The case of the kingdom stated according to the proper interests of the severall parties ingaged : I. Touching the interest of the King and his party, II. The interest of the Presbyterian party, III. The interest of the Independent party, IV. The interest of the citie of London, V. The interest of Scotland, not extant before now : a peece of rare observation and contexture, wherin all men are equally concerned.

The Interest of Scotland.

THat which had been long endeavoured in vaine by severall Kings, be∣ing at length (through the prudence of Henry 7. effected, I meane the Ʋnion of both Crownes in the person of one Prince; King Iames willing (as much as might bee) to burie the remembrance of dis-union and allay the deadly feuds running in a bloud betwixt the borderers, thought meet to curtaile his title of the usuall distinct names of England and Scotland; and as both made but one Island, so he comprised both in that one ancient ap∣pellative of great Britain.

This Ʋnion under a native King of Scotland, was an happy occasion for that poore Kingdom, to augment their repute and fortunes; and as in such cases it is usuall for the lesse, to drive a purchase upon the greater, by closing in as neare as jealousie will permit; so the Scots (inamoured of the clusters of our Canaan) lost no time in getting ground on this side Jordan, viz. Tweed, till many of them became possessors of fair vineyards, and were able to vie Lordships with our wealthiest English. To this height they arrived through the favour of that King, which drew many more into a desire of the warmer Sun, and an emulation of their friends happinesse here in England.

But toward the latter end of King James, the passages began to be blockt up at Court by the Prelates faction: who judged it dangerous for their Hie∣rarchie, to see men of that Nation in too great a number & power, near hand, for fear lest the same humor which had depressed Episcopall pomp there, might in time have an influence here also; so that by this means not only the affections of King Iames, (whose ordinary Apophthegme was, no Bishop, no King) were a little weaned; but he being dead, the same Counsells prevailed upon the new King, his Son (one easily wrought any way to gratifie his Clergy) to a dis-obliging of the Scots: who seeing themselves now quite out of hope of thriving by the Kings favour; and knowing well upon what ground, and by whose meanes things were thus carried, concluded then there was no way to get into the Nation, but upon the ruine of our Bishops; which must necessarily follow, if they could introduce the Presbiteriall govern∣ment, which themselves had received in Scotland: and this they found was no hard matter to effect, since there were many that way affected in England, and their affections highly inflamed, by reason of the rigorous dealing and tyrannicall pride of some Clergy-men, which rendred their whole Order and government, odious to the more tender consciences, & prepared the peo∣ple (hood-winkt) to entertain any change, though to their own prejudice.

This being (on the other side) immediately resented by the Bishops, they judged it best to be before-hand with the Scots; and first (to try their patience, and Pick a quarrel, on purpose to tame them by force) a new Liturgie was contrived, sent, and imposed upon them; the offer whereof bred so much

indignation in the one party, as a refusall did in the other (both glad enough of the occasion,) that a war immediately ensued; wherein though the King were ingaged on the Bishops part, yet the Scots got most of Honour and (the war being ended) much money and reputation, among their friends in En∣gland; which so indeared them, that a new rupture falling out betwixt King and Parliament, they had an easie in-let to build themselves (with high con∣fidence) a more sure interest than ever, in this Nation; which was accom∣plisht by the mutuall ingagement of the Parliaments of each Kingdom to other (as brethren) in the firm bond of a League and Covenant.

By which lant-skip of discourse it appeares, as the Scots have now attai∣ned the pitch of their desires, by a fast foot in the fat soyle of England, through mutuall Covenanting, (which hath been long a contriving and ear∣nestly struggled for,) so they ought to prosecute the Covenant (the vitals of their hope) with all due respect, tendernesse, and caution (according to the rationall drift of it) toward the people of England, lest their proceedings become odious, and themselves be kick'd off again with disdain and enmity.

Therefore I shall present them with a few considerations.

First, let them be pleased to remember, that the people look upon them but as inferiours, and therefore must needs swell high with indignation, if they busie themselves over-much in the affaires of England, knowing in how high scorne it was taken, that they should claime an interest (as once they had the boldnesse to doe, in their Papers given into the Parliament) in dis∣posals of matters meerly relating to our welfare: And since all men know, that though they were admitted to ingage here (necessity so requiring it) as equals and competitors in the same cause, the Kingdomes being supposed equally involved in the same common danger; yet were they indeed but Mer∣cenaries, in pay of the English Parliament, who might have had Germans or Swissers at the same rate, & (perhaps) no more prejudice to the Country.

Secondly, I must confesse, it behoves the Scot predicant (if possible) to see Episcopacy cashiered root and branch, and their owne form stated here, in a sure succession: that so a correspondence being cherished between Clergy of the same garb and humour, in both Countries, they may freely tosse thun∣der-bolts of excommunication, on both sides, to gratifie each other, and so be able to terrifie all Lords and Gentry, that dare be averse in either Kingdome, and promote such onely to places of trust, whose poorer spirits will vassallize their Birth and Genius to serve their ends. And I confesse, it behoves such great ones, as have already link'd themselves in design with the Clergie, to stick close to them a while, for their owne credit and security, except they can handsomly retreat with speed; yet both English and Scotch Gentry of this gang, may consider that such a course cannot stand long in England; where being Myriads of more generous soules than in Scotland, they must alwaies expect a flying out into any extrems, that yeeld the least hope of an advantage to throw their riders.

Thirdly, if the Scots plead conscience for extirping the Government by Bishops, as bound thereto by Covenant; yet seeing Bishop is every jot as wholsome a word, and as much Scripturall as Presbyter, and that our weaker Brethren in England are wedded to that Forme, as more tolerable than any other, and more sutable to the Lawes and Constitution of the Monarchie; I suppose, that the admission of a Bishop mortified, regulated, and pruned of his superfluities, will no whit clash with the sense of the Covenant: For it is plaine, that the scope of it is not against Bishop in the Abstract, but in the Con∣crete, as laden with an accumulation of Deanes, Deanes and Chapters, Pre∣bends, Chancellours, Commissaries, &c. though if these also were admitted again, as I cannot see how they may be well refused, yet the Scots (for their part) and those of their party here in England, having endeavoured their ut∣most to extirp it, they have done all that the Covenant requires, though it be not effected. But seeing most in England will not be content without it, and nothing but another Conquest can force any other upon them, me think rationall men should sit down content with a discharge of their consciences, in having seriously endeavoured the extirping it to their power (further then which the Covenant doth not binde them,) rather then aime at an impossi∣bility in reason, or venture a sad score upon conscience, in imbroyling two Kingdomes again, to an inevitable ruine of a third; which can never be justi∣fied from Scripture, in the behalf of Principles of Faith, which are the sub∣stance of Religion, much lesse upon point of Disciplin, which is but the shadow.

Fourthly, if a designe be followed, to force their Government upon this Kingdome, so generally detested by reasonable men, the war cannot possi∣bly bee long-liv'd here, where the thing contended for is so ill befriended, but must of necessity, be translated toward Scotland, where it had its Ori∣ginall: And though the Scots need not feare, being valiant enough, and having one advantage above all other men, in possessing little that may in∣vite men to a conquest; yet it will be chastisement enough to be beaten home, & kept there from their usuall way of thriving, by intercourse with England.

Fifthly, since that their Presbyterie is more of the World, and so like to be more troublesome to it than Episcopacy, it will bee an occasion to the English, to prye into the grounds of the Scots so earnest pressing that government upon them: and finding by the Proeme of this particular draught (which wise observing men cannot be ignorant of) that wordly respects first made them bring it in hither, the greater part of men here (which are worldly) will endeavour to preserve themselves against all such worldly incroachments under pretence of Religion: and though it be presented in a new dresse, call••d Reformation; yet since it must prove no other, than an Assassination of the Monarchie, and a Reducing of the old Privado's which oppressed us at Court to overwh••lm us with new ones quite throughout the Kingdom, it is like that the love of ••ingly Government (so surely im∣printed in this Nation, and jealousie of Liberty, will render men implacable

to all; that keep a hand in a rigid Presbyterie, & urge them to apply desperate remedies to be cured of it, as the grand canker-worm of our English interest.

Sixthly, to designe that upon a people which their constitutions will not beare, ordinary Braines must conceive can have no ground in policie, unlesse there be some certainty which way to master them: and therfore the Scots and their favorites may do well to consider, how they can go through stitch with the busines against a generous people, impatient of the yoake. It is not in England as in Scotland, where men are poore, and so the more easily in∣slaved, and led about to serve the ends of the Grandees amongst them; but being rich and sensible of their freedomes, will entertain no more here from the perswasions of men, than what they can make visible by reason, as condu∣cing to the generall good; so that the ground-work of all actions must be laid, according to the peoples inclination, and not the faction of particular men, be they never so potent in wealth, or wisedome. By this rule they may judge, what their friends are able to doe for the Presbyterian cause in England.

Lastly, since most men un-interrested that way are of a contrary mind, I wish them to consider, that if by striving against the streame, they lose their hold now, it can never be recovered again upon the same pretence, and (per∣haps) many ages will hardly afford the like; and therefore if the Scots shall proceed to scrue themselves in by their engineers of the Clergy (more Lord∣ly already then the former) to the oppression of Episcopall and * 1.1 Independent consciences, and indeavour to found them with an Antichristian power, upon the blood of both Countries, by a new war, the ancient Antipathy must needs revive, and bee reared againe (like Adrian's wall) as a perpetuall Barr betwixt the Nations.

From whence I may conclude, the case thus standing; that the only in∣terest of the Scots is, to preserve themselves in the opinion of the people of England, by a moderate and faire construction of the Covenant, in behalfe of a Presbytery; which being by Covenant to be judged according to the word of God, they have the lesse reason to stand for their own way here, because they take little besides the bare name of Presbytery out of the word, and so having no pretence to found a quarrell, but only upon some parcels of the letter of the Covenant, I see no reason they have to be angry, if the English give them leave to inioy their owne in peace at home, and in the meane time take leave to settle things here, for the good of this State in Church Government, as they judge answerable to their principles, (according to the Word) where∣upon they apprehend the Covenant was first intended, framed and founded. And so the heat of controversie being laid by, a brotherly condescension on both sides, in matter of religious concernment, the peace and union, in all civill respects, may be established, and kept inviolable betwixt the Kingdoms.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Loquor ad sensum vul∣gi.