against blasphemers, idolaters, atheists, bougerers, sorcerers, murderers, incestuous and adulterous persons--And have made butcheries on the Lord's people, sold them as slaves, imprisoned, forefaulted &c. and that upon no other account, but their maintaining Christ's right of ruling over their consciences against the usurpations of men. Therefore, easily solving the objections, (1.) Of our ancestors obliging the nation to this race and line: That they did not buy their liberty with our thraldom, nor could they bind their children to any thing so much to their prejudice, and against natural liberty (being a benefit next to life, if not in some regard above it) which is not as an engagement to moral things: they could only bind to that government, which they esteemed the best for common good, which reason ceasing, we are free to choose another, if we find it more conducible for that end. (2.) Of the covenant binding to defend the king: That this obligation is only in his maintenance of the true covenanted religion--which homage they cannot now require upon the account of the covenant, which they have renounced and disclaimed; and upon no other ground we are bound to them--the crown not being an inheritance that passeth from father to son without the consent of tenants--(3.) Of the hope of their returning from these courses: whereof there is none, seeing they have so often declared their purposes of persevering in them, and suppose they should dissemble a repentance--supposing also they might be pardoned, for that which is done--from whose guiltiness the land cannot be cleansed, but by executing God's righteous judgments upon them--yet they cannot now be believed, after they have violated all that human wisdom could devise to bind them. Upon these accounts they reject that king, and those associate with him in the government--and declare them henceforth no lawful rulers, as they had declared them to be no lawful subjects--they having destroyed the established religion, overturned the fundamental laws of the kingdom, taken away Christ's church-government, and changed the civil into tyranny, where none are associate in partaking of the government, but only these who will be found by justice guilty criminals--and declare they shall, God giving power, set up government and governors according to the word of God, and the qualifications required Exod. xviii. verse 20.--And shall not commit the government to any single person, or lineal succession, being not tied as the Jews were to one single family--and that kind being liable to most inconveniences, and aptest to degenerate into tyranny--and moreover, that these men set over them shall be engaged to govern principally, by that civil and judicial law (not that which is any way typical) given by God to his people of Israel--as the best so far as it goes, being given by God--especially in matters of life and death--and other things, so far