The Deprived and Silenced Ministers Arguments, Argument 18 – Answer 19
XVII. ARGVMENT.
TO conclude therefore, whilſt ye hauehave time, and whileſt it is called to day, feare that ye ſhal never hereafter hauehave the like time and oportunitie that now ye hauehave: and therefore as Bathſheba ſaid to her moſt princely ſonne Lemuell, Open thy mouth for the dumme, and in the cauſe of all the children of deſtruction, open thy mouth: iudge righteouſly, and iudge the afflicted and the poore. Pro. 31.8.9. So ſay I, to all them that by their place may any way do good to the Church of God, and to any afflicted and poore members thereof. Yea, as the ſaid Queene Bathſheba ſaith before, giuegive yee ſtrong drinke, to him that is ready to periſh, and wine vntounto them that hauehave griefe of heart, that he may drinke, and forget his povertie, and remember his miſerie no more, Pro. 31.6.7. So I doe wiſh all them that are of any authoritie, or in any place of grace and favour, eſpecially this preſent high Court of Parliament, to giuegive a plentiful boll of the ſtrong drinke of their comfortable favour, yea an whole flagon ful of the wine of their grace, that they that are now poore, and hauehave bin long heavy harted for thea)Beging of the Queſtion. Let the ſuppliants looke into themſelues and bevvaile the corruptions they ſhall ſee there. corruptiōs & ruins of Syon & that in the greif of their hearts are ready to periſh, may drink ſo deeply therof, that they may forget their poverty, and remēber their miſery no more. Iob ſaid, that he had not contēned the iudgmēt of his ſervāt, neither of his maide, when they contē ded with him. Iob. 31.13. How much leſſe thē is theb)Impudent begging the Queſtion. iudgment of the miniſters of the goſpel, yea, of the mother 06 of vsus al (the Church of God) yea, of God himſelf, of Chriſt Ieſus, of the holy Angels, of our ſelues & our poſterity, & finally of king and kingdom (as hath bin ſhewed) to be neglected? As Hamā ſaid of the Iewes to Ahaſhueroſh, that they were a people ſcattered & diſperſed among the people in al provinces of his kingdome, having lawes divers from all people, and not obſerving the Kings lawes, and that therfore it was not for the Kings profite to ſuffer thē. Eſter. 3.8. So I am not ignorant that theſe miniſters of the Goſpell. of whom I hauehave now in theſe Arguments made ſo often mention, arecAnd that iuſtly, if you meane the ſtate of the Church. charged as enimies to the ſtate, perturbers of the Church, ſeditious, ſchiſmaticall &c.
But if it were lawfull and free for theſe men to expostulate with the ſtate touching the former matters, as David did with the Lords annoynted Saule, they might not onelyonly ſay with David Wherefore do ye giuegive eare to mens words, that ſay, behold David ſeeketh evill againſt you? 1. Sam. 24.10. But they might alſo plead their innocency, as David doth his, verſe. 12. Vnderſtand and ſee, that there is neither evil, nor wickedneſſe in vsus, neither hauehave wee ſinned againſt you. But in the meane time, this they may boldly ſay, that as the former hath bin an old accuſation in all ages, even againſt the beſt friends of the Church and ſtate, ſo it is anſwered by the D. King in his 42. lecture vponupon Ionas, pag. 171. out of Auguſtine, that ſuch accuſations are rather by confiction then by conviction. And therefore as our moſt gratious Queene of moſt happie memory Queene Elizabeth, before ſhe was Queene, in her distreſſe, in the dayes of Queene Mary, wrot with her Diamond in a glaſſe window at Woodſtocke.
Much ſuſpected by me,
Nothing proved can be.
EvendNot ſo. ſo may theſe men both ſpeake and write, the ſame of themſelues.
As for ſucheAn vniuſt calumnie. accuſers as are alwayes provoking all men, eſpecially Princes, and Nobles againſt them, I wiſh them to take heed of that fearefull curſſe, wherwith fAs if Dauids caſe and the Schiſmaticall Miniſters were the ſame.David curſed thoſe children of men before the Lord, that had ſturred vp Saule againſt him, and that by that meanes had caſt him out from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, ſaying go ſerue other Gods, 1 Sam 26.19. For my part, I pray that God may giuegive them a better minde, that ſo they may rather be the bleſſed of the Lord.
Touching other alſo that hauehave beene, or are forward, ingIn obeying the Superiot Magiſtrate, & executing Iuſtice. ſilencing, depriving, or otherwiſe moleſting of miniſters, for omiſſion of Ceremonies, not obſerving the booke of Common prayer in that ſtrict manner that they doe vrge the ſame, and for other conformitie, (though in other things they doe and cannot but iuſtifie them) I am ſo farre from wiſhing the leaſt evill vntounto them, that I doe heartely praye the Lord (who hath the hearts of all in his handes) to worke ſuch a gratious change in them, that they may by all meanes as much further the worke of God, as by their former dealing they hauehavehFalſe. hindred the ſame. That ſo they may hauehave all true honor in this life, and bee eternally bleſſed in the life to come. Finally concerning our moſt gracious Soveraigne, I hauehave prayed, I doe pray, and whileſt I liue I will pray for him, as Salomon prayed for himſelfe, 1. Kings 2.45. Let King Iames be bleſſed, and let his throne bee ſtabliſhed before the Lord for ever: yea, ſo I pray the Lord to bleſse him, with our Noble Queene, and all their Royall iſſue, that their earthly kingdome being ended, they may hauehave the heavenly, and there raigne with Chriſt Ieſus the King of Kings for ever, and ever. To this prayer, Let all the people ſay, Amen.
Reſolution of the 18. Argument.
The high Court of Parliament is bound ſpeedily to open their mouth for the dumbe, to iudge righteouſly, to iudge the afflicted and the poore, to give ſtrong wine to him that is ready to periſh; and not to contemne the iudgement of the meanest Subiect.
Ergo. They are bound, ſpeedily to reſtore the Refractarie Miniſters.
ANSWER.
1. THis Argument is parallel, & the very ſame with the 8. Argument before, and is there anſwered.
2. In one word. I grant the Antecedent, and deny the Conſequence; becauſe the Refractarie Miniſters are not ſuch, as be ſpecified in the Antecedent, as is often declared before.
3, The Errour is, foreign.Alſo, foreign.