Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	africa_n	bishop_n	rome_n	4,127	5	6.9616	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A43841	Fasciculus literarium, or, Letters on several occasions I. Betwixt Mr. Baxter, and the author of the Perswasive to conformity, wherein many things are discussed, which are repeated in Mr. Baxters late plea for the nonconformists, II. A letter to an Oxford friend, concerning the indulgence Anno 1671/2, III. A letter from a minister in a country to a minister in London, IV. An epistle written in Latin to the Triers before the Kings most happy restauration / by John Hinckley ...	Hinckley, John, 1617?-1695.; Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1680 (1680)	Wing H2046; ESTC R20043	157,608	354

not you know that the Bishop of Alexandria had all Aegypt Lybia and Pentapolis under him And that Thebais and Mareotis were afterward added to his Diocess But you will be guided you say by Cyprian and Ignatius Well! Agreed yet these were Diocesans Cyprians Diocess was Africa over great part of which his Power did extend Ignatius was Bishop of Syria Coelosyria and Mesopotamia If you doubt of this I can shew my Authority But why should we swear Allegiance to Bishops Till the Roman Tyranny invaded the Church the Clergy was not to swear to the Bishops This is to twist them into the Constitution of the Kingdom say you Is it unlawful to promise or swear to be obedient to Bishops in rebus licitis honestis Yet this is the sum of our Canonical Obedience By your leave Sir de facto Presbyters have been obedient to their Bishops under the Penalty of an Anathema and Excommunication long before the Roman Tyranny invaded the Church I could tell you of the Apostles Canons and Decrees of Councils for this But since you have such a kindness for Ignatius see his Epistle to the Ephesians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And to the Magnesians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in his Epistle to the Philadelphians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Is not this Canononical Obedience But this intrenches upon the King and twists Bishops into the Constitutive part of the Kingdom I am glad you are so tender of the Kings Honour and Power Mr. Cartwright wrangled himself at last into Conformity And if you have arriv'd to a just Latitude of Allegiance in giving unto Caesar the things that are Caesars I think you have shot the Gulph and may at last per tot discrimina rerum tendere in Latium I will secure you that what we swear to Bishops does not twist them with a Coordinate Power with the King no more than when I sworesidelity to the University at my Matriculation When a Soldier takes a Sacrament to be true to his General and Tradesmen do the like to their several Corporations I say no more do we set up an Aemulous confronting Power with the King in subscribing to Bishops which he does not only allow but authorize than I made the University or they their Generals or Corporations to have divisum cum Jove Imperium When I quote your words We must not communicate with a Parish Minister who concurreth with the Bishops you say I should have added In consenting to our silencing Indeed I thought those words needless and superfluous For what Parish Ministers had any hand in your silence If as being Subjects virtually in the Parliament so you were accessary your self If as approving and rejoycing at your silence you will find this very diffcult in any good Parish Ministers especially since we cry aloud for your Ministerial Assistance You tell me You can as soon drive the People through a Stone Wall as bring them to Communion in our way You bid me do it my self if I can Sir Had they not been distracted distorted and poisoned by other Tutors much might have been done perhaps we might have taken such stragling Sheep upon our Shoulders and have brought them to their proper Folds But since they have been taught like Wolves not to value the Scepter I have small hopes to prevail with my Shepherds Crook If they will not now hear your Voice and be obsequious to your Whistle they will like Corah's Company tell me to my Face They will not come up or like Mastiff Dogs will worry me to pieces Those that are lately perverted any way are most heady and sierce The Revolters are profound to make slaughter Hos 5. 2. And after the Scribes and Pharisees had compass'd pass'd Sea and Land to make one Proselyte when he was made he was two-fold more the Child of Hell than themselves Mat. 23. 15. Now Sir Since you do both in print and in your Letters so scorn at my absurdity in desiring your Reasons for Nonconformity whereas it would hazard your safety if you should do it without a License which is not to be expected If you have such strong Arguments in store which may prove Conformity to be simply and absolutely sinful An avowed and deliberate sin what think you of transmitting them to me I will do my best to Midwife them into the Light without any commerce with the Huxters you reproach me with Indeed I did send an Epistola veridica to the Tryars in the Usurper's days without an Imprimatur You end as it were glorying That you have not given me a lenifying Answer or spoken me fair You might have said If you are so naturally addicted as you say to speak plain truth That taking your Rod into your Hand you have slash'd the Malepert Levite Well! I will get some good by you whether you will or no I will think more humbly and meanly of my self than you can speak And though you say I am so blinded with self-love that I neither know what I say or do yet I will not pay you in your own Coin but pray for you as I do for my self That wherein you or I erre that God would even reveal this unto us and reduce us into the Way of Truth If your habit of severity and keen edge of fastuous contempt may be abated and you may be happily mollified into more kindness If you shall then vouchsafe to write to me in a more favourable smooth and obliging Strain you shall not overcome though you conquer me In the mean time you may call me a Levite but I will take the boldness to subscribe my self Your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jo. Hinckley Northfield May 23. A LETTER Written to Mr. Baxter After his BOOK of Church Divisions came forth SIR I Perceive that my Answer to your Letter was not satisfactory since I find in your late Book not only oblique Reflections but direct and down-right Expressions wherein without any Ambages you articulately signifie your discontent both with me and my Book Who would have thought that a word or two of advice and seasonable counsel should have merited such harsh and Passionate Censures or should not escape branding with the black Theta of a Challenge Ambuscade and an intimation of Defamation and Blood Herein me thinks considering the Premises you shew as great a defect of Logick as of Charity To what purpose is your Tragical out-cry of provoking you to gape against an Oven and making your Name a Stepping-stone to those Ends I aspire after Alas what advantage will it be to me to see you in the flames or your Name sullied That 's barbarous and this ambitious I am in the Zenith of my preferment whilst I am a constant Preacher of the Gospel How are you sure that I am not able to endure the light of the Truth If the Organs of my Eyes are indisposed at present I will borrow some Spectacles or procure some Eye-salve to clear them before you can prove those things

of Souls This has been an old contrivance in Scotland to bring all Causes within the Kirks Jurisdiction saying it is the Churches Office to judge of slander and by that means they hook'd in the cognisance of all Causes because all Causes were either Slanders against God the King or their Neighbours In Rome too the Pope intermeddles with all Temporal Things in Ordine ad Spiritualia Just so you plead for Arms starving Men Women and Children If it be for the good of Souls You say that they had a fifth part yet you know Mr. Lea endeavoured to dismount that Ordinance as unlawful and unreasonable and some I am sure for very want were ready to swoon in the Streets the number was not small It has been maintain'd that more Ministers were depriv'd in three years when your Friends sate at the Sern than in all Queen Mary's Reign I thank you that you say you never lik'd turning out such a Man as my self You are more propitious than the Commissioners were who threatned to silence me for preaching on Christmas-day The Tryars were not of your mind they would not have had me to preach at all and the Soldiers would scarce let me live I still bear about me the Badges of their Cruelty But tell me true should you re-assume your Chair would you continue in this courteous Moode You say you lived under five ignorant and unlearned Teachers before you were ten years old You complain elsewhere of the prophaness of your Native Town You had hard fate to live amongst such Men yet the greater is your excellency to thrive into so polish'd a bulk among such Barbarians and to keep your integrity amidst such temptations I cannot but admire at your Praecox Ingenium that you could judge you began betimes who were ignorant who learned Preachers before you were ten years of age I fear 't is still the greatest part of some Mens devotion to censure the Parts and Gifts of the Preacher § 10. Your intermediate Sertions contain nothing of Argument or Contradiction therefore I shall tell you once for all I shall neither now or hereafter trouble you or my self with your Narratives or Excursions I am not so fond of superfluous labour or prodigal of my precious time as to oppose every thing that you say or to trace you in all your Meanders Here you go to the Heart of the Controversie If you had either prov'd what you say or disprov'd what had been said 1. You cannot lie deliberately and say you assent and consent to all things in three Books when you do not yet you shew no reason to the contrary Inform your self better Judge charitably and candidly of those Books and then the fault may be in your self and not in them If you approach to the Borders of a Lie every thing that suits not to your present apprehension is not presently a Lie Had you declar'd formerly what you do now you would not willingly have been tax'd for a Lyar. In your first Letter you call this assenting and our new Conformity yet the same thing in substance was subscribed to in Archbishop Whitgifts Time Art 2. viz. That the Book of Common-prayer and Ordination of Bishops contain'd nothing contrary to the Word of God but might lawfully be used and that they would use it and no other 2. You should absolve many Thousands from an Oath when you never knew in what sense they took it Here you nibble at the Covenant yet you take no notice of what has been said on that Particular But Sir take an unlawful Oath in what sense you please and there will be much need of Absolution Must the sense of an Oath be measur'd by him that receives it or from the Authority and Intention of him that does impose it Affirmatio aut negatio quaestionis propositae si ex Conscientia respondentis non vere conformetur sensui quaerentis aut rogantis est mendacium You mention some good things in the Covenant As the Declaration against Popery Schism Prophaness But you pass by the second Article with other Passages in the rest and the Power imposing the whole what was good in it we are oblig'd to in another former Covenant what was naught do not you strain your Parts to justifie The worst of Hereticks maintain some Truths the better to usher in Errour as it were with Sugar and Syrups § 12 13 14. I took it for granted that you own'd my Quotation out of the Book of Rest You said you had expung'd the words in a latter Edition and I was satisfied yet now you challenge me to cite the words In one breath you say you did and you did not retract them The Passage I quoted was in the 5th Edition P. 258. If you are so unsteady you will never arrive to the glory of the Bishop of Hippo for you do even retract your Retractation and whilst you do plangere commissa you do committere plangenda You perform this Work with regret and reluctancy wrapping your self up in obscurity A true Penitent will not extenuate his fault but set it forth in the fullest Character and in the most bloody Colours Indeed you make Mr. Bagshaw your Confessor and say something to the purpose and though you deal not so plainly with me yet I love and honour ingenuity where soever I find it If I am not so strict always as to mention terminos terminantes your very syllabical words yet I give the result of them for brevity sake Such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or funiculi ex arena will not serve your turn before equal and prudent Judges How oft did Christ and his Apostles quote Texts out of the Old Testament and yet did not observe the Identical Words Will you say they were unfaithful or not a true word § 15. You tell me of the inconformity of some that grew under my Shadow I tell you again this is no evidence of an hearty recantation when you go about to deny justifie or extenuate what is notorious in these Parts and is Matter of Fact so legible that a Man may run and read What was your highest reputation formerly in being the Coryphaeus of a Country Association you now interpret a Reproach Just as Amnon did passionately court Tamar to day and on the morrow thrust her out of doors Hereafter build the Pyramid of your Fame upon a sure Foundation and then it will last Such Glory will not turn into shame This freeness of mine it seems provok'd you to make me smart by laying before me what I shall never forget the miscarriage of one in my own Family The best is my Conscience tells me it proceeded not from want of Vigilancy Advice and Prayers or Example but from a defect of that which neither you nor I have power to bestow and that is Grace § 16. If your Neighbour and his Wife will swear what you say wonder not that so much scandal was charg'd on your Sequestred

that did so vehemently complain of Grievances and Innovations I question not aim'd at that which their Successors accomplish'd the down-fall of Bishops and the possessing of their Lands Nay some of them lived to make it good what was the Quarrel they design'd Who did the King mean 2. Caroli when he said the Hand of Joab was in the mis-understanding 'twixt him and his Parliament and that the Incendiaries of Christendome had suddenly and subtlely insinuated those things which had unhappily caus'd diversions and distractions There might be clashing 'twixt those Episcopal Men in Parliament yet it would have been long enough e're these had rais'd War against the King You are not ignorant that in the Marian days many Lay-men and Clergy fled beyond the Seas to Geneva and other Places at their return their Garments smelt of the Disciplinarian Fire ever after which grew stronger and stronger until it had burnt the Cedar in our Lebanon and level'd the glorious Towers of the Church How did Calvin and Beza labour with their Favourers here to promote their Discipline that as it was once said The S. S. came from Rome to Trent in a Cloak-bag so did it come from Geneva hither in Packets You say Sect. 25. There was but few Presbyters or Non-conformists here before the War no Presbyterians except two in the Parliament The General Lieutenant-Generals Major-Generals were Episcopal Men. I little thought to have disputed such a Cause I medled not with Lay-men but with my dissenting Brethren Though the other cannot be excus'd yet these were most guilty in blowing up the Trumpet Dathan and Abiram of the other Tribes rose up against Moses but that Rebellion was call'd the gain-saying of Core because he being of the Tribe of Levi was deepest in the Conspiracy And it is observable that all Insurrections against Princes have been inflam'd by some Clergy-men or other for some Centuries last past But were there so few Non-conformists in England before the War yet Anno 1603. King James is said to be saluted with a Petition of a thousand Ministers against Episcopacy and before that Anno 1582. Mr. Cartwright who was no Episcopal Man for he had renounc'd his Episcopal Ordination beyond Seas met usually with sixty Ministers of his own Way in some Corner of the Land Did not these think you increase and multiply If five or six in the Assembly and five Bishops as you say in the Parliament rais'd such stirs what shall we think may be effected by so many Dissenters Whereas you think that the late Wars furnish'd us with Presbyterians out of Scotland it is doubtful to me whether Scotland infected us or we Scotland for when the King was in Scotland he was inform'd that the Scots had neither taken up Arms nor invaded England but that they were incouraged to it by some Members of Parliament you 'l say these were Episcopal Men on a design to change the Government of Church and State One Proposition sent to the King after Edgehill was That he should yield to extirpate Arch-bishops Bishops c. yet you 'l say that all the Parliament except two were Episcopal Men. As good as any among the Covenanters who vow'd to abolish Prelacy c. or as any of those in your own Association When Alderman Pennington with his 15000 Myrmidons petition'd against Bishops it may be you 'l vouch them to be Episcopal Men as well as you do the Parliament Men Yet I do not find that any said any thing against that Petition besides the Lord Dighy as for many others it did appear that such Lettice was too suitable to their Lips yet sound Episcopal Men in your sense The War was called Bellum Episcopale not as if fought by Episcopal Men on both sides but Episcopacy or rather the Bishops Lands was the Palladium or Helena one side fought for it the other against it Mulciber in Trojam pro Troja c. And here was the very stick at last in the Isle of Wight As for the particular Members in the Army they were better known to you than my self I delight not in personal Reflections or Quarrels If those that are yet alive be not Episcopal I wish they were so But that they were whilst they acted in the support of the late Cause I have not so far renounc'd my reason and experience as to fall in with your Account And if you persevere in this new Doctrine we shall be as distant as the two Poles One Document I cannot but observe from what is said That the late War was so odious that neither side will own it Even as the dead Child in the Parable was rejected by both the Mothers § 28. Your notion of the Arminian and other Calvinian Bishops fighting and beginning the War and also each claiming to be the Church is a pritty singularity and savours of a Romantick 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Did they all fight against one another Did they not all equally abhor the War Where did either part pretend to be the Church You have fram'd a strange imagination and when you are setting of it up it will not hang together I may say of it as the Lacedemonian did of one setting up the body of a dead Man when his Head swagg'd this way and the other he cried out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 something is wanting within So it is with your discourse it is Soul-less and Life-less sine sanguine succo It is true Arch-bishop Williams was in Arms but he lost the Lord-Keepers Seal and was not admitted to do his Office at the Kings Coronation This inflam'd the Man and transported him beyond his duty towards the end of the War The missing of a Bishoprick did pervert Arrius and St. Jerom himself was not a jot the better for it 29. 31. I had said Would Episcopal Men root out Episcopacy You apply your former groundless Hypothesis They intended at first to regulate the Arminians but after by the help of Scots and Sectaries they took down Episcopacy How transparent and thin is that Answer Just as our modern Naturalists salve every Phaenomenon with their round square and forked Atoms So do you silence Doubts by the Arminian and Calvinian Bishops But you must prove it better that the Bishops began the War or else all you say tumbles to the ground You say I trifle in referring you to Dr. Heylin on the Presbyterians though you referred me before to his Book on the Life of Arch-bishop Laud Who would have thought but ad hominem this Method had been justifiable If I am sparing of my pains and forbear an elaborate Answer to such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such shallow and partial reasonings another Man would soon pardon me You say you will not justifie the Presbyterians in that he chargeth on them yet he says the Presbyterians thrive best when they involve whole Nations in Blood and Sacriledge I mentioned them not at all yet you charge me for traducing them 33. The Principles of

If in God's presence there is fulness of Joy where this is withdrawn from any Nation there must needs be the fullness of misery As Darkness follows upon the Removal of the Sun-Beams Some will say This Toleration will Advance the Trade and Interest of the Nation Sir I heartily wish for the prosperity and Wealth of my Country May our Corn and Wine our Wool and Flax Increase And may our Merchants become Nobles like those of Tyrus India mittat Ebur Mittant sua thura Sabaei Yet those Riches will bring a Curse a Fire-coal along with them which are gotten with the loss of Piety and Holiness What Advantage will it be to be rich in the World and poor towards God To have a fat Carkass but a Meagre and lean Soul To defend the Out-works and lose the main Fort To get Mammon and to part with Religion CAP. IX A Vniversal Indulgence is most likely to end in Popery or Atheism NOw we are come to the Mare Mortuum whither all these Rivulets and multiplicity of Religions are by their several winding bending their Course either they will carry us beyond the River Tyber from whence we have been brought by a good hand of Providence under the Conduct of Pious Princes They will Reduce and bring us back to the Roman yoke Immerse us in this Lerna of Vncatholick Innovations and Superstitious Inventions of Popish will-worship As the just scandal which Luther took at Popish Indulgences brought him off from that Church So this Indulgence now on foot if not timely controul'd is likely to decoy many into the Church of Rome again Or else they will bring us into a cursed Indifferency whether we have any Religion at all Methinks I see the Atheist and the Papist holding out their necks and gapeing for a prey As if they would swallow up our Reformed Religion at one Morsel And were it not that there are many faithful Daniels in the Land who pray'd the King formerly into his Throne and now are wrestling with Heaven in his and our behalf I should much fear that our whole Land would become a great Cage for these unclean Birds and that these Dragons would devour the woman and her Child and Adulterate or quite overturn all the true Worship of God in the midst of us I know the Devoto's of our Age will startle at this What They open the Floodgates to let in Atheism who stand up so much for Godliness or Are they like to bring in Popery who have lifted up their Hands and Covenanted against it True But did not Peter Vow and swear as heartily as they That He would not deny his Master yet our Saviour saw what was in his heart Did not they Covenant too to preserve the late King in his Person and Honour But they never intended to make it good nor to move a Hand or a Tongue in his behalf Did not Hazael seem to abhor the ripping up of Women with Child yet you know what follow'd If Orpah will forsake Naomi She will return to her People and to her God And if these Dissenters will renounce our Reformed Church and lay their loins upon it to break it into Shivers they will at last when they have wearied themselves in their own Mills endeavour to fix the Plants of their Feet upon some Ararat or other Sure they will desire to live and dye in some Church or in a Communion among some People professing some Religion with Balaam They will desire to dye the death of the Righteous Otherwise they must declare as too many do already I will not say thorow their means that they are a People without God in the world What Musick What Triumphs are we preparing for new Rome how can we gratifie the Pseudo-Catholicks more than by pulling down the Pale of our English Church It is this which stands in their way Take this Rampart down and the Pope will hope to recover his old Revenues which have formerly exceeded those of the Crown The Priests and Jesuits will be contriving to set up Mass in our Churches and to domineer in our Pulpits And some Bonners it may be if we cannot out-run their Rage will be thinking of making Bonfires again with our Bodies our Dissenters all this while are like Gallio They care not for these things They go on with a Munsterfury in their separate Meetings pulling and rending the very Bowels of their Mother asunder As if like Nero they could never be sufficiently reveng'd of Her that gave them life and dandled them on her Knees I know they will wipe their mouths and deny the Conclusion though they lay down the Premisses They will not see what Confusion they are bringing in upon us Although it is as easie to be discern'd without a Spirit of Prophecy upon their proceedings as it is to discover a Lunary Eclipse upon the foresight of the Interposition of the Earth betwixt the Sun and the Moon It may be when with Sampson they have pull'd down our Gates and Pillars and lye scrawling together with us in the rubbish they may then whisper us in our Ears We never thought that this would have been the effect of our Schismatical dividing Principles and Practices At present they bear themselves up against all hazards and disbelieve all plain Predictions as if they should still enjoy Peace and Prosperity though they walk in the ways of their hearts and in the sight of their own eyes because their followers are so many There are such swarms of Dissenters in all places enough to out-face all the Power of Rome It is true They grow into vast numbers in most places But Xerxes and the King of Assyria were not therefore Victorious because their Armies were very numerous Mazzanello and John of Leyden were mere Squibs and Pop-Guns though attended with an innumerable Rout of followers So these Dissenters not marching under the Banner of God's Church will find themselves to be like a Land-flood They may roar and swell for a time and like those Locusts in the Revelation they may have Power to do hurt for some Months but they will soon shrink within their Banks and become a contemptible Adversary to those that are wedg'd and united into one Body and with Marius do always march in rank and file Those Veterans of Rome have espied their nakedness how that they are a loose multitude not cemented together with any Principles and therefore will soon be scatter'd like a Flock of Sheep when their Eagles come once amongst them Hence it is that most of them use that liberty which is afforded to them calmly and to give them their due modestly when our Furioso's do even run themselves out of breath until they lose their way and themselves For they know that by keeping their Stations and standing their ground they shall break all the proud waves of their giddy Opponents and quench their wildfire These deluded wretches are going so fast towards Rome that Rome may save her self the labour of

moving one foot towards them The time was these Men were full of Jealousies and Fears They dreaded a Pope in every bush They were afraid where no fear was but now they are fool-hardy and rush into the Pope's Conclave without either fear or wit Sir I must now pause a little and fetch my breath very deep My heart has been sad and heavy as lead all the time I have been writing unto you But now my Spirits have such a damp upon them that I can scarce form another Letter It was my great Joy to see the face of a Church to Return together with the King And though I had but little to leave behind me yet it was my Comfort that my Posterity was like to Inherit a pure Religion in the best Church of the World This was the richest Portion I had to Bequeath unto my surviving Family But when I come now to look about me there is such a Change so many Vndutiful Daughters sprung up that are ready to pull out the Eyes of their Mother The poor wafaring Church is fluctuating betwixt wind and water and struggling for life and the Ravens are ready to devour her So that I cannot promise my self the Injoyment of that happiness which once I hoped to transmit to those that were to come after These pensive and melancholy thoughts and fears are very much inhanc't when I consider the Confusions of Holland A place much fam'd for Integrity of Religion and a Sanctuary for the Distressed yet the Inhabitants hereof have so long encourag'd all Religions until at last they have scarce any at all Profit is become their Godliness and Gain is their Idol And because they did not receive the love of the Truth but prostituted this Virgin to be adulterated by every Sect God first gave them over to strong Delusions and then made them a prey to the teeth of their Enemies So that what Religion is like to be Predominant or whether any at all Time only will shew It is observ'd that before the late Rebellion in Ireland there was an Indulgence of Religion at least by way of Connivence The Priests and Jesuits had liberty without controul to exercise their Religion and presently after we heard the Tragical News that no fewer than an Hundred and fifty Thousand were murder'd The Present State of Ireland p. 134 135 c. When Julian went about to bring in Heathenism he first scoffed at the Christians in general And then he derided the Priests and Preachers amongst them as a Company of Dotards and such as taught the People Old Womens Fables He well knew that the slighting of the Priesthood and bringing it into contempt by levelling and laying it common with the Laity was the most Compendious way to overturn all Religion Never were there a People so destitute of Reason but they owned some God And then it followed of course that some Priests were to be maintain'd to assist the People in the Service of that God And it has been the special Honour of Kings to defend and countenance these in their work One that was much vers'd in the Antiquities of the Jews tells us That whil'st Solomon was ascending those six Steps which led to his Throne the Herauld cry'd aloud Meddle not with the Priests Office How things go with us in this kind I need not tell you If we have been accessary to this contempt which is cast upon us by our Idleness Pride Earthliness may we Reform or else may we be cast forth as Salt which has lost its savour and let better be put into our places that so the Church may not suffer for our sakes I know your Sentiments do jump with this Prayer for you have often said That no men do more resemble the Prince of Darkness than debauch'd and unworthy Clergy-men Yet I think it is a Problem which will puzzle you to tell which are most dangerous to the Church Those that stand up for Loyalty to the King and Regularity in the Church yet stain both by their loose and irregular lives or those that transform themselves into so many Angels of light Cry up Religion and Purity of Worship yet affront and wound the Church by their Spiritual Pride and stubbornness in not yielding to her just Commands When St. Paul wrote to Timothy to flee youthful Lusts it is thought he did not mean those of the lower and sensual Appetite as Drunkenness Uncleanness c. for he was call'd upon to Drink some Wine but wantoness in the understanding Pragmatical and Hot-headed Courses How happy would it be If there were a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If all Members out of Joint those and these were rightly set and rectified If all the Ministers of the Gospel did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make strait steps without declining to prophane looseness on the one hand or factious unpeaceableness on the other Then we might hope to see our Church to flourish like the Garden of Eden when such Cherubims shall be the Keepers of it Then we need not fear Auspice Christo Auspice Carolo that either Atheists or Papists shall lay it wast But it is time to check my sliding Pen when I have first begg'd your Pardon for my interrupting your more weighty Studies with so Prolix and tedious a Discourse You may well guess by the bulk of it that it comes out of the Countrey for we are so accustomed to beat our plate thin by dilating mincing and inlarging our Sermons that they may suit with the Capacity of our People that we forget our Laconick strain to say much in a little even when we write to our betters I look not for a Requital from you in length If at your leisure you vouchsafe me some few Lines by way of Return provided you do not chide me for my Countrey Rudeness it will be very comfortable in these days of Desolation And nothing can be more welcom in this Solitude of a Country Retirement To him that is Ambitious to be Your Devoted Friend and Servant Aut transeamus ad illa instituta si potiora sint aut nova Cupientibus auferatur dux Author Vt imperium evertant Libertatem praeferunt si perverterint libertatem ipsam aggredientur Tacitus I infer this Conclusion in despight of all black Devils and white Devils Hereticks and Hypocrits That the Reformed and Conformed Protestants in the Church of England do justly Condemn both Papists and Puritans as Upstarts and Novelists in removing the most ancient Bounds of our Forefathers Concerning Schismaticks and Separatists they be worthily sirnamed Novelists For their Platform of Government is a new Device which no Fathers ever witnessed no Councels ever favoured no Church ever followed until within these few years it was unhappily dug out of the Alps. Therefore they that forsake the Church of England to Suck the Breasts of Rome or Amsterdam may cry with Naomi I went out full but the Lord hath caused me to Return empty Dr. Boys in his Remains p.