The Deprived and Silenced Ministers Arguments, To the reader
To the Chriſtiana)What here is pretended to the Reader in generall, is indeed ſpecially intended and directed vntounto the Parliament: as appeareth towards the latter end of this firſt Paragraph. Reader, Honorable, Worſhipfull. &c.
TOuching theſe arguments following, my humble petition to theb)This pretence vntounto the Chriſtian Reader, is becauſe they wold not ſeeme to be petitioners vntounto the Parliament. Chriſtian reader (of whatſoeuer ſort and condition) is this, that they may not be taken as proceeding from one ſuſpecting any religious Noble man or Gentleman of the Parliament houſe, but rather from one as with all thanks to God, acknowledging the godly forwardneſſe of many in both houſes, ſo alſo earneſtly deſiring to quicken the zeale of the beſt, and to provoke all other, to take the cauſe heere handled to heart, not onelyonly as the cauſe of poore diſtreſſed men, but as the cauſe of God; yea to accompt it alſo thec)The Suppliants make the profeſſion of the Goſpell & all Religion, to conſiſt in refuſing cap, ſurplice, croſſe, &c Great crie little wooll. maine cauſe of the whole land, of your ſelues and all your poſteritie, and therefore to preferre the ſame (according to the dayly moſt godly prayer of your ſelues, in your houſe of Parliament) before al other cauſes whatſoeuer, either concerning any particular perſons, or the whole common wealth.
Whereas I hauehave perſwaded them to whom I hauehave directed theſe reaſons, to vſe all meanes they may for the doing of any good; I deſire that my wordes may not be vncharitablie conſtrued, of any other meanes then ſuch, as are ſutable to the cauſe, viz. of good honeſt, lawfull, peaceable and agreeable to eueryevery mans calling. The like charitable conſtruction I craue of any other wordes, which ſome perhaps may maliciouſly wreſt againſt my ſelfe and the cauſe.
Whereas alſo ſome may ſeeme to pretend feare of his moſt excellent Maieſtiesd)As if his Maieſty wold be diſpleaſed, if any promoted a religious or honeſt cauſe. A malepert & preſumptuous (if not diſloyal) Cenſure. diſpleaſure to hinder their zeale and courage, ſuch I intreat to conſider, how diſhonourable (if not diſloyall) it is in good cauſes to feare the diſpleaſure of a Prince, who beſides his moſt Chriſtian education from his infancy, hathe)I know not whereto all his whole paragraph tenddeth if the Suppliants deeme not his Maieſty to hauehave forſaken his firſt louelove and to hauehave reuolted from Religion, at leaſt in ſhevv for a time. long time publikly giuen ſo many worthy teſtimonies of his piety and godlineſſe. LoueLove thinketh no evill of any, much leſſe of ſuch a Chriſtian Prince. It beleeueth all, and hopeth all of eueryevery brother, much more of a religious King. It is the glory of a King not only to finde out the ſecrets of other, but alſo ſometime to conceale his own. Therfore it is not meete by preſēt words or deedes, (whereof ſometime there may bee a deepe reaſon) alwaies to iudge of the mind. Iehu pretended one thing (when he proclaimed a ſacrifice for Baal) but hee intended another: Ioſeph a long time dealt roughly (both in word and deede) with his brethren yet in the end he ſhewed himſelfe moſt louing and kinde vntounto them. Our Sauiour (for the triall of the woman of Canaan) ſeemed a long time to repel her ſute, for her daughter, firſt by ſilence, 2. by a ſharpe reprehenſion of his diſciples, petitioning in her behalfe: and 3. by a more ſharp anſwer to her ſelfe. At the laſt notwithſtanding, he did moſt graciouſly open the treaſures of his rich compaſsion towards her, and ſent her away with aboundant comfort. Conſtantius the Father of Conſtantine the Great (as Euſebius reporteth, lib. 1. de vita Conſtantini, cap. 11.) at his firſt entrance into the Empire, made ſolemne proclamation, that all which f)A malicious vncharitable, & vnchriſtian allegation, to be applied vntounto the whole ſtate (that loyally obey his Maieſty) eſpecially his Nobles, and Seruants. See the Anſwer.ſerued him in his court, ſhould either worſhip Devills, (after the manner of the Heathen) or giuegive ouer their places of dignity and honour, and ſo to be baniſhed from his court. But by this meanes when he had tryed them that were faithfull, then (to the farre greater honour of his Princely wiſedome and piety, than if he had plainely and ſimply at the firſt profeſſed the Chriſtian religion) He diſgraced thoſe that had ſo reuolted from God, and rebuked them with a moſt Princely and religious rebuke, ſaying, That they were Traytors to GOD, and vnworthy the ſeruice of an Emperour. For how (quoth he) can they keepe faith vnuiolate towards the Emperour, which are manifeſtly conuinced to be vnfaithfull to the moſt excellent and mighty God.
On the contrarie, thoſe that for conſcience had forſakē their places, and giuen ouer their honors, he moſt highly graced, as thoſe that would be faithfull to the Emperour, becauſe they had beene ſo vntounto God: yea, he pronounced them worthy to be reckoned among the chiefe and principall friends of the Emperour, and to be worthily much more eſteemed then Treaſuryes full of great riches. Therefore alſo he preferred ſome of them to ſpeciall attendance vponupon his owne perſon, and other ſome hee aduanced to the chiefe gouernement of the Empire vnderunder himſelfe.
I leaue the g)For if they had particularly applyed theſe things, their malice had bin the more manifeſtapplication of theſe things. OnelyOnly I wiſh ſuch conſideration of them, that men may not bee raſh (vponupon any ſuppoſed apparences) to iudge Chriſtian Princes, eſpecially who in former times hauehave many wayes teſtified their ſincere religion: yea I wiſh leſſe cenſuring h)No bolder and ſecurer cenſurers of al ſorts and degrees of men vnderunder the cope of heauen, then theſe ſingular and ſelfe conceipted Refractaries.of them, and more earneſt praying for them in ſecret, before him that ſeeeth in ſecret and hath promiſed to reward openly: yea as Dauid bleſſed the Lord God of Iſraell, and the counſell of Abigail, and Abigail her ſelfe, for keeping him from ſheading innocent blood, 1. Sam. 25.32. &c. ſo (to omit what i)How prodigall they are of the Kings thankes!thankes you may hauehave from his excellent Maieſty) who alſo knoweth, how euen they, that for the preſent do moſt reſiſt the matters hereafter pleaded for, will in the end bleſſe God and your counſell, and your ſelues, for ſtaying them from their proceeding in their hard courſes againſt k)An euident ſlander of the State: as if notorious & manifeſt Schiſme were the Miniſtery of the Goſpell.the miniſtery of the Goſpell, and the ſaluation of the people depending thereupon?
Finally, albeit I could hauehave added many other arguments to theſe that I hauehave here written for the further whetting of the zeale of thoſe to whom theſe cauſes principally appertaine yet ſeeing theſe doe ariſe to ſuch a l)Is a triobolar Pamphlet ſuch a huge quantity or volume? It might ſeeme the pen-man of this Supplication was the worthy Author of many of the late two leand Libels.quantity: I thought it beſt to ſpare the further paynes of my ſelfe, and of the reader: hoping that theſe which I hauehave written ſhall be ſufficient ſo to kindle the zeale of them that louelove the Lord Ieſus and his trueth, that they ſhalbe ſo full of matter (as m)Such preſumptuous & ſelfe conceipted Elibues are theſe malcontent Miniſters, who take vponupon them to inſtruct ſuch as be wiſer then themſelues. Vide Gregorin hunc locum.Elihu ſpeaketh of himſelfe) Iob. 32.19. that their ſpirit within them, ſhall compell them, and that their bellies ſhall be as the wine which hath no vent, and like the new bottels that burſt, that ſo they may ſpeake to take breath, and open their lips, for anſwer of them (if any ſuch do ſhew themelues) that do oppugne, or ſhall oppugne the ſincere miniſtery of the Goſpell. In which hope I commend them to God, and to the word of his Grace.