THE Antichristian Presbyter OR ANTICHRIST TRANSFORMED ASSUMING THE NEVV SHAPE OF A Reformed Presbyter as his last and subtlest Disguise to deceive the NATIONS REVEL 13.11 13. And he had two hornes like a Lambe and he spake as a Dragon and he doth great wonders so that he maketh fire to come down from Heaven on the Earth in the sight of men And he deceiveth them that dwell upon the Earth by reason of those miracles By RICHARD LAURENCE Marshal-Generall Printed for the Timly information of the People 1647. The Epistle to the READER CHRISTIAN READER I Would not have thee flatter thy expectation by thinking to meet with something in this Discourse that should tend to the setting up or casting down any one practice or opinion now received or held forth by the Believers of severall judgments in this Kingdom which are but as so many Bubles risen upon the water And when a strong gale of that Spirit which bloweth where it listeth shall breath upon them they shall all break and fall and shall become a pure River of living water clear as Chrystall proceeding out of the Throne of GOD and of the Lambe But that which J do heer endeavour to hold forth to thee is only a discovery of that Mystery of Iniquity which assumes shapes and formes of Religion for no other end but to destroy both Moral and Divine Rights and Priviledges And having had occasion by reason of my employments in the Army to ride through most parts of this Kingdome very lately I have observed these things which I here represent to thee hoping that not only Thou but those whom England hath chosen to be their Overseers and God hath used to be their Deliverers will observe what Vipers they have in their Bosome such as hold forth an Apple in their mouth but have stings in their hearts such as only kissed with an intent to betray That which moved me to pen it was out of conscience to that Covenant which many of these Deceivers have swallowed down it would be well for the Kingdome if there were more Covenant-Keepers though fewer Covenant-takers J shall direct thee to what followeth rest thine in that everlasting Covenant which doth not only bind us but affect us in truth and faithfulnesse one to each other R. L. A briefe Discovery of old Antichrist in the new shape of Presbytery EXperience teacheth us that it hath ever been the way and practice of that man of Sin that mystery of Iniquity that enemy to all peace and righteousnesse commonly called by us Antichrist and known to us onely by the names of Pope Jesuite and Papist c. to transform himselfe into that shape or likenesse which he conceived would he most advantagious to his designes For before the time of this Parliament we thought he had onely dwelt at Rome and Spain c. among the Papists and that the hanging of those halfe-score men for the Gun-powder Plot had frighted him cleare out of England But while we cried Peace Peace behold trouble And when he thought the time of our desolation dâ—ew nigh then the time of our deliverance was at hand For when he saw there was no remedy he was very forward to have a Parliament thinking they would have done as some had done before them to have given all the peoples rights and priviledges to the King to purchase to themselves great estates in Court But God gave us men of publick spirits which resolved to offer up themselves and aâ—l that was deare to them to maintain the peoples rights and priviledges so much invaded by the great-Ones of this Kingdome and their Haâ—…ers And before they were well warmed in their seats there came petition after petition and complaint after complaint they could not tell which to heare first many of them wondring the peâ—ple should lie under such heavie oppressions and yet be so silent And when they began to enquire into the businesse they found the people were like a Horse in a quagmire the more they strove the deeper they sunk For though they had appealed from Court to Court the higher they went the worse they were This seemed strange to them that in such a place as England was where there were so many grave and learned Divines such a powerfull Ministery the whole Kingdome being lookt at as a Church of Jesus Christ there should be such unheard of oppression and tyranny And enquiring into the cause of these things they began first to enquire whether that old enemy of mankind which was alwayes a deceiver of the people Antichrist was not crept in among us again Which made Henry the eighth spill so much innocent blood in this kingdome hanging to day a Papist for his Religion and the next day a Protestant for his Religion Having his reigne in burning and destroying religious people in this Kingdome untill the end of Queen Mary and was wholly cast out of Church and State as we thought by the Parliament in the reigne of Queen Elizabeth After which we grew secure we thought Antichrist had been but of one religion Then they began to enquire what Papists were about the King thinking they might be the cause of all this mischiefe for they had not heard that this deceiver had been any thing but a Pope or Jesuit or Papist at least But when they had found out the truth of the businesse this cunning Sophister had turned Protestant a zealous Common-prayer-book man and would goe to Church twice a day at least And after they found it was Antichrist indeed onely changed his shape they began to search further to see how large his dominion was And well knowing he doth not use to trouble poore folk much they began first at the Court and going with the King to the Church there they found him as busie as could be bowing to the Altar and reading Common-prayer and singing the Letany with a great deale more such stuffe And when he had done that up start he into the Pulpit in the likenesse of the Kings Chaplain and there he tells them the King was accountable to none but God for his actions and that all his subjects enjoy'd was wholly at his disposing whether liberties priviledges or estates c. and those that would not say so were traytors And after further enquiry they found him in all the chief Offices about the Court and for feare he should not be neere enough to the King he was crept into bed to him A little after they found he was not onely about the Kings person but was gotten into most of the chiefe places of Judicature in the kingdome They found he had been a great Privy-Counsellor for many yeares and had been acting many wicked designes tending to the inslaving of the people and destroying Religion He had been the onely means of procuring Ceremonies and a Book of Common-prayer to be imposed upon the Church of Scotland And because they would not submit they being imposed by the Kings authority he
perswaded the King to raise an Army to force it upon them and had not our God which never was a friend to imposers of formes stood for them and us by them we had been all enslaved at that time After further enquiry they found he had been in the likenesse of a learned Judge and had rode most of the circuits in England and had sold the poore for a peece of bread And where ever you finde him you may observe hee loves money well for hee did not use the Law to judge by but judged for men as they were able to pay him And from thence it was you had so little protection by the Law He could perswade the Judges and most of the Lawyers in the Kingdome that it were lawfull for the King to raise money of the free-born people of England whether they were willing or no and bids them call it Ship-money He could make it lawful for the great men in the kingdom to take away all the poore Countre-ymens Commons though they had never so strong Charters to shew for them onely tell them it was the Kings pleasure If any well-minded Countrey-man which thought his own Birthwright and his Countries priviledge worth the standing for did but stand up in his Countries behalf he presently must be made an example and was befriended if he escapt with his life though he lost all he had besides for fear some others should play such tricks Nay he had almost perswaded the Lords of the Copyâ—hold-Mâ—â—â—â—r that their â—â—nes which were never known to be but set sums to be at their wills And thereby would haue dispossest many thousands of the Commons of England of their Inheritance their Fathers left them Thus my honest Country-men what ever you were born too ye may see what you were neer brought to If I should instance in all particulars of this nature I should fill a Volume as bigge as your Church Bible If you be forgetfull or have a bad memory I shall commend the Star-Chamber to you for a study which is a very convenient place for that purpose After they had discovered what work he had made in the State they began to enquire whether he was not crept into the Church or no and when the truth came to be known he was Archbishop of Canterbury And after further enquiry it appeared there was not a Diocesse in the Kingdome but he was the Bishop of it and not a Living worth a hundred pounds a year but he had the disposing of it Nay because he understood the people would not restore him all those great Livings which Henry the 8. took from him under the same tearmes and names he then held them rather then he would be without he new christened them too And some he calls Church-livings or Spiritual means or the Churches Inheritance And I believe it is all the Inheritance he desire his Churches should have for hee can make a whole County of Temporall meanes all Spirituall in half an houre and make you believe its Blasphemy to say to the contrary and Sacriledge to take it away again There are two other little stipends which like a Carefull Father he hath procured for his youngest Sons and those hee calls Globe-land and Tythes So rather then any of his Tribe should not have an office in the Priesthood he will have them Leviticall Priests But if they were not fit for Priests he had other employments for them for he was nor only a Courtier himself but he kept a Court too And this he called a Spirituall Court it had other names as somtimes the Chancellours Court or the Commissaries Court but they that gave it the right name called it the Bawdy Court What the Revenue of this Court was yearly I cannot informe you but I am sure they maintained a great and ungodly company And set but a-part the Crown-Land and the Inheritance of the Nobility in the Kingdom and though his Tribe did not amount to the five hundred part of the people yet he had engrosed into his hands the fourth part of the Commons Inheritance And if you please to mind what work he made in the State and how well he throve in the Church if he had not bin discovered stopt by the Parliament he would have made as many goe bare-foot and bare-leg in England as doth in Scotland in a very short time After they found how rich and mighty hee was grown in the Kingdom they began to inquire into his actions and there they found he had been doing the very same things in this shape he used to do in the other There were all the godly Ministers in the Kingdom either banished or silenced except some few which were able to make good friends or could dispense with most of his Popish Ceremonies with many thousands of godly people scattered all over the world as they were at Jerusalem witnesse New-England Virginia with many of the remote Islands Holland is not exempted If you would have further satisfaction I shall referre you to the foure Champions of these times viz. Mr. Prynne Dr. Bastwick Mr. Burton and Lieu. Col. Lilburn I wish them to remember the losse of their eares their branding in the face their pillory their whipping-Cart their exile and imprisonment Ask them if Antichrist cannot persecute as well in the shape of a Protestant as a Papist Know of them whether the enjoyment of this Parliament be not the greatest outward mercy that ever God gave England and themselves in particular Ask them again if Antichrist be not a persecuter in all the shapes he assumes and whether the spirit of persecution be not the spirit of Antichrist or no. Thus my honest and soon-deceived Countrey-men you may see by these few hints among the many thousands you may remember of the same nature what condition you were in when God raised you up this Parlement to be your deliverers and what a work they had to undertake in your behalfe They had only of these two things to chuse one either to give you and your posterity up to slavery or run the hazard of the utter ruining themselves and families I need not tell you which it was they chose but where they begun will be worth your observation They did not begin to lop off the branches but to hew downe the main body of the tree the first men they call'd in question being the two greatest Subjects in the Kingdom viz. the Lord Deputy of Ireland and the Bishop of Canterbury if they had questioned more of them then we had been quietter since But as soon as this wise Observer of Times saw what would befall him he presently would change his shape again and would be in the likenesse of a blessed Reformation as he called it in the dayes of Queen Elizabeth When that trick would not serve he knew there was no other meanes left now but his last shift which was to see if he could stirre up the people to rise with the King
if you ride through the whole Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales except some few Parishes where theâ—e is a very good Lâ—ving of 100. l. or 200. l. per annum Who shall you find but some old-fashion'd Common-prayer-book-Priest and all he is able to observe out of the Directory is to read a Chapter sing a Psalm and say the peace of God and away goes he to dinner he hath most skill of that If yee doe now and then meet with a second sort of them which with a great deale of care and pains-taking can write as much in a peece of paper in six-dayes as he is able to read in halfe an houre on the seventh day and adde but thus much ex tempore to it O these cursed Schismatickes Sectaries Heretickes Independents c. He is a mighty well-gifted man he is fit to make one of the Classes at least Nay a man may goe into a thousand Parishes in this Kingdome and demand but of the Parson why he doth not weare the Surplice and read Common-prayer and bow to the Altar as he used to doe And all the answer he can give is the Parliament hath put them down Ask them why they observe the Directory why the Parliament hath put it out Or some of them are so learned as to say they have imposed it or establisht it So that we want nothing but a Parliament to establish Popery for we have Priests as ready to officiate as any Kingdom in Christendome These things considered what manner of Church-goverment are we like to have think yee when we have like people like Priests And yet all the ablest Ministers of the Kingdome must be gathered together at London to teach one another and the poore ignorant people in the Countrey perish for want of knowledge Doe yee think it would not be a more Christian brotherly way for them to goe up and down the Countrey teaching the Gospel then to be at London procuring punishment for the people for their not believing it before they have heard it A man may ride twenty miles together in some parts of the Kingdome and not finde two men in a Parish that know what a Presbyter or Elder or Deacon is except yee mean Bishops and Arch-deacons such as they use to have in another shape All I would desire you to observe from these things is this what small reason any honest people of this Kingdome have to bâ—ame the Parliament for not setting Church Government when the tenth part of the Kingdome is not capable of receiving it nor the tenth part of the ministery capable of officiating it My honest Countrey men look about you be no more deceived for all the noyse you heare in the Kingdome is not for Presbiter-Government they do but put on the same Government to see if they can deceiue him of his Birth-right for godly Presbyterians and godly Independents must all drink of one Cupp and they that have the last draught may come to have the dreggs too for ought I know And if not godly ye may be Presbyters and Independents too you are not the men they aime at But now it is come to this passe that if a man do but speake well of the Parliament what ever his Judgement be he must be an Independent Nay I have observed it having had occasion to ride through most parts of this Kingdome lately that there are many godly consciencious people which have not a preaching Minister within five miles of them and if there hardly worth the going to and some of these people for using meanes to procure a preaching Minister for so doing are called Independents and for such hated and abused by their Malignant dumb Preist and the rest of their Neighbours I could instance many particulars of this nature I shall onely name two The one is at Charlbury in Oxfordshire the Parish being great hath three Churches all in one simple fellows â—ands hardly fit to make a Clarke one of the places having a competent meanes to maintaine a Minister hath indeavoured to procure one and for so doing are called Independents and for such hated and dispised Another place is at East hendred in Bark-shire where there is a wicked Malignant Priest called Doctor Rogers he was the Kings Chaplin in Oxford his parish preferred Articles against him to the Generall the Generall referred them to the Committees the Articles were these or to this purpose That the said Doctor Rogers had severall times delivered in the Pulpet before his parishoners these or such like expressions That the Parliament at Westminster were Rebels and Traytors That he hop't to see their heads from their bodies and their Limbs drying in the Sun That it was Treason to call them a Parliament In his prayer praying for their confusion under the names of the Kings enemies Comparing them to Korah Dathan and Abiram and wishing the earth might open and swallow them up frequently praying they might be like Oreb and Zeeb and that they might slee before the Lords annointed like Zeba and Salmunna with abundance more of this nature For endeavouring to put him out and to have another in his place the poore men were calld Independents and for such hated â—nd persecuted some of the poor men being weary of their lives homes came to Oxford to intreate me to be their friend to the Generall professing they durst not go home to their wives and Children the Malignants wrath not being contented to persecute them himselfe with the rest of his complyces in his parish but procured troopers of Abington Horse â—o fright slander and abuse them under the name of Independents and Tub-preachers Thus my honest Cuntrey men if the enemies of your peace have but so much wit as to call you Independents according to these practises its policy enough to destroy you all It s cause of admiration that so many rationall godly men as bee in this Kingdome of the Presbyterian Judgment should be so blind as not to see in every part of his Kingdome that the same spirit of Malignancy and Anti Christ which hitherto hath opposed the Parliament in their proceedings hath already assumed the shape of a Presbyter thereby to make a further rent and division in the Kingdome to the end they may destroy both Parliament and people Let me appeale to any that have not sold themselves to partiality and have not wholly given up themselves to believe lies What do ye think by that army of French so much feard and talkt of Will they be al Presbyters think you have ye forgotten the bloody massacre in France Were none murdered there but Independents think ye Nay further what kind of Presbyter-Government shal we have setled by the Irish Rebels think ye for they must come to assist you in that precious work too Have none of their unheard of inhumane cruelties been acted against any but Independents think ye What do ye think of the Lord George Digby that is to command the Army for
England from thence is not there a reverend Presbyter Nay further what do you think of the gathering together of those kind of creatures in the North we used to call Cavaliers are they all turned Presbyters think ye Were they not within this twelve moneths firing of Towns plundering of Houses murdering of people ravishing of women wherever they came in the Kingdome and went under the name of dammee Cavaliers and the Popish Army and are they so suddenly converted and altogether its time we had a nationall Church Government setled then Oh that ever men should thus delude themselves and be their own betrayers and murderets that at such a time as this when there is such visible treachery and wicked plotting tending to the ruine of the whole Kingdome that men should be silent which have so great an interest in it and so much cause to defend the liberty of it Have we not cause to feare that there is a lying spirit in the mouthes of our Prophets that at such time as this is can flatter these spirituall wickednesses in high places if they were the Lords watchmen they would not be stirring up Israel against Judah and Iudah against Israel but would tell Iudah of his sins and Israel of his transgression Oh that we may never see the day that those which Englands Parliament hath chosen out of respect to their learning and piety to be their familiar freinds and take sweet Councel together should in the dayes of Absolom rising up against David act the part of Achitophel Is it possible those which could fore-see things so long in the last plot if not partiall could be so blind in this and if seeing it if not deceitfull could be so dumb in not declaring it What 's the reason ye have such a noyse in the pulpits against such things as could never be sufficiently proved evill and the great crying sinnes of the nation hardly spoke of as if one sin against the Clergy were more dangerous then a multitude of the sinns of Sodom which this Kingdome is full of against that God of Heaven and Earth which destroyed Sodom for sin By this ye may clearly see they preach themselves and not Christ Iesus the Lord. But considering it is rather their infirmities then their qualities Let us earnestly desire the Lord would open their mouthâ— they might shew forth his prayse that seeklesse their own things and more the things of Iesus Christ that they may no longer call evill good and good evill but reprove the infirmities of their Brethren as the Apostle did with the spirit of love and meeknesse and when they are speaking against the prophanesse lewdnes and wickednesse of the Nation to cry aloud and spare not to lift up their voice like a Trumpet to preach as those that have authority and not as the Scribes I shall for a conclusion desire your consideration on the 33. and 34. Chapters of the prophesie of Ezekiel The Postscript Christian Reader I Shall desire thy Impartiall Censure on these few things Judge but Judge not false Judgement Though I have endevored to discover to thee that Antichrist is crept in amongst us in the shape of a Presbyter yet do I not in the least here strive to perswade thee that Presbytery is Antichristian for we have been too forwards to judge of men and things as they have been represented to us under good or bad names And from thence rose that true proverb among us a Iew would not have done such a thing But the Apostle tells them he is not a Iew that is one outwardly but he that is one inwardly Rom. 2.28 and this was the cause the Saints in the Apostles time differed so much by judging one another according to outward appearance as they were distinguisht by their names some of Paul and some of Apoll. s c. 1. Cor. 1.12 And therefore when Christ is prophesied on to come a Judge it is said he shall not judg after the sight of his eyes nor reprove after the hearing of his eares but he shall judge with righteousnesse and reprove with equity and though our Judges be forwardest to judge for the rich and speak in the proud mens Cause Christ shall judge for the poor and reprove for the meek Esa 11.31 Therefore take heed thou dost not by thy thus judging condemn that which Christ shall justifie and justifie that which Christ shall condemn especially in things that concerne Christs Kingdom and godly people because Christ himselfe is thereby either justified or condemned by them Lukâ— 10.16 Acts 9 4. Therefore that I would desire thee to observe in these few things is this that Jesus is Christ though Crowned with thornes and in a robe of mockery Mat. 27.29 that Jacob is not Esau though in his garment Gen. 27.15 and that Iosephs Coate is known to his Father though dipt in blood Gen. 37.33 And againe that Antichrist is a Wolfe though in Sheepes Cloathing Mat. 7.15 as much that beast when he appeared like a Lambe with two hornes Rev. 13.11 as when he had the seven heads and ten hornes v. 1. as false an Apostle when he is transformed into an Angel of light or is like the Apostle of Christ 2 Cor. 11.13.14 as when he is that great red Dragon standing before the woman ready to devoure her seede Rev. 12.4 If thou dost aske me how thou shalt then know him I answer by his workes for whatsoever his shape is his businesse is all one For there are some deceivers which are not Antichrist such were Peter Gal. 2.12 and the leaders of the Saints in the 1 Cor. 1. and severall others through infirmity or mistake and these the Apostle reproves as Brethren But the end of this decever is on purpose to destroy This is that roaring Lyon which goeth about seeking whom he may devoure 1 Pet. 5.8 Therefore of all decevers beware of the devouring destroying decever such as doth not onely come with their mouthes full of deeeit but with their hands full of blood who make it their businesse to root up pull downe and destroy for the businesse of Christs Ministers is to plant to build and set up Therefore saith Christ I come not to destroy mens lives but to save them It was the work of the theife Iohn 10.10 to steale to kill and destroy But I am come that ye might have life saith Christ and that ye might have it more abundantly Thus if thou art not one of those whom the God of this world hath blinded the eyes of or that have eyes and see not eares and heare not thou canst not but confesse that those decevers which are so much in blood that are all for imprisoning hanging and burning are of Antichrist what shape soever they are in For the Churches of Saints in the Apostle dayes were among Heathens and Pagans Turkes and Iews Such as held strange opinions such as worshipt the Host of Heaven would have worshipt the Apostles as Gods Acts 14.11
denyed the resurrection Acts 23.8 1 Cor. 15.12 such as were so farre from calling the Apostles Rabby or Master that they called Christ himselfe Belzebub and the Apostles deceevers and bablers thought them unworthy to live upon the earth Acts 17.18 Acts 22.22 such as had seducing spirits tast doctrines of devills speaking lyes in hypocrisie 1 Tim. 4.2 Boasters proud Blasphemers without naturall affection Truce-breakers false accusers incontinent fierce despisers of all good 2 Tim. 2.3.4 such as held damnable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them 2 Pet. 2.1 And yet no persecution no imprisoning hanging nor burning If thou or any that tells them it is lawfull to destroy men for not believing can but shew me out of the word of God where the time place or person where Christ or the Apostles or any after them we have ground to take example by did endeavour by any outward compulsion to force men to believe or punish any further then excommunication for not walking in the faith receised when they have done if they can procure me letters I will away to Damascus presently But this was never the practise of Christ and his Church But of Antichrist and his tribe it is they that are guilty of all the blood spilt in this kind from Abel to this present day It is not the spouse of Christ that cometh up from the wildernesse leaning upon her beloved Cant. 8.5 But that great Scarlet whore that comes riding upon the beast with whom the Kings of the earth haue committed fornication and the Inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication Rev. 17.12 which is the blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus vers 6. Not the Lamb slaine from the begining of the world But they which have been alwayes slaying the Lamb. Not the Shepard that have thus destroyed the Sheepe But the wolfe whose nature it is to destroy not from that God that so loved the world that he gave his Son but from the Divell which is come downe into the earth with great wrath having but a short time Now reader if there be nothing here discover'd but what you knew before consider it was never intended for thee but to informe the ignorant and conforme the weak to be a light to such as are blinded with the smoke that ascends out of the bottomlesse pit Rev. 9.2 from whence arose this High Priest Antichrist with all his tribe vers 3. compared with the 11. who are scattered up and downe this Kingdom endeavouring to deceive and destroy the people whose way of deceiving you shall finde to be after this manner to perswade the people that the Parliament had no cause to wage warre with the King at the first In answer to which I have pend the first part of my discourse and where that will not take then they transforme themselves into the shape or likenesse of Presbyters and then endeavour to perswade the people the Parliament are most of them Sectaries and that they with the rest of the Sectaries of the Kingdome in whom they conclude all the Parliament friends whether Presbyters or Independents will have no Church-Government but put down all religion as they call it Which baite is not onely taking with the scandalous and ignorant but with many knowing people because Church-Government is not for the present setled In answer to which I have endeavoured to shew the unfitnes of the generality of this Kingdom for Church-Government with some briefe discoveries of their Presbyterian practises and some probabilities of their ends and designes My end in penning of it is onely this to let all Syons friends see that the enemies of their peace have no such way to destroy them as to become some thing like unto them And that however they are now separated one from another by names of opinions Yet if they be Christs then are they Abrahams Seed and heires according to promise And though they be not all baptised into one Church fellowship or way of worship yet they are all baptised into that one body of which Christ is the head by that one eternall spirit and so are Members one of another 1 Cor. 12.13 And are thereby all imbarqu't in one Ship and must all sink or swim together So desiring thee what thou findest to be truth in it it may not fare the worse for the rudenesse of the style I referre it to your consiâ—eration and shall ever be yours in the Kingdomes Cause R. L. FINIS