A Frivolous PAPER, In FORME of a PETITION: Framed and compoſed by a DISAFFECTED PARTY in this Citie of London, intended by them to be preſented to the honourable Houſe of COMMONS.
WITH Certaine Conſiderations propounded by way of Advertiſement and Caution unto thoſe who through unadviſedneſſe, are apt to ſubſcribe the ſame.
By a wel-willer to PEACE and TRUTH.
ENLARGED With new Additions, by way of Advertiſement to all ſuch who unadviſedly had ſubſcribed; and three ſpeciall Rules for their preſent Caution, and future Admonition.
LONDON, Printed for STEPHEN BOWTELL, and are to be ſold at his Shop in Popes bead Alley. 1642.
THat the preſent ſenſe of our Miſteries and Apprehenſions of inevitable Ruine both of Church and Common-wealth maketh us to become humble Suiters to this Honourable Aſſembly (the likelieſt meanes under God for our reliefe) to conſider our diſtreſſed ſtate and to provide a ſpeedy remedy for our preſent and future evils.
Earneſtly deſiring you to weigh the Care and Judgement of our Predeceſſors, who by a known Law ſettled and preſerved our Proteſtant Religion, our Liberties and Properties, with the right vnderſtanding betweene King and Subjects, which produced Plenty and Peace in our Streets. And to reflect with ſerious thoughts upon our preſent Diſtempers, violating Religion by Papiſts, and Sectaries, ingaging our Nation in a Civill, bloudy, and deſtructive Warre, in, invading our Lawes, and Liberties, indangering all our Lives, and utter diſabling us to relieve our diſtreſſed Bretheren in Ireland.
Wee beſeech you likewiſe to conſider the effect of a continued Warre, as the Deſtruction of Chriſtians, the unnaturall effuſion of blood, Father againſt Son, Brothers by Brothers, Friends by Friends ſlaine; then a Famine and ſickneſſe the followers of a Civill Warre, making way for a generall confuſion and Invaſion by a forreigne Nation, while our Treaſure is exhauſted, our Trade loſt, and the Kingdome diſpeopled.
3Theſe things weighed and inlarged by your Wiſedomes, we doubt not will be as ſtrong motives in you to labour as in us to deſire a ſpeedy Peace and happy Accomodation.
Wherefore wee humbly crave that not lending an eare to any Fomenters of the preſent Warre under what pretence ſoever; nor remembring ought that may increaſe Jealouſies or continuall Diviſions, betweene his Majeſty and his Houſes of Parliament; you will ſpeedily tender his Majeſty (according to his Royall Intimations) ſuch Propoſitions for Accomodation as hee may with Honour and ſafety to the whole Kingdome accept.
For effecting whereof wee ſhall be ready to aſsiſt you with the beſt and utmoſt of our abilities; and whilſt you endeavour Peace, wee ſhall ſend up our Prayers to Heaven for the bleſsing of Peace upon you, and all that deſire it.
AS God and his Church never wanted enemies, ſo the Divell and Antichriſt never wanted friends for the promotion of prophaneſſe and Idolatry in all places, it is hard to ſay, whether are more the enemies of truth and peace with God, or friends of error and peace with the Divell: men whom the Apoſtle calls ſenſuall, fleſhly, and Divelliſh, lovers of pleaſures more then Lovers of God, who can ſee no further then this life, fearing more the terrors of man then of the Almighty, chuſe rather peace with man, and wrath with God, then the wrath of man and peace with God; the truth of all which doth appeare by a Petition now in agitation; concerning which I have gathered ſome plaine and undeniable obſervations, preſenting them by way of caution unto others, from theſe particulars, viz.
Firſt conſider whether the chiefe ſticklers and fomenters thereof are not notoriouſly known to be Pattentees, Proctors, Delinquents, Malignants, who either have not at all, or any of them in any conſiderable meaſure according to their Eſtates aſsiſted the common cauſe of the Kingdome againſt the common enemy hereof: whoſe pretences though they are for Religion, and Law, and the aid of poore bleeding Ireland, yet they are men Popiſh, Atheiſticall, and prophane in point of Religion, ſome whereof (and they not of the loweſt ſort) have moſt prop•anely and blaſphemouſly in the preſence of thoſe (who being deſired, denied to ſubſcribe to a Petition for peace without truth) curſed truth, ſaying, a pox on truth, give us peace truth will follow, and let us have peace and the Divell take truth, &c. and as for the Law conſider, whether many of them have not gotten their Eſtates by Pattents, a lawleſſe occupation; and as for bleeding Ireland let their Receipts ſhew what they have don for its recovery, which will amount to the ſame nothing as the ſumme which they have disburſed for diſtracted England, they are mutinous and tumultuous profeſsing in the preſence of many, that if this Petition died, they will die with it, and if one ſuffer all will ſuffer, with ſuch like mutinous expreſsions. — Theſe are the parties.
Secondly, conſider the nature of this Petition, and ſee if yee finde it not intolerably ſaucy and peremptory againſt the Parliament in many particulars.
Firſt in taxing cloſely but cleerely this preſent Parliament with inconſideration of the known Laws of the Land, as if either they were ignorant thereof, or impotent thereby, as not able to repeale or alter the ſame, being made by themſelves in their predeceſſors having power to nul the ſame at their pleaſure.
Secondly, conſider whether they do not covertly, but unavoidably tax this preſent Parliament, either with indiſcretion in that they preſume to be wiſer then their predeceſſors, and therefore deſire them to weigh the care and judgement of our predeceſſors, who by a known Law ſetled and preſerved our Proteſtant Religion and Property, &c. or elſe cloſely implying, that this preſent Parliament accuſeth former Parliaments of folly and unadviſedneſſe, in that they have confirmed thoſe things that muſt now be reverſed; either whereof is moſt unſufferable arrogancy and Nationall injury.
Thirdly, conſider whether they do not tax this preſent Parliament5 with their tendring unto his Majeſty ſuch Propoſitions hitherto, which hee may not with his honour, and ſafety of the Kingdom accept, and therefore they deſire that they would ſpeedily tender unto his Majeſty (according to his regall intimations) ſuch Propoſitions for Accommodation, as He may with honour, and ſafety to the whole Kingdom accept: Whereas it is moſt evidently known, that many Propoſitions have bin tendred, and not one either to the diſhonour of the King, whoſe greateſt honour would be to governe his Kingdom by the adviſe of his great Councell, and faithfull Parliament, and not by the Malignant Counſells of Papiſts, and Traytors, and out-law'd Delinquents: neither hath there bin one Propoſition tendred which doth not moſt uberouſly carry along with it the ſafety and future proſperity of this Kingdom.
Fourthly conſider whether the Malignity of this Petition doth not appeare in many phraſes and expreſsions ſcattered up and down therein, as if it were the birth of the ſame womb which hath lately bin very fruitfull in many printed and ſcandalous Pamphlets, in caſting reproaches, and moſt unworthy ſcandalls, upon both Houſes of Parliament, ſuch as The known Law of the Land; aſcribing the violation of our Religion to Papiſts and Sectaries: Under which latter word, hath ever bin implied, every man that in any thing hath differed from the Biſhops Innovations, and ſuperſtitious Ceremonies, in the government of the Church: Thus the malignity of this Petition appeares in the nature of it.
Thirdly, conſider the undoubtedly aimed at Conſequences and Tendences thereof, which muſt be ſuch as theſe,
Firſt, the raiſing of mutinies, diviſions and diſcontents in the City (the unity whereof is the ruine of the common enemie) that the report hereof in the Countries, whoſe eyes are upon the City, may diſcourage the well affected there, and ſo the common cauſe may meet with reluctancy throughout the whole Kingdom.
Secondly, that the enemy now very weake and like to fall of themſelves for want of Amunition and meanes (the vitall blood of an Army) may yet ſtrengthen and encourage themſelves, and make ſhift by plundering, robbing, and ſpoyling the Countrey, to ſpin out a little time, knowing that our diviſion here, if continued, will effectually advantage them in their bloody deſignes: and thus theſe hypocriticall Petitioners as Ehud to Eglon, cry Peace, Peace, to the Kingdom,6 while they ſecretly and maliciouſly endeavour to thruſt a Sword of deſtruction into the bowels thereof.
Thirdly, a third aim'd at effect muſt be this, the ſtiring up of other their Brethren malignant wretches in other parts of the Kingdom, ad exemplum to do the like that ſo they may bring the whole Kingdom divided againſt i•ſelfe to inevitable ruine, whereas by the mercy of the Almighty the preſent care and endeavour of our Parliament, by our Forces abroad, and aſſociations of the ſeverall Counties againſt the common enemy, may put a very ſpeedy and timely end unto theſe preſent troubles, with all advantages both to Church, and State, and deſired aſsiſtance of our poore Brethren in Ireland.
Fourthly, they now well perceive that they ſhall no longer be tolerated either in their detected malignity, or unworthy newtrality, but Nolentes Volertes ſhall be compel'd by juſt aſſeſments and cenſures in their eſtates to helpe the preſent ſtate of the Kingdom, and therefore will now adventure ſuch courſes as may bring all to confuſion, rather then be helpefull, endeavouring like Iudas for a little moneys ſake, under colour of a kiſſe of of peace, to betray the Kingdom into the hands of violent and bloody men, and although like reverend Pluſh-cloakes, and intelligent States-men they cry out againſt the Parliament, ſaying, did they not plead the Subjects propertie, loe where is property if they ſhall take what they pleaſe from us? yet they may know, that though we may plead property in reſpect of the Kings taxing without Law, yet wee can pleade no property from the Parliament in a time of imminent danger, into whoſe diſpoſall we have committed our eſtates and all that we have, which we never did to the King; and ſurely were our Parliament as ſelviſh as theſe Petitioners are, we ſhould all have known long before this time, what the power of a Parliament had bin, by our ruine and ſlavery, being not in the tenth meaſure ſo provoked by ſuch ingratitude, and unnaturall provocations, as they have bin.
Fiftly, conſider what a rock we may run upon, thus unthankfully to provoke the Parliament, may they not compremiſe differences to their own perſonall ſafe•y, and preferment, and our irrecoverable ſlavery? have they not us at ſuch advantage, that they may undoe us every houre? can we alleadge any thing againſt them wherein they have bin unfaithfull in that truſt we committed to their charge? is it not in the proſecution of our peace, wherein they meet with ſuch7 frownes and oppoſitions from above? have they not hazarded their eſtates and livelyhoods for us? did not many of them oppoſe with their blood in their perſonall adventures, the malignity of that unnaturall and bloody Army that came againſt their mother Nation? did we not chuſe them becauſe we thought they would be faithfull? and ſhall we diſtaſt them for their faithfullneſſe; hath not the peace and wel-fare of the Kingdom bin pretious in their eyes? let malice it ſelfe produce any inſtance to the contrary: what had become of us before this time had not their care and diligence in ſecuring the Seas prevented thoſe preparations made beyond the Seas by known Traytors to the Kingdom? hath God by them diſcovered ſo many plot? prevented ſo many apparant dangers? freed us from ſo many preſlures, and taxations? procured ſo much freedom for us? and doe we thus requite them? had they not every day a freſh ointment from above with the Spirit of meekneſſe and love unto the Kingdom, they would make our hearts ake for ſuch daring provocations as this Petition imports.
It is not to be doubted but many have put their hands hereunto, not diſcerning any ſuch malignity either in the nature or conſequences thereof, whoſe integrity and diſcretion can no way better be vindicated but by their Recantation, which if I might be their Monito•) ſhould be as publiquely divulged as is their unadviſedneſſe, againſt theſe; the imputation implyed in what hath been ſaid is not intended; but becauſe honeſt men have beene more then once taken by this ſlight, I ſhall deſire to propound two or three Rules of adviſe for their caution and prevention aſtainſt another time.
Firſt take ſpeciall notice of the prime and chiefe Actors and Promoters in matters of this nature. It is hard to draw evill men to good actions, eſpecially for Church and State; therefore will I ſuſpect that wherein they are more forwarder then honeſter men.
Secondly, obſerve theſe men and their number; who ſeconds any thing of this kind once begun, evill men (though one age hath been delivered of two ſuch births) may happily both centrive and bring forth a Deſigne intending both the purity of Religion and Peace of the Kingdome together, but ſeldome ſeconded by many ſuch as themſelves; and never deſerted by a more conſcientious party; if I cannot ſee who the Leaders are, I will take the more notice of the followers, and accordingly will I come up in the Reare, or decline them.
8Thirdly, let not the goodneſſe, or badneſſe, quality, or number of men in any matter wherein your ſubſcription is required, quit your owne perſonall examination thereof, if any thing bee propounded chiefly by ſuſpitious men, lege, per lege, & relege; read it, and that throughly and over againe; for though ſuch men are moſt apt to call men more uprigh•then themſelves, hypocrytes and diſſemblers; yet you ſhall find a great dexterity in this•ivi••iſh Art of diſſembling in ſuch mens expreſſures: plauſible intimations of aiming at Religion, and the good of the Kingdome, are commonly the greene leaves, under which they hatch their Cockatrice Fggs, as is their pretence in this Petition, though the chief Actors were never knowne to have the leaſt dram of true love either to Religion or Kingdome.
In fine, let us follow hard after Peace but harder after Truth, the beſt peace will follow truth, though truth will not follow every peace; let us pray for peace, but of Jeruſalem, not of Babylon; if our peace be enmity to truth, truth will quickly devour our peace: let us admit of a p•ace upon any termes of perſonall diſadvantage, ſo we engage not the God of peace againſt us; what ever we abate of that which is called ours, yet let us not leave a hoof behinde of all that is called Gods; better it is to purchaſe Truth for our poſterity by our blood, then to betray them by a ſinfull peace. God hath hither to bin with us, while we have bin with him, if we forſake him he will forſake us: though the Sons of Anak be great and tall, yet ſhall God drive them out before us as he hath don: If we honour God by believing he will honour us by ſucceeding our endeavours; 'tis true God bids us follow Peace, but never without Holyneſſe.
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