers that truly loved the Lord Jesus Christ , and were tenderly-affected to his pure worship , could possibly bear : But now they are most happily taken from our tyred necks , and almost broken-backs , as by an Order of Parliament may and doth most comfortably appear , which for the precious excellency and rare memory thereof , I have thought good here to insert , exactly and verbatim as it came from the Parliament , to the everlasting glorie of our great and good God , the honour of our Worthies in Parliament , and the unexpressibly joy and consolation of all Gods people that peruse it . An Order from the Parliament against divers Popish Innovations . Dated , Sept. 8. 1641. being Wednesday . VVHereas divers Innovations in or about the worship of God have been lately practised in this Kingdom , by enjoyning some things and prohibiting others without warrant of Law , to the great grievance and discontent of his Majesties Subiects ; for the suppressing of such Innovations , and for preservation of the publike peace , it is this day ordered by the Commons in Parliament assembled , that the Church-wardens of every Parish and Chappell respectively , do forthwith remove the Communion-Table from the East end of the Church , Chappell , or Chancell , into some other convenient place ; and that they take away the Rails , and levell the Chancels , as heretofore they were , before the late innovations . That all crucifixes , scandalous pictures of any one or more persons of the Trinitie , and all Images of the Virgin Mary shall be taken away and abolished , and that all tapers , candlesticks and basons be removed from the Communion-Table . That all corporall bowing at the Name ( Jesus ) or toward the East end of the Church , Chappell , or Chancell , or toward the Communion-Table be henceforth forborn : That the Orders aforesaid be observed in all the severall Cathedrall Churches of this Kingdom , and all the Collegiate Churches or Chappels in the two Vniversities , or any other part of the Kingdom , and in the Temple-Church , and the Chappels of the other Innes of Court by the Deans of the said Cathedrals , by the Vice-chancellours of the said Vniversities , and by the Heads and Governors of the severall Colledges and Halls aforesaid , and by the Benchers and Readers in the said Innes of Court respectively . That the Lords day be duely observed and sanctified all dancing and other sports , either before or after Divine Service be forborn and restrained , and that the preaching of Gods Word be permitted in the afternoon in the severall Churches and Chappels of this Kingdom , and that Preachers and Ministers be encouraged thereunto . That the Vice-chancellors of the Vniversities , Heads and Governours of Colledges , all Parsons , Vicars , and Church-warden ▪ do make certificates of the performance of these Orders : and if the same shall not be observed in any the places afore-mentioned , upon complaint thereof made to the two next Justices of Peace , Major , or Head-officers of Cities or Towns Corporate . It is ordered that the said Justices , Major , or other Head-officers respectively , shall examine the truth of all such complaints , and certifie by whose default the same are committed . All which Certificates are to be delivered in Parliament before the thirtieth of Octob. next . Resolv'd upon the Question ▪ That this Order now read shall be an Order of it self , without any addition for the present and that it shall be printed and published . Nay , here 's not all yet , for , our God whose hands are still open to replenish and satisfie our souls with ioy and gladnesse ▪ yea ( now ) to nourish and cherish our formerly sad hearts with the failings of his over-flowing favours , hath taken from us our accustomed terrours and restraints of free libertie to hear the sweet sound of Aarons b●ls especially on the Lords ▪ dayes . As is more fully seen and assisted by a blessed Order from the Parliament to our unexpressible comfort , which Order I have thought fit to be here inserted . Die Mercurii , Sept. 8. 1641. IT is this day ordered by the House of Commons , now assembled in Parliament ; That it shall be lawfull for the Parishioners of any Parish within the Kingdom of England and Wales , to set up a Lecture , and to maintain an orthodox Minister , at their own charge , to preach every Lords-day , where there is no preaching , and to preach one day in the week , where there is no weekly Lecture . He. Elsyn . Cler. Dom. Com. Whereby no man ( now ) is enforced to stay at his own Church where there is no preaching to promote the honour of the day , and to feed hungrie souls with that heavenly manna , whereof ( the Lord knows ) many thousand souls in citie and countrey stood in need , and ( had our Prelates stood in the heighth of their quondam pride and crueltie ) they must not have stir'd out of their own Parishes to seek it elsewhere , but their souls must have starved and died for lack of it , or else have been poysoned ▪ with base Arminian stuffe and dregs of Poperie , thereby to suffocate and choak their poore souls and spirituall understanding , and to make them ( like themselves ) fit fuell for the increase of the flames of hell ; Such ▪ I say , was their soul-killing crueltie and tyrannie . For why , in those dayes of the ruffe of their pride , they had familiarly and most easily ( yet with Romish craft and subtiltie ) under a pretence ( forsooth ) of too-abstruse and profound and dangerous points not fit to be handled in pulpits by ordinarie Preachers , but by their grave Bishops , Doctors ▪ Deans ▪ and such-like rare seraphicall rhetoritians , Schoolmen , and masters of ( high-Commission ) Sentences , nor in all Churches , but in Cathedrals ( forsooth ) and that not at all times , but at Easter , and Whitsuntide ; and such like solemn Festivals , under these pretences . I say , they had by their exorbitant Ecclesiasticall power and jurisdiction , easily , but impiously prohibited all pure and powerfull preaching on deep points of o●l-saving-grace , as free justification by faith ▪ predestination , certainty of salvation , finall perseverance ▪ and such like ; discountenancing ▪ yea punishing all those that thus preached or opposed their Popish-Arminian Doctrines , and advancing and preferring none but their own Arminian faction , rotten-hearted Prete●ses ▪ apt to be turn'd with every wind of false-doctrine , meer temporizers , altar ●ringers ▪ fellows onely fit to make Romish-jades to carry Popish-packs to Lambeth Fair , and soul-crushing burthens on their basebacks , and mercenarie shoulders . But , now , see ( I say ) ( O , to heavens eternall praise and glorie be it spoken , and to our unspeakable comfort ) how our good God , by his blessed Parliament hath freed our Pulpits , Churches , and our consciences too from the soul-devouring corruptions of these Clergie-caterpillars , no better than Romish-locusts who are most blessedly blown away with the Eastern-wind of Gods vindicative indignation against them . And instead of these that did so besmear , deface and defile Truths most amiable countenance and sacred beautie , the Lords gracious out-casts ( who had formerly been checkt and chid , and churlishly forced out of the Kingdom ( by our Prelates pride and insolencie ( more worth than thousands of their Pontifick train ) and constrained to expose their lives , their wives , children , and estates , to all the miseries which Sea and Land could threaten or bring upon them , are now most happily call'd home again . O iniurious holy Fathers , thus unworthily to use , thus irreligiously to abuse Gods so precious iewels , and to prize their beggarly Popish ceremonies before such holy Saints of God , who shined so illustriously both in their lives and learning . By which so blessed change and overture for the best , Truth durst now shew her fair face in every pulpit , and speak plainly and home , and needed not ( as formerly ) to be shrouded under secret shelters , or creep into corners for fear of pernicious persecutours : yet thus it was , ●ea thus it familiarly was practised by our Prelates ( to their indelible shame and infamie be it spoken ) witnesse their hideous High-Commission-Court , a Court of everlasting ill-savour , which , indeed I may fitlier call a Spightfull rather than a Spirituall Court : which at the first ( as a reverend and eminent divine well notes ) was ordained ▪ like the dogs in Romes capitoll , to fright and scare away Romish Jesuiticall theeves and enemies of the Church ; but hath all along , for the most pa●t sorely bitten and barked against honest men onely ( especially in these our later dayes ) and driven them from the Church . A Court , I say , which made no scruple familiarly to slay both the souls and bodies of Gods most dear and precious servants , not onely in those hot Marian-flam●ng dayes , but even in these our more modern times , wherein our Prelates and their pragmaticall Pontifician Sycophants did so crake & brag of their soft & smooth fatherly - government of the Church , O how many soules and bodies hath that accursed Court shut up in dark dungeons ▪ or els made poor waveringmindes turn Apostates for fear of their Harpeian-pawes to crush and squeez them out of their meanes and livelyhoods , to the utter undoing of them and theirs . The wickedness of which Court may more fully , yea more foully appear by our taking notice of the limmes and members of it , who from the very head to the foot of them , are a pack of irreligious , profane , and most loose-lived nominall Protestants at large , yea , generally , atheisticall scoffers at sinceritie in Religion and the power of godliness , which indeed was a paradox & meer mysterie to them , & w ch they never were nor would be acquainted with . Certainly , all that rightly know them & know , how , piously to discern and to judge between light and darkness , can truely testifie with me this truth , that it is exceeding difficult ( if not impossible ) to finde one among them all that is truely and cordially pious , even the best of them ascending onely to the happiness of a meer civill-honest man , ( in my best observation of them for these fortie or fiftie years ) and what their happiness therein is , ( if it ascend no higher ) our blessed Saviour Christ himself will to their little comfort tell them namely , that if their righteousness exceed not the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees , they shall never enter into the Kingdome of heaven . But , now , blessed , for ever blessed and praised be our just and glorious God , this wicked Court , together with that other illegitimate and spurious off-spring of our Lordly Prelates , I mean , their Oath Ex Officio ▪ an elder bratt of the other Babylonish-brood , and no lesse replete with accursed Conscience-torturing Snares than the other , to break the backes of mens and womens estates , consciences , and earthly comforts , by racking the very Soules and wracking the bodies , by imprisonments , of both Sexes that were consciencious , and would not obey their wicked injunctions . And in no small measure also was this Court and Oath , together with their perjurious and vile Visitation-Articles , a most miserable vexation to poor Church-Wardens all over the Kingdome , who by these netts were entangled , and by their most unjust 〈◊〉 and unlawfull injunctions were made a prey to their p rnicious practises , and thereby also made forges and a●vills for the Prelates to hammer all their torturing taxations on Gods peoples Consciences . But , now , I say , both this wicked Court and those their bastard-bratts are ( by Gods good providence and great mercie ) condemned to return to their Stygian-Patrons , from whom they had their first rice and Originall . And , O , I could wish , with all my heart , that ( in ●ternam rei infamiam ) That-Sentence were set on this Court , or that roome of Lambeth-House where it was constantly kept , which is mentioned in the prophecie of Daniel , namely , that it might be made a jakes or dunghill , with this inscription engraven in Marble with fair capitall letters . * This jakes was , once , the High-Commission-Court . So hatefull and hurtfull , I say , was that Court and its accursed effects to Gods people in this Kingdome , especially being back● and ●oulsterd-up with the irresistible wrongs and unavoidable oppressive censures of the Star-Chamber , whether godly men and women of all ranks and conditions that disobeyed the High-Commissions unlawfull Commands , were turned over when their own Ecclesiasticall Power was not prevalent enough to punish and plague them so deeply as their malice and mischief aymed at : Yea and the all-overtopping power of the Councill-Table was no small assailant of the subjects and assistant to the Prelates wicked Designes ; but , that tyrannizing Starr-Chamber Court is by our prudent Parliamentary Worthies voted down ( as hath been formerly touched ) to the unspeakable comfort and freedome of the Kings best and most loyall Subjects ; and the immoderate and excessive power of the Councell-Table is by the wisdome of our most Worthy Senators so ordered and restrained , that we may well hope ( by Gods mercie ) such things as were heert●fore frequently done to the intolerable prejudice of the Subjects libertie , will appear amongst us in future times but onely in Stories , to give us and our posteritie more just occasion to bless our God for his Majesties goodn ss , and for the faithfull and indefatigable endeavours of this present Parliament . Now , then , put all these last fore-mentioned Parliamentary-Mercies together into one account , and then tell me whether they do not arise to a mightie 〈◊〉 and deep debt of ●●erlastingly obliging gratitude to our so bountifull and ●p●n-handed & enlargedhearted a God to us so und serving , and rather wrath-provoking a people , in thus conferring such 〈…〉 such incomparable free kindnesses on England such a sinfull naug●●ie Nation ? Yea , tell mee ( good Reader ) on serious reco●●ction and recogitation of these most bounteous bl ssings , whether the Lord Jehovah hath not been seen most conspicuously to England above all Nations round about it , On the Mount of matchless Mercies ( to the ineffable joy and rejoycing of our Soules ) in the deepest gulfes of our stinging-Staites . Whether our God hath not with admirable patience , goodnes , and favour , waited on us that he might be gracious unto us , and exalted himself that he might have mercie upon us : for the Lord is a God of judgement , O blessed are all they that wisely wait for him . For , his people shall dwell in Sion at Jerusalem and shall weep no more . For , he will be very gracious unto them at the voice of their cry , and when he shall hear it , he will answer them . And though the Lord give them the bread of adversarie ( for a season ) and the water of affliction , yet shall not their Teachers be removed into a corner any more , but their eyes shall see their Teachers again . Thus , O even thus hath our gracious God directly dealt with us , thus hath our English-Israels Sh●aph●rd of his late poor despised stock kept a carefull watch over us , who had been els made the Prelates perpetuall-Asses to bear all their Romish and slavish burthens . Wherefore with holy David , we may justly and ingenuously acknowledge ; Thy righteousnes , O God , is very high , who hast done great things for us , O God who is like unto thee ? Thou who hast shown us great and sore troubles , yet hast quickned us again and brought us up from the depth of the grave . Our lips shall greatly rejoyce when we sing unto thee , and our hearts and soules which ●hou hast redeemed . Our tongues shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long ; for they are confounded and brought unto shame which most seditiously and scelerously ought our destruction . And thus have we all most perspicuously ●een and observed how gracious and propitious the Lord hath been to his late most tottering Church ▪ crossing her 〈…〉 ●n all their deepest designes & most sublime imaginations , leaving them still in the lurch and loss when they seemed to swell with highest conc●ipts of cruell and accursed conquests over their harmless brethren , letting them see ( if they wilfully blind not their eyes ) their big-swoln tympanie of unsufferable pride and arrogancie to be turned into a flashie ignis fatuus of self-deceiving subtiltie ; and changing all their vaporous ▪ puffs of gross impiety into folly and madness But , now let us proceed to enlarge our most serious observations on what remains still in a most admirable measure heerin , and let us yet farther see and consider , how the Lord who is neverweary of well-doing ▪ nay who takes delight and great pleasure to pleasure his freely beloved Ones with his plenteous benefits ; Of whom we cannot say as Esau to his Father Isaac ; Hast thou but one blessing , my Father ? but a God who the more he gives the more he hath to give , being indeed , an unexhaustible spring and never to be dryed but ever-overflowing fountain of all goodnes whatsoever . But , withall , take this note by the way with thee , good Reader , that as before , so now especially in these ensuing remarkable mercies thou shalt see the rage and malice of the malignant partie , marveilously interposing their wicked plotts to cross and utterly to frustrate , as much as in them lay , all the wayes and means of Gods intended , yea and miraculously performed mercies to us , but yet all their plotts and desperate designes by Gods good providence , were still strangely thwarted and timely discovered and disappointed , to our comfort and their shame and helpless vexation . Let us now then , I say , goe-on to see how our glorious Lord and King persists to make us ( of our selves , I confesse , and in respect of our Capernaum-like means of grace so unimproved , the most ▪ infull and undeserving Nation under heaven ) the most beloved and happiest Nation in the world . See therefore how our renowned Parliamentary-Worthies freed the Kingdome from that former illegall compelling of the Subject to receive the order of Knighthood against their will ; from the encroachments and oppression of the Stannary-Courts and Extortions by Clerkes of Markets , from vile vexations also by Parkes and Forrests , which were now by a Law reduced into their right bounds and limits . Yea how they moved and prevailed with the King to set forth his Proclamation for banishing all the Romish Priests and Jesuites out of the Kingdome on pain of death upon their after-apprehension in the Land : Together with an Act of Parliament for disarming of all Popish-Recusants over the whole Kingdome , to the great comfort and securitie of Gods people , who before were in continuall feare of their mischievous insurrections , as being well acquainted with their rebellious Spirits on all advantages ▪ it also being a Principle of their Religion , for the advancement of the Catholick-Cause , not to keep any plighted faith with Heretickes ; for such they account all that are not of their Romish ( not faith , but ) faction . Yea that cage of most unclean birds , Sommerset-House , I mean , in the Strand , cleansed in good measure of those Egyptian croaking Froggs , the Filthy Capuchin-Fryers and Priests , who lay lurking there too long , like so many muzled Wolves and Tygers : all these or the most of them banished and transported over-Sea from us : And the Queen-Mother of France , ( the more to free our hearts from feares and discontents ) happily also transported beyond Sea from us . About which time also to settle our hearts with yet more solid comfort , and the more firmly to consolidate our future hoped happines , it pleased the Lord to put into the hearts of our most noble Parliamentary Patriots , to unite and knit all the three Kingdomes of England , Scotland , and Ireland , in-a most firme League and Conjunction of perpetuall love and amitie , and of mutuall defence against all malignant Adversaries either domestick or forrein : and to confirm all this by a particular act of Parliament , ratified by a full consent of the King and both Houses , together with an act of absolute oblivion of all exceptions and differences whatsoever formerly intervening twixt Prince and people . Upon which both Armies of English and Scottish Souldiers were shortly after most happily & peaceably dismissed and disbanded , to the high hononr of our wonder-working God , and the unexpressible joy and comfort of both Nations , thus most lovingly and sweetly shaking hands of true friendship at their peaceable departure . And for the farther confirmation of this our happines and due retribution of praise and glory to the Lord our God the authour of it , there was an Ordinance of Parliament for a day of publick and solemn thankesgiving for this peace so happily concluded between England and Scotland , which for the glorie of God and honour of our King and Worthies in Parliament , I have thought fit here to insert verbatîm as it was published . An Ordinance of Parliament for a day of publick thanksgiving for the peace concluded between England and Scotland . VVHereas it hath pleased almightie God to give a happie close to the treatie of peace , between the two Nations of England and Scotland , by his wise providence defeating the evill hopes of the subtill adversaries of both Kingdomes ; for which great mercy , it was by the Kings most excellent Majestie , the Lords and Commons in this present Parliament enacted , that there should be a publick thanksgiving in all the Parish-Churches of his Majesties Dominions : It is now ordered and declared by the Lords and Commons in Parliament , that the time for the celebration of that publick thanks to almightie God for so great and publick a blessing , shall be on tuesday the 7 th of Sept. by prayers , reading and preaching of the Word in all Churches and Chappels of this Kingdome , whereof we require a carefull and due observance ; that we may joyne in giving thanks , as we partake of the blessing with our brethren of Scotland , who have designed the same day for that dutie . According to the act of this present Parliament , for confirmation of the Treatie of Pacification between the two Kingdomes of England and Scotland , whereas it was desired by the Commissioners of Scotland , that the loyaltie and faithfulness of his Majesties Subjects might be made known at the time of the publick thanksgiving in all places , and particularly in all Parish-Churches of his Majesties Dominions : Which request was graciously condescended unto by his Majestie , and confirmed by the said Act. It is now ordered and commanded by both Houses of Parliament , that the same be effectually done in all Parish-Churches throughout this Kingdome upon tuesday the 7 th day of Sept. next coming , at the time of the publick thanksgiving by the severall and respective Ministers of each Parish-Church , or by their Curates , who are heerby required to reade this present Order in the Church . And was not the Lord most gloriously heer seen in the Mount of admirable mercie and deliverance to England and Scotland after such a marveilous manner as never any Nation could produce the like parallell of gracious providence ? And may we not therefore with holy David ▪ Israels sweet singer confess we have found the Lord ( according to his word ) a sure defence for the oppressed , even a refuge in time of trouble . And therefore they that know thy name will put their trust in thee , for thou Lord hast not forsaken them that have seriously sought thee . Yea , he that is our God is the God of salvation , and unto this God and mightie Lord belong the issues from death ▪ Heer also ere I have done with this mercie , let me desire the Reader to take notice of the admirable wisdome and justice of God in thus clearing the innocencie and integritie of his children ▪ O , what bitter aspersions did the Prelates , Arminians , and malignant partie cast on our brethren of Scotland at the first , nothing but traytors and rebells could be heard out of their slanderous mouths : But , now see , I say , how Gods wisdome and justice ordered it , that even those tongues that had so taunted them ▪ yea and in their pulpits too , should now be forced even in the face of their Congregations to give themselves the lye . That of Job being heerin most clearly ratified ▪ that The poore hath hope and iniquitie stoppeth her mouth : and that also of the holy Prophet David , which is full to our purpose , That the King and all good men shall exceedingly rejoyce and glorie in God ; but the mouth of them that speake lyes shall be stopped . And now also , let me tell thee , courteous Reader , ( to make these mercies yet more glorious to the praise of our God ) that in the interim that those two Armies lay so together in the North , the pestilent Spirits of the Malignant partie lay not still , but were most maliciously working by their agents and instruments ( the Popish Lords and pernicious Prelates being also maine sticklers in all these mischievous designes ) to disaffect and discontent his Majesties Armie by scandalous and most false accusations and imputations on the Parliament , thus to engage it for the maintenance of their most wicked designes of keeping-up the Bishops in their votes & Lordly honours and functions , and by force to compell the Parliament to order limit and dispose their parliamentarie proceedings in such a manner as might best concurre with the intentions of their dangerous and potent faction . Now this plot of bringing the English - Armie from the North Southward to London against the Parliament for the causes aforesaid , having been particularly enquired into and examined both by that noble and vertuous Gentleman M r Fynes and Sir Philip Stapleton , with others , they made report thereof to the House of Commons about June 17. 1641. That they found , that for the advancing of the said plott , the Earl of Strafford had attempted his escape out of the Tower , and to effect it the better , had promised that worthy Gentleman Sir William Belfore , then Leifetenant of the Towre 20000 li. and to marry his Sonne to his Daughter , and to make it one of the greatest Matches in the Kingdome ; but Sir Williams loyaltie was such as not to be corrupted by such base bribes . That Captain Billingsl●y was invited by Sir John Suckling , ( a suckling , indeed , in honestie , but not in treacherie , ) to have employment in this pernicious project ; and that one Captain Chidley brought down many instructions to the Armie . That Colonell Goring should have been Leivetenant-generall of the said Armie , and that the Prince and the Lord of Newcastle were to meet them in Nottinghamshire with a thousand Horse ; all which Propositions came from M r Jermine and were dispersed and made known by Serjeant Major Wallis and Captain Chidley . The said Wallis having confessed also that the French would assist them in this their Design ; and that our holy ( or rather hollow-hearted ) Clergie of England , whereof the reverend ( forsooth ) Bishops were the ringleaders , would at their own charge set forth and maintain a thousand horse ; farr more than ever they yet proffered ( by a thousand ) to assist against the barbarous and bloudy Popish Rebells of Ireland : To the addition of their everlasting shame and ignominie be it spoken . Finally , that an intercepted Letter of M r Jermines to M r Mountague imported , that they expected the Earl of Straford with them in the North ( but blessed be the Lord , their wicked hope was frustrated as aforesaid ) and that for the better completing of these their most accursed designes , Jermine much endeavoured to get Portsmouth into their hands ( as one M r Bland confessed ) but could not compass it . These and such like plotted designes , for the ends afore-mentioned , being farther discovered and witnessed by severall depositions of diverse examinates , as the Reader may more fully see in the late Remonstrance of Ireland , published by authoritie of the Parliament . But when this mischeivous assigne and attempt of theirs , thus to bring on that Armie against the Parliament and Citie of London ( which they well knew was all along a main and strong fast friend to the Parliament ) had been by Gods great mercie timely discovered , and thereby utterly frustrated and prevented , they presently undertook and attempted another design of the same damnable nature , with this addition to it , namely , to make the Scottish Armie neutrall , and so to sit still and let them alone whilst the English Armie ( which they had laboured to corrupt and invenome against the Parliament and Citie of London by false and slanderous suggestions ) should execute their malice to the subversion of our Religion , and the dissolution of our long happie government . Thus , I say , did they plott and continually practise to disturb our peace and to destroy all the Kings Dominions : And for that cause had employed most industriously their Emissares and agents in them all for the promoting of these their devillish designes . But by Gods infinite mercie , and the vigilancie of such as were honest and well-affected to religion , to peace , and the prosperity of the Parliament , they were all , I say , still ( timely ) discovered and defeated , before they could be ripe enough for execution among us in England and Scotland . Onely in Ireland which was farther-off , and full of Papists , Jesuites and Priests , they had time to mould and prepare their wicked work , and had brought it to much pernicious perfection . For , not long after , the most bold and bloodie rebellion in Ireland brake-out there , which had it not been timely revealed and prevented by Gods great mercie and good providence in the preservation of the Castle of Dublin , but the very Eave before it should have been taken by the rebels ; the whole Kingdom had been fully possessed by them , the government of it totally subverted , the true Religion had been quite extirpated and rooted out , and all the Protestants whom the conscience of their dutie to God , their King and countrey would not have permitted to joyn with them , had been utterly destroyed , as in a most lamentable manner very many thousands of them ( poore souls ) have alreadie been , as is most fully and fearfully to be seen ( to the terrour and amazement of all Christian hearts that read the same ) both in that Treatise , entituled , Irelands-Tears , and the Irish-Remonstrance . And , indeed , they have , therby , kindled such a fire , there , and blown it into such an over-spreading flame , as nothing but Gods extraordinarie blessing upon the wisdom and endeavours of this State will be able to quench it . And certainly had not God in his great mercie to our Land and Nation discovered and confounded their first designe , for the grand-plot of all on England and Scotland , we all in England had certainly been the prologue to this wofull tragedie in Ireland , and had by this time ( and before them ) been the most deplorable spectacle of lamentation and wo , ruine and confusion to all Europe that ever the Sun beheld . And therefore here , me thinks , we may most fitly take up that of holy David , with a little inversion of the words to our selves . If the Lord had not been on our side , now may England say ( and that most justly ) if the Lord had not been on our side , when men rose up against us ; Then had they swallowed us up quick , when their wrath was kindled against us . Then the waters had overwhelmed us , the proud waves and raging billows had gone over our souls . But blessed , O , for ever blessed be God , that hath not given us over as a prey to their devouring teeth . Now about this time , it pleased the Lord to permit the malignant partie so far to prevail with the King , ( and among them the Lord Cottington , a Popish Lord , and strongly suspected to be one of the prime projecting heads of that faction ) that Sir William Belfore , a worthy and noble gentleman then Lieftenant of the Tower of London was displaced from that office of so great trust , and the said Lord Cottington made Constable of the Tower , who presently kept a great pudder in the Tower , placing and displacing things therein , planting Ord●nance on the wals thereof , with their mouths toward the Citie , entertaining Souldiers to guard and keep it of very ill-condition , and suspected for Poperie ; all these to the great terrour and amazement of the vigilant Citizens of London , who had still extraordinarie jealous eyes on him and all his actions and carriages , and thereupon complain'd and petitioned the Parliament against him , and his demeanour in the Tower , and the Parliament moved the King most instantly about it ; who on their long and urgent importunitie at last so far prevailed with his Majestie , that he put the Lord Cottington from being Constable of the Tower , and chose-in one Collonel Lunsford to be Leiftenant thereof ; a man of an ill name and condition of life , and whom I my self knew a prisoner in Newgate , not very long before , for a great abuse offered by him to Sir Thomas Pelham , now a worthie Knight of Sussex , and at which time of his imprisonment , there , it was generally and credibly reported , that upon an abuse done by him also to one of the Officers of Newgate ( who had been his very good friend in the time of his imprisonment ) he brake prison , or stole away , and left the poore Clerk of Newgate in great distresse and danger thereby ; and a man , indeed , most iustly excepted against by our grave parliamentarie Senators , as most unfit to have such a trust and power entrusted to him , especially in times of such great and constant fears and distractions of the State and City of London . Whereupon , this man also was much and long petitioned against , both by the Citizens of London , to the Parliament , and by the Parliament to the King , to have him remov'd , and a man of known and approved integritie , on whom they might safely confide , to be chosen into the place , and to have the safe custodie thereof committed to him . Whose removeall was also , at length with much adoe condescended unto , by his Maisstio , and the said Collonel Lunsford put out , the King putting in one Sir John Byron , a gentleman though of no such ill-savour of life as the former , yet not answerable to the desires of our prudent Worthies in Parliament , whose wisdom and circumspection fore-saw that to be amisse in the choice , likewise , which much discontented them ; and enforced them to petition his Maiestie for his removeall also , as it was the joynt desire likewise of Citie and Countrey . Here therefore we may now see the great goodnesse of our God , in thus wisely disposing and ordering things ; that though the malignant partie seemed so far to prevail , and get advantages against Gods people , yet even in these also the Lord still crost them and their devillish ▪ designes , and regarded the desires , and cleared the fears of his servants for his own Names sake . Much about which time , a most impious and malicious-hearted fellow audaciously sent a letter to the Parliament , directed and endorsed to that ever most highly honoured Member of the House of Commons , Mr. Pim , a most pious patriot of his countrey , and in it a filthie fresh plaster taken from a plague-sore , expressing in the letter what it was , and why t was sent , namely , in hope , that the very sudden sight and thought on it ( he being , then ▪ in the Parliament House ) might and would damp and dead his heart with fear , and so have infected the worthie gentleman to death , with it . A copie of which letter I have thought fit here to insert , that the Reader may see the odiousnesse of it and this action more fully . The copie of the Letter sent to Mr. Pim , in the Parliament House , with a filthy plague-sore plasture in it . MAster Pim , do not think that a guard of men can protect you , if you persist in your traiterous courses , and wicked designes . I have sent a paper-messenger to you , and if this do not touch your heart , a Dagger shall , so soon as I am recovered of my plague-sore . In the mean time , you may be forborn , because no better man may be indangered for you . Repent Traitour . Which letter was delivered , I say , as Mr. Pim went into the Parliament . But contrary to the wicked intention of the master and message , God ( whose will all his creatures obey , to save or slay , as he pleaseth , as was remarkably evident , in that fiery fornace seven times hotter than ordinarily , yet not able so much as to singe the hair or clothes of that pair royall of God-adoring Hebrews cast thereinto ) preserved this Noble Gentleman from the intended evill thereof . For , this undaunted and conscience-unspotted couragious Worthie ( like that magnanimous Romane Camillus of whom Plutarch in his Lives , makes mention , who whiles he was delivering his Embassage to the heathen Prince to whom he was sent by the Senators of Rome , and with whom the Romans , that time , waged war , this Princes Nobles had suddenly and unknown to Camillus , set a mightie Elephant close behind his back , and made it suddenly and extremly to roar , therby thinking to have startled and frighted this famous Romane , but he was nothing moved therewith , but went-on smoothly and undauntedly with his Embassage , to the wonder and amazement of this Prince and his Nobles , who were mightily taken with the unbended resolution of this couragious Romane ) so , I say , this piously valourous-hearted gentleman , Mr Pim , was nothing at all dis-heartned or distempered at the sight of the plaisture , nor with the wicked threats which that atheisticall wretch sent besides in the letter to stab him with his Dagger if that plasture failed , God having hitherto preserved him ( and I trust so will ) a most loyall subject to his Soveraign , and a most prudent and painfull promoter of the best good in Church and Common-wealth . And although it may , peradventure , be objected , that this was but a private or particular passage , and therefore not so pertinent to our purpose : yet considering the eminencie of the person , and his employments and use in Parliament for the publike good , and the transcendent malice and envie of that malignant person whoever he was , ayming at a publike mischief therein , I could not conceive it impertinent to the present occasion , but very worthy our observation and gratification to God for it . Much about this time also it pleased the Lord to put into the hearts of the worthy Citizens of London , to take into their serious consideration the great retarding and delaying of the weightie affairs of the Kingdom , and the unhappie protraction of punishing Delinquents , together with the uncomfortable reluctancies and disunion between both the Houses , and all this by reason of an ill-affected potent and pernicious destructive partie , especially in the House of Lords , by Prelates and Popish-Lords , striving and contriving to hinder or quite make void all good Votes among them , and to advance all evill . Therefore , I say , the most and best-affected and pious-hearted Citizens of London unanimously petitioned Both Houses of Parliament touching those and such like serious and important matters , being , I say , most of them , men of the best note and qualitie of the whole Citie both for piety and ability . Who went with their Petition to the Parliament , in a most grave and substantiall equipage , in fiftie or sixtie Coaches at the least , and were there most graciously and gratefully entertained both by the Lords and Commons , and received a most cordiall and comfortable answer to their Petitions ; which act of theirs ( they being the samplar and pattern even of the whole Kingdom , and upon whom the eyes of the whole Land were cast , to be by them encouraged and directed ) begat such an honest and happie emulation in all the Counties of the Kingdom , as by Gods great mercie produced most blessed effects to us all , as shall be more particularly and punctually declared in its proper place . Not long after also , the honest Apprentises of the said Citie of London being very sensible of their Masters sufferings by those distractions in the Common-wealth , and the generall decay of trading , and thereby also of their own present and future great discouragements in their hope of comfortable subsistence and livelyhood when they were to be free-men of the Citie , if these inconveniences continued : They also hereupon took the courage and resolution to exhibite their Petition to the Parliament for speedy and timely redresse of these encroaching and growing evils . Which act of theirs was so modestly and orderly managed by them , that the Parliament received their petition most courteously , and returned them a very fair and favourable answer , in brief , for the present , with promise of a more full and satisfactorie answer in convenient time . After whom also , the Porters of London , pinched with extreme povertie by reason of the decay of trading , were thereby necessitated , and by Gods providence thousands of them stirred up and stimulated to petition the Parliament for speedie redresse of their present pressures , whose Petition also was very lovingly received by the Parliament , and they received a well-pleasing replie for the present . Now what an admirable and rare effect these Petitions produced , to adde most justly to this catalogue of our parliamentarie mercies , this subsequent passage shall clearly demonstrate to the godly Reader , viz. Not long after a certain convenient number of Apprentises being very modest in carriage , and well-spoken young men , went very civilly and peaceably to Westminster to the Parliament for a further satisfactorie answer to their Petition , as was promised to them . But it pleased the Lord it so fell out , that that desperate and furious , Collonel Lunsford , and very many ruffian-like fellows with him , being at that time in Westminster-hall , and there walking up and down , at last took occasion by uncivill and provoking words to the said Apprentises and Citizens at that time also walking there , to make a great disturbance and hubbub among them , and from mocking and jeering of them , and quarreling about Bishops ( whom the Apprentises and Citizens had , indeed , petitioned against in all their Petitions ) threatning those that durst once speak against their reverend Bishops , at last they drew ▪ out their swords ▪ and the said Collonel Lunsford and his quarrelling comrades flew in the faces of the Citizens , and furiously beat them out of Westminster-hall before them , being all unweaponed , and coming onely in a fair and unoffensive manner ( as aforesaid ) to receive an answer to their petition ; and as they departed home from Westminster by Whitehall , they were there again most grosly abused and beaten by the Courtiers , and such like , so that divers of them were sorely wounded , and some thereby killed by them . Whereupon , the next day ( these things falling-out about Newyeers-tyde , or in Christmas-holy-dayes ) very many Citizens and apprentises went again to Westminster armed , and better prepared than the day before , for such affronts , if any were offered to them . But now see how it pleased the Lord it should come to passe , some of the Apprentises and Citizens were again affronted about Westminster-Abbey , and a great noise and hubbub fell out thereabouts , othersome of them watched ( as it seems by the sequell ) the Bishops coming to the Parliament , who considering the great noise and disquiet which was by land all about Westminster , durst not come to the Parliament that way for fear of the Apprentises , and therefore intended to have come to the Parliament by water in barges ; but the apprentises watched them that way also , and as they thought to have come to land were so pelted with stones , and frighted at the sight of such a company of them , that they durst not land , but were rowed back and went away to their places . Now , see herein , good Reader , a most notable over-powering impression of divine providence on this businesse , and learn hence so much wisdom as not to despise seeming contemptible things and small beginnings , as I have formerly touched on a like occasion . These lordly and loftie Prelates , ( among whom , and a prime one too , it seemed , was that supercilious Arch-prelate of York , Bishop Williams ) took foul scorn and high indignation at this affront by Boyes and prentises , thus to be debarred from the Parliament , especially fearing lest any thing might passe in the House against them , touching their lordly dignities by their absence , on which they had great cause to keep continuall jealouseyes and vigilant watch , they now standing on very ticklish terms with the State , and being so perpetually and universally petitioned against from all parts of the Kingdom , as a prime branch of the malignant partie , and speciall perturbers of all good for Church or Common-wealth ; therefore , I say , being ve xt to the heart , and deeply stung with discontent , they vowed revenge : and thereupon gathered together into their secret Conclave full fraught with Stygian-rancour and rage , and assisted , no doubt , with some Jesuiticall influence of Romish spirits , they contrived and contracted a peice of mischief or mischievous petition to the King and House of Peers , which they wholly intended against the happy and successefull proceedings of the Parliament , but our good God diverted it to their own further ruine and destruction . Now that you may see their own act and deed attested and avouched under their own hands , I have thought fit here to insert it , verbatim , as they themselves penned and exhibited it to the King. To the Kings most excellent Majesty , and the Lords and Peers now assembled in Parliament . The humble Petition and Protestation of all the Bishops and Prelates now called by His Majesties Writs to attend the Parliament and present about London and Westminster for that Service . THat whereas the Petitioners are called-up by severall and respective Writs , and under great penalties to attend the Parliament , and have a clear and indubitable right to vote in Bils , and other matters whatsoever debateable in Parliament , by the ancient customes , Laws and Statutes of this Realm , and ought to be protected by your Majestie , quietly to attend and prosecute that great Service . They humbly remonstrate and protest before God , your Majestie , and the noble Lords and Peers now assembled in Parliament , that as they have an indubitate right to sit and vote in the House of the Lords ; so are they , if they may be protected from force and violence , most ready and willing to perform their duties accordingly . And that they do abhominate all actions or opinions tending to Poperie , and the maintenance thereof ; as also all propension and inclination to any malignant partie , or any other side or partie whatsoever to the which their own reasons and conscience shall not move them to adhere . But , whereas they have been at severall times violently menaced , affronted and assaulted by multitudes of people in their coming to perform their services in that Honourable House , and lately chased away and put in danger of their lives , and can find no redresse or protection , upon sundrie complaints made to both Houses in these particulars . They likewise humbly protest before your Majestie , and the noble House of Peers , that saving unto themselves all their rights and interests of sitting and voting in that House at other times , they dare not sit or vote in the House of Peers untill your Majestie shall further secure them from all affronts , indignities and dangers in the premises . Lastly , whereas their fears are not built upon phantasies and conceits , but upon such grounds and objects as may well terrifie men of good resolutions , and much constancie . They do in all dutie and humilitie protest before your Majestie and the Peers of that most honorable House of Parliament , against all Laws , Orders , Votes , resolutions , and determinations , as in themselves null , and of none effect , which in their absence , since the 27 th . of this instant moneth of December , 1641. have already passed ; as likewise against all such as shall hereafter passe in that most honorable House , during the time of this their forced and violent absence from the said most honorable House ; not denying , but if their absenting of themselves were wilfull and voluntarie , that most honourable House might proceed in all their premises , their absence or this protestation notwithstanding . And humbly beseeching your most excellent Majestie to command the Clerk of that House of Peers to enter this their petition and protestation among his Records . They will ever pray to God to blesse , &c. Jo. Eborac . Tho. Duresme . Rob. Co. Lich. Jos . Norw . Jo. Asa . Guli . Ba. & Wells . Geo. Heref. Rob. Oxon. Ma. Ely. Godfr . Glouc. Jo. Peterburg . Morris Landaff . This petition and protestation being thus exhibited to his Majestie , the King was pleased to send it immediately to the House of Peers , who having seen and perused it , were forthwith highly offended with it , and so sent it immediately to the House of Commons ; whereupon both Houses met in the painted Chamber , at a Conference there , and after it , accused those 12. Bishops of high treason , for endeavouring to subvert the fundamentall Laws of the Realm , and the very being of Parliaments ; whereupon they were by the Lords sequestred from the Parliament , and imprisoned , ten of them in the Tower , and ( for their age sake ) two of them committed to custodie to the Black-Rod . Thus was the Parliament most happily freed of 12. of them at one clap : And thus , I say ( ever blessed be the Lord our God for it ) that which the Parliament long desired , and the well-affected people over the whole Kingdom so long and so unanimously petitioned for ( even the extirpation of the Bishops out of the Parliament ) but could not well tell how to accomplish it , God hath made themselves agents and actors of to their own just shame and sorrow , but to the high content and rejoycing of all Gods faithfull children and servants . And , certainly , if ever , here was a most visible print of Gods over-powring providence crossing these Prelates craft , paying them in their own coyn , and most clearly manifesting himself to behold all the high things of the earth , and that he onely is King over all the children of pride . And yet ( give me leave , good Reader , to give thee this one note by the way , of no small consequence and concernment , touching these our present Prelates of England ) notwithstanding all the most evident and undeniable manifestations of Gods arrows of wrath and high displeasure shot against them all , partly for their craft and crueltie exercised against Gods faithfull-ones , and partly for the Laodicean-temporizing coldnesse and security even of the very best and most moderate of them all , without exception of any one , who have rather chosen ( like the accursed , yea bitterly accursed rulers of Meros ) to lie still , to sleep in a whole skin , enjoy quietly their fat Bishopricks , and lordly dignities and ease therein , than with noble and renowned Queen Hester , who , in the cause of her afflicted people the Jews , resolved ( in a far more certain danger , every way , than they could have been liable to ) to hazard her life and honours , with an , If I perish , I perish , ( ah shame , unexpressible shame to them all , that a weak-woman should out-strip them all in a masculine heroick spirit for her religion and people ) than like her , I say , to expose their rich revenews , much lesse their very lives as she did hers ( tell me , I say , of one among them all , that did thus ) to danger or losse , to adventure the safeguard and welfare of the Church and children of God , which they saw daily so overtop't by rank over-growing poperie and atheisme . Which lazinesse and coldnesse of theirs , though they sleightly passe it over as a small sin or no sin at all ; yet Christ himself our blessed Saviour tells them , they are no lesse than down ▪ right Antichrists , even flat and false enemies of the Lord Christ , as is clear , ( Matth. 12. 30. ) by our Saviours own words . He that is not with me , is against me . Which being so , let them all ( even the best and most moderate among them ) take heed of that fearfull sentence of the Apostle . If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ , let him be Anathema Maran-atha . Even , accursed with a most bitter curse . And how can these Prelates say , truly , that they love the Lord Christ , when they either so palpably persecute him in his beloved members , or at least , egregiously slight and disrespect him , in suffering his holy cause and faithfull servants to be so discountenanced and trampled upon , as they have been these many yeers , especially of late . And yet , I say , in all this so dangerous and double-guilt and deep-die of grosse impietie in them ( which indeed is the note I aym at , and is the wonder and admiration , mixt with grief of my soul , to see and consider ) that even the very best of them hath not to this very day given us the least print or expression of true repentance and godly remorse of soul and spirit , for these so great and grievous sins of theirs of crueltie and security , or carelesnesse of Gods people and their religion ; but even the best of them still , I say , suffering the Gospel of grace and truth to sink or swim , what car'd they , so they may be quiet , and be thought great Clerks , rare disputants against Popery in words and writings onely ( yet oft jugling with us therein too ) and the wise and moderate men ( forsooth ) of the world . Yea , I say , so far are some of them from cordiall remorse and penitencie for those accursed abhominations aforesaid , that * one of their most moderate , wise men of peace , since his being in prison in the Tower , hath not been asham'd with his accustomed rhetorically-glorious and smoothly painted phrases to daub over his great-guilt of conscience , especially in point of security and carelesnesse of Gods truth forementioned by me . O these men of peace ( forsooth ) how have they forgotten even hypocriticall Jehu's asseveration , What peace , so long as the whoredoms of that Romish Jezebel are so many and so mischievous amongst us ? Yea I say again to him in particular , he should have had no peace with Rome , as well as he wrote of , the no peace of Rome . But thus , I say , these our holy Fathers of our Church ▪ forsooth , these our lordly Prelates , who with Bishop White , must be counted Princes too , have carried themselves in those their great evils ; The Lord in mercie timely take from them their such a heart of stone , and give them a heart of flesh , and clear the eyes of their understanding so wilfully blinded , that they may with those two honest self-denying and humble-hearted Bishops in Scotland , ( * whom Bishop Hall scoft and jeer'd at for it ) with self-denying shame and sorrow repent their horrible impietie to God and his Church , and abhor such a princely p●mpous function ( never of Christs institution ) as ( even inevitably , for ought I can yet see to the contrary ) occasions such faction and defection from sincerity and truth . Which , if they labour not timely and truly to expresse , they must pardon me if I beleeve it were most just with our God , if he should raise up against them in their impenitencie , such a just judge as godly Ezra records , even that heathen yet ( surely ) honest-hearted King Darius to have been , in that noble and renowned sentence of his , whose words are these . I have made a Decree , that whosoever shall alter this word ( namely of re-erecting and building-up again the old * materiall-Temple at Jerusalem ) let timber be pull'd down from his house , and being set up as a jibbet ) let him be hanged thereon ; and let his house be made a dunghill ( or jakes ) for this . See here ▪ for This , onely for This. What This ? Why onely for daring so much as to alter the Kings honest resolution , as aforesaid . But he goes on in the 12. verse . And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there , destroy all Kings and people ( note this emphaticall expression of this honest King ) that shall put to their hand to alter or destroy this House of God ( ah shame to our guilty Prelates herein ) which is at Jerusalem ; of the House of Commons , wherein you shall find the true and genuine description of it to the full , which is this . Januarie , 17 th , being Munday , 1641. A Declaration of the House of Commons , touching a late breach of their Priviledges , set forth by themselves . VVHereas the Chambers , Studies , and Truncks of Mr Denzill Hollis , Sir Arthur Haslerigg , Mr John Pim , Mr John Hampden , and Mr William Strode , Esquires , Members of the House of Commons , upon Munday , the third of Januarie , 1641. by colour of his Majesties Warrant , have been sealed-up by Sir William Killigrew , and Sir William Flemen , and others , which is not onely against the priviledge of Parliament , but the common liberty of every Subject . Which said Members , afterward , the same day , were , under the like colour , by Serjeant Francis , one of his Majesties Serjeants at Arms , contrary to all former presidents , demanded of the Speaker , sitting in the House of Commons , to be delivered to him that he might arrest them of high Treason . And whereas , afterward , the next day ( being the 4 th of Januar. 1641. ) his Majestie in his royall person came to the said House , attended with a great multitude of armed men in war-like manner , to the number of about five hundred , both Souldiers , Papists and others , all of them armed , with swords , and Pistols , and other weapons , who all came up to the very doore of the House , and placed themselves there , and in other parts and passages neer to the said House , and divers of them pressing to the doore of the said House , thrust away the doore-keepers , and placed themselves between the said doore and the ordinarie attendants of his Majestie , holding up their swords , and some holding up their pistols ready cock'd , neer the said doore , and saying , I am a good marks-man , I can hit right I warrant you , and they not suffering the said doore ( according to the custome of Parliament ) to be shut , but said they would have the doore open ; and if any opposition were against them , they made no question , but they should make their partie good , and that they would maintain their partie ; And , whensoever any Members of the House of Commons were coming into the House , their attendants desiring that room might be made for them , some of the said Souldiers answered , A Pox of God confound them : and others said , A Pox take the House of Commons , let them come and be hang'd , What adoe is here with the House of Commons . And some of the said Souldiers did likewise violently assault , and by force disarm , some of the attendants and servants of the Members of the House of Commons , waiting in the room , next the said door , and upon the Kings return out of the said House , many of them by wicked oaths , and otherwise , expressed much discontent that those Members of the House ( for whom they came ) were not there ; And others of them said , When comes the word ? but no word was yet given . As they thus stood without , at the door , to the great terrour and disturbance of all the Members then sitting , and according to their dutie in a peaceable and orderly manner treating of the great affairs of England and Ireland , and his Majestie having placed himself in the Speakers chair , he demanded of them the persons of the said Members to be delivered unto him , which is a high breach of the rights and priviledges of Parliament , and inconsistent with the liberties and freedom thereof . But the King not finding those foresaid Members , whom he came for , in the House ( for they were purposely absent , with the consent of the House on strong suspition of the said intended event ) as he expected ; thereupon , he rose out of the Speakers chair , and departed from them without any farther molestation ; whereupon , the Souldiers and Cavaliers at the door , seeing the King coming forth , cried out , a lane , a lane , and so went all away . After which , some of them being demanded what they thought the said companie intended to have done ; answered , That , questionlesse , in the posture they were set , if the word had been given , they should have fallen upon the House of Commons and have cut all their throats ( horresco referens ; Quis enim talia fando , temperet à lachrimis . ) All this being fully proved to be most true , upon severall examinations taken the same Januarie the 7 th , before a Committee , then appointed by the House of Commons to sit in London . In which interim , a printed paper , in the form of a Proclamation , bearing date , the 6 th of Jan. 1641. issued out , at Westminster , or Whitehall ; for the apprehending and imprisoning of them , therein suggesting that through the conscience of their own guilt , they were absent and fled ; not willing to submit themselves to justice . The Parliament did therefore declare , that the said printed paper is false , scandalous and illegall , and that notwithstanding the said printed paper , or any Warrant issued out , or any other matter yet appearing against them , or any of them , they may and ought to attend the service of the said House of Commons , and the severall Committees now on foot . And we do further declare , that the publishing of severall Articles purpourting a form of a charge of high treason against the Lord Kimbolton , one of the Members of the Lords House , and against the said Mr Hollis , Sir Ar. Haslerigg , Mr Pym , Mr Hampden , and Mr Strode , by Sir Will. Killigrew , Sir Will. Flemen , and others in the Innes of Court and else-where , in the Kings name , was a high breach of the priviledge of Parliament , a great scandall to his Majestie and his government , a seditious act manifestly tending to the subversion of the peace of the Kingdom , and an injurie and dishonour to the said Members , there being no legall charge or accusation against them . Recollect now then ( good Christian Reader ) thy sad and serious thoughts , and muster-up thy most exquisite meditations on this so ponderous and weightie a passage of Gods admirable providence , and protection of his own parliamentarie-Worthies ( for so , me thinks , I may fitly call and count them ) and tell me whether God was not wonderfully seen here in the Mount of straits , to turn it ( in a moment ) to a Mount of deliverance to his faithfull Servants ; yea , and in them , to the whole Kingdom ? whose weal or woe ( as we all are or ought to be most sensible ) was wrapt-up in them , being the representative Bodie thereof ; And when thou hast fully and feelingly recogitated and ruminated on this exuberant parliamentarie-mercie , tell me , I pray thee , whether thou and I and all true English-hearts have not most redundan● reason and copious occasion with blessed Moses , a little before his death ( and dying mens words ought to make deep impression of credence in our hearts ) to confesse and acknowledge , That there is none like unto the God of Jesurum , who rideth upon the heavens in the help of his beloved-ones , and in his excellencie on the skie . The eternall God is their refuge , and underneath them are his everlasting armes , and he shall thrust their enemies before them . And they shall know that it was thy hand ( O Lord ) and that thou onely hast done it ; and that though they have cursed , yet thou hast blessed , and that when they arose thou mad'st them asham'd , but hast caused thy servants to rejoyce . Yea and hast carried them on Eagles wings ( far and free from danger ) and hast brought and placed them neer to thy self . Yea , I say , again , now , if ever , those noble and renowned parliamentarie-Worthies found that of Solomon most true . That the Name of the Lord is a strong towre : the righteous run into it , and are safe . To conclude this , therefore , let the gratefull and gracious consideration of this so great a deliverance cause me and thee , and them all whom it so neerly and peculiarly concerns , to break-out , with holy David , that sacred and sugred Singer of Israel , and to say , O give thanks unto the Lord , and call continually upon his Name . Sing unto him , O sing Psalms to his great Name , and talk of all the wondrous works which he hath done , and all the glorious judgements of his mouth . Now after this so terrible affront and disturbant affright to the Parliament , it pleased those pious and prudent Worthies of both Houses for a space to adjourn their sitting at Westminster , and to turn Both-Houses into a grand Committee , and for their greater safetie and assurance from Popish-plots and combinations , to sit in the Citie of London , in the Grocers-Hall . Where , by Gods mercie and most safe protection they were most cheerfully guarded every day by the train'd-Bands of the Citie , and extraordinarie lovingly entertained , and most respectively used according to the high merit of their worth and work , and unto theirs and our high content and singular comfort . In which interim of their sitting in London , very many of the well-affected and faithfull Ministers of London unanimously petitioned the Parliament , both for choice of an Assembly for setling Church-discipline , and for the ordering of a Monethly fast throughout the whole Kingdom , untill the distresses of Ireland and the distractions of England were by Gods mercie graciously quieted and composed . Which petition of theirs in both those materiall branches thereof , was most favourably entertained by the Parliament , and received a desired answer ; the Assembly of Divines being now by vote in Parliament fully resolved on , and all of them nominated for all the Counties throughout the Kingdom for their advise to the Parliament for setling and ordering the pure worship of our God , and true Apostolicall discipline ; Wherein , the Lord grant they may all be as meek-hearted ▪ gracious , and faithfull as holy Moses was , to do nothing therein ( no not in the least particular thereof , especially in Gods worship ) but most punctually according to the pattern of the Apostles practise and precepts , no question fully and sufficiently to be found in Gods Word . The Monethly fast also was speedily put in practise all over the Kingdom , which being as it were a spirituall Militia ( as a reverend and learned Divine of our Citie calls it , most properly ) puts the Kingdom into a spirituall posture of a God-pleasing holy warfare ( if religiously kept both for sin and from sin ) that we may , as it were , even fight and contend with God by prayers and tears , by sighs and groans , as good Jacob was said thus to wrastle with God , yea and may be prevailers with God for a blessing on our Land , our King and Parliament , Church and State , and thus also at length , may prevail with men , even against all the enemies of our peace and prosperitie both domestick and forrein . Domestick , I mean our imbred sins , base lusts , and corruptions ; Forrein , that is , treacherous projectors , and clandestine malignant emulatours of our happinesse both at home and abroad . And are not here two parliamentarie-mercies more of most high concernment ; and such as give us strong and irrefragable assurance that God is with us , and will be with us ( if they be rightly and religiously managed ) and then we need not fear who is against us . Yea , then ( as the Prophet said ) They are moe that are with us than those that be for our enemies . Yea , even the Lords legions of chariots and horsemen of fire round about us , to defend us , and to consume them . Whereby we may even alreadie triumph and exult with pious Paul , and truly say , Thanks be unto God who hath given us victory ; yea and made us more than conquerors through Christ , in whom he hath freely loved us . But to proceed . In this time also of the Parliaments sitting in London by a grand-Committee of both Houses , the stout-hearted and well-minded Ship-masters and Marriners to shew their love and loyaltie to the King and Parliament , exhibited their Petition to the grand Committee , and therewith also their votes and desires full of courage and candor to serve his Majestie and the Parliament to the utmost of their power ; which their readinesse and cheerfulnesse , therein , was most lovingly regarded , both by the Lords and Commons , and shortly after a fair and fit occasion was offered to make use of their love and service therein , which they most really manifested to the full , as now you shall hear . The time being now expired , and the last day of the Parliaments adjourning from Westminster being now come , Jan. the 11. 1641. being Teusday , and their just jealousies and fears being many and great , especially by that so late high breach of priviledges of Parliament , mentioned , Jan. the 4 rh , and our Worthies , now , of necessity to return to Westminster , the noble and renowned City of London most cheerfully and voluntarily proffered their best service and abilities to attend and guard them by land to the Parliament at Westminster , and by Gods assistance to secure them from danger all the way by land , to which purpose the City Captains had commanded their train'd-bands and Officers at armes to prepare themselves thereunto , and their Musketteirs with powder and bullets , and pikemen with glistering arms , which was performed in a most gallant and martiall manner ; and thus our parliamentarie noble , grave Senatours both Lords and Commons were in their coaches safely ( by Gods mercie ) conducted and attended to the Parliament by land . By water also the same day , the stout and couragious Ship-masters and Marriners had suddenly and most bravely made ready a great number of long-boats and such like vessels furnished with peices of Ordnance , Muskets , and other Sea war-like instruments , their vessels also gallantly adorned with flags and streamers , together with Martiall-musick , Drums and Trumpets ; so as it was a most admirable rare sight to see and hear their carriage all along , and when they came to Whitehall and the Parliament Houses , and understood that the parliament-Worthies were safely there arrived . O how bravely did the train'd-bands by land , make their thick and quick volleys of shot eccho in the ayre , and the valiant Sea-men let flie their thund'ring shot both great and small by water , their trumpets sounding , and their Drums beating in such a triumphant and congratulating manner , as could not possibly , but strike-dead with terrour , amazement , and vexation the hearts of the Popish , prelaticall and malignant partie , that either saw or heard it , or heard of it , but contrariwise , as must needs extraordinarily exhilarate and rejoyce all the loyall and honest hearts of Gods people that beheld it , or heard of it . And as this was a singular testimonie of the cordiall affections of the Citie and Sea-men , and highly advancing the glory of God , who thus put into their hearts to expresse their faithfulnesse and thankfulnesse to God , our King , and the Parliament , under whom , and by whom , we enjoy the Gospel of peace and peace of the Gospel , in such rare and fair tranquillitie and serenitie above all Nations in the world . And for the ratification of all this to be warrantable and legall to be done ; I have thought fit here to insert the Vote of the Parliament published by their authority . Ian. 8 th , 1641. At the Committee of the House of Commons appointed to sit in London to consider of the safety of the Kingdom and Citie of London , and of vindicating the priviledges of Parliament . Resolved upon the Question . THat the actions of the Citizens of London , or of any other person whatsoever , for the defence of the Parliament , or of the priviledges thereof , or the preservation of the Members thereof , are according to their dutie , and to their late Protestation and the Laws of this Kingdom . And if any person shall arrest or trouble any of them for so doing , he is declared to be a publike enemie of the Common-wealth . Resolved upon the Question . That this Vote shall be made known to the Common-Councill of the City of London . Nay , yet to make the beautie and brightnesse of that foresaid Tewsdayes sunshine of comfort , yet more glorious to our eyes and hearts ; That very same 11 th of Jan. I say , being Tewsday , came a numerous multitude of Buckinghamshire men , both Gentleman , Ministers , and others of that County , on hors-back , in very fair and orderly manner with the Protestation in their hats and hands , partly in the behalf of the most worthie Knight of their Shire in Parliament , Mr Hampden , but especially to petition the Parliament for the reformation of evils in Church and State , the just punishment of Delinquents , the timely relief of Ireland , the sweet and harmonious concurrence of both Houses against all sinister obstructions , and the expulsion of Prelates and Popish ▪ Lords out of the Parliament , and to assure their best services and assistance to the King and Parliament , on all just occasions . And since which time , even immediately after , mightie multitudes out of Essex , divers thousands out of Hartford-shire , Barkshire , Surrey , and other Counties of the Kingdom ; in brief , from all Shires and Counties of the whole Realm , came still one after another to London , to exhibite their petitions to the Parliament in the causes aforesaid , from all parts swimming in one stream of affections and petitions , all having one desire , all , I say , as one man unanimously consenting in this one thing , namely , a serious and setled resolution to petition and pray a speedie refining and reforming of persons and things amisse among us . And was not the Lord Jehovah seen in this rare Mount of Meries also ? Thus to knit the hearts of the people together so far distant in habitations from one another , according to that faithfull promise of his mentioned by the Prophet . I will give them one heart , and one way , saith the Lord , that they may fear me for ever , for the good of them and of their children after them . And now , good Reader , take thankfull notice and cognizance , to the everlasting praise and glorie of the Lord , the onely God that hears prayers , and grants gracious returns unto them in his due time , that upon these confluences of unanimous desires of the Kingdom from all parts thereof the Bishops were voted against from having any intermedling with temporall affairs and dignities , and so uncapable of votes in Parliament , it having pleased the Lord our most wise God , first to catch them in their own nooz , to entangle them in their own snare whereby their persons were ( even by themselves ) first sequestred from the Parliament by Law , they being fast locked up in prison in the Tower ▪ For , on Febr. 5. 1641. the noble House of Commons past a Bill ( nemine contradicenti ) against their having any vote in Parliament , which being sent to the renowned House of Lords ▪ those prudent Peers mended the said Bill and added , that they should have no seat or place neither , as well as no voice or suffrage among thm , which was most gratefully entertained by the Commons with particular thanks to the Lords for their wisdom and love therein to the Common-wealth ; and so it past again most currently with them , and being now return'd to the Lords , it past clearly among them also immediately . And thus on that happie fifth of February , was the Church of God most mercifully freed of that pestilentiall disease wherewith it had long been infected and infested , namely , the Antichristian tyranny of our English Prelates by reason of their princely pomp and lordly dignities , and familiar intermedling and tampering in temporall affairs to the continuall provocation of the wrath of God , and the derogatorie dishonour of Christs will and prescript pleasure in their ministeriall function . It shall not be so with you . And now let the godly Reader , here see and consider the admirable equitie and justice of our wise and most holy God , meeting them full in their own wayes and works . They , who being Lords and Barons ( forsooth ) in that high Court of Parliament , yet could seldome or never find a heart or voice for Christ and religion , but freqently against Christ in his holy members , and against the power and purity of religion ; have , now ( most justly ) no voice or place in Parliament to help themselves , but are thrust out , as men not desired , like that wicked King Jehoram , who departed this life , without being desired . And take this note also , by the way , before we leave them ; That , they , who in themselves and predecessors ( ever since the time of glimmering reformation even in Queen Elizabeths dayes of ever blessed memorie , to this very time , all along , without intermission ) had silenced , suspended , imprisoned , and impoverished many hundreds , if not thousands , of holy , painfull and profitable Preachers for Non-subscription ; have now , by an act of subscription , imprisoned themselves in the Tower of London , and almost quite devested themselves of their Prelaticall arrogated superioritie over their fellow-Ministers . Thus God hath taken them by their own iniquities , and hath held them with the cords of their own sin . Thus Goliah is slain with his own sword , and Haman is hanged upon his own gallows . And thus was their former furious and most injurious carriage and course a just presage and omen of their totall ruine and downfall , which , in substance , is now blessedly come to passe , in this their denudation , stripping and whipping from their lordly dignities , haughtie honours , and busie intermedling in secular affairs , the rest I hope and pray will perfectly be effected in Gods due time . Now , then , see here and observe ( good Reader ) with a wise and most gratefull heart ( both in regard of the thing it self , and also of those two materiall circumstances , so observable , therein ) whether the Lord was not admirably seen in the Mount of Mercie ▪ to his poore Church , in this so rare and singular freedome of it from future fear of Prelaticall tyrannie . And give me leave to use the Prophets own words , by way of exulting gratitude to the Lord our God. Hearken unto me ( dear Christians ) ye that know righteousnesse , the people in whose heart is the law of the Lord. Fear ye not the reproach of men ▪ neither be ye afraid of their revilings ; for , the moth shall eat them up like a garment , and the worm shall gnaw them like wooll ; But my righteousnesse shall be for ever , and my salvation from generation to generation . Awake , awake , put on strength , O arm of the Lord , awake as in ancient dayes , and as in the generation of old . Art not thou it that hath cut Rahab ( the Prelates of England ) and wounded the Dragon ( the whore of Rome ) ? Therefore do the redeemed of the Lord return and come with singing to Zion , and everlasting joy shall be on their head . They shall obtain gladnesse and joy , and sorrow and mourning shall flie away . About this time also it pleased the good hand of God to direct the hearts of our prudent and provident parliamentarie-Worthies to take notice of the most dangerous distractions of the kingdom , and as just as great fears of intestine turmoiles which might arise among us by the Papists and malignant-partie , if not timely prevented ; and therefore to resolve , according to the joynt desires of the Subject in all their petitions exhibited in Parliament to settle a Militia by Act of Parliament , for a certain time , namely , untill it might please the Lord happily to compose our differences , and to put a blessed end to our domestick and forrein fears , that thus by putting the Kingdom into a posture of defence , we might by Gods mercie be the better secured both from homebred treacheries and transmarine invasions . For , which purpose , they resolved , in the first place , to displace Sir John Byron from his Lieutenantship of the Tower of London , and to put in Sir John Connyers , a man , in whom they had good assurance , they might confide , both for his fidelity and martiall abilities ; which , though with much strugling , at last they obtained of his Majestie , to theirs and the Cities full content in that particular . And for the better putting of life into the sad and bad affairs of Ireland , and the more speedie and certain subduing ( by Gods assistance ) of those most barbarous and inhumane Rebels and accursed idolaters of Rome ; It pleased our most wise God to infuse a fair and famous project into the hearts of divers heroick and worthie Citizens of London , first to proffer , themselves , by way of subscription of certain summes of money , to be paid in at severall payments , by them and other well-affected Subjects both in Citie and Countrey : Whereunto ( the thing being moved by petition , and singularly approved in Parliament ) the Lords and Commons in both Houses gave admirable encouragement , by their free and forward subscription of great summes , and all their moneys so laid out to be repaid and satisfied out of the Rebels lands , when by Gods aid and assistance they should be totally suppressed and destroyed , and not before , nor by any other wayes or means . And , since that ( by reason of the most a●rocious and unparralleld cruelties of those Romish-rebels in Ireland ) very many of the distressed and bespoiled English-Protestant inhabitants , especially women and children , who were necessitated to flie thence , carrying their lives in their hands , and glad ( poore souls ) they so escaped to Dublin , and so over-Sea into divers parts of this Kingdom , being thereby plunged into deplorable povertie and miserie ) It was , I say , further ordered by our truly charitable and pious Parliament , that there should be a generall collection or contribution over the whole Kingdom , for and toward the present relief and supplie of such distressed men , women and children , as could hardly subsist without present help and relief . Which said collection was so fully and freely advanced in this our noble and renowned City of London , that at one Church therein , viz ▪ Aldermanburie , under reverend and religious Mr Calamies fruitfull Ministerie , upon his pious and patheticall motion and instigation to his willing people , a Collection was made and gathered , at the Church-doores and parishioners houses , which amounted unto between 600 and 700 ● . at the least . Toward the latter end of Februarie also , 1641. It pleased the Lord to blow-off all clouds of displeasure from the Kings royall heart , and to cause his countenance to shine so serenely on the Parliaments proceedings , that he sent the House of Lords a most gracious and comfortable answer , intimating his royall concurrence and desire of correspondencie with both Houses , both in passing those Bils then exhibited to his Majestie , and also referring all matters touching the Liturgie and Church-Government to the wisdom and pietie of the Parliament to settle and resolve on . And , here , again ( good Reader ) let us reflect our eyes and serious thoughts , and see whether the Lord does not still carryon his works of mercie to us , by his own strong-arm , and almightie power and providence ; that thus we should now have such strong and heart-chearing hope of a happie and long desired rectifying and reformation of our Liturgie and Discipline , two ticklish peices to be tampered with , on pain of highest indignation and displeasure in by-past times , but now you see and hear of talk yea resolution of reforming them . Hereby ratifying and confirming his most righteous word and promise , by the Prophet , in shewing himself unto our Kingdom a most resplendent glory in the midst of us . Making good also that old promise of his to his ancient people of Israel , namely , I will turn my hand upon thee , and will purely purge away all thy drosse , and take away all thy tinne . O that we therefore in the way of thankefulness● would sincerely perform his holy and just desire of us , namely , in deed and in truth to obey his voice , and cheerfully to do all that he hath commanded us ! Yet , see , the ( still ) invincible and inveterate malice of the malignant partie , who notwithstanding that they cannot but evidently see the hand of God against them crossing all their counsels , turning their perniciously boiling obstrisctions to their own destruction in the issue : yet still , I say , they manifest ( right Pharaoh-like ) more flintinesse and hardnesse of heart , presumptuously spurning at ( as it were ) and despising all Gods most wise and over powering proceedings against them ; thereby most clearly treasuring-up wrath and confusion unto themselves against the day of Gods vengeance and heaping up coals of calamity on their own heads against the day of the Lords burning jealousie . For , much about this time a most pernicious and seditious Petition was forged and framed by some of the grey-headed but not grave-hearted Citizens of London , which was boldly presented to the Parliament by them . A Petition , I say , much tending to sedition , and the overthrow of the Parliaments proceedings , especially concerning the Militia of the Citie , ayming therein at the overthrow of the said Militia , and the sure defence of the whole Realm ( under God ) which they had formerly most firmly setled over the whole Kingdom . In which seditious plot and devillish design of theirs , though many of no small or mean rank and qualitie in the Citie , yea and some of the highest degree thereof had deep hands and spotted hearts to further it , and therefore had subscribed to it : yet , one or two most pragmaticall spirits among them , were chief agents and active instruments openly and audaciously appearing and persisting in it , namely , one Mr Binion , a Silkman in Cheapside , who carried himself most proudly and insolently therein from first to the last . But the truly godly , grave and loyally-affected Citizens of London understanding thereof , disavowed it , immediately , joyned together against it , in another most honest , fit and fair Petition clean contrary to that other , exhibited the same in Parliament , desired the justice of the Parliament against ●he other , which was received with singular approbation of both Houses . Whereupon , the other was not long after cast out of the House , condemned to be burnt by the hangman , as a most scandalous and seditious paper ; and the foresaid Mr Binion himself ( persisting in his obstinate and malevolent misbehaviour , was made an example of terrour to the rest ( who more wisely shrunk-in their heads , and recanted their former oversight ) being for his foresaid insolencies and misdemeanours fined 3000. l. disfranchised from the immunities of the Citie , made uncapable of ever bearing any office in the Common-wealth , and imprisoned for two yeers in the Castle of Colchester . And yet , again , notwithstanding all this , I say , yea this so fresh and modern admonition ( as a man might have thought ) to those malignant spirits ; They , not long after brake out again into a like misdemeanour in the Countie of Kent , by the main instigation ( as it is conceived ) of Sir Edward Deering ▪ late a Member of the House of Commons , who at the beginning and for some continuance of this Parliament was well reputed and reported of , but at last brake-out into a most violent and virulent opposition of the honourable and pious proceedings of the Parliament , which he further most undiscreetly prosecuted by printing and publishing a book of all his former and later Speeches in Parliament , and one , especially not spoken , but onely intended to have been spoken in Parliament . Whereupon the said Sir E. Deering was call'd to the Bar , sent prisoner to the Tower , cast out of the House from being any longer a Member among them , & his said book condemned to be burnt ▪ Which book , though it cannot be denied , but must be ingenuously confest , did render him a Schollar , and wittie acute r●etori●ian , yet was full fraught with palpable expressions of an ill-affected heart not onely to the most wise , worthie and untainted negotiations of the Honourable Parliament , but even to religion and the power of godlines . A gentleman he was , whom I must acknowledge , I my self much honored for the good things I conceived to be in him at first ; but when I had read this his book ( which I did , all-over , as advisedly and impartially as God enabled me ) I found therein , even almost in its very portall or introduction to the matter of it and so along , such an unjust and immeritorious eulogie or elogie and hyperbolicall praise of the Arch-prelate of Canterbury in generall , and of his book ( if his ) of his conference with Fisher the Jesuite , in speciall : A book most full of pregnant expressions ( yet cloudily couched ) of the said Prelates Popish rotten-heartednesse , as a most sound and learned Replie to it , hath copiously and clearly discovered to all judicious and impartiall Schollars that have read it ) together with his affected wittie je●ring and scoffing at true pietie in some places , and irreligious sublime justification of grosse Popish superstition in other some ; I could not , hereupon , I say , ( God knows my heart ) but greatly grieve for his sake , thereby so dishonoured , and blush at mine own so clear mistake , who had willingly harboured so good opinions of him before . But to leave him to his great Lord and Master to whom he must either stand or fall , with my heartie prayers for his true and timely retractation , I return to my purposed matter , from which I have a little digressed , but I hope not much transgressed therein . Another seditious Petition ( I say ) was hatched and contrived in Kent , wherein ( I say ) t is more than conceived that Sir Edward Deering had a deep hand , which contained matter much to the same effect with the former of London ; Which also it seems was much countenanced and encouraged by the Earl of Bristow and judge Mallet , and for which they were both sent prisoners to the Tower of London ; which Petition being on the 29 th of April , 1642. brought to the Parliament by some of the prime malignant-ones ( the rest of that rout being some certain thousands remained at Blackheath for an answer , but were fain to depart with a flea in their cares ) they received most foul ( but most just ) disgraces at their entrance into the Citie , the gate at the Bridge-foot was shut against them , they themselves were disarmed , their weapons being there taken from them , two of their prime leaders , having exhibited their Petition in Parliament , were committed to safe custodie till fit opportunitie of further examination of this their high contempt and arrogancie . But immediately after , the truly religious , honest , and well-affected partie of the said County of Kent unanimously also united themselves in an honest and loyall Petition , therein utterly disavowing and protesting against that other seditious and scandalous one , who were all , together with their Petition most courteously and lovingly entertained , and dismissed with great thanks from the Parliament , for that their so honest and peaceable demeanour . And was not the Lord Jehovah seen here in the Mount of Mercie , in thus both timely discovering and discountenancing these very dangerous designes of theirs ( as much as in them ●ay for the present ) extremly to blend and disgrace the just , fair and faithfull proceedings of the Parliament ; and though they most secretly and subtilly carried and contrived their designes therein , yet the Lord graciously caused them to be stifled in their birth . So that we may most fitly take up that of the Apostle Paul , who speaking of the perillous times that should come in the last dayes , after a recitall of a ragged-regiment of malignant and ill-affected persons , brings in Jannes and Jambres ( two audacious and arrogant companions ) who obstinately and proudly withstood Moses , reviling and speaking evill of the truth ; men of corrupt minds , reprobate concerning the faith . But they shall not proceed ( saies the Apostle ) for , their folly shall be manifested to all men . As t is now with ours , blessed be the Lord our most wise God for it , and all their malice and mischief is fallen still upon their own hoads . Wherefore , we may , nay we must , with holy David , most gratefully acknowledge , Not unto us , Lord , not unto us , but unto thy Name be all the glory given , for thy mercie and for thy truths sake ▪ Who hast not suffered the heathen ( or wicked ) to say , where is now their God ? But our God is in heaven , and hath done whatsoever he pleased . Now after these things , the King having prest the Parliament , with divers Messages in his unhappie departure and distance from it ( as by and by shall be more fully and particularly set forth ) and thereby constrained our prudent Worthies in Parliament to clear their integritie to his Majestie , and the whole Kingdom , yea and to the whole world also , if occasion were offered ; they sent to his Majestie , and afterward set forth in print divers Declarations , Remonstrances , and Messages from both Houses of Parliament , all of them written and penn'd with such prudence , pi●ti● , and humilitie toward his Majestie , as most apparently evidenced their great and godly care for the preservation of his Honour and the Kingdoms welfare , to the great and unexpressible comfort and content of all Gods people , especially in the most sweet continued symphonie and harmonious concurrence of Both Houses which now began to be more and more strongly increased , notwithstanding the great and even mountan●●● obstructions and terrible distractions of the times mightily molesting and retarding their most important and weightie affairs , ou● most prudent and pious Peers still shewing themselves ( as was toucht before ) more forward , if possi●ly it might be , in all good motions than the House of Commons . A mercie , which ( things and times considered ) we are not able sufficiently to prize and praise the Lord for , it being that blessing of the Kingdom which was so long and so earnestly desired by the universall confluence of the Petitions of the whole Kingdom ; yea that great blessing , I say , which the Apostle Paul so heartily and vehemently desires among his beloved Corinthians , That they might all speak the same thing , and that there might be no division among them , but that they may be perfectly joyned together in the same mind , and in the same judgement . Yea that rare blessing which the Prophet David cannot set out sufficiently without a note of admiration , in the excellencies of it , when he said ▪ Behold how good and joyfull a thing it is brethren to dwell together in unity . Yea ( sayes he ) t is like the precious oyntment upon Aarons head , distilling thence to his beard and running down to the skirts of his garment . Such a pr●●io●● oyntment , may I truly say , is this unity and concord in these two honourable Houses of Parliament , poured on the head of our Soveraign , distilling thence on the comely beard of his Kingdom , this renowned Parliament , and sweetly streaming thence down to the skirts or garments of the Land the people and inhabitants thereof . And now see , I pray , the blessed effects of this happy union and precious complacencie between the King and Both Houses of Parliament , at this time . For about the 9 th of April , the Lords and Commons in Parliament resolved to set upon the reformation of the Liturgie and government of the Church , wherby Gods worship and service should be more purely performed than formerly it had been , and discipline more piously administred . And for this purpose they passed Votes in Both Houses , and most prudently pitched upon certain eminent godly , grave and learned Divines out of every Shire and Corporation of the Kingdom , who should meet together at a time appointed to discusse and consult among themselves what should be most apost●licall , orthodox and neerest to the truth of Gods word , and so to advise the Parliament for the setling of the same , as by their order printed and published by their authority may and doth more fully appear , which here I have thought fit to insert and mention to thee . The Order of the Lords and Commons touching the Liturgy and Church Discipline . Apr. 9. 1642. THe Lords and Commons do declare that they intend a due and necessary reformation of the government and Liturgy of the Church , and to take away nothing in the one or other but what shall be evill and justly off nsive , or at the least unnecessarie and burthensome . And for the better effecting thereof , speedily to have consultation with g●●ly and learned Divines . And because this will never of it self obtain the end sought therein ; they will therefore use their utmost endeavour to establish learned and preaching Ministers with a good and sufficient maintenance throughout the whole Kingdom , wherein many dark corners are miserably destitute of the means of salvation , and many poore Ministers want necessarie provision . Now then tell me ( good Reader ) whether the Lord appeared not in a Mount of Mercie , in this so unexpectible an act of long desired reformation in this kind ? In these two so extremly deified Diana's of our English Ephesus , so long setled upon their ol● lees , and so generally applauded by the Pontifician and other ignorant and malignant partie of our land , so as it was thought a thing almost impossible to be effected . Yet see , I say , what ou● God can do , what mountains of difficulties and disturbances he is able to remove , when he , once , resolves it according to that of the Prophet : I have spoken it , ( saith the Lord ) I will also bring it to passe , I have purpos'd it , I will also do it . Hearken unto this ye stout-hearted that are far from righteousnesse . I will bring neer my righteousnesse , it shall not be so far off , and my salvation shall not carry , and I will place salvation in Sion for Israel , my glorie . Yet , see , still , the malignancie of the serpentine-brood , breeding and breathing more and more threats and vexations to the sacredseed of the woman . For , not long after , that aforesaid hopefull amiable symphonic of sweet accord between the King and his Parliament began to be besmeard with the black-coal of evil counsell , and his Majesties affections to be so alienated and estranged from his grand and grave Councell of Parliament , that in discontent he most unhappily sequestred his person from it , almost as far as his affection , even from the Southern toward the Northern parts of his Kingdom , to the universall and great grief of his loyall Subjects who made their earnest desires poste as fast after him by their humble Petitions to return to his Parliament , but alas , all in vain , for in deep discontent his Majestie goes on in his journey , takes the Prince along with him , was accompanied or attended on by a company of furious Cavaliers , who shewed themselves in an hostile manner about Hampton Court and Kingstone upon Thames , past on thence to New-market , and so into the North , where an attempt was made by the Earl of Newcastle to have taken in Hull , and the full fraught Magazine thereof , varietie of martiall ammunition , for the Kings use , but he was prevented , and Sir John Hotham a worthie Member of the House of Commons was put in possession thereof , for the use of his Majestie , and the good of the whole Kingdom . Not long after the King went himself in person to Hull , requiring the rendition of the Town and Magazine into his Majesties hands , but Sir John Hotham having order to the contrary from the Parliament , refused so to do , and was therefore by his Majesties command declared a traitor . Propositions were made to the Gentrie of York to assist his Majesties proceedings against Sir John Hotham for the taking in of Hull into his Majesties possession by compulsion , since he could not obtain it of him by perswasion . About which time ▪ Sir Francis Worthly and divers others siding together , and pretending themselves to be for the King , with their swords drawn in an unaccustomed and unexpected manner , demanded who was and would be on the Kings side ? By this evill act act of theirs in an especiall manner manifesting themselves ●o be truly of the serpentine-seed , and therein imitating their father the devill , that grand seedsman of all sedition , whose main plot is and ever was to divide and separate what God hath united . Making a false and foolish discrepancie and difference , first between the King and the Parliament , which ought not to be ; and secondly between the Parliament and the people , which cannot be . For what is the Parliament but a representative-Bodie of all the people in the whole Kingdom ; and therefore to make men beleeve that the Parliament intends to wrong the people , by bringing in an arbitrarie government ( the thing which they mainly hate and labour against ) is to make men mad with discretion , to make us think the Parliament labours to undo themselves with us , and to provoke us madly to rush on them to our own certain ruin . To ask a man therefore whether he be for the King or the Parliament ▪ is to ask him whether he be for the King or for himself ▪ See then ( discreet Reader ) the drift of this devillish design and false distinction , which is meerly to make men fall together by the eares , and to sheath their swords in one anothers bowels . But now the King receiving no content in this their fruitlesse meeting , the Ge●trie ( but not Free-holders , which was taken ill ) were again summoned to assemble together before the King , May the 23 th being Friday , to resolve upon a guard of horse and foot to safeguard his person ; this also was a long time fruitlesly agitated . About which time or not long before , his Majestie published his resolution to go in person to Ireland to subdue the Rebels , which was utterly disliked by the Parliament as a businesse of very dangerous consequence . The Gentrie , Yeomen and Free-holders of York again are summoned together to York , but the honest yeomen were discourteously and uncivilly used by many of the Cavaliers or attendants about his Majestie ; complaints were made thereof to the King , but not answered to their desire . His Majestie much about this time also forbade the exercise of the Militia , contrarie to the Parliaments constitution over the Kingdom , and about the 15. or 16. of May , 1642. directed his Letter to Captain Philip Skippon , Sergeant Major generall for the Militia of the Citie of London , a brave and expert old Souldier and Commander in Arms , and a most pious and vertuous Gentleman , requiring his personall attendance at York , all excuses set apart , and that there he should know his Majesties pleasure : But this command was inhibited and contradicted to the said Captain Skippon by the authority of Both Houses of Parliament , as is afterward more fully declared . After this , about May the 26 th , the King sending a letter to the Lord Keeper to remove Midsommer Term from London to York : this also was opposed by the Parliament , as shall also be farther declared in its proper place . Much about this time also or not long after this , the said Lord Keeper and seven or eight other Lords left the Parliament on a sudden , and without the consent thereof , and departed from London to York , to the King. In all which time , the Parliament sending many submisse Messages and humble Petitions to his Majestie at York , all of them full of wisdom , pietie and patience , yet receive austere and unpleasing replies , even as his Majestie found unsatisfactorie returns to his expectation and desires in all or most of his negotiations in those Northern parts ever since his unhappie aboad there . But what is all this ( it may be objected ) to the present intention of parliamentarie mercies to be manifested to us ? I answer , this fore-past brief discourse serves greatly to shew us , in the first place ▪ a mightie fume and smoak now readie to break out into a most combustuous and furious flame , by the perverse and most pernicious counsell of the malignant partie about the King ( as the Parliament had often enformed his Majestie in severall Messages ) if the Lords over-powering providence had not cast on the water of op●rtune qualification and timely quenching of the same , by the admirable wisdom and singular moderation of this pious and prudent Parliament , hindring the boysterous breaking-out thereof , both by their modest , grave and gracious Declarations , their most humble Petitions , their prudent and provident Votes and Orders , and their patient and most submisse Messages to his Majestie at York ; especially by those two Declarations or Remonstrances of Both Houses , March , 12. and March , 23. their most humble , wise and moderate Petition March , 26. About which time also it pleased the Lord to stir up the hearts of the Nobles and gentrie estated in Ireland , but then residing in London ▪ to petition his Majesties return to London , and gracious agreement with his great and highest ▪ Court of Parliament . Together with the Gentrie and Commons of the County of Lincoln , Staffordshire , and Munmouth in Wales ; as also a most excellent and patheticall Petition from those of Cheshire , and another cut of Lancashire ; all of them with an unanimous concurrence of Votes and suffrages , beseeching and imploring his Majesties speedie and propitious affection and return to his Parliament . Yea our ever to be honoured , and intimately to be loved Brethren of Scotland also were not wanting in their love and loyaltie to send their faithfull Commissioners , and among them the noble and renowned pious and prudent Lord Louthen to advise and beseech his Majestie to return and listen to his loyall and faithfull Subjects in Parliament . The Gentrie also and Commons of the County of York most humbly and earnestly besought and petitioned his Majestie , April the 30 th , to reflect his favourable and princely affections on his great Councell at London , and to cohere and adhere to their wholesome and honourable advise for his Majesties honour and welfare : Together with the Knights , Gentlemen and others of the County of Yorks wise and modest answer to his Majesties demands of them , not long after , in these words . May it please your most excellent Majestie . VVE shall all be ready to defend your royall Person from violence , by all such wayes and means as the Law and our dutie bind us . And as for the means to vindicate your Majesties honour , and to put you into possession of your own ; we conceive that the best advise that we can offer to your Majestie is , humbly to desire you to hearken to the counsell of your Parliament , who we assure our selves will be carefull of your Majesties person and honour , and to whom your Majestie hath already been pleased to direct a Message to that purpose . Again , a full and fair Declaration or Remonstrance was sent to his Majestie from Both Houses of Parliament , and to the whole Kingdom , bearing date , May , the 19 th , wherein were expressed the severall Depositions of divers , about the bringing in of the Armie ( formerly in the North , and then intended against ou● Brethren of Scotland ) to London against this Parliament . And since that , another Declaration or Remonstrance , bearing date May 26 th , 1642 , in answer to one under his Majesties name , concerning the businesse of Hull , sent in a message to Both Houses of Parliament , May 21. In which Remonstrance was fully set forth the Kings of Englands deep tye of regall stipulation to rule the Kingdom according to the fundamentall Laws made by the Commons thereof or people of the Kingdom , and ratifying and maintaining the Subjects immunities and freedoms , to the reciprocall and harmonious happinesse of King and Subject . Therein also fully and fairly clearing Sir John Hotham from the imputation of treason in his holding the town of Hull to his Majesties and the Kingdoms just use and welfare . The safe transportation and removall of that great Magazine of warlike ammunition from Hull to London , notwithstanding the Kings interdiction of the same . The timely and happie discoverie of that dangerous plot against Hull by one Thomas Beckwith , gentleman , a Popish-recusant , and an inhabitant of Beverly in Yorkeshire and others his confederates , signified most fully and exactly by Sir John Hothams own letter to a worthy Member of the House of Commons , and published in print , June 3 , 1642. Both Houses of Parliament ratifying and confirming by their Orders unto York , Lancas . and all the whole Kingdom , the exercise of the Militia , for the better securitie and safeguard thereof both against homebred conspiring Popish recusants , and forrein confederating Romish invaders of the land . The Parliaments clearing of that most worthie and pious gentleman Captain Phillip Skippon from any legall disobedience to his Majesties command , in not tender ng his personall attendance on him at York ; which was confirmed by 3. severall Votes in Parliament , which for the Readers more full satisfaction I have here inserted . May 17 th , 1642. 1. THat this command of his Majestie to call Captain Phillip Skippon , Serjeant Major generall of the Forces of London , to attend his Majesties person at York , is against the Law of the Land , and the liberties of the Subject . 2. That this command of his Majestie to call Captain Phillip Skippon , Serjeant Major generall of the Forces of London , to attend his Majesties person , being employed by Both Houses to attend their service , without their consent , is against the priviledge of Parliament . 3. That Captain Phillip Skippon , Serjeant Major generall of the Forces of London , shall continue to attend the service of Both Houses according to their former commands . The same day also , which was , May , 17 , 1642. It having been rumoured that Midsommer-Term should be adjourned to York , and the Parliament understanding thereof , the Lord Keeper was required to declare whether he had 〈…〉 any command from his Majestie to that purpose , which being answered and satisfied by him to the Lords , that he had such a command , and the Lords conceiving how inconsistent the same was to a Parliament sitting at Westminster ( not to be dissolved or adjourned without their consent ) the Records being carried to York , whereof Both Houses were to have daily use ; and that the Judges ( whose advise and assistance the House of Peers daily required ) should be so remote from them . They therefore voted . That the Kings removeall of the Term from Westminster to York ▪ the Parliament sitting at Westminster , is illegall : And therefore further ordered , That the said Lord Keeper should not issue-out any Writs , or seal any Proclamation for adjourning the said Term from Westminster to York , as aforesaid . About the 20. or 21. of May , 1642. a Committee of Both Houses was nominated to consider how they should bring to con dign punishment , those parties who are Delinquents and yet ●protected against proceedings in Parliament . At which tim also the House took into consideration his Majesties summons of the 14. of May , commanding the gentrie to appear before him in their equipage ▪ And thereupon voted ; 1. That it appeared that his Majestie seduced by wicked Counse●● intends to make war against the Parliament , who in all their consultations and actions have proposed no other end unto themselves , but the care of his Kingdom , and the performance of all dutie and loyaltie to his person . 3. That whensoever the King maketh war upon the Parliament ▪ it is a breach of the trust reposed in him contrary to his Oath , and tending to the dissolution of this government . 3. That whosoever shall serve or assist him in such wars are traitors to the fundamentall Laws of this Kingdom , and have been so adjudged in two Acts of Parliament , namely , 11 of Ric. 2. and 1 of Hen. 4. and ought to suffer as traitors . Which said two Acts , taken out o● the Records in the Tower of London , containing divers Articles 〈◊〉 treason then exhibited in the Parliament , against the Archbishop of York . Michael de la Pool and others , in the time of Ric. 2. most exquisitely and punctually depainting the present state of things with us now , were by Both Houses of Parliament voted to be printed and published in French , English and Latine on May , 26 , 1642. Since this , about May , the 25 ▪ a dispatch was made from the Parliament , to their Committee at York , with an Ordinance of Parliament , to be published in all Market-towns over that whole Countie , declaring that the Train'd-bands ought not to be raised by his Majesties personall command , as the affairs of the Kingdom now stand . And on May , 27. and 28. 1642. two Orders from both Houses were printed and published . The one to all high Sheriffs and all other Officers within the Countie of Lancaster , and in generall to all the Counties of England and dominion of Wales ; Both of them , to this effect , that , In regard of their just jealousies and grounded-fears , that his Majestie seduced by wicked Counsell intended to make war against the Parliament , therefore , no Arms and Ammunition should be conveyed toward York . And for keeping a strict watch within their severall limits and jurisdictions , and to search for and seize on all such arms and ammunition , and to apprehend all such persons going to York with any such ; and to suppresse and hinder the raising and coming together of any Souldiers , horse or foot , by any Warrant or Commission from his Majestie alone , without the advise and consent of his Parliament . By this and all other fore-mentioned means to stop and hinder the breaking out of civill broils and dissentions in the Kingdom , and to maintain and propagate the blessed and happie peace thereof ; yea the care and providence of this Parliament continually contriving and casting about for the welfare of the King and Kingdom , gave order that the severall Societies of Sadlers , A●mourers and Gun-smiths should forthwith certifie to the Houses of Parliament ▪ what numbers of Arms and Sadles they were to provide weekly , and for whom . And have been most vigilant and circumspect to cause their Ordinance for the Militia of the Kingdom ( for the better strengthening of it ) to be put into execution in Lincolnshire , which his Majestie had opposed by a Proclamation , which Ordinance of Parliament was , notwithstanding , obediently observed and exercised , in Buckinghamshire ▪ Middlesex , Essex , Leicestershire , and other Counties . And about the 29. or 30. of May , 1642. It having been enformed to the Parliament that an Ancient of Sir John Hothams was apprehended and imprisoned at York ; the Parliament presently sent to the Committee there to know the ground of his detenor , and if for being in the service of both Houses then they hold it an act of hostilitie against the Parliament , and are likewise to return the names of all such Members of the House as are at York , their presence there , tending to countenance the war intended against the Parliament . And about June the second , this most pious and prudent Parliament sent a most submissive Petition , with 19 Propositions from Both Houses of Parliament , all of them containing matters of high concernment for the singular good ( as they providently conceived ) both of Church and Common-wealth , which in their most religious and prudent aymes might extraordinarily tend to a most blessed , happie and deeply desired accommodation and reconciliation of differences and misunderstandings betwixt his Majestie and them , protesting and seriously assuring his Majestie that if he would vouchsafe to grant those their most humble and behoofefull requests , they would with all alacrity of mind and celerity of endeavour apply themselves so to regulate his Majesties revenues , and to settle such an extraordinarie and constant increase of it , as should be abundantly sufficient to support his royall dignitie in majesticall honour and princely plentie , beyond the proportion of any of his Subjects grants to any of his Majesties predecessours . But this so humble submission , these fair propositions , and this so loyall a protestation of fidelity and integritie toward his Majestie conceived and brought forth shortly after , a very harsh and unpleasing replie unto them , to theirs and our no small sorrow and continued , yea and aggravated grief and discontent . Now the summe of all these premised particulars so summarily mentioned together comes to thus much ; that all these many weightie and various premises seriously considered , and impartially preponderated , cannot but most copiously discover and lay open to the eyes of all that are not wilfully and obstinately blind and too extremly incredulous ( even against clearest sight , sense , and most resplendent demonstrations ) on the one side , the most sturdie and untyred ( though , hitherto , blessed be the Lord , most fruitlesse ) projects , plots and craftie contrivements of the malignant partie , under a specious colour and pernicious pretence of advancing regall authority , prerogative , and the Kings prosperitie , and yet all of these ( by them ) most egregiously injured and abused to the slie subversion of both King and Kingdom . First ( as a most eminent , worthie and pious Member of the House of Commons lately related it most pithily and pertinently ) by weakning and invalidating the proceedings and power of the Parliament , and making way for the utter subversion of it . Secondly , for this end , by gathering forces together at York ▪ under a pretence of a guard for his Majesties person , but purposely to make opposition against the Parliament ▪ and thereby also to support Delinquents , to slight and scorn the power and orders of the Parliament , and to make them of no esteem or reputation . Thirdly , to send out bitter invectives , and unjust aspersions , in his Majesties name as Declarations and messages from him , onely to perplex the Parliament with ●edious expense of their precious time to answer them , and thereby also by false colours and glosses to make the people disaffect the Parliament , yea ( and if possibly ) to stir them up to destroy it ( and all Parliaments for ever ) and with it , themselves , their wives and children . Fourthly and lastly , to draw the Members of both Houses away from their dutie and attendance on them , and to go down to York ▪ thereby to make the Parliament , as it were , bleed to death , and moulder to nothing , and thus to blemish the actions of Both Houses of Parliament , as done by a few and inconsiderable number , and rather a partie than a Parliament , and perhaps to set-up an Anti-parliament at York . A desperate and most dangerous practise , utterly to ruinate all . But all in vain , I trust in the Lord , as hitherto , we have happily seen , in all their designes , for ever blessed be the Lord our God for it . But , on the other side , we may most apparently perceive , and clearly behold by all those fore-mentioned particulars on the Parliaments part , the most admirable and even onely-heaven-inspired wisdom , moderation , prudence , pietie , patience and indefatigable vigilancie of our ever to be honoured , and everlasting renowned Peers and Commons in Parliament , most humbly demeaning themselves alwayes toward his Majestie , most wisely and courageously against the malignant partie , most religiously and faithfully to Church and State in generall , and most graciously , tenderly and affectionately , as so many fathers of their Countrey to all singular petitions and petitioners desiring their aid and assistance , in a fair and fitting way for the good of Church and State ; which was most undeniably evident by the most sweet reciprocall resulta●ce and concurrent confluence of hearts and affections of all in City and Countrey , over all the whole three Kingdoms of England , Scotland , and Ireland , that had any spark or glimpse of true grace , yea of but meer common-grace and goodnesse , to the infinite praise and glorie of the Lord our God , be it spoken , and to the unexpressible joy of our souls , even of the souls of all those that cordially love and desire to live to see the glorious and most happie espousals and never-again-to be-sequ●stred-union and marriage twixt Peace and Truth , the grand and gracious desire of that good King Hez●kiah , the main , if not onely ayme and ●nd of this prudent Parliament ; and which ought to be also of every true godly Christian with them . Now , therefore , friendly Reader , I say all those fore-mentioned particulars conglomerated into one bodie of serious animadversion , those clouds of witnesses attesting this truth , say , was not thy wonder-working God , the Lord Jehovah most admirably , most gloriously , even far beyond all humane apprehension or expression , seen in the Mount of mercies for Englands mightie Deliverance ? Tell me , good Reader , speak thy conscience freely , hath not England found , yea hath not this blessed Parliament found our God raising up one Elisha or other to reveal , and timely to discover all the wicked plots and devises of the malignant partie , ( even now and of late , and indeed all-along ) against the happie hope-breathing condition of our greatly envied Church and State ? So that we may say of England , ( now adayes , especially within this yeer and a half ) as Balaam , once , said of the children of Israel . Surely , there is no enchantment against Jacob , neither is there any divination against Israel : for , according to this time , it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel , What hath God wrought ? So , certainly , we have all seen it , and the very adverse and malignant partie must needs confesse it . Surely , there is no enchantment against England and Scotland , nor is there any divination of the wicked that can prosper against the Houses of Parliament for , according to these times of our wonderfull deliverances , It shall be said to succeeding posteritie of England and of Scotland ; O what hath our most gracious God freely wrought for us ? Nay , let me speak in particular to those of the malignant faction , or let me rather sing it out with most emphaticall joy , as Moses did in his sweet song of Gods high praises , and let them denie it if they can . Their Rock is not as our Rock , even they our enemies themselves being judges . For , had their rock , or rather Egyptian-reed been able to have over-powred our celestiall-Rock , we had ( undoubtedly ) long ere this , been made most wofull spectacles , to them and theirs , of ineffable ruine and implacable wrath ; whereas we are , now , most hopefully happie spectators of their most black shame , sorrow and precipitating confusion . Even so , Amen , Lord Jesus hasten it for thine elects sake . Now then these things being thus , how can we but with holy David , break out into over-flowing cordiall-gratitude , and say with his heart and tongue . What shall we render to the Lord for all his blessed benefits toward us ? We will take the cup of salvation and call on the Name of the Lord. We will pay our vows ( of universall true obedience ) unto the Lord , in the presence of all the people . Yea , I say , how can we forbear to break-forth into pious King Davids excitation and stimulation of our hearts to infinitely obliged thankfulnesse , but with sincere rouzed-up souls to sing . Blesse the Lord , O my soul , and all that is within me blesse his holy Name . Blesse the Lord , O my soul , and forget not all ( or any of ) his precious benefits . Who hath forgiven all thine iniquities , and healed all thy great and grievous diseases : Who hath redeemed thy life from destruction , and hath crowned thee with loving kindnesse and tender mercies . In summe , therefore , to wind-up all briefly , let me beseech thee , good Christian Reader , to make this four-fold holy use and observation of all these premises , these remarkable and unparalleld parliamentarie-mercies to England , to unworthie , sinfull England . First , to admire and adore the infinite and free mercie of our good God , who hath done all these great things for thee , even for his own Name sake , because this so glorious a wonder-working attribute of free-grace and merci ? pleaseth him best of all . Know O England , that it was not for thine own sake , that God hath done all these things for thee , but for his holy Names sake , which ( alas ) thou hadst most extremly profaned . But thy God was willing to sanctifie his own great Name , which thou , I say , hadst profaned , and because he would make the wi●ked and ungodly among thee to know that God is the Lord , and that he will be sanctified in you , before their eyes , and that they may see that the Lords hand is listed u● against them though they will not see , yet they shall see and be ashamed of their envie at Gods people , when the fire of Gods wrath devoures his enemies , and when they shall perceive that the Lord onely hath ordained peace for his people , and hath wrought al his works in us and for us . Let us not therfore ( my dear Christian English brethren and friends ) so much look on our sins as to dead our hearts , or to damp our faith , by saying one to another ; O , but our sins are greater than other Nations , and therefore , surely , the Lord will not ( yet ) save and deliver us , till we are fitted for mercie . Alas , alas , if God should not be mercifull to us till we are fit for mercie , certainly , he must never be mercifull to us . But , here we see , and Moses confirms it farther to us , that oftentimes ) God shews not mercie to a people because they are greater in number , or better in condition ▪ or fitter for his mercie than another people , but because the Lord freely loved us above or before all others ou● neighbour Nations round about us , and that he might keep his word and promise made of old , to save his people when they called on him in the day of their trouble , that so they might glorifie him . And most undoubtedly for this very end the Lord hath poured on his people of England ( within these two or three yeers ) an extraordinarie spirit of grace and prayer or supplication , in these dayes of their distresse and great calamitie ; yea and notably manifested by all these fore-mentioned returns of prayer , even far beyond their hopes and desires , that he is a God hearing prayers ▪ and so hath encouraged his people ( notwithstanding their sins ) to come unto him , and hath clearly let them see that t is not in vain to call on our God , and to wait till he have mercie . Hence , therefore , I say , let us learn to admire and adore the bounteous and open-hand and enlarged bowels of love and compassion of our good God and indulgent Father , who hath done all these so great and so good things for us , even of his own meer mercie and free favour , and because mercie pleaseth him . Since , then , it is most true and unquestionable , that God hath not so dealt with every Nation , nay I may justly say , not with any Nation , as he hath with us of England : O let us all seriously endeavour to out-strip every Nation round about 〈◊〉 Thankfulnesse and Obedience , which is the second Observation I desire to make of these remarkable parliamentarie mercies to us . Thankfulnes , I say , first to our good and gracious God , who hath been the onely author and fountain of all these full and fairly over-flowing mercies to us . Who hath thus blessed where the enemie hath cursed . Who hath , thus , made the plots and devises of our adversaries , the main means of their own shame and smart , of their own certain ruin and destruction . Yea who hath thus firmly and faithfully performed all his good word and will unto us hitherto , and therefore with holy David to cry out and say , Not unto us , Lord , not unto us , but unto thy Name give all the glory , for thy mercie and for thy truths sake . Yea to raise and rouze-up our souls to the highest peg and pitch of holy extasies of praise and thanksgiving to our God , and to break-out as the same holy David did . My heart is fixed , O God , my heart is fixed , I will sing and give praise , even with my glorie . Awake psalterie and harp ( yea , awake soul and heart ) I my self will awake right early , yea and right earnestly . I will praise thee , O Lord , among the people , and I will sing praises unto thee among the Nations . For , thy mercies are great above the heavens , and thy glorie above all the earth . Set up thy self ( therefore ) O our God , more and more , above the heavens , and thy glory above all the earth . And let not this our thankfulnesse be meerly a work of lip-labour ; but let it also ( yea especially ) produce an effectuall work of life-labour ▪ of true obedience , which , indeed , is better than sacrifice . Obedience , I say , to all Gods commandments , universall-submission to the whole will of God. Which is mainly seen in breaking-off from our sins ( those great blocks ) that stand in the way , and hinder Gods good things from us ; accursed sin , I say , which locks up all the gates of Gods goodnesse and sweetnesse from us ) by true and cordiall repentance , by hating and forsaking our closest and s●yliest insinuating darling sins our bosome-Dal●lahs , which is the onely-golden-key to open the doores , to ▪ lift-up the flood-gates of all Gods rich treasury of grace and over-flowing favours and mercies to us . Objection . But , here , I may demand ( and not impertinently I hope ) May we not also give thanks and due commendations to our noble and renowned Worthies in Parliament , who have so cheerfully and so indefatigably spent themselves and their precious time for us and the Kingdoms good ? Answer . Yes undoubtedly , and that most duely ; but in the first and most , and best place , to the Lord our God , who is the author and fountain of all our mercies , and unto them in the next place , as the channels or conduit-pipes by and through whom God is pleased to convey these comforts to us . And , as a grave , godly and learned Divine of our Citie fitly observed ; It is not onely decent and comely to give them thanks , even as we would , if a Lord or great friend should send us some extraordinarie gift by his servant ; we would first give condign thanks to the Lord or friend that sends it , and also gratifie the servant or messenger by whom t was sent , with some reall expression both of our high esteem of the donor , and also of our gratefull hearts to the messenger for his pains in bringing it to us : So , without all question it is not onely decent ( as I said before ) but due and equall that we should ( at least ) return most heartie thanks to these honourable and happie Messengers of our great Lord and gracious God , who hath , by them , conferred upon us such and so many indelible monuments of mercies and admirable Deliverances ; especially when we consider , I say , with what invincible patience and pains , what admired wisdom and untyred sweetnesse of spirit , both Lords and Commons , have for us and our good neglected their own lives and livelyhood , their own private and personall affairs and just delights , ( otherwise ) befitting such persons and personages even beyond the slender and lanck expression of my poore pen , yea of the most eminent parallel of any by-past times ▪ And therefore worthie , yea most worthie that we should praise and prize them , and pray for them too , that our God would repay into the bosomes of them and their posterity all the sweetnesse of their love and loyaltie to God their King and Countrey , which we all have found and felt to our unspeakable joy and comfort . Which being so , as most certain so it is . Ah foule shame for such as most injuriously endeavour to traduce and blemish ( as much as in their foule mouthes and false hearts is ) the most honourable name and unspotted reputation of so renowned prudent Peers and pious Patriots , whose equals ( for pietie , prudence , patience and indefatigable pains for Church and State ) this Kingdom and Nation , never , since it had a being beheld . Yet some , I say , have not blushed nor been asham'd to manifest such foule effects of black and ignominious ingratitude ( and therein most palpable impietie ) as cannot chuse but be most exceeding irksome and odious both to God and man. Some , saying they see little or nothing done ( as yet ) others convinc'd in their consciences of what is already done , yet extremly extenuate and under-value the same , saying , what have they done in so long time , what is yet reformed by them that was amisse before ? Nay are not things ( say some spurious imps of Envie ) worse than they were before ( for so they count the works of reformation alreadie wrought , and farther endeavours of pure ordinances in Religion , right rules of justice which indeed is the main thing that vexeth them , and which , they extremly fear lest it cut them short of the former libertie of their base lusts ) This , I say , and much more dares black-mouth'd malignitie belch out against these our never-sufficiently to be praised and prized Heroes , notwithstanding all those most admirable and amiable white-clouds of witnesses of their mightie and blessed pains and pietie , as have been by me abundantly made known in all those fore-mentioned parliamentarie-mercies , wherein , as , I have fully and fairly ( I think ) told my Readers what they have done : So , I could yet farther tell them what more they would have done , had not the most notorious envie and malice of impious and irreligious opposers the malignant Elymasses of our times , and enemies of all righteousnesse and true goodnesse mightily molested and perniciously opposed their pious purposes and religious resolutions therein . As namely , a full removeall of the inordinate power , vexation and usurpation of Bishops , the reformation of the pride and idlenesse of many others of the Clergie , the casing of the peoples consciences from unnecessarie ceremonies in Gods worship , the censuring and removing of unworthie and unprofitable Ministers , and contrariwise , the maintaining and setting-up of godly and diligent Preachers through the whole Kingdom ; together with many other things of great importance for the singular good of the Kingdom , which long have been in proposition and agitation in Parliament ( which the Reader may see most particularly set forth by our * Parliamentarie-Worthies themselves ) but , which have been extremly and necessitously retarded and hindred by plots and projects of the malignant partie ; but , which God ( I trust ) will in his own good time ripen and bring to maturity of a through reformation , to the praise of his grace and wonder-working glorie . The third serious consideration and observation of all these rich and rare Parliamentarie-mercies , incomparable mercies and gracious deliverances of ou● land and Nation , so deeply designed to destruction , but so admirably pluckt ( as a brand ) out of the fire of confusion , should , most justly , make us more faithfull and lesse fearfull . The Prophet David made it a ground of comfort and encouragement to him , to consider what God had done for his Church and children in former times . We have heard ( saies he ) with our eares , O God , and our fathers have told us what works thou didst in their dayes , and in the times of old . But what a ground of comfort and heart-stablishing encouragement may it be to us , who have not onely heard our fathers tell us of Gods former wonders , but have visibly seen with our own eyes , and found by our own present experience , how our God hath with his mightie hand and stretched-out arm supplanted our enemies , and blessedly begun to plant us . How the Lords right hand and mightie arm , and the light of his countenance ( because he had a favour to us ) hath put us into much present possession of our hearts desires , and gloriously commanded great deliverances for us . It was also ( and that most justly ) a strong strengthening supp rtation to loyall-hearted and royally-affectionated King David , to assure himself of an undoubted conquest over that seeming unconquerable uncircumcised Philistine , great Goliah , namely , the sweet heart-fortifying experience he had had of Gods assisting power and preservation against the paw of the Lion , and the paw of the Bear. And shall not these our so many and so marvellous great deliverances and so sweetly and so freshly ▪ tasting-merci s cause us to be confident , that our God will deliver us also from the great Goliah-like and Philistine fears of future most dangerous designes by our most private and pernicious plotting enemies ? O foule shame if they should not ! Certainly ( Christian Reader ) experimentall faith must needs be an unmoveable , an impregnable rock , not to be dasht out of countenance , or driven from its so fast hold by base and slavish fears , but to be the more setled and confirmed in faith . O ( saies couragious and noble Nehemiah ) shall such a man as I am flie for fear of any enemies ? So may I say to thee ( good Reader ) and to all my Christian brethren of England , shall men of so many mercies , so many rare pledges of farther purposed deliverances , all readie put into our hands , faint and be afraid ? Shall we damp and dead our hearts with base servile fear , and slavish doubts of infidelity , and , thereby , extremly discountenance our glorious cause , and mightily encourage our insulting enemies , who would gladly triumph in our pusillanimous terrours and effeminate faintings ? Ou● God forbid . Let us call to remembrance , and lay it sadly and seriously to our hearts ( for t is a most certain and undeniable truth ) that nothing did so cut short the children of Israel from entring into Canaan , fruitfull Canaan , the desire of their souls ( because the promised land of peace and plentie ) as godlesse infidelity still questioning and as it were catechising Gods power and faithfulnes . O , so , let us take great heed that infidelitie and false-fears cut us not short of our hopes of a pure reformation ( the desire of our souls ) and of a perfect deliverance from ensuing dangers , the promised heart-chearing happinesse of us and our posterity . But here I desire I may not be mistaken ; I have not so prest this dutie of faithfull repose in God , out of former happie experiments as to cast any of Gods children into a lethargi of supine securitie , or improvident carelesnesse . No , God forbid this also . For , I hereby forbid not all fear , but do desire we may still and over retain that godly fear which may graciously keep our hearts in such an humble posture and disposition as may preserve us from carnall securitie , as may make us fear the Lord , tremble at his judgements , and not dare to sin against him ; fear thus ( still ) on Gods name , and spare not , for , doubtlesse , blessed is the man that ( thus ) fears alwayes . But , I , hereby , desire onely to beat down and keep-under that slavish f ar and cowardly fainting of spirit , which I observe to be too frequent in Gods dearest children , to the dishonour of our gracious and bountifull God , and the wonderfull weakning and wounding of so glorious a cause as we are interessed in , ( and blessed be our God that ever we had a part in it ) especially having God on our side , and his sure word of promise to support us to back and bear us up in our strictest straits . Wherefore , my Brethren , let us seriously and sincerely often check and controul such unsound and unwarrantable fears , with that fair and favourable reproof from the Lord himself of such false and faithlesse fears in his children ▪ Hearken unto me , ye that know righteousnesse , the people in whose heart is my Law. Fear ye not the reproaches of men , neither be ye afraid of their revilings ▪ For , the moth shall eat them up like a garment , and the worm shall eat them like wooll ▪ but my righteousnesse shall be for ever , and my salvation from generation to generation . And that especially in the 12 and 13 verses of the same chapter . I , even I am he that comforteth you , who art thou that thou shouldst be afraid of a man that shall die , and of the son of man which shall be made as grasse ▪ and forgettest the Lord thy maker , that hath stretched forth the heavens , and laid the foundation of the earth ▪ and hast feared continually every day , because of the furie of the oppressour , as if he were readie to destroy , and where is the furie of the oppressour ? Certainly , good Reader , here 's a most exact description of the condition of very many of Gods children , even at this very day ; O what fear of the force or fraud is there of men , yea of wicked men , who shall undoubtedly perish together with their most desperate designes and profoundest policie ? What startling is there at a base weak project of theirs , though our eyes have seen them vanish like a vapour and come to nought ? What frights and fears are in the hearts of Gods people , even every day ( as the Lord saies ) because of their seeming furie , but certain frenzie and madnesse ; which yet , our God hath crusht and confounded in its highest ruff and deepest danger-threatning bluster ▪ For shame , therefore , for shame , let us labour against such groundlesse , such causelesse fears ▪ and put on godly resolution and invincible courage , since the Lord is our God , and is good , and does good , and who hath done all this great good for us ; Which brings us to my fourth and last Observation on these fore-mentioned pa liamentarie mercies , namely , That the Lord onely is our salvation , and hath engaged himself and his own great Name to deliver us , by his faithfull word and promise , and that therefore we should patiently , wisely , and zealously depend on him for deliverance . Since , I say , the Lord onely is our strength , and not the failing arm of flesh which we know is an accursed prop , and will deceive like the broken reeds of Egypt ; let us therefore often remember that of good King Jehosaphat , which indeed , I desire may be a constant and cordiall memento to us all to stablish and strengthen our hearts piously and patiently to wait on the Lord , namely , Hear me ( saies that good King ) O Judah , and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem , beleeve the Lord your God , so shall ye be established , beleeve his Prophets ( and promises ) so shall ye prosper . Even so I say to thee , O England , and ye noble and renowned inhabitants of London , famous over the whole Christian world for the glory of God among you , beleeve the many and most sweet and precious-promises which God in Christ hath made unto you , so shall ye certainly prevail and prosper ; lay hold on the promises , yea , rest and roul your selves , and even live upon the promises , so shall it undoubtedly go well with thee . Now , we have a sure word of promise , that Babylon shall fall , yea saies the Lord , by the Prophet ( in respect of the certainty of it ) Babylon is fallen , is fallen , ( with an ingemination , which implies , matter of moment ) and all the graven images of her gods , the Lord hath broken to the ground . Yea saies the Prophet Jeremie , Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed . Now then , I say , good Reader , having such a sure word of promise ( even from the fountain of Truth , yea Truth it self ) let us with Christian courage , by faith lay fast hold on it and infallibly beleeve it , for Truth hath spoken it ; and certainly heaven and earth shall sooner perish than one jot or tittle of his precious word and promise shall not be performed . Hast thou , I say , ( as a reverend and learned Divine , once sweetly delivered ) a sure word of promise , abide close by it , for , certainly , whatsoever the work of Gods providence may be ( which ofttimes , I confesse , seems , even point-blank to crosse and contradict our hopes , mainly for triall of our faith and patience ) yet , stick-fast to the word of promise , rest and relye on it , wait with the patience of the Saints for the performing of it : For , as the Lord said to the Prophet , Write the vision , and make it plain upon tables that he may run that readeth it . For , the vision is yet for an appointed time , but at the end it shall speak and not lie , though it tarrie , wait for it , because it will surely come , and it will not tarry . See here , good Reader , what sound and solid grounds of Christian courage , comfort and confidence is here ? Who then would be afraid ? Who would not strongly and immoveably relie on the Lord his so mightie , so sure foundation ? See , I say , what an abundant Cornucopia of sweet refection is here for the most drooping heart that may be , who then would Tantalize in the midst of such & so fair heart-upholding store ? Alas , alas , good Reader , if , under such props and supportations our hearts should flag , and faint , and sink , by fear and infidelity ( which indeed is the bitter root of slavish fear ) might not the Lord too justly upbraid us , as , once , he did the murmuring children of Israel , the sinfull and rebellious Israelites ? Since the Lord onely is our fast and firmly-rooted Rock , and his works are perfect , and all his wayes judgement , a God of truth , and without iniquitie , most just and right . If we thus corrupt our selves ( with sinfull infidelity ) our spot is not then the spot of his children , but we being thus a perverse and crooked generation , may not the Lord , then , I say , most justly upbraid us , and say , Do ye thus requite the Lord , O foolish people and unwise ? Is not God your Father that hath bought you and establisht you ? O remember the dayes of old ( of thy old slaverie and bondage of Romish-Egypt , the black and palpable fogs of Popish idolatrie and superstition ) consider the yeers of many past generations , ask your fathers and they can shew you , your elders and they can tell you . And certainly , as good Ezra said in such a like case : If after these great mercies and deliverances which God hath wrought for us , and wherwith he hath so graciously crowned us , we should yet again break our covenant with God , we should violate his righteous commandments , turn his so sweet and precious grace into wantonnesse , and make this his patience and goodnesse to us a ground of our licentiousnesse , and loosse living , would not the Lord ( and that most justly ) be angrie with us , untill he had utterly consumed us ? Yes certainly he would . For , though t is most true that the Lord hath proclaimed himself to the whole world , and all generations have found him to be , The Lord , the Lord , mercifull and gracious , long-suffering , and abundant in goodnesse and truth , keeping mercie for thousands , forgiving iniquiti● , transgression and sin : yet it is as true , that he will by no means clear the guiltie , but will visit the iniquitie of fathers upon the children , and upon the childrens children unto the third and fourth generation . Wherefore , I say , let our onely fear be to off●nd this God , as loving and obedient children ; to disobey so loving ▪ so gracious and indulgent a Father of mercies , and God of so many comforts and consolations ; yea to provoke so patient a God , so loath to strike when stirred , yea constrained thereunto by our unsufferable sins ; so ready to help and heal what sin hath wounded . Let us , then , be seriously advised , since such free favour is shown unto us , to behold the majestie of the Lord , and to learn righteousnesse , and not to do unjustly in the land of uprightnesse ; lest whiles we will not learn righteousnesse by the historical miseries of others ( I mean Germanie and Ireland ) God make us a historie of wo and wretchednesse ●o others round about us . Yea , I say , let us contrariwise be co●str●ined cordially to love such a God of love who so d●lights to load ●s with his love in such unparralleld & unpattern'd measure as never any Nation could produce the like presidents . But let this our love be free and filiall ▪ not mercenarie , and so ( as reverend M ▪ Calamie before mentioned in his said Fast-Sermon ) meretricious love , onely , or else mainly for love of reward or fear of punishment , but let it be pure and sincere , and out of an honest heart and good conscience , as unto the Lord , the onely searcher of the heart and reins , and who is onely pleased with sinceritie and integrity of heart , truth in the inner-parts . And , now , to wind-up all and to conclude ▪ le● holy love ▪ I say , and perf●ct obedience be the precious r●●ribution of all these rare and singular mercies of our bountifull God unto us ; unto us , I say , a Nation so i●●●deserving such an 〈◊〉 of ove●-flowing favours , a Nation so well-deserving an ●npattern'd-deluge of direst destruction ; a Nation so freely , so extraordinarily beloved , a Nation so meretoriously deserving to be extremly hated ; a Nation , I say , so fill'd and fraught and beautifide with blessings , and yet a Nation and people so defiled and stained with si●s and transgressions of deepest dies . In sad and most serious consideration whereof , I desire that what that good Prophet Samuel prest on the people of Israel might take deep impression on mine own and all my conscionable and Christian Readers hearts , Though ( O England ) thou be a sinfull Nation , yet fear not , turn not aside from following the Lord , but serve him ( now ) with all your heart . And turn not aside ( with disloyall apostacie to base and bloodie and blasphemous Rome , or any of her Romish innovations and Nation-confounding high provocations ) for then should ye go after vain things which cannot profit or deliver you in the day of your distresse , for they are vain . But cleave and adhere fast to the Lord ( and to his pure and holy worship ) for the Lord will not forsake his people , for his own great Names sake , because it hath pleased the Lord to make us his people above all Nations round about . And as for me your poore and unworthie brother ( that I may use the said holy Prophets own words ) God forbid , that I should sin against the Lord , in ceasing to pray continually for my land and nation . But I desire ( by this Prophets blessed direction ) to admonish and shew you the good and right way , to conserve and increase all these many and most rich mercies and deliverances to you and your springing posterity . Onely fear the Lord , and serve him in truth , with all your heart ; for , consider how great things he hath done for you . And now for a full and finall close and conclusion of all , give me leave ( good Reader ) to use my most dear and even blessed Saviours holy and wholesome exhortation to that disp●ssessed man in the Gospel , on whom he had wrought that great miracle . Go home to thy friends ( saith our Saviour ) and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee , and hath had compassion on thee . So , I to my self and all my godly Readers , Let us go home to our own hearts , to our own houses , yea and to Gods house too , and tell our own souls , our wives , children and friends , yea and teach our children to tell their posterity after us , how great and how good things the Lord our God hath done for us , for England , Scotland and Ireland , three most sinfull Nations ; and how he hath had compassion on us , meerly for his own free mercies sake , and because mercie best pleased him . And , then , and therewithall , let us again and again ruminate and recogitate , yea practise and perform that pregnant precept of our great Lord and Master Christ Jesus to that poore and infirm man , who had for many yeers together been a poore lame creeple ( just our case in the spirituall sense ) and whom our Saviour had wonderfully cured . Behold thou art made whole , sin no more ( saies our Saviour ) lest a worse thing come unto thee : So let us all say to our own souls in particular , and to our land and Nation in generall , behold we are all ( hitherto ) strangely saved and delivered out of the hands of our malicious and malignant enemies ; O let us take heed and labour ( by the help of Gods Spirit ) that we sin no more ( especially that realm ruinating sin of back-sliding to Romish idolatrie and Popish superstition ) lest a worse thing come unto us . For , certainly , as a wise husband will discreetly bear with many failings , yea and main faults and infirmities too in his wife whom he loves ; but i● she once defile his marriage-bed by adulterie , O he can by no means endure that indignity and disgrace : So undoubtedly it is with the Lord our God , who hath married his Church and children to himself , who will ( as we all have deep & daily experience , and as was most remarkably evident in King David ) bear with many grosse and foul faults , and failings in them , but if once they defile his marriage-bed ( as I may so call it ) violate their faith ( not that I think or beleeve t is * possible for his truly elected-ones and effectually-called-ones to fall away totally or finally from true faith , or soul-saving grace ) and pure profession or religion , by commi●ting idolatrie ( spirituall adulterie ) and foolish and faithlesse superstition , he will by no means put-up or endure this heinous , yea this hideous and most hatefull sin , this infallibly punishment-provoking sin , especially , I say , if it be stubbornly and stiffely persisted in , but ( as was notably manifested in King Solomon ) will undoubtedly be avenged on us for this insufferable disloyaltie , and the fire of his conjugall jealousie will most infallibly break-out upon us to our utter destruction without remedie . From which so high and dangerous an indignitie to our good God , the Lord for Christs sake , by the irresistible power of his good Spirit , preserve and uphold England , Scotland and Ireland , and all tha● have by Gods gracious power and good providence , shaken-off and broken in pieces that heavy , yea that hellish yoke of Romes Anti-Christian tyrannie . Amen and Amen . All glorie be to God alone . FINIS . Notes, typically marginal, from the original text Notes for div A64897-e2060 Gods 2. royall Prerogatives or attributes , Mercie and Iustice . Mans happinesse . Satans fall , fo● pride . Satan tempts man. Mans fall . Iob 33. 24. ●uk ▪ 1. 69. Mans restauration , by the promised-Seed . A combat denounced twixt the womans seed and the Serpents-seed . Matt. 28. 20. The cause of the Combate . 1 Ioh. 3. 1● . True religion . The prosecution of the Combate . In France , Germanie , England , Scotland , &c. The ill-successe of the malignant Combatants . The blood of the Saints is the seed of the Church . Matth. 28. 20. Psal . 34. 19. Mans necessity is Gods opportunitie . Psal . 35. 17. England the Land-mark of Gods mercies . The Pope began to be pusht-down by , King Hen. 8. King Edw. 6. Queen Elizabeth . Spanish-Armado . 1588. Powder-plot by Papists , 1605. The main occasion of this Treatise . Parliamentarie-Mercies . The Mount of Straits . The Mount of Mercies . Iesuiticall-Priests and pontifick Prelates like Simeon and Levi. Contrarie juxta se posita , mag is illucescunt . Dangers and Deliverances opposed shew the more gloriously . The first Parliamentarie-Remonstrance . Psal . 73. 1. The root and growth of this their plot . The ripenesse of it . The means of curing it . The boyling obstructions against the cure . The counter-checking of thoseobstacles . The root and r●ce of the plot was , The Complotters . Jesuited-Papists . Prelates and Pontificians . Profane and irreligious Courtiers . Their Principles to work by . To set the King & people at jarres about Prerogatives and Liberties . To suppresse the power and purity of Religion . To countenance all their own , and to disgrace all the opposite party . To cause the King to disaffect Parliaments . Note this wel . Primo regis Caroli , o●us serves●ere caepit . This plot wa● first machinated in King Iames his dayes . The first Parliament at Oxford dissolved . Sad effects of the dissolution of that first Parliament . Rochel lost . West Indie voyage diverted . C●●es attempted . Peace with Spain without Parliaments consent . The Palsgraves cause deserted . Billetted ▪ Souldiers over the Kingdom ▪ German . horse A second Parliament dissolved . Sad events on the breach of this Parliament also . A third Parliamentdissolved . By which cruell usage Sir Iohn Ell●ot a most worthy Member of the House and pious patriot , died then in prison . More bad issues on the breach of the third Parliament . Parliaments & Parliament Members mightily vilified and disgraced . Quarto Caroli Knight-hood money . Tonnage and Poundage . Book of Rates . Ship-money . Forrests enlarged . Coat & Conduct-money . Traind-bands Arms taken away . Gun-powder engross●d . The Forrest of Dean . Many Moth-eating Monopolies . Restraint of habitations & trading . Corporall ●●xations and punishments inflicted on many good Subjects . Star-Chamber Court a main fomenter of Suits and Censures . Oppressions for Religion and Cases of Conscience . No l●sse than transcendent barbarous crueltie . Iudges displaced and discountenanced for their honestie . The Privie-Councill Table , a great favourer of these illegalities . Selling of justice , and places of judicature . Prelatespranks in the Church . Suspensions & excommunications . The high-Commission-Court , little inferiour to the Spanish-Inquisition . In Citie and Countrey men and women forced to flie into forrein parts . Into Holland and New-England . Who they were which got most preferments . Court sermons what , and to what end . Godly Ministers thrust from their livings . The faction now grown to its heighth . Three parts of now perfecting thewhole plot . Psal . 62 ▪ 9. Malum cons●lium consultori pessimum . Psal . 7. 14 , 15 , 16. How they began to put their threefold plot , aforesaid , into full execution . Scotland attempted . A new Liturgie and Canons put upon them . But rejected . Dux faemina facti . Virg. in his Aen. Zach. 4. 10. * Cap 3. 9. A great disturbance in the Church . 1 Kin. 18. 44. All Scotland opposeth it . They are proclaimed Rebels in all Churches in England . An armie raised against them . The Scots do the like . The first Pacification . God in the Mount. Psal . 33. 10 ▪ 11 , 12. The malignant partie displeased with the Pacification . Chiefly the Arch-Prelate Laud , and the Earl of Straford . Preparation for war , again . A Parliament motioned to an ill intent . Psal . 94. 20 ▪ The Scots prosecuted again . The Earl of Straford in Ireland cals a Parliament , whereby they deeply engage themselves for this war. A Prosopopoeia to Ireland , as touching this act , and her present state . A short , yet sharp check to England also . The Earl of Straf . returned home . Simeon and Levi. A fourth Parliament called , April , 13. 1640. The said 4th : Parliament dissolved . Mark this , O England for thy comfort . Reverend Mr. Case in his 12. Arguments of comfort to England . May 5. 1640. Violent courses again exercised to get money . Very ill usage to some eminent Parliament Members . A scandalous Declaration published . A forced loan of money urged in the city of London . Aldermen imprisoned for refusing it . The Apprentises rising in Southwark side and at Lambeth . Exod. 8. 19. The Clergie continue their Convocation . New Canons made . A new-forged Oath , with a monstrous &c. in it . Punishments on those that refused to take it . Exod. 1. 9 , 10. Pharaohs speech to his Nobles . Pharaohs policie proved meer follie . The Arch-Prelate of Canterbury his speech to his Pontificians in the Synod . Exod. 18. 11. Large taxations laid on the Clergie tow●●d the war. Bellum Episcopale . Praiers against the Scots as against rebels . The Souldiers marching forward to York . Turn rude-Reformers . Non omnin● laudo , admirer tamen . Iudg. 5. 23. 31. The Papists did enjoy almost a full toleration . Sir Francis Windibank their great friend . A Popes Nuncio . Great libertie to the Papists . A Popish private Parliament in England . Divers notable private contrivements of the Popish partie for the full perfecting of the plot . See here , by all these particulars if England was not bought and sold to destruction . England brought into a Mount of Straits . Psal . 94. 20. Jer. 16. 16. Gen. 10. 8 , 9. Nimrod a mighty hunter . 2 Chron. 16. 9. Psal . 65. 2. Nehem 9. 17. Psal . 46. 1. Luk 8. 48. Exod. 14. 13. Deut. 3● . 35 , 36. Admirable comfort in deepest distresse . Mr ▪ Cala. Fast-Ser . The introduction to the now subsequent Parliamentarie-mercies . A mightie and strange overture of things for the better . The Nobility begins to be sensible of our sorrows . The Kings royall Standard set up at York . The Peers do petition the King. The Scots also were vexed as well as we ▪ They enter our Kingdom with a strong Armie . The Scots at New-castle . The intention of the Scots Army● printed and published in private . The King entertains good counsell , at York . Sept. 24 ▪ 1640. A treatie at Rippon . A cessation of Armes agreed . A fifth Parliament called , & to begin , Novem ▪ 3. 1640. R●dis indigestaque moles . Seges ubi Tr●j● fuit . God in the Mount. Psal . 68. 34. 32. Psal . 46. 9. Psal . 68. 19. Iob 5. 13. Psal . 94. 11. Isa . 29. 14. A Parliament . A plot to spoil the Parliament The Kings & Queensletters . Earls , Lords , Knights and Gentlemen ride up and down to help them . God counterplots and crosses them . Parliamentary Worthies chosen . A blessed Colledge of Physicians . Exod. 15. 11. Psal 89. 5 , 6 , 7 , 8. Divers difficulties at the first beginning of this Parliament . Six Subsidies granted . Pole-money . The mountanous dispatch of great affairs , of the Parliament at the first . To stop the mouthes of slanderers . Ship-money abolished . Coat and Conduct taken away . Sope. Wine . Leather . Salt ▪ Many other Monopolies suppressed , The root of all the former evils pluckt up , viz. Arbitrary government . God in the Mount. Psal . 145. 1 , 2 , 3. A spirit of prayer and humiliation stird up in the hearts of Gods people in private . Rich returns of our prayers . Our enemies plots proved their owngreatest plagues . Iudg. 13. 23. Against the false fears and faithlesse faintings in Gods people . Ier. 7. 16. Acts 12. 20. A Fleet of Spanish-ships at Sea. The Spaniard is apt to watch and catch advantage● . The Spanish fleet on our Narrow-Seas , in sight of Dover . The Hollanders meet with them . Martin Tromp Admirall of the Fleet. The Spanish fleet beaten and destroyed . Isa . 54. 17. No weapon can be forged nor tongue raised against England and Scotland . A Pacification and blessed union between the three kingdoms , by Act of Parliament . Psal . 44 34. Psal . 76. 9 , 10. Good men made Officers of State. The Scaligers of our rustie times . The Star-Chamber-Court , President , & Councell of the North , &c. dissolved . The Earl of Straford beheaded . ●ex ●alionis . An English - Haman . Psal . 62. 3. 2 Sam. 20. 12. Ier. 10. 6 , 7. Iudge Bartlet & other Iudges and Bishops impeached of high treason and imprisoned Much content among men , upon the Earls beheading . The Arch-prelate of Canterbury impeached of high treason , and imprisoned . Q Elizabeths saying , touching Popish Bishops , in her dayes of deliverance . The malignant partie , now began to fear . Sir Ioh. Finch , Secretary Windibank , &c. flie away for fear . A fit simile of Rats and Mice in an old house or barn . A double benefit came to the Kingdom hereby . Cateline a● traitor to old Rome . We ought to be as thankful for privative , as positive mercies . Prov. 6. 11. Psal . 92. 7. Psal . 73. 18 , 19. Psal . 58. 10 , 11. A Trienniall Parliament ▪ The most blessed continuation of this present Parliament . The excellent benefit of these 2. last Laws ▪ A three-fold cord is not easily broken . Both Church and State sick at the very heart . The Church sick of a quotidian-ague of Popery . The State of a Consumption by oppressive taxations . A Protestation Wednesday , May , 5. 1641. Who they be that refuse to take the Protestation . Friday , July , 30. 1641. God in the Mount of Mercies . Psal . 18. 1 , 2 , 3. and 31 , 19 , 23. Psal . 27. 14. Parliamentarie mercies to the Church of God. * Prelates and Pontificians . Ier. 38. 7. Dr. Bastwick , Mr. Burton , Mr. Prinne , freed from prison . Dr. Laighton also , M. Smart , Mr Walker , Mr. Foxely , Mr. Lilborn , & many others set a ▪ liberty . Isa . 29. 20 , 21. Prov. 11. 8. Hesth . 6. 11. Mr. Prinnes most excellent History of all those three famous-sufferers . Gen. 22. 13. Psal . 32. 11. & 3. 1 , 3 ▪ 4. Paarliamenta●●●rdiners ▪ State-Engineers . The Prelates ill-legall Synod nullified . Their accursed Canons damned . Their monstrous Et caetera-Oath also condemned . Scandalous priests discovered and discountenanced . 1 Sam ▪ 2. 17. Non-residents and Pluralists voted against . Deans & Prebends voted down . Godly Pastort and Lecturers set up again with the peoples consent . Isa . 1. 27. * Which very words the Arch-prelate of Ganterbury spake most proudly to a godly Pastour my worthy friend . Our Candlesticks almost lost , and stinking-snuffs setting-up . Psal . 126. 1. Psal . 32. 7. Oxford and Cambridge hopefull to be purged . Matth. 6. 23. Sabbath-dayes better sanctified . The due praise of the true sanctification of the Sabbath . A profane book for sports on the Lords day . Most violently pressed by the Prelates on Gods people . Printing-Presses set open again . The Sabbaths honour thereby vindicate● ▪ God in the Mount. Psal . 47 , 6 , 7 , 8. Gods worship in the Church , better ordered . From Romish Ceremonies . Crucifixes and Popish ▪ pictures in Churches dimolished . All Jesu-worship prohibited , and all altar-rails dimolished . * Exod. 20 ▪ 26. Libertie to hear the Word without controlment . The miserie of mens souls by Prelates soulcrueltie . A notable peice of Prelaticall tyrannies now , blessedly abolished . The Kings Declaration before the book of Articles . The High-Commission Court most blessedly put down . A fit description of the Arminian rabble . Romes caterpillers blown away . Persecuted Pastors return home . The High-Commission-Court most blessedly put down . A brief description of the High-Commission-Court The members of the High-Commission-Court duely delineated . Mat. 5. 20. The Ex Officio Oath damned . Church-Wardēs freed from their visitation vexations . Dan. 2. 5. & 3 2● . * The High-Commission-Courts deserved destin●e , being the vote of a reverend holy Minister of this Kingdome . See beer the extreame malice and rage of the Prelates . The Starr-Chamber Court voted down ▪ and the Councill-Table limited & restrained . Those last great mercies summed up together . God in the Mount. Isa . 30. 18 , 19 , 20. England like to have been Romes perpetuall Ass . Psal 7● . 19 , 20 23 , 24. A tympanie of pride An 〈…〉 fatuus o● self-deceit . Gen. 27 ▪ 38. God is an unexhausted Spring of mercies Compelling of the Subject to take the Order of Knighthood , abolished . Stannary-Courts and Clerkes of Markets rectified . Parkes and Forrests also rightly ordered . Priests and Iesuites banished . Sommersett-House , that cage of unclean birds cleansed . The Queen-Mother of France also sent away . A most happie union between all the three Kingdomes of England , Scotland , and Ireland . An act also of oblivion therunto annexed . Both Armies in the North disbanded . August the 27. 1641. Our brethren of Scotland attested to be loyall & faithfull Subjects . What said our Arminian foul-mouth'd Priests to this . God in the Mount. Psal . 9. 9 , 10. Psal . 68. 20. Those slanderous tongues of wicked Priests forced to give themselves the lye in their Pulpits . I●● . 5. 16. Psal . 63. 11. A notable design of the Popish Lords and Prelates with the English Armie in the North. The Earle of Straford attempted his escape out of the Tower. Sir Iohn Suckling a partie in this plott . The Prince also and the Earl of Newcastle were to advance the work . The French also were to assist in it . The hot zeale of our holy Bishops to work our destruction Master Iermines Letter intercepted . Portsmouth also attempted to be got into their hands . Another design with the Scottish Armie also against the Parliament & Citie of London . Both designes timely discovered and disappointed . The most bloodie and barbarous rebellion in Ireland discovered . The great danger of the utter losse of Ireland . The Irish-Remonstrance & Irelands Tears . England mainly intended to have been the prologue of Irelands miseries . Psal . 124. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. &c. Sir Wil. Belfore put out of his Lieutenantship of the Tower. The Lord Cottington made Constable of the Tower. Cottington displaced . Col. Lunsford made Leiftenant of the Tower. Lunsford also displaced . Sir Iohn Byron made Leiftenant of the Tower. Petitioned against . A Plague-sore plasture sent in a letter unto Mr. Pim. Dan 3. Camillus a renowned Romane Captain , Plutarch in his Lives . Mr. Pims most undaunted spirit against the plasture . Mr. Pims due praise . An objection answered . The Citizens of London petition both Houses of Parliament . The Citizens most grave & substantiall delivery of their Petition . The gracious answer to their Petition . The Apprentises of London do likewise petition . The Porters of London also do petition the Parliament The Apprentises of London go again to the Parliament for an answer to their ▪ Petition . Are greatly affronted . The Bishops the cause of the quarrell . Citizens abused at Whitehall by Courtiers there . 1641. A great disturbance and hubbub at Westm . Abbey the next day . The Bishops are frighted from the Parliament by apprentises by land & water . The most remarkableevent of that affront to the Bishops . The Bishops just fears and jealousies of theirdownfall . The Bishops do petition the King & Peers touching their grievances . The Bishops Petition and Protestation to the King and Peers . Twelve Bishops impeached of high treason , and imprisoned in the Tower. Quod nequit ingenium D●us fecit . Job 41. 34. Mark this note well . Craft and crueltie . Laodicean securitie . Iudges 5. O how far short came all our best Bishops of noble Q. Hester in her zeal and courage for God and his Saints ! 1 Cor. 16 ▪ 22. Here is the pith of the note , which In desire thee to mark . The great impenitencie of our Prelates . * Bp. Hall ( a most fierce , but fruitlesse stickler for Diocesan Episcopacie ) in a book of his lately printed and published in his own defence . 2 Kin. 9. 22. Bp Halls Peace of Rome . Two Scottish Bishops renounced their Bishopricks , as an Antichristian function . * In his defence of Episcopacie . Ezra 6. 11 , 12. * O how much more precious are the living temples of the holy-Ghost , which , our Prelates have been so far from building up , that the worst of them have laboured to pull down and destroy , the very best of them have lazily and carelesly suffered to be destroyed . The great designe of Ian. 4. 1641. exactly described . A Serjeant at Arms sent from the King to apprehend the five Gentlemen accused of high treason . The King himself went to the Parliament with 500 attendants Papists & others . The Souldiers demeanour about the Parliament-door . The Souldiers most audacious and accursed speeches . The Parliament attendants and Servants about the doore disarmed by force . The King placed himself in the Speaker of the Parliaments chair . The plot blessedly crost by the absence of the gentlemen . The King departed out of the Parliament The main intention of this great & grievous designe . A Proclamation published at Westm . against those Parliament-Worthies . Voted to be a scandalous & illegall paper . Those worthy gentlemen justified by the Parliament . A brief congratulatory for Gods mercie in this their so great a deliverance . Deut. 33. 26 , 27. Psal . 109. 27 , 28. Exod. 19. 4. Psal . 105. 1 , 2 , ● . The Parliament adjourned and turn'd into a Grand-Committee at London in the Grocers ▪ Hall. The Ministers of London petition the Parliament for an Assembly and a monethly Fast . An assembly of Ministers resolved on in Parliament . A monethly Fast proclaimed all over the Kingdom . Rom. 8. 31. 2 King. 6. 16 , 17. 1 Cor. 15. 57. Ship-masters and Sea-men petition the Parliament , and proffer their service to it on all occasions . Tuesday , Ian ▪ 11. 1641. Our Parliament-Worthies most bravely attended to Westm . by land . And by water . A brief description of the brave carriage of the Souldiers and Sea men by land and water . Terror to the malignant partie ; But joy and comfort to the godly . The legality of the acts aforesaid by land & water . Buckinghamshire men came riding into the City , to petition the Parliament . Essex , Hartford and other Counties come to London in great multitudes to petition the Parliament . God on the Mount. Ier. 32. 39. The Bishops are quite voted out of the Parliament for voice and place . The House of Lords make the Bill against the Bishops most full of comfort to us all . Matth. 20. 26. Note this . Bishops , who had no heart nor voice for Christ , have , now , no voice nor place for themselves in Parliament . 2 Chron 21. 20 Note this also . Non-subscription silenced many godly Ministers : now their subscription hath imprisoned and almost unbishoped our proud Prelates . Prov. 5. 22. God in the Mount. Isa . 51 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 11. The Kingdom put into a posture of defence . Sir Iohn Byron , Leiftenant of the Tower , displaced . Sir Iohn Conniers made Leiftenant by the Parliament A fair and famous project of subscription for relieving of Ireland moved and promoved in Parliament . A general collection ordered also to be over the Kingdom for the distressed English inhabitants in Ireland . The most liberall collection for Ireland at Aldermanbury in London . A gracious answer from the Kings Majestie touching the Liturgie and Church-government . Za●h . 2. 5. The malignant partie , still , plotting , first , in London . A seditious Petition framed and presented to the Parliament against the Militia of the City , & other things of dangerous consequence . One Mr. Binion a mainstickler in the foresaid seditious Petition . A counter-petition exhibited by the honest Citizens against it . The malignant Petition censured . Mr. Binions censure : The Kentish malignant Petition . Sir Edw. Deering . Sir Edw. Deerings book of his Speeches printed . Himself and his book censured . The Authors opinion of him and his book . The Arch-Prelates conference with Fisher a Iesuite . A Replie to the said Conference . Wittie , but irreligious scoffing at pietie and godlinesse in Sir Eds. book . The seditious petition of Kent was much countenanced by the Earl of Bristow and judge Mallet . The Petition brought to the Parliament . Their usage in the delivery of their petition . The Honest partie of Kent petition against the malignant partie . God in the Mount. ● Tim. 3. 8 , 9. Psal . 115. 1 , 2. 3. The King having unhappily left his Parliament , sends Messages to them . The Parliaments wisdom and moderation in their answers to them . The sweet unanimity of both Houses notwithstanding their great discouragements . 1 Cor. 1. 10. Concordiâ re● parvae cres●unt , Discerdiâ magnae dila●untu● . Psal . 133. 1 , ● . Concord ● sweet oyntment to a Kingdom . The Liturgie and Church government voted to be reformed . God on the Mount. Acts 19. 28. Isa . 46. 11 , 12 , 13. The King , by his ill-affected Counsellors grows into discontent with his Parliament The King departs from London . The King takes the Prince along with him . The King comes into the North. Hull attempte● to be taken for the King. But prevente● by Sir John Hotham . The K : came to Hull and required it to be delivered up to him . On refusall thereof was declared to be a traitor . Propositions made to the Gentrie of York . Swords draw● . Divide & impera . A false and foolish distinction made between the King and Parliament . Insanire cum ratione . Who is for the King , and who for the Parliament ? interpreted . The gentrie at York assembled again . The King resolved for Ireland , but contradicted therin by the Parliament . Freeholders of Yorkshire discourteously used . The Militia interdicted ( to be exercised ) by the King. Captain Phillip Skippon summoned to York to the King. The K : sends to the Lord Keeper to remove Midsommer Term. The L. Keeper and divers other Lords leave the Parliament . An objection . The Answer . Gods over-powring wisdom and mercie still preventing our hastning mischiefs . Instrumentally by the pious & prudent demeanour of the Parliament . The Lords & gentry of Ireland petition his Majesties return to London . So do others . Our dear Brethren of Scotland also mediate with his Majestie to return . The gentry & Commons of Yorkshire petitioned his Majesties return to London . The Knights , Gentlemen & others of York-shires Answer to his Majesties demands . The Declaration or Remonstrance , May 19. 1642. Another Declaration or Remonstrance , May 26. 1642. Sir Io Hotham cleared from the imputation of treason laid on him . The Magazine brought to the Tower of London . The Popish & pernicious plot against Hull timely discovered . The exercise of the Militia ratified by the Parliament in York , Lancas . &c. Serjeant Major Skippon cleared by the Parliament . Parliamentarie Votes clearing Serjeant Major Skippon . See here one notable advantage of the legall continuation of this Parliament . Midsommer Term not to be adjourned from Westm . to York . Delinquents to be proceeded against . Votes of Parliamēt against the Kings proceedings in York . Two Acts of Parliament in Ric. 2. & Hen. 4. proving such proceedings to be flat treason . An Ordinance of Parliament sent to York touching their train'd-bands . Two Orders of both Houses sent into Lancas . and to all Counties in England and Wales . To oppose the illegall proceedings at York . The Parliaments care to see to the arms and ammunition of the Kingdom . The Militia exercised in divers Counties . An Ancient of Sir Ioh. Hothams imprisoned at York . The 19. Propositions sent to his Majesty from the Parliament for an accommodation . A harsh message returned to the Parliament in replie to their 19. Propositions . The summe of all these former passages considered together . A clear dese●ption of the ayms of the malignant partie . Mr Denzell Holles , in his most excellent Speech to the Lords . June 15. 1642. The loyall & laudable ayms and ends of 〈◊〉 the Parliament in all the forecited particulars . An irrefragable testimonie of the Parliaments integrity . A most blessed marriage twixt Peace & Truth . 2 Kin. 20 19. God in the Mount. 2 King. 6. 11 , 12. Num. 23. 23. No enchantment against England ; no divination against the Parliament . Deut. 32. 31. We have a Rock to rest on , our adversaries have but an Egyptian Reed to relie on . Psal . 103. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4. The summe of all . A fourfold Vse or Observation . Observation . To admire & adore Gods free grace and mercie . Ezek. 36. 22 , 23. Isa . 16. 11 , 1● . How to look on our sins . Mark this wel . Deut. 7 , 6 , 7 , 8. Psal . 50 , 15. Gods way of saving a people by free mercy . Psal . 147. 20. Observation . Thankfulnesse and obedience . To God. Psal . 115 ▪ 1. Psal . 108. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5. Thankfulnesse must produce universall obedience . True repentance is the golden-key to open the door● of Gods treasurie . To our renowned Parliament-Worthies . Mr Calamie in his Fast Sermon , p. 1● . A sutable simile . Why we ought to be most obligedly thankfull to this blessed Parliament . The Parliaments most just Panegyrick , or due praise . Envie and ingratitude against this present Parliaments proceedings . The true cause of Parliament calumniations and slanders . Act. 13. 10. What the Parliament intends yet farther to do . * The first and famous Remonstrance of the State of the Kingdom ; set forth , Decemb ▪ 15. 1641. Observation . To make ' us more faithfull and lesse fearfull . King Davids encouragement . Psal . 44. 1. Ver. 2. 3 , 4. Davids experimental faith . 1 Sam. 17. 37. Nehem. 6. 11. Sweet encouragements to relie on God. Infidelitie a mostdangerous means to deprive us of our happie hopes . Advise not to be secure or carelesse also . What fear is requisite in times of danger . A great failing in Gods people . Isa . 51. ● . A precious preservative against false fears in Gods children . Observation . God onely is our salvation , therefore to wait on him for deliverance Psal . 3. 8. Isa . 36. 6. 2 Chron. 22. 20. Isa . 21. 9 ▪ Ier. 51. 8. Mr Carall Pastour of Lincolnes-Inne . Haba . 2 ▪ 2 , 3 ▪ Infidelitie is the root of slavish fear . Deut. 32. 4 , 5 , 6 Ezra 9. 13 , 14. Exod. 34. 5 , 6 , 7 Isa . 26. 10. Mr Calamie in his Sermon on the Fast . 2 Sam. 12 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24. O England take heed of Romish idolatrie and superstitious innovations . Mark 5. 19. Go tell wha● great things God hath do●● for thee . Ioh. 5 ▪ 14. Sin no more , lest a worse thing come unto thee . The sin of Romish idolatrie a most dangerous sin . A ●it simile . Luk. 22. 32.