A review of the Covenant, wherein the originall, grounds, means, matter, and ends of it are examined: and out of the principles of the remonstrances, declarations, votes, orders, and ordinances of the prime covenanteers, or the firmer grounds of Scripture, law, and reason, disproved.

CHAP. III. The unlawfulnesse of this Covenant in respect of the Cause Efficient; as made by Subjects against the will of their Su∣periour, in such things as necessarily require his consent.

HAving discovered the grounds of the Covenant to be false, we may well presume the superstruction it selfe is rotten and ruinous; as will more fully appeare upon a strict survey of all its causes and ingredients.

First, in respect of the Cause efficient, which is the parties cove∣nanting, swearing, vowing, and inter-leaguing one with another, the unlawfulnesse of it does appeare in this, that it is made by such as are, or should be what they professe, Subjects all living under one King, not onely without any leave obtained, or so much as once desired, but contrary to the known will, and expresse command of this their lawfull King; and that in such matters whereto his consent and approbation is necessarily required; without which they could neither lawfully take it at first, nor after his dislike is made known to them, ought they to persist in it, so as to hold them∣selves bound by it, though the matter of it were in it selfe otherwise just and good. For without controversie the parties Covenanting, as to some parts of this Oath, are as much subject to their supreme Head, the King, as the daughter to her father, or the wife to her husband. I shall not here need to question whether the King be Minor Vniversis, it will serve the turne if he be Maior Singulis, for in this Oath every man sweares for himselfe, as a private person, not in any publique capacity. If then by the

a 1.1Law of God, the vow of the daughter or wife was so farre in the power of the father or husband, that he might confirme or cancell it, as he pleased; and God refused to accept of it from the woman, unlesse the man, to whom she was subject, did ratifie and allow it. Vpon the same ground of subjection, though the mat∣ter vowed in this Covenant were not otherwise unlawfull, yet be∣ing such wherein the parties vowing are and ought to be subject to the King, it is in his power to irritate their Oath, to declare it void and null, and if they persist in it they sin.

2. This shewes the Covenant to be unlawfully taken, but much more unlawfully obtruded upon others as a new solemne Oath, which they have no authority to impose that do it. The same Engine by which they dismounted the late Canons, and di••∣charged that Oath, will serve to fetch off any Ordinance o•• Lords and Commons commanding this, That a new Oath cannot be im∣posed without an Act of Parliament, was a Truth so undoubted by the two Houses that they insist upon it twice in one lea••e of the same b 1.2 Declaration. Their c 1.3 petitioning his Majesty to pas••e an Act for establishing a new Oath, and that he would be pleased to enter into a more strict allyance with some neighbour Nations, are sufficient convictions of their want of Authority in them∣selves either to impose a new Oath upon the Subjects of this Kingdome, or to enter into a new League with those of another, unlesse the consent of his Majesty be first obtained.

3. I•• any private Men, Town, City, or County, may lawfully take this Covenant of their own accord and free will•• (which is the way to ingratiate themselves the more) then in other cases of the like kinde, they may at any time of their own accord, with∣out any command from Superiours, enter into a League of mutu∣all defence with other Countries, and binde themselves by a so∣lemne Oath to performance. And then farewell, not onely the ancient Authority of the King, but that moderne Priviledge of Parliament, which claimes, that d 1.4 no County can binde it selfe without their consent.

But if all the Kingdome be therefore bound to take this new Covenant, because it comes to them as commanded by the two Houses, though there were no Law for it before, then must all our

Histories be purged, all our Law-bookes taught to speake another Language, and all those Declarations revoked, wherein the Lords and Commons of this Parliament, so many e 1.5times disclaimed all power of making any new Lawes without his Majesties con∣s••nt.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Numb. 30.
• b 1.2

  Ex. Coll. p. 859,860.
• c 1.3

  Ib. p. 908, 910.
• d 1.4

  E. C. p. 628, & 823.
• e 1.5

  E.C.p. 270, 715.