for his own Ufe and Ends, they, as the Peoples Representatives, do by Acts Refciffory refcind all Acts of laudable lawful Parliaments, Committee of States, or Councils, wherein were contained or comprehended any mutual Bond, Obligation, Covenant, or Contract betwixt the Prince or People, he having divested himself of any legal Right he could have, or pretend, over fuch a People, and they being in Statu quo prius, and none having Right to rule over them without their own Confent. If the aforefaid Magiftrate fhall then again ufurp and invade his Peoples Lives, Religions, Liberties, and Laws, and make even fimple fupplicating of him Crimes of Treafon, contrary to the Dictates of Nature, and he by armed Emiffaries, and by his arbitrary Power carried on by the Sword in their Hands, compel the Lord's People to relinquish and to forfake the true Religion and Worship of God, and make a Surrender of both their Souls, Confciences, Lives, Laws, Liberties, and embrace a falfe Religion, and Will-worship, and engage to ferve and worfhip falfe and Idol-gods at his Pleasure; or thus all that is dear and near to a People being in the Extremity of Hazard; now it neceffarily followed to be the Duty of fuch People, or any Part of them, to take up Arms in defence of their Lives, Laws, Religion, and Liberties, and of their Pofterity, that they may not be left in fuch an intolerable Bondage, and as they would not be accounted guilty of bringing God's Wrath upon the whole Land; Jer. 22. 2, 3. Hear the Word of the Lord, O King of Judah, &c. Thou and thy Servants, and the People that enter in by these Gates, execute Judgment and Righteousness, and deliver the Oppreffed out of the hand of the Oppreffor; Chap. 37. 2. But neither he, nor the Servants, nor the People of the Land hearkened to the Prophet Jeremiah, until Wrath

from

from the Lord confum'd them all. Now, had it not been the Peoples Duty, to have executed Judgment and Righteoufnefs, and to have delivered the Oppreffed out of the Hands of the Oppreffor; Zedekiah and his Servants (which I think was meaned by the Nobility and Princes) proving deficient, in order to the performing of their Duty, it neceflarily followeth, to be the Peoples Duty; for if it had not been their Duty, it had not been their Sin to have omitted it: But here we fee it is as well charged home, to be the Peoples Sin, as to be the Sin of the King, or the Sin of his Nobles: But, fay fome, who fhall be Judge in fuch Cafes? To which I anfwer, That the Law of God is the only fupreme and infallible Judge in all fuch Cafes; for what other Judge is, when two Kings or Monarchs fall out in War, neither of them being fubject to any other Judge. But fome profane and brutishly-ignorant Malignant faith, that this or that ignorant Fellow, or Huffy, take upon them to determine what the Law of God faith in fuch Cafes: I anfwer, neither this, nor that ignorant Fellow, or Huffy, nor yet this or that ignorant, profane, wicked, or perfidious Prince or Princess is capable to be Judge; Deut. 30. 11. For this Commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off; verf. 12. It is not in Heaven, that thou fhouldeft fay, Who fhall go up for us to Heaven and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it, &c. Neither is it beyond the Sea, &C. but the Word is very near unto thee, in thy Mouth, and in thy Heart that thou may'ft do it. And in this Cafe I do appeal to any Man of a fober Wit and Judgment, feeing the Secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him, Pfal. 25. 14. And feeing evil Men underStand not Judgment, but they that seek the Lord under ftand all things, Prov. 28. 5. For they know not how to do right, who ftore up Robbery in their Palaces, A

mos

mos 3. 10. Who is most capable to judge, what the Law of God determineth, in all fuch Matters? Artaxerxes, a great Monarch, commanded, That whatsoever is commanded of the God of Heaven, that it should be diligently done, for the House of the God of Heaven; for why should there be Wrath upon the King and his Sons? Ezra 7. 23. But O how ma→ ny Men at this time, of the Sons of Belial, contrary to what is here spoken of, fcrew up thofe who are above them to fo high a Pinacle, and an illimited and arbitrary Power, far above what ei→ ther the Law of God, or the Law of Nature will admit of, for this very End and Purpose, that they may glory in the Works of their own Hands; and that he whom they have thus fet up, and to whom they have made a Surrender of both Credit, Confcience, and common Honefty, may return unto them a Power over others, who are under them, by putting Swords in the Hands of bloody Cutthroats, who are raised and kept up for that Effect, to keep and bring into an Egyptian Bondage, the Perfons, Lives, Laws, Liberties, yea, even the Souls and Confciences of the Lord's People: The which Power I declare to be diabolical, profane, and blafphemous, and Pharaoh-like to fay, Who is the Lord, that they should obey him? Exod. 5.2. Now feeing both the Throne and the Judgment are the Lord's, then, O bleffed and happy Magiftrate, who ruleth and governeth his Subjects, keeping in a ftrait Line of Subordination to God's Law and Statutes; for in fo doing, who may fay to him, What doft thou? Job 9. 12. And O happy and blessed People, thus govern'd. Deut. 4.8. And what Nation is there fo great, that hath Statutes and Judgments fo righteous, as all this Law which I fet before you this day? But O the blafphemous Perjuries and Wickedness of this apoftate Generation, whom no Bands, Obligations, nor

Covenants can bind, except thefe fpoken in Pfal 149. 8. But fhall they thus break the Covenant, and efcape and be deliver'd? Ezek. 17. 15, 18. As if the Lord's Hand and Power could not reach them, to inflict juft and due Punishment upon them which commit fuch things. I do deteft and abhor that woful Indulgence and Encroachment, and Ufurpation on the Crown and Prerogatives Royal of our Lord Jefus Chrift (at least in the Givers thereof) howbeit, I have very much Love, Charity, and Affection to many who have embraced the fame; for I do really think, that they have been out-witted in that matter, and have not wickedly departed from following the Lord; yet I hope they fhall get their Souls for a Prey in the Day of the Lord, although they may fuffer Lofs, in building fuch Hay and Stubble upon the Rock Chrift Jefus, when that their Work shall be burnt up by the Fire of his Jealousy.

I proteft before God, Angels, and Men, against all these Acts of Parliament or Council, which are againft, and derogative to the Work of God and Reformation, and carrying on of the fame, according as we are engaged and fworn in thefe holy Bands of the National Covenant, and folemn League and Covenant; I abhor the fhedding of the Blood of the Lord's People, for their adhering to the fame, and the People's guarding fuch in Prison-houses and at Scaffolds unto their Death; whom both by the Oath of God upon them, and by the eminent and laudable Laws of the Land, and by the Law of Nature they were obliged to have defended to the uttermoft of their Lives and Fortunes: It being most well known, that fuch as were put to Death, had committed no Crime, but, on the contrary, had perform'd a Duty which they were as much obliged to have performed as thefe, if the Guarders had been as faithful

faithful to God and Man as the Pannels were Likewise I protest against their Banishment, Imprisonment, or Finings, or Confinements, and against all the Hardfhips and Perplexities of whatfoever kind, which they have been put to, thro the Iniquity of the Times: So that we may juftly with our Predeceffors fay, That our Perfecutors have devour'd us, and have crufh'd us, have emptied us, swallowed us up like a Dragon, and have filled their Bellies with our Delicates, and have caft us out, Jer. 51. 34. For which Caufe, God gave a Charge to prepare Inftruments for the Overthrow and Destruction of fuch Perfecutors, verf. 12. Because it was the Vengeance of the Lord and of his Temple, fo fhall our Remnant, who out-live thefe Perfecutors, fay, verf. 35. The Violence done to me and my Flefh be upon Babylon, and my Blood be upon the Inhabitants of Chaldea; let Wrath from the Lord purfue them, for their Blood and Violence in their Perfons and Eftates, and their Strength, wherein they confide, and in their Friends and Favourites, who have confulted and contrived within their wicked Courfes. I hope the Time is drawing nigh, and that the Joints of their Loins are loofening, their Knees are beginning to fmite one against another, Dan.5.6. and the Hand-writing begins to be pourtray'd upon the Wall, because they have not confidered what God did to their Predeceflors for their idotatrous Pride and Wickedness; although they knew it, yet they are become more infolent in Idolatry and Wickedness, and more daring against God than ever their Fore-fathers prefumed to be, in meddling with the Veffels and Materials of God's House, and with the Crown and Kingly Office of Chrift Jefus, and have appropriate them to their own idolatrous Ends and Ufes, 21, 22. Therefore, when the furbished Sword of the Lord's In