8ro The HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. XII- K. Charles I " was dire&ed by popifh counfels (lays bifhop Burnet), could by her fo- 16 cc vereign power, make the kingdo whatfoever the pleafed." ¢. It was further urged, that the parliament had invaded the royalpre- rogative, and ufurped the leg/lative power, without bis majjly's con/ent, by claiming the militia, and the approbation of the cbi f officers bothcivil and military, and by requiring obedience to their votes and ordinances. This the two houfes admitted, and infifted upon it as their right, in cafes of neceljity and extreme danger ; of which neceility and danger, they as the guardians of the nation, and two parts in three of the legiflature, were the proper judges : " The queftion is not (fay they) whether the " king be the fountain of juftice and protection ? or whether the exe- " cation of the laws belongs primarily to him ? But if the king shall re- " fufe to difcharge that duty and truft, and fhall defert his parliament, and in a manner abdicate the government, whether there be not a " power in the two houfes to provide for the fafety and peace of the king. " dom ? or, if there be no parliament fitting, whether the nation does not return to a date of nature, and is not at liberty to provide for its " ° own defence by extraordinary methods ? " This feems to have been the cafe in the late glorious revolution of king WILLIAM and queen MARY, when the conftitution being broken, a convention of the nobility and commonalty was fummoned without the king's writ, to reftore the re- ligion and liberties of the people, and place the crown upon another head. 5. The king on his part maintained, that there was No DANGER from him, but that all the danger wasfrom a malignant party in thepar- liament, whowerefubverting the conflitution in church and /late. His ma- jellyaverred, that Godand the laws hadentrufled himwith theguardianfhip andproteblion of his people, and that he would takefuch careofthem as be fhsold be capable of anfweringfor it to God. With regard to dangers andfears the parliament appealed to the whole world, whether there were not juft grounds for them, after his, majefty had violated the PETITION of RIGHT, and attempted to break up the prefent parliament, by bringing his army to London ; after he had en- tered their houle with an armed force, to feize five of their members; after he had deferted his parliament, and refolved to atno longer in con.. cent with them ; after his majefty had begun to raite forces under pretence of an extraordinary guard to his perfon, and endeavoured to get the forts and ammunition of the kingdom into his pof efíïon, againft the time when he fhould receive fupplies from abroad ; after they had teen the dreadful efeäs of a bloody and unparallelled infurredion and maffacreof the proteftants in Ireland; and were continually alarmed with the increafe and infolent behaviour, of the papifls at home; and laftly after they had found it impraâicable, by their molt humble petitions and remonfirances,, to
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