"bound in Duty to GOD, Religion, the King, "Parliament and Kingdom, to profefs before

GOD, Angels and Men, that we verily believe "that which is fo much feared to be now in Agi"tation, the Taking away the Life of the King "in the prefent Way of Trial, is not only not "agreeable to any Word of GOD, the Princi"ples of the Proteftant Religion (never yet ftain'd "with the leaft Drop of the Blood of a King) or "the fundamental Conftitution and Government of "this Kingdom, but contrary to them, as alfo to "the Oath of Allegiance and the folemn League "and Covenant.

We do therefore according to that our Covenant, in the Name of the great GOD (to "whom all must give a strict Account) warn "and exhort all who belong to our refpective

66

Charges, or any way depend on our Ministry, "or to whom we have adminiftred the faid Cove"nant, (that we may not by our Silence fuffer "them to run upon that highly provoking Sin of Perjury) to keep clofe to the Rules of Religion, to the Laws and their Vows; and to pray that GOD would reftrain the Violence of "Men, that they may not dare to draw upon "themselves and the Kingdom the Blood of their Sovereign."

This folemn Proteft, fign'd by about Fifty of the principal Prefbyterian Minifters, was accompanied with a very bold Remonftrance in a Letter to the General and Council of War, dated Jan. 18, 1648, and delivered to his Excellency by fome of the Ministers, prefac'd thus

If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto Death, and thofe that are ready to be flain: if thou fayeft, behold we know it not! Doth not be that pondereth the Heart confider it? And He that keepeth thy Soul, doth not He know it? And fhall

not

not He render to every Man according to his Works? Prov. xxiv. 11, 12. They therein represent to the General and bis Council" That the Courses "they were proceeding in were unwarrantable; "clearly against the direct Rules of GOD's "Word, and fuch as they ought to testify a "timely and godly Sorrow for That though "the Parliament took up Arms for the Defence of "their Perfons and Privileges, and the Preferva"tion of Religion, Laws and Liberties, yet was "it not their Intention thereby to do Violence to "the Perfon of the King, or to diveft him of "the Regal Authority, or what of Right belong"eth to him-They put them in Mind of the "feveral Oaths and Covenants generally taken "throughout the Kingdom, whereby in the Pre"fence of Almighty GOD, they promised and vow'd "according to the Duty of their Allegiance to main"tain and defend with their Lives, Power and Ef "tate, his Majesty's Royal Perfon, Honour and Ef "tate, and the Power and Privilege. of Parliaments "Inftead therefore of joining and confulting "with you" (the General and Council of War, "with whom they were invited to confer) we do "earnestly intreat you, in the Name of our Lord "and Maiter Jefus Chrift, that you would con

fider the Evil of your prefent Ways, and turn "from them-You cannot but know how fully "and frequently GOD's Word commandeth " and enforceth Obedience and Submiffion to Magiftrates; forbidding and condemning, under "Pain of Damnation, fuch Practices as thefe of yours are as likewife what fevere Threatnings "and exemplary Judgments from GOD have "been denounced againft and inflicted upon the "Contemners and Opposers of this his Ordinance "But if you perfift in thefe Ways, Behold!

66 you

you have finn'd against the Lord; and be fure "your Sin will find you out."

Thefe, with many other Admonitions and Warnings of like Nature (with great Hazard to themselves, and notwithstanding feveral threatning Meffages had been fent them from that Quarter) they boldly delivered to the General and His Officers who had then ufurp'd the supreme Power. Nothing therefore can be more unrighteous, nor more contrary to Truth, than to lay the King's' Death to the Charge of the Prefbyterians.

Dr. Lewis du Moulin, Hiftory Profeffor in Oxford, who lived through those Times, fais, "That ૬ no Party of Men, as a religious Body, were the "Actors of this Tragedy, but it was the ConNeal, Vol. III.“ trivance of an Army; which was a Medly and "Collection of all Parties that were discontented; "fome Courtiers, fome Prefbyterians, fome Epifcopalians; few of any Sect, but most of none, or elfe of the Religion of Hobbes; not to men"tion the Papifts, who had the greateft Hand in "it of all.

55.

But the strongest and most authentick Teftimony is The Act of Attainder of the King's Judges at the Restoration of King Charles II, the Preamble to which fais-" That the execrable Mur"ther of his Royal Father was committed by a "Party of wretched Men, defperately wicked, "who having firft plotted and contrived the Ru"in of this excellent Monarchy, and of the true "Proteftant Religion, found it neceffary to fub"vert the very Being and Conftitution of Parlia"mentAnd for the more eafy effecting their

Attempts on the Perfon of the King, they first feduced fome Part of the then Army into a Compliance, and then kept the reft in Subjection partly for Hopes of Preferment, and chiefly for Fear of Lofing their Employments and Arrears- -They

"declared

declared against all Manner of Treaties with "the Perfon of the King, while a Treaty with "Him was fubfifting; they remonstrated against "the Parliament for their Proceedings; they se"cluded and imprisoned several Members of the "Houfe of Commons, and then there being left but

σε

a fmall Number of their own Creatures, they "fhelter'd themfelves under the Name and Au"thority of a Parliament, and prepared an Ordi"nance for the Trial of his Majefty, which they pursued with Force and Cruelty till they mur"der'd the King, before the Gates of his own "Palace. Thus (fay they) the Fanatick Rage of

66

a FEW Mifcreants ftands imputed by our Ad"verfaries to the whole Nation; we therefore re"nounce, abominate, and protest against it—”

Hence it is plain the King's Death is not to be charg'd upon any religious Party, or Sect of Chriftians, as fuch; nor upon the People of England affembled in Parliament; but upon the Council of Officers and Agitators; who having been deeply engaged in the Tranfactions of thofe Times, and fearing the King's vindictive Temper and the Danger of Trusting to his Promises, thought, tis probable, their own Safety could no other Way be provided for but by this bold and illegal Stroke.

CHA P. XVII.

The Book EIKON BASILIKE was not the Compofure of King CHARLES.

OTHING, perhaps, has more contributed to give a wrong Idea of the real Character of this Prince, than a Book which came forth immediately upon his Death, ftiled Eikon

Bafilike,

Tim. Vol. I.

P. 54.

Bafilike, or a Portraiture of his facred Majesty in his Solitude and Sufferings, faid to be written with the King's own Hand. It paffed through fifty Editions within twelve Months. No Book ever raised the King's Reputation fo high as this. Burnet's Hift. The Piety of the Prayers made all People cry "out against the Murder of a Prince who thought "fo seriously of all his Affairs in his fecret Medi"tations before GOD." It is doubtless from the Meditations and Devotions of this Book, rather than from the prevailing Facts and Tenor of his Life, that the Image of this Prince is drawn, when fuch high Encomiums are given of his Piety and Religion; and he is celebrated as the best of Chriftians, as well as the best of Kings. But the Luftre which this famous Book has caft upon his Royal Character, there is the strongest Keafon to believe, is all counterfeit and falfe. That his Majefty was not its Author, is now proved beyond all juft and reasonable Doubt. And that this the Lord Clarendon very well knew, may be strongly prefum'd from his perfect Silence about it. Had he known, or believ'd this Book, which fo much tended to the Honour of the King, to be really his; it can never be supposed he would have taken no Notice at all of it.

Ibid. Fol. I. P. 54, 55.

"I was bred up, fais Bishop Burnet, with an

high Veneration of this Book: Being confirm'd "in the Perfuafion that it was the King's, I was "not a little furprised when in the Year 1673, in "which I had a great Share of Favour and free "Converfation with the then Duke of York, after"wards King James II, as he fuffered me to "talk very freely to him about Matters of Re

ligion, and as I was urging him with fomething "out of his Father's Book, he told me that "Book was not of his Father's Writing, and "that the Letter to the Prince of Wales was "never brought to him. He faid, Dr. Gawden writ

"it.