66 I. advice. other directions, he advises to "cherish the war, under pre- CHARLES tence of combating popery: for that this was the surest means to engage the people." His other two suggestions mentioned Saltmarsh's by Whitlock, were, First, That all means should be used to keep the king and his people from a sudden union. Secondly, If the king would not grant their demands, then to root him. out and the royal line, and transfer the crown upon somebody else." This desperate advice was read in the house of com- Whitlock's mons. Memorials, p. 68. The successes of the king's arms struck such a terror in the revolters, that the leading members were preparing to retire beyond sea. Had the earl of Newcastle, instead of sitting down before Hull, marched into the associated counties; and had the king at the same time omitted the siege of Gloucester, and made for London, the war in all likelihood had been at an end. But the two houses gaining time by the misconduct of the Royalists, applied to the Scots. The Presbyterian part of that nation promised the English their assistance, upon condition of their taking the covenant. They had already been trying to pass this solemn iniquity upon the English: for the last summer, when they found the revolt broke out with strength, and likely to do business, they sent a form of their Kirk-government to the parliament at Westminster. This was to be the plan the English were to work by. It was re- August 4, commended to the establishment by the Scotch assembly and soon after followed with a declaration "of their affections to the Reformation in Church and State; letting them know that they expected England would now exert herself, and extirpate the prelatical hierarchy; offering their assistance at the same time, to make the undertaking more practicable and easy." The articles of confederacy being agreed between the Husband's English and Scotch revolters, both houses, with the assembly Exact Coll. p. 598. of divines and Scotch commissioners, met in St. Margaret's, The solemn league and Westminster. At this solemnity, one White, a minister of covenant the assembly, prayed an hour for preparing them to take the offered by covenant. After this, Nye, another famous preacher, mounts and taken by the English the pulpit, and makes some remarks upon this engagement; revolters. endeavours to justify it from Scripture precedents, and shows the benefits the Church has received from such combinations. This discourse was seconded by Henderson, one of the Scotch commissioners, who dilated upon the advantages their 1642. August 26, 1646. the Scots, LAUD, nation had received from covenants of this kind; and then Abp. Cant. proceeded to set forth how much the king was governed by ill Sept. 25. counsel, and that the states of Scotland had resolved to assist A.D. 1643. the parliament of England. When Henderson had done, Nye read the covenant in the pulpit, and all the audience held up their hands as a mark of their assent. And the covenant being engrossed in parliament, the lords and commons subscribed it in their respective houses: it was likewise signed by the Whitlock's assembly of divines, and the Scotch commissioners. The tenor Memorials, of this covenant shall be postponed to the year 1647: at which time the reasons of the university of Oxford against it, shall be annexed. In the mean time, I shall only observe, that the king, looking on it as a dangerous confederacy against the Church and State, published a proclamation, forbidding all his subjects either to tender, or take this seditious and treasonable covenant, as they will answer the contrary at their utmost peril. But this proclamation, dated the 9th of October, came Reg. part 1. out somewhat too late. For not only the lords and commons at Westminster, but the city of London, and the army quartered there, had already gone through this rebellious test. p. 70. Biblioth. p. 332. The Scotch, over and above passing their covenant upon the English, had several other encouraging conditions: for instance, the Scotch commissioners were taken into a share of the administration: Gillespy, Henderson, &c. with an equal number of their ruling elders, sat at Westminster, with the assembly-divines. Besides this, an hundred thousand pounds was advanced to them to forward their expedition. Upon this encouragement, the covenanting Scots entered England with a great army, and reinforced the rebellion: but this was not done till the latter end of the year. In the mean time the commons at Westminster passed an order, that the assembly divines should be moved to write to the reformed Churches of Zealand and Holland, and to the Protestants in France, Switzerland, &c. to inform them "of the great artifices and disguises of his majesty's agents in these and of the true state of their affairs. The Scotch comNovember, parts, A. D. 1643. missioners, and the committee of the lords, were likewise desired to join the commons and the assembly for settling this business. Rushworth's part 3. p. 391. Pursuant to this order, they drew up a letter, the greatest part of which shall be translated. Right reverend and dearly beloved in our Lord Jesus CHARLES I. A letter of of divines "We, the assembly of divines and others, convened by the the assembly authority of both houses of the parliament of England, with sent to the the commissioners sent from the general assembly of the Protestant Church of Scotland, salute you heartily in the Lord. "We doubt not but the lamentable reports of the miseries under which the Church and kingdom of England lies bleeding and ready to be swallowed up, (the cup which the righteous Lord has given us to drink,) have reached you long since. And it is probable the same instruments of Satan and Antichrist have endeavoured to represent us as black as it is possible to you it is their method to carry on their interest by calumny and lying, to disguise their bloody designs with specious pretences; to reproach our contest for a more thorough reformation, and bestow hard language on the just defence of our lives and liberties against violence and cruelty. And we sometimes doubt whether we have not been wanting to our own innocency and your satisfaction in being thus long silent. But pardon us, dear brethren, if this cup of trembling wherewith our spirits have been filled to amazement, and our struggling with extreme difficulties, have prevented us from doing this part of our duty. And now be pleased to give us leave to discharge a little of our grief by communicating our condition. For now we shall give you a narrative of the ravage and desolation carried on by an Antichristian faction, who have all along made it their business to check the Reformation and cherish popery; and have now prevailed against us to that degree, that if the Lord, whose judgments are unsearchable, and whose mercies are infinite, does not speedily interpose for our rescue, we must be utterly undone. "How instrumental this treacherous and bloody generation has been in harassing other reformed churches, in ruining the palatinate, and in the loss of Rochelle; and how by counterfeit embassies and treaties for their relief, they have underhand supported a contrary interest, and made things worse than they found them, are so fully known and so sensibly felt by some of yourselves, that we need not say any thing of them. And to make their aversion to you still more demonstrable, abundance of these men have refused to own any of you for a Churches in 827. LAUD, Christian Church: for being not prelatically constituted, they Abp. Cant. conceive your ministers want a lawful mission, which is essential to church governors. And as for ourselves, we are sadly sensible that in all these three kingdoms they have prevailed so far in promoting popery and discouraging religion, that it would require a volume rather than a letter to relate all the particulars." And here they go on to a considerable length of libelling upon the Church and State. After this they proceed to give a narrative of what was done in Scotland. They acquaint the reformed abroad that this Antichristian faction, as they call them, "imposed a new popish book of service of rites and ceremonies upon the whole Scottish nation: that when the piety and zeal of that kingdom refused submission to this usage, they prevailed with his majesty to proclaim them rebels and traitors: and had not the Lord by his blessing upon the Scotch army, by the calling of this parliament, by their godly care to vindicate the innocence of their brethren, and by the treaty of peace soon after concluded, prevented it, the two nations had long since been imbruing their hands in each others' blood. Hos. v. 12. "But though through the goodness of God and his blessing upon the public councils, the English and Scotch were brought to a better understanding and more closely united: and though God had raised up such a spirit throughout this whole kingdom, 'to mourn after the Lord, to lament our backslidings, and to desire a perfect reformation; and had so inclined the hearts of the honourable members of parliament, 'to repair the house of the Lord among us,' that we verily believed, as they go on, our winter was past, and the time of our refreshing at hand: yet, alas! we find it quite otherwise. Our God, who before was a moth and rottenness, is now turned unto a lion to us. We know our sins have deserved all this; and if we all perish, we acknowledge the Lord is righteous; to his hands we submit, and from him alone we expect deliverance. However, we must say, it is the same Antichristian faction that brings these new miseries upon us: and the rage and diligence of these men rises and runs higher since the beginning of this parliament: and which is more, their success has in some measure answered up to their malice. They have raised a bloody rebellion in Ireland; they have alienated his majesty's affection from his good subjects; advised his sur I. prising some members of both houses in a hostile manner; CHARLES prevailed with him to withdraw himself from the parliament and levy an army. At first it was pretended his majesty would muster none but Protestants: but the Papists, both here and beyond sea, knowing the design of these forces, prayed for their success. And over and above gave out they were not to appear till the Protestants were engaged beyond retreat; and that then they were to own the cause, which has happened accordingly. For as soon as a great many seeming Protestants, the most part of which were obnoxious for public misbehaviour, and had been prosecuted for treason and high misdemeanours; as soon as these men had declared for the king, and drawn out into the field, upon pretence of abetting the prerogative, the privileges of parliament, and the Protestant religion; presently, the Papists, who had all along been used with distinguishing favour by the king's forces, had arms put into their hands, and were furnished with military commissions and being thus reinforced with the whole body of the Papists, and provided with ammunition and money from other parts, they range up and down the kingdom, plundering and killing all those who stand firm for religion and the parliament. "And notwithstanding, that the parliament, perceiving these wicked instruments had prevailed with the king to levy forces to protect them from justice, and enable them to carry on their designs; and its members, apprised of this, endeavoured to secure the navy, and places of strength, and provide for the defence of themselves, of their laws, their liberties, and religion; notwithstanding this precaution, the arbitrary faction have disguised their intentions to that degree, and laid such a varnish upon their practice, that now they have increased their party, and carried the sword almost through every part of the kingdom. And to complete our misery, they have at last prevailed with his majesty to own the bloody rebels in Ireland, so far as not only to call them his Roman Catholic subjects now in arms; but to grant them a truce for a year, with liberty to send messages, or come over to his majesty; and under this encouragement many of them have transported themselves and joined our enemies'. This stedfast adherence of the Roman Catholics to the crown is worthy of the highest praise. |