A sad and serious DISCOURSE, Upon a Terrible LETTER, Sent by the MINISTERS Of the Province of LONDON, To the Lord General and his Council of War.  
By W. Ca a Member of the Army.  
London, Printed for Giles Calvert. 1648.   

A sad and serious Discourse upon a terrible Letter, sent by the Ministers of the Province of London, to the Lord General, and his Council of War.  
WHen mouth Granadocs' from Zion College fly about with so much sacred Authority, and the fierce sons of Thunder tell us, they have obtained a Commission for fire and brimstone from Heaven; and all the Cyclops of the Province of London are summoned, to give up their stock of thunderbolts, to make up the indignation of the Judgements of the Ministers of the Gospel: that this full Viol of Wrath might be poured at once upon the heads of this presumptuous, Heretical, Sacrilegious Army, by the hands of a new Army of Martyrs, before their threatened Consecration. 'tis high time for all that are under the influence of this prodigious meteor, to bespeak a covering, and ship themselves in the Ark of Innocency; that the deluge of the threatened storm might not irrecoverably sink them into the bottomless pit of Presbyterian destruction.  
Though I am an inconsiderable piece of their mighty rage, and impar congressui; and know well, that no skin is so invulnerable, as that which is anointed with the oil of Clergy, and Classical Authority; and though they are numeri fruges consumere, yet I shall take the confidence to desire them to give me the serious Representations of their judgements in this particular; and possibly the rest, I will debate with them more modestly.  
Whether the prudent circumspection of those, was not much to be commended, who ordered a good quantity of Buckets to be hanged up in every steeplehouse within your Province, knowing the greatest danger, was left a mischievous fire should break ou● from such places; and often finding that a little spark kindles 〈◊〉 great flame. Sure Cacus was a Presbyter: And some say, even Gunpowder was invented by a Monk.  
But now a little more seriously.  
When this horned Ant, this little beast branded with so ma●● names upon its buttock, was first offered to my view; I thought in reference to an equal contest, to have called my company together, and parceled out to every one a Reason or two, presented from these judicious Pastors; that after a serious debate, we might have acquitted ourselves from the danger of them, by a just responsal; or otherwise made an honourable submission, to the equity and truth of them.  
But I found that their Censure and Judgement upon the proceed of the Army, is like their Pulpit Confutations of Heresies▪ Judge them by the lump, damn them in gross, (as Wholesale, me● may sell good pennyworths,) take Atheists, Heretics, Shismaticks, Anabaptists, Brownists, Independents, and bind an huge Millstone of Condemnation about their necks, and throw them all at once into the midst of the Sea. When I saw, that most; or all their Bruta fulmina, were forged upon the Anvil of their own Judgements, Censures, Decrees; and indeed, these two-handed Divines, lay heavily about them with those Hammers: And when they had authentically said us Covenant-breakers, Despisers of lawful Authority, Rebels against Magistracy and Ministry, Haters of God, Goodness, and all good men; Patrons of Heresies and Impiety. These Sorbonists had nothing more to do, th●n open the Choir of their Common-place Books, and shoot some keen Arrows out of the Sacred Writ, (with some bolts of their own) and easily destroy those Sons of Confusion, who indeed deserve to die by no worthier hands. For who knows not, that such discourses as these, though calculated for the Meridi●● of the Province of London, yet may indifferently serve for any society of men, that can make any lawful improvement of waste Paper: For when Weapons of Scripture, and sound Reasons were laid down before all the world, and these Masters of Defence invited to the Combat; what candour or ingenuity was there to refuse the engagement: And issue forth to judgement, with the confidence of a Letter, every where magnifying their Magisterial power; but not where their Integrity or Wisdom, in examining of what they so readily condemn.  
For let all men judge what account their Forlorn gives of it ●elf: I understanding that some of their prime men, that now ●erve only to line the Hedge, had a dispute with the General and ●ome of his Officers, and had already crowed over their conquest; ●hey desire to sound a Trumpet to their Victories, and though ●hey heard not in that skirmish one piece of Reason discharged: notwithstanding, they draw up their Assents in rank and file, with ●heir Brethren, take the Margin into the Text, condemn what ●hey never heard. And all this, that they might show the people ●heir Transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins.  
And if for this only end we had desired a Conference, that the addition of so many lamentable voices, might have made up the Chorus of our condemnation, they would easily have strung●the acred Harp to their own ditty, and have warned us to have no Fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove ●hem rather.  
The next Paragraph exercises a most Arbitrary and Tyrannical ●ower over our proceed (never were Muses condemned before) ●n prejudging our Remonstrances, Declarations, Restraints of Members, as Things unjust, illegal, unholy: For of that, the Court takes special cognizance, without the allowance of any Plea, Reason, and Equity, might advance in their behalf; yea, the unhappy Agreement, is judged Illegitimate, before it was born, and signed with the sign of the Cross, before ever it came into the world, 
 
Tantane animis coelestibus irae.   
The next is a needless defence of untouched Authority a pressing all the Friends of Power in genere, to serve under the colours of Tyranny and Oppression. A Patronage of Personal Privilege against Public Safety, and Advantage: The Kings, the Parliaments, the Magistrates, the Minister's Interest so involved and conjoined, as it is not easy to judge who is Heir-apparent to the dearest affections of these indifferent men.  
I shall therefore desire, if one man be not appointed to lay out for the rest) that a tax might be rated upon the Province of London, and the Parson of Sepulchers made Collector for other men's Contributions, that satisfaction might be made in point of Reason, to some few demands. Because in a great part of what you say, You pretend greater acquaintance with Policy than Religion.  
1. Whether there be any such specifial Power, so form by the Almighty Architect; that all Nations and People under Heaven, are everlastingly bound to shape the frame of their Commonwealths, in exact Conformity thereto, as the Divine Prototype of Government, as Moses had a pattern for the Tabernacle; from which, in the least to deviate, was a sin. Or, whether God did so won the issue out of Natural Wisdom and Policy, in particular Societies of men, endevoring after some Representative of Authority, in reference to their good; as to stamp a ray of majesty upon it: consecrating it as a positive good to all, living under the jurisdiction of the same. And whether such a Power, for ends of public advantage, transferred, and accepted, may not through deficiency, or default, revolve into its root and original, and admit a new debate, as to the Specification thereof. And whether this be not our present condition?  
2. Whether the supreme Authority in being, acting apparently destructive to the foundations of the Nations freedom, yet entituling just power to usurped Tyranny, may not be opposed by the major, or better part of the people? and if a bloody war ensue, and obstinacy so fare contest with resolution, that nothing under heaven, but the sad arbitrement of the Sword can decide the unhappy quarrel. Whether it be not consonant to Religion, reason, and sole policy, that each party should be equally responsable to the issues of so hotly a disputed war? Whether this be just, that any power, or person should so encircle itself in the conjuration of privilege or prerogative, that from thence it might issue out to the destruction of many thousands of people, equally heirs to the divine Image, and retire again to the City of refuge, as a sacred thing, not to be touched; But the other party, in case of non-prevailing, consigned over even in that case, to the courtesy of perpetual slavery.  
3. Whether the Authority of those, by whose Commission we engaged against oppressive power, being reversed, and revolved into a treacherous compliance with the vanquished, yet irreconciled enemy, that by the fallacy of a Treaty they might breathe a new life into the carcase of subdued Tyranny, and by an unworthy condescension infranchise themselves into outlawed sovereignty? whether it be not equally righteous to oppose such destructive designs, to shrink the sinews of any hand, that would attempt the life of the Nations Liberties? It is all to me, to be drowened at Westminster, or at the Isle of Wight. If you tell us there can be no revolutions to a higher good for Commonwealth, till the primum mobile of sovereignty be touched by an heavenly influence; your good friend Mr. Peter's, a Gentleman of a little better credit, will tell you, That a loving mother being set upon by Thiefs in her chamber, cries out for help; The elder brother attempting to unlock the door (the Key having contracted a seven years' rust) the younger breaks it open, and comes in a timely rescue, and leaves it to your wisdoms to judge who best deserved the birthright.  
If these unhappy undertakers had gone forth in the judicial strength of reason, and sounder Authority than the inartificial Argument of their own, to have encountered the minds of men unsatisfied in these particulars; their sentence of condemnation had been more dreadful; but to come out to defy an Army with such weak Artillery, as if they had been only sent Balaks errand; Go and curse them in the name of their God; Sure these men made such haste to the use, they forget the doctrine; they instruct weakly, reprove sharply, the lightning is not seen, but the thunder is heard. Observe at what rate these men of the East discourse.  
The King broke the privilege of the Parliament, and was worthily blamed, therefore the Parliament may destroy the Liberties of the people without control, Sillogismus in Bocardo.  
Another follows of a most sententious signification.  
The Parliament, at first intended us no more good than they declared, therefore they must now do the Nation no more good than they intended. Profoundly,  
We have taken a Covenant, sacred, inviolable, of perpetual Record, to maintain the King's Person; Therefore oh King, live for ever, have we sworn him out of his natural capacity of dying.  
It is the constant opinion of grave Divines, that Kings may not be murdered, therefore Subjects may.  
We have desired that all heresies might make their appearance before the Consistory, where the ministerial Tribunal is erected, therefore we tolerate them a sad consequence.  
God hath blest us in our former undertake, therefore he will, blast us in this. A rare experiment.  
There is no necessity of these our undertake, because they judge it a sin, truly if so, they have rightly judged; But if there be a necessity, it is visible to us only, not to them; Therefore we must walk, and act according to their Light, and not our own. Excellent Divinity; but most supersapientially they judge our endeavours are not righteous, because they fear our ends are not.  
Truly, even as much as I fear; the order of Priesthood should suffer martyrdom in Hartfordshire, and be burnt at a stake with. tithe sheeves.  
Thus the Corporation, reason, and he that proportions not his belief to their measure of Judgement, must not publicly vend an inch of discretion; For every Parish Priest must be a Clerk of the Market. I have done; their threaten shall hurt only them they fright. And I hope by the pious industry of this Parliament and Army, to see the Nations, freedoms so settled, in spire of their priestly rage that it shall be their greatest honour to have their names forgotten.  
Subscribed, From my Quarters at Worcester House.  
FINIS.