A LETTER from COLCHESTER, To the dispersed Bretheren of the late intended Whig Feast. Proving that Presbytery is inconsistent with Monarchy.  item Alacres, tantaeque praecor confidite Causae. Papirius. 
ST. Hick—, the now Bellarmine, or Bellwether of the Faction, in his Preface to Curse ye Meroz, has these words, ( viz.) Religion and Loyalty are Twins, that in our Christian Kingdom, are Born, and Live, and Die together: For( says he) no Man in England at this day can be truly Religious, that is not truly Loyal; nor any Man truly Loyal, that is not truly Religious: I mean not only in the sense of that great and good German Emperour, that turned away his profane Servant with these words, How can he be faithful to me, that is not faithful to his God? But chiefly, because true Loyalty as well as true Religion, are nothing else but an Obedience to God and the King. And in his Sermon on Curse ye Meroz, Pag. 22. the same famous St. Hick— thus has it, Religion, true Religion,( our Saviour says ▪) like a three, is known by the Fruits; consult all Histories, Ancient and Modern, view the present posture of Affairs; if ever this Hundred years there ever was any Rebellion, Massacre, Tumults or Treasons, Blood, Rapine, and murder, but either Papist, or fanatic, or both, had the great hand in it. To look( said he,) no further back than the Reign of King James; Who dethroned his Mother, and made a Slave and Property of him in his Infancy, but that Bloody Knox, Bucanan, & the rest of the Puritan Presbyterian Brood? By woeful experience he tells his Son, our late martyred sovereign in his Basilicon Doron, That under pretence of Religion, he should find ( alas! alas!)( said St. Hick—,) he did find it by sad experience,) no such Barbarous and Bloody Villains in the World.  
The greatest Quarrels that have at any time produced the most grievous events in the Church, have for the most part been in point of Discipline; however some Men make a noise and Bellow out their Discension, barely against Rights and Ceremonies,( which are but Shadows,) as if that were all: And we shall find that in the most Essential parts of Discipline, which concerns the Sway of Church and State[ the Subjection of Prince and People,] they do not only shake hands again with Popery, but with the most rigid Papists[ the Jesuits,] and most m ●nifestly separate themselves from the Tenets of the Protestant Church: Both of them agree in that Jesuitical Tenet, that Dominion is founded in Grace, both of them will without Scruple Do evil that good may come thereof, Equivocate, lye, Plunder, Sequester and Behead for Gods sake, and the Causes sake; Both of them oppose and exalt themselves above all that is called God; the one exalts the mitre above the Crown, and the Crozier above the sceptre; and the other plumes himself in his Almighty Pulpit, whilst the Magistrate truckles under him upon the Stool of Repentance. Upon which says St. Hick—,[ late of Colchester Defunct,] The Pope is a Prince of ancient Grandeur, and has large territories and Dominions, and it will be the least Dishonour to be Subject to him; But for a Prince to stoop to Geneva Upstarts, that have nothing eminent but Ears and Mouth, is the vilest of Subjection, and sets a value upon Turkish Slavery, in comparison of this. And though the Papists[ says he,] might Plot Rebellion and Treason, yet the fanatics have not only Plotted, but twice been up in Arms,[ speaking of these times,] which the Papists never were, twice I say in Arms and open Field-Fights in Scotland, not to mention the Desolation, the Bondage, the tyranny and Oppression these Kingdoms have groaned under for so many Years, before His Majesties happy Restauration. Let us now see by the way Mr. Baxters resolution in three C●ses of Conscience upon this point; If[ says he] a Person enter into a Military State against the People, and by them be Conquered, they are not obliged to restore him, unless there be some other special obligation upon them besides their Allegiance. Thes. 145. And moreover, If the Person dispossessed[ though it were unjustly,] do afterwards become uncapable of Government, it is not the Subjects duty to seek his Restauration. Thes. 146. And yet again, Whoever expels the sovereign, though Injuriously, and resolves to ruin the Commonwealth rather than he shall be restored: And if the Commonwealth may prosper without his Restitution, it is the duty of such an injured Prince, for the Common good to resign His Government; And if he will not, the People ought to Judge him as made incapable by Providence. Thes. 147. And again, Hol. come. pag. 480. I knew that the King had all his Power for the Common good, and had therefore none against it. And yet further, The Parliament did not raise War against the Person or Authority of the King; nor did I[ Mr. Baxter,] ever serve them on any such account; but to defend themselves against the Kings misguided will. Ibid 476. And in his Preface to that System of Presbytery his Hol. come. Prove[ says he,] that the King was the highest Power in the time of Division, And I will offer my Head to Justice as a Rebel; His meaning must be inevitably this, Either that the King had no right to the Crow● before the Divisions, or that he forfeited his Title by the Rebellion, which is one of his ways of pressing obedience to the Higher Powers.  
Let any Man, that is not blinded with Zeal, now look and determine in these following Positions, Whether this Monarchy can live under the Discipline of a True Presbyterian? We hold[ says Mr. Baxter in his Hol. come. pag. 457.] That the Parliament, by the Constitution, have part of the sovereignty: Secondly, That the sovereignty is jointly in King, Lords, and Commons, as Three Estates. pag. 465. Thirdly, That the Parliament have a Power of Enacting Laws, as well as Proposing them. pag. 462. But the Episcopal Protestant does pronounce the sovereignty to be only in the King. Secondly, They assert the Kings Sole Supremacy in all Causes, and over all Persons whatsoever, as well Ecclesiastical as Civil: And in the service of Gunpowder Treason, 'tis said, There are three Estates besides the King, which the Whigs will not allow; But will have it, that the King shall be One of the three Estates, and then infer that he is coordinate with the other Two. From whence they argue, that a War maintained against Him, by the other Two may be lawful. And that, as the King may Dissolve the Parliament, so the Parliament may serve the King. Thirdly, That the Two Houses have no share at all in the Sanction. We likewise hold[ Hol. come. 478.] that it was Treason to resist the Parliament, as the Enemy did, apparently, in order to their Subversion. That the Parliament was the Highest Interpreter of Laws that was then exist●●●t, in the Division. And so we find that every step of the Parliamentary War was justified, not by this Father alone, but by the Assembly too, and the whole current of the Presbyterian Divines. The Episcopal Clergy unanimously declaring themselves to the contrary; Who but the Assembly July 19. 43. In the names of themselves and others, do call for the Execution of Justice, on All Delinquents? Husband 2d. vol. of Collections, 241. And who again Aug. 10. 43. But the Divines of the Assembly that are Residents of the Associated Counties, and now attending the Assembly, are desired to go down into their several Counties, to stir up the People to rise for their Defence, Ibid. 285. And since no M●n doubts but that the Whigs did begin the War; Be it remembered, that when the Faction did press the King to Disband his Troops at York, or otherwise threatened to take the Quiet of the Kingdom into their own Care. They passed these AGREEABLE Votes.  

Resolved upon the Question.  
1. That it appears that the King[ seduced by wicked Counsels,] intends to make War against the Parliament, &c.  
2. That whensoever the King maketh War upon the Parliament, it is a Breach of the trust reposed in him by his People, contrary to his Oath, and tending to the Dissolution of this Government.  
3. That wh●●soever shall serve, or assist him in such Wars, are Traytors by the Fundamental Laws of this Kingdom; and have been so adjudged by two Acts of Parliament and ought to suffer as Traytors, &c.  
And then again comes Mr. Jenkinks, who( in his Sermon Preached before the Commons Sept. 25. 1656. pag. 23.) speaks to this purpose, If the re-imposing of Ceremonies could have brought the late King to life again, he would never have yielded to it. And in a Fast Sermon to the Commons 31. Jan. 48. pag. 5. When Kings command unrighteous things, & People svit them with willing compliances, none doubts but the Destruction of them both is Just and Righteous. And Mr. Cockayne 29 Nov. 48. both urges and persuades the murder of our late sovereign, by comparing him to Benhadad, King of Assyria whose Life, Ahab King of Israel had spared against the will of the Lord. And Calamy's Sermon Dec. 25. 44. pag. 18. Says, Th se that made their peace with the King at Oxford, were Judas's of England; and it were just with God to give them their portions with Judas. This needs no Comment, no Figure to render it more Horrendous than itself. I will therefore leave the fact as it plainly stands before every intelligent Being, and leave him to judge whether Presbytchery is consistent with our Monarchy. And let every good Protestant pray to God, to Guard the King and his People from them. Concutiunt Populos, vexant regna, Sollicitant bella, Diruunt Ecclesias.   Presbyteriani Sacrificium ligarunt, Independentes jugularunt. Salmatius.  

LONDON: Printed for A. Banks, 1682.