and cannot be compelled to give an accompt to any but to God Against thee against thee onely have I sinned That is to thee to thee only must I give accompt Though I have sinned against Vriah by my Act and against my people by my Example yet against Thee have I onely sinned You cannot deprive or limit them in what you never gave them God gave them their Power and who art thou that darest resist it By me Kings raigne But his Crowne was set up upon his Head by his Subjects upon such and such conditions Why was the penalty upon the faile not expressed then Coronation is but a humane Ceremony And was hee not Proclaimed before hee was crowned Proclaimed but what A King And did not you at the same instant by relative consequence proclaim your selves Subjects And shall Subjects condition with their King or will Kings bind themselves to their Subjects upon the forfeiture of their power after they have received their Regall Authority But the King hath by Writ given his power to his Parliament and therefore what they doe they doe by vertue of his Power The King by his Writ gives not away his power but communicates it By the vertue of which Writ they are called Ad tractandum consulendum de arduis Regni To treat and advise concerning the difficulties of the Kingdom Here is all the power the Writ gives them and where they exceed they usurp the Kings power being both against the Law of God and the constitutions of the Kingdom Well but in case of necessity when Religion and Liberty lies at the sâ—ake the Constitutions of the Kingdom for the preservation of the Kingdome may suffer a Dispensation Admit that But what necessity may dispence with the violation of the Law of God the deviation wherefrom is evill and Thou shalt doe no evill that good may come thereon But we take no Armes against the King but onely to bring Delinlinquents to condigne punishment And who are they even those that take up Arms for the Kings which an unrepealed statute 11. Hen. 7. acquites But admit Statutes may be broken and you seek to punish them Who gave you the power so to doe The Law And what Law denies the King power to pardon Delinquents God that hath put power into the hand of Majesty hath likewise planted Mercy in the heart of Soveraignty And will ye take away both his birth-right and his Blessing also Take heed you doe not slight that which one day may prove your Sanctuary But the King being a Mixt Monarch is bound to his own Lawes There be two sorts of Lawes Directive and Coercive As to the first he is only bound to make his accompt to God so to the second he is onely liable to the hand of God Who shall say unto him what doest thou But Kings now a dayes have not so absolute a power as the Kings mentioned in the Scripture Who limited it God or Man Man could not limit the Power he never gave If God shew me where till then this objection is frivolous But when Kings and their Assistants make an affensive and a destructive warre against their Parliaments may they not then take up defensive Armes It is no offensive War for a King to endeavour the Recovery of his surrepted right however are not the members of a Parliament Subjects to their Soveraign if not what are they If Subjects ought they not to be subject Gods people the Iewes that were to be destroyed by the Kings Command neither did nor durst make a defensive War against his abused power untill they first obtained the Kings Consent But admit it lawfull though neither granted nor warranted that subjects may upon such tearmes make a defensive war does it not quite crosse the nature of a defensive war to assaile pursue and dispossesse Whâ— you shot 5 peeces of Ordnance before one was returned at Edge-hill was that defensive When you besieged Redding which you after slighted was that defensive When ye affronted Basing-House was that defensive The warrantable weapons against an angry King are Exhortation Disswasion wise reproof by such are nearest to him Petition Prayer and Flight All other weapons will at last wound them that use them The Second Example was lest us out of the New Testament by Him that is the true president of holy obedience Our blessed Saviour whose Humility and sufferance was set before us as a Copy for all Generations to practice by The temporall Kingdom of the Jewes successively usurpt by those two heathen Princes Augustus and Tiberius two Contemporaries was his naturall Birth-right descended from his Tipe and Ancestour King David Had not he as great an Interst in that Crowne as wee have in this Common-wealth Was not Hee as tender eyed towards his owne naturall people as we to one another Was not the Truth as deare to Him who was the very Truth and the way to it as direct to Him that was the onely Way as to us Was not He the great Reformer Had the Sword been a necessary stickler in Reformation how hapned it that he mistook his weapon so Instead of a Trumpet hee lifted up his Voice Was Plots Policies Propositions Prophanations Plunderings Military Preparations his way to Reformation Were they not his own words He that taketh up the sword shall perish by the sword Nor was it want of strength that he reformed not in a Martiall way Could not hee command more then twelve legions of Angels Or had he pleased to use the Arme of flesh could not Hee that raised the dead raise a considerable Army Sure S. Iohn the Baptist would have ventured his head upon a fairer Quarrell and S. Peter drawn his sword to a bloodier end No question but S. Paul the twelve Apostles and Disciples would have proved as tough Colonels as your associated Essex Priests did Captaines and doubtlesse S. Peter who converted 3000. in one day would have raised a strong Army in six Our Blessed Saviour well knew that Caesar came not thither without divine permission In respect whereof He became obedient to the very shadow of a King and whom he actively resisted not he passively obeyed I but there was a necessity of his obedience and subjection to make him capable of a shamefull death No his obedience as well death was voluntary which makes you guilty of a shamefull argument But He was a single person We a representative body what is unexpedient in the one is lawfull in the other Worse and worse If our blessed Saviour be not Pepresentative Tell me whereof art thou a Member woe be that body politicke which endeavours not to be conformed according to the Head Mysticall He preacht Peace Your Martiall Ministers by what authority they best know proclaime Warre He Obedience They Sedition He Truth they Lyes He Order They Confusion He Blessednesse to the
Peace-makers They courage to the Persecutors He Blessedness to the persecuted They brand them with Malignity that call them blessed God was not heard in the whirlewind but in the still voice But his thoughts are not as our thoughts neither are our wayes like his wayes But whence proceeds all this even from a viperous Generation which hath long nested in this unhappy Island and those encreased Multitudes of simple soules seduced by their seeming sanctity who taking advantage of our late too great abuse of Ceremonies are turnd desperate enemies to all Order and Discipline being out of charity with the very Lords Prayer because it comes within the Popish Liturgie How many of these have lately challenged the name of sanctified Vessels for conteyning the poyson of unnaturall Sedition How many of these have usurpt the stile of well-affected for disaffected Peace How many of these have counterfeited the honour of good Patriots for largely contributing towards the Ruines of their Country How many does this Army consist of How for their sakes is Blasphemy connived at Sacriledge permitted How for their encouragement are Lyes and brasle-browd Impudencies invented nay publisht nay published in the very Pulpits and tolerated if not commanded even by them who perchance were this quarrell ended would throw the first stone 〈◊〉 them How many of our Learned Religious and Orthodox Divines who by their able Tongues and Pens have defended and maintained the true ancient and Catholique Faith and vindicated the Reformed Religion from the aspersions of her potent Adversaries are now plundered in their Goods sequestred in their Livings imprisoned in their persons if not forced in their Consciences whilest their wives and poor children begging their Bread are left to the mercy of these unmercifull times even for the encouragement of them whose pedanticke learning durst never shew her ridiculous face before an easie Schoole-man whose livelyhoods they unworthily usurpe not dispensing the bread of life but the darnell of giddy-headed fancie and sedition abhorring the way to peace and maligning those that ensue it I but we desire Peace so we may have Truth too What mean ye by having Truth The preservation of the Old Truth or the Institution of a New If ye feare the alteration of the Old having your Soveraignes Oath which you dare not beleive what other Assurance can you have The Blood you shed is certaine The change you feare is uncertaine It is no wisdome to apply a desperate Remedy to a suspected disease If the enjoyment of Peace depends upon a full Assurance of Truth our discords may beare an everlasting date God hath threatned to remove his Candlesticke and our wickednesse justly feares it And so long as we feare it shall we abjure Peace the blessed meanes to prevent it He that seeks to settle Truth by the sword distracts it Or is it a Truth ye want If so Is it of Doctrine or of Discipline If of doctrine Actum est de nostra Religione Farewell our Religion Or is it of Discipline Discipline is but a Ceremony And did the Lord of the Sabboth dispence with a morall Law for the preservation of an Oxes life or an Asses and shall we to alter some few indifferent Ceremonies allowed by the Parliaments of three pious and wise Princes and the practice of many holy Martyres who sealed the true Protestant Religion with their blood cry downe Peace and shed the blood of many thousand Christians Our seduced Protestants will have no set Formes of Prayer but what proceeds immediatly from their own Fancies This is their Truth Our Semi-Separatists will heare our Sermons if they like the Teacher but no Divine service This is their Truth Our Separatists will not communicate in our Churches nor joyâ—e in our Congregations That is their Truth Our Auabaptists will not baptize till yeares of discretion and rebaptize That is their Truth Our Antinomians will have no Repentance This is their Truth Our Independants will have an universall Parity This their Truth Good God when shall we have Peace if not till all these Truths meet But Christ sayes I come not to bring Peace but the Sword therefore for the propagation of Peace it is lawfull to use the Sword So He is termed a stumbling Blocke and does that warrant us to stumble So He sayes All you shall be offended because of me and does this patronize our Offences The Law is good and just Because then we had not knowne sin but by the Law is it therefore lawfull for us to sin God forbid Our Saviour brings the Sword among us as wholesome meat brings sicknesse to a weakely sicke stomack or physick to a body abounding with Humours not intentionally but occasionally Thus by your erronious and weak mistakes you make the Prince of Peace the Patron of your unnaturall Warre and the God of Truth the president of your unexamined errors But Almighty God the Champion of his own Truth and maintainer of his own Cause hath to more then common admiration appeared in this great enterprize He that delivered Israels handfull from the hand of Pharaohs Host hath shewed himselfe in the almost incredible proceedings of this heaven-displeasing Warre the briefe relation whereof may move those hearts that are not scared or stone to melt into a thankfull Acknowledgement of his Power and remaine as Monuments of his Mercy that children yet unborne may say hereafter God was here viz. The two Houses of Parliament made first a generall seizure of all the Armes Ammunition Castles Forts Magazines and Ships being the whole visible strength of this unhappy Kingdome to whom having now setled the Militia both by Sea and Land in their own hands tides of Proposition gold came in upon the Publicke Faith Monie like blood from the Liver conveyed through all the veines issued to make a large supply and where it stopt awhile mountaines of massie Plate from the vast Goblet to the slender Thimble this Faith removed into their safe possession And when the great Milch Cow began to â—lake they prest her Nipples and by hard streyning renewd the streame As Physitians evacuate the Body sometimes by Vomit sometimes by Purge sometimes by Phlebetomie sometimes by sweating sometimes by sluxing sometimes diuretically yet purge but the same peccant humour So did they first by Proposition then by way of Contribution now by way of Loane then by way of Subsidie no lesse then 50 at one time hereby way Assessement there by way of Twentieth part then by way of Excise one while by way of Sequestration then by way of Plunder but still the issue MONY And to work the better upon the Affections of the Multitude all this for the behoofe of King and Parliament for the pretended defence of God knowes what Religion Insomuch that Men came in like Swarmes to the next Tree or rather like treacherous Decoyes with their innocent Multitude into the Net and Horses without Number Thus were they supplyed with all necessaries which
the better colouring of their malice well affected to the Cause All which in time will so encourage all Sects Factions Hypocrites and make Heresie so bold strong in this Kingdome that the true Protestant Religion will be under the detestable name of Popery even turned out of doores for company or at least so little favoured that it will be forced to shrowd it selfe in corners as those Sectaries did before these troubles were I but when things are setled and Iustice done upon the Popish Faction these Sectaries with their Sects will vanish like the Mist before the mid day sun and a true reformed Religion will be establisht to us and our Posterity You seeme by this Objection but a young State Physitian and a meere novice in the curing of a disease of this nature In some cases where the undisturbed humors keep their bounds distempers are quickly evaporated and being scatterd through the whole body every part breathes out some and Nature being able to truckle with the disease by her owne power relieves her selfe and in a short time rectifies the Body But upon a continuall confluence and gathering head of lawlesse humors she is so weakned that she hath no power to resist and lesse heart to struggle with her enemy but is forced to yeeld But the time you prefixe for the subduing of these numerous Sects is first when all things are setled secondly when the Land is cleared of Papists 1. For the first It is all one as if you had said When the body is in good health you will easily find a cure A rare Physitian In the meane while you will connive at this continued confluence of humors which makes it at length incureable 2. As for the second Take heed while ye goe about to cure a Fever you run not the Body Politick into a Dropsie with too much Phlebotomie But you will first cleare the Kingdome of Papists And who be they In your Accompt all such as stand for Episcopall Government a Government coetaneous with this our almost out-dated Religion All such as approve of the Book of Common Prayer a Forme establisht by many Acts of Protestant Parliaments All such as are passively obedient and loyall to his Majestie a duty commanded by Gods own mouth Of the Clergie all such as will not preach for blood although Ministers of the Gospel of Peace All such as will not take the Covenant to suppresse Bishops although they have formerly sworn canonicall obedience to their Ordinary All such as wil not encourage Subjects to resist the power of their naturall Prince although having taken the Oath of Allegeance and the late Protestation And to conclude all that have not contributed willingly bountifully and continually to this Warre and in a word that have any considerable Estates to pick a hole in If all Sects and Sectaries be not supprest till then we are like to have a comfortable Reformation But in case you onely meane such Papists as owne and acknowledge the doctrine of the Church of Rome Tell me what course would you take with theâ— Either you must banish them or disinherit them or take away their lives 1. If banish them It must be done either with the Kings consent or against it If against it you resist the power and he that resisteth shall receive damnation Rom. 13. If with it you make the King guilty of perjury who hath sworne to protect all his Subjects in his Coronation Oath 2. If disinherit them It must be done either according to the known Lawes of the Kingdome or against them According to the Lawes ye cannot for there is no Law for it If against them you transgresse what you pretend to maintaine in all your Declarations 3. If take away their lives It must be done either for a Cause or without a Cause If for a Cause shew it that the world may be satisfied If without a Cause you are guilty of murther Which course soever ye take you have not Christ for your example who quietly suffered the two Caesars being Idolaters not onely to possesse that Kingdome but to usurp it because God permitted them and permissively placed them there When the Disciples askt our blessed Saviour Didst not thou sow good wheat Whence commeth it that there be tares His answer was The evil one hath done it His pleasure being demanded whether they should weed them up his Reply was No Let them alone untill the harvest and then he would separate them A good deed may be ill done when either against command or without warrant Though God hath permitted the evill one to plant Papists among us yet he hath not authorized us to root them up nor yet to take the lives of any untill their actions come within the danger and compasse of the establisht Lawes of the Land We have presidents for the rooting out of Idolaters in the Scriptures which warrant us to doe the like You finde it no where but in the time of the Law at which time God immediately commanded it which kind of Warrants are now ceased Again In the time of the Law some were accompted Strangers And strangers had not the priviledges that brethren have Vsury was lawfull to be taken of strangers not of brethren Now in the times of the Gospel Christ hath made us all Brethren and called us by his own name Christians and what was lawfull then to be done to strangers is unwarrantable now to be done to Christians We are brethren Then Protestantisme and Popery may be consistent in one Kingdom and Gods name may be harmelesly prophaned with Idolaetry and superstition in the same place where it is truly and sincerely worshipt Your inference is not good It is one thing for a Prince to protect his subjects and an other to be partaker with them or to allow of their superstitions Kings cannot enforce Consciences though pitcht upon a false Religion All that Magistrates can do against them unlesse for Seducing which a particular Statute made Treason is to punish their purses for not observing his Statutes respectively or for exercising their Religion contrary to his Lawes But well it were if such a necessity of Connivance had no such subject to work upon How happy had it been for this unlucky kingdom if his Majesties most prudent and pious offer two yeare since propounded to us had been accepted in this particular That all the Children of his subjects of that Religion should be taken from them and educated in the Religion of the Church of England By which means the whole Kingdom in a short space of time would have been peaceably reduced to an Vnity in Doctrine And if the same course were taken with othe Srectaryes an Vniformity in Discipline also But our Kingdom must not expect an universall and through Reformation in all particulars till Catechismes be more strictly used and the entercourse of Embassadours which cannot simply be avoyded and Legers be restrained and strict statutes made
their first approach into this kingdom and whom a little after the King Injuriously Proclaimed Rebels in his Sermon at Magnes Church by London-bridge flew in their faces vilified them with opprobrious tearms stiled their designe Rebellion proclaimed them Robbers Ravishers Traitors and the disturbers of the Churches Peace called their Doctrines schismaticall new fangled and seditious brought in to refine us with this addition God will not be beholding to the Divel to sweep His Church And not above a month after at the beginning of this Parliament in another Sermon at the same place out of this Text Act. 17. 30. And the times of this Ignorance God winked at but now commaneth all menevery where to repent took an occasion to eate his words contradict every thing he formerly delivered Who was the cowardly â—ur then according to your own phrase pag. 138. line 3. Who is the Sheeps-heads now according to your own tearme pag. 139. line 23. Who turned his Fiddle to the Base of the times pag. 147. line 1. Who is guilty of Parasiticall basenes pag. 147. line 18. Who is the Whiteliverd Christian to be turned out among dogs and hell-hounds pag. 182. line 11. Doctor now you have told us what he is the whole parish of Magnes can tell you who it is Who was it that was so active for the oath Ex Officio so eager for the two shillings nine pence so contentious with his parishioners The Clergy can witnesse the first the City can testifie the second Magnes can attest the last Yet all this was done by way of zeale Repl. Cal. First your tongue is no slander Secondly your profession gives you a Patent under the broad Seale to lie but to spoyle your jest if any such man was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 True Saint Magnes was the Doctors Church at that time and if any slipt into and abused his pulpit and himself no question but the Doctor is as much troubled for it as you are pleased with it But who ever you taxe if you play not the Poet he may in spite of your bitternesse justify his seeming Contradiction and eate his words as harmelesly as a Potato pie in Lent Whether the Scots were Rebels or no was no matter of Faith but Opinion The object of opinion is Reason and it alters with Reason When His Majesty proclaimed them Rebels being a matter of fact and state was it not reason for him to own it But being pleased by pardon gratiously to take off that odious imputation it had been neither reason manners nor safety not to approve of it When a ship hath made a voyage with one winde into New-England will you blame it for returning back with a quite contrary No wise man Cal. will do it unlesse you or such as you were in it D. Burges cap. 4. pag. 93. line 13. It is then a cleare case that a Christian is not bound to reprove or discourse of Religion to known or suspected scoffers If he testify in secret to his God his dislike of such Varlots avoide needlesse societie and unnecessary commerce with them and in his soul secretly mourne for their dishonouring God he hath done his duty Cal. By your leave Doctor Your zeale here smells a little too much of the Coward Did your dying Saviour endure the base Scoffes and bitter Taunts of the Iewes for your sake and is your Reputation so dainty not to abide a little jeering for his sake Will your zeale sell Gods honour for the impatience of a Scoffe Were it your own case I feare Your wit would finde spirit enough either to contemne it or retort it But you will away and complaine to God in a Corner Mettal to the back Doctor He that refuses the vindication of Gods honour denies him And he that denies him at Court him will God deny in his Chamber Can you heare your Soveraigne abused and be silent perchance as the case now stands you can and make one for company too if you feare not his prevayling power But can you heare your bosome friend injuriously reviled and lend him no Apology but run away and whisper in his eare a tedious Complaint If this you can you are no friend for me This if your zeale belie not your conscience must serve Gods turne nay more you have done your duty too Repl. Have you not an inhibition Cal. to cast Pearles before Swine Are you more tender of Gods glory or more wise to propagate it then David who accounted it his duty to keep his mouth close whilest the wicked were before him Cal. your zeale tasts a little too rank of the mother a Bellings-gate zeale where the Revenge is often more sinfull then the Offence Perchance you 'ld spit in the offenders face That zeale is a strange fire that produces such moist effects Cal. your Religion is too rhumatick Sure Saint Peter had a good quarrell to draw his sword yet the action had too much rashnesse in it as well as blood to be accepted Where the party offending is not capable of reason or the party Vindicating hath no capacity of discretion the action is not warrantable Better to beare the hazzard of some dishonour then to have it indiscreetly vindicated D. Burges cap. 7. pag. 262. lin 22. The supreame and soveraigne Prince who hath none between him and God representing the person of God executing his office and in this respect bearing his name to whom he onely is accountable for all his actions by way of Summons and command this person I say must in all things and at all times be handled with all humility and due respect of that high place he holdeth so as all may be taught not to despise but to honour him the more by the carriage of those that are in case of necessity to treate with him in the name and busines of his God Cal. How now Doctor None between him and God Onely accomptable to God for all his Actions Sure Doctor You are now besides your text Shall whole kingdomes then depend upon his extravagant pleasure So many millions of soules lye open to the tyranny of his arbitrary will Is he not bound to his own Lawes not limited by his Coronation oath May he alter establisht Religion by the omnipotence of his own vast power and turn Gods Church into a Rout of Infidells and our Liberties into a tenure of Villanage Is this your Zeale for Gods glory The man hath overwhelmed his Iudgement in the deep gulph of flattery and lost himself in his own Principles Can he represent Gods person that commands what God forbids Doth he execute Gods office that forbids what he commands If this be zeale or common Religion let me turne Amalakite or any thing that is not this No no Doctor saving your private engagements and expectations Kings are no such persons as our late Idolatry hath made them The trust of Kingdomes is put upon them which so long as they faithfully discharge they are to be honoured and
The Profest Royalist HIS QVARRELL WITH THE TIMES MAINTAINED IN THREE TRACTS viz. The Loyall Convert The New Distemper The Whipper Whipt Opus Posthumum HEB. 11. 4. He being dead yet speaketh OXFORD Printed in the Yeere 1645. TO THE SACRED MAJESTY OF KING CHARLES My most dear and dread Soveraign SIR BE pleased to cast a gracious eye upon these three Tracts and at Your leasure if Your Royall Imployments lend You any to peruse them In Your Three Kingdoms◠You have three sorts of people The first confident faithfull The second diffident and fearfull The third indifferent and doubtfull The first are with You in their Persons Purses or desires and good wishes The second are with You neither in their Purses nor good wishes nor with their desires in their Persons The third are with You in their good wishes but neither in their Persons nor Purses nor Desires In the last entituled The Whipper Whipt these three sorts are represented in three Persons and presented to the view of Your Sacred Majesty You shall find them as busie with their Pens as the Armies are with their Pistols How they behave themselves let the People judge I appeale to Cesar. Your Majesties Honour Safety and Prosperity The Churches Truth Unity and uniformity Your Kingdoms Peace Plenty and Felicity is the continued object of his Devotion who is SIR Your Majesties Most Loyall Subject Fra Quarles THE LOYALL CONVERT VIRG. Improbus haec tam culta novalia miles habebit Barbarus has segetes HOM. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 OXFORD Printed by LEONARD LICHFIELD Printer to the Vniversity 1645. To the honest hearted Reader READER I Here protest before the Searcher of all hearts that I have no End either of Faction or Relation in this ensuing Treatise I am no Papist no Sectary but a true Lover of Reformation and Peace My pen declines all bitternesse of Spirit all deceitfulnesse of heart and I may safely in this particular with Saint PAUL say I speak the truth in Christ and lye not my Conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost that I neither walk nor write in craftinesse nor handle the holy Scriptures deceitfully Therefore if thy Cause be Iesus Christ in the name of Iesus Christ I adjure thee to lay aside all wilfull ignorance all prejudice all private Respects and Interests and all uncharitable censures Deale faithfully with thy Soule and suffer wholesome admonitions Search the severall Scriptures herein contained and where they open a Gate climbe not thou over a Stile Consult with Reason herein exercised and where it finds a mouth find thou an eare And let Truth prosper though thou perish and let God be glorified although in thy Confusion THE LOYALL CONVERT THE Kingdome of England that hath for many Ages continued the happiest Nation on the habitable earth enjoying the highest blessings that heaven can give or earth receive the fruition of the Gospell which setled a firme Peace which Peace occasioned a full Plenty under the gracious Government of wise and famous Princes over a thriving and well-contented People Insomuch that shee became the Earths Paradise and the Worlds Wonder is now the Nursery of all Sects her Peace is violated her Plenty wasting her Government distempered her People discontented and unnaturally imbroyld in her own Blood not knowing the way nor affecting the meanes to Peace Insomuch that she is now become the By-word of the Earth and the scorn◠of Nations The Cause and Ground of these our Nationall Combustions are these our Nationall Transgressions which unnaturally sprung from the neglect of that Truth we once had and from the abuse of that Peace wee now want Which taking occasion of some differences betwixt His Majestie and His two Houses of Parliament hath divided our Kingdome within it selfe which had so divided it selfe from that God who blest it with so firme a Truth so setled a Peace and so sweet an Vnity As that sinne brought this division so this division sharpned with mutuall Jealousies brought in the Sword When the Lyon roares who trembles not And when Iudgements thunder who is not troubled Among the rest I who brought some Faggots to this Combustion stood astonisht and amazed to whom the mischiefe was farre more manifest then the Remedy At last I laid my hand upon my heart and concluded It was the hand of God Where being plundered in my understanding I began to make a scrutiny where the first Breach was made that let in all these Miseries I found the whole Kingdome now contracted into a Parliament which consisted of three Estates A King a house of Peeres and a house of Commons by the Wisdome and Vnity whereof all things conduceable to the Weale-publique were be advised upon presented and established I found this Vnity disjoynted and growne to variance even to Blood The King and his Adherents on the party and his two Houses and their Adherents on the other The pretence of this division was the true Protestant Religion which both protested to maintaine the Liberty of the Subject which both protested to preserve the Priviledges of Parliament which both promise to protect Yet neverthelesse the first never profaned the second never more interrupted the third never more violated Standing amazed at this Riddle I turned mine eyes upon his Majesty and there I viewed the Lords Annointed sworne to maintain the established Lawes of this Kingdome I turned mine eyes upon the two Houses and in them I beheld the Interest of my Country sworne to obey his Majesty as their supreame Governour I heard a Remonstrance cryed from the two Houses I read it I approved it I inclined unto it A Declaration from His Majestie I read it I applauded it I adhered to the justnesse of it The Parliaments Answer I turned to the Parliament His Majesties Reply I returned to His Majestie Thus tost and turned as a Weather-cocke to my own weaknesse I resolved it impossible to serve two Masters I fled to Reason Reason could not satisfie me I fled to Policie Policy could not resolve me At length finding no Councellour but that which first I should have sought I hyed me to the Booke of God as the Great Oracle and ushering my Inquest with Prayer and Humiliation I opened the sacred leaves which not by chance presented to my first eye the 20. of the Proverbs v. 2. The feare of a King is as the roaring of a Lyon and who so provoketh him to Anger sinneth against his own soule Now I began to search and found as many places to that purpose as would swell this sheet into a Volume so that in a very short space I was so furnished with such strict Precepts backt with such strong Examples that my Iudgement was enlightned and my wavering Conscience so throughly convinced that by the Grace of that Power which directed me neither Feare nor any By-respects shall ever hereafter remove me unlesse some clearer light direct me But above all the Rest a Precept and an Example out of the Old
the Arme of flesh could provide for the waging of an inconquerable warre whereon the money already expended makes no lesse figures then 17. Millions Sterl besides the Revenues of the King Queen Prince Duke of Yorke and the whole Estates of all such that take up Armes against them besides free Quarter and Souldiers yet unpayd His Majesty on the other side driven away with a few Attendants not having among them so many Swords and Pistols as these had Cannons wanting both Mony Horses and Ammunition onely what hee received from the piety of some beleiving Subjects whose eares were Pamphlet-proofe against all defamations and scandals cast upon sacred Majesty finding slender Provision in his own Dominions and that stopt or seized which came from forreigne parts No Shipping but what he purchast with the precious and extream hazard of his few but valiant Subjects No Armes but what he gained by the couragious venture of his own neglected life the subject of our continuall Prayers Yet hath God covered his head in the day of battaile and blest him with such successe that He is by the Divine Providence become a great Master of the Field and almost able to maintain fight with his own Ships at Sea The God of Heaven blesse him and prosper him and make his dayes as the dayes of Heaven that being here the Faiths defender he may still bee defended by the Object of that Faith Nor is the providentiall hand of God more visible in prospering him then in punishing his Enemies whose ruines may remain as Sea-marks to us and Pyramids of Gods Power whereof a touch Sir Iohn Hotham then Governour of Hull who first defied and dared his Soveraigne to his face what is become of him How stands he a Marke betwixt two dangers having nothing left him but guilt enough to make him capable of a desperate Fortune Master Hambden that first waged Law and then Warre against his own naturall Prince hath not he since these unhappy troubles began been first punished with the losse of children nay visited to the third Generation to the weakning if not ruining of his Family and then with the losse of his own life in the same place where hee first took up Armes against his gracious Soveraign was it not remarkeable that the Lord Brooke who often excepted against that clause in the Lyturgie From sudden death good Lord deliver us was slaine so suddenly who was so severe an enemy against Peace should perish in the same Warre he so encouraged Who so bitterly inveyed against Episcopall Government should be shot dead out of a Cathedrall Church who labouring to put out the left eye of establisht Government his left eye and life were both put out together How is Duke Hamilton scarce warme in his new Honour taken in his own snare having entangled his Lord and Master in so many inconveniences How is Holland whose livelyhood was created by his Soveraignes favour branded with a double treachery and like a Shittlecocke fallen at the first return and scarce able to raise himselfe by a sorry Declaration Is not Bristoll Fines who at his Councell of Warre condemned and executed innocent blood himselfe condemned pleading innocence at a Councell of Warre from the mouth of his owne Generall though finding perchance more Mercy then he either deserved or shewed But that blood that cryed to him for Mercy will cry to Heaven for vengeance And are not many more ripe for the same Iudgment whose notorious Crimes have branded them for their respective punishments How many of those blood-preaching Ministers have died expectorating Blood whilst others at this time labouring under the same disease can find no Art to promise a Recovery All whom I leave to possible Repentance and passe over Cromwell that profest defacer of Churches witnesse Peterborough and Lincolne c. and Rifeler of the Monuments of the dead whose prophane Troopers if Fame has not forgot to speake a Truth waterd their horses at the Font and fed them at the Holy Table that Cromwell Sandes whose sacrilegious Troopers committed such barbarous insolencies with his at least connivance in the Church of Canterbury and used such inhumane tortures on the tender brests of women to force confession of their hidden goods the golden subjects of their Robbery What can the first expect and what reward the other hath found I neither prophecie nor judge If these and such as they doe fight for the Reformed Religion God deliver every good man both from them and it Cursed be their wrath for it is fierce and their Anger for it is cruell These and of such many are they that whilst they pretend a Reformation need first to be reformed Nor do I in taxing this Army of such impious Barbarismes excuse or rather not condemne the other whereof no question too great a number are as equally profane whilst all together make up one body of wickednesse to bring a ruine on this miserable Kingdome for whose impieties His Majesty hath so often suffered I but His Majesties Army besides those looser sorts of people consists of numerous Papists the utter enemies of true Religion To whom the King hath sworne his protection from those hee may require assistance But unto all his people as well Papists as Protestants hee hath sworne his protection therefore from all his subjects as well Papists as Protestants he may require assistance Neither does he call in Papists as Papists to maintaine Religion as himselfe hath alwayes manifested but as subjects to subdue or at least qualifie Sedition The ayde of the subject is either in his person or in his purse both are requireable to the service of a Soveraigne Put case His Majesty should use the assistance of none but Protestants tell me would ye not be apt to cavill that he is favourable to the Papists neither willing to endanger their persons nor endammage their purses or at least that they are reserved for a last blow Or in case Papists should largely underwrite to your Propositions send in Horses Armes or other Provisions would you not accept it and for its sake their persons too Are you so strict in your Preparations as to catechize every souldier Or to examine first every Officers Religion Or having the proffer of a good Popish or debaucht Commander tell me should he be denied his Commission Remember Sir Arthur Ashton whom His Majesty entertaines by your Example These things indifferently considered it will manifestly appeare that the honest minded vulgar are meerly seduced under the colour of piety to be so impious as by poysoning every action of their lawfull Prince to foster their implicite Rebellion But in case your side should prosper and prevaile what then would then our Miseries be at an end Reason tels us No God keeps us from the experience Think you that Government whether new or reformed which is set up by the sword must not be maintained by the sword And how can Peace and Plenty bee consistent with perpetuall
Garrisons which must bee maintained with a perpetuall charge besides the continuall excursions and connived-at injuries committed by Souldiers judge you Or put the case this necessary Consequence could be avoided think you the ambition of some new States-men accustomed to such Arbitrary and necessitated power on the one side and the remaining loyalty of His Majesties dis-inherited Subjects watching all opportunities to right their injured Soveraigne and themselves on the other side would not raise perpetuall tempests in this Kingdome Or if such an almost unpreventable evill should not ensue think you such swarmes of Sectaries sweat for nothing Are their purses so apt to bleed to no end Will not their costs and paines expect at least a congratulatory connivance in the freedome of their consciences Or will their swords now in the strong possession of so great a multitude know the way into their quiet scabbards without the expected liberty of their Religions And can that liberty produce any thing but an establisht disorder And is not Disorder the mother of Anarchie and that of Ruine Open then your eyes closed with crasse and wilfull blindnesse and consider and prevent that which your continued disobedience will unavoidably repent too late But the truth is They are all Papists by your Brand that comply not in this action with you Admit it were so Are not Papists as tolerable for His Majesty as Anabaptists Brownists Separatists Atheists Antinomians Turkes and indeed all Religions and Factions nay Papists too for His Subjects These of His Majesties side come freely out of their Allegiance as Subjects Yours are preached in comming out of obstinacie as Rebels They at their own charges proportionable to their Abilities These like Iudas selling their Soveraignes Blood for ill paid wages Yet both sides pretend a Quarrell for the true Protestant Religion Good God! What a monstrous Religion is this that seeks protection from the implacable opposition of her two Champions His Majesty protests to maintain it The two Houses protest to maintain it O for an Oedipus to read this Riddle His Majesty addes one Clause more wherein if the other Party would agree the work would be at an end which is According to the establisht Constitutions by Oath taken by him at his Coronation And there the two Houses leave him contending for a yet undetermined alteration And for my part I dare not conceive such evill of the Lords Annointed and my Gracious Soveraigne as to feare him perjured Hath not His Majesty in the presence of that God by whom hee reignes imprecated the Curse of Heaven on him and his Royall Posterity Sub Sigillo Sacramenti too if He to his utmost maintaine not the True Protestant Religion exercised in that blessed Queenes dayes and propagated by the blood of so many glorious Martyrs at which time God blest this Island in so high a measure if hee preserve not the just Priviledges of Parliament and the Liberty of the Subject Nay more did not His Majesty so promise the severe execution of the Statute against all Recusants that if he failed he desired not the ayde of his good Subjects What inferiour person would not think his Reputation wronged not to take up confidence upon such terrible termes What notorious evill hath his Majesty perpetrated to quench the sparkles of a common Charity Consider O Consider Hee acts his part before the King of Kings whose eye is more especially upon Him He acts his part before his fellow Princes to whom he hath declared this his Imprecation Hee acts his part before his Subjects whose stricter hand weighes his pious words with too unequall Ballances Were he the acknowledger of no God yet the Princes of the earth if guilty of such a Perjury would abhorre him Or were all the Princes of the earth blind deafe or partiall would not he think his Crown a burthen to be worne upon his perjured brow before his owne abused people Or having renounced his Subjects ayde upon his faile could he expect that loyalty which now he wants upon a meen suspition But He is a Prince whom God hath crowned with graces above his fellowes A Prince whom for his Piety few Ages could parallell What Vices of the times have branded his Repute His Youth high diet strength of body and Soveraign Power might have inclined and warpt him to luxurious vanity as well as other Monarks whose effeminaries have enerved the strength of their declining Kingdomes How many would have held it a Preferment to be Attorny to his Royall Lust or Secretary to His Bosom Sinne Yet he remaines a president of unblemisht Chastity He might have pleased and pampered up his wanton Palate with the choise of curious Wines to lighten Cares which wait upon the regall Diademe Yet he continues the patterne of a chast Sobriety He might have magnified his Mercy and sold his Justice to reward a Service in pardoning offences committed by those of neare relation yet Hee abides the example of inexorable Justice These and many other eminent Graces and illustrious Virtues can claime no Birth from Flesh and Blood especially in those whose pupillages are strangers to Correction Nor is it safe Divinity to acknowledge such high Gifts from any hand but Heaven Which being so my Conscience and Religion tells me that Almighty God who is all perfection will not leave a work so forward so imperfect but will from day to day still adde and adde to his transcendent virtues till he appeare the Glory of the World and after many yeares be crowned in the World of Glory Martial lib. 8. Ep. 66. Rerum prima salus una Caesar. Post-script to the Reader NOw thou hast heard the Harmony of Scriptures without Corruption and the Language of Reason without Sophistry Thou hast not only heard Divine Precepts but those Precepts backt with holy Examples Neither those out of the Old Testament alone but likewise out of the New Being now no Matter left for thy Exceptions prevaricate no longer with thy own soule And in the feare of God I now adjure thee once againe as thou wilt answer before the Tribunull at the dreadfull and terrible day that thou faithfully examine and ponder the plaine Texts which thou hast read and yeelding due obedience to them stop thine eares against all sinister expositions and remember that historicall Scripture will admit no allegoricall interpretations If any thing in this Treatise shall deserve thy Answer doe it punctually briefly plainely and with meeknesse If by direct Scripture thou canst without wresting refute my Errour thou shalt reforme and save thy Brother If not recant thine and hold it no dishonour to take that shame to thy selfe which brings Glory to thy God 1. S. PET. 3. 15. Bee alwayes ready to give an answer to every one that asketh you a reason with meeknesse and feare FINIS THE NEW DISTEMPER WRITTEN By the AUTHOR of the Loyall Convert Hilar. de Trin. Lib. 4. Hoc habet proprium Ecclesia dum persecutionē patitur floret
dum opprimitur proficit dum laeditur vincit dum arguitur intelligit tunc stat quum superari videtur OXFORD Printed by LEONARD LICHFIELD Printer to the Vniversity 1645. THE NEW DISTEMPER AS it is in a Principality or in a Republique The further it swerves from the first Constitution and Fundamentall Principles the faster it declines and hastens towards Ruine So is it in the Church The more she deviates and slips from her first Foundations the more she growes into Distempers and the nearer she comes to Desolation It hath been the wisdome of all Princes and Free States of former times to carry a watchfull eye upon the growing Inconvenients of their Kingdomes and Republiques That as evill manners daily breed diseases so the continuall making and execution of good lawes should daily be prescribed as Remediesâ— lest by too long neglect and sufferance the Body of the Commonwealth should grow so foule with superannuated evils and the humors waxe so prevalent that the desperatenesse of the disease might enforce them to as desperate a Remedy It is no lesse prudence and providence in those that are appointed by the Supreme power as under him chiefe Governours and Overseers of the Church to be very circumspect and not onely faithfully to exercise their Ministeriall Function by due and careful preaching of the Gospel but likewise diligently to discharge their office in governing that is in making wholsome Ordinances and duly executing them That the Inconveniences that grow daily in the Church may be daily rectified lest by too long forbearance they gather head and so become either incureable or else capable of Remedy with too great a losse The naturall Affection I so dearly owe to this my native Country to which my soule alwayes hath doth and will for ever 〈◊〉 as much happinesse as heaven can please to give permits me not to think our Church in so forlorne and desperate a Case but that it may be capable of a wholsome Cure Yet Sense and Reason flying with the naturall wings of Love and Duty bids me feare that those unnaturall Humors Pride Negligence Superstition Schisme and that Harbinger of Destruction Security have so long been gathering and now setled in her that she cannot without long time and much difficulty or else especiall providence and divine mercy be restored For the hastning whereof accuâ—sed be that unworthy Member that shall not apply the utmost of his endeavour and diligence and not returne the best of those Abilities he suckt from her in health to her advantage in this her great and deplorable extremity of Distemper The wearyed Physitian after his many fruitlesse experiments upon a consuming Body advises his drooping Patient to the place of his birth to draw that Ayre he was first bred in The likelyest way to recover our languishing Church is to reduce her to her first Constitutions that she may draw the breath of her first Principles from whence having made so long a journey her returne must take the longer time The Physitian requires not his crazie Patient to take his Progresse thither in a rumbling Coach or a rude Waggon they are too full of motion for a restlesse body nor to ride Poste the swiftnesse of the passage makes too sudden an alteration of the Climate but in an easie-going Litter the flownesse of whose pace might give him a graduall change of Ayre The safest way to reduce our languishing Church to her first Constitution is to avoid all unnaturall Commotions and violence in her passage and carefully to decline all sudden alterations which cannot be without imminent danger and to use the peace-ablest meanes that may be that nothing in her journy may interrupt her and prove too prejudiciall to her journyes end The disease of our distempered Church Cod be praised hath not as yet taken her principall parts Her doctrine of Faith is sound The Distemper onely lyes in her Discipline and Government which hath these many yeeres 〈◊〉 breeding and now broken forth to the great dishonour of her Mysticall Head Christ Jesus to the unhappy interruption of her owne Peace the Legacie of our blessed Saviour to the great disquiet of our gracious Soveraigne her Faiths Defender to the sharp affliction of his loyall Subjects her faithfull servants and to the utter ruine and destruction of this Kingdome the peacefull Palace of her Glory 1. As for her Discipline In the happy dayes of Edward the sixt when all the Romish Rubbish and Trumpery was seavengerd out of this the new Reformed Church and the wholsome doctrine of undubitable Truth was joyfully received into her gates being for many yeeres cloâ—'d with Ignorance and Error the piety and providence of her newly chosen Governours whose spirituall Abilities and valour were after characterd in their owne blood thought good in the first place to make Gods Worship the subject of their holy Consideration To which end they met and finding in the Scriptures no expresse forme of Evangelicall Discipline in each particular and therefore concluding it was left as a thing indifferent to be instituted according to the Constitutions of every Kingdome where Religion should be astablisht they advised what Discipline might best conduce to the glory of God and the benefit of his people They first debated and put to the question Whether the old Lyturgie should be corrected and purged or whether a New should be contrived Cranmer then Archbishop of Canterbury a pious moderate and learned Father of the Church and not long after a glorious Martyr finding that the old Lyturgie had some things in it derived from the Primitive Church though in many things corrupted conceived it most fitting for the peace of the Church not to savour so much of the spirit of contradiction as utterly to abolish it because the Papists used it but rather enclined to have the old Garden weeded the Errors expunged thereby to gaine some of the moderater sort of that Religion to a Conformity But Ridly Bishop of London a man though very pious yet of a quicker spirit and more violent and not many yeares after suffering Martyrdome too enclined to a contrary Opinion rather wishing a totall abolition of the old Liturgie and a new to be set up lest the tender Consciences of some should be offended The businesse being thus controverted it was at length voted for the purging of the old to which service were appointed Doctor Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury Martyr Goodrick Skip Thirlby Day Holbeck Ridley Câ—x King EDWARDS Almoner Taylor Heynes Redman Bishop of Ely Hereford Westminster Chichester Lincoln Rochester Martyr after B. of London  Deane of Lincoln Martyr Exceter Westminster Master Robinson Archdeacon of Leycester Mense Maio 1549. Anno Regni Edwardi sexti tertio Whereof three were famous Martyrs and the rest men of unquestionable sanctity soundnesse and learning which being done was authorized by Act of Parliament in that blessed Kings reigne Edw. 6. and with a full Consent received into the Church of England confirmed by
it shall not be so with you Our Bishops were Lords as they were Peeres of the Land and as Peeres they had Votes in Parliament which being taken away they are no more now then what the dignity of their Calling and their owne Merits make them As for that place in S. Peter thus it is meant Ye shall not be Lords over Gods inheritance that is Tyrants Lords and Rulers being at that time none but Heathens and Persecutors whose tyrannie made the very name of Lord terrible and odious So that in that place by Lordship is certainly meant Tyrannie Neither can this imply a Parity in our Church for without a Superiority and Inferiority there can be no Government A Parity cannot be considered in order of Government but onely in the work of the Ministry In this all are fellow labourers In the other some command and some obey S. Paul and Timothy had an especiall command and charge over other Ministers As for that place in S. Luke which you alledge The Disciples striving who should be the greatest among them our blessed Saviours answer was to this effect Let Kings exercise power and authority over their vassals as indeed their tyrannie made them little better but it shall be otherwise with you You are all fellow-servants to me that am your chiefe Lord and Bishop of your soules whilst I am here all superiority lyes extinct Christ was then the onely Governour and the Root of Government was in him But at his departure he gave some to be Apostles some to be Pastors c. and yet all those degrees were equall in respect of the work He himselfe said Ye call me Lord and so I am and yet Luk. 22. 27. I am among you as he that serveth whereby it manifestly appeares he intended a parity of the workers in respect of the worke not a parity in the government in respect of the workers Bishops whose office is to promote Religion and to advance the Gospel as is pretended and to encourage Prenching as the ordinary meanes conducing thereunto are so far from so doing that instead thereof they silence godly Ministers and put downe weekly Lectures which were set up at the proper charges and the piety of the people and to the great establishment of true Religion Here lyes a Mysterie being the most crafty advantage the devil ever took of popular piety Admit the piety of the honest hearted People was the first motive to these weekly Lectures how was that piety abused by those weekly Lecturers They were chosen by the people their maintenance consisting most of Gratuities came from the people which ebbed or flowed according as their Lunatick doctrines wrought upon the people Those Lecturers whose whole subsistance thus proceeded from the people must for their owne better livelyhoods please the people And what more pleasing to the people then the preaching of Liberty and how should Liberty be enlarged if not peeced with Prerogative Then down goes Authority and up goes Priviledge Downe goes the Booke and up goes the Spirit Downe goes Learning and up goes Revelation who gaining credit in the weak opinions of the vulgar grew the Seminaries of all Ignorance and the nursing fathers of all Rebellion These are those godly Lecturers that Bishops put downe who never lost themselves so much as in not setting up better and more orthodox in their roomes which had taken away the ground of this Objection Our Bishops being proud idle covetous and Popishly affected are therefore fit to be extirpated Admit some be so must therefore such among them as are humble diligent charitable and enemies to Popery perish Shall they that are bad have more power to pull downe a setled Government then they that be good to keep it up Did Moses the man of God extirpate the Government of Priesthood because Aaron had a hand in the peoples Idolatry Or will you undertake that the Elders in a Presbyteriall Government shall be all faultlesse Let the guilty receive their respective punishments and let others take their office But the innocent to suffer with the guilty is a point of high injustice But admit this Government by Bishops had nothing to plead for it neither prescription nor continuance without Intermission nor the Authority of Parliaments in all Ages yet considering it is now a Government in Being it seemes not consonant to Reason or policy to extirpate it or take it away before an other Government be pitcht upon To pull downe one maine Pillar before another be made to supply the place and to support the roome is the next way to pull the Roofe upon our heads Hath not Episcopacie been long voted downe And is not the Assembly at this time divided and in controversie nay puzzled what Government to set up in the roome of it By which means occasion is administred to all disorder Liberty lyes open to all Schismes Sects and Heresies and Sectaries grow bold to vent their giddy headed opinions without controlment confirming themselves in their owne Errors infecting others with their new fangled and itching doctrines the nature whereof is like a Tetter to run till it over-run the whole Body Have not our eyes beheld all this which if these unsetled times should long continue as God forbid would gather such head and strengthen this our confused Kingdome that if her issue of blood were stopt in one place it would break forth in another and like Hercules his Monster if one head were struck off another would arise to the utter confusion of the true Protestant Religion which already begins to be the least part of this tottering Kingdoms profession and rather conniv'd at then exerciz'd by some Are not complaints preferd against Brownists and Separatists unheard Nay are not men afraid to complain against them for feare of punishment Have not protest Anabaptists challenged our Ministers to dispute with them in their owne open Churches Have not their disputations been permitted nay unadvisedly undertaken by some of our Ministers who themselves are thought little better wherein they have made many Proselites and left many of the vulgar who judge the victory to the most words indifferent Have they not after their disputations retired into their Innes and private lodgings accompanyed with many of their Auditors and all joyned together in their extemporary prayers for a blessing upon their late Exercise How often hath Bow-river which they lately have baptiz'd New Iordan been witnesse to their prophanations How many daily make their private meetings and assemble in the City of London to exercise their Ministery How many have been convicted of Blasphemy and yet unpunisht How many times have their witnesses been taken against some of our most learned and religious Ministers for which some are plundered some sequestred and some imprisoned How many of our Ministers whose severity proceeded formerly against Fornicators Adulterers Drunkards Swearers and such like are now undone upon their revengefull witnesses and testimony appearing now for
â—overnours for the house of God Are not the two great Nurseryes of this kingdom like to flourish when the chiefe Plants are pulled up by the roots and onely theâ—e Crabstocâ—s suffered to prosper and beare their own naturall fruit Our fathers have eaten the Grapes and their childrens teeth will be set on edge They that have been the Pillars of our Religion are hewn down and our falling Church is shored up with these inconsiderable spars They that grappled with and foyld the stoutest Champions of the Church of Rome are imprisoned wanting both bread and liberty And such as neither did nor could nor durst appeare in such a quarrel are crownd with their Reward They whose learning and orthodox piety made England the glory of nations and the envy of forraigne kingdoms are now disgraced and ruined and thâ—se that learning made not capable of a Degree advanced and honoured to the great dishonour of this kingdom Nor can I heare forget how much this staggering Church of England owes to her pious and religious Nursing Father and her faiths royall Defender our gracious Soveraigne whose wisdom moderation and tender piety amongst other of his princely vertues hath so manifesty showed it self in not following the example of those whom my heart bleeds to call his Enemyes and blazing the new Ministry of this kingdom as they have done the old Had his provoked passion publisht a Century to the eye of all the world of those morall vices hideous blasphemies infirmities and faylings of the Clergy of the one party as they did on the other how would the Church of Rome and all the Enemies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ have hissed and derided our Religion that by the generall Confession both of Prince and people had such Monsters to adorne it How would forraigne Christians have been frighted at the very name of the Church of England How would the stile of Protestant have become the Obloquy and By word of all Religions It was not for want of matter Report would have 〈◊〉 enough besides that which perchance would have made the truer history Nor was it scarcity of pen-men to paint their actions to the life Oxford had yet hath Pens sharp enough Ink that wanted no Gall Nor can I conceive how such nimble active and such salik fancyes here could have forborne it had not the wisdom providence of his Sacred Majesty laid upon them his restraining power By which it evidently appeares to those that are not obstinately maliciously blinded with the darknesse of resolved Rebellion that his Majesties solemne Vowes and serious Protestations for the maintaining the honour of the true Protestant Religion agree with his most pious Intentions and published Resolutions Had his secret affections been warpt or the least degree wavering from the Church of England or any whit inclining to the Romish superstition had the imaginations of his heart intended secretly an introduction of the Popish Religion how could his new design been better animated then by an inward dislike of the Protestant Religion how could that dislike have been better fomented and encouraged then by the Advantage the just Advantage taken of the generall corruption of her Ministry But the wisdom and tendernesse of his Piety stands silent in this behalfe and in his singular prudence hath not so much as taken notice or in any of his Declarations once reproved the uncharitable impiety of that scandalous Pamphlet for fear of further blazing it but rather suffering it to perish in its own filthines choosing rather to groane under the burthen of his faithfull and abused Clergie then by revenging and painting forth the crimes of the other party far more guilty to afflict Religion under the burthen of both Thus is the health of our languishing Church impaired thus is the body of our craz'd Government distemperd thus is the peace of our Saviours Spouse disquieted thus is the welfare of our English Sion determined Her Dove-like piety is turned to Serpentine policy her Unity to Division her Uniformity to Disorder her Sanctity to Prophanenesse her Needle-work robes to a particoloured Coate her honour into disgrace her glory into disdaine and her prosperity into destruction She weepeth in the night and her teares are in her Cheekes Among all her Lovers there is none to comfort her and all her friends have dealt treacherously with her Her adversaries are the chiefe and her enemies prosper for the Lord hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions Her children are gone into captivity before the Enemy and her gates are sunk into the ground Her Kings and Princes are among the Gentiles her law is no more and her Prophets find no vision from the Lord The Elders of the Daughter of Sion sit upon the ground and keep silence and have girded themselves with sackcloth The horne of her enemies is lifted up They spared not the persons of her Priests they favoured not her Elders they have laid wait for the breath of our Nostrils the Annointed of the Lord and servants beare rule over us Our Inheritance is turned to strangers and our houses to Alyants We drink our water for money and our woods are sold to us We have sinned and have rebelled therefore thou hast not spared For this our hearts our hearts faint for these things our eyes are dimme For these things I weep mine eye mine eye runneth downe with water Where O where are you all you that are the wisdom and Governours of this unhappy Island Where O where are you the great Counsell and grave Senators of this falling Kingdome Where O where are you the great Colledge of Politicall Physitians of this languishing Common-wealth Are ye all fallen asleep while we perish is there none to awake you Open your eyes unlock your eares and mollify your hearts Behold behold the miseries of your land and if Compassion be not banisht from the earth pitty O pitty the approaching Ruines of this your groanning this your native Kingdom Heare O harken to the sad Complaints of your afflicted petitioners and if your hearts be not of Adamant relent and let them not in vain petition for their lives Let the breath of this distempered Kingdome contracted into one extreame sigh move you to the speedy endeavours of a timely Cure Inquire into her Constitution Examine her distempers and reduce her to her first Principles Try no experiments upon a body so declined and let not the Acutenesse of her disease swade you to a desperate remedy Look O look back into the blessed dayes of Queene Elizabeth Observe what blessings we then had both by Sea and Land What plenty what successe what victories what honour abroad what unity at home and indeed what had we not that could make a Kingdome happy Reduce us O reduce us to that happy government and let not the eagernesse of a Reformation be a meanes to want men to be Reformed or matter for a Reformation Remember
Epistles or to vote S. Peters works APOCRYPHA who both instruct us to submit to the Authority of Kings good or bad But indeed the Liberty of the Subject had been a strong plea had not His Majesty spoiled their jest and granted all Petitions and the Badge of slavery had been unanswerable had not our glorious Saviour honoured and worne it upon his seamlesse Garment The God of glory endured what we despise and shewed that example we scorn to follow D. Burges cap. 7. pag. 307. line 14. For my part I am so farre from taking away Prayer from preaching that I could wish not onely more preaching in some places but more Prayer also in other places and I meane onely that Prayer which is allowed too In performance whereof if the fault be not in them who undertake it much more good will be done then will be acknowledged by some who magnifie preaching rather then adorne it Yea I will adde more then by some mens preaching admired by so many Cal. It is very much Doctor you durst so openly wish more preaching in those daies when your dumb-dog-Bishops silenced so many and most of all themselves Nay you are not ashamed to wish more Prayer too What a Lot is this among so many Sodomites But after all this Lot was drunk Our Doctor being afraid to be thought too righteous put in one her be that spoiled his whole pot of Porrage I meane sayes he that Prayer which onely was allowed And what Prayer was that even that English Masse-book which God be thanked the sacred pietie of Souldiers and the holy boldnesse of Inferiour Christians hath most blessedly taken away This is that Prayer our Doctor desires onely should be used This is that Prayer-book our preaching Doctor deifies and prefers before some mens preaching and who were they in those Episcopal daies who knowes not admired by so many This is that Prayer-book that Prelacie which this temporizing Doctor hath now entred into Covenant in the presence of Almighty God to suppresse Repl. It seems Cal. this Book of Common-Prayer is your maine quarrell here and Bishops by the Bye Tell me who composed that Book In whose Reigne was it composed and what Authority confirmed it Were not those blessed Martyrs the composers they who gave their bodies to the flame in the defence of the true Protestant Religion and in defiance of that superstition whereof you say it is a Relique Dare you vye piety with those Martyrs that are so daynty of your passive obedience They composed it You defie it Was not this detestable book composed in that pious Saints dayes Ed. 6. of holy memory when the Protestant Broome swept cleanest and when the cruelty of that bloody Religion was but newly out of breath and fresh in Memory This blessed Saint allowed it You despise it Was not this book ye so revile confirmed by Act of Parliament in those dayes the Members whereof were chosen among those that were excepting the blessed Martyrs the greatest sufferers under the tyranny of that barbarous Religion whereof you say it favours The Authority of this great Councel confirmed it You condemne it Did not the Phoenix of the world and of her Sexe Queen Elizabeth of everlasting Memory in whose dayes God so smiled upon this kingdom and that Monument of learning and wisdom King Iames of never dying memory in all their Parliaments establish it Yet you revile it Did not your self in your oath of Allegiance sweare to maintaine the King in his established government in Church and Common-wealth Yet in this particular you violate it Ponder all this Cal. and then reviewe your own words and if you blush not you are brazen-fac'd D. Burges cap. 7. pag. 309. line 21. If they can pick out some boldfac'd mercenary Emprick that by the help of a Polyanthea or some English Treatise can make a shift five or six times a week with his tongue and teeth to throw over the Pulpit a pack of stolne wares which sometimes the judicious hearer knowes by the mark and sends it home to the right owner againe Pag. 310. line 15. Or if the man hath been drinking feasting or riding that so no time is left to him to search so far as a naked Commentary Postel or some Catechisme yet adventures on the sacred businesse of preaching carrying to the Pulpit a bold face instead of savory provision and thinks it sufficient that the people hear Thunder though they see no Raine and that loudnesse will serve for once instead of matter because if he be earnest silly women and some ninnyes more will count him a very zealous Preacher and impute his want of matter to his wisdome and desire of edifying not to his want of study or ability and say He preaches to the Conscience He stands not upon deep learning He reproveth sin boldly that is to say other mens therefore they love him not theirs otherwise they would abhor him Cal. And such a â—cale of Trumpery that my pen tyres before it come to the teadious Journies end of his invective speech wherein I have so much charity left to excuse him in that he personates some Ministers whom his malice conceives no better them fooles Who indeed though they make no flourish quoate no Fathers repeate no sentences of Greek and Latine and preach not themselves as our learned D. doth yet edifie the simpler sort of people more in two howers then he with his neate Orations and quaint stile doth in five Sermons ushered in by his Popish Lâ—ttany These are those men who in his last clause be covertly saith are admired by too many and whose preaching lesse edifies then the superstitious Common-prayer book Doctor leave your gibeing and presume not too much upon your learning and wit which God hath given you as a sharp knife to cut your own Throat And deride nor those whose Dâ—fects of learning are so bountifully supplyed with Inspirationâ— and Revelations of the spirit Repl. Take hâ—â—d good Cal. you merit not the Honour to be called the Dunces Advocate These are the men that carry their Provaunt Sermons up and down the Country and in their people-pleasing Lectures cry up Liberty aâ—d praâ—e down Government cry up the Spirit and beare down Learning cry up Sedition and preach down Authority But tell in Cal. where were all these Edifyers these inspyred Pneumasticks when the daring Pens of Fisher Campion Harding and other learned Hereticks breathed forth their threatnings against the true Protestant Church when as the hot mouthed Challenges of Romes Goliahs thundred in our English Host where where were all those long-winded Lecturers Which of them took up the Sling What one amongst them threw down his Gauntlet Who among so many struck one blow in the just defence of the true Reformed Religion Or tell me without blushing where are they that did it These that bravely rusht into the Lists defied the Enemy grappled with him nay laid him on his back tore the Crown from the bold