An Exhortation to the taking of the Covenant (1644)

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 onely 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 onely 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 onely 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.

Ezra 10. Neh. 9.Thus Ezra and Nehemiah drew all the people into a Covenant, without any speciall Commission from 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 union, and to enter into league with them as free States; which is continued by his Majestie now reigning, unto this day; who both by his expedition for reliefe of Rochel 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 their 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.