e King into
such a division from the people, as to make him, instead of their
protector, their declared destroyer; and not only to _make parties among
the people contrary to his league and covenant_, but to draw and divide
the whole people into a party with perjuries. The generality,
notwithstanding, did own allegiance to the head of these incendiaries
and malignants, yea, a Popish incendiary, because he wore a crown on his
head; and did pay the cess imposed for the maintenance and encouragement
of malignants; many did associate with them in expeditions of war,
drawing up with them in their musters and rendezvouses, thereby
countenancing a malignant cause, and listing themselves under a
malignant--yea, Popish banner; many subscribed and sware themselves
contrary to the covenant by taking tests, oaths, and bonds, obliging
them to surcease from covenanted duties, and to keep the peace and good
behaviour with them, whom they were obliged by covenant to seek to bring
to punishment; yea, some, and not a few, were inveigled in the snare of
the oath of delation, to delate the persecuted people of God to their
courts, and thereby made them (instead of discovering malignants
according to the covenant,) to discover their brethren to malignants.
And very many, almost the universality of the land, were involved in the
snare of the oath of abjuration, renouncing the principle of declaring
war against a malignant King, and of asserting the lawfulness of
bringing his murthering accomplices and incendiaries to condign
punishment; but, on the other hand, some of the suffering party did
sometimes exceed the bounds of moderation in this matter, in usurping
the sword without God's call, without respect to the rule, and against
the scope of their own declarations, to take vengeance on them at their
own hand; yea, even to that degree, of taking the lives of some of them
in an extravagant manner;[27] for which, they were sadly rebuked of God,
an occasion was given and taken to reproach and blaspheme the way of God
upon that account. But to descend to our own time, we have it to
bewail, that whatever alteration there is in the face of affairs since
the yoke of tyranny was taken off our neck, yet there is no alteration
in this matter to the better, but rather to the worse; malignants are so
far from being brought to condign punishment, that they are the whole
administrators of the affairs of the kingdom; whence it is come to pass,
that the supre