IT is the common discourse, among those that make seeming Loyalty to his Majesty, their pretence of Malignancy to the Parliament, that it is unlawfull for a Subject to take up Arms a­gainst his Prince, or a Parliament, (as they generally alledge) to raise an Army against a King, though never so wicked in his Life: nor never so tiranicall in his Government.

Under which pretence, they would manifest to his Majesty and to the world, that it is their meere loyalty to his Majesty that doth thus predominate in them, and not any sinister end to themselves, when on the contrary, I will instantly manifest unto you, by an un­deniable argument, that it is meerly a covetous desire to secure them [Page]selves from that charge, which the common callamity of this King­dome requires, and not love to the King, nor from any cause that they can really ground a hate or dislike to the Parliament, or their proceedings.

You may be pleased to remember, that not many yeares ago, there was a [...] of Ship-money imposed upon the Kingdome, which tax was pretended and avouched to be warrantable by Law, by some that are very active in this Warre against the Parliament, and and I am certain it was seconded with the Kings Authority, yet then you may remember what Generall muttering there was a­gainst the King and Nobillity, one cried out, the lawes were abu­sed, another wispered, the King was mis-led by ☞ then these now strong Royalists, were Anti-Rounheads, then their loyalty was not so great, neither were they so forward as they now pro­fesse, (though in my conscience they never intend any such thing) to spend their lives and estates in the defence of his Majesty, no, the very thought of parting with a little money, had banished those thoughts out of their Brests, then God send us a Parliament, &c. Now compare the time past, with the time present, God has been pleas'd to send them a Parliament who redressed those grievances of which they so much complained, for which they thought them­selves deeply ingaged, but now the practises of those persons, be­fore mentioned, being grown to such a dangerous head, that the necessity of the Kingdome enforceth the Parliament to leavy mo­ney for the raysing and maintaining of Forces, to bring those to condigne punishment, that were the authors of those so much la­mented distractions both in Church and State, now they slip their necks out of the Collar, nay thinke they if they raise warre, wee must part with money, and therefore wee will stand for peace, they could have else no pretence for their malignity, those men that they formerly so much complained of, are honest men, and good Pro­testants, and the Parliament is now the onely obstacle, is not this apparent, canst thou whatsoever thou art cleere thy selfe, where was thy Loyaty to thy King then, why didest thou not apply the [Page]lesson to thy selfe then, which now thou appliest to others, (Give Caesar his due) it is easily proved that he had as much right to that as to many things, which thou at this time pretendest to be due to him.

To beginne with thy main pretence, with which thou wouldest deceive the world, and doest deceive thy own Soule.

Thou pretendest that it is not lawfull for a Nation to take up Arms against a King mis-led, in the maintenance of Religion, Law, the Office of a King, and safety of the Kingdome, when the Reli­gion, Lawes, and Office of a King are abused, and brought to ap­parent ruine.

Object. But you will object that you se none of these things in danger, which are pretended.

Solution. It is not unknown to those that will not declare them­selves ignorant or wilfull, that there were severall Innovations crept into our worship, and doctrine, nay they were inforced, and imposed, by those soule killing Prelates, whose Idolatrous crimes, being neither punished, nor repented of, hath caused God to throw among us these Babels confusions, this diversity of tongues, and diversity of opinions, each opposing other in the maintenance of that Religion which their Sophistry hath spoiled, and in so doing hath destroyed the whole Kingdome, and if the purging the Church of these innovations, and setting up a true worship, with the endea­vouring to bring those to a legall triall, that were guilty of the said misdemeanors, to the end that they may receive the reward of their labour, be not agreeable to the lawes of God and the Kingdome, may easily be discerned.

The like argument may serve concerning the abuse of the lawes, but I shall forbeare to mention the particulars thereof, onely I will appeale to thy own conscience whether the lawes were not a­bused, & leave it to the to consider by whom & whose authority.

As touching the Kings Office, or the Office of the King, I shall insist upon that, as the main thing which concerns this discourse, and upon which this difference is grounded.

The Kings of England at their Coronation, sweare solemnly to maintaine the Lawes of the Land, and to govern the Land accor­ding to the Lawes and Govenment thereof, so that it rests not in the Kings power to alter the government of the Kingdome, and to bring in a new, for he must maintain the ancient established Lawes of the Kingdome, and must governe by them, for the Lawes of the Kingdome, are the protection of the Subject, by which it is appa­rent, that it is the Office of a King, (to which he stands ingaged by his Oath taken at his Coronation) to preserve the Lawes, and to govern by the Lawes, in which consists the health and wealth, ipeace and security both of his Majesty, his royall off spring, and the whole Kingdome.

Now if the King be wrought upon by evill Councell, so that he is drawn personally to make breach of the Lawes, which by his Office and Oath he is bound to preserve, without all question there is a dirivative power from the first Principle of Law, from which the People may claime a lawfull authority to use the most effectu­all meanes to preserve themselves with the Office of the King, and Lawes of the Kingdome, from the violence of the King so sedued and mis-led, for the Kingdomes safety is the supreame Law.

Now that the King was mis-led we may suspect, otherwise how came so many Projects to be granted under the great Seal, which Projects granted by his Majesty were great breaches of the Lawe, and great oppressions to the Subject, and contrary to the Office of a King, which is to preserve the Subject from oppression, and to maintain the Lawes in full force and vertue.

And the King and Kingdome being thus abused by evill Coun­cellors, to whom could we the oppressed Subject appeale, if we did attempt to petition his Majesty, we should meet with so many bribe taking Courtiers, between the Porters Lodge and the Presence, that either we wanted money to purchase preferrers, or else through the multiplicity of hands, our Petition was presented to God knowes who, and we had an answer God knowes when, so that despairing of redresse, we were forced to return home to repent, or at least to [Page]lament the abuse of Justice. If we petitioned the Judges, (especi­ally the major part of them) they must have a Bribe too, and at last, after foure or five Termes attendance, we should have answer re­turned (contrary to all reason) that the Lawes were so, and wee must suffer. Thus at all hands the Lawes were abused, and most were officious to conceale the complaint of the Subject, the King must not know the truth, all was Law, all was for the good of the Subject, when their chiefe Designe was, at one blow to destroy the Religion, Law, Office, Authority, and Libertie, both of King, Parliament, and People.

The King and Kingdome being thus involved, and intangled in these destructive Strattagems, the Lawes of the Kingdome having lost their power, and all things being become a Chaos of disorder, what [...] shall be used to reduce things to their first Order, for certainly (although the King neglect it) the Kingdome may, and ought to take order for its own safety, why surely a Parliament (in which is represented the whole Body of the Kingdome) must be the safest, and most effectuall meanes, to redresse former, and pre­vent future evills, now this Parliament carries with it a neere re­semblance to the composition of the Government of this Nation, being compounded of three degrees, the King, the Peeres, and Commons, all which should joyn together in the regulating and reforming those things which were so burthensome to the Com­mon-wealth, but if the King shall neglect to joyn with his great Counsell, the Lords and Commons of the Kingdome, and shall adhere to those evill Councellours, which have been the authors of those former evils, for reforming of which the Parliament was called, and shall not onely neglect the Office of a King, which is to preserve the lawes and People from oppression, but shall joyn with those persons, which have been such apparent Enemies to himselfe and the whole Kingdome, in the abetting and maintaining those lawlesse practises against the Parliament, and so consequently a­gainst the whole Kingdome: Now speake thy Conscience, without feare or flattery, as thou wilt answer it at the dreadfull day of [Page]Judgement, where all secrets shall be known, whether thou think­est it most warrantable to joyn with a King so mis-led, in the main­tenance of such a cause, undertaken by Papists and their adherents, Projectors, and their dependents, Delinquents and deboist and despicable persons, or to ioyn with a Parliament, which hath re­formed all those former practizes and abuses, and doth endeavour to prevent the like practises for the Future, and doth dayly labour to maintain the lawes in force, with the iust Authority of the King, to the glory of God, and the good of the whole Kingdome, now iudge I say whether it be lawfull for the Parliament, which is the representative Body of the Kingdome, and was called together to consult and conclude of those affaires which did conduce most un­to the security both of King and Kingdome: Now Judge I say whether it be not lawfull for them, in the behalfe of the King and his just Authority, the Lawes of the Land, and the Kingdome in generall, (all which are indangered by this abused authority) to raise an Army to oppose those persons who have thus abused the King, in telling him that was Law which was oppression, have caused him to neglect his Office, and abuse his power, in giving way to have an Army raysed against himselfe, his Parliament and People, to protect them from the censure of the Law, making a way to their own security, through the ruine of his Majesty, and the whole Kingdome, and if (as I conceive, thou must be convinc'd for Conscience must strike a true alarum) thou findest thy owne errour, banish that covetous desire out of thy heart, and seem not loyall from the teeth outward, let not thy Purse onely, be imployed in forwarding this acceptable service, but if thou art of ability, let thy Person second thy Purse, for know it for a truth, in so do­ing, thou shalt do God, thy King, thy Country, and thy Soule good service, & it shall be imputed to the for good, and not for evill, when Haman shall be hanged, then Mordecay shall be cloathed in the Kings Garments, and the religious Jewes, respected by their gracious Soveraign.

God save the King and Parliament.