THere hath been of late, a Rebellion, so Impious, and Prodigiously da­ring, Acted upon so open and great a Stage, as this Famous and Populous City; and before the Sun of Gospel light shining round about us: as that the Noise thereof cannot but make its own report, not only throughout all Christendom, but even to the Ends of the Earth; and fill the most Bar­barous and Inhumane of Nations that shall hear of it, with astonishment to the highest Scandal of Christian Religion; Yea, and let down [Page 2] the hateful Memory thereof to all Ages to come; As that which perhaps cannot be Pa­ralelled, except by those at Munster of the same principle in the former Age.

And this Grand iniquity having, through the Artifice of Satan, been falsely and most uncha­ritably charged on those (at least as the fa­vorers of it) whom some will needs stile the Independent Party.

We, therefore hold our selves Necessita­ted to make this true, and sincere Renuntiation of, and Protestation against so horrid a Fact, and Principle they were Acted by, as both highly Derogatory to Christ and most Pernitious to his Saints.

To Christ,

In that his Kingdom, the Coming of which is by Him so closely annexed to the Hallowing of Gods Name, is on the contrary perverted to the greatest Dishonor to him, and the Prophaning of his Name; and a perfect Con­tradiction to all those Principles, which he left behind him. And that divine and Hea­venly seed (the Image of Christ) laid by God in the Souls of all his Children, the eminent [Page 3] fruits whereof are lowliness of Heart, Self­denial, Peaceableness, with the like, is hereby turned into a Root of such Bitterness, and unto so swollen a Self-Assuming, As under the Title of Saints, as such; and in the Name of Jesus Christ, to take to themselves, the Titles of all the Kingdoms of the World, and in the Face of the full exercise of the Dominion thereof, to Pronounce the Titles of all Earth­ly Potentates, actually, and absolutely void; Whom from the Apostles times, and at this day, he hath continued, as his own Ordinance; and unto whom, he hath commanded Saints, as Saints, and by so much the more because Saints, for Conscience sake, to be Subject. And who, we are sure, according to the Ordination of God shall continue TO the Destruction of the true Babylon; Rev. 17. And yet to make all the Reformed Churches to be Spiritual Babilon, and all Governments of the World to be Civil Babilon, and all alike from hence forth to be de­stroy'd.

And to turn Meetings for Religious Worship (which ought only to Assemble in the Name of Christ, (and as to such ends only have [Page 4] the promise of his presence) into Consul­tations and Designments for the diustrbance and destruction of those States which yet by Christ do Reign; and under whose Indul­gence and Protection they live. And then to render Faith (by which Believers overcome the World) and absolute Folly (which this hath done) yea and a daring Madness, Ma­nifest to all Men. And,

For Vain and Sorry Man, or any company of the Sons of Men, To rise up and Design­edly to say within themselves, we will go to such and such a City, and from such or such a time erect a new Throne for Jesus Christ the Son of God, from thence to Reign over all the world; And then to think to invite him from Heaven, and in the Clouds to bring him to the Ancient of daies, Dan. 7. and so to give him possession of that Kingdom. All which are the sole soveraign Preroga­tives of God the Father to give; (Thine is the Kingdom) and of Christ the Son, Rev. 11. to take to himself that great Power and Reign. And again to under take that, which can be no other then the Immediate Act and Work of [Page 5] Christ himself, to Create new Heavens and new Earth, and to fill the world, with Righ­teousness. (which I create saith the Lord) And must needs be judged a far greater work then the first creating of the old World, and never to be set up by outward Vio­lence.

To make all this a Cause, And the cause of Reli­gion, by the power of force and Blood, thus to obtain a worldly Dominion and Power over all means Estates and Lives: What an high Pre­sumption is all this, and Derogation to the Glory of Christ?

Nor can there be any principle more Per­nitious to the Saints themselves dispersed throughout the Nations of the World.

Seeing the Wrath of Princes, and Governors in all Dominions might, thereby, be en­flamed, and Their Sword whetted against them. And it ingageth also these men them­selves, or any others, with whom this wic­ked perswasion shal prevail, to Destroy the whol Body of Saints, and others Promiscu­ously, as enemies to the Kingdom of Christ, if not of this Opinion. As if that [Page 6] Jesus Christ who is Lord over all, and Rich unto all, having so long expected the accomplish­ment of His Kingdom, were so impati­ently desirous of a Kingdom of Saints to be set up in the World, that to advance it, though but in a few, he regarded not the thousands of thousands of the People of God that are in the World, and who in their Consciences stand ingaged to oppose it.

Neither is this Protestation now made against such principles and proceedings, other, in the Tendency and Drift thereof, then what some years since, such of us, as had opportunity thereunto, did, by letters, declare unto divers in this Kingdom, whose principles then were comparatively modest; for which we have ever since been openly reproached personally by Name in writings and otherwise: as is well known. And again, in a Meeting, at the Savoy, above two years since, of Persons sent from one hundred and twenty Churches of our way, in the Confession of Faith, there, by them agreed upon, It was, as concerning Magistrates in the general, Unanimously declared as fol­loweth.

And accordingly we cease not to pour out hearty Prayers for all sorts of Blessings spiritual and temporal upon the Person and Government of his Majesty both in our Congregations, Families [Page 9] and Retirements, and through Gods Grace, according to our Duties shall continue so to do, our selves, and to perswade others there­unto; and to live quietly and peaceably in all Godli­ness and Honesty

To conclude all, We have a far greater and sadder occasion to utter of these late attempts, and Resolutions, what Jacob did of that fatal Execution, by Simeon and Levi, upon a whol City (the order of the words being only inverted.) Gen. 49. The Instruments of cruelty are in their Habitations ( which ver. 6. is termed Assembly) Cursed be their Anger, for it was feirce, and their Wrath, for it was cruel. And we each one say, O my Soul come not thou into their secret, unto their Assembly, mine Honor, be not thou united; but let God divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.