The Fastening of Saint Peters Fetters, Tract · Section 1
Sectio Prima. Propoſition. The aſſerting of the Solemn League and Covenant, and its obliging force, is a duty indiſpenſably incumbent on every man in his place, but eſpecially on the Miniſters of the Goſpel.
WHilſt we conſider this Propoſition, and frame this Link of our Chain, we muſt take the Covenant in its abſtracted form, as it is a Solemn Compact confirmed by an Oath, in which God is witneſs, or party, or both. And at preſent take it for granted, that the matter of it is true, juſt, and lawful; which yet will hereafter in its appointed place be diſcuſſed.
And as ſuch, I ſay the aſſerting of the Covenant, and its obliging force, unto the exacting of performance, and rebuke of negative or poſitive breach of it, in not doing, or in doing contrary to what is covenanted, is a duty indiſpenſably incumbent on all men in their places, (viz.) in their publick or private capacities, wherein they are to expreſs themſelves, and expect others to be acted (as men and Chriſtians) by the dictates and directions of conſcience; in order whereunto, the Covenants in which they bind themſelves each to other, or joyntly to God, as well as divine counſel, muſt be their compaſs, to guide their courſe paſt dangers and deſtruction.
Conform hereunto was the commendable carriage of Gyth the younger brother, but faithful Counſellor to Harold King of England, who conſidering the ſtate of the Quarrel between him and William Conqueror, gave the King this warning, Cambd. Brit, p. 149, 150.In caſe you have made promiſe to William of the Kingdom, withdraw thy perſon out of the Battel; for ſurely, all thy forces ſhall not ſecure thee againſt God, and thy own conſcience, who will require puniſhment for breach of faith and promiſe.
Every man is, in charity, bound to be an Angel to an unmindful Jacob, in point of his vow to God, and Monitor to his back-ſliding brother; but it especially belongs to Goſpel-Ministers, who being Gods Watchmen againſt ſin, and his peoples Remembrancers unto duty, are not onelyonly by common Charity, but alſo by ſpecial Office, bound to give warning againſt approaching evil, contracting guilt, and impending judgments of God; Ezek. 3.16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 33.7, 8, 9,and that as they will acquit themſelves from the blood of thoſe immortal ſouls, who ſlip into, and periſh by their ſin. On this account the word of the Lord cometh unto his Prophets, with a Say unto them, Thus ſaith the Lord, I will give the men which have tranſgreſſed my Covenant, which have not performed my Covenant, even the Princes of Judah, and the Princes of Jeruſalem, and Zedekiah the King, into the hand of their en…mies, Jer. 34.18, 19, 20, 21, &c. And therefore the cenſure of being contentious, or danger of being caſt into priſon as ſeditious, and loſing all their comforts, muſt not deterre the Miniſters of God from coming to the King, and crying out in the Name of the Lord, Shall he break the Covenant and be delivered, ſhall he do ſuch things and proſper, and eſcape? Ezek. 17.15. for in caſe of ſilence the ſin will be on their heads, and the ſtones in the ſtreet will cry out.
This is a principle ſo common and clear, The duty urged from piety towards God.that none profeſſing Reaſon or Religion dare deny it; and the reaſon of it is written in ſuch legible Characters, that all may run and read it, (viz.) The Covenant is an Oath, the higheſt appeal to God, who muſt not, will not be mocked, or made a witneſs to His own diſhonour, but will puniſh the breach thereof as a moſt heinous ſin. Therefore the Miniſters of God (ſtanding in his ſtead) muſt with all zeal exact the accompliſhment of it, as the practice of piety dependant on ſuch a piece of worſhip: Remembring God hath ſtrictly charged, That if a man vow a vow, and bind his ſoul, he ſhall not break his word, he ſhall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth, Numbers 30.2. So that in piety to God the Covenant muſt be kept, and its obligation be aſſerted.
Loyalty to the King is no little ſwaſive to this duty; 2. Loyalty to the King.for that leads to all fidelity in diſcharges and prevention of every thing deſtructive and diſhonourable to his Majeſty; Perjury (moſt odious to God and man) is abominable in any, and moſt conſpicuous in a Prince. Who can without dread remember the fierceneſs of Gods fury againſt Zedekiah for breaking the Oath, into which he was forced by the ſtraiteſt Siege? Or, obſerve the Odium that abideth on Albert the Emperor, Almerick King of Jeruſalem, Ʋladiſlaus King of Hungary, and the Chriſtian-Princes, for breaking their Covenants with the Turk? and the obloquy indelible which lieth on Eugenius and Silveſter Popes, and Julian Cardinal of S. Angelo, and the Order of Templars, for abetting and adviſing (by the ſame Arguments urged againſt our Covenant) the breach thereof? Can any true Engliſh-man, and Liege Subject, without horror call to mind the perjury of King Harold, which let in William Conqueror to our Land? and how King John was made odious, and deſerted by this out-cry, Withdraw your ſelves from a perjured King, and not in ſence thereof be ſtirred up with zeal to aſſert the Covenant? which broken, will load with ſhame, and ſubject to the diſpleaſure of that God who can deſtroy both us and our King, ſo happily reſtored to each other.
True Loyalty is no leſs ſtudious to eſtabliſh the Kings Throne in Righteouſneſs, than obſequious to the Royal expreſſions of His Pleaſure: Yet to ſuch as center Loyalty in the laſt, I would adviſe that they would ſeriouſly conſider, That howſoever His late Majeſty of Honorable Memory (for the conſcience of his Oath) was acted by the miſapprehenſion of the Covenant to interdict it; yet he was more ſenſible of its obliging force when taken, than to attempt the diſcharge thereof; and therefore in His Solitudes He adviſeth His Subjects unto the Keeping of the Covenant in all honeſt and juſt ways, The contemplation on the Covenant.as thinking the chief end of the Covenant in many the takers intention, was to preſerve Religion in purity, and the Kingdom in peace. And as one under the awe of the Oath of God, chargeth His moſt Sacred Majeſty that now is, That if God bring Him to His own on hard corditions, He ſhould be careful to perform what he ſhould promiſe. And His moſt Sacred Majeſty, as a moſt obedient Son to a Father ſo piouſly prudent, having Himſelf ſworn the Solemn League and Covenant, and the eſtabliſhment of it in all his Dominions, by His Royal Declaration of Auguſt 16. 1650. from Dumfirmling, profeſſeth Himſelf deeply humbled for His Fathers oppoſition to the Covenant; and that on full perſwaſion of the juſtice and equity of all the Articles thereof, He had ſworn and ſubſcribed the Solemn Leagne and Covenant of the three Kingdoms; and that he was fully reſolved (in the Lords ſtrength) to adhere thereunto, and to the utmoſt of his power, in His place and ſtation, really, conſtantly, and ſincerely, to proſecute all the ends thereof, all the days of His life. And by His Royal Command doth conjure all His loving Subjects who have ſtood againſt the So-Solemn League and Covenant, and work of Reformation, to lay down their enmity, proteſting to have no enemies to Him but the enemies to the Covenant; nor friends to Him but friends to the Covenant. So that if Loyalty conſiſt in a conformity to the Kings mind, (as moſt Courtiers conſidering what may pleaſe, not what may profit, place it) the reſpect due to the memory of His late, and the dread we owe to His now Majeſty, muſt animate, and engage the aſſerting of the Covenant, and its obling force? For no faithful Subject will dare to fancy, that either the one or the other, deſigned by theſe and the like expreſſions to mock God and the world.
The love of our Country, 3. The love of our Country.and our own intereſt therein involved, is not the leaſt ſpurre unto this duty: For ſuch is the deep dye of perjury, that it polluteth the Land, and placeth it under the moſt direful of Divine plagues. The Heathen deteſt the breach of Oaths and Covenants, as that which driveth out of humane Society, and deſtroyeth men and their poſterity by moſt heavy plagues. Juvenal telling us of the ſad miſeties which befell Glaucus Epicydes, for the purpoſe of breaking his Oath, which yet paſſed not into act, concludes,
Has patitur poenas, peccandi ſola voluntas.
And Herodotus hereupon obſerving the improbable, impoſſible miſeries, which did overtake and ſubvert the very houſe and ſtock of the perjured, concludes,
At juramento quaedam eſt ſine nomine proles,
Trunca manus, Trunca pedes; tamen impetus magno
Advenit; at que omnem vaſtat ſtirpem que domum que .
An unknown ſtrength from Oath there doth proceed,
Without running pace, or hands to do the deed,
Subverts the houſe, and makes the ſtock to bleed.
Hiſtorians obſerve perjury to have lien at the root of the Holy War, that it could never proſper; our own Chronicles conclude, breach of Covenant brought in the Conqueror, and the Barons Wars; and the Scriptures witneſs the three years waſting Famine in Iſrael to have been the fruit of Sauls well meant breach of Covenant with Gibeon, onelyonly expiated by the extirpation of his Family. So that love to our Country, and our ſelves, as like to be ſharers in its calamity, which can onelyonly be prevented by paying the vows we made to God, muſt quicken all men, eſpecially Miniſters, to cry, and cry aloud, Remember, regard the Solemn League and Covenant.
Unto theſe conſiderations the Covenant it ſelf addeth no little ſtrength, 4. By the Bond of the Covenant it ſelf.whilſt we have ſworn not to ſuffer our ſelves directly or indirectly, by whatſoever combination, perſwaſion, or terror to be withdrawn from it; nor to give up our ſelves to a deteſtable neutrality, and indifferency, but in our places and callings to maintain it, and aſſiſt ſuch as enter into it; whereunto the aſſerting of the Covenant, and its obliging force, is not the leaſt ſerviceable, nor moſt out of our capacity; it being all the places of the Miniſtry will allow them to do.
Theſe things conſidered, as I cannot but commend and rejoyce in the aſſertion and exaction of the Solemn League and Covenant as to the Civil part of it concerning our King and Kingdom, which was expreſſed by the Secluded Members of the long Parliament, and by the Miniſlers of London, and other Counties in their Pulpits, and publick testimonies to the Solemn League and Covenant, Printed with their names ſubſcribed, provoking their people to cleave to the Covenant; ſo I cannot but admire at their preſent ſilence, as to the Religious part of it, which concerneth God, His Church, and Worſhip: But I am much more amazed to ſee eminent Divines, who have ſworn it, not onelyonly to ſleight the Covenant, but to ſtrain their wits, parts, and learning, by falſe Gloſſes and fooliſh Arguments, to make it void, and diſcharge its obligation, and to make up their defect of reaſon and Religion, by railing at, and in reproach of ſuch, who in conſcience of duty aſſert its obligation, counting them troublers of Englands peace, ſpirits of contradiction, acted by malice, as doth Featly in his Preface to his League illegal, or ſilly unſtable ſouls, (ſtanding ſtill, whilſt theſe run away) urging the Covenant on private interests of profit, revenge, envy, and ambition, and the like, as Dr. Gauden in his Epiſtle to the Doubts and Scruples, &c. I would pray theſe men to tell me in cold blood, and on ſerious thoughts, ſuppoſing, as I ſaid before, the Covenant to be a juſt, publick, ſacred, and lawful Oath, whether they think any that have zeal for God, loyalty to the King, and love to their Country, can ſee Superſtition acted to that heighth, as to make the Papiſts ſmile at the return of that ſimilitude to their worſhip of which they were wont to boaſt; and not barely an Epiſcopacy reſtored, but that very ſpecifical Prelacy covenanted againſt (in moſt expreſs terms) advanced, whereby the Covenant is not onelyonly contemned, but openly contradicted, and yet be ſilent and not plead the Covenant? Or again, Is duty a proper turbulency? If onelyonly ſuch by accident, muſt not Gods Miniſters contend againſt ſin, to prevent Gods contending by His plagues againſt the Land?
But, Sir, to conclude this Section, I would pray that our Maſter-builders, in the re-edifying of their holy Fabrick, (greatly delapſed and decayed) would vouchſafe to caſt their thoughts upon an Obſervation made by an Author (who cannot but be) acceptable to them (viz.) Mr. Thomas Fuller Prebendary of Sarum, who in his Holy War, caſting up the cauſes of that ſad Cataſtrophe of ſo hopeful and honourable an undertaking, reduceth the ſumma totalis to ſuperſtition and perjury (uſual concomitants) and on the laſt he thus gloſſeth:
How could ſafety it ſelf ſave this people, Fullers Holy Warre, lib 5, c. 11. p. 248.and bleſs this project, ſo blackly blaſted with perjury? (how then ſhould their Watchmen be ſilent?) a ſin ſo repugnant with moral honeſty, ſo injurious to the peace and quiet of the world, ſo odious in it ſelf, ſo ſcandalous to all men, to break a League when confirmed by Oath, (the ſtrongeſt bond of conſcience, the end of particular ſtrife, the Souldier of publick peace, the aſſurance of amity betwixt divers Nations; made here below, but enrolled in his High Court, whoſe glorious Name doth ſign it) a ſin ſo heinous, that God cannot but moſt ſeverely puniſh it. David asketh, Who ſhall dwell in thy holy hill? and anſwereth himſelf, He that ſweareth to his neighbour and diſappoineth him not, though to his own hindrance. No wonder then, though the Chriſtians had no longer abiding in the holy Hill of Palestine, driving that Trade wherewith none ever yet thrived, the breaking of promiſes, wherewith one may for a while fairly ſpread his train, but will melt his feathers ſoon after; the Fabrick muſt needs come tumbling down, whoſe foundation is laid in perjury.
Surely, Sir, ſuch as affectionately believe this doctrine, cannot but paſſionately apply it, to cry aloud, and not ſpare, Remember the Covenant. I grow, Sir, not a little ſuſpicious, that the laſt ſtratagem of the Propogators of the Catholick Cauſe, is by their Jeſuitical Sophiſtry to ſtrike England into the guilt of perjury; and then to blaſpheme our Religion, and deride our Nation, as did Ageſilaus the Grecian Captain in his anſwer to Tiſſaphernes the Perſian, breaking the League he had made with him, I give you no ſmall thanks, for that by your perjury you have made the gods angry with the Perſians, and favourable to the Grecians.