THe next thing proposed by them for a speedy Peace and Settlement, is the bringing of the King to speedy Justice for all his Treasons and Blood-shed in the late Wars, and to Depose and Execute him as the greatest capital Male­factor in the Kingdom:

This certainly is a very dangerous and unlikely way to Peace and Settlement. First of all, The smiting of the Shepherd, is the way to scatter, not unite the Sheep. The slaying of the King or General in the Field, Scatters and Dissolves the Army, not secures them: To cut off a King'd­head, is the next way to destroy, not cure a diseas'd Body: Such kind of State Policy may destroy, or disturb, but never Settle us in perfect Peace: The Prince his next Heir, the Queen, the Duke of York, all his Children, and Allies both at Home and Abroad, will certainly meditate Revenge, and all Kings in Christendom will assist them, even for their own Interest and Safety, least it should become a President for them­selves. And will this then secure, or be a likely way to Peace or Settle­ment.

2. The greatest part of the Members in both Houses, the Lords, Gentlemen, and all sorts of People throughout the Kingdom, the whole Kingdoms of Scotland and Ireland, (who have as great an Interest in the Kings Person, being their Lawful King, as we have, and are ob­liged by Allegiance and Covenant to protect his Person and Crown from violence) will unanimously, as one man oppose and protest a­gainst it, and by force of Arms, endeavour to bring those to Execution who shall presume to advise, or attempt to depose or destroy the King in any kind, contrary to their Allegiance and solemn Covenant: Yea, all Protestant Realms, Churches, States in Foreign parts, will abhor both the fact, and adjudge it contrary to their Principles and Religion, and that which may irritate Popish Kings, and Princes to take up Arms [Page 2] to ruine them, lest they should fall into the like practises. And can this then be a safe or speedy way to Peace and Settlement, especially when we know not what Government shall succeed upon it, and can expect nothing but bloody consequences from such a bloody advice.

3dly. I never read of any Peace or Settlement in any Kingdom, where King-killing was practised or approved. When the Roman Armies began once to Kill their Emperors, and cut off their Heads, They were scarce ever free from Civil-wars. One Army set up one Emperor, another Army another, the Senate a third, who always Warred till they had cut off one anothers Heads. Most of those Emperors had very short reigns, few of them above a year or two, and some of them scarce two Months, but most of them untimely Deaths. In Sclavonia and Norway where they had a Law, that he that slew a Tyrant King, should succeed him in the Throne: They had almost every year a new King, perpetual wars and discords, and not one of all their Kings for above one hundred years together, ever came to a natural Death, but was murthered as a Tyrant, and succeeded by a worse and greater Tyrant, as Saxogramaticus and Nubrigensis testify.

And in the sacred Story it self, it is very observable, That after ten Tribes revolted from Rehoboam, though by Gods Justice and approbation for Solomons sins; they had never any Peace or Settlement, but perpetual Wars with one Kingdom or another, or between themselves: Their Kings, or most of them were all Tyrants and Idolators, and by the just Hand of God, for the most part tumultuously slain and murthered one of and by another, who succeeded them: He that murthered his Predecessor, being usually slain by his Successor, or his Predecessors Sons, Servants, or by the People of the Land, in a tumultuous way: In the 2 Kings 15. We read in that one Chapter, of no less then four of those Kings slain, one by another: and as for the People under these Kings, they had never any rest, peace, settlement, or freedom, but lived under the greatest misery and oppression that ever any Subjects un­der Heaven did, as the sacred History records. This King-killing cer­tainly can be then no probable way at all to Peace, Safety, Settlement, or Freedom, but the Policy to deprive us eternally of all these, and of God, and Religion to boot; as it did the ten Tribes heretofore.

4thly. This way to Peace and Settlement, is directly contrary to all the former Ingagements, Oathes, and several Petitions, Declarations, Remonstrances, Protestations, and Professions of both Houses of Par­liament: To the King, kingdom, People, wherein we have alwayes protested and held forth unto them both before and since the Wars. That we will preserve and protect the Kings Person from danger, support his royal Estate with Honour and Plenty at Home, with Power and reputation Abroad, and by our Loyal Affections, Actions and Advice, lay a sure and lasting foundation of the Greatness and Prosperity of his Majesty, and his royal Posterity in future times. That we are still resolved to keep our selves [Page 3] within the bounds of Faithfulness and Allegiance to his sacred Person and Crown. That we will with our Lives, Fortunes, Estates, and with the last drop of our Blood endeavour to support His Majesty, and his just Soveraignty and Power over Us; and to prevent all dangers to his Majesties Person.

That we took up Arms as well for a Defence of His Majesty to Protect his Person, as the Kingdom and Parliament; without any intent to hurt or in­jure His Majesties Person or Power: Professing in the presence of Almighty God, That we would receive him with all Honour, yeild Him all due Obedi­ence and Subjection, and Faithfully endeavour to secure His Person and Estate from all danger, and to the uttermost of our Power to procure and establish to Him and His People, all the Blessings of a Glorious and Happy raign; which both Houses several times profest and remonstrated to the World. TO MURDER and DEPOSE THE KING, was such a scandal, as any that profess'd the name of a Christian, could not have so little Charity as to raise it; especially when they must needs know, the Protestation taken by every Member of both Houses, whereby they Promise in the presence of Almighty God, to defend His Majesties Person; and all their Addresses and Petitions to Him expressing the contrary: That they never suffered it to enter into their Thoughts to Depose the King, abhorring the very Thought of it, much more the Intent. That they never suffered the word DEPOSING the King, To go out of their Mouthes, nor the thing to enter into their Thoughts. That they rest assured, both God and Man will abominate that Monstrous and most Injurious Charge laid upon the Representative Body of this whole Kingdom by the Malignant Party, against the King, as Designing not only the ruine of his Majesties Person, but of Monarchy it self: The Authors of which malicious horrid scandal, they profess to make the Instances of their exemplary Justi [...]e, so soon as they shall be discovered. Now for Us after all these multiplyed reiterated Protestations, Promises, Engagements, Declarations, Remonstran­ces to all the World, from the beginning of the Differences and Wars till now, to think or talk of Deposing and Destroying the King, and altering the Government, as the only safe and speedy way to Peace and Settlement, as the Army-Remonstrants prescribe; would be such a most detestable breach of publick Faith; such a most Perfidious, Treache­rous, Unrighteous wicked Act, as not only Gods, Angels, and good Men; but the very worst of Turks and Devils would abhor: And therefore its a Miracle to me, that these precions SAINTS should thus impudently, before all the World propose to the House, and force you to pursue it, to stain your Reputation, and make you execrable to God and Men.

5thly. The very Oath of Allegiance, which every one of us hath taken, upon our first admission to be Members, engageth us in posi­tive terms, Not to offer any hurt or violence to His Majesties Royal Person, [Page 4] State or Government; to bear Faith and true Allegiance to His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors; and Him and Them to defend to the uttermost of Our power, against all Conspiracies and Attempts whatsoever, which shall be made against His or Their Persons, Crown, or Dignity: And from our hearts to abhor, detest, and abjure as Impious and Heretical, this Heath­nish and Turkish Doctrine: That Princes Excommunicated, or deprived by the People, (as it seems the King is now for extirpating Episcopacy, Popery, Mass, and Prelacy out of his Dominions by his present Con­cessions, without any possibility or hopes of replanting) may be De­posed or Murthered by their Subjects, or any other whatsoever. Which Hellish contrivance and practice, as our whole State and Parliament, in the State of 3 Jac. cap. 1, 4, 5. 35 Eliz. cap. 1. and other Acts re­solve, is the only way to unsettle, ruine and subvert, not to settle and establish the Peace and Government of our Realm. And both Houses since this Parliament, have by a solemn Protestation, first, and by a solemn League and Covenant since, with Hands lifted up to the most high God, engaged both themselves and the three Kingdoms of Eng­land, Scotland and Ireland, by a most sacred and serious Vow and Pro­testation (purposely made and prescribed by them, For the Honour and Happiness of the King and His Posterity, and the true publick Liberty, Safety and Peace of the three Kingdoms, as the Title and Preface declare) Sincerely, Really, and Constantly to endeavour with their Estates and Lives, TO PRESERVE AND DEFEND THE KINGS MAJESTIES PERSON AND AUTHORITY, in the preservation and defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdom, (which he hath now fully and actually performed by his Concessions in this Treaty) That the World may bear witness with our Consciences OF OUR LOYALTY; and that WE HAVE NO THOUGHTS OR INTENTIONS TO DIMINISH HIS MAJESTIES JUST POWER AND GREAT­NESS. And shall also with all Faithfulness endeavour the discovery of all such as shall be Incendiaries, or evil Instruments, by DIVIDING THE KING FROM HIS PEOPLE; That they may be brought to speedy Tryal, and receive condign Punishment. And shall not suffer themselves directly, or indirectly, by whatsoever combination or terror, to be withdrawn or make defection from this Covenant; but shall all the days of their Lives really and constantly continue therein against all Opposition, and promote the same against all lets impediments whatsoever. And this Covenant we all made in the presence of Almighty God, the searcher of all Hearts; WITH A REAL INTENTION TO PER­FORM THE SAME, as we shall answer at that great day, when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed.

[Page 5] Now how we who are Members of this House, or any who are Sub­jects of our Three Kingdoms, or Officers and Souldiers in the Army, who have taken this Oath of Allegiance, Protestation, League or Cove­nant, or any of them, (as some of them have done, all or two of them at least, sundry times over) can, without the highest Perjury to God, Treachery to the King, Perfidiousness to the Kingdom, Infamy to the World, Scandal to the Protestant Religion, and Eternal dishonour to the Parliament and Themselves, Athiestically break through or elude all those most Sacred aod Religious tyes upon our Souls, by a speedy publick Dethroning and Decolling of the King, and Dis-inheriting His Posterity; (as the Army Remonstants advise) and that in the open view of the World, and that All-seeing God to whom we have thus Appealed and Sworn, by any Equivocations or Distinctions, (of which the Armies Re­monstrance is full) or Professions of our damnable Hypocrisie in the breaking of them, transcends my understanding. And for those who Style themselves SAINTS, and charge this as one of the Highest Crimes against the King, His frequent breach of Oaths and Promises, to tran­scend him and Traytors in this very sin, is such a Monster of Impiety, as I concelve could never have entred into the hearts of Infidels, or the worst of Men or Devils. And to act this under a pretext to Preserve and Settle the Peace of the Kingdom, is such a Solecism, as militates point-blank against the very words and scope both of this Oath, Pro­testation, League, and Covenant, which crosseth not the Oaths of Su­premacy and Allegiance, but more strongly engageth Men to preserve and de­fend the Kings Person and Autohority, in the Preservation and Defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdom; as the Assembly of Divines, and both Houses affirm in their Exbortation to take the Covenant, which prescribes this as the only means of securing and preserving Peace in all the Three Kingdoms; to preserve the Person and Honour of the King, His Crown and Dignity, from any such Violence and Invasion as is now suggested by the Army, which all three of them ingage us, and all Three Kingdoms, with our Lives and Fortunes really and constantly to oppose, against all Lets and Impediments, &c. and to bring those to condign punishment as Incendiaries and evil Instru­ments who suggest it. So as if the Army will proceed in this Diaboli­cal destructive way, of Treason and Ruine, We, and all Three King­doms are solemnly engaged with our Estates and Lives unanimously to oppose and bring them to Justice. And is this then the way to pub­lick Peace and Settlement, to raise another new War to murder one another in this new Quarrel, wherein the Army and their adherents, must be the sole Malignants and Enemies we must Fight with, &c? No verily, but the high-way to the Kingdoms and Armies ruine, whose Commissions we are obliged to revoke; whose Contributions we must [Page 6] in Conscience withdraw; and whose Power we must with our own lives resist, unless we will be Perjured, and guilty of breach of Cove­nant in the highest degree, if they persist in these Anti-Covenant De­mands.

7. The King having granting us whatever we have, or can demand for the safety and preservation of our Religion, Laws and Liberties; and both Houses engaged themselves by Vote in answer to the Kings Propositions, to restore him to a condition of Freedom, Honour, and Safe­ty, according to the Laws of the Realm, (which was the Armies own Pro­posals in his behalf in August 1647.) We can neither in Honesty, Ho­nour, Justice nor Conscience (were He ten thousand times worse than the Army would render Him) Depose and bring Him to Execution. It being against all the rules of Justice, and Honour between two pro­fessed Enemies, who had no relations one to another; much more be­tween King and Subjects in a Civil War, a thing without President in any Ages. To this the Army Remonstrance answers, That this would be thought an unreasonable and unbeseeming demand in a Personal Treaty, be­tween Persons standing both free, and in equal ballance of Power; but not when one Party is wholly subdued, captivated, imprisoned, and in the others Power. But this certainly is a difference spun with an Athiestical thred; For to Treat with any King in our Power, or out of it, on Articles of Peace, upon these terms; That if He consent to them, We will re­store Him to the Throne with Honour, Freedom, Safety; and when He hath yielded us our Demands, then to Depose and cut of His Head; is the highest breach of Faith, Truth, Honour, and Justice, that can be imagined: and those who dare justifie such Perfidious and Unchristian dealing, deserve rather the Style of Turks and Athiests, than Pious Saints.

8. There is no president in Scripture, that the General Assembly, or Sanhedrin of the Jews or Israelites, did ever Judically Imprison, De­pose, or Execute any one of the Kings of Judah or Israel, tho' many of them were the grossest Idolaters, and wickedst Princes under Hea­ven; who shed much innocent blood, and oppressed the People sundry ways. We know that David himself committed Adultery with Uriah his Wife, a faithful Servant and Souldier, while he was with his Gene­ral Joab in the Field: And then afterwards caused him to be Treache­rously slain. Yet neither the Assembly the Elders, nor Joab and the Army under him, did impeach or crave Justice against him for these sins, tho' he lived impenitently in them. And when he numbered the People afterwards, for which sin seventy thousand of his Subjects lost their lives; yet was he not Arraigned nor Deposed for it: and God who is Sovereignly just, tho' David was the principal Malefactor in this case, if not the sole; and thereupon, when he saw the Angel that [Page 7] smote the People, cried out, Lo, I have sinned and done wickedly; but these Sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand be against me and my Fathers House: Yet God spared him and his Houshold, tho' the Principals, and punished the People only with death, for this sin of his. After him So­lomon his Son, a Man Eminent for Wisdom and Piety at first, Aposta­tiz'd to most gross Idolatry of all sorts, to please his Idolatrous Wives, and became a great oppressor of his People, making their burdens very heavy, yet the Subjects or Souldiers did neither Impeach nor De­pose him for it: and tho' he were the principal Offendor, yet God spared him for Davids sake, in not taking the ten Tribes from him for these sins, during his life; though he rent them from his Son Rehoboam, who was at most but accessary, for his Fathers sins, not his. True it is, some of the Idolatrous Kings of Israel, by the just avenging Hand of God, were slain by private Conspiracies, and popular Tumults, in an Illegal way: but not Deposed nor Arraigned by their Sanhedrins, or General Congregations; and those who slew them, were sometimes slain by others who aspired to the Crown, or by the People of the Land, or by their Children who Succeded them; and came to untimely Tragical ends.

9. Tho there be some presidents of Popisb States and Parliaments Deposing their Popish Kings and Emperours at home, and in Foreign parts, in an extraordinary way, by power of an armed Party: Yet there is no president of any one Protestant Kingdom or State, that did ever yet Judically Depose or bring to Execution, any of their Kings and Princes, though never so bad, whether Protestants or Papists; and the Protestants in France, though some of their Kings, when they had invested them in their Thrones, became Apostates to Popery, and Per­secutors of Their People; albeit they resisted them by force of arms in the Field to preserve their lives; did never once attempt to pull Them from Their Thrones, or bring Their Persons unto Justice: And I hope our Protestant Parliament will never make the first president in this kind, nor stain Their Honour or Religion with the blood of a Prote­stant King, against so many Oaths, Protestations, Covenants, Declarations, and Remonstrances made and published by Them to the contrary.

10. For the presidents of Eeward II. and Richard II. in times of Popery, they were rather forcible resignations by Power of an Army, then judical deprivations, neither of them being ever legally arraign­ed and brought to Tryal in Parliament. And Mortimer who had the chief hand in Deposing King Edward II. in the Parliament of 1 E. 3. was in the Parliament of 4 E. 3. Impeached, Condemned, and Execu­ted as a Traytor, and guilty of High Treason, for Murdering Edw. II. after he was Deposed, at Berkley-Castle, and Sir Simon Bereford, (toge­ther with Thomas Gurney and Will. Ocle) were adjudged Traytors for as­sisting him therein; one of them Executed, and great Rewards pro­mised [Page 8] to the apprehenders of the other two. And as for Richard II. though he was Deposed after Henry IV. was Crowned by pretence in Parliament: yet this Deposition was after his resignation only, not be­fore it: and without any Formal tryal or arraignment, or any Capital Judgment of Death against him; for which I find no president in any Parliament of England, Scotland, France, nor yet in Denmark it self, though an Elective Kingdom; who, though They justly Deposed Christiern II. for his most abominable Tyranies and Cruelties; yet they never adjudged or put him to Death, but only restrained him as a Prisoner. I shall only add this, That though the Elective Kindoms of Hungary, Bohemia, Poland, Denmark, and Sweden, have in their Par­liaments and Diets Deposed sundry of their Kings for their Wicked­nesses and Tyrany; yet they never judically condemned any one of them to death, though Papists. And for a Protestant Parliament (to please an army only, acted by Traytors in this particular; to render both Parliament, army, and our Religion too, for ever execrable throughout the World, and set all Mens Pens and Hands against them to their ruine, to begin such a bloody president as this, upon a most false pretext, of settling Peace; contrary to the express Command of God himself, who Commands Christians, To Pray for Kings, and all in authority, that they may live a quiet and peaceable life under them in all God­liness and Honesty, (not to Depose or cut off their Heads) as the only way to Peace and Settlement; will not only be Scandalous but Mon­strous.