Exhortation to Taking the Solemn League and Covenant, Text 1 – License
AN EXHORTATION TO the taking of the Solemne League and Covenant, FOR REFORMATION AND Defence of Religion, the Honour and happineſſe of the King, and the Peace and ſafety of the three Kingdomes of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
IF the power of Religion, or ſolid Reaſon, if Loyalty to the King, and piety to their Native Country, or love to themſelves, and naturall affection to their poſterity, if the Example of men touched with a deep ſenſe of all theſe, or extraordinary ſucceſſe from God thereupon, can awaken an embroyled bleeding remnant to imbrace the ſoveraigne, and onelyonly meanes of their recovery, there can be no doubt but this Solemne League and Covenant will find whereſoever it ſhall bee tendered, a people ready to entertaine it with all cheerefulneſſe and duty.
And were it not commended to the Kingdom by the concurrent encouragement of the Honourable Houſes of Parliament, the Aſſembly of Divines, the renowned City of London, multitudes of other perſons of eminent rank and quality in this Nation, and the whole Body of Scotland, who have all willingly ſworn and ſubſcribed it, with rejoycing at the Oath, ſo graciouſly ſeconded from Heaven already, by blaſting the Counſels, and breaking the power of the Enemy more than ever; yet it goeth forth in its own ſtrength, with ſuch convincing evidence of equity, Truth and Righteouſneſſe, as may raiſe in all (not wilfully ignorant, or miſerably ſeduced) inflamed affections to joyne with their Brethren in this happy Bond, for putting an end to the preſent miſeries, and for ſaving both of King and Kingdom from utter ruine now ſo ſtrongly and openly laboured by the Popiſh faction, and ſuch as have been bewitched and beſotted by that viperous and bloudy generation.
For what is there almoſt in this Covenant, which was not for ſubſtance either expreſſed or manifeſtly included in that ſolemne Proteſtation of May 5. 1641. wherein the whole Kingdome ſtands ingaged untill this day? The ſinfull neglect whereof, doth (as we may juſtly feare) open one floodgate the more to let in all theſe calamities upon the Kingdome, and caſt upon it a neceſſity of renewing Covenant, and of entring into this.
If it be ſaid, the extirpation of Prelacy, to wit, the whole Hierarchicall Government (ſtanding, as yet, by the knowne Lawes of the Kingdome) is new, and unwarrantable: This will appear to all impartiall underſtandings, (though new) to be not onelyonly warrantable, but neceſſary; if they conſider (to omit what ſome ſay, that this Government was never formally eſtabliſhed by any Lawes of this Kingdome at all) that the very life and ſoule thereof is already taken from it by an Act paſſed this preſent Parliament, ſo as (like Jezabels Carcaſſe, of which no more was left but the skull, the feete, and the palmes of her hands) nothing of juriſdiction remaines but what is precarious in them, and voluntary in thoſe who ſubmit unto them: that their whole Government is at beſt but a humane conſtitution, and ſuch as is found and adjudged by both Houſes of Parliament, (in which, the judgement of the whole Kingdom is involved and Declared) not onelyonly very prejudiciall to the Civill State, but a great hinderance alſo to the perfect Reformation of Religion; Yea, who knoweth it not to bee too much an enemy there unto, and deſtructive to the power of godlineſſe, and pure adminiſtration of the Ordinances of Chriſt: which moved the well-affected, almoſt throughout this Kingdom, long ſince to Petition this Parliament (as hath been deſired before, even in the Reigne of Queen Elizabeth, and of King James) for a totall abolition of the ſame. Nor is any man hereby bound to offer any violence to their perſons, but only, in his place and calling, to indevour their extirpation in a lawful way.
And as for thoſe Clergy-men, who pretend that they (above all others) cannot Covenant to extirpate that Government, becauſe they have (as they ſay) taken a ſolemne Oath to obey the Biſhops, in licitis et honeſtis: they can tell, if they pleaſe, that they that have ſworn obedience to the Laws of the Land, are not thereby prohibited from indevouring by all lawfull meanes the abolition of thoſe Lawes, when they prove inconvenient or miſchievous. And if yet there ſhould any Oath be found into which any Miniſters or others have entred, not warranted by the Laws of God and the Land, in this caſe, they muſt teach themſelves and others, that ſuch Oathes call for repentance, not pertinacy in them.
If it be pleaded that this Covenant croſſeth the Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance; there can be nothing farther from truth: for, this Covenant binds all, and more ſtrongly engageth them to preſerve and defend the Kings Majeſties Perſon, and authority in the preſervation and defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdomes.
That ſcruple, that this is done without the Kings conſent, will ſoone be removed, if it be remembred that the Proteſtation of the fifth of May before mentioned, was in the ſame manner voted and executed by both Houſes, and after (by order of one Houſe alone) ſent abroad to all the Kingdome, his Majeſty not excepting againſt it, or giving any ſtop to the taking of it, albeit he was then reſident in Perſon at Whitehall.
Erra 10. Neh. 9.Thus Ezra and Nehemiah drew all the people into a Covenant, without any ſpeciall Commiſſion ſtom the Perſian Monarchs (then their Sovereigns) ſo to doe, albeit they were not free Subjects, but Vaſſals, and one of them the meniall Servant of Artaxerxes, Neh. 1.then by Conqueſt King of Judah alſo.
Nor hath this doctrine or practiſe beene deemed ſeditious or unwarrantable by the Princes that have ſate upon the Engliſh Throne, but juſtified and defended by Queene Elizabeth of bleſſed memory, with the expence of much Treaſure and Noble blood, in the united Provinces of the Netherlands combined not only without, but againſt the unjuſt violence of Philip of Spaine; King James followed her ſteps, ſo farre as to approve their onion, and to enter into league with them as free States; which is continued by his Majeſtie now reigning, onto this day; who both by his expedition for reliefe of Roebel in France, and his ſtrict confederacy with the Prince of Orange, and the States Generall, notwithſtanding all the importunitie of Spaine to the contrary, hath ſet to his Seale that all that had beene done by his Royall Anceſtors; in maintenance of thoſe who had ſo engaged and combined themſelves, was juſt and warrantable.
And what had become of the Religion, Lawes, and Liberties of our ſiſter Nation of Scotland, had they not entred into ſuch a ſolemne League and Covenant at the beginning of the late troubles there? which courſe, however it was at firſt, by the Popiſh and Prelatick Projectors, repreſented to his Majeſtie as an offence of the higheſt nature, juſtly deſerving chaſtiſement by the fury of a puiſſant Army; yet when the matter came afterwards in coole blood to bee debated, firſt by Commiſſioners of both kingdomes, and then in open Parliament here, (when all thoſe of either Houſe, who are now engaged at Oxford, were preſent in Parliament, and gave their Votes, therein) it was found, adjudged and declared by the King in Parliament, that our deare Brethren of Scotland had done nothing, but what became loyall and obedient Subjects, and were thereupon by Act of Parliament publikely righted in all the Churches of this Kingdome, where they had beene defamed.
Therefore however ſome men, hoodwinkt and blinded by the artifices of thoſe Jeſuiticall Engineers, who have long conſpired to ſacrifice our Religion to the Idolatry of Rome, our Lawes, Liberties and perſons to arbitrary ſlavery, and our eſtates to their inſatiable avarice, may poſſibly bee deterred and amuſed with high threats and Declarations, flying up and downe on the wings of the Royall Name and Countenance (now captivated and proſtituted to ſerve all their luſts) to proclaime all Rebells and Traytors who take this Covenant; yet let no faithfull Engliſh heart bee afraid to joyne with our Brethren of all the three Kingdomes in this ſolemne League, as ſometimes the men of Iſrael (although under another King) did with the men of Judah, 2 Chron. 30.at the invitation of Hezekiah.
What though thoſe tongues ſet on fire by Hell doe raile and threaten? That God who was pleaſed to cleare up the innocency of Mordecai and the Jewes againſt all the malitious aſperſions of wicked Haman to his and their Soveraigne, ſo as all his plotting produced but this effect,Eſth. 9. that when the Kings commandement and decree drew neare to bee put in execution, and the enemies of the Jewes hoped to have power over them, it was turned to the contrary; and the Jewes had rule over them that hated them, and laid hands on ſuch as ſought their hurt, ſo as no man could withſtand them; and that ſame God, who but even as yeſterday, vouchſafed to diſperſe and ſcatter thoſe dark clouds & fogs which overſhadowed that Loyall and Religious Kingdome of Scotland, and to make they righteouſneſſe to ſhine as cleare as the Sunne at noone day in the very eyes of their greateſt enemies, will doubtleſſely ſtand by all thoſe who with ſingleneſſe of heart, and a due ſenſe of their owne ſinnes, and a neceſſitie of reformation, ſhall now enter into an everlaſting Covenant with the Lord, never to bee forgotten, to put an end to all thoſe unhappy and unnaturall breaches betweene the King and ſuch as are faithfull in the Land; cauſing their righteouſneſſe and praiſe to ſpring forth before all the Nations, to the terror and confuſion of thoſe men of blood, the confederate enemies of God and the King, who have long combined, and have now raked together the dregs and ſcumme of many Kingdomes, to bury all the glory, honour and libertie of this Nation in the eternall grave of diſhonour and deſtruction.
Die Veneris 9. Februar. 1643.
AN Exhortation touching the taking of the Solemn League and Covenant, and for ſatisfying of ſuch Scruples, as may ariſe in the taking of it, was this day read the firſt and ſecond time; And by Vote upon the Queſtion aſſented unto, and Ordered to bee forthwith Printed.
H. Elſynge Cler. Parl. D. Com.