The Wounded Conscience Cured, Section 7
SECT. VII.
IN this laſt Section the Doctor tells us, That though Conſcience could be perſwaded that it is lawfull to make a defenſive reſiſtance, yet it can never be perſwaded that the King is ſuch as the people muſt bee made to believe he is: for indeed it concernes all ſuch as will reſiſt upon the principles now taught, to render their Prince odious to his people, under the hatefull notions of Tyrant, ſubverter of Religion and Lawes, a perſon not to be truſted, or at leaſt as one ſeduced to ſuch evill deſignes, by wicked counſels, that hee will bring in Popery, that hee will not ſtand to his promiſes.
Anſ. Theſe are ſad charges, but how groundleſſe God and the world knowes; who may not ſee how tender the Parliament hath been of the Kings honour? Therefore they have not beene willing to beleeve that thoſe Declarations that came out in his name, are his owne: Therefore they charge all that is done on his counſellors, not on himſelfe; herein being fully like unto David, who though Saul came out againſt him, yet did he not impute that unnaturall warre unto Saul himſelfe, ſo much as unto thoſe that were about him, ſaying unto Saul, If the Lord hath ſtirred thee up againſt me, let him accept an offering; but if they be the children of men, curſed be they before the Lord: for they have driven mee out▪ this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, 1 Sam. 26. 19. Therefore alſo when the Parliament hath written any thing that might in the leaſt meaſure reflect upon his Majeſty, I have obſerved that they never did write ſo, but to vindicate and to cleare themſelves from ſome aſperſions firſt caſt upon them; and when they did write ſo, like Shem and Japhet, they took a garment and went backward; deſiring rather to cover then to behold any nakedneſſe in our dread Soveraigne: And woe be unto them from the Lord, (but I will not curſe them with the curſe of Cham) who put his Majeſty upon ſuch actions, whereby any nakedneſſe ſhould bee diſcovered.
Then the Doctor comes to the examination of thoſe fears and jealouſies which have poſſeſſed the people, which hee ſaith are raiſed on theſe grounds, report of forraine powers to be brought in, the Queens religion, the reſort of Papiſts to his Majeſty, his intercepting of meanes ſent for the reliefe of Ireland: To which he anſwers, firſt, That the report of forraine invaſions given out to keepe the people in a muſe, the eaſier to draw them into a poſture of defence are diſcovered in time to have been vain: But ſaith he, If there be now any foraigne aid comming towards the King (as all Chriſtian Kings cannot but thinke themſelves concerned in this cauſe) it will be juſt for him to uſe them againſt ſubjects now in armes.
Anſw. To which I anſwer, That it doth not appeare that our fears were vaine, becauſe forraigne invaſion hath been prevented; for we may rather thinke that therefore we have not been invaded by forraigners, becauſe the Parliament hath beene vigilant both by ſea and land to prevent them. But who doth not ſee that ſo far as lies in the Doctor, he doth invite forraigne forces into the land, and ſo ſtir up other Princes for to ſend them, and our King for to uſe them? Whether this be agreeable to an Engliſh Divine, or an Engliſh Subject, I leave to be judged.
Then he ſaith, The Queens religion is no new cauſe.
Anſw. To this I ſay nothing but leave it (being matter of fact) to the judgement of eyes that have ſeene actions, whether there be no more cauſe of jealouſie now then at her firſt entrance.
And thirdly, for the reſort of Papiſts, and the Kings entertaining them, the Doctor ſtrengthens the intruſt of it with that example of David, we may ſee ſaith he, what manner of men were gathered to David in his diſtreſſe, and how Ziba was rewarded.
Anſw. To which I ſay this only, how can the Doctor make it appeare, that thoſe that were gathered to David were men of another Religion from David, and of ſuch a Religion that by the State was counted rebellion, who alſo by the State was to bee diſarmed? Which if the Doctor does not make good, this inſtance is nothing to our caſe.
And 4: for the matter of Ireland, I leave that wholy to the Parliaments Declarations, who without doubt know the proceedings of thoſe better then this Doctor, and what conſcience enlightened will not rather reſt for ſatisfaction upon Parliamentary Declarations, then upon this Doctors aſſertion in this matter.
The other things in this Section are moſtly matter of fact, and therefore I muſt referre them to mens ſenſe, onelyonly I cannot but obſerve how in all things the Doctor cleares the King, and caſts dirt upon the Parliament, but ſtill with this cunning; when he hath laid the greateſt aſpertion upon them, he retracts in theſe words: I ſpeake not this to caſt any blemiſh upon the wiſdom of the great Councell, like as before, when he had ſaid what he could, (or happily dar'd) for the Kings ruling by conqueſt, he comes oft with this kinde of ſpeech, This I ſpeak not as if the Kings of the land might rule as Conquerours; and this is an ordinary ſleight when men have preached againſt purity and holineſſe with as much bitterneſſe as they can, then they thinke to come off in this or the like manner, God forbid that I ſhould ſpeak againſt purity and holineſſe: But let him in Gods name, cleare the King in what he may, (as wee are all bound to doe as farre as we can) but can he not cleare his Majeſty without ſuch foule aſpertions caſt on the Parliament? of whom he ſaith thus page 30. Men are higly concerned to conſider whether they alſo that are the maine directors of this reſiſtance doe diſcharge this truſt they are called to, whether to diveſt the King of the power of Armes, and to uſe them, be to defend his Perſon, Right and Dignity? Whether the forcing of the Subjects property to the advancing of this reſiſtance, and the impriſoning of their perſons for deniall, be the maintaining of the right and priviledge of the ſubjects? Whether the ſuffering of ſo many Sects to vent their Doctrines, and to commit ſuch unſufferable outrages upon the worſhip of God with ſuch licentiouſneſſe, be a defending of Religion, and the eſtabliſhed worſhip of this Church?
Anſw. Theſe are foule charges upon the Parliament: How can the Doctor ſay, I enter not this diſcourſe to caſt the leaſt blemiſh upon the Parliament? Well, bleſſed is the man that condemneth not himſelfe in that thing which he alloweth: The Doctor confeſſeth, That man to bee ſubject to higher powers and that we are to ſubmit to them, he confeſſeth alſo, That the Parliament is the higheſt Court in the Kingdome, and it ought to judge what is the Law; they having therefore judged this reſiſtance to be lawful, if the Doctor ſhall reſiſt this their declarative power, ſaying it is not law, and caſt ſuch dirt and reproaches upon them, doth he not condemne himſelf in the thing which he alloweth?
But in this laſt clauſe of his booke, he ſummons conſcience to anſwer upon paine of damnation, and I make no queſtion, but when men ſhall have ſeriouſly conſidered his booke, the verdict that conſcience will bring in, will this be:
As in the ſight of God, I have peruſed this Treatiſe of his, and I finde it injurious to the King, to the Parliament, to the Divines of this Kingdom, to the other Subjects, & to the Treatiſer himſelf.
To the King, for hereby he is put on, and exaſperated againſt his Parliament and Subjects, further engaged in this war, and encouraged to take the aſſiſtance of Papiſts, who if he conquer by their meanes, what Proteſtant good ſubject doth not bleed to thinke what will become of him?
To the Parliament, being charged with the blood that is ſpilt in theſe warres, with the miſeries of Ireland, with the Schiſmes and Sects of this Kingdome, with open hypocriſie, pretending one thing, and intending another.
To Divines, all whom he makes to be of his judgement.
To the Subjects, denying to them the liberty given them by God, and Nature, and the fundamentall Lawes of the Kingdome, and calling in forraigners upon them.
To the Treatiſer himſelfe, who hath needleſſely imbarked himſelfe in a bad cauſe.
And laſtly, to the Scripture and God, and his great Officer on Earth, Conſcience; the Scripture being wreſted, God diſhonoured, and the conſcience deceived.
Now the Lord grant that whilſt we ſpeake of Conſcience, we may in all things make conſcience of our waies, for multi conſcientiam habuit adjudicium, non ad remedium. As concerning the King, Give the King thy judgements, O God, and thy righteouſneſſe unto the Kings Son: And as concerning the two Houſes of Parliament, Let the mountaines bring grace unto the people, and the little hills thy righteouſneſſe. Let the King and Queen, and people praiſe thee, O God, yea let all our England praiſe thee.
FINIS.
End of the text · William Bridge, The Wounded Conscience Cured (1642)