Wherein

THE SUPREME POWER resides in the HIGH and MIGHTY Annual ASSEMBLY, which is composed of two Preaching Elders or Ministers, and one Lay-Elder out of every Presby­tery; one Commissioner from every Corporation, University and Colledge; who being meer Laicks, Shop-keepers, Artificers, and Mechanicks have hereby a full power to define and decide the most cu­rious Points of Divinity, which it is impossible for want of Learning they should understand.

The King or his Representative, who has onely one Vote, and the privilege to be equal to the meanest Lay-man of the Holy Assembly, and is debarred from a Negative Voice: and by consequence is in­ferior to the Moderator or President, who is alwayes to be a Minister; by which proviso the King is excluded from a possibility of presiding therein.

This ASSEMBLY is called together by their own Authority, derived (as they say) from CHRIST: without respecting the King's Consent, Writ, Summons, or Authority: And at the end of every Session, the President declares and appoints the Time and Place of the next GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

By which Procedure, they declare themselves free from all Obedience, Duty and Subjection to the King; and lay the Foundation of their own Supreme Spiritual Democracy, Unbounded, Absolute, Tyrannical and Abitrary Dominion.

For,

To the Decrees, Definitions, Determinations, Final Sentence and Jugement of this Spiritual Court, enacted by plurality of Voices, (and from whose Judicature there lies no Appeal) are subject

At present the Nation or Kingdom where they are established: and the rest of the World so soon as they can shake off the Yoke of Antichristian Monarchy and Prelacy, and be able to exalt the Scepter of CHRIST, by Democracy in the State, and the Linsy-Woolsey Aerian Parity of Lay-Ecclesiastical Goverment in the Church.

The Moderator or President of the great Assembly is in reality the Annual King and Supreme Judge; and the Virtual Assembly of Commissioners are the Privy Council, according to whose Directions all things must be manag'd, to whom all the rest of the Clergy are absolute Slaves.

Indirectly, or in order to Spirituals.

First, The King's Majesty, the Queen, the Regent du­ring the King's Minority, the Royal Family; any and all of which may be Censured, Excommunicated, and depo­sed from the Government, Possession, and Succession to the Crown, for persecuting, that is opposing them, who are the Saints, the People of God: for Idolatry, or any other Crimes against the Laws of God: and may also be punished, even to Imprisonment and loss of Life:

All the Nobility, Councils, Parliaments, great Ministers of State, Judges, and Inferior Magistrates, Gentlemen, and the whole Populace, of what Age, Degree, Sex, Condition, or Quality soever, who are all bound to yield Obedience to their Discipline, Faith, Doctrine, and Opinions; other­wise, they may be Censured, Excommunicated and deprived of their Liberties, Estates and Lives, and whatever they do possess. Partiality. For these Holy Men of the Assembly are no respectors of Persons, though they are of Presents and Flatteries, by which onely means they may be gained to over-look the failings of such great Men, as for their own Interest, favour and support them; Revenge. and for whom they would readily employ all their Unlimited Spiritual Power, to revenge them of their private Injuries and Enemies: all which shall be said to be against GOD, if against any one of their great Patrons or Friends.

Secondly, All Laws, Acts of Parliament, Royal-Proclamations, of which they pre­tend to be the Supreme and onely competent Judges, whether they are for God's Glory? And if they say no: Disobedience. The People are bound to disobey them; for they must obey God rather than Man. The Inferior Presbyters are obliged to preach this Doctrine to the People in all their respective Parishes, and to animate them to put this Duty of Diso­bedience to the King, Parliament, Laws, and Proclamations, in Practice, under pain of being delivered up to the Devil by Excommunication. Rebellion. See here Rebellion and Mis­chief framed by a Law: Psal. 94.20. A Law superior to the Fundamental Laws of the Nation, Arbitrary, Unlimited, and from which there is no Appeal.

Thirdly, All Actions Civil and Political; Contracts, Bargains, Sales, Leases, Inden­tures; so that an Estate or just Debt upon the specialty recovered by due process of Law; if it be suggested that there was scandal by suspicion of forgery, bribery, or subornation in the Case, shall come before them; Injustice and Op­pression. and they will undertake to determine it contrary to the Rule of the Laws, in favour of a pretending oppressed Saint, who humbly crouches and applyes himself by Appeal, to the Supreme Sovereign Lords of Presbytery. All Forreign Leagues, and Alliances, Matches of the Royal Family, and State Affairs, Trade and Manufactures, Peace and War, abroad or at Home, with which for Disobedience to them, Treason. they will not onely threaten their lawful Prince, but execute it against him and all his Loyal Adherents, as malignant and evil Counsellours; and by crying, The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon, and proclaiming them Enemies to God, perswade the Unruly Multitude that it is not onely lawful, but necessary.

Fourthly, All Punishments which (when they have decreed) the King and Civil Magi­strates are bound to execute. Cruelty. Whether they be Corporal, by Imprisonment, Feeding the Criminal with Bread and Water onely, Stool of Repentance, Pillory at the Church door, cutting off half the Hair, forbidding all Commerce, Banishment, loss of Life: Or secondly, Spiritual; by Defamation, and irrecoverable loss of the inestimable Jewel of Reputation, for any supposed Crime under the Notion of Scandal: Or thirdly, Pecuni­ary, by confiscation of all or any part of the Offenders Estate, Goods and Chattels; which are usually for a small composition made over to the Prosecutor the mortal Ene­my of the Accused. No sin or scandal without a fine, if the Person be of ability, and no Pardon without paying it down; nay, they will deny Baptism to the poor Infants, the Children of Offenders, till they have satisfied the Censures and Penalties imposed by them. And all this they will execute for Disobedience to any the meanest and most indifferent thing commanded by them, which by such command becomes absolutely necessary to Salvation.

Directly.

First, All Spiritual-Lay-Persons, which are of three prin­cipal Ranks, for I do not understand what their Doctors, which make the fourth, signifie: These are,

1^st. The Presbyteries, into which all the Kingdom is divi­ded, as they in their Prudence think fit, and which consist of the Parochial Ministers, and a Lay-Elder for each Parish: which Lay-Elders are onely Annual Officers, who by this de­vice are kept in subjection to the Presbyters who are in power for Life; so that they dare not vote against them for fear of their power when they come to be out of Office. By this Artifice the People have the Name and Imagination of some Power (enough to delude them with the shadow of Govern­ing, or to enable them to strut and domineer for a Year over their Neighbours) but the Presbyters possess the Soul, the Life and Substance of Authority; and by making an example of a little pert ignorant Lay-Elder, who has exceeded his limits, they can at pleasure strike an Eternal terror into all his Successors.

2^dly, Tyranny. The Parochial Session; composed of one or more Ministers, Lay-Elders and Deacons, or Over-seers of the Poor; of which a Teaching-Elder or Minister is the Mo­derator. Over all which the Members of the Assembly and Leading-Active Presbyters Lord it far more than the Pope, or any Bishop over the most inferior Clergy. For they are bound to preach their Doctrines or Decrees, and Opinions: and cannot by any Law be so securely instated; Coveteousness. but if any one of them have a good Benefice, to which a busie great Minister has an Eye, he shall with ease procure a Complaint against him, That he does not edifie his Parish, and by that means shall possess himself of it, and turn him out to his small edification, to edifie some small and poor Cure, Oppression. for with them Souls hold a proportion of necessity of a greater or lesser Edification, according to the Quality and Richness of the Living.

3^dly, Innovation. All those who are called Expectants; a new Order of Presbyterian Predicants with­out Orders; who yet may do all Offices of Ministers, except Baptizing, and giving the Sacrament.

Secondly, Absolute and unli­mited Supremacy. All Spiritual Places and Affairs, Ordination, Government, Faith, Doctrine, Opinion, Manners, and Divine Worship, which they pretend to determine beyond Appeal.

Thirdly, All Church Censures, Appeals, Excommunication of all Persons, who will not obey the Scepter of Christ in their Hands: The King is not excepted or exempted, but must submit to the Great Council, nay to the Presbytery in which he is; and to his own Parochial Minister, otherwise he runs the hazard of Excommunication: Which they exercise prin­cipally for, 1^st, Heresie, which is all dissenting from them in Faith, Doctrine, Opinion, or Manners: 2^dly, Scandal, or Suspicion of Crimes; whereby the Malicious and Envious ne­ver want suggestions, temptations and opportunities, to revenge themselves of their Ene­mies. Want of Charity. And the most Virtuous Persons of differring Sexes, cannot converse together in private, but they may be accused of scandal of Adultery, or Fornication; be imprisoned, fed with Bread and Water, all proof sought against them, and be publickly forced some­times by Oaths, to clear themselves; and in the face of their Parish to crave pardon for a Scandal: and if ever after they be known to maintain any private correspondency, they shall be juged guilty of the Crimes, and treated accordingly; To the perpetual ruine of all innocent and most divertive and it may be religious Friendships; Peace and Ʋni­ty banished. of the peace of all private Families; of the Unity of all Societies, and the Extirpation of that true Chri­stian Charity, of private Admonitions which covers a multitude of faults; to the breed­ing jealousies and discords betwixt the dearest Relations and nearest Friends; defaming the Innocent, and putting indelible stains of infamy upon the strictest Vertue; which is not capable to secure the most prudent and reserved of both Sexes, from scandal of suspi­cious Envy, and inventing malice of Revenge: and in a word, to the banishing all true Religion, (and introducing Hypocrisie) and all love of Religion, by these Rigours and Austerities, out of the minds of Men, Slavery. and making them Slaves, and to serve GOD, as the Indians do the Devil, for fear he should do them injury by these his great Servants.

From all which it appears, That the Government of Presbytery is founded upon Usurpation, maintained, supported, and continued by Treason and Rebellion, exercised with the most Arbitrary and highest Tyranny and Oppression of all Degrees and Conditions of Men, in all their Rights, Privileges and Properties, both Civil and Religious; and the End of it is the Ruine of Monarchy, the setting up of Democracy, and establishing the most insupportable Slavery here; and unavoidable Damnation hereafter: For they that resist Lawful Authorities shall receive to themselves (without Repentance and Amendment) Damnation; From which and Presbytery, Libera nos Domine.