Appeal to the Parliament, Evidence · Part 9

Appeal to the Parliament · Evidence · Part 9

p. 1559. Position proved.

IF the Hierarchie be not removed, and the Scepter of Christs Kingdome, namelie his owne Discipline, advanced to this place, there can be no healing of our sore, &c.

If there were no more to prove this, but the former point well proved, it were enough; For if their calling & standing be the cause of all the evill of our sinne & judgment (as hath been proved) then no removall of them, no removall of sinne and judgment, but rather an increase of both. For it is the maine Nationall sinne that keepeth up and maintaineth the controversie with God, and if that ceasse not, God cannot in Iustice ceasse from punishing, till he have made an end.

The point then is made good from the former Position, which still must be our medium or meane, for the proofe of this. Your Honours may be verie acute and sedulous in taking up & redressing of state greivances, in repayring wronges, in censuring misdemeanours, in preventing the plotts of the Enimies, in searching out, and punishing our domesticke underminers, in providing forces against the Enimie, for our selves and our Allies, in taking course with the mothes hornetts & Caterpillars of the state.

All these are to be done, but the former is not to be left undone; For if all our owne greivances could be remedied, and that which is Gods greatest greivance should not be done away, what good should be gott by p. 156it? but making a way to a heavier judgment.

For so God might go back to fetch a greater blowe.

It is houlden dangerous of some Physitians to give Physick when the Sunne is in any ruminant or horned signe, as they call it, instance Aries or Taurus: howsoever all the State-medicines can doe no good, so lōg as the state movs in the horned signe of the Hierarchy: And the reason is, because the humor being moved & not removed rageth more fiercelie. As God hath not blest any Parliamentary indeavours, because as we take it (under correction) they went not this way to worke, so it is likelie, he will not be with you now, if you go not this way to worke; For God is more tender of his owne Honour, then of all the States and Churches in the World. Yea he will abhorre (as he saith) his owne excellencie, Amos. 6.8.Amos 6:8and hate his Palaces, if the thing displeasing to his Majestie be not removed.

If you strike not at this roote, (give us leave right Honourable to speake freely in Gods cause;) The Lord may answer your desires of peace, and indeavours of reformation, as Iehu answered Ioram, asking him, if he came in peace, what peace (saith he) so long as the whoredomes of thy Mother Iesabel, 2. Kings 9.22.2 Kgs 9:22and her witchcrafts be so manie?

So what peace can we looke for, so long as the Sonnes of the woman Iesabel remaine; Their Mothers name, they nature indeed, for they are the woe to the howse, (as the word is commonly taken.) Or after a more proper signification, they are the Scatterers of p. 157Gods people: it may well be said of that Ambitious brood, as Euripides said of the lying, and vain-glorious Astrologians of his time,Traged. Iphigenia. foreign, all that kinde is an Ambitious evill of vain-glory.

It is true, that with the most, namely, Atheists, Papists, Arminians, openlie prophane, Ignorants, and Protestants at large, this trueth will hardly finde acceptance, yea if grace, merciemercy, and peace, and all should forsake us, they will not beleeve it, because they are Enimies to Christ and his Kingdome, but all men of inlightened Iudgment, and impartiall affection, both see this trueth, and feare, foreseeing the sequell.

It is further true; that if all the Ministers in England would averre the trueth of this, the Prelatts would thrust downe everie man from their places, and doe them a worse turne if they could, because their Kingdome lyes upon it.

Bishop Cooper maketh the abolishing of Lord Bishops the very overthrowe of the Church.M.C. adm. pag. 28.29. It is true indeed of the Romish Church: But shall the lye of wretched man make the trueth of God of none effect (God forbid)?

p. 158We know (right noble Senatours) that you beleeve this Hierarchie to be the roote of all our evill, then it will necessarie follow that it must be rooted out, or it will roote us out.

It is remarkeable what God spake by the mouth of that Honourable Protomartyr Mr. Rogers, that when the Gospell should be reestablished in England, if the Kingdome of Antichrist were not utterlie cashiered, & totall reformation made in Gods worship, that our persecutions should be greater, and our triall hotter, then in the dayes when he and others suffered; he spake to this effect, and so it is like to fall out, except God prevent it; For if we remove not the Canaanits: It is just with God, that the Canaanits should remove us; That thrice noble Essex, who died in Ireland, on his deathbed foresaw, and proclaimed a fearfull wo to England, because they turned all their Religion into Policie.

It is too true, for this hath beene and is the Master peece of our wordly wisdome, as appeareth by our Acts: to make Policie ride Religion, and to make Religion serve Policie on foote.

But this is just to sett the asse upon Christ, and not Christ upon the asse.

That Counsell of Daniel to Nabuchadnezer may wel here be applied:Dan. 4.27. foreignDan 4:27 Breake of thy sinne with righteousnes. For the words are so in the originall, where we must understand especially, his bosome sinnes, pride, tyrannie, and oppression, so this is the Kinglie sinne, which must be broken of, or else no peace to be obtained.

p. 159If Iacob go up to Bethell, Gen. 35.Gen 35to build an Altar for Gods worship, if he will be free from the feare of his Enimies, he will first remove all the Idolls out of his howse.

So will Iosua have the people doe, for he telleth them plainlie, they could not serve that Iealous God, nor prosper in any thing, except they put away their Idolls. Israel was in a wofull case through subjection to the Philistines, and want of Gods presence in the Arke of his ordinances.

In this case it is said, they lamented after the Lord; 1. Sam. 7.1 Sam 7But Samuel told them, that would not serve their turne, except they put not onelie away their Idolls, 1. Sam. 7.23.1 Sam 7:23but also Ashtaroth, their beloved Idoll.

Where by the way, it is to be wondred, that this people, given by God into the hands of the Philistins, should have the Enimies, Speciall Idoll for their Minion Idoll.

Now that it was the Philistins speciall Idoll, it is cleare, 1. Sam. 30.10. Where it is said, they put Sauls armour in the howse of Ashteroth. What is to be said in this case? except the Lord smite the hearte, no affliction giveth understanding.

But to compare our selves with them, is it no matter of wonder in us, who have layen so long under Romes slaverie (in whose blood she hath gone so deepe, who like the red Dragon standeth yet gaping under great hopes to devoure the distressed man child the glorious Gospell, who meaneth rather to massacre us,Revel. 12.5.Rev 12:5 then to be at any more cost with burning of us)

Is it no wonder we say, that we should retaine their Idolls, and Masters of their Ceremonies? Let us p. 160then both for shame and feare, put away this Ashteroth of the Hierarchie; It may very well be called Ashteroth Carnaim, a two horned Idoll, pushing both the Church & Common-wealth.

What King or State found ever any good successe, by toyling themselves with reforming of the Popes impiety and tyranny, till they made utter extirpation of his Idolatrie, and unlawfull authoritie? So no reformation of the evills of the Prelacie, but by a totall or absolute removall of their unlawfull authoritie; As we have great cause with Israell, to lament after the Lord (for his glorie is daseled,) and we desire to doe it heartilie. So this Idoll of the Hierarchy must be done away, or no discomfiting of the Philistins.

The Lord of Hostes, since your last meeting, hath made that great Goliah to fall unexpectedly: And surely we may say (with reverence reserved to the Phrase) it is wonderfull in our eyes; As the Sea is called Mors omnium undarum, so he was the death of all our springs: He was the Gamahu (as Paracelsians call it) in whom, & from whome, all our malignant starrs have their strength and motion. He was our Shebna that the Spirit speaketh off; who was not onelyonly Treasurer and Steward of the howse, to take in all, and dispose of all, but he was the great Pandora: all Offices in him, all suites by him, and all the means to him and for him. Indeed the word translated Treasurer, is taken in the originall by the learned, to signify one that nourisheth or cherisheth; whereby they would intimate that wicked mans entertayning of secret plotting with the p. 161Assyrians, & Aegyptians, to betray the Church and State? Intending in the mean time, to make a great hand for himself, and by the danger, & destruction of the State to provide, for himself, against all danger: It is manifest, that our Shebna went beyond him in this, for he made Rome of England, setting all things to sale, and sould the fee-simple of England to Rome, that he might have the tenent right.

As in Athaliah were observed, Ambition of raigning, love of her Idolls, and desire of revenge; so the intollerable pride of that vnparalelled evill; did evidently demonstrate with other passages, that he aymed at the garland. As for his devotion to Babell, and the bitter fruits thereof, together with his desire, to requite your Animadversions upon his life, your Honours and the whole State should have felt it, if he had not fallen.

Sejanus was never so ungratefull, nor perfidious to his Master, as he was, nor never did the State that in dignitie and indemnitie, that he hath done to us, nor never trucked with forraignes, to betray so many states as he hath done. when one of the Ancients of Rome saw the governours grow carelesse of the publick good, and following of their private gain, he said, Rome wanted nothing to vndooe it, but a chapman to buy it: What a dangerous case then were we in? who have Rome, the Emperour, Spaine, and Austria, yea and all the Babilonish crew in France, Italy, and Germanie, as so many Cowpsmen, laying their pates & purses together, to make purchase of us; especially having such a Coopsmate, p. 162as he with so many Iesuited Factors, and broakers, as would afford thē a rich penniworth. For all his graving of his habitation for himself, in the top of a rock, the Lord hath brought him downe, and covered him.

Humanists relate how the Ancients had wont to hang a Wolves head upon the gates, to avoyd and expell the inchantment, or be witching of their Cities from contagious vapours, stirred up by inchanters. The truth of the evill, or remedie, we will not argue, but surely, the sprinkling of the blood of the Wolf, (if we can follow the Lord in it,) may be a means to save our King, and us, from these fearfull and imminent judgments, that he (for our sinnes) might have hastened, and halled upon us by his Iesuited tricks; as Masses, Murthers, Poysons, Treasons, Venerie, & Venifices.

The Lord smote but in time, for surely some great Monster of that Aegyptian Nilus was come to the place of the birth; for God never taketh off such an high and Arch-enimie to his name, but upon the very pinacle of some high exploit; Instance Shebna, Haman, Guise, Demain, Dancre, and Francis the 2. of France. we leave others to rake in his ashes, it is not our work: as his name rotteth, we wish his sinne might dye with him; But give us leave (right Honourable) to signify what we cōceive; we fear the body of the Retort be too too sound, and the materialls too too safe; the Iesuits & their Cosin-Prelats, with all the Dukified crew, will make a shrewd shift to lure the Limbeck with some new head, & then the work is not marred, but hindered for a time.

p. 163To our matter then in hand, the Bishops are the bottom of the businesse, and that bottom is our bane. They tell us indeed, that the high Commission hath no bottom; but as a Counseller answered, surely it had a bottom till they beat it out. There is no way (according to our Position) to make good the work begun, but to beat the bottom out of the Prelacy, and then Romes work, and Spaines Market is quite undone. To speake (under correction) if Parliaments had taken them in (as Elisha said to the Elders) & handled them roundly, namely cashiered their places, and rid Gods Church of their tyrannie, the wicked had never come to that height, nor it may be to such a desperate and vnhappie end.

It was often agitated in the Counsell of Spaine, whether they should bēd all their forces first against the Low Countries, & thē against England, or first against Engl. & thē against the L. Count. since they were not able to deal with both at once: It was caried and concluded that the later was the better, & that upon this ground; that if they would take the River, they must first make themselvs Masters of the Sea that flowes into the River; that is, if they would regain the Low Countries, they must first make these forces and means their owne, that maintaineth and upholdeth the Low Countries.

So to applyl (for we may borrow wit of our enimies) if you will deliver the King and State of corrupt, and corrupting men, such as be abusers of the Kings favour; prophane Bellie-Gods; time-servers, enimies to the p. 164Gospell, whether professed Papists, neutrals; or mungrils, yea if you mean to make Dagon fall in Court or Country; Or to cleare the ayre of those Croking plaguy frogs, & undermining locusts, the Iesuits; then strike neither at great nor small, but at the Hierarchie; For it is the troubler of Israell, the Censer of all strange fire, the Fort of Gods enimies, the strenght of sinne, and the Megazin of all mischeife.

If you had by your representative power taken off that Hydra his head, it had been an Heroick part, and worthie of so high a judicature; For so should the King have been delivered from the snare, and his state from an unsupportable burthen; yea sundry evill events, both at home and abroad might have been prevented: but frequent experience maketh good this position, if Baruck stand upon terms with his Office, he looseth the Honour of the day: If you had removed this Evill-one from the throne (as your Predecessours have done divers, though not so bad as he,) and suffered this bitter root of the Hierarchie to stand, and pread; out of it, as out of a Gorgons head more monsters should arise, and the last should be the worst. He was their Creature at first, and became their Creator at last: that it must be so, so long as they subsist, take… pregnant instance, from the removeall of his Predecessour-Idoll, whose sinnes yet cry to the Heavens, being managed out with the high hands of two pandering Prelats. But as he was but a subcellanean, and a verie Page in comparison of the man of the p. 165chair. So of his favoriteship there was quickly a nullitie: And what a jollitie were the most in, that he was cast over the barre, and we should have a new favorite? but as corruptio unius est generatio alterius, sic generatio vnius est corruptio totius, as the corruption of one is the generation of an other; So out of the ashes of that former evill arose an other evill, that was like to consume us all to ashes.

Litle knew we what the Lord meant us in it; He justly plagued us with one, whose litle finger was heavier then all the others body: It may very well be applied to us that Cedrenus writeth of a religious Man, in the raigne of Phocas the wicked Emperour, the Man did expostulate the matter with God, by way of complaint, why he would sett such a wicked Tyrant over his Christian people; It is said that he was answered by a voyce, (not seeing any thing,) alium deteriorem inveniri posse nullum, at hunc meruisse Constantinopolitanorum vitia; a worser then he was not to be found, and him they had, because by their sinnes they had deserved him; But lett us know that if the fountaine of these bitter waters be not shut up, the Lord hath a worse then he, (if worse may be) in store for us.

p. 166Lett us suppose, that by the vertue of your power you had taken him off, because either he or the State must fall, and you and yours lay all at stake for it; yet if you smite not at the roote of this Tree, you and yours, and all we are like to perish for it.

It may well befall us that befell Henrie the 3. of France, who having cutt off the Duke of Guize, who intended to Cloister the King, and to take the Crown to himself: His Mother asked him what was become of Ianvill, and whether or no he had made him sure? he answered that he was escaped and gone; then replyed the Queen; your life is gone; so notwithstanding, if their Patrons fall, yet if their places subsist, they will be our ruine; and the rather for this, that ye letting them alone (he being removed) will proclaime to all the freinds of God, that you seeke onelyonly your owne safety, suffering the Lords Honour to ly in the duste.

Without all controversy these be the hornes that scatter Israell. But you (right Honourable) must, or should be the Carpenters, to saw off these hornes, and to sett up the horne of Discipline, the Lords owne Ordinance.

Since God himself hath begun the work, and hath chalked out the way by removall of him that letted; It were great dishonour for you, not to follow the Lord in his worke: The Lord looketh, and is there none to help? He may justly wonder that there is none to uphold.Esa. 63.5.Isa 63:5

Two things we desire to commend to your Honours, worthy your observation, the former is this:

p. 167When the Lord is compelled by the Magistrates neglect to take the matter of the execution of his enimies, into his owne hand; in the midst of that merciemercy of easing him, and his people, of some of his adversaries, he setteth a Copie of his judgment, if Magistrats in their place follow not their Copie, the verie forbearance of the Lords enimies, thorow fear, or favour, or desire of ease, or hope of gain, becommeth the bane of the forbearers, for the just God ofttimes by som of those that they spare, and whom they should have pluckt up, plucketh them or theirs up without any pittie: for instances we need to go no further then the age wherein we live: Have not some of our Nobilitie & Gentrie, yea some say, our late King perished by such, as they should not have spared, the Lord made this good in former times against his owne people. The Lord telleth them in the 2. of the Iudges, that he would not break covenant with them, but they must alsoo looke to keep covenant with him in this very particular, that we have in hand, you shall make no league with the inhabitants of the Land; you shall throw downe their Altars, but ye have not obeyed, why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said: I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be as thorns in your sides, V. 2.3.4.and their Gods shall be a snare unto you.

The gunpowder-plotters were cōsumed by a fire of their own making, intimating to us, that we should have ferrited out, and fiered out (namely by due course of law) the rest of that fiery crew, and all their strange fire; that we should have broken all their Altars & Images into chalk stones, that we should have pluckt up root p. 168and branch; destroyed head, and taile; swept all away and made a clean howse: but we did not, nor have not yet obeyed, and will not the Lord say to us: why have ye done this? Yes, he hath us in question, and hath made good the threatening upon us; For now they are so farre from being driven out, that they are like to drive us and ours out; yea they and their agents, the Arminians so gall our sides, and greive our soules, that we know not how to bestow our selves; yea we have all cause with that people forenamed to lift up our voyce, and weep, till we can weep no more.

Another instance may be taken from that deadly blowe, givē by Gods owne hand, to Balaams Priest, and his Idolatrous auditorie, in the Black-Friers of London; where he caused the ruins of an howse, to cover and revenge that Idolatrie in blood, and rubbish, which polluted the Sabbath, outstared the Heavens holy dueties, yea affronted God himself, without controulment of any man; As this was the verie extraordinarie finger of God, laying his enimies in the dust: so it pointed out the duetie of Ministers & Magistrats, that they should have followed the blowe, doing execution with the word, and with the sword: But as the execution of this Iudgment wrought nothing on the Papists, but fretting, desire, & threatening of revēge on Gods people; with a peremptorie resolution, to manage out Idolatrie with a higher hand; so it wrought nothing on us, but a gazing stupiditie for the time; for what man of place hath conceived, what the Lord said to him in that execution; or hath followed home the Lord in p. 169his work, by putting to his hand, to shake any Piller of Popery? yea have not for the ruine of one howsefull many howsefulls (yea townfulls) risen up since that time? whom God in judgment may suffer to shake our Churches & howses, because we would not learn (when God was readie to guide our hand) to write by a President.

It is further worth the noteing, that as the French alloted them an howse to that dismall work, contrarie to the Law of God & Nations, & was never called to an accōpt for the dishonour done to God, the undoing of souls, & the losse of the Kings subjects; So the French hath plagued & pestered us since worse then before, & that both in our states & religion; For by that unequall match (which we lay not to heart as we should) they have set up Baalpeor in publick amōgst us, by the which especially,Psal. 106.29.Ps 106:29 we provoking God to anger the plague of the Lord brake in upon us; which though it be removed, yet if we remove not that plague of the Masse, the wrath of the Lord will never leave us, till it hath quite consumed us.

Let the last instance be from the Prelacy, being the main subject of our treatise. It is cleared that all our evills of sinne and judgment are from them, and butte full upon them; and therefore the Lord hath mett with many of thē in remarkable judgment, shewing them & their places to be the gangreen of the Land; yet for all this, what man of note or place hath lent the Lord an hand, to the casting downe of their strong houlds? p. 170and notwithstanding that men now with half an eye can see, and say, that their standing (meaning their places) must be the ruine of the nation, yet the prophane favour them, and the Professor feareth them; so that there is not a man of any place to come forth, and say; Come and see how zealous I will be for the Kingdome of Christ, against those his enemies, that will not have him to raigne over them; which is a shrewd evidence, if we gett no better heart to the businesse, that they shall plague us and ours seaven times more.

To conclude the point, it is a great fault in men of place, both Ministers and Magistrats, that they would have God to doe all the hard worke by himself, and they would come, and gather up the spoyle: but they who will raigne with God, even in the glory of any good work, must do for him, and suffer with him in the doing of the Work.

The later main remarkeable thing is this: That all the things that we have looked for, effected, and relyed upon, hath proved to us as broken reeds.

For the better clearing of this observation we will first give some instances of it, and then shew the grounds, and lastly the use of it.

To begin with our expectation and issue: after the death of Queen Elizabeth, all the good, had great hopes of a conformitie of Church-government to the rule of Christ; a great many Ministers and people sett p. 171themselves to maintaine, and sollicite the cause of Christ. But the subtile Tempter, namely the Hierarchy, did so winde it self, like the ivie about the vine, that they drained out all his spirit of reformation, (if he brought any with him,) yea they suggested to the eye of his apprehension, such a bewitching Phantasm of pleasure, profit, honour, applause, admiration, absolute government, & absolute libertie, to do what he list; to arise from the maintenance of an Honourable Clergie; that he conceived them to be the bravest Ornaments, and fittest Instruments for King craft, that were in the world.

Again, they filled his eares with forged reproches of the government of Christ, taking opportunitie, to strike upon that Iarring string of his sometimes exasperated conceit.

They further buzzed into his eares the danger of exasperating Papists, if he should comply with reformation.

Lastly, they so plyed his deluded disposition with evill Instruments, and mercenarie men, that he must hear nothing, nor bear nothing, but the wilde grapes of Episcopall conformitie; Whereupon they grew so insolent, that they added violence to their malice, abusing the King; in that (besides his pleasure and command) they tooke away the sheepheards, & scattered the flocks, and so to our great greife we were disappointed of this point of our expectation.

p. 172An other ground of our hope was that magnanimious Henrie (whom we do not name to minorate the parts of our present Soveraigne) whose Heroick parts and Princely cariage, were not only a terror & admiration to forrains, but they were also both feared and envyed by Papists, & Prelats, whom he could never endure. But our sinnes, and our enimies malice, caused the Summer sett upon our faire Rose before we were aware, and so that Anchor came home.

A third thing we looked for, was the removall of the former Favorite, which the Lord effected: But in stead of a Thistle he fitt us with a bramble, because we were no better worthie.

A fourth thing that we much importuned God for, was the breaking of the Spanish match, and our Princes safe returne from Spaine: God in merciemercy graunted both, but we were so unthankfull for both these in a right manner, and brake up our watching over him for a better helper, that God suffered him, to our heavie woe, to match with the Daughter of Heth, though he mist an Aegyptian.

5. When all things were so farre out of frame, that we are becom the prey of our enimies, the mockerie of our freinds, a shame to our selves, and the fotestoole of a favourite: then nothing but a Parliament, Oh! a Parliament would mend all; But Parliament we had after Parliament, and what was amended? Your Honours can best tell who departed the howse (at the prorogation) in so heavie a moode, as though ye had been led captive by some conquerour of the state; For that p. 173overswaying evill (on whom all reformation trenched) caried all opposition with so strong a hand, that he & his (the basest of whom durst brave the Parliament) were thought too hard for the state: But him also hath God cutt off, and what would we have more? Surely, we may looke for good, but evill shall come out from the presence of the Lord, till we hit the right vein, as our services are like cloudes, without raine, so the Lords favours will prove to us as the morning dew.

But what is the ground of all this failing of our Hopes? Even the suffering of this cursed ground of the Hierarchie, to bring forth so many brambles: (under favour,) if ye had begun at this ground, your work in all reason had gone better with you. Therefore to the use, which is the last particular of this point: arise now, and do it: The right way to the work of reformation, is to begin with the Sanctuarie, as Ezechia & Iosia did: the inner Court of Christs Temple is first to be measured, before the outward Court of Policy. Give us leave to inforce the duety from some motives, besides the reasons, rising from the Positions, we will contrive the reasons as breifely as may be.

The first reason may be taken from the evill, which you are to deal with; namely, such a burthen as the Lord can not any longer bear, but you must either ease him of it, or he will ease the Land of such as are in place, and will do nothing for him. If any object that Bs. be not so evill; there be many good men amongst them: we answer, (as hath been said,) that we take not upon us to determine of their persons; for many are willing to deceive themselves with this sophisme: he is a good man. p. 174Ergo a good Lord Bishop, as though goodnesse and Bishop being both in one subject were convertible terms, where it should rather follow, he is a Lord Bishop, Ergo no good man; because it is verie hard to be a good man in a bad calling, instance in a player, or the like. But for their good we will say no more; but let their common practise speake in these two particulars; namelie their hatred and crueltie against Gods Ministers and people, and their blasphemous scoffing at the Language of Canaan, or Scripture Phrase; as if a man shall name the Seal of his Ministrie; glorifying of God; sanctifying the Lords day; or walking with God, they will houpe and hout at a man, as though he were a Barbarian to them.

2. The second reason is from your authoritie and place.Smith. de Reip. Angl. Parliamentum habet in se potestatem totius Regni, imò capitis & corporis: The Parliament hath in it the power of the whole Kingdome, yea both of the head and of the body: Then power must be put in use, or it looseth the power. You are the Elders of Israell; you are an armie of Generals; that supream Court, that may call any place, or person to an account, whether they be for the glorie of God, the good of the King and State, or no; you are the Physitians of State; up and doe your cure; In a word, it were happie for our King and us, if you knew your power practicallie. They are the devise of man, contrarie to Gods commandment, and man must remove them.

p. 1753. A third reason is from that precious pledge, that they keep (as it were) incarcerated to their will (namely the Kings Majestie,) for where they beare sway, there the King (as Woolsey wrote) is their King.

We have shewed, how they have vexed Kings to the verie death. But is not the King foreign, the Father of Magistrats, and private men? Or to use Scripture Phrase, the breath of our Nostrils, or as the people said of David, worth 10000. of us.

Consider then what a pittie it is to all, and an indeleble dishonour it will be to you, the state representative, that so ingenuous & tractable a King should be so monstrously abused by the bane of Princes, to the undoing of himself, & his subjects.

It was truely said of a wise Polititian: Si capite plectatur. Erasm. de Instit. Princip.If he forfeit his head, (saith he,) or be worthie of manie punishments, that clippeth or corrupted the Kings coyne, or poysoneth a common conduict; how much more punishment are they worthie, that corrupte a King with evill Counsell, to the vndoing of himself, and all vnderunder him. Austine in that treatise of the Correction of the Donatists, the cheife enimies of the Church, hath a prettie observation, concerning Absolon, not impertinent to our purpose. Si aliter non potuit Domus David pacem habere nisi Absolon, &c. If the howse of David could have no peace, but by the removall of Absolon, (notwithstanding of Davids command, out of his state-indangering indulgencie to the contrarie:) so no peace, prosperitie, nor standing to the Church, but by the removall of the Prelacie, for the danger and enmitie of the Donatists p. 176to the Church, were not of so high a nature as the danger & enmitie from the Prelats are. Then take away the drosse from the Silver, Prov. 25.4.5.Prov 25:4Prov 25:5and there shall come forth a Vessell for the finer, take away the wicked frō before the King and his Throne shall be established in his righteousnesse. But we mean to presse this particular a litle further, when we come to speake of the means.

4. A fourth reason is, from Gods offering of himself, to guide you by the hand, (as we have shewed;) who by giving of the first blow hath in merciemercy removed the greatest nayl in all their tent, and will not you follow home?

5. The fift reason is from our not-profiting by any merciemercy, privative, or positive, that God hath afforded us: we doe not thrive or gaine by any thing, and where lyes the fault? even in this, as we have shewed, in that we lay not the axe to the root of the right tree: We do not undermine that which undermineth us: We fight not against that which fighteth against Christ. Therefore to use the word of the Psalmist, be wise at length great Senatours, and in the feare of the Lord break the bands of these that are like to break us in peeces. What good shall we gett by removall of that pocks of the state, if the radicated humor in the evill liver of Rome be not followed with the power of eradicating Minerals. To move the humor, and not to remove it, is to double the strength of the disease. As we have alreadie given some instances of this; so we feare from this very particular, the proofe of wofull experience. The Lord p. 177hath broake the enimies Limbeck. Even no doubt when some spirit of mischeife was come to the verie helm, so that he hath marred the Devils labour, even when he was to be delivered of some monstrous mischeife to the state. But (notwithstanding all this as hath been said) if we thinke the Vessell to be quite broake, and their Oyl & Paines, and all lost, we deceive ourselves exceedinglie; for the menstruous matter, and the body of the work remains in the bottom: if you give them leave thorow delay, but to lute on a new neck, they will show you a new Spirit, in an ould work, and if you stand not up in the breach, for a furnace of brick, they will make one of marble, and for a neck of glasse, they will make one of steel, so that the last wo will prove worse then the first, and the daye of his death shall bring forth more bitternesse then the day of his life: For know this for a certaintie that Rome, Spaine, France, & Austria; the Prelats, Arminians, and all the crackling Thorns, & fire-work men in the former work will sett all they have, and themselves to upon a rest, rather then they will not make good the wicked work they have begun. Arise then in the name of God, and disperse them, or looke for nothing but fearfull desolation from them.

6. The sixt reason is from the present evill condition, wherein we stand, and the danger whereunto we are lyable.

First for our state, as the Physitian said of nature, that it was but all one sicknes, so our state indeed is but all one p. 178distemper; Or with the Prophet: There is nothing sound from the Crowne of the head, to the sole of the foot, the heart is sick, & the head is heavie; yea our consciences are more dominiered over within, & our state more plagued by forrains without, then any free nation professing the Gospell in the world, and for our religion and worship of God, it is so overlaid with the rubbish of Idolatrie, and superstition that the sacrifice in a manner is mixed with tears, and groans; and if it be not remedied, they will raze the verie foundations of Religion; For they have shooke them shrewdlie alreadie by their Popish and Arminian tenēts and practises. As for Iugdments, besides these alreadie seased, if we return not, as the Lord threateneth by his Prophet: He will cutt off head, Esa. 9.13.14.Isa 9:13Isa 9:14and tail, branch, and rush in one day. Is it not time then to looke to it?

Can Christ endure in stead of the Sacrament of his body and blood, according to his owne institution, a Popish Altar to be erected? Coaps, Cloaths, & Lights befitting the same, Wafers, wine mixt with water, and the Crucifix upon the Altar? with this rotten stuffe, and stifeling Leiturgie hath that corrupt crew pranct up their Masse. Instance Polydamnaes twinns, Iannes and Iambres L. & N. the former of which have braved in these of late, as it were to affront the Parliament, yea and Christ himself.

p. 1797. A seaventh motive, to prevaile with you, may be taken from your owne particular; it is said in that forequoted place of Esai, that the Ancient and Honourable is that head, which the Lord will cutt off. You are the Elders of Israell, the Ancient & Honourable, whom the Lord will cutt off by them, if you cutt not them off. We have shewed and proved how they have struck at root, and branch of the Ancients of England, and how they have caused many to fall. You and yours (if you be right) they aym at. How dishonourable & basely have they dealt with the Nobilitie, & Gentrie, striking soms hats from their heads, threatening others, making some Daunce their attendance.

The Iesuite needeth, neither the force of Spaine, nor Austria, nor Italie, to the ruining of our Religion and State, the Arminianised, or right down Popish Prelate, the bellie-serving Machivell, the state-betraying Papist wil make it readie meat for his mouth.

From this self vndermining course the wisest of the Counsell of Spaine have prevailed with the rest, to take this for a principall; not to assayle our nation, till by home-bred sedition and disorder of Church & State, it be readie to fall in their mouth, & so they may have it cheap enough. In the mean time your state & families shall be but a prey to the Prelacy, and to such as the Prelacy do support; For all the overturners of the Kingdome turneth upon the hinges of the Prelacy, the storm may overblow the poorer shrubs, when we and our Cedar-like families may be blowen up by the p. 180roots. Curia Romana non captat ovem sine laena:

The Prelates will not prey on fleeslesse sheep. Remove then this deadly cup, or your portion of it one day may make you cry out: O! how bitter it is!

8. The eight motive riseth from the generall desire of all the well affected; yea the meerly civill longeth for their downfall: Sions Plea against them hath ever been maintained, since the beginning of reformation; witnesse both the doings & the sufferings of the Saints in that behalf, but now their tyrannie, & treacherie in betraying of the trueth, to Poperie and Arminianisme, together with the prophanesse of them and theirs, unvaileth more fully to men of all ranks, (as Nobilitie, Magistracie, Ministerie, Gentrie, and Cominaltie,) the iniquitie of their place, and the ruine thence ensueing, which maketh them cry with one voyce, downe with the Babell of Prelacy; For the which they may justly alledge that reason, that the Philistine Princes alledged against David; that he should not go to battle with them, least he be (say they) an adversarie to us, for wherwith should he reconcile himself unto his Master? should it not be with the heads of these mē? 1. Sam. 29.4. So whatsoever ye attēpt for the good of Policy, or religion, for the diverting of evill, for the releef of the afflicted Churches abroad, will be but as watter spilt upon the ground, for all attempts have proved no better. In every good thing they will be your reall adversaries, yea wherewith will they reconcile themselves to their Maister the Pope, but with the ruine of Religion and State, p. 181and more particularly it may be, with the heads or hearts of you and yours.

9. The 9. and last motive, is from the excellency and weight of the work in hand, namely the advancing of the Scepter of the Kingdom of Christ Iesus, which is no other thing, but a restoring or establishing of the true Officers of Christ, the puritie of his ordinances, and the power of his owne Discipline.

Of the excellency and necessity of Discipline we have spoken somewhat.

Standeth it with equitie or reason, that the Popes Law, which is the Popes owne mouth, should speake or rule in Christs Church? And that it is so with us, the Hierarchy it self can not deny, for it is the very same Popish government, that is pourtrayed out in the Popes Canons,Degubern. cap. 14. pag. 539. for the which our Prelacy standeth as stiffe as any pontificall of them all, witnesse Bishop Bilson, Bishop Whitgift, and others. But this government (as all knew that are acquainted with it)Tract. 8. cap. 6. pag. 72. is

1. Corrupt.

2. Burthensome.

3. Tyrannous.

4. It spoyleth the Church of her Libertie.

p. 1825. It hath condigne censure and condemnation put upon it by Iuries of the learned,Instit. Lib. 4. c. 10 witnesse Luther, Calvine, & Morney.

Ius Canon &c. Lib. de Confut. Quest. 2.Let Doctor Whitaker speake for all: The Canon Law and Pontifician Decrees should have no place with us; For which marke his reason, because it is (saith he) Antichristian, and an enimy to all religion and piety.

Hence it will follow that Christ must needes be angry with us, and speake to us in his hott wrath, and smite us also yet 7. times more, if the Scepter of Antichrist may be still suffered to iustle out the Scepter of Christ Iesus. What is the breaking of the Lords bands, and casting his coards from us, (spoken off in the second Psalme;V. 3.4.5.) but the reiecting of his government, against which, how fearfull a threatning there is denounced, the same place also doth witnesse.

Vp then (right Honourable) and be strong in the Lord, 1 Cor. 10.31.1 Cor 10:31and for the Land, since you see the danger. It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And how can we escape unlesse this evill be removed?

We cannot but discover a deceiptfull: conceipt that possesseth, and stealeth away the hearts of many Prefessours among us. It is true (say they) we have amongst us the evill of Bishops, the corruption of some idle Ceremonies, we would with all our hearts, they were away; we also want Discipline, which we earnestly desire. But when it commeth to an overwhelming p. 183judgment, we hope our close walking with God in piety, sanctitie, and equitie (will through Gods merciemercy) guard us against it, when your Reformed Churches may be ledd through fire and water, and layd desolate, because of the Libertinisme, and profane loosenesse of the best of their people, walking nothing worthy of the puritie of Gods ordinances. We speake what we know, for we have often heard it.

But for answer. 1. Good desires are good, if they be joyned with good endevours; otherwise they are vanishing vapours.

2. For our close walking, if it be sheltred from confusion, it must respect all Gods Commandements, Psal. 119.6Ps 119:6and that both for Ceremony and substance: witnesse Zachary, & Elizabeth, foreign.walking in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord. So were they blamelesse. The two words in both tongues, do signifie the substantiall precepts and Ceremonies, which both must be of God; foreignin both we must walke. This their practise, taketh away that unsound and groundlesse distinction, that we must walke in Gods precepts for the substance, and we may in mans precepts for the Ceremonies. As all the learned in Theologie do discover this distinction to be counterfeit: So it shall never hould plea for the removall of judgment.

3. The Lord hath smitten them (indeed) for their unworthie walking, as some with that smoke againe raysed out of the bottomlesse pitt. Instance,Apoc. 9.2.Rev 9:2 our p. 184neighbour nation of Scotland. Some he casteth into a hott bath of blood, as the French. Other some he hath exposed to destruction and desolation or to slavish captivitie in their owne Land, As Bohemia, the Palatinate, the Austrians, & other Germains, of whom me may say,Ier. 2.14.Jer 2:14 Is Israell a sonne? or is hee a slave? why is hee spoyled? or in another scripture phrase, were they greater sinners, Luk. 13.5.Luke 13:5because they suffred such things? I tell you nay, but except you repent, you shall all like wise perish; let vsus not then deceive our selves; our one sinne of spoyling God of his glory, and barring Christ from his Kingdom (if wee had no more predominante sinnes) will weigh downe in the ballance all their great and crying sinnes, for which they are punished; and it is to bee feared (wee pray God avert it) that when or judgment cometh into the ballance, it shall weigh downe the judgment of all the former nations: yea wee feare (as wee often heare it out of pulpits) as they have drunke the brimme; so wee shall drinke the bottom, onelyonly the dregge shalbe left for the whoore: whom hee smiteth last hee plagueth worst: Because their impenitency is of the greatest height against both mercy and judgment, precept, and example: woe to vsus, for such is our case, if wee amend not by removeall of our evill upon these motives.

When Gods owne Israell returned not being smitten, hee smote her seaven times more; yea hee threateneth her not onelyonly with such plagues as are p. 185written in the Booke of God (which are abundantly enough) but also with every plague that is not written in the Booke of the Law; Deut. 28.6Deut 28:6that is such as they for the fearfullnesse of them could not conceite; and such as the Lord in his just judgment would not make them acquainted with.

We have great cause to tremble at these speeches. For it is to be feared that the Lord (as he speaketh) will make our plagues marvellous, Deu. 28.37. & 59.Deut 28:37Deut 28:59and make us an astonishment to all people. We have just cause to bring home that to our selves, that is spoken of Ephesus;foreign. Rev. 2.4.Rev 2:4 I have against thee (for so are the words) intimating to us in them, that he will bring some great evill upon us, that he will not expresse; no way see we (under favour) to escape these terrible things threatned but by removing of this M^r. evill. It is not lopping, nor pruning, nor shaving, and trimming, nor pairing of the nailes of this evill (as some of great note have promised) that will serve the turne. As the Great Turke said (of the losse of his men) it is but a shaving; it will quicklie grow againe. So will it be just in this, except you strike at the roote. Except you remove these Majorites, the reforming of the Minorites will do litle or no good. Beleeve us right Honourable, unlesse ye pluck up these stumps of Dagon by the very roots; their Nayls will grow ranker then ever they were, and they will scratch more divellishly then ever they did. Except this strange fire be removed, the Lord must make the consuming fire of his wrath break out upon us.

p. 186He usuallie maketh a people to read their sinne in great Characters in their judgments. Will any daube or trimme, or put a new cover upon an ould rotten howse that will fall about their eares: or will they not rather downe with it, ridde away the rubbish, and build a new one?

Will a Chirurgian cicatrize, or skinne a purulent sore, or festered wound? Or will he not rather search to the bottom, and make a sound cure, by purging out the filthie matter, and eating out the dead flesh? Or will any adventure to cure a member that must be cutt off? If they do thus, they kill the partie. So in this case, the whiting, daubing, or palliating, will not serve, but cutting off must make the cure. As a Gentleman said to a great mā, complaining to him, that his howse was all out of order, & he could not well discerne the cause: if he would put away halting Tom, he should soone see what was the cause. And so it was indeed. So if the halting Hierarchie, betweene God & Baal, should happilie be removed, truth would quicklie discover the necessitie of it.

That comfortable speech of Samuel to the people, mourning for choosing Saul their King, is verie remarkeable:1. Sam. 12.20.1 Sam 12:20 Yee have done this wickednes, but feare not, &c. As if he would say, the Lord will pardon: Yet turne not aside to vaine things, but serve the Lord. For if you do, you shalbe destroyed both you and your King. Where observe that the Lord wil be mercifull to them p. 187for manie sinnes, but if they turne to Idolls, the Lord will make havocke of all.

We have not onelie turned aside, but we never turned wholly from vaine things. And we turne aside more and more.

If then this Hierarchie be so deadlie an evill, that as a great one said of his wicked wife; If it live, Ejus vita mea more.the common-wealth must dy. Then are they inofficious pleaders (how great soever) that hould the maine alteration, or total reformation; to be a perilous operation in a Church. But they go upon false grounds: First, that no certaine ground of government is prescribed by God for his Church. The contrarie whereof is proved, and that to be unalterable.

For the further clearing of the unsoundnesse of this Position against the Law of God, the order of nature, & the strength of reason; let us go yet a litle further, because it is delivered by a great one, that thought himself a great statist; yea we wish it had not fallen from the pen of some Minister of note.

What can be more expresly and precisely laid down, than Discipline is discovered in that place of the Gospell, so often quoted, and so well knowne, Math. 18.18. where (as it is observed by the learned) are all the parts of Discipline, namely reprehension & Censure. Zanch. in 4. precept.Also the …rue and Lawfull Officers: Nempe presbyteri quibus est …ommissa non Dominis; To witt the Elders to whom it …s committed, not to Lords; Neither must it be used p. 188any other wayes (saith the learned) then Christ hath appointed, qui est causa efficiens, &c. Who is the efficient cause of Discipline. The Elders are the Instrumentall cause, useing the advise, approbation, and presence of the people, in the last act of Censure, namely excommunication. The materiall cause is faith and manners. The formall cause, debitus exercendi modus, a due manner of proceeding. From these particulars the learned deduce this, definition. Disciplina est facultas Ecclesia à Christo tradita, &c. Discipline is a power given by Christ to his Church, to teach, admonish, reprove, correct; yea to inflict the highest punishment of giving men over to Sathan, if they so deserve.

For the further illustration, they apply that Parable in the Gospell,Marc. 13.34.Mark 13:34 where Christ is said to be like a man taking a farre journey, who left his howse, and gave authoritie to his servants, and to every man his work, commanding the porter to watch. Where be pleased to observe no authoritie, but that which is given; and no work, but that which is lest; and over these the Porters must watch, that no other authoritie be intruded, nor other work be done. To the same effect, they cite that of the Apostle to the Corinthians, that he was bould after a holy manner to boast according to the measure of the rule which God had distributed vntounto him, 2. Cor. 10.13.2 Cor 10:13and not of the things which God had not measured to him. Since by this then, and sundry other proves, by us produced, it appeareth plainly, that Christ hath appointed in his howse one direct perfect and unalterable form p. 189of government (otherwise as the Learned observe,Calvin. In. stit. lib. 4. it should be worse with Christ his howse, then with mens howses.) How calumnious, (if not blasphemous) are they against the truth of God? How opprobrious to his wisdome? How injurious to Soules? How Tyrannous over men of all estates? Who force a state, by word, writ, and practise, to maintaine, that Christ hath left no certain form of government in his howse. These men are the Prelats, against whom especially learned Calvine directeth his speech in his discourse of Discipline, where he telleth us:Ibid. c. 12. Sect. 1. quod Doctrina sit anima Ecclesiae, & Disciplina nervus; that pure Doctrine is the Soule of the Church, and Discipline is the Sinews of the Church. Yet there are (saith he) that hate Discipline so, ut à nomine Disciplinae abhorreant; That they abhor the verie name of Discipline, they are Antidisciplinarians. Then why should men of gifts, for feare or favour, maintaine these Prelats, in giving the Spirit the lye?

We would have men to consider why they broach this untruth, and would have others to maintaine it; namely that they may dung and dresse, and still bear out that bitter root, & rotten stump of their Antichristian government; the denyall of good government in Christ his howse maketh way for all the bad government of the Beast, and such is the Hierarchicall government, which hath as much to doe with the government of Christ, as the Masse hath with the Sacrament: It hath none of the causes, or concurring parts, that maketh up the definition of Discipline.

p. 190It hath not Christ for the efficient cause; nor the Elders for the Instrumentall; not faith or manners (whatsoever they pretend) for the matter, but rather the cursing of them, whom God hath blessed; and for the manner it is nothing but misorder it self.

That complaint of an ancient Author Anno 1150. concerning corrupt Discipline, may well be applyed to the Prelates Discipline.Potho. lib. de statu Domus Dei. Est in omni ordine, & professione latens Disciplinae figmentum, Spiritui Sancto inimicum, innocentiae ac simplicitati, valde contrarium: There is in everie profession (saith he) a show of order, and the counterfeit of Discipline, but it is enmitie to the Holy Ghost, and altogether adverse to holinesse, and simplicitie; Even just so is this their Discipline, of which a learned ancient of the same time giveth this remarkable testimonie:Petrus Blesens. in Ep. ad Official. Corrumpit, non corrigit, exasperat, non emendat: It corrupteth, but correcteth not, it rather hardeneth men in sinne, then reclaimeth them from sinne.

2. They dreame of as many formes of government as of State Policie, which is nothing so. For God hath not prescribed any particular unalterable forme of government to this or that common wealth (except to the Iewes) but hath left it various to the varietie of States; so it be according to the generall rules of pietie and equitie. But no sooner ordained God a Church, either under the Law or Gospell, but so soone he prescribed a platforme of government for it.Exod. 28.Exod 28

p. 191For clearing of this doubt, let D. Whittaker speake:De authoritat. sacrae Scripturae advers. Stapleton. c. 9. p. 436. Regis & Ecclesiae dissimilis est ratio, authoritas legum condendarum Regis est, ac latas & promulgatas abrogare potest, &c. at Ecclesia Scripturis, &c. Imo dico ego nec leges ferre potest in Domo Dei, alioqui Scriptura esset imperfecta: There is not (saith he) a like reason of the King, and of the Church; The King and State may make and set forth Lawes, and abrogate the same, making others in their place (as the necessitie of the time, and good of the State shall require,) but the Church hath her Laws from the Scriptures, neither may any King make Lawes in the howse of God, for if they might the Scripture should be imperfect.

3.Acts 20.14. &c. Tit. 1.5.Acts 20:14Titus 1:5 For that pretended danger of totall reformation it savoureth altogether of the flesh, and nothing of the spirit.

Is it dangerous to remove a destroying evill?

Is it dangerous to do what God commandeth, and to remove that which he hateth?

Is it dangerous to remove the government of Antichrist, and to plant in the place thereof the government of Christ?

Now that the Episcopall government is Antichristian, and opposite to the government of Christ hath been formerlie proved.

p. 192We feare where we should not feare: and we feare not where we should feare. Should we feare to slay that which would slay us; or to maintaine that which will save us?

It is true, that Physitians hould it desperate rashnes to put hand to a deadlie maladie: but there the bodie is given for dead: so if there be nothing but a resolution to perish, then an evill consequent will sorte with a desperate supposall.

But we looke for better things from your Honours (for secret things belong to God,) but you the Physitians of the commonwealth must apply, and ply your Medicines, and God will worke the cure.

The remoraes of reformation, and all the belly-God crew will certainly cry out with open mouth, that these reformers are troublers of our State. But was Zephanie a troubler of the State,Cap. 1.4. in putting on Iosiah to remove the Chemarim Priests, and all the reliques of Baal? Did Christ himself disturb the Church when he whipt the buyers and sellers out of the Temple? Mat. 21.12Matt 21:12which practise the learned apply as a president for reformation of Church Discipline; witnesse Michael Declamangis cited to that effect by Morney.

p. 193Charles the great,Histor. Papal. pag. 225 Gabri: Puteol. de Confil. and Lewes his sonne (both Emperours) acknowledged themselves bound, and also endeavoured to follow Iosiah in Church reformation. Finally did Beza disturbe the Church in writing an Epistle to Queene Elizabeth for the quite abandoning all the high places, Anno 1572.& a plenary reformation of Church discipline? though Bancroft stormed at him for this, because hee touched the Coppiehould of his belly; yet the good Queene tooke him for no disturber of the peace.

4. And lastly such as write for reformation in part; yet upon carnall reason resist a totall reformation; are evinced by their owne grounds; as stand yee in the wayes, Ierem. 6.15Jer 6:15and aske for the ould pathes, where is the good way, and walke therein. The word there must shew the way vers. 17. now a man must not go halfe in one way, & halfe in another (witnes the same Prophet, the best expounder of himselfe) what hast thou to do in the way of Egipt, to drinke the waters of Nilus, &c.Cap. 2.18. Againe they cite that place from the beginning it was not so: Math. 19.8Matt 19:8which all the learned both ancient & moderne apply to the having recourse to Gods first institution; ad Originem, Cipra ad Pompeium.dominicam, Evangelicam & Apostolicam (saith a Father) let us goe to Gods grounds, to Evangelicall & Apostolical truthes &c. As for that Popish Prelatical objection (that it is not yet time, Hagg. 1.2.Hag 1:2as the Iewes said of building of Gods howse:) Or as Pope Hadrian answered Sigismond (Or as Doctor Soame of the same particular for his time) that it was not possible & safe.Quod non sit tutum vel possibile.

p. 194This we say is out of date: For it is either high time now or never. So we earnestlie desire (as Paul wished to Agrippa) that not onelie almost, but altogether reformation may be perfected: To the effecting wherof, let the terrible sequele of neglect perswade you. Bestirre your zeale and courage (right Honourable) for preventing of that black day, which may come upon us unawares.

Can a body live without a Sowle? Or a sowle insensate or activate a body without Sinews? As we have heard the puritie of Doctrine to be the Sowl of the Church, whereby it liueth, so also Discipline hath been shewed to be the Sinews of the Church, by which sence and motion is conveyed and maintained in the Church.

It is impossible that our state should continue, but must of necessitie fall into desolation, before we be aware, if reformation be not hastened in this particular.

Master Calvine sheweth what enimies they are to the State that hinder Discipline, and that from the desperate condition they bring it to: Qui Disciplinam impediunt extremam desperationem, Instit. lib. 4. cap. 12.&c. They who hinder Discipline, bringe the State at length to an extreamly desperate point.

p. 195Heathen writers observe;In 2. Reg. cap. 11. pag. 276.2 Kgs 11 and so doth Peter Martyr upon the Kings, that so long as the Romans observed strict Discipline with a competent severitie, so long they prospered, and enlarged their Dominions; Sed labente Disciplina; Discipline decaying, the Empire came to nothing.

How then can we chuse but perish, who professe Christ, and yet reject the government of Christ.

Nicolaus Orem in his Oration before Pope Vrban the 5. sheweth this to be one of the forerunning signes of the ruine of Church and common-weal, when Discipline perisheth.

To draw to a conclusion of the proof. Hear and tremble at that which the Lord threateneth against the rejecting of this his Ordinance:Rev. 3.16.Rev 3:16 It will come to passe that I will spew thee out of my mouth. A Loathsome people, and a fearfull & unreversible judgment.

This threatening intimateth that he can not bear us; that he will cast us out into despicable places; and that he will never looke any more after us; what is the main cause of all these?V. 20. Even our keeping Christ out at doores, that is: we will not have him to raigne over us.

Give not then the people and State, our peace and wealth, our sheep & sheepheards, our Crownes, Lawes, and Royall King (the King of his subjects, & Father of his people;) your owne noble and generous families: your faire meanes, and possessions, and Gods glory (which is p. 196worth all:) give not those (we intreate you) as loste, to the pitt of desolation.

Before we conclude the point, it shall be verie materiall to answer one doubt that may arise, and is most objected from the difficultie of the businesse.

We verilie beleeve, that all the well affected to State, or Religion, upon the perusall of this Decade shall be really and fully possessed of the truth of this Position, namely the absolute necessitie of the removall of the Prelacy; Ier. 4.11.12.Jer 4:11Jer 4:12and that as the Prophet speaketh: a winde to fan or to clense, will not serve the turn; but it must be a full or mightie winde to root up; and carie away the verie foundation of their being.

Ast opus egregium quis, &c.

But who shall do this great work, and by what means may it be accomplished? yea who dare bell the Cat? Or where is that Spirit that will dash the brains of that Babilonish Prelacy (we mean their place) against the stones? Or who hath that hand to bring those enimies of Christ (who will not have him to raigne over them) before him, and slay them? We must confesse here goeth the B…are away; for as evills are easier discovered then cured, so duties are sooner discerned then discharged. The difficulty of the duety, the seeming danger in the means, and want of valour to give the onsett, weakeneth the force of the strongest reasons. But as thrise noble Nehemias said to that false Bellie-God, Nehem. 6.11.Neh 6:11betraying Priest Semaiah, should such a man as I flie?

p. 197So should you incounter all discouragements, & frighting alarms thus; should such men as we fear to doe that for our King, and Countrie, which is of more necessitie then life it self?

To come then to a direct answer; and first for the persons who must effect this, we say this evill must be removed by the Magistrate & Minister, according to their severall places and stations.

The Minister must remove the wicked by the sword of the Spirit (namely the word,) and if that cannot move, the Censure of Discipline must be used,foreign. 1 Cor. 5.13 cap. 5.21.1 Cor 5:13 according to that of Paul: Put away from among your selves that wicked one, and this must be done (saith the Apostle) without partialitie, preferring none before another; by vertue of the same power were Hymeneus & Alexander delivered up to Sathan, 1 Timoth. 1 20.1 Tim 1:20that they might learne not to blaspheme. But in this the best may lay their hand upon their mouth, and charge themselves with the sinne of concealing this main part of Gods Counsell. As for the worst, the Prophets prophesie falsly, Ier. 5.31.Jer 5:31and the Priests bear rule by their means, & my people love to have it so, but what will we do in the end thereof? Yea for our parts we can not tell how the verie best will answer it, for besides the Scripture the Fathers tell us,Cypr. that Disciplina est Dei Custos; retinaculum fidei, &c. It is Gods keeper; the bond of faith, the wholsome guide of a happie way.

p. 198Bern.Of which an other: Disciplinae jugo omnis insolentia damnanda: By the yoke of Discipline is all insolencie suppressed.

This being commanded in the Word (as hath been shewed) Math. 18.18. having authoritie and ratification from above Math. 16.16. being a main principall of Religion; Heb. 6.2. being the practise both under the Law, and under the Gospell in all Reformed Churches; this being taken away (saith Gualter:) nihil nisi confusio & foreign: There is nothing but confusion & Anarchie.

Must Ministers not medle with it, nor with the enimies of it? God forbid; for this were, for fear of men, to omitt a main part of Gods Counsell. This is to crosse divine precept, it is against the threatenings of Gods vengeance, and against the practise of the Saints, witnesse these places which we commend to the perusing of Ministers, Deut. 18.18. Math. 28.20. Ier. 1.17. where observe the fearfull threatening, least I consume you before them. Where he clearly intimateth, that vengeance is prepared against them, who dare not faithfullie▪ and fullie deliver their charge, for the feare of mans face, or any other cause. This made Paule assure himself of a woe, 1 Cor. 9.161 Cor 9:16if he preached not the Gospell. Yea if he preached not all the Gospell, for so was his practise:Act. 20.22.Acts 20:22 I kept back nothing, as he would say, neither for feare, nor Lucre. So Micaiah would say nothing to the King, but what the Lord had said to him, and all that he would say, 1 Reg. 22.13.14.1 Kgs 22:131 Kgs 22:14whatsoever should come of it.

p. 199We know what Fig-leave defences are made in this behalf. As so, they may leese their Ministerie: they may preach the most and profitablest truths: they may save some sowles: and by striking on this string they should doe no good.

All these doth learned and right-downe M^r. Parker answer in his Policie, thus to argue is to be wise above that which is written. God needeth to no mans Ministerie, with any disadvantage of sinne; and what promise hath the Ministerie without fidelitie. This (as the learned observe) is to offer a Lame sacrifice, condemned Levit. 22.20. where the word doth intimate, the playing the …heef with the sacrifice.

This is (as one saith) to hide a part of the talent proditorio silentio; by a betraying silence,Gualt. Homil. 173, in Luc. 19.Luke 19 which the Lord threateneth fearfully Math. 25. Yea the Lord (as that Author observeth) exposeth them often to the hatred of such as they have pleased by their proditorious silence.

The same in effect doth the Lord speake by his owne mouth in that quoted place of Ieremie c. 1. v. 17. I will consume thee, or as the originall beareth it: I will cause thee to fear, (as if the Lord should say:foreign) if thou wilt betray my cause, for fear of man, thow shalt be a Coward indeed; for it standeth not with my honour to bear thee out: This fear was a steyn in the face of all Melancthons excellencies, and what exigents it put him to they who read know.

p. 200In Epist. ad Bull.Nemo modestior quidaem, sed nemo timidior, sayth Zanchie of him: None more modest I confesse, but none more fearfull. It is a sure maxime, no way to be safe, but to be zealously faithfull.

M^r. Parker calleth this, hookstering of the word, in plain tearms: Flagellare Christum, vt vita servetur: a whipping of Christ, that his life might be saved. Then up ye men of God. Nolite consentire tam scelesti vocabulo: Endure not to keep silence, according to that charge given you by God:Esa. 62. V. 6.7.Isa 62 I have sett watchmen upon the walls O Ierusalem! which shall never keep silence, day nor night, and give him no rest till he establish, &c. In the name of the Lord,Eze. 13.5.Ezek 13:5 rise up in the gappe, make up the breach, for so did not the false Prophets. In the like case Moses would not, Exo. 10.26 Daniel. 6.11. Marc. 6.18Exod 10:26Dan 6:11Mark 6:18for the greatest appearance of advantage, leave so much as one hoofe. Daniell would not boudge one heares-breadth. Iohn Baptist strooke at the roote, and Christ himself went on with his work,Luke. 13.32.33.Luke 13:32Luke 13:33 notwithstanding of the threatenings of Herode the Fox. Downe then with the colours of the Dragon; trample the Scepter of the man of sinne in the dust; advance the standard of Christ, and say: you do not prevaile, your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Non minus mercedis vobis debetur lavantibus Ethiopem, &c. You shall be as well payed for trimming of a blackamoore Bishop, as though you made him white as snowe.

p. 201Thus as the Minister must do his part with the spirituall sword, so the Magistrate must do his part in removing this evill with the Sword of Iustice, and with this more particularly, you the great Counsell of State, or High Court of Parliament stand charged; which trueth, give us leave to demonstrate to your Honours three severall wayes:

1. From precept.

2. From practise, or president.

3. From impregnable reason.

For the first is that place of the Proverbs:Prov. 25.4.5. V.Prov 25:4Prov 25:5 Take away the drosse from the Silver, and there shall come forth a Vessels for the fyner.

Take away the wicked from before the King, and his Throne shall be established in righteousnesse.

Here we are to understand what is ment by the drosse, namely evill men, and evill Officers; and who worse then the Prelats and their places: They are as Trithemius citeth it from Arnulphus; Bonorum malici, the verie hammers, to beat the good and goodnesse to powder, they eat sinne, and they are cloathed with sinne, as we have shewed. In a word, they make up a very Masse of sinne.

p. 2022. Here is to be considered the dangerous nature of this drosse, it overlayeth, corrupteth, fretteth, & consumeth the silver excellencie of a King, State, & Religion; and what else doe the Prelats, as we have shewed at large? That Phrase of the Spirit fitteth just their dealing with our King and State: they have made our silver to become drosse, Esa. 1.22.Isa 1:22and our wine they have mixed with water; for the latter of these L.D. or D.L. made it literallie good, as we hear in the Sacrament latelie in his Chappell. Our King, Counsell, Nobles, Ministers, & all sort of people are wofully corrupted by that Romish drosse.

3. Hence we plainly see that except this drosse be taken away, there is no establishing of the Throne in righteousnesse; So that this must be done, all reasonable men will graunt; but what Magistrate should doe it, whether the supream or others, (if by the supream it be not done) there still riseth a doubt. For the clearing whereof, as well as we can, give us leave a litle.

It is the Kings Honour indeed with David, Ezechia, and Iosia, to purge the howse of the Lord: and to purge out these Pymagate Chemarims (the very drosse of his throne,) with the fyrie zeal-consuming love of Gods howse, were a duty worthie of so Kingly a dignity.

p. 203The Philosopher out of nature and experience sheweth us, that foreign, or happinesse of a Kingdome, consisteth in the well ordering of these three things;Arist. Politi. Lib. 7. namely foreign; that is, in matters of Warre; in matters of Iustice; and matters of the Ministerie, and of Gods worship.

For the ordering of the last of these there is an unalterable platform in the word, in the which businesse Kings must neither adde, diminish, nor take away, but if any thing be not according to this rule, with the foresaid Kings, he must remove it; because he is vindex utrius{que} tabulae, and God will require it at his hands.

The truth of this David cleareth in his last will and Testament to his sonne:1 King. 2, V. 2, 3.1 Kgs 2 I go the way (saith he) of all the Earth, be thow strong therefore, and shew thy self a man: But how should he strengthen himself? Keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walke in his wayes, to keepe his statutes, commandments, and judgments; that is, such worship, such conversation, & such execution of Iustice, as the Lord commandeth; for all these he calleth his testimonies.

Out of the which one of the Learned well observeth, that he sendeth him not to Counsells, Pet. Mart.Fathers (or as we may say) to Prelats or Rabbins, but to the word of God to be his guide; as it is written (saith he) in the Law of Moses, Deut. 29.9. Iosu. 1.7.

p. 204Cyrill Hierosolit. 41. Catech.Yea the Fathers also bear witnesse of this truth foreign: In matters of faith or Mysteries of religion, men must not institute any thing without the authoritie of the sacred word. Augustine upon these words of the 2. Psalm: Be wise therefore o ye Kings; V. 10.11.be instructed ye judges of the Earth, serve the Lord with feare, &c. commenteth verie prettily: Quomodo Reges serviunt, &c. Nisi ea quae contra Iussa Domini sunt Riligiosa severitate prohibeant, atque plectantur. Aliter servit qua homo, aliter qua Rex; qua homo vivendo fideliter; qua Rex justa praecipiendo, & contraria prohibendo, sicut servierunt Ezechias & Iosiah; Lucos & Templa Idolorum, & excelsa contra precepta Dei diruendo: How doe Kings serve the Lord with feare (saith he) but by forbidding and punishing with a Religious severitie such things, as are contrarie to Gods commandment. A King must serve the Lord one way as he is a Man, and an other way as he is a King: as a Man by beleeving well, and living well; as a King▪ by commanding that which is good, and forbidding and removing that which is evill. So served Ezechias and Iosiah the Lord, by demolishing the Temples, Groves, and high places of the Idolaters, yea and their Officers too. So that we see there is neither precept nor president wanting to Kings in this particular.

p. 205The King further inforceth this Counsell upon his Sonne from the benefit ensuing; that thow mayst prosper in all that thow doest; which Counsell, saith the same Author, if it had been observed by Kings, the Church of God had not been pestered with such a heap of mens traditions; ad quas cum principes vergunt, &c. To which when Princes begin to incline, they grow incertaine, and fleeting in their Religion.

Hence we see what danger these Lords of Misrule, and Great Masters of Ceremonies bringe our King and State into, which should make us all (and you especiallie, right Honourable, and the faithfull Ministers) on the knees of our hearts, to importune our endangered King, in the words of David: be thow strong, or strengthened, O King, & shew thy self a man, keepe the charge of the Lord in this main & weightie particular of removing the Prelacy; Or (as Abimelech in an other case:) Gratious S^r. take an axe in your hand, and cutting downe, say to your Senate, what ye see me doe, Iudg. 9.8.Judg 9:8make haste, and doe.

What hath the drosse to do with the gould? Or the Throne of Iniquitie with the Scepter of Christ?

A more necessarie work for all Gods Church; a more Princely and profitable act to your Highnesse self; a more happie thing for the State, and more pleasing to God, could not be thought upon.

p. 206foreign.That these be the drosse, or perfidiously immorigerous (for so the Septuagint rendereth it) besides all our proofes, wofull experience proclaimes it; And gracious S^r. you know it better then we can tell you; It is their apish condition insensibly to abuse: they are as Worms & Mots unto Kings, and their States, one applyeth directly that place of the Proverbs to their abusing of Kings:Lavater. Episcopi qui Reges saepiunt eos contra puram religionem accendunt, & cavent ne quis ad colloquiam admittatur, &c. Bishops (saith he) who hedge in Kings, do incense their mindes against the puritie of Religion, and block up the way, that no good man can have accesse or speech to them. This is very true, witnesse the bloody practise of the French Prelats against the Waldenses, whom they accused to Lewes the 12. of many fowle, but forged crimes; barring all accesse to the King, whereby they might clear themselves: till at length that good King tould those Foxes, that if he were to condemne the Devil, he would give him a hearing. Whereupon he sent his Confessor and Secretarie of State to try the matter; who returning to the King, cleared their innocencie, & commended so their pietie, and integritie, that the King affirmed by his ordinarie oath, that they were better then himself, or the Prelates that accused them.

We need not go so farre for instances to your Highnesse; we have too many at home; witnesse the shutting up of accesse from poore women, and their petitions, for the deliverie of their husbands, imprisoned p. 207against the Law of God, and your Majesties Laws by the Prelates. They are ever as a black cloud between your Majesties pious subjects, and the Princes favour: For the which Swinglius compareth them to the watching Dragon, that kept the golden Fleece.

But this drosse being taken away by your Majesties refining power, and this cloud being dispersed by the irresistable heat of your Sunshining zeal; the beams of your gracious favour shall warme the hearts, and cheer the countenances of all your truelie religious subjects; that Heaven and Earth shall blesse you, honouring Christ with the overthrow of his enimies, and the establishing of his Scepter in this nation; which was never yet done by any of your predecessours: The Lord will honour you, by making your Crowne fast upon your head; by confounding your foes at home & abroad, yea he will sett you as a Signet on his finger, and as a Seal upon his hand. In a word, great King (as hath been said) you shall prosper in all that you doe, and whether soever you turne jour self. Yea this transcendent peece of service to your God, shall make you far more glorious then all your ancients with all their great conquests.

With these, or the like speeches, our Soveraigne should be plyed, whose heart is in Gods hand, and who knowes, but by prayers and such speeches we might prevaile?

p. 208But put the case that the good Harmlesse King be a captivated Ioash, by Athaliahs Arminianised, & Iesuited crew. Or a misled Henrie the 6 dispossessed of his faithfullest Friends, and best Counsell by the pride of the French. Or a Henrie the 3. overawed by a divellish dominering favorite. Or an Edward the 6. over poysed and born downe from his good purposes to Gods glorie, and the good of the State, by the halting and Falshood of the Prelats, and their Romish confederacies; so that such a King, though he hould the Scepter, yet he swayeth not the Scepter, neither can he free himself, nor execute his designes, because the Sonnes of the man of sinne are to hard for him: Shall the Counsell of State leave a good head (though it ake) in the hands of the wicked? God forbid.

To cut themselves off from the head, is to show themselves no members, but either rebels or starke cowards; & not to help the head in such danger of destruction, both to head and members, is to proclame themselves to all the world, to be dead, dishonourable, & unprofitable members.

Then you the great Counsell of State must remove the wicked from the head, and take away the corrupting and corroding drosse from the silver-excellencie, and excellent integritie of the King; so shall ye have of him a refined Vessell. What can the head do when the hands deliver not? especiallie if the animal spirits are obstructed p. 209by the foggie vapours of such an Ephialtes or Incubus; as the Bishops are. As one in that disease would gladly speake and doe, yet can not possible for the weight of those Clogging vapours, overlaying both Spirits and nerves; So good Kings born downe, & overlaid with a drossie crew; and scared with the black vapours of their Chilling fears thence arising, would oftē both expresse their desires of reformation, and reform indeed, but they can not, or dare not vent themselves, because they see so few hearts to affect the businesse, and so few hands to help in it, especiallie amongst the great ones; where on the contrarie the enimies of reformation will lay all their lottes together, yea they will sett up estate, and life, yea sowle, and all upon one rest, for the safeguard of the Divels Kingdome; the more shame for us, that we dare doe no more, then now a dayes we dare, for the Kingdome of Christ.

Azariah the Sonne of Amaziah is much commended, that he did uprightly in the sight of the Lord, 2. King. 15.3.4.2 Kgs 15:32 Kgs 15:4according to all that his Father Amaziah did, but for this he is blamed, even when he was at best, that the high places were not put away, but the people yet offered, and burnt incense in them.

A learned Commenter giveth a reason of this; his foreign, or delinquencie, (as he calleth it,Pet. Mart.) et si esset optimum, &c. hoc non tētavit quod fortasse putaret inveteratos hominū errores difficulter evelli posse: thoug total reformatiō was the best (saith the author) & he knew it to be so, yet he p. 210durst not attempt it, because he thought that the people would hardly be brought from their inveterate errors.

It is just so with us; for how may good motions of reformation, in sundry of our Kings, have miscaried, thorow feares arising from the perfidie, & rebellion of the Prelacy, we have partlie shewed, and might further enlarge our selves, but that your Honours know them well enough.

Vndermining Prelates, and dominiering Favorites, have cast our bravest Kings into many cold sweats.

Henrie the 3. as wise and well governing a Prince as any we had, after that he was rid of evill spirits; being in danger of drowning upon Thames, he was somwhat transported with feare; and being come on shoare; Mountford bad him be of good cheer, now the danger was past: The King replyed, that he was more afrayd of him, then of drowning, or any other danger: and of all the feares, and cares, & desperate straits, of this King, who were the prime cause, but the proude Prelates?

Yea a Tragicall instance of our late King might serve for proofe enough, if there were no more. If ever Prince deserved the name of the Bishops King, and Father of favorites, that did he; but how was he requited of both? Surely for the reverence that we owe to Kings, we are ashamed to say how grosly they abused him, in life and in death; yea he found himself p. 211so deluded to his face, and (all things going head long to wrack) that he groaned in his sowle to be rid of his burthen; and if he had had as mettle men about him, (as some times he had, who would have broke the snare and delivered his sowle) we should have seene that he would have owned the fact, and thanked them too.

Yea with greefe in heart, to come to the verie dayes wherein we now live: Have not the Prelates, & their late Champiō so hedged in our now Soveraigne, that he could scarse looke but at their appointment; to the no small dishonour of his Majestie, the undoing of the State, and the wounding of the hearts of all his loyall and loving subjects.

Hence you see, great Senators, what need Kings have of such a Counsell of State, as will deliver their sowles from the snare of the Hunter.

The late Lord Verulam gives a verie prettie morall upon that fiction of the contention of the inferiour Gods with Iupiter; wherein it is feigned they were to hard for him, till Briareus came in, and made them know, they were but Rebell-Gods. He compareth the howse of commons to Briareus his hands, whose office and place is to vendicate the Soveraigne power, the good of State-government, and the glorie of Gods worship from pollution, ruine, & Indignitie: your Honours are the verie hands which must, or should, work our deliverance, p. 212in Religion, King, and State: Let flatterers, and enemies to King, State, & Religion, say what they will, you must be to them, that which Antigonus said of Zeno, the great Philosopher: Gestorum Regis Theatrum: The verie Theater of the Kings actions: Or as the Philosopher sayth of the hand: It is the Instrument of Instruments. So must you be eyes, ad discernenda Regis pericula, to discern the present danger of the King, and hands to him and us, to deliver all out of danger. The ancients give for an Hierogliph of a wise Senate, and able Counsell, a litle fish going before the great whale, discovering shallowes and other dangers, and shewing the way by the motion of it self. This living the whale is safe, but being dead, he knoweth not what to do; so must your provide for the establishing of the Throne, the rectifying of government, or he may spirit upon the rocks of malicious Counsell, or sinke in the quicksands of base flatteries, and at your hands his miscariage will be required.

This course have stout and wise Counsellers taken for the deliveries both of Kings and States, as we may read ad large, both in sacred and prophane Histories.

The Counsell of State delivered Ioash from the blooddy tyrannie of Athaliah, Gods worship from Idolatrie, and the Kingdome from destruction; where if any object that Athaliah was an usurper, and that Ioash was kept besides the Crowne; we answer, it is as great a mischeife to a State (if not greater) for a p. 213good King to be manacled & swayed by the wicked in his throne, as to be besides his throne. As it is an evidēt token of Gods wrath, to be without Counsell; as the Spirit witnesseth of his owne people: A nation voyd of Counsels, Deut. 32.28. that is, never a whit of Counsell at all amongst them; so wicked Counsellers (as the same Spirit speaketh) are the very Chair of Deceit, Proverb. 12.5. to carie Kings and Kingdomes headlong to destruction.

We read of Vzziah his proud attempt, whose heart being lifted up with prosperitie, and forgetting that God had wrought all his works for him, he will burn incense upon the Altar of the Lord. But Azariah, and the valiant men of the Lord, withstood him, shewing from the Law, that it pertayned not to him, 2. Chron. 26.11.17. &c. Yea though he was wroath, because he might thinke his good intent might cary him out, yet they would not suffer him V. 19.

Why then should ye, great Counsell of State, and our valiant men of God, suffer the Ministers of Antichrist? to offer strange fire on the Altar of the Lord, which will cause the fire of Gods indignation, (if it be not removed,) to consume us all.

p. 214That passage of the Philistim Princes, is verie remarkable: They seeing David with his Hebrews marching on with the King, fall to expostulate the matter with the King:1 Sam. 29.1 Sam 29 what do these Hebrews here? The King apologied Davids fidelitie to the Princes, from that good and faithfull deportment, that he had found in him ever, since the time of his being with him: but with this the Princes were not satisfied, but were wroth, saying to the King: send this fellow back to his place, &c. They render a reason; that he would be an adversarie to them; for where with should he obtain favour of his Master? should it not be with the heads of these men?

In this same passage, there be many usefull, and observable things:

First, that Gods people in their straits should beware how they cast themselves upon the enemies of God; for that may bring them into greater straits.

2. As a learned Author saith well: Politia non malae, &c. It was not an evill Policie amongst the Philistims,Pet. Mart. ut Rex admoneretur, imo libere reprehēderetur à suis, vt non semper posset quicquid vellet: To admonish the King, (saith he,) yea and freelie to reprove him, (especiallie in matter of no lesse weight than the saving or leesing of himself and his subjects,) for Kings may not alwayes doe what they list. As if p. 215(saith the said Author) they should further enlarge themselves to the King, by way of expostulation. Is this to guide your affayres by Counsell? to take a man to battle with you; and give him a cheefe commanders place, who hath been a heavie enemie to you and yours: the shedding of our blood hath won him the hearts of his people; he hath a fair pull for the Kingdome, and now you will putt a prise in his hand, namely all our lives, by which he may bring himself in greater favour with Saul than ever he was before; beleeve it, that must not be; you (that are worth all us) we, and ours, and all ly at stake, we must not leese you, and the Kingdome, by preferring your fancie or growndlesse affection before sound reason.

3. The grownds of their opposition were verie good; For what wise man could thinke that a man obliged by so many bounds to his Country, and of such faire hopes to the Crowne, would bathe in the blood of his brethren, and vassall the Crowne to an uncircumcised enemie, of whose crueltie they had often tasted, which if he could not do, then of necessity he must betray them; and in very deed, if the Lord had not brought David strangely off, he had never been in a greater strait. As for the Kings reply upon the experience of Davids good behaviour, it might easily be answered: that as there is nothing liker sanctitie then hypocrisie, so there is nothing liker fidelitie then whited treason under trust.

p. 216For application: nam fas est & ab hoste doceri, for we may learn of our enimies: is not our King and State in as great danger as Achish and his Kingdome was? Yea sure, and greater. Love you not your Soveraigne and your Country, as dearly well, as the Philistim Princes did their King and Country? Ye can not chuse, but love both better; then be as faithfully free with him, as they were with Achish.

Why should the Prelacie be Domini fac totum, that is: Don do all, or grand commanders in Church & State Policie? Since, 1. they oppose with tooth and nayle every thing that is good.

2. They have had their hand (as hath been proved) in all the great evils, that hath befallen the Church and State.

3. Never any good thing prospered that they putt their hand too.

4. The King & State stood never need, but they alwayes deceived them.

5. And lastly, (as the Princes said) if opportunitie serve, they will make peace with their head, if it be with the losse of all our heads, if they continue their places.

That which Tullie objecteth to Verres, is the ordinarie practise of the Prelacie: Consulem suum deseruit, & venit ad Syllam: He forsooke his Consull (saith he) & went to Sylla: so if the Pope com to winde his horn a litle higher here amongst us, the horns of the Beast will p. 217push downe King & Counsell, and all, to make way for their Master.

If once the Pope with Iehu cry: who is on my side? then all his train will be too too readie to fling Gods howse out at windowes.

For evidence whereof; take their present actions, as a scantling of their future attempts: if you looke not to them, they may well serve us, as a Graecian Bishop of Muchla, in the Province of Tegaea, served his Country. The Citie was beleagered by Machumet Sonne to Amurathes: he sent one of his nobles to Asanes, a brave commander and governour of the Citie, soliciting him partly by promises, and partly by threatenings, to give up the Citie; who answered, that the place was strong enough, and mantled with a threefold wall; besides other muniments, and store of munition; therefore it were a shame, to give a place of that strength for lost; if the great Turk were resolved to assault, they were resolved to maintain their honour, by death or by life. But the Bishop knowing that they could not long hould out, for want of victuals,Leonici Calcōdolae de rebus Turcicis citatur à Ioseph. Scaliger Pag. 263. Proditor Episcopus. sent a privie Messenger to the Turk, showing him what strait they were in, and that he might have the place as cheap as he could desire it. By this meanes the Citie was betrayed; wherefore the Author blaseth him in the margine of the Historie for the Traytor Bishop. But this is but a pettie matter to that which some of our owne have done, who have betrayed whole Kingdomes, besides their stirring up the subjects to rebellion.

p. 218Besides the foresaid instances from Scripture, what abundance of examples have we in humain Histories of grave Counsels prevailing with their Princes, to the great good of King and State.

It is written of Antonius Pius the Roman Emperour, that he debated with his Counsell a businesse of great weight, so that he would have it according to his will: But Scaevola the great Lawyer, and faithfull Counseller, with others of the like fidelitie, would have it according to his weale, and so indeed they caried it: I see Masters (quoth the Emperour) it must be as you will have it. Dionis. Halic. lib. 2.Yeelding this reason: Aequius est ut ego tot talium{que} amicorum Consilium sequar; quam ut tot tales{que} amici meam unius voluntatem sequantur: It is fitter (saith he) that I should follow the Counsell of so many, and so faithfull friends; then that so many such should follow my will, being but one.

The like is related of Lewes the XII. of France, who thanked his Counsell much for their faithfull and constant resolution.

But to go no further, have not your Ancestours both kept sundry Kings, for a great while out of the pitt of destruction, and pulled some as Brands out of the fire? Instāce, Henrie the III. whose historie you know, who after that he came to himself was as good a King as the best. It is related of him, that he would often say, that had his subjects followed his will, both he & p. 219they had perished, but he thanked God, that if he knew not how to rule, yet they knew how to obey.

Consider those things, and the Lord give you vnderstanding. Let not men have just cause to say to the body representative of the State: what is become of the activitie, right-downe fidelitie, and love, of English Parliaments to their Princes? Let it not be said of you, as God upbraideth that proud, but cowardly people the Iewes.Ier. 9.3.Jer 9:3 That ye are not valiant for the trueth. Or as an other Prophet hath it, that will not contend for the trueth, that is, passeth by without regard, or removing the Arch-enemies of the trueth.

Give us leave to speake: Ye know how ye went away at the last rising, hanging downe your heads, yea some with tears in your eyes, (as though) ye had been led in Triumph after the Dukes Chariot: and what a deal of Triumph and tantost was there in the Tabernacles of the wicked?

It grieved the sowles of some, to see the Kings pale lookes, and heavie countenance, howsoever the litlegood Prelate, and his faction, were alwayes prompting with an omnia bene, or ha, ha, so would we have it: But God hath broke the Base, break you the Treble; or the trouble of the Prelacie, & then the black Sanctos of their Musick is marred: But if you suffer still these grand enemies of State, with their confederate favorites, to turne our silver into drosse, and our wine into water; all p. 220nations will blame you exceedingly, because they doe conceive, if any other nation had our King that they should have of him a refined Vessell: Yea take heede in this case, that it be not said to you by the Lord, as David said to Abner, and other of Sauls Courtiers, for the negligent watch they kept over the Kings person; Are you not valiant men, 1. Sam. 26.15.16.1 Sam 26:151 Sam 26:16and who are like to you in Israell? Wherefore then have you not kept your Lord the King? This thing is not good that ye have done.

Besides Ministers and Magistrates, all private parties that love God and their Countrie, should have a hand in Babels overthrow; as the benefite tendeth to all, so the dutie belongeth to all. The Counsell of Hushai to Absolon sorteth well with this businesse, that all Israell should be gathered from Dan to Beer-sheba, 2. Sam. 17.11.13.2 Sam 17:112 Sam 17:13as the Sand of the Sea in number, who may with the ropes of their prayers, joyned to the power of your hands, draw the Citie of their Babell into the River of destruction, vntill there be not one small stone found.

But more of this when we come to the meanes.

2. We come in the next place to the second point of proof; namely the practize of nations, or the president of all reformed Churches. Approvable practise, especially of Gods people, in a thing of high, and necessarie nature, is both a good warrant and inducement p. 221to others in the like case. Yea it serveth to condemne them, if they do not follow.

To begin then with the Vnited Provinces, when Philip the II. of Spaine, contrarie to the nature of a King; the Counsell, & intreatie of his Father, his owne solemne oath, & covenant, made at his entrie, had resolved in his heart, by the instigation and evill Counsell of the Duke de Alva, to make slaves of the Netherlanders; Cardinall Granvell, and the black Counsell of Hell devised for the effecting of this, and for to adde to their burthens, the bringing in of 15. new Bishops, together with the Spanish Inquisition, both which the Duke de Alva established, to the spoyling of their goods, the tormenting of their bodyes, and undoing of their sowles; the prisons were so full, they were forced to erect more, upon which cruell courses 100000. families left their places, and meanes, to save their lives, by living other where, but by this fierie triall the Lord did not onelyonly purge the drossie, and heavie disposition of that people, and made them more weeldie for Armes; but he also thereby made the scales to fall from their eyes, that in the midst of the fornace, they saw the light of the Gospell, which with all those dangers they imbraced and maintained with their blood, they gathered themselves into companies, as in Zealand there were 60. companies: they built Churches, which the cruell Duke demolished, and in their place set up Gallowes, executing all that could be found.

p. 222Yet for all this they went on, till thorow Gods merciemercy, and the assistance of neighbouring Princes (both with their purses, and the blood of their subjects) they grew to an united body; and having broake the bands both of Spanish and Popish tyrannie, they tooke away the drosse of that overlaying, & tyrannizing Prelacie, as the grownd of all their wo, and as the onelyonly way to establish the puritie of Christs ordinances.

They cashiered the Bishops of Vtrick, & of Haerlem in Holland. The Bishop of Midlebourgh in Zealand. The Bishops of Lewardin, & Groening in Frizeland. The Bishop of Deventer in Overyssell, after which they prospered exceedingly against the enemies, for this is the way indeed; to catch the ould one.

If this had not been a good course, or if any thing would have served but this, then notwithstanding of their resisting of the Spanish tyrannie, they might and should have kept these Holy Fathers, the Prelates, as their cheife builders of the howse of God: But God taught them, and heavie experience cleared this principall; that there is no building of Gods howse, after his owne Patern, so long as the Pillers of Antichrist beare swaye in the howse, there is no shutting of the dore, whilst the thief is in the howse: so long as they had kept possession, Spaine, & Rome could never fullie have lost their possession, and therefore they tooke the right course, both for reformation, & libertie, to shutte them quite out at dores; neither did ever any true p. 223friend to the Gospell to this day condemne them; not the King of France, being a Papist, nor his brother, Duke de Angue, their governour, though also a Papist.

VponUpon this their deliverie from Spaine, and Rome, they gave this devise to their armes; a coller about the Lions neck, with this word: Rosis Leonem, lorris mus liberat: The bands being broken, the mouse setteth free the Lion. And on the other side against it, the King of Spaine, and the Pope, with this devise: Liber Leo, revinciri pernegat: The Lion being once free, will not againe be bound.

The summe of all that hath been said,Meteren. Pag. 43. 45 49. 91. 305. concerning this particular, be pleased to see in the Historie of the Netherlands. OnelyOnly give us leave to apply the devises.

Our Prelates keep not onelyonly the Lion, our Soveraigne, in bands, but even the Lion of the tribe of Iudah; and as the Pope & Spaniard counted no more of the Belgick forces, and their confederate helps, then of so many mice; even so the proud Prelates partly thorow their owne ambition; and partly thorow the carelesnesse, or feare, or part taking of others, are growen with all their rable, so to outbrave the Parliament; that they count no more of them then so many mice: they are growen so pack now with the scare crow-censures of the State, (for they count them no better,) that they are no more afrayd of that terrible Tribunall, then p. 224the frogs were of the log, that Iupiter is feigned to let fall amongst them: Yea as the Hungarian goeth not ordinarily with his weapon, nor is not reputed a brave Gentleman, till he have killed a Turk, so among that crew, he is not a fellow in grain, till he have braved the Parliament: But let them know whom they deride; and as the Belgick mices teeth, or rather the noble Brittans blades freed this Lion (though now too forgetfull of his deliverer;) so cut you the cords (for that is better then to unloose them) set free the Lion of State and Religion, and you shall be more precious to God, and better metall to the state, then the gould whereof the Philistims mice were made, which they sent home in the Ark. Yea your devise shall be this, conspicuously glorious to all the world, ingravē in goulden Characters, about the neck of King & Church. Hic Senatus est medicus huius Leonis: This Parliament hath cured this Lion of the Kings evill.

A second instance of practise may be taken from the North-Britans or Scots, our neighbour nation; who did vendicate the libertie of the Church, and State, to so high an alay, that in everie particular it was without paralell: so that the last King gave this testimonie of it, that it was as pure a Church (if not purer) as any, since the time of Christ; and therefore he thanked God, that it was his lott to live in it; and how came they to the excellencie of that puritie? but by taking away the drosse, namely the Prelacie with all the train of the trumperie; so that they left not one p. 225Hoofe of the Beast. But who did this? even the Counsell of State? but by what authoritie, command, or concurrence from the supream Magistrate? Surely by none at all, but rather against the stern and cruell opposition of three Popish Princes, all raigning over them with an high hand; namely, Francis, & Marie, King, & Queen of France & Scotland, & Queen Mother Regent for the time, Sister to the house of Guise. These three Princes were devoted sowle and body to the Pope, & the two women were as resolute and Politick for atchieving of their malicious ends, as any of their Sex. Besides they had all the power and Counsell of these howse of Guise, (who swayed all France) to further their attempts. They sent great forces into Scotlād, with a number of the fiercest spirits, shrewdest pates, and best soldiers, that were amongst them; that with fire and sword they might destroy those reformers, with their posteritie, and root out the Gospell. We will trouble you but with one instance.

One Labrosse, a great Counseller, & Soldier, thought it was fittest to destroy all the nobilitie, and to billet some thousands of the French Horse upon their meanes; and as for the cominaltie to make vassals and slaves of them: his letters directed into France to this purpose were intercepted, which stirred up the state to stand for reformation, as much as for their lives. To these fierce designes the Bishops were Fyre & Bellows; witnesse, one of them in these blooddie p. 226broyls,Ep. Ambian. Buchan. rer. Scotio. lib. 10. p. 174. who railed and cursed the Soldiers, because they did not burne, rob, slay, and ravish all right downe before them. Especiallie he was vexed, that they did not murther one William Matlan, a brave Gentleman, and so good a Scholler, that he was to hard for all the learning of Sorbon: Therefore the Bishop would have the Soldiers to cut his throat, and that should be an unanswerable argument: but the Lord quenched all their fiery darts, and so strengthened the hearts, and guided the hands of the state; with the assistance of Queen Elizabeth, that they prevayled mightily against their, and Gods enemies, and never gave over the work, till they layd (as one said) the verie Coapstone of reformation.

It is true indeed, that our English Euroclydon, or sulphurious South-burning winde of Babel, together with some rotten Meteors of inclosed vapours amongst themselves, have like an earthquake shaken the howse, and uncovered the roof of it: but let us looke to it; we are the unwholesome point, from whence this infecting winde hath blowen upon them; for if we doe not, it is like not onelyonly to splitt our Ship upon the rock, but also to rent the veyle of three Kingdomes.

We could relate at large more instances, as the French, Switzers, Bohemians, Germanes, & Geneva,) who presently upon their reformation removed this ground of deformation,) but the truth is so well knowne, we should but take up time; onelyonly observe p. 227this point of reformation, observed by the Biscayns to this day, as some write: this being a Province of Spaines Dominions, the people can not endure a Lord Bishop to tread upon their ground; witnesse, that tryall that Ferdinand the Catholike made, by bringing a Bishop with him, guarding him in the midle of all his great trayn; but the people not able to endure him, the King sent him presently out of their territories, and they digged up the ground, whereon the Bishops Mule stood, and cast it into the Sea.

I recite this the rather, because it is cited by that geybing Geographer, who telleth the Puritanes;Helen. that that were a fine place for them to dwell in; but there is a better way then that, root such Bishops out of England, and it will be a finer place for the Puritans to dwell in, and let the Bishops and their favorites go make their peace with Biscay.

To conclude the point, you see (right Honourable) what other States have done for the deliverance of them, and theirs, and clearing the title of Christs Kingdome; and that with more resistance, and lesse concurrence then you shall have; therefore you shall do well at length to follow in that which is good, least they and their actions rise up against you.

p. 228The 3. and last poynt of proofe is from the reasons ingageing you to the service. We have alreadie in some Sections foregoing urged the matter from 9. severall reasons, or motives: now give us leave briefely to adde these foure: nam abundantia non nocet: Plentie is not offensive.

1. Constraynt or command is layd upon you from the word, as we conceive, namely from that place of the Proverbs, so much beaten upon. Compared with other places of Scripture;Deu. 17.12.Deut 17:12 as, thow shalt take away evill from Israell; where be pleased to observe, that everie evill (without exception) must be taken away, and the greater evill, the greater necessitie of removall, and who must doe this? onelyonly the supreame Magistrate? Not so; but also the Senate, yea every Minister, or Iudge, appointed by God, for so the word telleth us.

In divers places the Lord complaineth, yea and wondereth, that men of place stande off from the Lord in this imployment:Esa. 59.16.Isa 59:16 and when he saw there was no man, he wondered that none would offer himself, &c. Again:

cap. 63.5.I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered there was none to uphold, &c. An other Prophet to the same effect:

Eze. 22.30Ezek 22:30I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gappe, before me for the Land, p. 229that I should not destroye it, but I found none,

In all these places it is a wonder that the great Iehovah should stand wondring, that there were none to lend a hand, to the saving of the Church and common weal: that there was no Physitian to Minister one Dram to that deadlie diseased State: in the travels of the people in the wildernesse, notwithstanding of the peoples transgressions, they had Moses for a Physitian. In the promised Land, they had many good Iudges. In Eli his time, they had Samuell, and after him sundry good Kings: But at this time not one. What not one? Was there not Ieremiah, Baruch, Ezechiell, and a good remnant, that mourned in Sion, Eze. 9.9.Ezek 9:9and were marked in the forehead? Yea sure; but Ieremie was imprisoned beaten, and put in the stocks, and to Ezekiell they were as Scorpions; the greater sort, as Princes, Nobles, & Magistrates, were either like the Buls of Basan, Hos. 4.Hos 4& the King of Samaria, trampling all under foot; or like the noble men of Tekoa, they would not put their necks to the work of the Lord; Nehem. 3.5Neh 3:5or they were like the prudent Professors of these times, whose cautelousnesse Amos discovereth, that kept their silence in that time, for it was an evill time. Amos 4.13,Amos 4:13Or if there were a remnant, that could not hould their peace, but for Sions sake they must speake; they were houlden, as Lavater well observeth: Hostes Reipub. & Ecclesiae: the enemies of the Church and common weal, tumultuous and factious fellows, they are never quiet; the Land can not beare them.

p. 230The foresaid Author commenting, on Ezechiel, applyeth this to his time, and so may we to our times; for there are some of all sorts, but that the prudent in place of authoritie especiallie should keep silence, or not stand up in the gappe, that is the verie matter of the Lords wonder: for it is no wonder that the wicked in regard of their enmitie to God set their face against God, for in this they doe but their kinde; but for such as have taken Gods presse-mony, weare his liverie, given up their names to fight his battailes, and have inrouled themselves for his houshold Servants; for such (we say) to have neither hand nor tongue, for Gods cause, and the removing of Gods enemies, it is a prodigious wonder indeed. In the originall, the Lord is said to cause himself to wonder, as if he could not wonder enough. He speaketh to our capacitie, and herein taxeth our stupiditie; shall all the hoste of Hell, as Atheists, Papists, loose Libertins, Time-servers, Neutrals, Carnall Gospellers, & Hypocrites, band themselves to the desperate service of the Divell, whose end is damnation, and shall not the servants of the most high, whose wages is life eternall, lay all at the Lords foote, for the deliverie of Sion: what a wonder is this?

This threateneth (as the Lord speaketh in that place of Ezechiell) a wafling of the vineyarde; yea further a particular judgment to such as are in authoritie, and stande not up in the gappe: I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gappe p. 231before me for the Land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. Observe what followeth.

Therefore have I powred out mine indignation upon them, I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath; their owne way have I recompenced upon their owne head, saith the Lord God. Where we intreate your Honours, to observe Hieroms observation upon the place, who by the heads understandeth the Magistrates, that howsoever the Lord will destroy that nation, where there is none to take his part against the wicked, yet he will plague the heads, especially who should stand up before the Lord in the Land, to save the rest.

If for further encouragement you would be further satisfyed, to what commandement the duty should be reduced, since everie act must be warranted by a Law; we answer to the 2. commandement, which as it condemneth all unlawfull governours, and government, with all mens devises in Gods worship; so it enarmeth men of place (as Magistrates and Ministers) to abandon all counterfeit government, and superstitious worship. And so much for the first reason.

2. The 2. reason or motive added to inforce this duty upon you, is from the Kings gracious speech, at the last confirmation of the priviledges, in Parliament; wherein he did cast himselfe & the care of the state upon you; signifying, that if you had not a happie Parliament, you might blame your selves: now what happienesse p. 232can be to King or state, except ye pluck up the plants of all our unhappinesse. As a word to the wise is enough, so a word from a willing King is enough. Your actions of reformation, by supplanting of mightie evills, shall be the best comment to the Kings speeches.

Kings are not onelyonly content, but also desirous to have divers things done, that they would hardly be seen in, till they be done, and then they are willing to owne them; the reason is: they love to try what stewards of State they have, and whether they answer their places, in daring to remove the Silver from the drosse.

It is worthie the observing, that the State of Silicia presented once a petition to Caesar, against one D. Calphurnius; a lewd Favorite, and oppressing Deputie. Lucius Calphurnius, fur, latro, & maechrus est: quid tibi videtur? Calphurnius is a theef, a robber, & a hooremonger; what thinke you? To which Caesar answered no more but thus: Videtur: it seemes so; and so (as they meant to doe) they tooke an order with him, wherewith Caesar was well content.

3. The 3. reason, w…ich we adde, is taken from that use, which all the …ofessed enemies of State and Church make of this relacie, to effect their evill ends: as David said of Gol…ahs sword, there is none to that, so saith the Pope, Spaniard, & Arminian, for overturning of a State, and making havock of a Church; p. 233there is none to a Bishop, give them that: that we do not slander them, let their owne actions witnesse, wherein though we might be large, yet we will clear the proofe in one or two instances, that we may draw to an end of the Position.

When Cardinall Granvell (as we have shewed) devised to inslave, and sack the Netherlanders, by the Spanish Inquisition, the onelyonly meanes to bring it in, and to keep it on foote, was to put upon them 15. more Bishops, (making 3. Archbishops,) under pretence of better government; and for their maintenance, they turned the Abbeys into Bishopricks, to the great discontentement of all sorts of people; but what was the reason? the storie telleth us, that they might further the bringing in, & keeping up of that blooddy Inquisition; so that they were the maddest lads that could be found, for consuming Church and State, with fire and sword.

Duke de Alva, the Popes second Sonne,Meteren. 43. 45. 49. 91. 305. did establish (as we have shewed) both these Bishops, and the Inquisition; for the which Im Pius the V. sent him a rich Sword, with a hilt all of gould, and an imbroydered Hatte, decked with precious stones.

p. 234Let the projects of the Arminians serve for an other instance. Arminianisme we know is the verie Elixir of Poperie, the Mysterie of the Mysterie of Iniquitie; so fine a threed, that scarsly it can be seen, or felt: the quintessens of Equivocation: the oracle of Delph…s; the Cabinat of the Popes secret, and Spaines new-found passage for Britan, and the Low Countries. As this plaguie Comet had its matter from the a dust fierie vapours of that Popish Prelacie, so the Prelacie is meat, drinke, and apparell for the maintayning of it. Things live by the same things that they are bred off: now we have shewed and proved, that Arminianisme, and all other Schismes, and Heresies, have their rise from the Prelacie; and so by the Prelacie it must be maintained.

With this principall the Netherlands Arminians were well enough acquainted, about twelve yeare ago, when they drew to an head: and after much debating by armes and tearmes, they plainly expressed themselves, that they desired no more, but that Lord Bishops should be erected, who might set all thing in order, and keep the Church in peace; To that end they had cast their thoughts upon Vtenbogard, to be the man, who with Barnevelt should have vassalled all to their owne will; so that they knew, that peace should have beene the warre of the Church: for the Arminian, & the Antichristian Bishops, are as the Father and the Sonne relatives, which mutuallie subsist; p. 235yea the veyns and arteries of the Prelacie, caried both blood & spirits from England, and other parts, to the maintenance of the Belgick Arminianisme, the poysonable root, whereof lay lower at that time then we yet well conceive; and had so spred itself over the Low Countries, and England especiallie; that we may say of the Papists & Arminians, as the Britans said of the Danes, and the Sea: Pellunt barbari ad Mare, repellit Mare ad barbaros: We are tossed betweene the Devill, and the deepe Sea of Rome. As it is ordinarilie now; no Papist, or blancher with Papist, no Statesman; so no Arminian, no Bishop, or fatte parson.

As the Netherlanders then had best looke to it, that their monstruous Rebellions bring not back againe upon them those pragmaticall Fathers of Arminianisme, to the losse of themselves, and what they have gained; so necessitie is laid upon you the valiant men of Israell, to set both the Fathers and the Children on packing; for if all our enemies, forrain and Domistick use thē as the only fittest Instruments, to undo us; if you remove not them, the State shall be required of your hands; and the practise of the wicked shall condemne you, but we hope better things of you.

4. The 4. and last motive is this, that if the Lord awaken not your hearts, & strenghthē not your hands, to stand up before the Lord, in delivery of the Land; then it is both a cause, & a signe, that the Land is given p. 236for lost; witnesse, the fore-cited place of Ezechiell: I sought a man among them, that should stand up, &c. But I found none.

Therefore have I powred out mine indignation upon them, and have consumed them with the fire of my wrath, &c.

To this also the Prophet Ieremie beareth witnesse, where speaking of the vineyard of the Lord, they have laid it desolate or waste, Cap. 12.11.(saith he;) and being desolate, it mourneth to me, or over me; and what is the cause of this desolation, or laying waste, because no man layeth it to heart; That is: no man regardeth it, nor endevoureth to remedie it.

To the same effect, the Lord speaketh in an other place by the same Prophet:

The bellowes are burnt, the lead is consumed of the fire, the founder melteth in vain; That is to say: All paines and cost were spent upon that people in vain: what was the reason? the wicked were not taken away, that was a manifest token, that the Lord had rejected them, for they were but reprobate silver. As this is cleare from the word; so Comineus, and other great Statesmen, giveth this for an unfallible token of ensuing ruine, when none standeth up to deliver a State from the inbred devouring enemies of it.

p. 237But some among us besotted insecuritie; may possibly reply: you are very peremptorie, ye are no Prophets; God is not so readie to destroy, as everie Hotspure out of the pulpit, or every prognosticating Scribler would make him to be; and if destruction do come, it may be we shall never see it; or if it come in our time, we can shift for our selves, as well as others.

For answer, the more warning the Lord giveth from the mouthes of his Messengers, or from the pennes of his Clerks, the nigher hand is destruction: Further we desire those Shifters, to take notice what the Lord saith to them by the Prophet Amos:C. 9.10. v. All the sinners of my people shall dye by the sword, which say the evill shall not overtake nor prevent us.

Others will reply, God hath taken off some of our arch-enemies, and will not he in their destruction establish our preservation? Yea sure, as hath been said, if we had hearts to follow home the blow; but otherwise as the Lord gave us such in wrath, so he may justly take them away in wrath, & give us worse in their stead.

If we make not verie good use of Gods execution, & do for God, as he hath done for us; he may justly deal with us, as he dealt with Iudah,Ier. 28.13.Jer 28:13 when the yoke of wood is broken, he may make us one of yron.

p. 238A third sort will object, though our Land hath all signes & symptoms of a deadly disease; yet we are the Lords owne people, and he will be our Physitian to heal us, according to his promise, Exod. 15.26.

For answer, we must looke so to the performance of the condition, that we may chalenge the promise: If thow wilt diligently hearken to the voyce of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give eare to his commandements, and keep all his statutes, then will I put none of those diseases upon thee, &c. For I am the Lord that healeth thee, or thy Physitian.

But if they will not heare and obey, then he threateneth most of all, to punish them: who ever scape they shall not escape; witnesse, his owne mouth, by the Prophet Amos:

Cap. 3.2.You onelyonly have I knowne of all the families of the Earth: therefore I will punish you, for all your iniquities.

And it must be so, because they most dishonour God; they cause the wicked to blaspheme; they grieve the Spirit in the Godlie; and they leave the Land destitute of all defence.

Some yet will further reply, there are many sincere and upright in the Land, who keep themselves from the evill of their owne hearts, and the iniquitie of the p. 239times; yea they mourne for the sinnes of Sion.

For answer, 1. They shew not themselves in their places, zealous of Gods glorie, contending for the trueth, Ierem. 5.1.Jer 5:1they are not men in the streets, (as the Prophet speaketh) they do not quitte themselves fullie of these men, and things that are most offensive to God.

2. If there be a few that by self-denyall have laid downe themselves, and all that they have at the foote of the Lords cause; are they not counted as signes & wonders; and left alone to the destroyer, as a Ships mast upon the top of the mountane? who comes forth to help them against the mightie?

3. All the mourners in Sion shall have their life for a prey, which may well content them; but if the great and Maister-evill be not taken away from Israell. It standeth not with Gods honour, nor the zeall of the truely bred; that the Lord for them should still spare a nation; who spareth and maintaineth that evill, that he most hateth.

To come to a conclusion of the point, we beseech you (right Honourable) againe and againe, and that by the mercies of the eternall God: If there be in you any zeall to his glorie, any faith to your Countrie, any love to your Souveraigne; any compassion on your families, and us, any looking for consolation; that you take away the drosse from the silver; so shall we have a p. 240refined vessel. We are bould to use to you the words of the Prophet Ieremie: Behould we set before you the way of life, and the way of death: Therefore doe the Lords work, and ye shall live. These fiftie yeares, and upward, the Lord hath pleaded by his agents, at the bar of your Parliament, for his owne priviledges, against the intrusion of the Hierarchie, yet he could never have right, yea scarse a good hearing; it is time to looke to it, and to give sentence on his side; for if he be forced to take the matter into his owne hand, he will first cast the state over the bar, and then slay those that would not have him to raigne over them.

Looke stedfastlie upon these things. All lyeth at stake. You are the ordinarie meanes, or none we see to redeeme them. At anie rate (then) strike neither at great nor small, but at these troublers of Israell.

Smite that Hazaell in the fifth ribbe: Yea if Father or Mother stand in the way, away with them; (we beseech you,) Nam potius pereat vnus quam vnita…: Make rather a rotten Tree fall, then that the rotting droppes thereof should kill the Sheep.

The meanes whereby our deliverance from this evill may be wrought, shall be discovered in the handling of the last Position. And so much for this point.