Appeal to the Parliament, Title page – Dedication
AN APPEAL To the PARLIAMENT; OR Sions Plea against the Prelacie.
The summe whereoff is delivered in a DECADE of POSITIONS.
Jn the handling vvhereoff, the Lord Bishops, and their appurtenances are manifestlie proved, both by divine and humane Lawes, to be intruders vponupon the Priviledges of Christ, of the King, and of the Common-weal: And therefore vponupon good evidence given, she hartelie desireth a Iudgement and execution.
Lament. 1.12.
Is it nothing to you, all ye that passe by; behould and see, &c.
LVC. 19.27.
Those mine enemies, which would not that I should raigne over them, bring hether, and slay them before me.
Origen. in Epist. ad Rom.
Iudicandos se potius, quam judicaturos cogitent.
Senec. in Thyest, Act. 3.
Nec abnuendum, si det Imperium Deus.
Printed the year & monethmonth wherein Rochell was lost.
Neutri cedet.
Manet Ultio
S…e lerata manus
Manet insuperabile verbium
Omnibus intentant nervis extinguere verbi
Lampada; succurrat ni pia vestra manus:
Prevailing Prelats strive to quench our Light,
Except your sacred power quash their might.
August. in Ps. propert. 2.5.Quoties hominibus praeesse desidero,
Toties Deo meo praeire contendo.
Dum licet, iniusto subtrache colla jugo.
Spreta cado.
quo r…ninis
Sic spreta Elanguent humani cuncta cerebri;
Vt stabilis fugiant foedera firma Dei:
The tottering Prelats, with their trumpry all,
Shall moulder downe, like Elder from the wall.
Si ad divinae traditionis caput,Cyprian ad pomp.
Et originem revertamur, cessat
Omnis error humanus.
TO The right Honourable & High Court of PARLIAMENT.
Right Honorable and High Senators
SƲch hath beene the care and industrie of that Panacaean or cure-all Court of Parliament, that to give instructions to it vvere to teach an Eagle to flye, or a Dolphin to swimme, foreign.yet such hath beene the gracious disposition of the golden head, & loving affection of that silver body representative, that they have bent their eares to the grievances of the lovvest members, especially if they vvere grieved vvith the grievances either of Church or commonvvealth. That greate Statesman Plato vvould have a Senate chearefully and lovingly to intertaine the motion of the meanest subiect, for the good of the commonvvealth.De legibus Dial. 6. A vvise generall of a feild despiseth not the advice of the meanest souldier in matters of greatest vvaight. The Graecians used to lay theire desperately diseased by the high vvayside, that everie passenger might deliver vvhat he knevv or heard to be good for such a disease, sinne & judgment (the diseases of our state) are not hid but open to the eye of everie passenger. As the greate Physitian said of nature distempered, that it is all but one sicknes▪ so our disframed, & distempered state, from head to foote is all but one sore. In this case she complaineth as though there vvere none to succour her. Is it nothing to all you that passe by? Behold & see my sorrowes, &c. Not to mourne vvith and for our mother vvere unnaturall, & all that vvee can doe is to mourne for her (yea vvould to God vve could doe that as vvee should, o… state-medicines are meerely empyricall; but your Honours being the methodicall physicians of our state can make a right use of them. Wee reade that marvailous cures have beene done by Empyricall medicines, especially in desperate cures. To your Honours vvee present one, not of our ovvne invention, but of an ancient and soveraigne Probatum est: such a one as never yet fayled (as vvee conceive) it vvanteth nothing, but giving out of the physitians hand. That golden apothegme of our gracious Soveraigne, that all is in action, is the very best theame for your meditation and ground, and motive for your heroicke accomplishments. The Laconicke brevitie of Kings speeches,foreign. as Homer said of Menelaus is very acute and full of matter, and so they vvould have themselves understood. For a vvord is enough from the vvise & to the vvise: As God hath set you forth (right Honourable) for this great vvork of reformation; so your choyce and place requireth you to bee men of activitie, as the Spirit speaketh, that is invvardly and outvvardly compleate vvith prudence, provvesse, valour and diligence. Gen. 47.6. Exod. 18.21. If Pharaoh vvould have such heardsmen; vvhat neede standeth our Abimelech of such sheepheardes for the sheepe of his people, & such sheapheard you must bee indeede. Your honours knovve that consultation, yea or humiliation can doe no good vvithout reall (and in some things eradicating reformation) Ioshua did vvell to pray, but hee must vp & doe. When Moses & Aaron are prayinge, Ioshua must be smiting of Amalecke. What danger the state is in by sinne vvithin us, iudgement vponupon vsus, and over vsus, evill men among vsus, and the vvrath of God against vsus, is better knovvne to your honours then vvee can expresse. But vvee may be bold to say of religion, & state, as Dauid said of himselfe, there is but a step betvveene them & death.1 Sam. 20.3. In this agonie of death vvith teares & groanes vvee cry to you right Honourable, save us, or wee perish. Let not the tall stature of the Anakims; nor the combination of the Edomites, nor the counsells of Ahitophells; nor the proude lookes & bigge vvordes of Amaziahs deterre you, or deteyne you. Let not the overtopping grovvth of the sonnes of Zerviah seeme too hard for you.Exo. 32.27 But let every man gird the svvord of justice vponupon this thigh, and doe execution acccording to desert. Feare not, have not I commanded you (saith our King) Be couragious & be valiant, yea the God of Israel hath bid you doe it. Make vvay then for religion and righteousnes, by removall of all vngodlynes & unrighteousnes, and God vvill be vvith you. Wee neede not tell you of the Romane Patriots, or the Athenian Kings; vvho vvere vvillinge to dye that the glorie of their nation might live.Gen. 43.14 Iacob vvill send his beloved sonne to Egipt in case of necessitie, and if hee be robbed, let him be robbed. So Hester vvill interpose her selfe for her Countrey, and if she perish she perisheth: Vt contem nendus &c Tul. Lib. 4. ad Heren.As that man (saith the Oratour) is vvorthy all contempt that vvould rather save himself then the ship vvherein hee is, and all that are vvith him. So hee is an unvvorthy mā that preferreth his ovvn particular safetie to the saveinge of the common vveale: But there is no such danger: Let the righteous be as bold as Lyons and the wicked will flye when none persueth them. Prov. 28.1Fenny-Bitters in their hollovve canes make a terrible noyse to the amazement of those that are not acquainted vvith their spirits; but they dare not looke valour in the face; nor hold vp their head in the assembly of the juste Vice is ever a covvard vvhere vertue is in place: Only this vve intreate your honours. that you vvould not be like Ephraim,Hos. 13.13 of vvhom the Lord complayneth as of an vnvvise sonne; because hee staied too long in the place of the birth; that is, hee vvas too long in resolveing vvithout reall performance. Bee you eyes, eares, and hands to our Soveraigne, as your place authorizeth; & hee by you shall scatter the vvicked, & bring the vvheele over them: The fire of Gods vvrath is alreadie broke in vponupon us, and if the fuell of sinne, and especially our domineering nationall sinne be not removed; the vvrath of God vvill never ceasse till it hath consumed us from being a nation to himselfe. should not every one (unlesse hee be a viper) bring some vvater to quench this fire: Behold right Honourable vve bring one Buckett full taken out of the Christalline sea and silver streames of divine and humane Lavves (as vvee conceive) a medicinable & quenching vvater.foreign. Water unapplyed cannot quench the fyre: Some vvaters increase the fire as oyly, sulphurious & pitchie vvaters.Plin. Lib. 2. 106. An unproportionable mixture maketh the fire the fiercer. Lastlie, it is no time to fling vvater vvhen all is consumed to ashes. Wee intreate leave therefore (right Honourable) to importune you againe and againe to ply the pure vvaters from the higher places; bar and abandon all the pitchie vvaters of the Babilonish Lake, vvhichwhich are ignis fomentum, the very life and spirit of the fire. foreign.There be many artificiall fireflingers, vvhose fire is more ardent in the vvaters, consuming shipps, bridges, and all vponupon the vvaters. Take heede of these; and fling vvater enough: and let not that proverbe of delay be verified in your honours, aquam infundere in cineres; to cast vvater vponupon the ashes. Wee intreate your Honours, to represent to your selves by imagination, that fire vvere kindled at home in your hovvses, you lookinge on (vvhichwhich fire could not but consume state, vvives and children, if it vvere not quenched, & that betime) hovv vvould you bestirre you? hovv much more should you hasten to save Syon from being consumed: For Zions sake vvee cannot hold our peace, vvee cannot but complaine as the children doe to their Parents. Pharaohes servants are very homely vvith their Kinge, to sett Gods people free, vvhen they vvere all like to perish.Exod. 30.7 Knovvest thou not yet that Egipt is destroyed? hovv much more may vve your Honours servantes complaine to you of our desperate condition, better knovvne then thought on. Hence alsoo your Honours may be pleased to observe hovv faithfull and plaine you should be vvith his royall Majestie both in the discoverie, and the remedie of the eminent and imminent destruction. What may be found amisse in this poore frame; either for manner or matter, vve humbly crave pardon; as for freedome of speech (vvherein vvee vvould not vvronge any) vvee hope your Honours vvill impute it to the present danger: For vvho vvill not cry (if hee can doe no more) vvhen his mother is like to be murthered before his eyes.