WHen I seriously consider the memorable Preamble of 3. Iac. ch. 4. That it is found by daily experience , that many of his Majesties Subjects who adhere in their hearts to the Popish Religion , by the infection drawne from thence , and by the wicked and divellish counsell of Iesuites , Seminaries , and other persons dangerous to the Church and State , are so farre perverted in the point of their loyalties and due obedience unto the Kings Majesty , and the Crowne of England , as they are ready to entertaine and execute any Treasonable Conspiracies and Practices , as evidently appeares by that more then barbarous and horrible attempt to have blowne up with Gunpowder , the King , Queene , Prince , Lords and Commons in the House of Parliament assembled , tending to the utter subversion of the whole State , lately undertaken by the instigation of Iesuites and Seminaries , and in advancement of their Religion by their Schollars taught and instructed by them for that purpose . With the Statutes of 35. Eliz. ch. 2. and 3. Iacob . ch. 5. which Enact : That all Popish Reeusants shall be restrained to some certaine places of abode , and confined to their private houses in the Country , and not at any time after to passe or remove above five miles from thence , under paine of forfeiting all their Lands , Goods , and Chattels , during life . That none of them shall remaine within ten miles of the City of London , nor come into the Court or house where his Majesty , or Heire apparent to the Crowne of England shall be ; nor have in their owne houses , or in the hands or possession of any other at their disposition , any Armour , Gunpowder , or Munition , of what kinde soever ; And all this , for the better discovering and avoyding of such Trayterous , and most dangerous Conspiracies , Treasons , Practises , and attempts , as are daily devised , and practised against our most gracious Soveraignes Person , and the Commonweale , by rebellious and trayterous Papists . And when I read in * * Dated . Ianu. 10. 1606. and Febr. 22. 1603. two of King Iames his Proclamations : That those adhering to the profession of the Church of Rome , are blindly led ( together with the superstition of their Religion ) both unto some points of Doctrine which * * Note this . cannot consist with the loyalty of Subjects towards their Prince , and oft times unto direct actions of conspiracies , and conjurations against the State wherein they live , as hath most notoriously appeared by the late most horrible and almost incredible conjuration ( grounded upon points of Doctrine in that Church held and mantained , and contrived , and practised with the privity and warrant of many of the principall Priests of that profession ) to blow up our children and all the three States in Parliament assembled . And when we consider the course and claime of the Sea of Rome , we have no reason to imagine , that Princes of our Religion and profession can expect any assurance long to continue , unlesse it might be assented by the mediation of other Princes Christian , that some good course might be taken ( by a generall Councell , free , and lawfully called ) to plucke up those rootes of dangers and jealousies which arise for cause of Religion , as well betweene Princes and Princes , as betweene them and their Subjects ; and to make it manifest , that no State or Potentate , either doth or can challenge power to dispose of earthly Kingdomes , or Monarchies , or to dispence with Subjects obedience to their naturall Soveraignes ; ( Which was never yet attempted , much lesse effected . ) And in the Booke of Thanksgiving appointed for the fifth of November , ( set forth by King Iames , and the Parliaments speciall direction ) this observable Prayer ( somewhat altered by the now a b Who confesseth & justifieth it , in his Speech in Star-chamber , Iune 14. 1637. Arch-prelate of Canterbury in the latter Editions to pleasure his Friends the Papists ) To that end strenghthen the hand of our gracious King , the Nobles and Magistrates of the Land , with Iudgement S●p justice , to cut off these workers of iniquity ( the Papists ) whose Religion is rebellion , whose faith is faction , whose practise is murthering of Soules and bodies , and to roote them out of the confines of this Kingdome . I cannot but stand amazed , yea utterly confounded in my selfe , at the Impudency and Treachery of those pernicious Counsellors , who in affront of all these Lawes and premises , have issued out sundry b b See the Parliaments late Declaration . Commissions , under his Majesties hand and seale , to divers notorious Papists , not onely to furnish themselves with all sorts of Armes and Munition ; but likewise to meete together armed , and raise forces in the Field , to fight against the Parliament , Kingdome , and Protestant Religion , ( even contrary to divers his Majesties late Printed Declarations , and Protestations , to all his loving Subjects ) advanced them to places of great trust and command in his Majesties severall Armies ; & procured them free accesse unto , if not places of note about his sacred person , as if they were his loyallest Subjects , his surest guard ( as many now boldly stile them ) and more to be confided in , then his best and greatest Councell , the Parliament ; whom they most execrably revile , as Rebels , and Traytors , the more colourably to raise an Army of Papists to cut their throats , and the throat of our Protestant Religion first ( as they have already done in Ireland , ) and then last of all his Majesties , in case he refuse to become the Popes sworne vassall , or alter his Religion , which he hath oft protested ( and we beleeve ) he will never doe .

But I desire these il counsellors of the worst edition , to informe his Majesty , or any rational creature , how it is either probable , or possible , that an army of papists should secure his royall person , Crowne , Dignity , or protect the Protestant Religion , the Parliament , or its Priviledges , to all which they have shewed themselves most professed enemies . We all know that Popish Recusants c c See King Iames his Apology against Bellarmin , Laurentius Byerlink , Opus Chro. p. 319. Deus & Rex . The Lord William Howards Sonnes la●e Booke in Defence of Papists taking the Oath of Allegiance . obstina●ely refuse to take the Oath of Supremacy , or Allegiance ( some of them that tooke it , having beene excommunicated by their Priests for a reward ) The summe of which Oath is , * * 3 Iac. c. 4. That they doe truly and sincerely acknowledge and professe ; That the Pope hath no authority to depose the King , or to dispose of any his Kingdomes , or to authorize any foraine Prince to invade his Countries , or to discharge any his Subjects from their Allegiance to his Majesty , or to licence any of them to beare armes , or raisetumults against him , or to offer any violence or hurt to his royall Person , State , Government , Subjects . That notwithstanding any Declaration , Excommunication , or deprivation made or granted by the Pope , or any Authority derived from him , against the King , his Heires , and Successors , or any absolution from their obedience , they will beare faith and true allegiance to them , and them protect to the uttermost of their power against all conspiracies and attempts whatsoever against their Persons , Crowne , and Dignity , by reason of any such sentence or Declaration , or otherwise . And that they doe from their hearts , abhorre , detest , abjure as impious and hereticall , this damnable Doctrine and position : ( professedly maintained by English Papists , else why should the Parliament prescribe , and they absolutely refuse to take this Oath ? ) that Princes excommunicated or deprived by the Pope , may be deposed or murdered by their Subjects , or any other whatsoever . Will those then who refuse to take this Oath , or abjure this King-deposing , King-killing Popish Doctrine ; harbouring a S●eminary Priest in their Tents , and a Pope in their hearts , prove a faithfull guard to his Majesties Person , Crowne , Kingdomes ? Will those who so oft conspired the death , and attempted the murthers of Queene Elizabeth , and King Iames , onely because they were Protestants , and Defenders of the Protestant Faith , now cordially protect and assist King Charles , without attempting any thing against his Crowne or Person , who hath lately made and published so many Protestations , and Declarations , that he will never imbrace , nor countenance Popery , but most resolutely Defend , and Advance the Protestant Religion ; and makes this one principall motive ( how truely , he taketh Heaven and Earth to witnesse ) of his present taking up of Armes ? Will they ( thinke you ) spend their lives for King and Parliament , who but few yeares since lost their lives for attempting by a traine of Gunpowder to blow up both King and Parliament ? Will those secure his Majesty in his Throne , now he is actually King of England , who would have murthered him in his Cradle , ere he was Prince , to forestall him of the Crowne of England ? Can those prove really royall to his Majesty and his Royall Posterity , who would have blowne up him and all his Royall House at once , even long before he had posterity ? In a word ( if ancient presidents will not convince us ) are those who for d d See Dr. Iones his Book of Examinations . two yeares last past or more , have beene labouring with might and maine to uncrowne his Majesty , and utterly extirpate the Protestant Religion by horrid conspiracies and force of Armes , in Ireland , and are now there acting the last Scene of this most barbarous bloudy Tragedy ; likely to spend their dearest bloud in fighting for the preservation of his Majesties Crowne and the Protestant cause in England , if this onely be the reall quarrell , as is speciously pretended ? Or will any of that Religion , who within these three yeares , have by force of Armes , both in Catalonia , Portugall , and elsewhere , revolted from , and cast off their allegiance to their owne most Catholicke King , to set up others of the same Religion in his Tribunall for their greater advantage ; put to their helping hands to establish his Majesty ( the most Protestant King ) in his regall Throne , admit it were really , not fictitiously indangered to be shaken by the Parliament ? Certainly , if the ground of this unnatural warre be such as these ill Counsellors pretend , they would never be so farre besotted as to make choyce of such unfitting Champions as Papists , for such a designe , who are very well knowne to be the greatest enemies and malignants of all others , both to King , Kingdome , Religion , Parliament , whose joynt destructions ( what ever these ill Counsellors pretend ) is questionlesse the onely thing really intended by the Popish party in this warre , as the proceedings in Ireland , the introducing of foraine , the raising of domestick Popish Forces , the disarming of Protestants , and Arming Papists with their Harnesse , clearely demonstrate to all whom prejudice hath not blinded .

Now that I may evidence to these pernicious Counsellors , and all the world , how dangerous , how unsafe it is to his Majesty , to the Kingdome , to put Armes into Papists hands , and make use of them to protect the Kings person , or Crowne ; I shall desire them to take notice both of the Papists traiterous Doctrine , and Practise , in these three particulars they maintaine .

First , That the Pope by a meere divine right , is the sole and supreme Monarch of the whole world , and all the Kingdomes in it , to dispose of them at his pleasure , to whom and when he will , without giving any account of his actions . That all Emperours and Kings are but his vassals , deriving , and holding their Crownes from him by base unworthy services , worse then villenage ; that they call , and repute them their Popes vassals , curs , packe-asses with Bels about their neckes , and use them like such , if they offend the Pope . For full proofe whereof out of their own Authours and practise , I shall refer them to Doctor e e Dedicated to King Iames , printed at London 1621. Richard Crackenthorps Booke , Of the Popes temporall Monarc●y , chap. 1. p. 1. to 27. worthy any mans reading , to Iohn Bodins Commonwealth , Lib. 1. cap. 9. Bishop Iewels view of a Seditious Bull , and Doctor Iohn Whites Defence of the way to the true Church , chap. 10. p. 43.

Secondly , That the Pope alone without a Councell , may lawfully excommunicate , censure , depose both Emperours , Kings , and Princes ; and dispose of their Crownes and Kingdomes unto others ; That it is meete and necessary he should excommunicate and deprive all Kings , who are either Heretickes or Apostates ( as they repute all protestant Princes ) or oppressors of the Common-wealth : That as soone as such Princes are actually excommunicated , or notoriously knowne to be Heretickes or Apostates , their Subjects are ipso facto absolved from their governme●t , and Oathes of Allegiance whereby they were bound unto them ; and may , yea ought to take up Armes against them to deprive them of their Kingdomes .

Thirdly , That such hereticall , tyrannicall , oppressing Kings may be killed , poysoned , or slaine by open force of Armes , not onely lawfully , but with glory and commendations ; That this is to be executed by Catholikes ; and that it is not onely an heroicall , but meritorious act , worthy the highest Encomiums ; and a Saint-ship in the Roman Calender .