Against the Revolt to a Foreign Jurisdiction, Chapter 2
Chap. II. The whole Kingdom and Church is sworn against all Forreign Jurisdiction, and all alteration of Government in Church and State: And ought not to be stigmatized with PERJURY.
§ 1. THat the whole Church and Kingdom is under such Oaths is visible.
I. The Oath of Supremacy before cited against All Forreign Jurisdiction is put upon all the Land.
II. The Oath called Et caetera 1640. is against Change of Government, and was taken by many.
III. The Act of Uniformity obligeth the whole Ministry to subscribe against all endeavours to alter the Government.
IV. The Oxford Act of Confinement sweareth all Nonconformists (and more) never to endeavour any Alteration of Government in Church or State.
V. The Vestry Act sweareth all the Parish Vestries to the same.
VI. The Corporation Act sweareth all the Cities and Corporations of England to the same; that is, All in Power and Trust as to Government.
VII. The Militia Act sweareth all the Souldiers of the Land to the same.
So that it is undeniable that all the Kingdom is sworn never to endeavour any Alteration of Government in Church or State, and also expresly against all Forreign Jurisdiction.
§ 2. That it is not only an Alteration, but even an Alteration of the very Species or Constitution of Church and State Government, to bring the Land under the Forreign Jurisdiction either of Pope, Prince or Prelates, I have proved by it self; and to any man of understanding, it needs no proof.
§ 3. That Church and State, and the whole Land ought not be wilfully perjured, is clear. 1. It is so heinous a sin against God, as is like to bring down destructive vengeance: He that threatneth it even in the Tables of Stone: The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain: And Perjury is the chief taking his Name in vain, to confirm a Lie. And if this threatning reach to every individual, what will become of perjured Church and Kingdom? The Lord is the avenger of all such crimes: And it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of this God, who is a consuming fire.
II. Perjury is a direct dissolution of Societies: Mutual Trust is their concernment: Utter Distrust is a Virtual death or war King and People are tied to each other by Oaths: Majors and chief Officers, and Judges are tied to fidelity by Oaths. The Bishops swear their Clergy to them, (though old Canons condemned it:) Loose this Bond, and what are Societies? Who can trust him that maketh no conscience of the Obligation of Oaths, any more than an Enemy?
III. It depriveth the King of a necessary means of security for his life. If all conscience of the Oaths of Allegiance were gone, it is supposed that the conscience of Loyalty would be gone. And many a Traytor would study how to kill Kings secretly without danger to themselves, or to make it good by strength and numbers.
IV. It depriveth all the Subjects of necessary Security for Estate, Name or Life. If Church and State should openly be perjured, who can expect that all Individuals should stick at it? But rather that every Man that hath an Enemy, or hath either Wealth or Place which another desireth, should presently be Sworn to the Gallows or the Block? It were far better dwell among Toads, Snakes, and Adders, or Wolves and Bears against whom a Man hath some defence: Homo homini Lupus, would be turned into Homo homini Diabolus.
V. It would make us uncapable of Trust, Traffick, and Friendship with any Forreign Land: Open National Perjury is so odious against the Light and Law of Nature, that Englishmen would be to other Lands, as Man-eating Canibals are to us. None could treat with us or trust us.
VI. This would be a most heinous wrong to the King, to have the History of his Reign so odiously blotted to all Posterity, as that under him the Land should be turned to Diabolism, and made the hatred and scorn of all the Earth; when God had honoured it with so many Blessings above most others.
VII. It would render Popery it self more odious than it is, as if it lived by the most horrid crimes, and must revive by National Perjury: And would confirm those self-conceited Whimsical Expositors of Rev. 13. that think the mark in the Forehead imposed upon all that must buy and sell, and be Freemen is PERjury with PERsecution; and that dream that the Letters of the Name of the Beast, are not to be understood meerly Numerally, but Materially and Nominally, and that foreign. xi, sigma-tau are our Ch. and St. conjoyned by a Serpentine [X] or [and] to signifie that our Swearing and Forswearing was for [Church and State.] Yea and the more odious fancy of another Name in them will become their Sport.
VIII. It would make the Nonconformists say that never Men on Earth were dealt with so inhumanely, and Challenge the World to give any such instance in any History, Christian, Mahometan or Pagan, if the same men that have reviled them as Rebellious, and endeavoured their Imprisonment and utter Ruine for not Swearing never to endeavour any alteration of Government, should all this while be designing the alteration of it, and first to make all men abjure it, and after to bring them to it. The Dissenters scruple not Swearing never to Endeavour the Altering of the State, Government, nor of the Church as in the Hands of such Pastors as Christ or his Apostles instituted; nor any Reformation by Sedition or unlawful Means: But they durst not absolutely abjure all Lawful Endeavour, to take the Church Keys out of Lay-mens Hands, and to have more Bishops than one to many score or hundred Churches, &c. And if we must lye in Jails as Rogues for refusing this for fear of Perjury, and yet the Reverend or other Prosecuters should so far alter all the Government of Church and State as to bring all the Land under a Forreign Jurisdiction, Legislative, Judicial and Executive, and to make King, Parliament, Clergy and People the Subjects of the Pope, or which is more base, of a Court or Colledge of Prelates who are almost all Subjects to Forreign Papists, Mahometans and Heathens, of whom few dare disobey their Lords and Princes, this would be such a thing as Humane Language hath no words significant enough to describe.
§ 4. Obj. Sinful Oaths bind none, and must be broken.
Ans. 1. Sinful Oaths involve Men in the dreadful guilt of Perjury.
2. Oaths sinfully imposed and taken, yet bind to Lawful Matter.
3. If these Oaths be sinful, why were they imposed? Shall the same Men urge all to take them, and then say, You may break them as being sinful?
4. It is not sinful to Swear Loyalty and Self-defence against foreign Enemies or Usurpers.
Obj. 2. Luther and your other Reformers broke their Vow of Chastity and Obedience to the Pope, and defended it.
Answ. 1. You think they did ill, and will that justifie you?
2. To obey a Pope, that is by Usurpation a Vice-Christ, or King of all the World, is a great Sin, and they that Swear it, are no more bound to it, than they that Swear Murder or Treason. And the Vow of Chastity becomes unlawful to those that have not the Power of Continence. But for those that had, let them justifie them from Perjury that can: I cannot.
3. The Perjury of a few Individuals, and of a Kingdom, vastly differ.
4. They took that Oath in ignorance, thinking they had done well. But those that I now speak to, at once reviled them that took it not, and did their best to lay it on all the Land, and yet were then for a Foreign Jurisdiction, and designed or desired that all that took it might after break it.
But these Objectors shew us that there is no Sin so odious and inhumane, which Learned and Reverend Men may not plead for, under a Name and Mask of Virtue, Loyalty, Piety, and the Churches Good and Service.
Obj. The Laws may repeal these Oaths.
Answ. That will but free new Men from taking them; but not those that have already Sworn from keeping them in all the lawful parts.