the Spirit of Union and Concord is the Moderatour as that of Christians is there may be called thither the most eminent Protestants from forraigne parts by whose assistance all doubts and scruples may be solved This in my judgement is the way to maintaine the severall rights of each order in the State of England as also in the whole body of Christendome entire I know none that can dislike the project but your new Independants and the fanatique Illuminatâ—es commonly called Brownists who in truth are no other but the Brats or Brethren of the Munster-Faction These men have fancied to themselves a monstrous Common-wealth an absurd and motley State in which there should not be the least cognizance of civill Authority nor any other spirituall power acknowledged but such as the Sonne of God should by an insensible and â—idden influence exercise over them Collect now from these Premises how such kinde of people stand affected to Royalty and then what reckoning they make of Councels and the Persons they consist of Their aime indeed is to ruine both to have no Rulers or Overseers at all either Temporall or Spirituall Secular or Ecclesiasticall They want no specious colours to blanch the blacknesse of their Designe They make their King a Demy-Apostate and little better then a Tyrant They proclaime to the world that he had a resolution to violate Religion and to destroy their Liberties and Priviledges That he hath supplanted the Fundamentall Lawes of the Realme and falsified the Oath made to his Subjects the observation of which alone must entitle him to a Dominion over them As for the Overseers of the Church it hath no need say they of any at all in as much as the Founder and Head thereof hath skill enough to governe as he had to establish it That 't is enough if there be meere Pastours only to preach without being lifted above others or others above them Such be the Authors and Abettours of this Fancie who gave the first blow at Episcopacy A strange thing that some even of the honester sort should so rashly mingle with the enemies of that Order transported in the simplicity of their hearts by this groundlesse conceit that 't is the Prelates alone who have opened the gap to wickednesse in the Church as if where there are no Bishops at all Innocence and purity bare an absolute and soveraigne command in the Soules of men Ferrier Pâ—tes with many more besides in France will be perpetuall attestours to the world that your Church Government lyes no lesse open to the assaults and stratagems of the Devill then that which hath beene setled from all Antiquity Were it my drift to search it to the bottome it would be easie to demonstrate this with advantage and that had it beene a few yeares elder and liv'd in a Country where the Lawes of the Prince are not so rigorous against Innovatours as they be in France which permits but two sorts of Religion or at least if God had not from time to time raised some eminently guifted Persons therein in which respect I must needs confidently affirme that it flourisheth now more then ever there could not have wanted matter through the many visible inconveniences thereof to embroyle the Church in a tedious and perpetuall taske I shall but point at one 't is the equality of Pastours which indeed at first blush presents you with a comely glosse and hath a wonderfull influence upon the fancy when it beholds it at a distance but in truth is the source of disorder the fountaine of negligence and the bane of that laudable emulation among the virtuous to out-strip one another in goodnesse It is to shut the doore against the perfection of life in denying the strictest observers of their masters injunctions those advantages and prerogatives which himselfe hath designed them What a block is it in the way to all those eminent persons without who were a coming toward us You know better then I how memorable to this purpose is the example of the Arch-bishop of Spalata Being to be honoured with no ranke at all above others can you thinke they will quit that which they enjoy where they are There can be no humility so great but may justly take offence at this How can any Genius acquainted thoroughly with it selfe and borne to a preheminence over others with some singular endowments of Nature be allured over to a profession whose sweetest baiâ—e is but a voice with the meanest and where its resolutions shall be valued as cheape as those of any other particular Personâ— The world is not to learne what a traine of inconveniencies attend these kind of suffrages and Deliberations and how there must needes follow many farre worse upon the neck of those so long as there is nothing but a baâ—â— supputation of Votes without any endowed with Power and Abilities to poyse them Put case their Assemblies consist of a hundred Persons will there in truth be found ten who will not rather be opinionate to cover their severall defects then be conformable to the example of their fellowes or endeavour to better themselves by their Counsells Such is that selfe-love and radicall inclination we have to sooth our selves that we do not easily hearken to the commands of reason till we be awed thereunto And seeing this distinction of degrees is so necessary for the good of the Church how shall that end be obtained if there be not some delegated both in and out of those Assemblies to represent the power of the whole to exact upon all emergencies an account of their proceedings to have the right of proposing and collecting Votes of ratifying Decrees of promulgating and putting them in execution and daring to the field whatsoever opposers of the same Is this feisible without a Bishop seeing that in such Synods as ours all enjoy an equality of Power and Authority and where according to that proverbiall censure of the Assemblies of Carthage The greater number carries it from the better Besides when the Synod is dissolved each Minister is left to his owne liberty to do what his fancy shall suggest unto him Put case he be found hipping either in manners or Doctrine he iâ— accountable to none but those of his owne Consistory who are allwaies in readinesse like so many rotten Pillars to support a crazie Wall or so many blinde guides that will needes undertake to reduce straglers into the way or such as leade men upon a praecipice So that by this meanes the offender wants no invitations nor advantages to invâ—igle those that lend an care to him he being no way accountable but to another Assembly In the interim he is proling for parties to his crimes and Abettours to his Opinions so that instead of fearing the rigour of a Judge in the Synod he is often provided of an Advocate which would be altogether impossible were there one enabled to stifle such disorders in the wombe This hints me of what I have read in
horrible thing that they should plot the destruction of Her soule and endeavour to extend the fruits of their Rebellion against Her in another world Will you not say it had beene enough to persecute Her in thiâ— but I have not yet told you all They have also basely and insolently stained Her Reputation and in a way which all honest men will account no better then parricide attempted to murther a Princesse a Daughter of France to whom the winds and the sea had shewed more pitty but an houre before And yet forsooth they must needs have all the Reformed Churches to make them their Precedent inviting us whom they ranke among such as groane under the yoake of Anti Christian Tyranny to The expresse words of the Covenant joine with them in the same or like Association and Covenant and to use our utmost endeavours for the recovery of Peace and quiet in every part of Christendome What is this but to sollicite us to shake off the yoake of Soveraignty to deny all subjection to our Princes and at once to destroy both their Authority and their Persons For all which they pretend the Advancement of the Kingdome of Christ 'T is indeed mightily advanced since these men who call themselves his Disciples have subverted all secular Authority amongst them scattering abroad such positions as ought to render them odious to us in as much as they convince them before all the Powers of God's establisHing to be sowers of sedition Libertinisme and Rebellion But granting them that all this combustion they make in the world is to advance the Kingdome of Christ Have they any warrant from the example of the Primitive Christians to pursue that â—nd by such meanes no it was never in their thoughts to arme themselves so much as against those Pagan Monsters whose calmest dâ—meanour towards them farre surpassed in rigour and cruelty all the outrage and persecution which we can be imagined to have sâ—ffered from any of our Princes for above five hundred yeares together Saint Peter was reprov'd for presuming to defend his Master with the sword This example l'me sure is authentique nor is that of the Christians under the Emperour Juliaâ— much inferiour to it Their number was great and their power formidable but their Religion restrained them from employing it against their Prince though in their owne defence Please you to call to minde the Theban Legion Doubtlesse they had all heard and weighed that injunction of our Saviour But I say unto you that ye resist not evill They had learned also that the Powers are ordained of God and that whosoever resisteth the Power resisteth the ordinance of God Not as if that prohibition to resist Princes implyed a Command of obeying them against Conscience All that can be deduced thence is this That in case they shall persecute their Subjects out of any considerations whatsoever whether sacred or civill it were better to endure a thousand deaths then to lift up a hand against them The crime of these men will appeare farre more horrid if notice be taken that the King against whom the combination is made did never attempt the least innovation either in Religion or Liberty I speake onely of England As for Scotland I am not ignorant what hath passed there of which I intend to give you a particular relation They cannot produce any innovation here Indeed the a It is to be presumed that the Author being a stranger was too faire transported with the vulgar outcryes against this worthy Prelate whose many pious actions the sincerity of whose intentions had he truly known he would readily have given another character of him And when he shall understand and consider his constant perseverance to Death in the same resolutions of zeale for the true Protestant Religion and exemplary loyalty to his King for which he became a willing sacrifice no doubt but he â—ill be as ready to retract this rash censure as we to admonish Arch-Bishop of Canterbury was shrewdly suspected to have beene contriving some That weake ill-temperd and fondly ambitious soule would perhaps have presumed to be tampering had he continued longer in place which is therefore now the principall charge against him But as for the King what signall demonstrations hath he not ever given the world of an extreame a version from Popery How many Protestations hath he made of sticking close to the Protestant Religion How carefull is he to performe all those duties to which the Faith he professeth obligeth him He hath filled the Churches and Sees with men whose piety knowledge and conversation are patternes worthy the imitation of the most Orthodox Christians His house hath ever abounded with men of Learning and Honesty Besides what would it advantage him to reestablish Popery Is he weary of being a free Monarch Would he do homage againe to Rome and acknowledge a Soveraignty above his owne The Interests of his Crowne as well as those of his Conscience would not suffer him to entertaine such a thought But this is not all he would have cause to feare a farre greater mischeife from Scotland which all the advantages he could hope for from all the Papists in the world would never be able to counterpoise He must further shake off them of the Palatinate and in doing that forfeit all his reputation in Germany He must breake with Denmarke Nay he must not entertaine any commerce either with his nearest allyes or his dearest freinds The marrying of his Daughter to the Prince of Orange's Sonne is a pregnant evidence of his affection to the Protestant Religion But to make good their Calumny they accuse him of favouring Papists and yet who knowes not that the exchequer was never fuller with their composition-money then now In the Reignes of King Edward Queene Elizabeth and King James they were not used with halfe the rigour When this King shewed them most favour it came short of what they have done But I pray by what principle of Christianity are we bound to destroy such as are of a different Religion There is no forceing of any man's beleife none that can subdue the Liberty of the soule God onely excepted Our French Kings are well instructed in this point they might with a like equity destroy or banish us as here they do Papists did they not know that the conscience neither can nor ought to be forced Most true it is that the Protestants in France never attempted any thing upon the persons of their Princes what violence soever hath beene practic'd upon them by such as abused their Authority on the contrary for all their sufferings they have made it legible to the world that they would rather part with all the bloud in their veines in their defence then hazard the least drop to be revenged of them even then when some strange counsells had prevailed with them to signe their destruction A very pressing consideration wherewith to refute all pretended interests of Religion and to procure
three or foure of our Kings raignes and against which our Protestants have alwaies so eagerly declaimed laying their grounds upon certaine proofes drawne from the corruption of Rome which gave life unto it had nothing in it of more venimous consequence then this we see here save that the Emissaries and Boute-feus of the English Confederacy have not as yet imbrued their hands in the bloud of their King And can it suite with their profession who talke so much of reducing Christian Religion to it's primitive purity and reviving the Innocence and Simplicity of the Apostolique times who call him their Master that reconciled the world to God and united men in the same mutuall affections who are not ignorant that Peace and Concord are the essentiall characters of a Christian and that such should never be the occasioners of warre to employ the sword in such a manner as this I cannot thinke there 's any man so credulous as to beleive that such courses can finde any welcome among those that are Protestants indeed they may with many who are such in shew onely of which sort are all the opposers not of monarchy alone but indefinitely of any secular authority whatsoever There were some in the infancy of the Church who strained Christian liberty so farre that they condemned it as unjust for the Enfranchised of God and such as were guided by his spirit to be subject to the command of any creature The Donatists sucked the same poison from them which afterwards diffused it selfe among the Anabaptists and in fine reached us also by meanes of some who gave a second birth to this Heresy which now walkes up and downe here in great bravery under pretences very specious in the apprehension of some shallow Judgements And though I conceive this will not be to the generall prejudice of the Reformed Churches in Europe by reason of that just jealousy which Princes ought to entertaine that they hold no intelligence amongst themselves and that they doe not all bandy togethr against the rights and prerogatives of their respective dominions Yet it must needs 〈◊〉 to their shame atleast if they doe not openly declare against the villany of their proceedings and the iniquity of their designes especially since they have had the impudence to invite them to an imitation of their example and to steppe in for the support of their faction I am not ignorant what grounds we goe upon and how little resemblance ours â—eare to theirs but the world will not passe sentence upon us by our positions but either by our actions or by our silence For if we be silent when they are bragging of 〈◊〉 with us and yet appearing in the field against their Soveraiâ—â— who will not be ready to conclude that had we the like power â—â— our hands we would do as much every wâ—â—it our selves â— but if 〈◊〉 the contrary we speake our mindes condemning the unlawfullnesse and horridnesse of their designe our actions suiting still with 〈◊〉 doctrine in stead of exasperating the secular powers we shall 〈◊〉 them for it cannot be but they will take part with us and 〈◊〉 off such as make them so subordinate either to the people in groâ—â—â— or to some select parcell of the whole body who let them talke what they will are no lesse Subjects then the rest In breife â— need but demand whether of the two are the better Christians those that wast so much bloud to subvert the right of Kings and to cherish a warre under counterfeit pretences for the suppression of all order and engaging the whole world to the same common confusion Or they of the Primitive times who maintained that to shâ—â— bloud was to violate Christianity to oppose Kings was to disobey God and to contest with Superiours was to fight against that Order which he established I beleeve they will hardly be swayed by examples lesse by reason nor that they put any great value upon the authority which the practise of the first ages may challenge over us If they do I would exhort such preachers of fire and sword to call to minde how the ancient disciplien of the Church denied their communion to such as had slaine an Enemy in a lawfull warre and that they would hence collect how those times stood affected to such as voluntarily embroyled themselves in an unlawfull and unjust one See Sir in part what I have to say to you upon this argument It will not be amisse if in the next place I acquaint you with the innovations they make in Religion and what fruits Christianity is like to reape from the labours of such doughty Reformers 'T is a truly impious designe to perâ—ue a Reformation in such manner as these men do and which tends onely to the subversion of an order established by God under a pretence of pulling downe one devised by man which they call Tyranny because indeed it is the onely meanes whereby to check them in that full caâ—câ—â—â— of unbridled licentiousnesse unto which they are naturally so much devoâ—â—â— Not but that there is alwayes matter enough for a reformation both in manners and government and that it is extreamely necessary to correct the evills and disorders of the present times and withall to prevent that corruption which may be feared from the future But who will be the fittest to go through with this taske will the Parliament no in as much as the Bishops that is the Clergy are no longer a part of it Will the Synod be able to supply this defect no not they because the whole body is composed of persons interessed besides that ignorance and blindenesse are there for the most part in their greatest exaltationâ— or if perhaps there be some knowing there is a great dearth of honest men most of them being possest with the spirit of division which hath drawne them into the by-paths of Hereticks as well ancient as moderne Well then shall the People beare the burthen this is altogether impossible unlesse first there be made an universall resignation of all sence and reason because of themselves they are uncapable of all manner of order and conduct Neither can the King assisted only by his Counsell and Magistrates be thought a â—it instrument to mannage the businesse for feare he make Religion waite upon his owne private interest and by consequent bring the spirit under the command of the Flesh The issue then will be to finde out a just and lawfull way for the advancing of this Reformation which in my opinion can be no other then that of a generall Assembly indicted by the Prince wherein the Boroughs shall have their Deputies whose voices are to be heard and their suffrages admitted The Church it's Bishops and Doctors The Parliament diverse of the Nobility which they may chuse out of their severall Houses and the King his principall Officers And to make the action more Authentique to establish in the Church that uniformity which ought to be in a body in which
contagious That in the body the separation of any one part is dangerous what errour soever hath infected it except it be Heresie or Superstition otherwise there can be no just cause of doing so As for the depravation of manners he is yet more expresse affirmeing it downe-right folly for any man to conceive that a sufficient ground of seperation and alleadging the words of Christ they sit in Moses chairs what therefore they bid you that doe and he gives the reason wheresoever there is purity of Doctrine God must needs have a Church though encombred with a multitude of faults Now if this eminent writer had occasion to speake thus what a grosse shame is it for such as have nothing to object against their Bishops but the bare corruption of manners to endeavour not only a simple seperation from them but a totall suppression of them As for their Doctrine that 's Scot-free from censure 't is indeed so pure that it agrees in every particular with that of our best reformed Divines witnesse their severall Tracts of the Eucharist The power of the Pope The right of Kings The adoration of Images and the like which assure us that those which at this day advance the purity of Religion are their deserving successors that laboured so much in the first establishing of it Such were the Prelates God employed in this great worke the Arch-bishops of Canterbury Yorke the Bishops of London Worcester in Peter Martyrs time Cranâ—er Ridley Latiâ—er Hooper men all famous in their generations and such as knew how to weild a Bishoprick Most of which dyed martyrs in that hot Combat they maintained against the Errours and impieties of their times Before them when men durst scarce mutter of a Reformation one of the Bishops of Lincolnâ— couragiously entred the Lists with the Idolatry Grosâ—head and Superstition into which the Church was then plunged And he performed the Combate with so much gallantry that the common suffrage of all good men after him gave him this honorary title The Hammer of Rome Yet for all this they of London maâ—â—e him and the rest I have named you the common the 〈◊〉 of their Invectives both in the Presse and in the Pulpit They spare not to call them in publique a packe of impostours and Hypocrites such as never trac'd the paths of Christianity but in a râ—â—ling posture their soules being drunke with the cup of abdomination what fellowship can we have with such a generation as this We who have ever paid so much honour and esteeme to the memory of those worthy men that we have placed them in the ranke and calendar of our Martyâ—â—â— Nay our most upright and conscientious Divines have proposed each circumstance of their lives and deaths as the most exquisite patternes in all Europe and perhaps in the whole world besides of an unwearied constancy in asserting Truth and suppressing falshood Finally they are accused for intermedling too much in State affaires They will needs have it unlawfull for them to beare any share in the administration of Justice and that such priviledges should be annexed to Episcopacy which say they are incompatible with â—â—y but the Secular Authority and therefore they tooke care to dâ—vest them of the same in the beginning of this Parliament They which harpe so much upon this string are the very same malignant Spirits of which I have formerly given you the character Had they but any shadow of reason is it possible they should thus fight against the custome and example of so many ages both in their owne forraigne Countries Who knowes not that the Constitutions of greatest consequence in any State have bin made in Councells Assemblies of Bishops What else meaneth that ancient Ordinance of almost 900 yeares standing which pronounceth all Elections of Kings void where the Bishops and cheife of the People are denyed their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And whence arose the custome in all debates of preserving inheritances successions in families of having as much recourse to Episcopall as Regall Authority in that behalfe We finde that King Aethelstant â—â—â— 928. by expresse Statute joyned the Bishops in Commission with the Justices Secular to stop the current of Injustice and to root out all the seedes thereof Those employments did not divert them from the care of the Church Councels were no whit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 On the contrary we finde that in this Age or a little before whâ—â— the barbarisme of the Saxons had almost spent it self and men beguâ— to tast the sweetnesse of Christianity that the Bishops thereupon resuming their Authority and following the advice of one Bâ—nifâ—â—â— Arch-bishop of Mayence ordained that every Presbyter should yearly give an account of his Ministery to the Bishop who likewise for his part was yearly to visit his Diocesse in like manner to yeild an account of his proceedings to the Metropolitan these and many other Ordinances tending all to the establishment of purity in manners were with all rigour put in execution notwithstanding they set a part some time for secular affaires And this is further very remarkeable that Bishops themselves made lawes for the government of the People We finde it amongst others in one Odon Arch-bishop of Canterbury who exhorteth the Prince to yeeld all manner of obedience and submission to the Bishops which speakes the antiquity of their Power in this Kingdome a power which I can see no cause should be denied them if those that are invested with it be sincere Professors of true Christianity as they ought to be who are preferred to Bishopricks no more then their right of â—itting in Parliaments a right common to them with all the Bishops that ever have beene in the world and to which those of this Kingdome have a stronger title it being but the small remnant of that great power they had once and which they mannaged wit◠〈◊〉 much discretion Nor was it ever knowne that either King or People endeavoured their extirpation heretofore no not so much as to exercise my rigour upon their persons for about eleven hundred yeares together since the tyranny of the Saxon Kings forced them to quit the Realm and retire themselves to France that they might enjoy more case and liberty of Conscience in the service of God If ever their Votes in Parliament were lyable to suspicion it was doubtlesse in the reigne of Henry the 8 when they had so straight a dependance upon Rome that Prince having in a manner shaken off the Romish yoake and by his owne sole authority taken upon him the government of the Church of England which Pope Nicholas had heretofore freely resigned to Edward the Confessour had just cause to feare that in those Conventions they would betray his interestsâ—or of the Holy See's sake as they call it and so by consequent that he runne a great hazard of his owne Prerogative in not excluding them Notwithstanding be never had such a thought No more had Edward the Sixth nor Queene