words would have them to be new moulded corrected and framed thus The Body of our LORD IESUS CHRIST which was given for thee build thee up in thy body and in thy soule unto everlasting life These formes of words though they seeme to differ in the letter and sound yet they fully accord in sense and signification yet these verball differences in the pronunciation not signification of the words wrought such effects in the heart of this seduced man that he strongly conceited in his vaine thoughts and could never bee reformed and rectified by advice that the gesture of kneeling in the act of receiving was a Posture of body not onely idolatrous but absolutely rendred us incapable of that spirituall Nourishment which from the sacred Body and Bloud of our LORD did diffuse and stream it selfe into all the faculties oâ—â— our soules and all the parts oâ—â— our bodies For in the site oâ—â— gesture of kneeling said thâ—â— ENOCH the legs are cast behind the rest of the body and receive not that influence oâ—â— Nourishment spirituall at leasâ— in proportion and measure oâ—â— attraction as the rest of the body doth This is a conceit 〈◊〉 sublimate fine and subtile that it rightly fals under those elegant expressions which God Spirit hath made touching that Grand Impostour the Divell for his wiles and sleights attermed p 2 Cor. 211. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subtile devise to entangle mens thoughts And q Revel 3.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 depthes or profundities For these conceits are so subtill deepe and profound that Hales Aquinas or Scotus could never in their curious and deepe speculations rise to the height or fathome the bottome of them The gestures which this vaine light and seduced man conceited to himselfe as most convenient in that sacred act of GOD'S worship were either standing and bowing or sitting and bowing of the body For the gesture of standing hee alleaged full wisely I warrant you the words of our LORD and SAVIOUR IESUS CHRIST r Rev. 3.20 Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any man heare my voice and open the doore I will come in unto him and sup with him and he with me For the gesture of sitting he had no Scripture at all to alleage nor any other warrant or argument but the apprehension of his owne dull and depraved imagination In these strange opinions of his Å¿ 2 Thes 2.10 we may behold the powerfull Working of Satan with all deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse For the postures of standing of sitting oâ— kneeling being all naturall and bodily actions without the addition of bowing which isâ— mentall and spirituall action and hath relation to some other nature either in the Creator or in the creatures to whom it is directed are iâ— themselves as they are action bodily and naturall neither good nor evill at all And doâ— onely partake of goodnesse or illnesse as the motion of bowing with intention of Adoration is added unto them And yet this Dolt not versed in the Principles of Catechisme touching worship given to creatures by bowing of the body would presume to talke to censure and peremptorily to judge of things he understood not and therein resist his wise learned and religious Superiours But Pride and Ignorance are these mens cognisance 5 Now touching this ENOCH that I may give you the true and just measure of him for person and qualitie Know Good Reader that he was the son of one EDWARD ap EVAN a countrey Farmer of the Parish of Clunne in the Countie of Salop and Diocesse of Hereford a man who by a long course of industrious painfulnesse in the execution of his vocation and frugality of disposition in the governement of his family and management of his affaires had acquired unto himselfe a competent estate of livelihood for his owne support and the preferment of his children so that he passed in the reputation of all his neighbourhood among the number of rich men living in peaceable manner in the course of his life and good estimation among men of his ranke This EDWARD as he told me himselfe had two sons and five daughters His two sons Enoch aged 34. and Iohn aged 31. he detained in his owne family with himselfe and educated them in the practice of Husbandry to execute his affaires and to be a comfort and support unto him in his elder yeares Iohn the younger brother was of persontall strong and proper of quality affable and sweet natur'd of countenance comely most dutifully obedient to his Parents carefull of their welfare and thriving and never known in one and thirty years to have given any froward stubborne or undutifull reply in words to his father or mother though his father was of condition austere and held a severe hand of government and command over him Enoch was a fellow of a middle stature of complexion swarthy under the predominance of the humour of melancholy of Countenance nothing alluring and lovely but sowre and dejected 6 In this family of Edward ap Evan some sense of religion joyned with the domesticke worship of GOD had for some yeares made entrance and received entertainement For they had as Enoch told mee prayers twice every day not such as were conceived in their owne hearts by the private motions of the Spirit the raigning practice of this age but more commendable and regular being orderly read out of the Service-book of our English Church by Enoch one day by Iohn another in a constant course of well-ordered discipline at which all persons in the family were required to be present This taste of religion stirred up in Enoch a desire of further proficiencie in the knowledge of GOD'S will so that he bought him a Bible which he seldome omitted to carry about with him in his pocket in so much that at the plough in the field and in the barne when he threshed his fathers corne hee borrowed some time from his present imployments to cast his eye on this Sacred Booke so sharpe and insatiable was his thirstie desire of holy reading This practice of his grew in short time to a great forwardnesse in the profession of Piety to the eye of the world and an itching desire to bee accounted more zealous than his neighbours so cunningly wrought it selfe into his affections that his practice therein contained not it selfe within the sober limits of prudent moderation For hee was not contented to stint and confine his solemne and publike worship of GOD to the LORD'S day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rev. 1.10 commonly called Sunday which together with those few other Holy-daies appointed by the wisdome of our Church might have satisfied a wise man andâ— sound Christian but hee busily harkened after weeke-day Lectures and would oftentimes ride three or foure miles to heare sermons the ordinary practice of this formall age Having continued this course by the space of two yeares 〈◊〉 began to distaste some ordinances of our Churches constitution for the peaceable and
the clock in the morning on Sunday the seventh of Iuly they brought him forward to the Goale in Shrewsbury When the Keeper of the Prison read his Mittimus and understood his facts he loaded him with irons anâ— committed him to the common lodging among malefactors of his owne qualitie 18 When the rumour oâ— Enoch's murders and imprisonment was divulged abroad 〈◊〉 was wonderfull to see how people of all qualities resorted unto him questioned with him and although altogether unable to administer either counsell or comfort to a maâ—â— of his disconsolate conditionâ— yet many of them were forward and busie to cloud and darken the truth of that very cause and onely cause which he himself constantly alleaged of his provocation to these facts For divers who affected not the Ceremonies of our Church with whom this County and this Towne have of late abounded could not endure to heare that a Brother of their society and opinion should so staine and dishonour the sanctity of their holy Profession as to imbrue his accursed hands in her bloud who had conceived and nourished him in her wombe Hence great care was taken and all policies imployed to perswade the Malefactor to assigne some other cause and probable reason of these murders and not any touch of his dislike of Church Ceremonies Many Ministers of our Countie and some of our Towne repayred unto him and every man talked and reasoned with him as to his owne understanding seemed best pleasing And hee freely confessed to al men that upon difference in opinions betweene him and his brother touching the Gesture in the Communion his wrath conceived against him turned into rage and incensed his heart to the murder of him 19 It came into my heart to go visit this fellow and being come to the Prison-house I requested the Gaolour to leâ— me have a sight of the Prisoneâ— in a private roome He instantly commanded one of his servants to bring him unto meet Enoch being come I told him in the presence of the Keeper and his servant that I was come to see him not to satisfie curiosity nor to urge and presse questions unto him but with a cleare and pure intention by laying the judgements of God's wrath before his eyes to strike his conscience with the sight and sense of his great wickednesse and afterwards to minister those directions whereby to bring him to repentance and the reconciled favour of GOD. My first question with him was this Min. Thinkest thou Enoch that thy mother who conceived and bred thee in her wombe with many pangs and throwes did ever harbour in her heart a thought or suspition that when thou wast arrived to mans estate and shee to her aged yeares thy unnaturall rage should draw her bloud and separate her head from heâ— shoulders Enoch To this question of of mine he made no answer at all but lifted up his hands a little and cast downe his head with great confusion and perturbation of soule Min. I said unto him again Enoch I am come with purpose of my heart to doe thee good and if thou wilt deale truly with me and with thine owne soule thou shalt find me both able and desirous to doe thee good He gave me thanks for my kindnesse and was very willing and desirous to entertaine my advise Hereupon 〈◊〉 making benefit to my selfe oâ— that readinesse I found in him to hearken unto mee said further Min. Enoch I charge your conscience by that Authoritie which CHRIST our LORD hath given to me as a Minister of His sacred Gospel that you doe impart unto mee the true moving cause or causes which stirred you up to these unnaturall facts for unlesse I search your wounds to the bottome Enoch assure your selfe I shall never bee able to apply any solid comforts unto you but they will rankle in your soule and prove incurable Enoch Sir since you charge and presse my conscience herewith I will as truly confesse to you as I will doe to CHRIST Himselfe The True and the only cause which instigated mee to these facts was my Zeale to the Word of GOD. Min. I replied that zeale for GOD's glory or for His Word must be qualified with command from GOD Himselfe either by expresse declaration of His will by Oracle and lively voice or else which is equivalent thereunto By the full and undoubted assurance of a divine instinct and motion of GOD's Spirit But this latter I told him under The setled estate of the Church of the New Testament was peculiar onely in matters of this nature unto the persons of the Apostles of our LORD and descended not unto our times The Apostle Peter y Act. 5.5.10 strucke with present death Ananias and Saphira his wife but the power of that stroke came directly and immediately from GOD Himselfe as a miraculous act of His wrath against their hypocrisie and a divine declaration of the truth of his Apostolicall Doctrine and calling But Enoch your fact agreeth not with this but hath some correspondence with the passionate furious and irregular zeale of Iames and Iohn z Luke 9.54 Who desired our LORD to give them leave to call for fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans and were for their unsanctified rage sharply checkt by our LORD and SAVIOUR who intimated unto them that GOD's Spirit in men is milde and gentle according to that perpetuall Canon and rule a Iames 3.17 The Wisdome that is from above is pure peaceable gentle easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits without partialitie without Hypocrisie But Satans spirit and motions are raging and furious exciting to bloud and murder What say you now Enoch to your owne facts doe you like or dislike them Enoch Sir I know not whether I have done well or ill Min. All facts of this nature are undoubtedly the desperate effects of Satanical suggestions covered and coloured over with the faire pretence of zeale flowing from divine inspirations onely to mitigate and allay the troubles of conscience incident thereunto What say you to this Enoch I know that Satan hath no power to prevaile with the true children oâ— GOD. Min. Doe you perswade your selfe to be the true childe of GOD and actually in the state of grace having committed these execrable facts your fact is the very same with that of Cain and in one most fearefull degree of unnaturall crueltie farre surmounts his and hee is branded with the hellish marke b 1 Iohn 3.12 of Satans prevailing with him And how you should bee free from the prevailing power of Satan in your heart and over you for my part I yet understand not For wee are ever to judge of the nature strength and prevailing of Temptations by the reall acts which are effected and produced by them Our owne imaginations which are liable to errour flattery and seducement are no rule by which either our owne or other mens judgements are to be guided and directed Enoch I will not let go my
hold of CHRIST for all this sinne of mine Min. Our LORD IESUS CHRIST is indeed the true the only the immoveable foundation of the Church and children of GOD But he is to be apprehended and applied to the soules of Christian men by pietie vertue and the constant feare of GOD and not by every idle imagination and fleeting fancie which springs up in the minds of carnall men But tell mee is our LORD CHRIST in your power to bee held or let goâ— at your pleasure His owne words are these c Ioh. 6.44 No man comâ—â—â—â— unto 〈◊〉 except the Father who hath sent me draw him But undoubtedly GOD the Father doth draw His children to His SONNE CHRIST IESUS by faith and that faith workes in their hearts by love d Gal. 5.6 But Love and Murder are qualities of contrary nature each unto other they cannot actually subsist and have being in one and the same heart at one and the same time For the repugnancie and contrariety of their natures doth mainely labour to destroy and extinguish each other If the true faith cannot have being without pure Love its gracious and inseparable companion by what gift or grace within you doe you thinke to lay hold on and retaine our LORD IESUS CHRIST unto your selfe Enoch I hope by my repentance to recover my faith againe Min. Your sect is frequenâ— and much in talking of Faith which makes the Papists inâ—â— proud scorne to call Protestants Soli-fidians Tell me 〈◊〉 you can What is faith whereof you so much presume Enoch I thinke faith is to trust in GOD for salvation Min. To trust in GOD for salvation is one principall act and practice of the Nature of Faith as it stands in relation to GOD's mercy and his promises But as Faith is a supernaturall Qualitie wrought into mans soule by GOD's Spirit it hath many more actions and operations than only affiance in the Love and Mercy of GOD. For true Faith purifies the hearts of all those who are endued therewith It begets Humilitie of heart unity peace 1 Ioh. 3.3 and love with all true beleevers Acts 4.32 But none of all these vertues have any affinity or agreement with your facts of cruell murder 1 Pet. 1.22 For if wee search all the volume of the sacred Bible and examine the ancient records of Infidels and Heathens No fact of man in any age may stand parallel with this of yours And therefore flatter not your selfe with a vaine opinion of the truth or the strength of your faith for had true faith been of any vertue and force in any faculty of your soule either in your understanding to guide your cogitations or in your will to rectifie your resolutions and actions you had never so fearfully and desperately fallen into these barbarous murders Enoch Doe you thinke then that there is no meanes or way left for me to recover GOD's favour and the pardon of these great and crying sinnes Min. Yes upon your deepe Humiliation and repentance undoubtedly GOD will pardon your facts stoppe the crie of bloud and receive you to grace and mercy Now the ground-worke of repentance for a man in your case is first to cast off all flattering and deluding conceit of your imaginary faith 2. To labour to bee convinced in your soule that your facts were wrought and acted by the Immediate presence of Satan within you 3 To Abhorre from the very heart and soule the things you have done 4. To powre out your soule continually to God in fervent and secret Prayer craving of His mercy to pardon your sinnes and to checke and restraine the malice power and prevailing of Satan against you 5. To cast away all presumptuous thoughts which you shall finde to spring up in your owne carnall heart and to be secretly conveighed into your minde by that infernall spirit These things if you shall carefully set your selfe to performe in singlenesse of heart GOD's promise is made and shall never be annulled At what time the wicked shall turne from his sinnes Ezek. 18.21 22. which hee hath committed and keepe all my Statutes and doe that which is lawfull and right he shall surely live hee shall not die But tell mee wherein differed you in opinion from your mother and brother Enoch Touching the Gesture at the Communion they would kneele and I would sit and bow my body Min. And did you for this very cause shed their bloud Enoch My wrath kindled for that cause only against my brother and in that wrath I slew him Min. Many persons in this Towne who have conferred with you are not of that opinion and do report other cause thereof Enoch Sir I told you I would confesse to you as unto CHRIST Himselfe as I hope to be pardoned of GOD I and my brother never differed nor disagreed in all our life but in that matter onely and in our difference therein I slew him Min. The Gesture of kneeling at the Communion is commanded by the Authority of our Soveraigne Lord the King with the assent of all the learned Bishops in our Land venerable for piety learning and vertue confirmed with the approbation and publike Testimony of both the Vniversities and the godly learned therein ratified by Act of Parliament And lastly obeyed by many thousands in this Land who neither want thâ— light of divine truth to direcâ—â— them nor the true feare oâ— GOD to warrant their practice And thinke you of youâ— selfe that you are wiser oâ— more righteous than all these Enoch I should not doe so and with this answer hee caâ— downe his countenance anâ— lifted up his hands Min. This spirituall prideâ— the fault of all your sect fâ—â— no sooner doe any of you begin to looke toward Sion anâ— in your owne conceits to reliâ—â— the things of GOD. but iâ—â— stantly you so over-value youâ— owne small worthes that 〈◊〉 the learning and pietie in thâ— Kingdom is not able to equâ—â— your petty devotions eitheâ— for soundnesse of judgement truth of faith or uprightnesse of walking No doubt but we should have a jolly Church if you and your conceited companions had the new-moulding and rectifying of it Enoch I should not thinke so of my selfe And with this short reply he cast downe his countenance againe and lifted up his hands a very little Min. How came you at first to entertaine these opinions and to dislike the gestures of your betters for wisedome knowledge vertue and the true feare of GOD and constant integrity in all their wayes Have you got these itching toyish and vaine conceits by conference with any Ministers disaffected to peace and unitie Or were you privately perswaded thereto by some of your aâ— quaintance or have you heaâ— any Minister publikely to 〈◊〉 clare his dislike of the prese forme of government and â— this gesture in special or weâ—â— you moved thereunto by 〈◊〉 example of any whose perseâ— you reverence for wisedoâ— and piety or have you by râ—â—ding any schismaticall
booâ— received taint and infectâ—â— herein Enoch By none of all the meanes but by reading GOD's Word Min. I never knew any â—â—â— of your vulgar educatioâ— meane capacitie and small 〈◊〉 lent of knowledge so acuteâ— to extract an opinion of tâ—â— nature from GOD's woâ—â— which GOD by His Spirit â—â—ver put into His Word you passe all the Alcumists that I have ever heard or read of But this is the effect of spirituall pride of heart in such men as you are For when you have beene secretly deluded and seduced e Eph â— 14 By the cunning craftinesse of such as lye in wait to deceive and thereby your judgements depraved with errour heresie or schisine you glory therein and adde contumacie of heart to your opinions desirous to arrogate unto your selves the praise of your inventions and to be thought that by the sharpnesse of your owne wits and penetration of your understandings you have found out some hidden truths revealed only by GOD to the children of His grace and election by sharpening the understandings with His enâ— lightning Spirit to conceivâ—â— and perceive more holy truthâ—â— than all the godly learned 〈◊〉 the Land besides But take heed of these things and leâ—â— my counsell take place with you change your opinionâ— which have alreadie Inveigleâ— and thereby wounded youâ— soule with desperate sinnes exposed you to the infamie oâ— the world given infinite scandall to the Church of GOD and her children cast you ouâ— of the love and favour of aâ—â— good men and will undoubtedly abridge your dayes by the stroke of Iustice in the just and exemplary execution oâ—â— Law For f Gen. 9.6 Hee that sheddeâ— mans bloud by man shall hâ—â— bloud be shed for in the Image of GOD he created him Enoch I doe yeeld my body to the Law which I have offended Min. What Law doe you think you have violated whether the Morall Law of GOD and Nature or the Humane and Temporall Lawes of this Land Enoch I thinke I have offended against GOD's Law Min. Doe you but thinke you have offended GOD Doe you not feele the gripes and convulsions of a wounded Spirit sensibly impressed into your soule from the wrath of GOD Enoch I am much troubled in my minde but I will still hold fast Christ my Lord and Saviour Min. A wounded and oppressed conscience never heâ—â— fast our LORD IESUS CHRIST before the burdeâ— thereof was removed and thâ— pangs dulced and asswaged iâ— His bloud applied by faith uâ—to the soule This must beâ— gained by a deepe and seriouâ— repentance the qualities and properties of which repentance are fully and exactly set forth 2 Cor. 7.11 Without this repentance and the consequent vertues thereof never was the expiating and purging vertue of our LORD His bloud truly apprehended and effectually applyed to the soule of any Man But let mee understand from you that since you are not willing to be thought that Satan stirred you up to these facts by what other cause doe you think you fell into them Enoch Surely Sir by sin Min. By what sinne thinke you Enoch That doe not I know Minist But I know that by you that you doe not or will not know by your selfe and can readily assigne that particular sinne by which you fell into these desperate and raging Murders Your sinne was as I appeale to your owne conscience for confirmation hereof your hypocrisie in making a fairer shew of holinesse to the eye of the world than the course of your life in secret did fully reach unto for had you beene of Nathanaels temper g Iohn â— 47 A true Israelite in whom there is no guile Then had your soule received the blessing of that promise from GOD h Pâ—a 25.12.14 What man is hee that feareth the LORD him will He teach is the way that he shall chuse The secrets of the LORD are among them that feare Him and He will shew them His Covenant Youâ— were and are but a Novice in practicall Christianity and do not understand this hidden Mystery That unlesse the practice of a mans life in sound Pietie upright integritie and gracious puritie doe not onely equall but farre surmount and preponderate the profession hee makes the root of his imaginary Zeale will prove to be but rottennesse For know you for your learning that although it is thâ— hardest thing in all the world to be a true and sound Christian by denying and Renouncing our selves our Desires and appetites for CHRIST His glory Yet it is the easiest thing in all the world to be a formall Sectary such as men commonly call Puritans for therein is neither marrow spirit or power of true godlinesse which is placed in piety charitie unity For I can name if I were disposed even in this towne of ours where I live men of your formalitie in profession who eagerly followed Sermons without missing one on a weeke-day used family Prayers kept company and conventicles with persons of whose true feare of GOD I am well perswaded yet many of these unsound and rotten hearted fellowes have beene discovered and knowne for secret whore-mongers drunkards cheaters and such as have revolted from the faith of Protestants wherein they were baptised and this truth beene knowne right well to the better sort of Non-conformists for practice of Religion They answer for themselves as one of them this very morning answered me touching your very person who had never seene your face i Iohn 2.19 They went out from us they were not of us for if they had beene of us they would no doubt have continued with us But they went out that they might bee made manifest that they were not at all of us This answer I willingly admit on their parts namely that men who are endued with true grace and the holy feare of the LORD do so co-operate and apply their owne desires actions and vigilant care over all their wayes unto GOD's Spirit and grace within them that thereby they are established and preserved from desperate impiety or finall backsliding But this answer of theirs toucheth not that purpose for which it is brought nor impugneth at all the Argument which I made For I intend onely to shew the truth and no more But wicked and ungodly men doe frequently delude the eye of the world with the lustre of a faire profession till GOD in justice unmask and discover them With this answer unto him I so cast him downe with an inward sense of his owne guile and guilt that from this time I was very deeply in his favour and he professed openly in the Prison-house that Mr. Studley brought a sound heart to comfort him and to do him good Hereupon having spent an houre and halfe in conference with him I bade him fare-well for that time Enoch Good Sir before you goe I pray you answer meeâ— one question more and that is this Doe you thinke that I have no faith in my heart Minist I am in that matter past
their furious cruelty For at the discovery of this I had long aimed but could never with arguments or entreaties obtaine at his hands And I am of opinion from his resolution of contumacie in the concealement hereof that for the security of that party by whom he was inveigled and deceived therein he had either by secret compact or by an act of his owne desperate will imposed on himselfe an oath of secresie for he answered me that day as hee had often done before and continued in that obstinacie to his death that not from man but from GOD he had received those conceits which I knew to be as false as I know it to be true that mine owne soule is living within me For how could it possibly happen that an unlearned Rusticke shall fall so directly upon the Controversies of our Church in Discipline and Ceremonies without a schismatical guide to informe and perswade him and thereby to ruine and undo him And to the soule of that Minister or Lay person I speak who is yet living and conscious to himselfe that by his perswasions or directions this man became seduced in opinion and thereby insnared by Satan thus to scandalize the Church of GOD and hazard the state of his own soule for ever let him repent of his wickednesse and reforme his owne judgement therein lest the justice of GOD for his close hypocrifie leave him under the raigne of his own carnall will utterly devoid of His gracious Spirit For it is no new or unknowne thing in this Kingdome for Ministers of that stampe to lay violent hands upon their owne persons and in the agony of their soules by torment of wounded consciences to fore-doe themselves For not above two yeares ago both in the Imperial City of London and in other parts of this Kingdome divers of that sect have shortned their owne dayes oppressed with the vexation of confounded spirits which justifies that old prover be Omne quod rutilat non est aurum Every thing that glitters is not gold 31 For it is well knowne in this County of ours that a Minister of that sect neglecting the duties of so sacred a calling and for his opinions sake applying himselfe to a secular vocation in teaching a Grammar schoole did in the day time as he walkt in the schoole in a passion of secret distemper in his heart Deprive himselfe of his Virility violating thereby the workes of GOD and Nature and Origen-like castrated himselfe though not for the kingdom of heaven Which shewes that Gods Spirit is not alwayes present in those mens hearts to guide them who violate their loyalty to their Prince by renting the unity of the Churches peace This man being two years before this fact of his convented before a grave and learned Official in the Diocesse of Hereford for his Non-conformity the reverend Gentleman as he told me himselfe offred him all the courtesie and kindnesse that might be hoping by moderation of proceeding and wise perswasions to correct his errours reforme his judgement rectifie his irregularities and winne him to obedience But the frowardnesse of this man fast bound to his owne fancies neglected and sleighted the Gentlemans kindnesse So that after much parley and many passages and crosse bouts of opposition betweene them the learned and prudent Gentleman finding him rather obstinate in his will by being strongly conceited of his owne opinions than judiciously grounded with weight of arguments to support his vaine cause asked him this plaine and familiar question What if your Governours should require you to sit or stand in the act of receiving the Communion would you then doe He replyed peremptorily Then would I kneele Which answer plainly imports that not tendernesse of conscience as many pretend but pride and stubbornesse of will in refusing subjection to their Superiours is the true and the onely cause of their disobedience to the Majesty of our King the annointed of the LORD and to the equitie of his lawes and is also that pernicious foment and oyle of selfe-will which nourisheth the flame of Schisme and faction and maintaineth the breach of our peace and unity of heart 32 There was also a Lay-man in Tewxbury in the County of Glocester who was a strict austere and rigid Puritane of a Mechanical vocation and this man being chosen fourteene years before his death Church-warden of his Parish did then in his first time of office take downe a crosse of stone built in the Church-yard of that Parish and which had continued there time out of minde And this he did of a proud contempt of all ancient Monuments of that nature The stones of the said crosse hee placed loose under the Church-wall where they continued by the space of fourteene yeares free from injury or rapine for it seemes the people of the Neighbourhood made conscience of sacriledge It pleased GOD that the two next children which his wife brought into the world proved dease lame and deformed by monstrosity of body as by good report I have beene told and so continue to this very day The father of these children never once suspecting that the hand of Divine correction was laid upon his family for his own disobedience to his Prince and Governours or for his violation and defacing of the ancient Monuments of other mens devotion persists stil in his former opinions of schismaticall disobedience without any correction or reformation of himselfe For it may be he had either by himselfe observed or by relation from others had heard it confirmed that the children of other men had miscarried in their understandings their senses and bodily shapes and were exposed to the world for Ludibria Naturae as well as his And attributing these things to secondary canses and errours in naturall operations frequent in the world he never look't up to the hard of Heaven but still pleased himselfe in his irregular courses And being fourteene yeares after his first election chosen againe Church-warden of the same Parish he tooke the stones of the former defaced and demolished crosse which lay look under the Church-wall and by cementing them together and hewing a hollow gutter in them converts them to a swine trough for his owne use But the first meat which his swine diâ—eate out of that stone trough drove them instantly into raging madnesse whereof they dyed This man now seeing what had befallen unto him in his swine which in his children he slightly passed over he began to reflect upon his former and later facts and discovering by the terrible testimonies of Gods wrath the naughtinesse of his owne wicked heart in so contemptuously abusing things once dedicated to conserve the memoriall of our LORD His Passion for our redemption overcome with the gripes pangs and tormenting terrours of a wounded soule he leap't into a draw-well in the court of his neighbour and was taken up bruiâ—ed and drowned By reason of this exemplary vengeance 〈…〉 That whereas this sect of men is uncharitably 〈…〉 of the
logicall forme of reasoning so called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of catching the delinquent on both sides Let them now take whether part they will either to be concluded bruit beasts in the shapes of men by their stupid ignorance or saucy Rebells under the visour of Puritanisme And full time it is to subdue their insolent contempt of all Lawes Ecclesiasticall and temporall and to keepe them in order For when the constitutions of the Church are proudly violated and the Lawes of the Commonwealth contemptuously vilified yea even the ever blessed and pure Ordinances of God Himselfe rejected to satisfie Arrogant selfe will what obligations or bonds are existent in nature able to represse the disorders of unruly persons And thus I have done with the county Prisoner 38 And now to vent my owne hearts griefe for many yeares supprest and stifled in my troubled bosome and a little to inlarge my selfe and to make knowne the quality of that people with whom I live Know good Reader that this Towne of Shrewsbury the place of my birth and residence is greatly troubled with a sect of Men and Women with whom I have had much intercourse of conversement not by way of intimate familiarity approving their waies but of vexation and trouble of minde that I could not in thirteene yeares painefull Ministry among them reclaime them from their wandring fancies and reduce them to obedience of supreame Majestie in the persons of two most illustrious and Royall Kings the Father and the Sonne But the more I laboured therein as their consciences can and doe witnesse unto them the more I incurred thereby their secret hate and detraction of my person with detriment and losse to my temporall estate 39 They had about fourteene yeares agoe a learned and Reverend Preacher Mr. Bright who by the practice of two and twenty yeares Ministry among them with divers conferences and perswasions to loyalty and obedience could never worke any thing upon their perverse and peevish dispositions When he grew aged and decayed in his strength these persons laid their counsels purses and powers together and provided them of a Lecturer who concurred in opinion practice and faction with them The man being come among them setled in his place and supported with countenance favour feasts and liberall contributions by underhand collections in all the Parishes of our Towne entered upon his Ministry and mightily laboured with his best abilities to encourage them to constancie in their supposed zealous but in truth in their erroneous schismaticall and disloyall courses These things being wisely observed and the portion of his gifts and Talent noted by that Reverend Gentleman not long before his death Hee being invited to the house of a Gentleman of our Towne and entring conference of these things at the table brake a wittie jest upon their Lecturer and as it were Prophetically signified the truth of this event of his factious courses saying p Genes 21.4 The leane Kine will eate up the fat For indeed in the issue it so fell out in our Towne A leane factious and schismaticall Ministry obscured the light of better parts in men of the same calling and to strengthen a partie and to countenance disorder with Thewda◠boasting himselfe q Act. 5.36 37. to bee some bodie and with Iudas of Galilee hee drew away much people after him But as they perished in their Tumultuous uproares so this practice little inferiour in action and working in a few yeares dissolved of it selfe and onely the ruines thereof remaines yet among us The Reverend man lying on his death-bed The Magistrates of our Towne repaired to visite him in his sicknesse To whom hee gave in strict charge that as they Tendred the glory of God their owne loyaltie to their Liege and Soveraigne whose Ministers they wereby deputation of dignity and authoritie peace and welfare of their Corporation they would carefully resist the purpose of many who laboured to obtrude upon the Towne to succeed in his place a Non-conformed Minister And he told them further what hee himselfe had noted in his wife observations to wit that where any of this sect of disloyall and factious Ministers entered and were entertained by any people there in very short time they proved Incendiaries and by meanes of their owne personall disobedience to the prudent and pious Lawes of our Church that Corporation Towne Parish or Village became rent into faction and cleaving unto parts by violation of unity and Christian peace 40 This Reverend man being laid in his sepulchre in peace and honour one Mr. Browne a learned and godly Minister of exemplary vertue and pious conversation was elected to succeed him and this man exercising his labours among them by the space of thirteene yeares was so rudely and unchristianly handled in their insolent contempt of his talent and paines that by an invective and bitter Libell consisting of fourteene leaves in quarto cast into his garden they disquieted his painefull and peaceable soule and shortened the date of his troublesome Pilgrimage They are a generation of men strongly addicted to heare no other Ministers but those of their owne character and print and such men though of lightest talents and meanest parts they extoll and advance up to the clouds in raptures of admiration runne after them from place to place to be partakers of their sanctified gifts and holy exhortations In the meane time neglecting the Ministry of those learned and godly men whom their owne judgements though depraved with errour and sinister surmises and their consciences though misguided by selfe will cannot choose but prefer by many degrees before their owne bosome Darlings But humility and patience must be the guides of godly Christian men submitting themselves to the holy pleasure of GOD's Divine will who in these crosses of disgrace and contempt from others exercises thereby their piety wisdome constancie in bearing with the rods of his fatherly correction whereby he conformes them in holy suffrings to the person of our Lord and Saviour CHRIST IESUS that Sonne of His love r Rom. 8.29 And His holy decrees being made knowne to His Church must poize and hold in even temper of prudent moderation and godly subjection unto them the soules of all His children to whom He hath made knowne ſ 2 Tim. 4.3 4. That the time wil come when they will not endure sound doctrine but after their owne lusts shall heape unto themselves teachers having itching eares and they shall turne away their eares from the Truth and shall bee turned unto fables For among the great fables of the world which attempt to defile the sacred puritie of the Gospell this of Non-conformitie holdeth a choice and principall place For though the object of its proud ambitious and peremptory discontent use the varnish and pretense of harmelesse Ceremonies to raise up their cavils and perpetuate their secret railings yet the traine of consequences depending on these lighter matters will bee found not to terminate in
circumference of their own In-conformity But let them delude and flatter themselves in their Toyish Imaginations as long as they will and persist to affront Authoritie in the person of their Prince and the commaund of his Lawes It is my hope and confidence and I trust all good men concurre with me therein That as the Lord in mercy and holy love unto his Church among us hath given Pure Wisedome to his Anointed Vice-gerent to discover these obliquities and Impostures and also Royall courage to attempt the reformation and suppression thereof So he will also strengthen and uphold his Princely Arme in his proceedings therein till he have brought the same to a gratious and to a glorious perfection And then will this Church and Kingdome know both in the generall body therof and also more specially in these Non-conformists theselves both Ecclesiasticall and Secular when their eyes are opened to behold their owne errours That they have beene long deteyned and deluded in adoring vaine fantasies not worth the regarding And then they will also blesse and magnifie the LORD'S great mercies and returne the Tribute of thankfull and of loyal hearts to their gratious Sovereigne by whose pious care so laudable and glorious a work hath beene prospered and atchieved For though now errors in their soules do dimme darken and even blinde the eye of their Iudgements and not suffer them with the cleere light of sanctified Reason to behold this wholesome and profitable truth shine forth unto them Namely That Vnitie and Peace betweene the Prince and his People and with all the People mutually among themselves are the true and proper glory of Earthly Kingdomes typically figuring the celestial Vnity in blessednes and glory in the Triumphant Church of GOD And that Schisme Division of any people into variety of opinions and affections is the bane and subversion of the Tranquillity of a Church Nation resembling the confusions and perturbations of satans infernal regiment Then will they cleerely see to the infinite joy and comfort of their own soules that this disobedience to Royall Majesty and prudent lawes for things of indifferent nature is no more but a selfe-pleasing fantafie which every good man may verie well spare and yet remaine a faithfull sonne to GOD his Father a sound member of that particular Church wherein he was baptised and a loyall and obedient subject to the Majesty of that gratious Prince in whose Dition and Principality he first drew his native breath and being And if these men will but entertaine that one rule of our LORD and SAVIOUR IESUS CHRIST Matth. 11.28 Learne of me for I am meeke and lowly in heart and yee shall finde rest for your soule And by this rule wil strive to take downe the height of their owne elate and haughty spirits and humble themselves to submit to the wisedome of their King and State and to suspect their owne wisdomes as every wise man ought to doe surely then the things proposed unto them for obedience and the setling of uniformitie over the body of this Church and Kingdome will shortly be universally admitted and pleasingly entertained And when they have cast away that prejudicate and troublesome opinion which they have of the persons of the Bishops who for their wisdome piety gravity sincerity deserve all due respect of veneration to bee given unto them Then the blessed experience of the manifold commodities which accompany peace and unity will not onely prove an inward comfort to their soules but will also make them to bee greatly offended with themselves for their obstinate contumacie against their lawful Superiours when they shall cal to minde how long they have deprived themselves of so great a blessing as is Vnitie of Heart Minde and Iudgement by dividing themselves from the obedience of their spirituall Mother the Orthodox and pure Church of GOD in this Kingdome For in all humane matters and these of ceremonies are no other all sound knowledge and judgement is attained by experience which though it be said to be the Mistresse of fooles by shewing unto them and imprinting on their hearts their manifold errours yet she is no foolish mistresse but the best informer and reformer of our understandings and wills by which it pleaseth GOD to reduce from wandering His straying sheepe and gratiously confine them within His owne fold witnesse the wanton Prodigall who running riot from his father and from the true principles of knowledge in his owne soule never returned againe to GOD or to himselfe till sensible experience of his owne vanity had pinched him and made him as the Scriptures report 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 15.17 to come home to himselfe by the gratious view of his errors directed thereunto by the Spirit of God And these Non-conformists whether Church-men or Lay-men they are no other but Wanton and Prodigall fugitives and Run-awayes from their spirituall Father the LORD who requires of us and them 1 Pet. 2.14 To submit our selves to every ordinance of men for the LORD'S sake And fugitives also they are from their Politike Father the King by rejecting his Authority given him by GOD. And till some few gentle stripes with the Rod of Princely power prove unto them as the famine did to the Prodigall open their eyes and give them sensible impression and experience of their sullen Pride and Vanity they wil never returne soundly to their GOD to their Prince to themselves but they will riotize in selfe-opinions and deluded imaginations to the hazard and endangering of their owne soules by incurring the wrath of God And for mine owne part I am perswaded that if all the Non-conformed Ministers in this Church were divided into foure equal parts three of them have never read any controversies of our Church-discipline but perhaps some of the railing Libels of Master Cartwright and his companions a part by themselves which passe underhand from man to man amongst them without the learned Antidots of contrary writings to expell the maligne poison and infection therof But these men looke only upon the practise of the times and seeing that to incline to this faction is a faire way of thriving both in reputation of credit with this sort of people and also in meanes of livelihood by private and underhand Benevolences Gratuities Contributions they are thereby inticed on to these disloyall and factious courses which in multitudes of Lay-persons of severall rankes and degrees is growne to a great height of strength and power And yet neither their multitudes nor their power so great but that wise men may discover in them that they are not persons of any courage to hold out opposition against Authority to the incurring of danger either to their persons or to their estates which cowardize of Spirit in persons otherwise of so high insolent and daring spirits as they are plainly convinceth the truth of the over-ruling hand of GOD'S power in all mens hearts and also pleadeth and acteth in their owne