The Authors Appeal LO here as prisoner at the bar I stand Criticks command me to hold up my hand They say I am arraign'd I need no Cook To draw my charge it follows in my Book No Bradshaw to condemn for there 's a crew Cry burn the book and hang the Author too But Reader stay if needs I must be tryed The Welshman's Jury shall not be deny'd The twelve Apostles If then I have writ Things Heterodox or my unhappy wit Doth contradict their Doctrine Let me be Censur'd by them but not condem'd by thee THE PRESBYTERIAN BRAMBLE OR A SHORT DISCOURSE OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT By L. G. Judges 9.15 And the bramble said unto the trees if in truth ye annoint me King over you then come and put your trust in my shadow and if not let fire come out of the bramble and devour the Cedars of Lebanon Matthew 7.16 Ye shall know them by their fruits do men gather Grapes of Thornes or Figs of Thistles LONDON Printed in the year 1661. THE PRESBYTERIAN BRAMBLE THat which was once the contention of the Disciples of Christ hath ever since continued the common dispute of the World viz. a striving who should be the greatest this controversie hath not only set Nation against Natition and Kingdom against Kingdom as it was when Alexander and Darius strove who should be Cock of the Worlds dunghil but it hath also occasioned Civil and Domestick broiles where haughty and perverse spirits have gone about to maintain their Principles by bloody Arguments Nec Caesar ferre Priorem c. Our blessed Lord commands us to dispute upon another question that is to strive who should be the least If this Rule were but well observed if Greatnesse would but make way for Goodnesse and Pride give the wall to Humility we should then see glorious Times and a happy Reformation But unto whom shall I compare the men of this Generation I may justly say with our Saviour They are like unto Children playing in the Market place and saying We have piped and ye have not danced It is the ambition of Great persons that others should dance after their pipes There are in this Kingdom some Children in understanding I dare not say in innocence who cry out they will play no more at Bishops neither will they indure the musick of Organs but rather dance an other Scotch jigg after the Presbyterian Bag-pipes Is it so beloved marry God forbid We have had too much of that already for give me leave to tell you Your musick was like the musick of Nero who played upon his harp when he had set Rome on fire and your dancing like the dancing of Herodias for the best of Kings paid as dear for the one as the Greatest of Prophets for the other But I hope we shall have no more such Galliards but that the Parliament will think upon the former musick and take care to pay the pipers That we live under a Government both Civil and Ecclesiastical and that in both these the King next unto God is over all persons and in all causes in these his Majesties Dominions supream head and Governour is a Principle which all sober men own And that under God and his Vice-gerent the King the Hierarchy of Bishops ought to Govern the Church is a truth sufficiently proved and illustrated by many learned pens and that the factious Presbyterians who endeavour to subvert Episcopacy and to assume unto themselves the like authority under an other name are not as they pretend the Ministers of Christ I here call Gods sacred word to witnesse VVe are to live under a Government for the Holy spirit commands us to obey the higher powers to give Caesar his due to fear God and honour the King which are two inseparable duties He cannot be a good Christian that is not a good Subject for we may use the same Argument concerning fear honour and obedience which the Apostle doth concerning love He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen cannot love God whom he hath not seen So he that honoureth not the King who is his visible God cannot fear God who is his invisible King VVhen Adam strove to be equal with his Creator he was no longer suffered to continue in Paradise when Traytors strive to be equal with their Soveraign they are no longer worthy to live upon the earth but as infected members speediy to be cut off Nepars sincera trahatur This indeed is a truth which men will not or at least dare not deny Monarchy they embrace but Praelacy they abhor and though they kneel to the Crown yet they scorn to bow to the Miter and the silly Countrymen are perswaded that Episcopacy is the sister of Popery and therefore they are loth to pin their faith upon lawn sleeves And this foolish misconstruction is wrought by some of our modern Pharises who strain at a Gnat and swallow a Camel and although they cannot relish the Bishops yet could make shift to devour their lands And therefore for the defence of Praelacie I shall make use of two weapons Scripture and Reason which no man that is either Rational or Religious will call unlawful That which is lawful for others to desire is lawful for the King and Parliament to grant this is reason If a man desireth the office of a Bishop he desireth a good work this is Scripture Now that which is good to be desired t is good to be granred And if he that desireth the office of a Bishop desireth a good work then they who desire the distructrion of Bishops and the utter abolishing of that office do certainly desire an evill work The Office of a Bishop we may partly read in his name that is an Overseer here are in a Parish Officers called Overseers of the poor even such are the Bishop in the Church of Christ Our Lord and Master to prove his Divinity tells the Disciples of John of his wonderful works and that which he did unto mens bodies when he was in the flesh the same he doth now unto their souls viz. The blind receive their sight and the lame walk the Leapers are cleansed the deaf hear and the dead are raised up and the poor have the Gospell preached unto them True it is that we are all naturally blind in our understanding and lame in our practices and it is none but Christ that can make us see clearly or walk uprightly he washed the Leprous sinner in his own blood He gives unto those who are deaf unto any thing which is good hearing ears and raises up those who are dead in sins and trespasses unto a newnesse of life And lastly wherein all the rest of the miracles are summed up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Poor are Gospeliz'd or made conformable unto the Gospel and for this purpose hath God appointed these Bishops or Overseers that those who are poor both in spirit and purse may have the bread of life broken unto them It
is the duty of a faithful servant to give unto his Masters houshould their meat in due season blessed is he whom his Lord shall find so doing A Bishop must be blameless the Husband of one Wife Vigilant Sober of good behaviour given to Hospitality apt to teach not given to wine no striker not greedy of filthy lucre but patient not a brawler not covetous c. I heartily wish that the Ministers of England would leave off to dispute concerning the office and strive rather to obtain the qualifications Neither have the Apostles words been as a rule without any examples but the Primitive and late times have both been pregnant of such Bishops who have taken the degrees of Apostle and Martyr in this world and afterward commenced Saints in another We need to look no further back then Queen Maries reign and there behold the constant sufferings and glorious Martyrdom of Cranmer Hooper Ridly and Latimer all four Bishops And for shining lights in the Church we have John Jewel and John Davenant both Bishops of Sarum Lancelet Andrews Bishop of Winchester Joseph Hall Bishop of Norwich and others now living of whose learned and pious works the greatest of their Enemies daily make use although they cast dirt upon the Authors Base ungratefull Spirits who go about to cut down the trees when they have filled their budgets with the fruit Well say the Zealots of the times we acknowledg all this Bishops with these qualifications we admit but no Lord Bishops it seems then their greatness is their crime and because the height of Grantham steeple makes it look crooked it must therefore be pulled down Thus it hath been alwayes the policy of the Devil and wicked men to keep Ministers poor that they might either sink under their sufferings or be Contemptible in the sight of the people It is not long since black-coats gave the wall to red-coats and old Tullies Cedant arma Togae were out of date and could the malice of men have prevailed those that now serve at the altar of God had been made hewers of wood and drawers of water And there had been as little Lordship belonging to a Bishop as Grace to a Presbyterian But it hath pleased our gracious King to shew his love unto Christ by honouring his Embassadours and unto those to whom God hath given the gifts of Bishops hath he given the titles of Lords And therefore Why do the people rage Why do they imagine a vain thing Let dogs bark at the Moon and fools throw stones against the Wind Yet they that are of God will stand Thus in this great Ecclesiasticall combate we have taken a view of one of our Champions that is David the Bishop or Evangelicall Shepheard and the manner of his coming that is in the name of the Lord. But now enter Goliah a thing of six cubits a priest Rampant Simeon and Levi the word and sword quartered in a shield a long tuck a buffe coat and a white-leather conscience look upon him Reader Is he most like a sheep or wolfe We are commanded not to believe every spirit but have liberty to try the Spirits and there is no other way of trial then by the Scriptures the old and new Testaments The best way of old Testament trial is to take them up into Mount Carmel where Elijah contended with Baals prophets we may there observe two things in Baals prophets which are exactly parallel'd in the Presbyterians 1. Baals Prophets were bauling prophets they cryed out and prophesied from morning to evening So were the Presbyterians witness their Fasts and tedious Lectures which were but like the Jews new Moons and appointed feasts and the Pharises almes and long prayers an abomination in the sight of the Lord for it is a fearfull thing when Mens sins cry louder for Judgement then their prayers for mercy and when the hands which they lift up are full of blood 2. Baals prophets were cutting prophets they cut and slashâ—t themselves with knives and lancers So were the Presbyterians witness Worcester fight and the rising of Sir George Booth when the very Priests were in actuall armes blowing up the coals of division amongst us which was no other then to make the body Politick of this Nation after the manner of Baals worship to cut and wound her self with swords and instruments of cruelty There is a blessed sentence Mathew 5.9 Beati sunt Pacifici how little share have these men in that Beatitude Be wise now therefore ye men of England If the Lord be God follow him but if Baal be God follow him Halt no longer between two opinions Is there a greater contradiction in Lord Bishop then in Captain Parson do you detest a surplice and hug a coat of mail is not a tippet more decent then a belt of Bandeleers is not Davids musick more pleasant then that of drums and trumpets A true Minister hath no other sword save that of the spirit no other sheild save that of faith yet in his scrip he hath so much learning and piety as like the smooth stones of the brook shall wound the brazen foreheads of all his proud gainsayers But besides this there is a new Testament Trial They who are the disciples of Christ obey their Masters commands the command is to stay there where the place is worthy and where it is not to be gone now I appeal to the experience of the Country whether or no the Presbyterians obeyed this they looked not at the worth of the people but at the value of the yearly stipend how common and frequent was it to see some coveteous young Novice placed amongst worthy Neighbours having a competent allowance had he known what a competence was but hearing of a wealthy personage Praesto Sir John away flyes he and leaves Ninive to go to Tarshish It was therefore an ingenious answer of a North Country Man to Mr. Vicar who asked of him What is the chief end of Man he replyed To run from a small benefice to a great one For surely that hath been the end of these sons of Belial who though they call themselves the Ambassadours of Christ yet they never obeyd their Commission but in Gods livery served Mammon Thus we have spoken of the way of Cain that is their cruelty and of the errour of Balaam that is their coveteousness we shall now consider the gainsaying of Korah What strange fire did they offer at Gods altar How often might you have gone to the place of publick worship and heard neither the Lords prayer the Decalogue of Moses nor the Apostles Creeds without which we know not how to pray what to do or what to believe Our Saviour Christ teacheth us how to pray both negatively and positively Not like the Pharisees but after this manner The Presbyterians pray'd not in the words of Christ but like those Hippocrites used vain Repetitions and therefore it is now time for them to say we have left undone those things which we
ought to have done and We have done those things which we ought not to have done It was Moses his Plea unto God when he was to be sent into Aegypt I am not eloquent perhaps he foresaw the perverseness of the men of this age who thought him not eloquent enough to speak in their Congregation Yet when the ruler demanded of Jesus What he should do to inherit eternal life He replyed Thou knowest the Commandements c. In the twelfth chapter of the book of the Revelation we read of a Woman cloathed with the Sun having the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars This Woman is the Church of God the Sun is the Sun of Righteousness the Moon is this unconstant World the crown of twelve stars is the doctrine of the Apostles The Symbolum Apostolicum is very true believers Diadem but it is no wonder that that hand which robb'd the King of his Crown should also deprive the Church of hers I confess I am loth to use such tart expressions but I hope I may without offence defend the truth with such blowes as others give who fight against it I do remember that in the heat of these late wars There was published a seditious Libel called The simple Cobler c. wherein amongst other Conumdrums there was a Phanatical I should have said prophetical distich Viz. There are a set of Bishops coming next behind That will ride the Divell off his legs and break his wind Indeed such ugly words cannot deserve a comment yet we may correct an erratum for Bishops read Presbyterians All the Kingdom knowes that they were the rank riders But how has the foul fiend played the Hobgobblin with them how do they now tumble in the mire who lately sate in the saddle poor Hugh Peters fell so that his neck was broken others are crippled both in their Estates and opinions and they may have all time to spend that under the Divels belly which they got upon his back But how the Divel should become broken-winded I know not unless it was done when O. C. rode post into another World But stay my over hasty pen I fear I have writ something that will not suit with the genius of sober men The naked truth needs no such antick dress Divinity and Drollery are an unlawfull mixture And therefore it becomes me to beg pardon of the impartial reader and withall to signifie that by the vvord Presbyterian I do not mean all that are so called far be it from me to go about to stain the reputation of any Godly and Learned Ministers as Baxter Calamy and others whose piety and pains in the Church of God have deserved the praise of all good men bâ—ne vir hoc nihil ad te But as for those seditious spirits that were Incendiaries in the old rebellion and would novv begin a nevv that take upon them the name Presbyterian only to fight against Praelacy for so the builders of Babel vvere confounded in their language Indeed the vvord Presbyter had at first a good signification as Tyrant Magick and other vvords vvhich through the corruption of Men have lost their old Etymology Tyrant anciently did signifie a King but novv it signifies an Oliver Magick formerly signified Philosophy but novv it is taken for Witch-craft and the name Presbyter vvas once an Elder but now it is used for a Scotch Rebell or an English Traitour It is observed that once a great fashion in this Nation vvas to vvear yellovv starched Ruffes But after one Mrs. Turner a notorious Witch and strumpet vvas hanged vvith one of them about her neck the mode became odious and vvas quite left off Truly Reader I think it is high time for us to lay aside the name Presbyterian vvhich is nothing but a starched piece of Austority because Hugh Peters vvho poysoned more with his doctrine then Mrs. Turner with her potions wore it as a livery when he went to the gallowes I think it is high time for England to begin to be sober and every man to bring his heart as a stone to the spiritual building of the Church of Christ without repentance and self-denyal the stones cannot be hewn and made fit for the Fabrick without faith they cannot be built up without love they cannot be joyned and cemented without decency order and Government there will still be a confusion and not one stone left upon another For this end there is a necessity of Episcopacy experience hath taught us the inconvenience of Presbytery For though I dare not call them the sons of perdition I may confidently say they are the fathers of Confusion It is reported of a Grave Senator of the Rump Parliament that He sat many years in the house and yet like Balaams Asse he never spake but once and when he spake his words were these Mr. Speaker I conceive it is necessary that we cause the window to be shut Doubtlesse these words could not gain his worship the reputation of an Oratour but had the Parliament been then consulting about Church Government his advice had been then as excellent as it is now ridiculous that is to cause that window to be shut by a wholesome Law that had been too long held open by toleration of Opinions and Liberty of Conscience I shall conclude with the words of a famous Divine which were part of his last prayer Lord strike through the reins of those who rise up against the Church and King make them as chaff before the wind and as stubble before the fire but upon himself and his seed let his Crown flourish Wharton WHat changelings where the Presbyterian crew That pull'd old crosses down to build up new That durst adventure on such dangerous shelves As to unsaint th' Evangelists themselves And left us not a Festival beside What they had called and had sanctifi'd But heav'ns are just for lo they 're forc'd to bow The Synods down and stinking Elders too Only they bark at moonshine now and then To shew that they are Dogs rather then Men. The Authors Eccho THen down with 'um let them no longer stand Base caterpillers that consum'd the land That rent the common-prayer book and lawn sleeves And made the house of God a Den of thieves O may the sacred Pulpit now be free From such Quacksalvers in Divinitie Let 'um be Pedagogues o th' lashing trade And whip their boyes as C did his Maid Or else return unto there Zealous Tub And their be Chaplains to Don Belzebub FINIS