An Admonition of the greatest Concernment in the present Juncture; particularly to the Citizens of London, touching their Election of Common-Councill men; and to them, all sober-minded Persons of every other City, Town, and County in this Nation, touching their Election of Members to serve in the Parliament, pretended to be shortly convened.
THe necessity on You and Us in this day of our greatest Distraction and Fears, to be most careful in the choice of Common Councill men to be made on Wednesday the 21. of Dec. instant, is so great and obvious, that onely such as are pronounced to be incurably infatuated can be ignorant thereof. We therefore, who are (as well-meaning publick-spirited English-men onely) concerned for our Selvs, Wives, Children, and Families, in the weal or misery of this bleeding, dying, Nation, are bold to become your Remembrancers, how all Members of Parliament, Members of Common Councill, and all other Officers, ought to be qualified: And that too, in the Sense of the late famous Parliament, such time as they were neither awed, garbled, menaced, disturbed, or interrupted.
The Protestation, then universally taken, and the Parliament's Order thereon, wherein is manifest what is aforesaid, follows.
IA. B. do, in the preseace Almighty God, promise, vow, and protest, to defend, as far as lawfully I may, with my life, power, and estate, the true Protestant Religion, expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England, against Popery and Popish Innovations within this Realm, contrary to the same Doctrine, and according to the Duty of my Allegiance to his Majesty's Royall Person, Honour, and Estate, as also the Power and Priviledge of Parliament, the lawfull Rights and Liberties of the Subjects, and every person that maketh this Protestation, in whatsoever he shall do in pursuance of the same, and to my power, and as far as lawfully I may, I will oppose, and by all good wayes and means endeavour, to bring to condigne punishment, all such as shall either by Force, practise, Counsells, Plots, Conspiracies, or otherwise do any thing in this present Protestation contained; and further, that I shall in all just and honourable wayes, endeavour to preserve the Union and peace between the three Kingdomes of England, Scotland, and Ireland; neither for hope, fear, nor other respect, shall relinquish this promise, Vow, and protestation.
Friday, July the 30th 1641. Resolved upon the Question.
THat this House doth conceive, that the Protestation made by them, is fit to be taken by every Person that is well-affected in Religion, and to the good of the Common-wealth; And therefore doth declare, That what Person soever shall not take the Protestation, is unfit to bear Office in the Church or Common-wealth.
BE remembred also of the solemn League and Covenant, not out of Date, like an old Almanack, (as some have pleased with impudence enough to Say and Print,) but in force, and the Deliberate and Allowed Breach whereof God is now too palpably Visiting upon Us.
WEE Noblemen, Barons, Knights, Gentlemen, Citizens, Burgesses, Ministers of the Gospel, and Commons of all sorts, in the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, by the Providence of God, living under one King, and being of one Reformed Religion, having before our eyes the glory of God, and the advancement of the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the honour and happinesse of the King's Majesty, and His Posterity, and the true publike Liberty, Safety, and Peace of the Kingdoms, wherein every ones private condition is includ [...]d; and calling to mind the treacherous and bloody plots, conspiracies, attempts, and practises of the enemies of God, against a true Religion, and professors thereof, in all places, especially in these three Kingdoms ever since the Reformation of Religion, and how much their rage, power, and presumption are of late, and at this time, excreased and exercised; whereof the deplorable estate of the Church and Kingdom of Ireland, the distressed estate of the Church and Kingdom of England, and the dangerous estate of the Church and Kingdom of Scotland, are present and publike Testimonies; we have now at last, (after other means of Supplication, Remonstrance, Protestations and Sufferings) for the preservation of our selvs and our Religion from atter ruine and desiruction, according to the commendable practice of these Kingdoms in former times and the example of Gods people in other Nations, after mature deliberation, resolved and determined to enter into a mutuall and solemn League and Covenant, wherein we all subscribe, and each one of us for himself, with our hands lifted up to the most high God, do swear:
1. That we shall sincerely, really, and constantly, through the Grace of God, endeavour in our several places and callings, the preservation of the Reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland, in Doctrine, Worship, Discipline, and Government, against our Common Enemies, the Reformation of Religion in the Kingdoms of England and Ireland, according to the Word of God.
2. We shall with the same sincerity, reality, and constancy, in our several Vocations, endeavour with our estates and Lives, mutually to preserve the Rights and Priviledges of the Parliament, and defend the King's Majesties Person ond Authority, that the World may bear witness of our loyalty, and that we intend not to diminish his Majessie's just Power and Greatness.
3. We shall also with all faithfulness endeavour the discovery of all such as have been, or shall be Incendiaries, Malignants, or evil Instruments, by hindring the Reformation of Religion, dividing the King from his People, or one of the Kingdoms from another, or making any faction, or parties amongst the People contrary to this League and Covenant, That they may be brought to publick trial, and receive condigne punishment, as the degree of their offences shall require or deserve, or the supream Judicatories of both Kingdoms respectively, or others having power from them for effect, shall judge convenient.
4. And whereas the happiness of a blessed Peace between these Kingdoms, denyed in former times to our Progenitors, is by the good Providence of GOD granted unto us, and hath been lately concluded, and setled by both Parliaments; We shall each one of us, according to our place and interest, endeavour that they may remain conjoyned in a firm Peace and Union to all Posterity, And that Justice may be done upon the willful Oppressors thereof, in a manner expressed in the precedent Article.
5. We shall also according to our places and callings in this common Cause of Religion, Liberty, and Peace of the Kingdom, assist and defend all those that enter in this League and Covenant, in the maintaining and pursuing thereof; And shall not suffer our selves directly or indirectly, by whatsoever combination, perswasion or terrour, to be divided and withdrawn from this blessed Union and Conjunction, whether to make defection to the contrary part, or to give our Selves to a detestable indifferency, or neutrality in this Cause, which so much concerneth the Glory of GOD, the Good of the Kingdoms, and Honour of the King; But shall Constantly continue therein, against all opposition whatsoever; And that We are not able to suppresse, we shall make known, that it may be timely prevented.
And because these Kingdoms are guilty of so many sins, and approvocations against GOD, and his Son Jesus Christ, as is too manifest by our present distresses and danger, the fruits thereof; We professe and declare before GOD and the World our unfeigned desire to be humbled for our own sins, and for the sins of these Kingdoms, especially that we have not, as we ought, valued the inestimable benefit of the Gospel, that we have not laboured for the purity and power thereof, and that we have not endeavoured to receive Christ in our hearts, nor to walk worthy of Him in our Lives, which are the Causes of other sins and transgressions so much abounding amongst Us; And our true and unfeigned purpose, desire, and endeavour for our Selves, and all others under our Power and Charge, both in Publick and Private, in all Duties We owe to GOD and Man, to amend our Lives, and each one to go before another in the Example of a real Reformation, That the Lord may turn away his Wrath, and heavy Indignation, and Establish these Churches and Kingdoms in Truth and Peace. And this Covenant We make in the presence of Almighty GOD, the searcher of all hearts, with a true intention to perform the same, as We shall answer at that great Day, when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed; Most humbly beseeching the Lord to strengthen Us by His Spirit, and encourage other Christian Churches groaning under, or in danger of the yoke of Antichristian Tyranny, to joyn in the same, or like Association and Covenant, To the glory of GOD, and the enlargement of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
We could wish this, or either of them might be Revived, and by Authority be made the Touchstone or Shiboleth of every Person to be Elect. But justly despairing thereof we pray you, to agree with us, (who are many thousands) as one man, in the Rule following; Namely, That you give not your suffrage for the Election of any into the aforesaid great Trusts, Who have been of any Illegal High Courts of Justice, or who are, or have been of Committees for Sequestration, Farmers, or other Officers of Excise or Customes, Purchasers of of any the Late Kings, Bishops, Deans, or Chapter Lands, or Delinquents Estates: Nor of their Receivors General, or any of the Officers of the present Army. Since, that from these, and many such others, whose business hath been, and will be, to secure themselves (from that Danger of the Law and such Estate) from a proper reverting the due settlement of the Nation, or just Foundation cannot by Us (not by any, who are not afrighted from their Reasons) be expected, but much rather for the gratifying of the aforesaid Corrupt ends, to see our present Bondage, transmitted to our Posterity, or at least to find our Selves in little time overwhelmed with them, on their approaching Ruine. ‘Revel. 2.5. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy Candlestick out of his place, except thou Repent.’