the Lord rebuke thee Satan But what better suggestions can breath from them that are Parlâ—ament adversaries from generation to generation This is it that hath moved his Majestie to cast himself into the armes of Papists Where he is as safe as a lambe in the middest of wolves Suppose that party pretending his prerogative and thereby seducing a great part of the Kingdome to assist them Suppose they prevaile What a condition is his Majesty in Either he is in danger of losing his Religion and being reconciled to Rome Or if not of losing his life and forfeiting his Crown from himself and his posterity Nay possibly he may lofe all though he should abandon Religion and be reconciled to Rome For so Simanca determines h Si Reges autalâ—â— Principes Christianâ— facti sunt Haeretici protinus subjecti vasalli ab eorum Dominio liberantur Nec jus hoc recuperabunt quamvis poste à reconciliantur Ecclesiae propter haeresin non solum Rex regno privatur sed etiam ejus filii à regni successionne pelluntur Simanca de Occult. tit 42. see 2 If Kings or other Christian Princes be turned Heretikes theâ—r subjects are presently freed from their Dominion neither shall they recover their right againe though they be afterwards reconciled to the Church And as a King looseth his kingdome by Heresy so his children lose their right of succession And to look no farther then Henry the fourth of France Did his being reconciled to Rome secure either his life or Crown Lord give thy judgments to the King Lord give thy judgments to the King I but no fear of this The Papists have taken the oathes of supremacy and allegeance And what are we the better An oath upon the conscience of a Papist is like a collar upon an Apesneck that he will slip on for his Masters pleasure and slip off againe for his owne Hear but how Pascenius scoffes King Iames for the invention of that oath and you will see his sonn hath little cause to trust them for all their taking it a Vide in tantâ astutiâ quanta sit simplicitas Iuramentum tot circumstantiis connexuisse existimabat ut salvâ conscientiâ nullâ ratione a quoquam dissolui possit Sed videre non potuit si Pontifex juramentum dissolverit omnesejus Nexus sive de fidelitate Regi praestandâ sive de dispensatione pariter non admittendâ pariter dissolutos fore Imò aliâ—d dicam admirabilius Iuramentum si iniustum apertè declaretur Neminem obligat Sed ipso facto nullum est Regis vero juramentum iniustum esse ab ipso Ecclesiae Pastore sufficienjer declaratum est He saith he Vide in tantâ astutiaÌ„ quanta sit simplicitas Iuramentum tot circumstantiis connexuisle existimabat vt salvâ conscientiâ nulla ratione à quo quam dissoluiposset sed vidore non potuit ei Ponti ex luramentum dissoluerit omnes eius Nexus sive de fidelitate Regi praestanda sive de dispensatione pariter non admittenda pariter dissolutos fore c. Vides igitur jam in fumum abiisse illius obligationem ut vinculum quod à Sapientibus ferreum putabatur minus sit quam stramincum Pascenius in Resp ad Episc monit Iacobi Regis 2 Sam. 16.21 how simple they are in all their craft he thought he had composed an oath with so many particular circumstances that it could not with a safe conscience be dispensed with but he could not see that if the Pope loosed the oath all the knots of it whither concerning allcageance to the King or not suffering the oath to be dispensed with they are all untied Yea that which is more admirable If the oath be publickly declared to be unjust it bindes none but ipso facto is made void Now the Pope hath sufficiently declared this oath of the Kings to be unjust so that the obligation of it vanishes into smoake and that bond which those wise men thought to be as strong as brasse is lesse then a straw And now what Faith can his Majesty give to or what Confidence can his Majesty have in the oath of these men And yet as if it were not enough To withdraw the heart of our Soveraign from confiding in his subjects The venome of this treason reaches farther And as Achitophel knowing that if Absalon were reconciled to his Father againe it would be his destruction put Absalon upon such a businesse as he knew was a scarec capable of reconciliation So this cursed faction knowing that upon union between his Majestie and Parliament followes their deserved ruine have councelled yea even compelled his Majestie to that which if any thing might make the breach between his Majestie and his subjects incurable Oh that vast effusion of English bloud which hath bin already not only in Ireland but in England The sunne hath not seen so many carkasses of English men lying upon their native soile in many hundred yeares The Lord see and avenge it upon them that are the originall cause of this bloud-sheading The violence that is done to me and my flesh be upon thee ô Papacy shall the Inhabitante of Ireland say And my bloud upon thee ô Prelacy shall England say That That 's the Helena for whose sake all these warres are For the defence of the Prelacy the Scotck warre was commenced though P crogative and Monarchy was pretended and for the same we may conceive the warre of England is pursued We may say to that faction as Ioah did to David 2. Sam 19.6 Thou regardest neither Prince nor servants for this day I perceave that if Absalon had lived and all we had dyed it had pleasâ— thee well They regard neither Prince nor people for we may easily perceave that if England and Scotland imbrue themselves in one anothers blouds or England tear out its owne bowells though all we dye so the Hierarchy survive they would be well pleasen Shall they escape by their iniquity thou Lord in tey displeasure shalt cast them down As for our Soveraign Thou ô God in whose hands the hearts of Kings are free his heart from the councells and ingagements of mischeivous men and men of bloud Give him a true understanding of and a due confidence in the loyall affections of his Protestant subjects Bring him back among us rather in the prayers and tears then in the blouds of his people And you my brethren so many as have any sparke of loyalty in your breastes and I hope you are all full of it desire and seeke the same thing yee of this City Yee of the honorable Nation of the Scots be not yee the last to bring the King back to his house 2. Sam. 19.11.12 Yee are his brethren yee are his bone and his flesh why should yee be the last in bringing the King back to his house againe even to his house of Parliament Assuredly if his Majesties life were bound up in one haire of his
greater then in other places of the Kingdom and are like to continue still For though I hope it is not in the purposes of God to destroy England nor to destroy London yet I have thought sometimes The purpose and intent of God hath beene to humble and attenuate London and England For Englands long continued peace had abundantly increased Englands wealth and the abundant creased of Englands wealth had proportionably increased Englands pride The age before us knew not that excesse of bravery in clothes and utensils that we were growne unto And the generation growing up was like to exceed us in both God saw us labour so dangerously of a plethory as his wisdome and love judged it needfull to abate and exhaust our fulnesse at least so much as is super fluous and not matter of subsistence but matter of pride unto us which if we can willingly and chearefully resigne up to the disposall of God we may possibly thereby obtaine and secure our lives Lawes Religion the things that are or should be dearest to us But if we hugge our wealth when God would have us let it goe Take heed we lose not that and all the rest Me thinkes I reade it in the footsteppes of God towards England God hath said I will abate the wealth and pride of England Me thinkes the succession of these three warres within these few yeares which comes not without the speciall providence of that God who ruleth in the kingdomes of men the expences of all which must lye upon England speaks it That the purpose of God is to abate the pride and wealth of England And me thinkes we should say as Mephibosheth did 2 Sam. 19.30 Yea let him take all for as much as my Lord the King is returned againe in peace to his owne house might we but see our Soveraigne Lord the King brought in peace againe to his owne house and to His Houses of Parliament Might we but see the King of Kings upon his holy hill of Zion Christ in his beauty on his Throne The Church reformed truth and peace established let him take all I perswade my selfe every honest heart that is loyall to God to the King to the publicke weale would willingly speake it and seale it did not our adversaries by their crafty insinuations indeavour to divide as much between the Parliament and people as they have done betweene the King and Parliament That would faine perswade the people of this Nation with the Ape in the emblem to cut in under the arme of the tree whereon they sit and plunge themselves into a gulph and sea of misery To this purpose as they have tolde his Majestie so now they tell the people That the Parliament will alter Religion A charge like that of Rabshakeh against Hezekiah and as true When he would perswade the people God would not helpe them because Hezekiah had altered Religion Isaias 36.7 If thou say to me we trust in the Lord our God is it not he whose Altars high places Hezekiah hath taken away sayd to Iudah and Ierusalem you shall worship before this altar Truth is This is all the alteration of Religion the Parliament hath made They have taken away the high places and Altars that they have done intended to proceed to command all worship to be according to the rule of Gods word To say to England you shall worship according to this rule And this is he great crime of altering Religion My brethren be not deceived â—â—â—eâ—â—tio Perseâ—riva oâ—ruptiva As in naturall so in civill and morall things there is a double alteration There is a perfective alteration And there is a corruptive alteration To alter Religion so as to corrupt Religion was the plot and work of the Popish Prelats and their faction To alter their alterations to antiquate their innovations to reduce Religion to its pure originall perfection which cannot be done without alteration of some thing introduced that was the purpose and work of the Parliament and for this it is our adversaries crie against them They will alter Religion I but then the Parliament will alter the government of the Kingdome Yes Just like as they altered Religion As in Religion such alterations as tend Ad perfectionem are not to be condemned So likewise in Polity and civill government Plato tells us That in all Common-wealths upon just grounds there ought to be some changes And that Statesmen therein must beehave themselves like skiâ—fâ—â—l Musicians Qui artem Musices non mutant sed Musices modum But they do things without his Majesties consent I that is our greif and our adversaries triumph That our adversaries have so farre prevailed upon the heart of our soveraign as to perswade him to with draw first his presence then his assent from the great Councell of his Kingdome And thereby force them Either to do things without the consent of our soveraign Or else do nothing but sit still and expect their owne the Kingdomes ruine And in such a case is it so high acrime to determine things necessary for the safety of King and Kingdome without consent of his Majestie when it cannot be obtained I have read that the Persian Monarches were wont to call the Peers and Presidents of their Provinces to Councell but giving them no freedome nor liberty of Councell For every one of them had 〈◊〉 plate or tile of gold to stand upon in the Councell house and if he gave councell that the King thought well of Kecker Polit. the plate of gold was given him for a reward but if he delivered any thing contrary to the Kings minde Valer. Maxim l. 9. c. 5. Flagris caedebatur And one writes that Xerxes in his expedition against Greece called his Princes together and spake to them to this purpose Least saith he I should seeme to follow only my owne Councell I have assembled you and now do you remember that it becomes you rather to obey then advise Our adversaries would faine have it so with the Peers and Parliament of England and have a long time bin labouring to perswade his Majestie it ought so to be and would make the like impression upon the people now But you my brethren beware of their insinuations and know That they that devide between his Majestie and Parliament or between Parliament and people are the greatest enemies of King people and Parliament This is the first time that ever loyalty to the King was set in opposition to fidelity to the Parliament The first time that ever it was thought possible to draw the English Nation to desert their Parliament under the notion of adhering to their King Oh let not this age beare the date of such infamy Did ever Parliament do more for the Lawes and liberties of the Nation with more danger and detriment to themselves And will you when they have need of you leave them well here is our comfort God hath not left God will not leave his cause 1. Kings 8.57.58.59.60 his work his people 1. Kings 8. The Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers let him not leave us nor forsake us that he may encline our hearts unto him to walke in all his wayes and to keep his commandements and his Statutes and his Iudgements He even he maintaine the cause of his servants and of his people Israël at all times as the Matter shall require that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is none else FINIS
without one spott Why should a man denude himself of the protection of the Almighty for one sinn It was said of Achilles that he was Styge armatus Fulgent Myth But he that repents of his sinns that believes in Christ whose wayes please God is Caelo Christo Deo armatus armed with heaven with Christ with God Would any at such a time as this in such a service as yours be without this armour Oh let your wayes please God and you shall not neede feare your adversaries And as your personall wayes So your publick wayes The things that you transact as publick persons let them be exact Walke and work by rule Appelles being asked why he used such exact care in limning pictures made this answer Pingo aeternitati I limne for eternity The things that you have now to do are not only for the present but future ages Your actions will live in the memory of men as long as men shall live upon earth You work for eternity Therefore be exact work by rule by line and plummet Let all your aimes be pure and good Fix your eye upon Gods glory * Drus Apopth Quicquid agas propter Deum agas Let that be your motto which was his Propter te Domine propter te Aime at God in all And walke with God in all See the pillar 〈…〉 fire go ng before you 〈…〉 â—â—orant That your taking up of armes is 〈…〉 of dâ—spute Now no time for that 〈…〉 â—ay It is no more then other of the 〈…〉 of Christ nâ—vâ—bâ—n driven to before you the 〈◊〉 to French the high and low Dutch Churches 〈◊〉 Germany when the Protestant Princes and States were treâ—tâ—â—g about a defensive league a In conâ—aiue adhibin fuerâ—â— non lure nsul imoâ—â—â—ed Thâ—oâ—◠〈◊〉 quâ— quâ— Lu hâ—â—â— auâ—m 〈◊〉 doâ—◠〈◊〉 stratu â—on â—s reustenâ—um extâ—bat e us hâ—â—d reliberlus um utem in hâ—c deliber tione perâ—tâ—â—uris doce râ—nt Legibus esse permâ—ssum resistere nonnunquam nune in eum casum de quo inter-lâ—a â—eges meâ—tionem fâ—câ—nâ— rem esse deductam Luti erus iogenâ—eÌ„ proficeâ—â— sâ— hoc nesciviss Et quâ—a Leges Politicas EvaÌ„geliam aâ—â—â—m pugnet ant aboleat deinoe quoniâ—m tempore tâ—m cubio fâ—rmidoloso multa possunt accidere â—ta ut non modo â—us ipsâ—m â—ed conscienâ—ae vis ae â—ecessitas arma nobis porrigat defensionis cuisa faedus posseâ—niri dicit sive Caesar ipse sive quis alius fortè bellum eius Nomine faciat Sleâ—d l. â— not only Lawyers but Dâ—vines were called to give their councell in the thing Luther who had always taught That the Magistrate ought not to be resisted and in the times of the Anabaptisticall tumults had written a book to that purpose Being one in the Consultation and hearing the lawyers declare That it was permitted by the fundamextall Lawes sometimes to resist and that now matters were brought to that very state of which the Lawes made mention Luther did ingenuously professe that he knew not so much before And because the Gospell doth not impugn nor abolish nationall Lawes And because in such a time as that was uncertain and full of feare many things might fall out so as not only Lawe but conscience and necessity might put armes into their hands Therefore he did conclude They might lawfully enter into a league of defence whether Caelat himself or any other in his name should make warr upon them And presently published a book therein admonishing all men that they should not yeild obedience to the Magistrats commanding them unto that warr against the league I know many in the Land charge the preachers of the Kingdome and those that have petitioned you so often for reformation in doctrine worship and discipline as the kindlers and formenters of this unnaturall warre But O Lord if we have done this if there be such iniquitie in our hands then let the enemy persecute our soule and take iâ—â—let them tread down our life upon the earth and lay our honour in the dust We have not desired this wofull dâ—y O Lord thou knowest it our desire was to have obtained the establishment of religion in purity peace wâ—thout blond ô Lord thou knowest it Quod si non aliter But if the sinnes of England bee such and the ingagements of our adversaries to their superstitious wayes be such That there is no other way to have popery cast out the Church reformed the Gospell assured to us and our posterity then this Hac mercede placent The will of the Lord be done Goe you on undauntedly in that blessed worke of reformation Thinke you heare Christ speaking to you as Caesar did to his Ferrie-man in a storme Perge contra Tempestatem forti Animo Caesarem fers fortunam Caesaris Beare up cou agiously against the storme you carry Caesar and Caesars fortune Thinke you heare Christ so saying unto you Pergite contra Tempestatem forti Animo Christum fertis fortunam Ecclesiam gloriam Christi Beare up couragiously against the storme you carry Christ with you and the Church the fortune the glory of Christ If the Tempests and flouds of the ungodly rise against you remember you have not only the sighes and teares of Gods people for you but Christ imbarked with you who is able to rebuke the stormes and command a calme You are a Parliament of prayers and teares if ever any and as Amb. said to Austins Mother Non potest perire tantarum lachrimarum filius A Child of so many prayers and teares cannot miscarry And yet as you are to be couragious so to be cautelous As to bee confident so vigilant To have a watchfull eye over and a prudent care to suppresse your adversaries Herodot in Terpsiâ—h c. 1 9â— Darius the Persian being inraged against the Athenians by a treachery of theirs layed this injunction upon one of his servants that alwayes as hee sate at meate he should thrice cry Here memento Atheniensium You need no such Monitor This fifth of November in its yearely revolution cries loud in your yeares Domini memento te papistarum Not so much to inrage you against their persons as against their Religion Not to say as he did there ô Iupiter c Lord grant that I may be revenged upon the Athenians Not to study revenge upon the Papists so much as upon popery not to suppresse the Papists so much as to suppresse popery if the one could be done without the other What need there is of this let a Divine that had searched into the bowels of popery tell you a Doctor Iohn white in his Sermon at Pau's Crosse Dicretum fuit in Conciltis Toletanis ut quisquis succedentium Temporum Regni sortiretur apicem non ante conscenderet Regâ—am sedem quaÌ„ inter Caetera Sacramento polliceretur Nullum fe non Catholicum permissurum in suo Regno degere sed armis haereticos persequeretur Ribadeneira l. 1. de Principe
christiano c. 2â— Papistry saith he can neither stand with peace nor piety The State therefore that would have these things hath just cause to suppresse it But what course is to be taken for the suppressing of it Shall wee take that course for the suppressing of popery which some of theirs prescribe for the suppressing of the truth Decretum fuit in consiliis Toletanis c. They made decrees in some of their counsels That every King before he bee installed should sweare among other things That hee would permit no man to live in his Kingdom that is not a Roman Catholick but will pursue all Hereticks with the sword I know it is disputed among Divines Whether it be lawfull to use compulsory meanes in matters of Religion And no lesse among Politicians whither it would bee successefull I shall neither take upon mee to determine those disputes Nor direct the wisdome of the great councell of the kingdome in a course for suppressing popery Only in briefe the meanes to be used to this end are either sacred or civill Acts of Religion or of State For religious meanes I conceive that as the re-establishment of Popery in Queen Maries dayes was an Act of State and of the whole Kingdome assembled in Parliament so if the State the Parliament now assembled would please to indict some Day or dayes of solemne Nationall professed humiliation for that sinne of the Nation which as farre as I could ever learne was never yet done it might bee a happie meanes to expiate that sinne and to purge the Land from that bloud of Martyrs which it yet groanes under and would blessedly prepare the heart of the Nation for a more thorow perfect Reformation We observe it in particular persons that if they slide out of profane and sinfull wayes into wayes of more retirednesse without any evidence of a sincere and proportionable Humiliation That Reformation seldome proves lasting or saving I know not why the same may not bee verified in Nationall Reformations And among other things which possibly might bee causes why the wrath of the Lord was not removed from Hierusalem notwithstanding Josiah's so glorious Reformation this may bee one because the Land was never humbled for the Idolatries or Bloudsheds of Manasses but looked upon the reformation as sufficient without humiliation which verily hath been Englands course to this day we have blessed our selves in a kinde of Reformation But never tooke to heart the Idolatrous and bloudy Lawes enacted by our forefathers to bee humbled for them Next to this as a second meanes for the suppressing of Popery I would subjoy ne the casting out from among us of all appearances of Popery every that lookes like Rome every thing of which the Papists may say this you borrowed from us True it is the Israelites by Gods expresse commandement borrowed of the Aegyptians Iewels of silver and Iewels of Gold but when they imployed those Egyptian Iewels to Egyptian worship and turned their Egyptian gold into an Egyptian God you know what followed I condemne not every thing received from Rome as simply evill But certainely as long as the Papists see any such things among us in our publike worship They will but scorne us and our Religion as imperfect and unable to furnish us in the service of our God without being beholding unto them The third Meanes is To ridd the Church of scandalous Ministers that what by their corrupt doctrine what by their abominable lives have exceedingly hardned the Papists against our Religion and strengthened them in their owne Fourthly By complying as neare as possible may be with other reformed Churches in all things The resolution you have put on for uniting with the Church of Scotland is one of the blessed'st things for the utter subversion of popery that hath beene since the first reformation And lastly Plant a faithfull painefull powerfull Ministery through the Kingdome And give maintenance and incouragement answerable But O Lord in such a corrupt State of Clergie and Universities where shall we finde faithfull men to plant the Nation with The harvest is great the labourers few O pray yee the Lord of the Vineyard to send forth labourers into his harvest To give the word that great may be the multitude of them that preach it As for Civill meanes of rooting out Popery I shall wholly leave them to the Councell of the State Only one thing more let me adde which I cannot without sinne forbeare If ever you would root popery out of Englâ—nd with the uttermost of your vigour prosecute the affaires of Ireland If Popery prevaile to the suppressing of the true Religion there Doe not thinke you can prevaile to suppresse popery here I know your Domesticke affaires are great your occasions of expences vast yet I remember what the Historian saith of the Roman State There was nothing did more evidence the greatnesse of their spirits then that at such a time as Hanniball was even Ad portus Their treafure exhausted by long Warres Their Armies routed diverse times The State at the lowest ebbe that ever it was in Yet even then when a mighty Warre lay upon their backes They did not remit the care of any affaires though never so remote from them And nothing did more make Hannibal despaire of taking Rome Then that he heard supplies of Souldiers were sent out of the Citie into Spaine even then 〈…〉 22. c. 3â— when he with his whole army lay before their walles I know not whither any thing would more please God or procure a blessing upon your affaires at home I am sure scarce any thing would mâ—â—e dant your adversaries at home and abroad then to see you at such a time as this sending supplies into Ireland And you my brethren the rest of you that stand before Exhortatiâ—â— the peoplâ— the Lord this day Withdraw not your assistance from the honourable Houses of Parliament in that or any other worke so just Honourable and pious You see they meete with opposition from their adversaries impossible it is it should be otherwise Oh let them not meete with discouragment from their friends from their brethren No question it was worse to Nehemiah to heare Iudah say The strength of the bearers of burdens is decaied and there is so much rubbish wee cannot build the wall Then it was to heare the adversaries say We will come upon them and they shall neither know nor see till we are in the midst of them and play them and cause the worke to cease That which the adversaries said was no more then he looked for But this of Iudah was unexpected O let not London say let not England say The strength of the bearers of burdens is decaied The expences of the Irish warre and of the English affaires are such a burden wee can beare no longer our strength is decaied wee cannot build the wall the worke must cease I know your burdens this way have been great and in this City farre
your severall Remonstrances have made them known yet give me leave to informe the rest of our brethren a little of them Our adversaries in Ireland have bin plotting their present rebellion these seaventeen yeares as some have deposed See the Friâ—sh Remonstrance These seaventeen yeares they have bin making fireworks and laying traines for the kindling of that combustion which now devoures that miserable Kingdome And what have our adversaries bin doing here the meane while Think you nothing Whence then proceeded those long intermissions of Parliaments that we began to feare our Parliaments would prove like those Roman solemnities Ludi seculares Alexan. Gen. Dier li. 6. c. 18 Quos nemo mortalium vidit unquam nec visurus est Which no man lived to see twice being held but once in a hundred yeares Whence came the immature dissolutions of so many Parliaments but from the plots of these our adversaries He that knowes not where the strength of England lies may learn of Englands enemies For as the Philistins when they knew that Samsons strength lay in his haire plotted to cut off that and then they easily bound him put out his eyes and made him grinde in their mill So our adversaries knowing our strength to lye in our Parliaments have bin ever plotting to cut off them One Parliament they attempted to blow up with powder but many a Parliament they have blown up without powder that so our Parliaments being intermitted interrupted they might at once lay bandes upon us and put out our eyes that we should not see our owne bondage lay us in our Lawes and liberties and we should neither know nor see Esth 7.4 And if only in our Lawes and liberties If as Esther said We had only bin sold for bondmen and bondwomen the mischeif had bin more tollerable But had not our adversaries plotred to slay us as the two witnesses were slaine in the Revelation To slay us by taking the word of truth and life from us Did they not say we will come upon them and they shall neither know nor see tell we are in the middest of them and cause that work to cease I know there are many in the Nation and may be some here that cannot yet be perswaded there was ever any design for the alteration of Religion amongst us Such I beseech in the spirit of meeknesse to lend me a patient and unprejudiced eare I stand not hear to declaime against any persons or rankes of men but to speak the words of truth and sobernesse I know that I stand this day not only before a great Court but before a greater God to whom I must give account for what I now speak Contzen Politic. li. 2. cap. 18. Layes a plott for the altering of Religion in a Protestant Kingdome which is Laid downe in certaine rules Adam Contzen A Jesuite of Mentz in his second booke of Politickes the Eighteenth Chapter hath drawne a plot for the cheating of a people of the true Religion by sleight of hand and the serving in of Popery againe upon them by art of legerdemaine that they shall neither know nor see The method of this which certainely is one of Satans Methods he layes downe in certaine rules Be pleased but to observe how exactly the late times have moved according to those Rules and then judge of their designes His first rule His first rule is this To proceed as Musicians doe in tuning their instruments Who straine their strings with agentle hand and set them up by little and little Or as Physitians doe in curing diseases who abate noxious humors by degrees and pauses This rule was observed both for the destructive and adstructive way For the destruction of the true Religion and the advancing of the false they had learned this wisdome to proceed by degrees and pauses And first for the destruction of the true Religion To suspend all the Orthodoxe preathers in the land at once would have made too great a noise therefore proceed by degrees And first suspend all Lecturers which will not constantly practise the ceremonies Then after a little pause Clap downe all Lecturers as an order of Vagrants not to be toller ated in the Church When that is done Forbid all Pastors and Incumbents preaching in their owne parish Churches upon weeke dayes Next inhibit preaching upon the Lords Day in the After noone under pretence of advancing Catechising by that meanes and yet with in a little while after forbidding all Catecheticall exposition tying men to the bare words of the Primmer Catechisine As soone after they forbad all praying but in the words of the Canon Now what can any ingenuous man thinke the designe of all this was But to rob us of preaching and praying and thereby of the Gospell and true Religion wholly in conclusion Only to doe it by degrees for feare of noise and tumult to doe it so as we should neither know nor see And for the adstructive way The rebuilding of Rome among us did they not proceed by the me steppes First Urging the constant and full practise of the old Ceremonies beyond the intention either of Law of or Canon Then bringing in an Idolatrous fardell of new pop shisuperstitions without warrant either of Law or Canon but their owne paper injunctions forcing their observance upon Ministers and people but by pauses and degrees First the Table must be railed in soone after set in an Altar posture Then thirdly All must be compelled to come and kneele before it or not receave the Sacrament Then it must becried up as the Sanctum Sanctorum the place of Gods chiefe residence upon earth the Seate and Throne of God Almighty And there upon Fifthly All mens faces in prayer must be turned towards that Men may yea must say some adore and bow before it c. What could the intent of all this be but after the Altar to bring in the sacrifice and with their wooden worship the breaden God Only to doe it by degrees that wee should not know nor see So in doctrine First bring in Arminian doctrines then the popish will easily follow Let the Serpent but winde in his head he will soone worke in his whole body Let Arminianisine but obtaine countenance and licence in the kingdome Our Pulpits Schooles Presses will soone bee filled with popish doctrins witnesse the publishing of so many points of popery one after another specially those two That the Pope is not Antichrist And that the Church of Rome is a true visible Church Alta sic surgunt maenia Romoa Thus according to the rule of their Master Iesuite they seeke to re establish Rome by degrees They said they shall not know nor see His second Rule His second Rule is this To presse the examples and practises of some as a good means to draw on the rest And was not this familiar with them to dazle the eyes of the meaner and lesse judicious people of the kingdome with the practices
of great persons If any begun to tartle or be troubled at the matter what was their present answer My Lord Bishop doth thus and thus and my Lords Grace of Canterbury doth thus and thus The Knights of the most noble order of the Garter bow Versus Altare A C. Speech in the Starre-Chamber p 47 towards the Altar at their installement His Majesties Chappell is thus and thus adorned By these the like pretences casting a mist before the peoples eyes that some did not others durst not see any thing tending towards the altering of Religion Our adversaries said they shall neither know nor see His third Rule His third Rule is this That arch Heretickes and such as are teachers of Heresie must be banished the Common wealth at once if it may safely bee done but if not by degrees It is easie to know who are the Iesuites Arch-Heretickes the most active orthodoxe Protestants For the rooting out of such the Iesuite prescribes a method of twelve or thirteene steppes Cout Pol. lib. 2â— c. 18. §. 6. For which though well worth the relating I referre you to his book least this discourse should swell to much Only in summe Let me shew you how their operation hath beene according to this Rule The Arch-Heretickes and Teachers of heresie in England have beene counted the Puritan Preachers though they teach nothing but consonant to Scripture and the publike Doctrine of the Church yet they are the teachers of heresie and being too many to root out 〈◊〉 once it must be done by degrees that it may effected with more ease and lesse noise and therefore First east all those out of the ministery that will not be punctuall and full conformists to the old Ceremonies Next because there were a company of conformable Puritans as themselves stiled them they procure an edict for recreations upon the Lords Day and this must be published by Ministers that such as could stand under the ceremonies though groaning for the burden might fall and be broken in peâ—ces under this And yet because some men suspected of Puritanisme might have a latitude here bey ond their brethren They have a third engine â—nd that is injoyning new Ceremonies and adorations that if any could swallow the book yet they might discover cast them out by straining here To this they adde a fourth Prayers and Proclamations to be read against our brethren the Scotts And their last and greatest engine which was like the powder plot against the godly ministery of the nation to blow up the reliques of them at once was the oath for Episcopacie By these successive stratagems they made account utterly to extirpate those Arch-Hereticks As it was somtimes said to Elijah 1 King 19. Him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Iehu slay-and him that escapeth the sword of Iehu shall Elisha slay So had they said Him that escapeth the dint of the Ceremonies shal the book of sports slay and him that escapeth the book of sports shall the new injunctions slay and him that escapeth the new injunctions shall the proclamations slay and him that escapeth the proclamations shal the oath slay And this by degrees and pauses that they shall neither know nor see till we slay them and cause the work to cease His fourth Rule The fourth rule is this That those which are adversaries to the true Religion which with him is Popery be put by their dignities places offices I think none here is such a stranger in England but from his own knowledg can wiâ—nesse this The bestowing of all offices the collating of benefices the election of Masters and fellowes of Colledges in both Vniversities who had the over-ruling hand in them all the power of mandamus but Canterbury and his faction And whom were they conferred upon Vsually Men infamous for and a So Leontius Bishop of Antioch a dissembling concealed Arrian was observed to disrespect all Orthodox men and preferr no one in the Church but such as enclined to Arrianisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Theod. 2 24. Quis enim non facilè Pruitanos in Anglia redigâ—â— in Or â—inem si Episcoâ—or m approbationem ab tis ex torqueat Contz vbisupra paragrap 9 impudent in Arminian and Popish opinions Protested Arminianisme and bold faced Popery the only speedy unerring way to Church preferment His fifth rule is To make the Protestant Religion odious by laying load upon such tenents as are most subject to harshest constructions In this our adversaries have not bin sparing Quot plaustra convitiorum have they poured out upon some doctrines of our Religion specialy the points of grace The pulpits of Italy and Rome never spitt more gall and venome against the doctrines of Election free grace justification by faith perseverance c. nor never sweat more to exaggerate the seeming absurdities which carnall men would draw from them then some of ours have done His sixth rule is To foment the quarells that are among the Protestants and strengthen that party that is nearest compliance with Rome And here the wretch hath the unhappines to prescribe one thing as the proper meanes of Englands cure For who saith he might not easily reduce the Puritans of England into order you know what the Iesuits reducing into order is if he could extort from them an approbation of the Bishops And had they not attempted and almost effected this They had made us their slaves before and were they not about to make us swear we would be so for ever Certainly though nothing but Episcopacy floated in the surface of that â—ath yet Popery was in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the c. of it oâ— reducing the Puritans of England into order sensu Pontificio His seventh rule His seventh is this That all private Conventiles and publick meetings must be forbidden For private Conventicles you all know that to meet together to pray or to conferre which with them was a Conventicle was Peccatum irremissible A man might at a better rate almost answer any thing then such a meeting For publick meetings The ancient laudable exercising of prophecying I mean not in that sence the word is lately taken for private spirits to interpret Scripture but prophecying by men in office peculiarly gifted and called to that work these are banished The publick and most frequentod lectures blasted Publick fastes by consent of Ministers which had of long time bin used in many parts of the Kingdome were become piacular A sermon at next Church the forbidden fruit when they had none at home or worse then non Our adversaries have bin but too diligent to suppress not only private CoÌ„venticles but publick Assembl His eighth rule The eighth meanes is By severity of Lawes and punishments to compell the obstinate unto duty and yet the rigour of the Law must be slowly drawn out and not against all but only such as be most dangerous Now what severity not only Ad summum