4

"it be believ'd, that they intended them for his Guardians, "and Controllers in the managing of that Truft, which God "and the Law had granted to Him, and to his Pofterity for "ever? What the extent of the Commiffion, and Truft was, "nothing could better teach them than the Writ, whereby "they are met. His Majefty faid, he call'd them (and withcr out that call, they could not have come together) to be his "Counfellors, not Commanders (for however they frequent"ly confounded them, the Offices were feveral) and Coun"fellors not in all things, but in fome things, de quibufdam arduis, &c, And they would easily find among their Pre"cedents, that Queen Eliz. upon whofe time all good Men "looked with reverence, committed one Wentworth, a Mem"ber of the Houfe of Commons, to the Tower, fitting the "House, but for propofing that they might advise the Queen "in a matter She thought they had nothing to do to meddle "in. But his Majefty is Trufted: And is He the only Per"fon Trufted? And might they do what their own inclina❝tion and fury led them to? Were they not Trusted by his "Majefty, when he first fent for them; and were they not "Trufted by him, when he paffed them his promise, that he "would not Diffolve them? Could it be prefumed (and prefumptions go far with them) that he trusted them with a power to destroy himself, and to diffolve his Government, "and Authority? If the People might be allowed to make an equitable conftruction of the Laws and Statutes, a Doctrine "avowed by them, would not all his good Subjects fwear, he "never intended by that Act of Continuance, that they fhould "do what they have fince done? Were they not Trusted by "those that fent them? And were they Trufted to alter the "Government of Church and State; and to make themselves "perpetual Dictators over the King, and People? Did they

intend, that the Law it self should be fubject to their Votes; "and that whatfoever they faid, or did, fhould be Lawful, "because they declared it fo? The Oaths they had taken "who fent them, and without taking which, themselves were "not capable of their place in Parliament, made the one in"capable of giving, and the other of receiving fuch a Truft; "unless they could perfwade his good Subjects, that his Ma"jefty is the only Supreme Head, and Governour in all "Causes, and over all Perfons, within his Dominions; and << yet that they had a Power over him to conftrain him to "manage his Trust, and Govern his Power, according to "their Difcretion.

"THE Contrivers of that Declaration told his Majesty "that they would never allow him (an humble, and dutiful "expreffion) to be judge of the Law; That belonged only

"to Them; They might, and must, judge and declare. His "Majefty faid, they all knew what power the Pope, under "pretence of interpreting Scriptures, and declaring Articles "of Faith, though he decline the making the one or the other, "had ufurped over Men's confciences; and that, under co"lour of having power of ordering all things for the Good of "Men's Souls, he entitles himself to all the Kingdoms of the "world; He would not accuse the Framers of that Declara"tion (how bold foever they were with his Majesty) that "they inclined to Popery, of which another Maxim was, "that all Men muft fubmit their Reason and Understand"ing, and the Scripture it felf, to that declaring power of "his: Neither would he tell them, though They had told "Him fo, that they use the very Language of the Rebels of "Ireland: and yet they fay thofe Rebels declare, that what"foever they do, is for the Good of the King and King"dom. But his good Subjects would easily put the cafe to "themselves, whether if the Papifts in Ireland in truth were, "or by Art or Accident, had made themselves the Major

part of both Houses of Parliament there; and had pre"tended the Truft in that Declaration from the Kingdom of "Ireland; thereupon, had Voted their Religion and Liberty "to be in danger of extirpation from a Malignant Party of "Proteftants and Puritans; and therefore, that they would "put themselves into a pofture of Defence; that the Forts, "and the Militia of that Kingdom were to be put into the "hands of fuch Perfons, as they could Confide in; that his "Majefty was indeed trufted with the Towns, Forts, Maga"zines, Treasures, Offices and People of the Kingdom, for the good, fafety, and beft advantage thereof; but as his "Truft is for the ufe of the Kingdom, fo it ought to be ma"naged by the Advice of both Houfes of Parliament, whom "the Kingdom had trufted for that purpose, it being their "duty to fee it difcharged according to the condition, and true intent thereof, and by all poffible means to prevent "the contrary: His Majefty faid, let all his good Subjects "confider, if that Rebellion had been plotted with all that "formality, and thofe circumstances declar'd to be legal, at "leaft according to the Equitable sense of the Law, and to be "for the publick good, and juftifiable by neceffity, of which They were the only Judges, whether, though they might "have thought their defign to be more Cunning, they would believe it the more Juftifiable.

cr

"NAY let the Framers of that Declaration ask themselves, "if the evil Counsellors, the Malignant Party, the Perfons "ill affected, the Popish Lords and their Adherents, should cr prove now, or hereafter, to be a Major part of both Houses

(for

1

"(for it had been declared that a great part of both Houfes "had been fuch, and fo might have been the Greater; Nay, "the greater part of the Houfe of Peers was ftill declar'd to "be fuch, and his Majefty had not heard of any of their con"verfion; and thereupon it had been earnestly preffed, that "the Major part of the Lords might joyn with the Major part of the Houfe of Commons) would his Majesty be "bound to consent to all fuch alterations, as those Men should "propose to him, and Refolve to be for the publick Good: "and fhould the Liberty, Property, and Security of all his "Subjects, depend on what fuch Votes fhould declare to be "Law? Was the Order of the Militia unfit, and unlawful, "whilft the Major part of the Lords refused to joyn in it "(as they had done two or three feveral times, and it was "never heard, before this Parliament, that they should be fo, "and fo often preffed after a Diffent declared) and did it "grow immediately neceffary for the publick fafety, and law"ful by the Law of the Land, affoon as fo many of the dif «fenting Peers was driven away (after their Names had "been required at the Bar, contrary to the freedom, and "foundation of Parliament) that the other Opinion prevailed? "Did the Life, and Liberty of the Subject depend upon fuch "Accidents of days, and hours, that it was impossible for "him to know his Right in either? God forbid.

"BUT now, to juftify their Invafion of his Majesty's an"cient, unqueftion'd, undoubted Right, fettled and efta"blifh'd on his Majefty and his Pofterity by God himself; "confirm'd, and ftrengthen'd by all poffible Titles of Com"pact, Laws, Oaths, perpetual and uncontradicted Custom, "by his People; What had they alledg'd to declare to the "Kingdom, as they fay, the obligation that lieth upon the "Kings of this Realm to pafs all fuch Bills, as are offer'd

unto them by both Houses of Parliament? A thing never "heard of till that day: An Oath (Authority enough for "them to break all theirs) that is, or ought to be, taken by "the Kings of this Realm, which is as well to remedy by "Law fuch Inconveniences the King may fuffer, as to keep, "and protect the Laws already in being: And the Form of "this Oath, they faid, did appear upon a Record there cited; "and by a Claufe in the Preamble of a Statute, made in the "25th Year of Edw. III.

"His Majefty faid, he was not enough acquainted with "Records to know whether that were fully, and ingenuoufly "cited; and when, and how, and why, the feveral Clauses "had been inferted, or taken out of the Oaths formerly ad"minifter'd to the Kings of this Realm: Yet he could not "poffibly imagine the affertion that Declaration made, could

"be deduced from the words, or the matter of that Oath: for "unless they had a power of declaring Latin, as well as Law, "fure, elegerit, fignified bath chofen, as well as will choofe; "and that it fignified fo there (befides the Authority of the "perpetual Practice of all fucceeding times: a better Inter"preter than their Votes) it was evident, by the reference "it had to customs, confuetudines quas Vulgus elegerit: And "could that be a Cuftom, which the People fhould choose af"ter this Oath taken? And fhould a King be fworn to defend "fuch Customs? Befides could it be imagin'd, that he thould "be bound by Oath to pass fuch Laws (and fuch a Law was "the Bill they brought to him of the Militia) as fhould put "the power, wherewith he was trufted, out of Himself into "the hands of other Men; and divert and difable himself of "all poffible power to perform the great bufinefs of the Oath; "which was to protect them? If his Majefty gave away all "his power, or if it were taken from him, he could not pro"tect any Man: And what discharge would it be for his Ma "jefty either before God or Man, when his Good Subjects, "whom God and the Law had committed to his charge, "fhould be worried and spoiled, to fay that he trusted others "to protect them? That is, to do that Duty for him, which was effentially, and infeparably his own. But that all his good Subjects might fee how faithfully thefe Men, who af"fumed this Truft from them, defired to discharge their Truft; "he would be contented to publifh, for their fatisfaction (a matter notorious enough, but what he himself never thought "to have been put to publish, and of which the Framers of "that Declaration might as well have made ufe, as of a Latin "Record they knew many of his good Subjects could not, and "many of themselves did not understand) the Oath it felf he "took at his Coronation, warranted and enjoyn'd to it by "the Cuftoms, and Directions of his Predeceffors; and the "Ceremony of theirs, and his taking it; they might find it " in the Records of the Exchequer; This it is:

THE Sermon being done, the Arch-Bishop goeth to the King, and asks his willingness to take the Oath usually taken by his Predeceffors:

THE King fheweth himself willing, and goeth to the Altar; the Arch-Bifhop adminifters these Questions, and the King Answereth them severally:

Epifcopus. S', will you grant and keep, and by your Oath confirm to the People of England, the Laws and Customs to them granted by the Kings of England, your Lawful and Re

ligious

ligious Predeceffors: And namely the Laws, Customs, and Franchises granted to the Clergy, by the Glorious King Saint Edward, your Predeceffor, according to the Laws of God, the true Profeffion of the Gospel establish'd in this Kingdom, and agreeable to the Prerogative of the Kings thereof, and the Ancient Cuftoms of this Realm?

Rex. I grant, and promise to keep them.

Epifc. S', will you keep Peace, and godly agreement entirely, according to your power, both to God, the Holy Church, the Clergy, and the People?

Rex. I will keep it.

Epife. Sr, will you to your Power, caufe Law, Juftice, and Difcretion, in Mercy and Truth, to be executed in all your Judgments?

J.

Rex. 1 will.

Epifc. S', will you grant to hold, and keep the Laws, and rightful Cuftoms, which the Commonalty of this your Kingdom have; and will you defend, and uphold them to the Honour of God, fo much as in you lieth?

Rex. I grant, and promise so to do.

THEN one of the Bishops reads this Admonition to the King, before the People, with a loud Voice.

OUR Lord and King, we beseech you, to pardon, and to grant, and to preserve unto us, and to the Churches committed to our Charge, all Canonical Privileges, and due Law, and Juftice; and that you would protect, and defend us, as every good King in his Kingdom ought to be Protector, and Defender of the Bishops, and Churches under their Go

vernment.

The King Anfwereth;

WITH a willing and devout Heart I promife, and grant my Pardon; and that I will preserve and maintain to you, and the Churches committed to your Charge, all Canonical Privileges, and due Law, and Justice, and that I will be your Protector and Defender, to my Power, by the affistance of God, as every good King in his Kingdom in right ought to protect, and defend the Bishops, and the Churches under the Government.

THEN