you And to the end you may bee great and that your posterity may prayse your doings you alwayes side with the stronger party and to gaine the world yee would even loose your soules forgoe the Gospell and betray Christ for this cause you are more ready to bloâ— the fire that is kindling then to quench it You like and skill so well of superstition and Idolatry that you neither can nor will forgoe the Roman Monarchy seeing it was the first of you rising is as yet the only prop of your greatnesse no wonder then that King and people be seduced whâ—nas those that should be our guides doe mistead us and are mislead themselves for if the light that is in us be darknesse how great is that darknesse You are or should be the light of the world but reseiâ—ble the darknesse of Aegypt dark Lanterns that do lead thousands to eternall perdition and destruction So that Satan needs no other agents upon Earth but you you are so accustomed to ease that you cannot take paines and therefore downe with preaching playing becâ—mes you better then praying and feasting then fasting And if you preach at any time it is to shew your selves your Learning your Eloquence and to obraine your base sinister endes even to get a living preferment or the like or to maintaine and uphold the Papaâ—l dignity your pompe your pride and vaine glory or to move sedition and faction in the Land and to breed division between the King and his Subjects and betweene the Governours and their inferiours You are in and of the flesh and therefore cannot savour the things that are either of God or of his spirit The Apostles travelled from country to country on foot preaching the Gospel of the Kingdome being poore naked dâ—stitute and despised yee ride in coaches like Princes and jâ—â— it up and downe in long Robes and costly apparell fâ—ring deliciously every day Yee have greetings iâ— the markets the chiefe roomes at Feasts and of men to bee called Rabbi O how unlike are yee to the Apostles whiles yee would seeme to imitate thâ—m pretend to be their successours finally in a word yee are the sole and onely cause of all my evill and of the trouble and danger that is come upon mee Pity me therefore ô my children and repent and doe the first workes Least God remove the light of his countenance and of his Candlestick from among us and take his word and Gospell and give it to a Nation or people more thankfull than wee and that will bring him forth the fruit thereof in due season Let us breake off our sinnes by speedie repentance and our iniquities by shewing mercy to the poore if it may be a lengthaing of our tranquillity Let us pray for the peace and welfare of Ierusalem for the safeguard and protection of our King and Country knowing that it is for our sins that he and the Land is troubled Let us â— let us by a mutuall love and concord seek to reconcile our selves one to another knowing that our jarring is but the rejoycing of our Enemies and that our fall will bee their râ—sing whereas our friends cannot chuse but mourne and lament at our misery and ruine Let us every one turne from our evill wayes and from the violence that is in our handes who knowes whether the Lord will turne and repent him of his fierce anger that we perish not O Let not this potent and flourishing Land and Nation come to a perpetuall and utter desolation Let not Satan delude you my children to make you a hâ—ssing or a mocking stock to other Nations but remember your mothers former and ancient splendor and brightnesse remember your zeale your love your faith religion and happinesse and be not overcome of evill but overcome evill with goodnesse The which that we may all do God of his infinite and endlessâ— mercy and goodnes give grant and give us his grace for Christs sake Amen FINIS
Ordered by the Lords and Commons in Parliament that this bee forthwith printed Hen. Elsinge Cler. Parl. D. Com. ENGLANDS COMPLAINT OR The Church her Lamentation pittifully bemoaning her selfe to her Children to move them to compassionate her now in this troublesome time and to bring them to a mutuall agreement and reconciliation IT was the Fathers complaint over his children Heare O Heavens and hearken O Earth for I have nourished and brought up children but they have rebelled against me Even so now it is and may well be the Mothers Heare O yee Heavens and hearken O Earth For I have nourished and brought up children but they have rebelled against me in seeking to destroy me and to bring me to utter ruine and desolution Ah woefull Mother of a stubborn and disobedient off-spring How did I sit as a Queen rejoycing and solacing my selfe in the midst of the Nations and said I shall see no sorrow But now behold that which I feared not is come upon me it is come upon me suddenly and in a moment and paines as upon a woman in travell My lovers and acquaintance begin to forsake me and stand a far off looking upon my trouble I am forsaken of mine own children even those I brought up upon my breasts and dandled upon my knees Behold therefore if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow and like unto that wherein the Lord beginneth to visit me Pity me ô my children ô pity me and let not your fainting and disconsolate mother sinke down betweene your hands O be not so cruell and hard-hearted as by your civill discord by intestine war by schisme faction and division to rend and teare out the bowels of your mother which hath so lovingly nurst brought you up so tenderly kept you and Pelicane like hath fed you with her own heart bloud even the bloud of Saints Martyrs O make not my sorrow greater in despising of me I am black but comely I am black in regard of some enormities misdemeanors and imperfections but comely as the tents of Kedar and as the curtaines of Salomon Regard ye me not because I have some spots and wrinckles in outward shew and appearance yet behold within I am all faire and beautifull For the King's daughter is all glorious within It is the Romane strumpet that doth adorne and set herselfe forth to the eye that would seem all beautifull without when as within she is full of rottenesse dead mens bones and all uncleanesse It is the note of a false and erroneous Church to boast its selfe of its purity I confesse my fault I acknowledge my deformity and desire to be reformed Therefore plead with me my children convince me of my errors Let our controversie be decided by a lawfull assembly which the King and Parliaâ—ent may appoint But alas how shall they appoint that about the which they are in controversie already If that which should be my curing bee my wounding how great is my misery Let the righteous smit me but let not their precious baulme breake my head Fall not out my deare children neither destroy your selves for the blemishes and imperfections of your mother O give eare and listen to my counsell least I be constrained to call upon the Father of those children to be a Iudge and a Witnesse against them Give eare and help me ô my King for the children are brought to the birth and there is no strength to bring forth Dread Soveraign your Nobles and Peeres do sit in Parliament for a redresse reformation of things and there is no strength to bring to passe without your Royall consent God himselfe is about a work a great work a work of Reformation tending to his own glory and our good ô be not you a means to hinder or prevent it or that that which should be for our coÌ„fort turn to our utter ruine or destruction Remember that you also have a King above you to whom you must give an accompt of all your ways at the last day Resist him not withstand no longer least hapily you be found to fight against God himselfe Remember that you are not only a Defender of the Faith but also that you should be a nursing Father O let not posterity record you a destroyer of your people and Countrey Let not the frogs of Egypt or the Locusts of the bottomlesse pit any longer whisper in your Royalleares to seduce and deceive you they croke only for their own advantage and to bring you and yours back again to the Egyptian bondage and to Romish captivity Give eare and way dread Soveraigne to your Parliament and trusty Counsellors who not only know and are privy to the enormities of the Land and the disastors of the Kingdom but also are willing to redresse and reforme them having their hearts touched with zeale to Gods glory love and duty to your Majesty care of their Countrey and seeke and indeavour the good and welfare both of Church and Commonwealth They desire not to rule but to be ruled neither are they willing to usurp soveraignity but to acknowledg you their leidge Lord they desire to bring in no innovation but to reduce the Church and Countrey to their ancient Lawes and Liberty They indeavour to bring your Majesties subjects to your obedience and our Religion to that purity it was in Christ and his Apostles time For this they have humbly sued to your Highnesse for this they strive and contend They desire being Protestants to conforme themselves to all other Protestant-Churches and not to halt any longer between two opinions between Christ and Beliall betweene the Truth and Antichrist between Rome and England or between a Papist and a Protestant or being luke warme to deserve to be spued out It is no dishonour for a King to be ruled by a wise and religious Councell Your Majesty intends no other Law or Discipline but what was in force in Queene Elizaâ—â—th her time and in the dayes of your Father our late Soveraigne of famous Memory the Parliament intends nothing else Onely they indeavour to breake and disaâ—ull that absolute Soveraignty your Highnesse doth seeme to challenge whereby they find not only your Subjects Liberty infringed but also themselves and the whole Land brought into an unaccustomed bondage and servitude You blame them for taking up Armes It is not against your Majesty but for you It is for the peoples liberty and safety and in so much as it is for them it is for you because the Honour welfare and happinesse of a King consists not oâ—â—ly in the multitude of his people but also in the Liberty Peace and safety of his Subjects Your Highnesse will aleadge that they have no Law for what they doe I answer they have and are a Law in themselves for Parliaments both have made Lawes and dâ—â—nanull'd them And though they seeme to enterprize that which was never seene nor heard off before and from the which your Majesty may seeme to be dissenting
yet if either iâ— be grounded upon or according to Gods word or make for the peace and welfare of the Kingdome it is lawfull For wherefore were Counsellors ordained but to be Rulers in the Kingdome and the eye and direction of the King but it is well knowne that the Parliament is your Majesties great Councell and by the same you ought and must be guided and directed Give eare and pitie me O my Parliament and help thy rufull and disconsolate mother commiserate my wofull and distressed condition Behold how I sit mourning all alone and there is none to comfort me looke upon my breaches and upon my ruine and desolation which seemes to bee at hand if it be not speeâ—ly prevented my sonnes doe faint and begin to bleed my Widdowes and Virgins mourn and sit comfortlesse in the streetes my honour is gone my beauty failes mee my wealth iâ— consumed and joy and mirth is fled away Oh let mee not be a hissing to the Nations but labour O labour with speed to bind up my wounds and to cure my soares labour with his Majesty for a peace and reconciliation labour to gaine him by love and humility and that he may see you are his friends and that you desire his enemies to be as the dust before the winde and the Angell of the Lord to scatter them but that upon himselfe and his postâ—rity his Crowne may ever flourish And if your swords muâ—â— be drawne O let it be drawne in defence of him and in defence of your selves in defence of the Kingdome and in defence of the Lawes and â—â—berties of the same Be zealous be valiant for the battel is the Lords and noâ— yours and the câ—use is Gods and not mans Be faithfull unto the death and Christ hath promised you a Crowne of life Subdue the proud spare the lowly and let all youâ— actions be seasoned with moderation and discretion Spâ—re not O spare not to take us the Foxâ—s even the little Foxes that spoyle our Vines and while yee have rooted out all Superstition Errout and Heresie and while you have restored your mother to her ancient splendor beauty and dignitie Give eare and help me O my Nobles my Gentry and Commonalty pitie mee O pity mee and let not the Mothers ruine desolation be your consolation Make not my rent greater by the mutuall discord and by imbrewing youâ— hands in one anothers blood Side with the King but side with youâ— Parliament also and so side with both that you may bee sure you side with God Which you cannot doe if either you take part with the King against the Parliament or with the Parliament in any unjust or unâ—awfull thing against the King But the Parliament you have heard seeks your good it desireth your welfare the glory of God the honour of the King the peace and welfare of the Land Lay down therefore your weaponâ— and think â—ot you are for the King when you seeke the destruction of one another for the Kings eaâ—e and welfare consistâ— in your mutuall love and unity Lay downe your courage and haughtie mindes How long will yee contend bend your swords against your selves and against your brethren know yee not that it will be bitternes in the later end that when ye have left destroying you shall be destroyed Against whom do ye fight against an enemy against a forraigneâ— or stranger no but against God against the King against the Parliament against your friends against your selves Are yee wretched and maâ—d that beâ— cause strangers doe or will not destroy you that you will destroy your selves Who hath bewitched you but bee only that is the common enemy of mankind and seekes your ruine and overthrow O listen no longer unto him give no more eare you are not acquainted with warre nor shedding of blood Put up therefore your swords and fight no longer for it is enough O father of my children pitie thy children and let it greive thee to see them slaughter down one another before thy face knowing that when they are destroyed thou canst not be safe It is false seducâ—rs and such as smell of the smoake of the boÌ„ttomlesse pit that breâ—ks your peace and sets you together by the eares Why then against them with the Parliament seek to bend your swords Domestick home-bred enemies are worse then alieâ—s and strangers indeavour to root out these and your feares and jarres are at an end Give eare and help mee ó my Iudges and grave Counsellours where is now your ayde What is there no Balme in Gileaed for to cure my sâ—are and maladie is there no wisedome nor understanding in you Is Wisedome perished from the ancient and Counsell from the prudent Is there no knowledge in the Land Or are yee like unto Ephraims silly Dove altogether without heart what is the cause that you are silent now in these troublesome times surely something is the matter that your mouth is stopt I doubt some of you have beene those that have gone downe into Aegypt for help and increast my trouble I doubt yee have taken counsell but not oâ— the Lord and covered with a covering but not by his Spirit that yee might adde sinne to sinne and devoure the Land in his presence You have mislead the King misguided the State and for your owne advantage and for filthy lucres sake Which now is the cause of my greife the cause of my feare and danger the cause that his Majesty is so hardly wonne to a right understanding betweene Him and his Parliament so hardly reclaimed from his wonted conceipt aâ—d opinion of things Yet now at the length put to your helping hands freely confesse your faults and errours and by all possible meanes labour to bring a right understanding betweene the King and his great Councell and to reconcile him to his Subjects and to recover his Subjects love to him Cursed be they that wish not prosperity to Zion and pray for the peace of our Ierusalem Give eare and help me ô my Clengy But aâ— siâ—full Nation a seâ—d of evill doers how caâ— or will yee help when as the most of yâ—u seeks â—o destroy You mind Popery you seeke Hierarâ—hy you usurpe soveraignyt you are a people laden with iniquity Your greatnesse is and will be your ruâ—ne and downefall and not of you onely but also of the whole Nation and Kingdome for your sakes You worship and adore Tables you commit Sacriledge and are in love with Mammon more then with God You fleece Christs sheep but seed them not you sell and make merchandize of soules of Heaven and Christ and all you have do abuse the King you seduce the Noble you delude the people You canâ—ot be content with one living but you must seek to scrape all into your hands you cannot be content with meat drinke rayment but you must build Houses plant â—ine-yards and lay living to living while there is left no place for the poore to live beside