ural
affection to their posterity, if the example of men touched with a deep
sense of all these, or extraordinary success from God thereupon, can
awaken an embroiled, bleeding remnant to embrace the sovereign and only
means of their recovery, there can be no doubt but this solemn league
and covenant will find, wheresoever it shall be tendered, a people ready
to entertain it with all cheerfulness and duty.

And were it not commended to the kingdom by the concurrent encouragement
of the honourable Houses of Parliament, the Assembly of Divines, the
renowned city of London, multitudes of other persons of eminent rank and
quality in this nation, and the whole body of Scotland, who have all
willingly sworn and subscribed it, with rejoicing at the oath, so
graciously seconded from heaven already by blasting the counsels, and
breaking the power of the enemy more than ever; yet it goeth forth in
its own strength, with such convincing evidence of equity, truth and
righteousness, as may raise in all (not wilfully ignorant, or miserably
seduced) inflamed affections to join with their brethren in this happy
bond, for putting an end to the present miseries, and for saving of both
king and kingdom from utter ruin, now so strongly and openly laboured by
the popish faction, and such as have been bewitched and besotted by
that viperous and bloody generation.

For what is there almost in this covenant, which was not for substance
either expressed, or manifestly included in that solemn protestation of
May 5th, 1641, wherein the whole kingdom stands engaged until this day?
The sinful neglect whereof doth (as we may justly fear) open one
floodgate the more to let in all these calamities upon the kingdom, and
cast upon it a necessity of renewing covenant, and of entering into
this.

If it be said, the extirpation of prelacy, to wit, the whole
hierarchical government (standing, as yet, by the known laws of the
kingdom) is new and unwarrantable: this will appear to all impartial
understandings, (tho' new) to be not only warrantable, but necessary; if
they consider (to omit what some say, that this government was never
formally established by any laws of this kingdom at all) that the very
life and soul thereof is already taken from it by an act passed in this
present parliament, so as (like Jezebel's carcase of which no more was
left but the skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands) nothing of
jurisdiction remains, but what is precarious i