An Apology for the Nonconformists Ministry, Treatise · Part 2

An Apology for the Nonconformists Ministry · Treatise · Part 2

p. 186Reasons why the Conformable Clergy should be desirous of their Brethrens Ministerial liberty, that cannot Conform, as is now required.

1. YOU ought to be better acquainted with the Common state of peoples Souls, and the great necessity of Teaching in the Land, than Parliaments or Magistrates can be expected to be, who converse not with the people about their everlasting hopes, as your calling bndeth you to do. And you are obliged also to a double zeal, for the Kingdom of Christ and mens Salvation; As you still profess a zeal for the Church, when Revenues, Power or Ceremonies are the things in question. And men that have acquaintance with the Common state of Souls, cannot chuse but know, how insufficient they are of themselves without help, for so great a work among such multitudes, and what need most Parishes have of more than one (much more of one). If the Shepherds themselves should either be so ignorant, as to think that their ignorant Parishes need no more help than one man is able to afford to many thousands, or hundreds of Souls; and that the labours of others may be spared, because that which they do themselves is enough; or if they should be so proud, and strangers to themselves, as not be conscious of their single insufficiency, and the defectiveness of their own endeavours, and their need of help; or if they should have no more care of Souls, than to let them be untaught, or be deprived of such helps as God hath provided for them, rather than such as we should assist them; how unhappy will the people be that have such Pastors? and how unhappy will they find themselves at last? It will be woful enough to be charged at the last day, with the neglect of Souls; much more with the hindering of their Salvation, or being unwilling that other men should help them.

2. It hath in all ages been the way of Malignant enemies of Christ and Godliness, to hinder, silence or oppose the Preachers of the Gospel: Therefore if you do that which such men use to do, you will hardly ever escape being taken for such your selves by the people. For though you can distinguish your selves out of the p. 187guilt, if you be your own Judges, and can say that you silence not the Preachers of the Gospel, but the Schismaticks, the Nonconformist, that feareth Oaths, and Subscriptions, and Ceremonies; yet the Wits of the vulgar are too dull to feel the strength of such subtile distinctions. If your Ax was used but to kill the Fly that sate on his forehead, yet if the man dye of the blow, the foolish people will say that you kill'd the Man. If a High-way-man take a mans Purse, and say, I took it from him, not because he is an honest man, but because he is Rich, and I am poor; yet the grosswitted people will accuse him for robbing an honest man. If you should forbid half the Work-men in London to labour in re-building the City, and say you do it not to hinder the building, but because they durst not take the Corporation-Oath, or use a Ceremony; yet the Citizens that cannot distinguish, will think that you hinder the building for all that. If you would cashiere a considerable part of the Kings Army when they should go fight against the enemy, and say you do it only because they refused to wear any Colours besides the Generals, lest he should be offended, when perhaps the Chaplains impose other Colours on them also of their own, the dull-headed people would think for all that, that you were enemies to the Kings service, and should have punished them otherwise, without punishing the whole Army of the King.

And if the people take you for Malignant Enemies of the Gospel and Godliness which you preach, they will give you but little comfort in your Ministry, and they will receive but little profit from it. I speak not upon surmises, but that which I foretold you long ago, and that which now I have sad experience of: Before I and many hundred more were silenced, I found my self capable of perswading my old Hearers to some good opinion of you, and to incline them to come as near you as was possible: But since then, I have lost my power in that point: They are more averse to Communion with you than ever. The name of a Bishop is quite another thing in their ears, than it was before. All the interest that I have in them, and all the means that I could use, I am confident will never reconcile them to you more, till your own good works and merits reconcile them. They had before hard thoughts and fears of Bishops, because they heard how many Ministers they had silenced; But when they see and feel it, their apprehensions are deeper of such matters than before. And if we talk to them against experience and sense, we talk in vain: If we tell them that p. 188you are their Superiors, and must be reverenced; and they say, so are the Prelates and Inquisitors to the people of Spain; who are worthy of fear, but not of Love, they think they have answered us. If we tell them that you are of the same Christian Religion with us, and do all that you do for Order and Decency, and preach the Gospel your selves, though you are against our Preaching: If they reply to us, Tell us not of their sheep-skins, but see whether they have not claws and fangs, and see whether there be no blood upon their teeth! they think they have silenced our Charity by the reply. If we tell them that you are the Fathers and Rulers of the Church; and they bid us see whether you take not away the Childrens bread, and give them not a stone? and whether the Churches Lights be not put under a bushel? and whether they are snuffed or put out? We can give them no answer, which they will take for satisfaction in spite of their senses and experience. Of all the people that are and have been against Bishops in my days, I profess I knew not one of twenty, forty or an hundred, that was against them for their Order sake, as the disputing☞ Presbyterians and Independents are, but for their Works sake: Alas, it is not one of an hundred that now dislike you, that ever studied any such controversie, whether Episcopacy be Jure divino or not; or whether they differ from Presbyters Ordine vel Gradu: But when they find their Ministers silenced, as Schismaticks, and reviled as the odious part of the Land, whom they have tryed and known by long experience, to be able, godly, faithful men; this is it that maketh them cry down Bishops. I find among all my sober acquaintance, that the name of Usher, Hall, Davenant, and many more Bishops is venerable with them, because they think they were good men. But judging by experience, is a disease that the people will never by all your Logick be cured of: Their weakness is such, that whatever flyeth away with the Chicken, they will call a Kite, and will not believe that it was a Dove! And whatever teareth the Lambs, they will call it a Dog or a Fox, and will not believe that it was a Sheep.

And indeed Malignity is so heinous a sin, that no Christian should too easily smile upon it. Sensuality turneth a man into a Beast; but Malignity into a Devil. He therefore that would not be accounted such, must neither do as they do, nor that which is so like it, that none can distinguish them, but those that borrow the Agents spectacles. If you had only made a Canon, that we p. 189shall be silenced when ever we Preach Heresie (though you had denied us a first and second admonition), or else when we Preach Treason, Sedition, or Schism, the people would have justified you! But if you will say, Cross a child▪ or subscribe that we have not mistaken a word in all these three books, &c. or else you shall not preach the Gospel of Salvation, nor labour to save the peoples Souls, nor perswade them to think on the life to come: they will presently remember such Texts as these, 1 Thess. 2. 15, 16. They have persecuted us: they please not God, and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway; for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost, Acts 4. 2, &c.

3. Experience assureth us, that from the beginning of the Church, to this present day, Christ never gave too many able faithful Ministers to his Church: Supernumeraries of such were never its disease, nor the amputation of them its cure. There is still need of the Lords-prayer, Thy Kingdom come; And, Pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers, &c. That man is but a Christian or a Pastor in jest, and Image, and not in earnest and reality, who thinketh that the Pastors now allowed are so sufficient for the great employment of the Ministry, that more are but supernumerary, and the rest may be spared, without any detriment to the souls of men. Even in the Apostles age of Miraculous gifts, Dr. Hammond thinketh the Pastors were so scarce, that every Episcopal Church had no more than one Bishop, with some Deacons, without ever a Subject-Presbyter; And that there was de facto, none of the Order of subject-Presbyters in Scripture-times, (And so think all the Presbyterians too). And it is a notorious truth, that afterwards the Presbyters were so low in abilities, that publick preaching in the Church, was mostly used by the Bishops only. And many Countries have lost the Gospel for want of Preachers: And wherever ignorance and prophaneness have broken in upon the Church (as the Greeks, Abassines, Armenians, Moscovites, Papists, and too many Protestant Churches), it hath commonly been by the decay of able, godly, faithful Pastors: And if one City or Parish of ten thousand have had too many, their near neighbours have so much wanted them, that they could not be esteemed supernumerary. And in England there are few Parishes which need not helps, even where the ablest men are placed, much more where—Is it seasonable then, or doth it answer the Will or Providence of p. 190to call in so many, when the Church hath always had too few?

4. The punishment which you inflict upon the Ministers, doth fall a thousand times more heavily on the souls of the innocent people, who without being accused, or speaking for themselves in a Legal trial, have so great a penalty inflicted on them, as none but a believer that judgeth of things in reference to Eternity, is able to estimate a right.

Alas! to the Preacher the suffering is small, in comparison of the peoples! What if they live poorly! what if they want house, or clothes, or bread! How small a matter is that in comparison of the want of knowledg and faith, of grace and salvation? I confess their sufferings will cost them dear that are the true cause, (when Christ condemns those that do not relieve them): But to themselves it is no such dreadful business: Nay if they were but discharged in conscience from the Ministerial Office, most of them might live in much more peace and plenty in the world. There are many other Callings to betake themselves to, in which they might live quietly, and not be as the Hare before the Hunters, pursued from place to place with cryes, as if they that will imitate Paul in labours, must bear also his reproach, as pestilent fellows, and movers of sedition among the people; that do contrary to the decrees of Cesar, and turn the world upside down Yea, many are already turned Physicians; and they have better words, and kinder usage.

But every man that hath the eyes of a Christian in his head, and seeth what the people of England, VVales, and Ireland are, for members and for quality, and seeth and heareth also what Ministers for number and quality do instruct them, doth know as certainly that many hundred thousand souls do wofully need more Ministerial helps, as he knoweth that five hundred Scholars do need more than one School-master, or five hundred sick men need more than one Physician. But O what a plague is it to the Church and World, to have Ministers who when they read of the necessity of knowledg, holiness, and salvation, do neither believe Christ nor themselves! Argue not the people into such hard thoughts of you, as if this were your case, by perswading them that it is no matter whether their souls have any more Ministerial helps than now is given them.

Either you believe that where the Gospel is hid, it is hid to them that are lost, and that the cure of gross ignorance, hardheartedness, unbelief, and sensuality, are of necessity to salvation, p. 191or not. If not, deal openly, and silence both your selves and us. If yea, then either you know how these maladies abound in the people, and how much labour the cure doth usually cost, or not. If not, then take not on you to be Pastors or English men, or competent Judges of any of the peoples cases and concernments, but confess that these are matters that you are strangers to. But if you do know this, then I need to say no more to you, but to desire you to fuppose that soul-necessities are not the less because men complain not of them; but greatest where there is the greatest insensibility and contentedness with them. The Turks and Heathens cry not out for the help of Christian Pastors. The worldling, drunkard, and fornicator, is most miserable, that would have no reproof or help. Suppose therefore that their necessities are instead of cryes, and that you hear them calling to you for help: O pity the many hundred thousand souls that are drowned in ignorance, unbelief, insensibility, worldliness, and sensuality, that are utter strangers to that life of faith, and love, and holiness, without which none can please or see God; and must quickly be converted and made new creatures, or they are lost for ever. Or suppose that their necessities being their complaints, you heard them expostulating with you for their souls: O take not from us that means which God by Nature and by his Institution hath made so needful to our salvation! Alas, our ignorance, and deadness, and worldly-mindedness, and fleshly affections, are too hardly cured by all the best means and diligence that can be used: what shall we do then, if you deprive us of that which we have enjoyed! Alas! say not that the reading of the Scriptures, and a few lifeless notes of a Sermon will serve turn: We confess that it should do so, if our disease were so light as to need no more; the thing it self is good, and every word of God is precious; but it is the nature of our disease to be read asleep, and hardned in our sins by the customary hearing of a few good words in a sleepy saying tone: It is the skilful choice of pertinent Truths, convincingly and clearly uttered, and closely applied with life and seriousness, that our case requireth: We confess, that if a School-boy, or a raw ignorant youth from the University, did but read a chapter, or say over a less pertinent cento of good words, we should be moved and converted by it. But our disease is deadness, darkness and disaffection to holiness, to God and Heaven; and liveliness, deceit, and love to the p. 192world and fleshly things; and without a miracle these will not be cured, nor our souls be saved, without lively, clear, and affectionate preaching, agreeable to the sacred Truth delivered; nor without the help of prudent conduct, and the constant watchfulness of tender love, and the example of a holy heavenly life. O therefore pity our miserable souls, that must be saved now by the Gospel of salvation, or be damned to everlasting fire. You tell us so your selves; and if you would have us believe you; shew us that you believe your selves. You speak for good works, and what better works than the saving of mens souls! And how shall we hear without a Preacher? O give us such for number and quality, as will imitate Paul, Act. 20. that covet no mans silver and gold, but will teach us publickly and from house to house, day and night with tears; that will be instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with all long suffering and doctrine, in meekness instructing even opposers of the faith, much more the tender children of him who is the father of mercies. Alas! we have enemies enow, the Devil, and the World, and the Flesh, are enemies of our faith, and holiness, and salvation; and we are the greatest enemies to our selves: be not you also our enemies and destroyers, who call your selves our Pastors and our Fathers. Think what it is for such a multitude of souls to be shut out of heaven for ignorance, unbelief, impenitency and ungodliness, and to lye in hell for ever; and how little comfort it will be to us in our torments, to be told that the Order and Decency of Church-affairs did require it; or that it was necessary to preserve the interest of the Diocesans. O make not such merchandize of our souls. Christ purchased them with his blood: Do not you sell them for thirty pieces of silver. He scourged the buyers and sellers out of his Temple; do not you drive out the faithful Preachers. He overthrew the tables of the money-changers; do not you overthrow the doctrine, discipline, or Table of the Lord. He came from Heaven into flesh to seek and save those that were lost; do not you contrive and labour to famish and destroy them. He gave them his flesh and blood for food; do not you devour their flesh and blood. He preached in Ships, and Mountains, and Wildernesses, and Houses, to many, and to few; to rich and poor, to ignorant women, and the meanest and the worst among the people; do not you think then that to read to us those words which we can every day read at home, p. 193or to make a formal speech to us once a week, is enough to cure such souls as ours. There is joy among the Angels of God in heaven over one sinner that repenteth! O do not you rejoyce to hinder the preaching of Repentance unto thousands! Christ set up a Ministry, to preach the Gospel to every creature under heaven, and to teach them whatever he hath commanded, even to the end of the world! Do not you contradict him, and say, Preach not! Kick not against the pricks! Wo to him that striveth with his Maker! Who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? The saving of Souls is too good a work for any that is good to strive against! And Christs Ministers are workers together with him, and not against him. If you take away from our mouths the bread of life, it will be cold comfort, and a poor relief to us in our misery in hell, to tell us that they were pestilent fellows, and ringleaders of a sect, that would have saved us; that is, that they were not conformable to your Subscription, Oath and Ceremonies. Suppose them to be in the wrong, and you in the right! Why must our Souls be left to damnation, because our Teachers think that a sin, which you think you your selves have made a duty? Shall not the soul that sinneth dye? If they have eaten sowr grapes, why must our teeth be set on edge? If he be mistaken that thinks that it is aggravated Lying and Perjury which he refuseth, which you say is but a thing indifferent, yet Christ is not to be blamed for that: And why shall the fire of his kindling be quenched, his gifts be suspended, his Gospel hindered, his redeemed ones forsaken, because some of his Ministers were, as you thought, too fearful of offending him?

O hear these expostulations of miserable Souls, before you are speechless under the Expostulations of the tender Saviour of Souls?

5. You have other punishments enough, besides forbidding them to preach Christs Gospel, whereby to be revenged on Nonconformity. Is their fearing an Oath a greater sin than prophane swearing? If not, let us pay at the same rates for not swearing, and for not disobliging all others from a Vow, as swearers do by the Law for every Oath. And we will not desire you to execute the Laws as seldom on us, as they are executed on them; which is not, I think, for one Oath of Twenty thousand? Or are we worse than drunkards, or fornicators? If not, punish us no worse than they are punished? Are we worse than petty thieves? If not, let p. 194us be put in the stocks and whipt, as Paul and Silas were▪ so we may but preach Christs Gospel? Or if we are as bad as felons, allow us our Clergy, and burn us in the hand, use us as Prin, Bastwick and Burton were used on the Pillory, so you will not hinder us from preaching to sinners, the word of salvation. Or put us in the House of Correction, and use us as the Israelites were used in Egypt, rather than forbid us to labour to save the peoples Souls? Can your profound understandings find no way to punish a man that feareth Lying, Perjury, and false Worship (suppose mistakingly), which will consist with such intermission and liberty as is necessary to the doing of our Masters work? The servants of the King and Parliament are priviledged from arrests and molestation, which would hinder them from their necessary duty: We crave no impunity for our sins above the basest subjects in the Land! We will be thankful to be under no severer usage, than Colliers, and Bargemen, and Seamen, and begging Rogues and Vagabonds have; yea constrain us to beg our bread in rags from door to door, rather than restrain us from doing the work to which in our Ordination we are devoted, and by the belief of a life to come, obliged. Have all other faults more suitable punishments, save only those of the Ministers of Christ? You can punish your child, without forbidding him to love you or obey you: you can punish a School-boy otherwise than by forbidding him to learn; and a Master, otherwise than by forbidding him to teach; and your Servant, otherwise than by forbidding him to work; and Eighteen hundred scrupulous Physicians, otherwise than by forbidding them to help the sick. Deal not worse with Christ and Souls.

But if still you say, that there is no other way to save mens souls from our false doctrine, or false worship, or any other danger which our Ministry will bring upon them; We still answer you, Make Canons and Laws against false Doctrine, or against Seditious, Rebellious, Schismatical, or other intollerable Preaching, or against Idolatrous, or superstitious Worship, or against either Tyranny or omission of Church-discipline, or against a worldly, fleshly, idle, or otherwise vicious life; and let us be lyable to the penalty of those Laws, as others are. But the next shall further answer this.

6. It is a most certain thing that your method will not attain the Churches Edification, Unity or Concord, but is the directest way to subvert all these: No nor your own establishment, or honour p. 195in the world, if that be it which you mean still, by the Interest of the Church. And why should any men use a means that will subvert, and will never attain his ends? Did you know this, you would never chuse or use it. But I perceive you do not, and for ought I see you will not know it. I shall give you those reasons that should make you know it, if you have but the understanding of ordinary men; supposing what is distinctly said in the Propositions.

Every wise man in the use of means, will both foresee the probable effect, and fore resolve how far to carry them on. Either you think that your silencing, and other hard usages of the Ministers, shall convince and change them, or disable and destroy them. The former I have shewed you is a most vain surmise: For, 1. Kindness is more forcible to change the judgment; than violence and hard usage. This useth oftener to set men in opposition to what a hurtful adversary reasoneth for. It is seldom that an enemies words convert. Opposition rather kindleth an opposing zeal.

2. You may partly conjecture by your selves. If you thought it were Lying, Perjury and false Worship which was imposed on you, would you change your judgment, by threatnings or by punishments? There is nothing in force to illuminate the mind. If you say, It will tame their obstinacy, and make them hearken more to reason, I answer as before: It most powerfully exciteth those prejudices and passions, which hinder reason, though it may promote hypocrisie in some.

3. And experience telleth you and all the world, that you are mistaken: We read the same books out of a prison, as in it (if there we may have them): And what abundance of Ministers▪ within these ten years, have come out of long imprisonment in the same mind as they went in (yea much confirmed). But who can you name that came out convinced that his way was wrong? How long have they suffered, not only poverty and reproach, but that silencing which they account a greater evil? And yet how few are changed by all this (For the Novel-Politicians talk of a hundred men that continue to displease you, is but a means to tell the world, how exactly your Actions and Historical Narratives agree, and what posterity must expect from the later, as well as we from the former).

4. But if 9 or 10 years experience be too little for you, look back to the experience of all the world. Your Bishop Taylor, and p. 196many of your own, can tell you, how opposition inflameth the opposed party into a greater zeal.

5. In a word, I know not only my self, but so many of the Nonconformable Ministers of England, that I utterly despair that even silencing or imprisonment should change their judgments.

2. The next question then is, Whether it will make them hypocrites, and force them to go against their judgments? And this I am as confident it will never do with the most: 1. Because I know so many of them to be truer to God and to their Consciences. 2. Because experience also long evinced this. 3. And so hath the experience of former ages, in such as they: some have still shrunk in a time of suffering: But enow have suffered to fill up such Volumes as Mr. Fox's, and the Century-Writers, and many others. 4. And here also I ask, Would you do so your selves? Would you do that which you think to be Lying, Perjury, renouncing Reformation, &c. against your consciences, rather than suffer? or would you not? If yea, you tell the world what your Religion is? If not, judge by your own course, both now and formerly, whether they or you be liker to chuse sin before suffering. I know not you so well as them; and therefore know not what you would do, so well as I, and you, and all the world may know what they will do. 5. And if they were such Villains, as to sell their Souls for the safety of their flesh, why should not the same principle now prevail with them, to stretch their conscience by some distinction, and take Livings and Honour among you with Conformity, instead of a hunted and afflicted state of life? If Satan shall say, Skin for skin, and all that he hath will a man give for his life: Let me touch his body, and I will make him curse thee to thy face; whereas now he serveth not God for nought. Yet God would support and vindicate the integrity of Job; and though he may fall into some impatiency, he would not yet forsake his Master, nor leave his integrity to the death.

3. The last question therefore is, Whether their destruction will do your work, or not, seeing neither their change of judgment, nor for saking their consciences, is to be expected by your means?

I find that the Novel-Politician is confident of it, that sharp execution is the way, and would easily do it: And so are most that write against us, as well as Bishop Gunnings Chaplain. But, 1. He speaketh but like one of Rehoboams puny Councellors; contrary to all the experience of the world. I hope God will give his Majesty wisdom to avoid such counsels, that would have him make his little p. 197finger heavier than Solomons loyns. I confess if the work be to extirpate Christianity it self, they that will and can follow it to the height of the example of Japon, might imagine a possibility of the like success. But it cannot be done so in England, if there were any that would do it: Because the body of the Nation is of the same Religion, as the Japonions were against. Or if the work were to suppress the Protestant Religion, the Inquisition in Spain would be a probable means, where there are but very few to be tormented, and the thing may be done secretly in vaults, out of the peoples sight and noise. But for Protestants to destroy each other, yea such and so many as must be so destroyed, and this for the advancement of the Protestant interest, is a course that will not do that work for which it is pretended.

For, 1. Blood was never yet of light digestion: Nebuchadnezzars furnace devoured the Executioners; and so did Daniel's Lyons too. God hath ever shewed himself a God of Love, and an enemy to the enemies of it. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but God hath many ways to deliver them out of all. As I said already, who would have thought that enow should have escaped Queen Maries Bonefires to have planted a Protestant Church so soon? Or so many escaped the French Massacre, as so soon to have made that fact repented of, and ring to the Odium of the Actors through the world; Yea that so many should survive the Two hundred thousand murdered in Ireland, as to see so terrible a revenge: Yea that the far greater Murders of the poor Waldenses and Albigenses should be followed with a resurrection of the witnesses of the truth, with double advantage; and leave the everlasting odium of bloody cruelties upon Rome; and that the German-sufferings should so soon be revenged by the Swedes? Or that the desolations, which for the Interim were made among the German Ministers, should so soon be repaired? Or that the Prelacy which Constantius, and other Arrian Emperors set up, should so soon be changed, and the Arrian cruelties recorded to their perpetual shame? And that the Vandals in Africa should but murder Ministers enow to kill themselves with the stroke: Or that the true Persecutions of the Heathen Emperors should but increase the Church of Christ, and the blood of Martyrs should be its seed? Or that fewer Nonconformist Ministers than there be Counties in England in 1640, should multiply into that number as they did within two or three years? Or that the Diocesan-Ministers, supprest p. 199by Cromwell, should revive to the strength that they were in, within three years after his death? Men may contrive, but God will dispose: Caiphas may think that one should dye for the people, rather than all the Nation perish; and the fact may prove their speedy and most dreadful ruine.

2. And as blood cryeth loud to God for revenge, so it usually maketh the actors so odious in the world, that men will hardly leave it unrevenged. There is no hope that ever you should be able to extirpate both grace and good nature out of the world. There will be some sparks of love and humanity in the minds of men, when interest quencheth them not, when you have done all. And these sparks of charity and humanity will make all the actors of cruelty odious; and the people will take them for Bears and Wolves. Yea, if you were able to perswade others by your words and books, as you do your selves by your interest and passions, that we are as very fools, and disobedient to your Lordships, as you describe us, yet most men, and especially English men, will pity the suffering side, and will think with heart-rising on the men of blood. When the Puritans suffered, the people pitied them, and cryed out against the Prelates. When the Diocesan party suffered, the people pitied them, and cryed out against Cromwel and those that cast them out. And now they are turning about again (tho' I know there are many more cases do concur).

3. And God having resolved that the memory of the just shall be blessed, and that the name of the wicked shall …ot, and that the greatest of the ungodly shall not be the Master of Fame, nor any more able to leave an odium on the name of the just, than to pursue their souls with malice into heaven; no, nor so much as to preserve their own names from odium, any more than to keep their bodies from corruption. It hence comes to pass, that the very odor and perfume of sufferers names that endure the wrath of man for the sake of God and conscience, doth so invite posterity to their mind and way, that multitudes quickly rise up in their steads. And the loathed names of the persecutors of the godly, doth make posterity shun their courses. What a stink hath the name of David Seton in Scotland, of Bonner of London, and Gardiner Bishop of Winchester, left behind? The like I may say of all such men.

4 Moreover the same reasons that prevail with us, will prevail with others when we are dead. They will be as fearful of lying, p. 198and perjury, and of swearing Allegiance to Church-usurpers, as we have been. There will still be a people seriously religious, that are Christians in good sadness, and really believe a life to come. There is no hindering it; God will have it so, and who can gainsay him? And these men will be as loth under pretence of order and decency to have Religion dwindle into a lifeless form of words and ceremonies, and to take the chaff and straw for the corn, as ever we have been before them. And the History of our sufferings will but animate them.

5. Besides this, 1. While you are doing your work, you are dying; you are (alas! that's the cut-throat of your comforts) but mortal men your selves; Bonner is dead, and Gardiner is dead; Guise is dead, and D' Alva is dead. King Edward's Reformation, and Q. Maries Persecution were both cut short by the shortness of their lives. When you have destroyed ten, or twenty, or an hundred Ministers, and are resolving, Thus we will use them all; A Fever, or an Apoplexy, or some other Messenger of an offended God, doth stop you in your course, and call you to judgment, and tell you that when it is too late, which you could not hear from such as we.

Cum tamen a figulis munitam intraverit urbem.

Sarcophago contentus erit: Mors sola fatetur,

Quantula sint hominum Corpuscula—.

Nature will not suffer you long; and Justice oft anticipateth the time of Nature. The strange Histories of Gods Judgments are not all fables.

Nullane perjuri capitis, fraudis que nefandae

Poena erit?

Juv.

6. And sometimes God stoppeth a Saul in his way with greater mercy. And sometimes crosses make men melancholy, and retire from their cruel course. Can you think of two such instance; as Dioclesian and Charles the fifth, without admiration? And oft-times an accusing-conscience beginneth such a hell on earth, as interrupteth the execution of malicious purposes. And sometimes the very odium of the people turneth them off with shame; both which the same Poet intimateth, Sat. 13.

p. 200Exemplo quodcun que malo committitur, ipsi

Displicet auctori, Prima est haec ultio, quod se

Judice, nemo nocens absolvitur, improbae quamvis.

Gratia fallacis Praetoris vicerit urnam.

Quid sentire putas omnes Calvine, recenti

De scelere, & fidei violatae crimine.

And domestical afflictions may cool the fire of vour consuming zeal! You must not look to be still imposing crosses, and making crosses for your neighbours, and feel none your selves: It may be your great Patrons may dye, or fall, or forsake you, and then your hearts are broken! It may be death may enter into your own families, and make you think what blood-thirstiness doth tend to.

Ut Vigeant sensus animi, ducenda tamen sunt

Funera natarum; rogus aspiciendus amatae

Conjugis, & fratris, plenae que sororibus urnae.

Haec data poena diu viventibus, ut renovata.

Semper clade domus, multis in luctibus, inque

Perpetuo maerore, & ingra veste senescant.

7. And you must consider also, that if blood or destruction be the means which you trust to, you must set up a Shambles, or trade of butchery, and make it the profession of all your lives: For it is egregious folly to think, that it is but like the fighting with an Army, where all your enemies are in sight before you; and if you conquer them, you may kill them all at once: For they are dispersed all over the Land; and they cannot all, in a little time, be detected, and fairly convicted and brought to execution: But you must be a long time about the killing of those that are now in being; And when they are gone, the Surculi that spring out of their stumps, will in number perhaps exceed them, and find you work as long as you live. And then one cruel act will seem to cause a necessity of another, to justifie it, and to make sure work, lest those that you have wronged, or any of their friends should possibly live to see your folly make you miserable (Therefore the Japonians kill'd and tormented not only the Christians, but their kindred, and all the next inhabitants). And besides, when men turn to so great sin, God usually so forsaketh them, that they p. 201cannot tell how to make an end; They thirst for blood, till like Leeches they fall off with fulness: And the more wickedness they do, the more they are disposed to do. That you may see I have my boys School-books, though I am driven from my own, you shall have some more of Juvenal:

Mobilis & varia est fermè natura malorum.

Cum scelus admittunt, superest constantia: quid fas

At que nefas tandem incipiunt sentire peractis

Criminibus; tamen ad mores natura recurrit

Damnatos fixa, & mutari nescia: Nam quis

Peccandi finem posuit sibi? quando recepit

Ejectum semel attrita de fronte ruborem?

Quisnam hominum est quem contentum videris uno

Flagitio?

And verily there was never any, or many known, that set up this carnificine trade, the stink of whose name did not reach as far as fame could carry it to the ears of men. And you will tempt men not only to think odiously of your selves, but to suspect your cause that needeth such a trade to keep it up: Even Erasmus had almost been made a Protestant, by the burning and tormenting of some Protestants: And Hospitalius, Thuanus, and the whole tribe of those learned moderators in France, were driven from the extreamer sort of Popery by the extremity of their bloody cruelties. The nature of man pitieth and loveth chickens, and lambs and harmless loving creatures; and it hateth Foxes, Wolves and Kites, that live on flesh, and devour those that are better than themselves. Or if you could pretend that you had been first abused your selves, and did it in revenge, the world will think that you should be revenged but proportionably, and that on none but them that did it: yea revenge it self is a sign of a weak, ignoble soul, that hath little of a man, and less of a Christian.

Quippe minuti

Semper & infirmi est animi, exignique, voluptas

Ultio; continuò sic collige quod vindicta

Nemo magis gaudet quam faemina; cur tamen hos tu

Evasisse putes, quos diri conscia facti

Mens habet attonitos, & surdo verbere coedit

p. 202Occultam quationte animo tortore flagellum?

Poena autem vehemens, ac multo saevior illis

Quas & Caeditius gravis invenit, aut Rhadamanthus,

Nocte die que suum gestare in pectore testem.

Therefore the foolish Ambitious Idols, who would fain be like to God in power, will yet pretend, that they would be like him also in Love and Mercy! And Nero will not disdain to read Seneca de clementiâ, & de Irâ. They would have power to do as much mischief as you can imagine; but they say they would not use it, but affright men by it into the obedience of their wills.

Et qui nolunt occidere quenquam

Posse volunt.

But as the power breeds fear, so usually fear breedeth hatred. Though, I confess, it is not possible to have a sufficient Power to do good, without a Power to do some hurt.

8. And then the whole Countrey will take notice how many worse men you leave alive, which will increase the odium; and make them look on you but as the enemies of mankind, and of all virtue and civility: or as the seed of the Serpent, that have an enmity to the Womans seed: They will call you by the name of Cainites, when they see the blood of your brother Abel, while evil workers still survive. When such as Ames, Baine, Bradshaw, Hildersham, Dod, &c. yea as Hooker, Bilson, Jewel, &c. are hanged (which must be done if you will extend the punishment to all Nonconsormists), the people will take notice, that thousands of fornicators, drunkards, ignorant sots, and sensless Atheists are suffered to live in peace! And do you not know what they will say and think of you upon such observations? They will say, If these Learned, holy, faithful Preachers would but have turned drunken sots, they might have scaped your jaws as such have done. As the forecited Poet mockt at Cicero's,

O fortunatam, natam me Consule Romam,

Antoni gladios potuit contemnere si sic

Omnia dixisset: ridenda poemata malo,

Quam te conspicuae divina Philippica famae—.

p. 203If these Preachers would have talkt a little half sense, and read a cold Oration, and lived like those that have little to do with God and Heaven, and would save men by a charm of words and shews, without this serious Godliness and Christianity, they might have had countenance and maintenance, and as much honour as such men as these can put upon them: But judicious, serious, hearty Godliness is intolerable to all the fleshly tribe, whose mind neither is nor can be subject to the Law of God, to which their interest and disposition hath an enmity.

Eloquium ac famam Demosthenis aut Ciceronis

Incipit optare, & totis quinquatribus optat,

Quisquis adhuc uno partam colit asse Minervam,

Quem sequitur custos Augustae vernula capsae:

Eloquio sed uter que perit orator: utrun que

Largus & exundans letho dedit ingenii fons:

Ingenio manus est, & cervix caesa, nec unquam

Sanguine Causidici maduerunt nostra pusilli.

9. But especially forget not, that the number of Nonconformists in England is so great, that it will weary the hangman to dispatch them; or Executioners enow will scarce be found: For what if you hang a Thousand or Eighteen hundred Ministers, you cheat your selves (as you have wilfully long done) if you think that you are ever the nearer your ends: For the people are more averse to your Conformity, than most of the Ministers are; and they are hardlier kept to the rules of Patience and Charity to those that destroy them; and they will chuse Teachers and Pastors out of the best qualified of the people that survive, and will not lay down the worshipping of God according to their consciences, though they were used for it as Daniel was, for praying thrice a day openly in his house, contrary to the Law. And these new Pastors perhaps will have less moderation than the old: And thus you will be troubled with a succession of dissenters.

10. And suppose (as it is not improbable) that one half of the people, and some of the Pastors, should be constrained to Conformity, your Icabod hath told you in his Groans what they will do. Their judgments would not be changed, but they would only stretch their Consciences to take your Oaths and Subscriptions with their own interpretation, contrary to the plainest sense (as p. 204abundance do who now Conform). And these men will do more against you than the open Nonconformists, being abler to supplant you, as being nearer to you; As the Conformable Westminster-Assembly did; and the Conformable long Parliament; and, as Heylin thinks, Abbot and the Puritan Bishops and Clergy did by Laud and his party.

11. Those that survive (as thousands will do when you have done your worst) will take their first opportunity, to shew their sense of your horrid inhumanity, with far greater animosity, than if you had never tasted blood; and your cruelties will but be the fewel of their fiercer opposition.

12. And there are some hypocrites, no doubt, among those that will suffer by you, who are carried on by a self-conceited zeal: And these may be tempted by your extremities to break out into Treasons, Seditions and Rebellions; The truly wise and godly will not: But all that are against you, are not such: Nay you your selves, I suppose, think that few of them are such. And if oppression may▪ make a wise man mad, no wonder if it make weak foolish people and hypocrites mad: and then you know that one Felton may end the Great Duke of Buckingham. Because we abhor the thoughts of such villanies, we would not have you lay such temptations on men, as you are not able to bear your selves. If a little worldly wealth and greatness could tempt you to think that you do God service when you kill'd his Servants, why should you think that among many thousands, there will no hypocrites be found, that will break Gods Laws to save themselves by sinful means? You know how deeply the principle of self-preservation is planted in nature; and what need there is of considerable grace, to make men patiently resign their lives, when they think they are taken away injuriously. If Peter in fear might deny his Master, and all the disciples forsook him and fled, an hypocrite may be tempted to a sinful defence against his persecutors. I do hereby warn all men that they take heed of such temptations, and plead not Nature against the Laws of Grace; and that they not only live, but dye in honouring their Rulers whatsoever they suffer by them; and say not as the Poet that lived among Heathenish impatience:

Ad generum Cereris sine caede & vulnere pauci

Descendunt Reges, & siccâ morte Tyranni.

p. 205The true fear of God will teach men to live and dye in patience. But while you your selves think that those that you afflict are wicked, and know that cruelty is the most powerful temptation to sinful self-defence, do you think that you will be innocent by such temptations? What if it were felony to cry! Were he innocent that would scourge men, women and children till they bleed, and then call out for Justice against the felons that cryed? Some men will think that your cruelties are of purpose to constrain or tempt some hypocrites into seditious words or deeds, that you may have matter to accuse the rest of. Rehoboams young Counsellors, in my opinion, could not justifie themselves from the guilt of all the sufferings of that King, by saying, It was the rebellious ten Tribes that did forsake him: It was an unhappy proof of their own Loyalty, to be the Counsellors of so great a temptation. We hate Rebellion and Treason so much more than such as these, that we would not have you say, The King shall have no Loyal Subjects that will not lay down their lives to shew their Loyalty: He that striketh the flint, is guilty of the fire: He that will kill, or banish, or undo men for nothing, to try if he can find any among them all that loveth his life better than his Loyalty or Subjection to Superiors, that he may prick him forward to Sedition by torments, will prove no Loyal Subject himself at last. I remember a person of Quality, more great than good, was reported to assault a Farmers house, to have defiled his daughters: But the door being bolted, and no threats would open them, one of his company bid him throw drown the Hive of Bee's in the Garden in revenge: The Bees, when the Hive was broken down, had almost stung the great man and his company to death. If the question was, Whether the owner or the Bees must be accused of the crime? I can only say, that the Counsellor was not innocent. And if a Thief should break into a Bishops house, and bind his Servants, and set a Pistol to the breast of one, and bid him disclose his Lords money, and he should dye rather than be guilty of disclosing it, and all the rest should dye save one, and that one should confess to save his life; I do not think it would be congruous for him that did affright him to it, to say, I am innocent (though perhaps he took not the gold himself); so he that should by cruelties tempt men to such a wicked act as Felton or Card. Betons executioners used, would not be found the truest friend to Peace or Government.

p. 20613. If you say, We will not hang or burn, but banish them: I answer, so were some fugitives exiled in Q. Maries days, who yet soon returned to head the Diocesan Churches of England. And those few of the Clergy that fled from Cromwell, returned to see revenge upon Usurpers. And what stricter Laws would you have both for banishment and death, than is made here against the Romish Priests? and yet they live in peace among us. Banished men are alive, and are exasperated; and your guilt will make you think that you are not safe from them till they are dead. Amesius at Franekera did more service to the Church of God, and more disservice to the English Diocesans, than Ames at Cambridg did. Some have banished themselves for an opportunity by writing to do the more against their adversaries, and said,

Difficile est satyram non scribere: Nam quis iniquae

Tam patiens urbis? Tam ferreus ut teneat se?

Si natura negat, facit indignatio versum—

—Quando artibus, inquit, bonestis

Nullus in urbe locus, nulla emolumenta laborum;

Res hodie minor est quam fuit, atque eadem cras

Deteret exiguis aliquid, proponimus illuc

Ire satigatus, ubi Daedalus exuit alas

Dum nova Canities; dum prima & recta senectus,

Dum superest Lachesi quod torqueat, & pedibus me

Porto meis, nullo dextram subeunte bacillo

Cedamus patriâ: Vivant Arturius istic

Et Catulus: maneant qui nigrum in Candida vertunt.

I think this much, with what is said in the Propositions, may satisfie men that are willing to understand, that your way will never attain the peace and concord of the Churches, nor in likelihood your own ends; 1. Either by changing mens judgments. 2. Or bringing them to conformity against their judgments. 3. Or by destroying them. Nay, that it is the most destructive course to all good ends that you can take.

And I may add, that if you should banish them, the worth which they carry with them (as in Amesius his instance) will shine where they come; and their honour will be your shame: for men are naturally (and not without cause) inclined to think them to be extreme bad men, by whom men so good, and learned, p. 207and unblamable, do so much suffer. And methinks you of all men should not be guilty of so much self-denial, as to contemn your Reputation in all other Countreys, and not to care how odious your Names are to others, and to posterity, so be it you hear not their words your selves (of which more anon.)

But here I would insert an humble request to my silenced brethren, that they will study, and pray, and labour so diligently, and live so holily and innocently, that whithersoever they be driven, their light may shine to the glory of their Lord, and the service of his Church; and that they would not disgrace their silencers and afflicters by hard words, but by eminent knowledg and holiness: and they shall find that this splendor of their worth will speak more for them, and against those that hate them, than all our apologies will do.

I will here, to this purpose, cast in a brief History both for your afflicters sake and yours. It is the occasion of the translation of Philosophy from Greece unto the Saracene Arabians, as it is recorded by Caelius August. Curio Histor. Saracen. l. 2. and out of him by Hornius Hist. Philos. l. 4. p. 287, 288. Mamunus their Califf, or King, was a great lover of learning; in whose time there was among the Greek Christians one Leo a Bishop of Thessalonica, who for differing from those in power in the controversie about Images, which then troubled the Churches, was driven from his flock; and coming to Constantinople, he lived in a poor cottage privately; but being a most excellent Philosopher, taught many in his private School; so that many excellent Philosophers went out of it in a little time: Among whom one young man was taken prisoner by the Saracens in the Wars, who being excellent in Geometry, fell into the hands of a great man, by whom his fame was brought to the King; who trying him, and finding him to excel all his Philosophers, must know who was his Master. He told him, one Leo, a man that was frowned into obscurity and poverty, but a most excellent Philosopher. The King Mamumus was so inflamed with a desire of Leo, that he presently wrote to him, and offered him all the Honour and Riches that he could desire, so he would but come to him. Leo shewed the Letters to the Emperor at Constantinople; whereupon the Emperor not willing that such an honour should pass to his Enemy, gave him License to teach in publick. King Mamumus despairing of Leo, sendeth important Letters to the Emperor to beg Leo's presence but a little p. 208while, professing that he would have come with the request himself, but that the Government of a fierce sort of people detained him. Hereupon the Emperor coming to know his worth, and how his own Honour was interessed in the business, restored Leo to his Bishoprick, and had him in great honour, and gave him great Riches. And Mamumus not obtaining his desires, wrote many of his difficulties as Questions to Leo, and so procured some of his instructions in Writing, by way of answer, to his great satisfaction. And this is noted as the introduction of Learning into that Countrey, which since Mahometanism hath famished.

O that we were all such, that our worth might be our apology! and O that those who think it their interest to afflict such, and suppress them, and render them odious to the world, did better understand their own interest, and know on whom the dishonour will redound at last! which I wish not to befall them, but wish them to prevent.

7. If you could procure Uniformity by the means of violence, it must be both got and kept up at dearer rates than the thing is worth.

1. Uniformity must be purchased at the loss of Unity. If Violence drive mens bodies nearer together, it will make the heart-separation much wider. Christ hath said, that by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love one another: but not, By this, if ye all swear obedience to the Bishops, or subscribe that their Writings are infallible; or if ye use the same Liturgy, Cross, or Ceremonies. Our salvation lyeth more on our unity in Faith and Love, than in our uniformity in things unnecessary. And that is the most prosperous state of the Church, in which mens salvation is most promoted. He that loveth not his brother whom he seeth daily, loveth not God whom he never saw. And he that hateth his brother, is a manslayer; and no manslayer hath eternal life abiding in him; and violence and cruelty are the great and known destroyers of Love. He that saith as some, Let them hate, so they fear; doth shew that he hateth God and man, and will prove the greatest hater of himself at last.

2. You will wrong the King and Kingdom by depopulation, and weaken it so, that it may become not only the scorn of our common enemies, but their prey. For ought I can discern, you that have despised my predictions of that kind, have encreased the number already manifold of those that dislike you and your way. p. 209And if your self-conceitedness and unskilfulness shall first make most of the Kings subjects distast you, and then your cruelty shall suggest that they must be punished till they love you, or be destroyed for disliking you, this will be but like the work of unhappy Surgeons, that must cut off the limb, because they have themselves made the wound uncurable. Believe it, the hanging or banishing of a few hundreds or thousands, will not do your business, but make it worse (I told you so long ago as to silencing, and you would not believe it); nay, it will make it incomparably worse: And if you banish or kill all that are against you, Land will be very cheap, and Houses cheaper; and others will call that Solitude, which you call concord, uniformity, and peace. And our unity will be like theirs in Moldavia and VValachia. And who shall compensate the Kings damage?

3. And Foreign Churches and posterity will be brought by it to so great a hatred of Prelacy, that they will never be reconciled to it more, but prefer a poor and humble Ministry. And indeed it is already so known by its fruits, that I am much in doubt, the experience of it will alienate the people from that Primitive lawful Episcopacy which I would have them to desire. They say already, Give us the old, honest, humble, serious Puritans, that lived not upon Gold and Worldly greatness, and cherished not mens sins, that they might cherish them.

Fruatur vocibus obscaenis omni que libidinis arte,

Qui Lacedomonium Pytismate lubricrat orbem,

Nam que ibi fortunae veniam damus (alea turpis,

Turpe & adulterium mediocribus): haec eadem illi.

Omnia cum faciant Hilares, nitidi que vocantur. Juv.

I suppose you know how much it alienateth men from Popery, that their Religion must be fed, and live by blood; yea by precious blood. Some of you have written your wishes, that the course had been followed, which was begun in the days of Whitgift and Bancroft, when divers Nonconformists were hanged: And some have written, that it was not for Religion, but for Treason. As for Hacket and Coppinger, it's known they were crackt-brain'd men, pretending to be sent to judge the World, whom the Nonconformists condemned: which Bancroft himself in part confesseth. And whereas Dr. Sutliffe conjectured that Cartwright was privy to p. 210all: Mr. Simeon Ash gave me a Manuscript, supposed to be Mr. Cartwrights own writing, fully confuting that accusation.

And as for the rest, it's true that the Bishops then laboured by exposition of a Law to make Treason by consequence of that which was spoken against themselves: But it will be long ere the confutation of that is well answered, which is written by some one learned in the Law, called, A Petition to her Majesty, &c.

And what the same Author saith (Pag. 25.) of that Pious man Mr. Udal, will by others (and perhaps one day by your consciences) be thought on with respect to the 2000 silenced Ministers of late, and the many that have dyed in and by imprisonment, and much more of so many, as if you prosecute what you have begun, you must destroy.

His words are, That the Bishops should be so unnatural as to seek the life of a right, godly and faithful Preacher of the Gospel, I mean Mr. Udal, to whom Life was offered if he would take his Oath, that he did not make a book whereof he was supposed to be Author. A rare example; that a man should be known standing at a bar, shackled in bolts (but quaere quo jure?) and coupled with a murderer, whose conscience was thought so faithful and sound by the Judg himself, that he would not swear falsly to gain his life. (He had not learnt some mens rules for expounding Oaths): Nor loved his life so well as some men do a Benefice). But were no worse men suffered?

8. You may have all that is truly desirable, and to be expected in this world, as necessary to Unity and Concord, to Order and Decency, and to your own honour, accomplished ten thousand times easilier, surer and better, by obvious, honest, lawful means.

God never putteth men upon such bloody and desperate courses as some advise: It is no necessity of Gods making that is pleaded for such means, but of their own sinful making, or false imagining. God never wanteth lyes or cruelty to his service or glory. They are usually wicked selfish ends (whatever is pretended), for which men chuse and use such means: Or if the ends were never so good, they will not justifie such means; nay good ends will condemn them as contrary, incongruous, and destructive. But when there are easie, suitable and honest means enow at hand, the choice of such as are forementioned, beseemeth none but those whose design is to destroy.

p. 211If you say, What be those means? They are easily told you; but your little self-interests will not give you leave to think them tolerable. I shall tell you more particularly anon. I will now speak but of the generals.

Quest. 1. What if you would learn of the Holy Ghost to impose no other than Necessary things? Act. 15. What if you had the patience to endure the Apostolick Primitive way of Discipline and Worship, and suffered men to go to Heaven in the same way as the Apostles and Christians of those times did? What if you kept all that Wisdom to your selves, in which you excel the Apostles, and put no more upon the Churches than they did? Would the inconveniences of this weigh down the mischiefs which are now upon the Churches throughout the world by the contrary course? Let not your passion make you run away with a conceit of an intollerable conclusion, and say I would reduce you to the Primitive poverty or persecution: No, I talk not of matters extrinsick to Discipline and Worship (for faith we will yet suppose we are agreed in), I suppose you think not that Poverty or Riches are parts of the instituted worship of God. I am as far from expecting that you should consent to be as poor and persecuted as the Apostles, as that you should be as good as the Apostles. Those that you have to do with, believe that the Scripture hath more exactly determined how God will be worshipped, than h…w much a year shall be the Revenues of a Bishop. We meddle not with your Lands or Lordships (whatever our own opinion be of such matters): Though we are ambitious of your higher and wealthier condition, yet we neither envy it, nor think it our duty to diminish your wealth. But the question is, If you let men worship God, without any more yokes or burdens than Christ and his Apostles laid upon the Churches, what harm would it do? Did they then want any needful uniformity? Did they not pray decently without a Surplice? Did they not baptize decently without the Cross? If you say, that they had their rites of decency then, though not the same that we have now: I answer, Impose no other than they imposed: Leave those free which they left free. Though you think your own to be better than theirs, so do not all Christians: If it be mens infirmity to think that the Scripture-rites are better than yours, yet what harm will it do you to bear with that infirmity? What if you required no more Oaths of obedience to the Bishops, than the Apostles required to themselves, or to any Pastors of the Church? What if p. 212you required no Subscription to any thing as certain truth, but only to the infallible Oracles of the Spirit? Nay the Apostles required not any to subscribe to all the books of Sacred Scripture, but only to receive them in general as the Doctrine of Christ and the Holy Ghost; and they culled out the few necessary Articles of the faith, as the matter of a necessary particular profession. I will tell you what good these things will do, and do you tell me what harm they will do, and let the good and hurt be well compared.

1. It would either Unite all Christians, or make their Union an easie thing, as soon as the minds of men were prepared for it. All Christians are agreed that the Holy Scriptures are infallible; All Christians are not agreed that your three books are infallible: Therefore all Christians may easilier unite in their subscription or belief of the Scriptures, than of your three books.

Perhaps you will say, that it will not unite us with the Papists, nor with any that require more. I answer, We shall be so far united, as that they will approve of all our Religion, though we approve not of all theirs? For they confess the truth of all our Canonical Scriptures; and confess that all things universally necessary to salvation are contained in them (and much more): So Bellarmine, Costerus, and many others, and especially the old Schoolmen freely assert. And it is a great advance to Concord, and to our satisfaction, to have the common concession of all Christians, that our Religion is all true, and nothing of absolute necessity wanting. But I have spoken more to this before; to which I refer you.

2. It would make it as easie for any Protestant to justifie all his Religion, as it is to justifie the sacred Scriptures, to those that confess them to be true; and so to tell the Papist where our Religion hath been in all ages, and what succession our Church hath had.

3 It would take none of your forms or ceremonies, or superadditions, from any that will needs have them: while you make them not the necessary terms of union and communion, he that will may be without them.

4. Christian love, and saving unity and concord, may be thus maintained by mutual forbearance, while nothing is done contrary to the nature of love, to mortifie it. And if any would take occasion by differences to revile and villifie one another, the Magistrate may have the approbation of all sober men, in keeping the peace, and punishing all the fruits of such uncharitableness that tend to the destruction of love or godliness.

p. 2135. A thousand unhappy crimes will be prevented, which will follow the death of Christian love, and the exasperation of mens passions and tongues by their sufferings.

6. The Pastors when they grow like to Christ in meekness, gen tleness, and love, will be loved and honoured by the flocks, and the name of a Bishop will not be odious any more; and consequently the lives of faithful Pastors will be more comfortable.

7. And then the doctrine and labours of Ministers will be more successul, and consequently piety and justice will increase, and multitudes more will be sanctified and saved.

8. It will be a comfort to the King and Magistrates to be loved, honoured, and obeyed, by an united willing people, and to be excused from the unpleasing works of fining, imprisoning, banishing, or hanging their subjects for differing from them about some cases of sin and duty, when the fear of offending the God of heaven is that which bringeth them to their sufferings.

9. It will be a great strength and beauty to the State, and Church, and fortifie us against a common Enemy, and end our fears of Sedition on account of Religion at home.

10. In a word, it would make us liker to the primitive believers, and lead the way to all Christian States and Churches, for the right reconciling of all the Christian World.

And what now is the hurt that these Scripture primitive terms would bring?

Obj. It would make as many factions as there be different Opinions or Ceremonies.

Ans. 1. Do you judg of others by your selves? Are all men so proud and void of humanity and love, that they must needs be factious if they do but differ in an opinion or ceremony from others? or that they cannot live in love and peace with any that differ from them in an opinion or ceremony? or that they can endure to see none live at liberty out of Gaols, that be not in all such things of their mind? 2. If there be any such proud and uncharitable persons, the Magistrate may curb the expressions of their folly, that it wrong not others. 3. If that were true, there would be as many Factions as men (if you will pardon your contradiction): for all men differ in opinion from each other, and in as great matters of Religion as a Ceremony. 4 Doth the differences forementioned among yourselves (as between Dr. Taylor, Mr. Thorndike, and some others, from the Doctrine of the p. 214Church of England) make any such Factions among you? Did the difference mentioned by Heylin between Bishop Mountague and Wren, about coming up to the Altar to communicate, make any factions? Doth the difference now between your Arminians and Calvinists, which we ordinarily hear in your own Pulpits, make such Factions? Doth the different modes of Cathedral and Parish-worship, make such Factions? If not, why should it make a Faction for one man to cross a child in Baptism, and another not? Do not the very Papists keep up their unity and strength, by allowing far more and greater diversities in Doctrines, and in Religious Orders, Rules, and Ceremonies, according as every Order hath desired?

Obj. But if any be allowed to forbear, those that use the ceremonies or subscriptions will be censured by the followers of the nonconformists.

Ans. And is it indeed to preserve your honour, that we must undergo all these convulsions? Speak it out then plainly, that the world may understand you. Must all that differ in a ceremony from you, be silenced and hunted about the world, lest the people should think worse of you than of them? 2. But how notoriously do bad means overthrow the ends of them that use them? It is Honours Motto, Quod sequitur fugio, quod fugit ipse sequor. Do not the people know that we differ from you in these things, as much when we are silenced, as when we preach? Will imprisonment or banishment make us agreed, or make the people think we are agreed? Or will they forget all the difference, think you, when we are out of sight? If the bare different opinion and practice make them undervalue you, will not they think worse of you when they think you do worse? Will they not distast a Conformable man, whom they judg an envious persecutor, more than a Conformable man whom they judg a meek and loving man? One would think that you should need no answer to such objections. But I have answered enow before.

2. Well! if the Scripture simplicity be too narrow for you, my next question is, What harm will it do you to unite on such terms as all the Churches did unite in, in the days of Tertullian and Cyprian, yea for 300. years after the birth of Christ? Look whatever was then the terms of the Churches union and communion, p. 215and we shall not be unthankful to you, if you will make that, and only that to be so now. I do not say, that you should make all that necessary which was then used on terms of liberty and indifferency; they had then their necessaries for u…ion, and their unnecessaries, which were used at liberty as every Church saw good. Impose no more than they imposed; no more of Liturgy, no more of Ceremony, no more Subscriptions, Promises, or Oaths, and it will heal us all. Impose Liturgy no further than they then did (which at the most was but every Bishop on a particular Church that was united for personal (not representative) communion, and was no bigger than one of our Parishes for number of souls). If these terms will not serve you neither, you shall not with us have the reputation of the best friends of Antiquity, Unity, Love or Peace.

Q. 3. What harm would it do, if the Churches were healed by such means as all the most grave, experienced Conciliators have pitched upon as the only way, at least in all the Protestant Churches? We are contented with Lerinensis terms, Qu…d ab omnibus, ubi que & semper receptunest. All the famous reconcilers of the last age and this, Acontius, Melancthon, Pelargus, Duraeus, Calixtus, Lud. Crocius, Joh. Bergius, Conradus Bergius, Junius, Paraeus, Hottonus, Amy…aldus, Usher, Morton, Hall, Davenant, Chillingworth, Hales, Bucer, Burroughs, Stillingfleet, and every man that ever wrote a rational Irenicon, conspire in this one necessary means, the forbearing all imposition of doubtful unnecessary things, as necessary to actual unity and communion, and the centering and cementing all on the terms of the few certain, gre…t, and necessary things which we are commonly agreed in; or as Rupertus Meldenius his oft-cited words are, In necessariis, unitas, in non-necessariis libertas; in utris que charitas. Do you think verily that all these were mistaken? and that you are wiser than they who have studied the art of peace as much as you have done the arts of victory, and getting down those whom you first make, and then call your adversaries? I know you will still say, These are good terms for our union with neighbour churches, but not for our church within it self. To which I have answered you already; and now add, 1. Every company of Christians associated for personal communion in Gods publick Worship (as distinct from distant communion in Spirit only, and from communion by Delegates or Representatives) is a true particular church, taking Pastors and people to be the parts thus associated. Every such Church p. 216had a Bishop in Scripture-times, as Dr. Hammond in his Annot. will tell you over and over; and in Ignatius his time too; For he saith, That to every Church there was one Altar, and one Bishop, with his fellow Presbyters and Deacons. And this one Altar (which shewed only one place of meeting for ordinary publick Communion), and one Bishop, were the notes of Unity to every one Church, as Mr. Mede also fully openeth it. And Dr. Hammond will further bear witness what every Bishop with his Church is, in 1 Tim. 3. And such all the particular Churches of the whole world, considered together, under the Supreme Head Christ Jesus, dispensing them all by himself, and administring them severally, not by one Oeconomus, but by the several Bishops, as inferior Heads of Unity to the several bodies, so constituted by the several Apostles in their plantations, each of them having an foreign, a several distinct commission from Christ immediately, and subordinate to none but the supreme Donor or Plenipotentiary—And before, so was every such regular Assembly of Christians under a Bishop, an Oeconomus set over by Christ (the house of God)—Mark all this then, and let your Impositions be measured by this Rule; so that either you will have the many Churches in one Kingdom, to be united on terms of Regiment, or only on terms of Concord. On the terms of the extrinsick accidental Regiment, we grant that all the Kings Subjects are united, and that he hath power circa sacra: But so you might have said of all the Roman Empire; And so if the Christian part of the World had all one Monarchy, your own Concession must be overthrown (that neighbour Churches must unite on necessary terms, leaving indifferent ones to liberty); or else you will see that the case of the Catholick Church, under such an Empire, would be the same with a National Church under one King: And our Churches are as much to be accounted Neighbour-Churches, as those in such an Empire would be. But if you speak of one Essential, Constitutive, Ecclesiastical Head and Governour, we know none such, any more than one Pope. Therefore it must be an Union of Concord, by which you call many Churches in a Nation one (or an extrinsick accidental Union). And consequently it is an improper speech, because it is not locutio formalis, sed accidentalis; for the form denominateth. We being therefore One Church but Accidentally (by one King, and by Concord, as several agreeing Churches may be called), it followeth that we must hold our Concord accordingly, with those at home, as well as with those abroad, upon terms of equal charity and liberty, p. 217(except what the King will take away). For as for Councils, even General ones (much more Provincial, it is not Bishop Ushers opinion only, but ordinary with Protestants, that they are to the particular Bishops not directly Regimental, but means of Agreement. Mark your Bishop Bilsons words of Christ. Subject. pag. 229. To Councils, such as the Church of Christ was wont by her Religious Princes to call, we owe communion and brotherly concord, so long as they make no breach in faith, nor in Christian charity: Subjection and servitude we owe them none: The blessed Angels profess themselves to be fellow-servants of the Saints on earth, Rev. 22. What are you then, that with your tribunals and jurisdictions would be Lords and Rulers over Christs inheritance?

2. The same Reasons which require you to agree only on necessary terms with foreign Churches, will oblige you to the like course at home. The judgments of Natives are of the same temper, and their differences will be as certain and constant, and your charity to them should be no less than to strangers. Only this we all confess, 1. That all the Churches must agree in their subjection to the same King. 2. And every particular Church must agree with their particular Pastors in the exercises of Communion. 3. And that Concord in one Translation, one Meeter, and such like is desirable, not so much because we are under one King, as because we are neighbours, and of one language, and would be desirable if we were of several Kingdoms, in the same propinquity: But it is not to be procured at a price which is above its worth.

3. When you profess Concord with the foreign Churches, upon Catholick terms, and deny the same to the Churches that are under one King, you do plainly tell them how little they are beholden to you for their peace; and that it is, because you have not power to take it from them, which you would do if you could.

4. You greatly injure Christian Monarchs, while you would make the world believe that they are the great adversaries of the Churches peace and unity; For it is not only from the Will of their several Princes, that several Churches must unite only on Catholick terms, or not at all: but it is from the impossibility that all the Christian World should ever come in all things controvertible and indifferent to be of one opinion, any more than to be of one stature and complexion: And now you come and tell them, that if they had all one Emperor, they must all agree upon all the controvertible p. 218and indifferent things, which Canons and Laws should impose upon them, or else their Ministers be forbidden to preach Christs Gospel to the people, and the Churches forbidden to meet and worship God; yea, prisons and other penalties shall constrain them. And what a temptation is this to men that know the wonderful variety of humane temperaments, educations, advantages, apprehensions, that is, who know what it is to be a mortal man, and a weak Christian, to pray against the largeness of Empire, and to dread it as the most certain Engine to wrack the Churches in pieces, and to silence, imprison, unchurch and distress the Christian Ministers and Churches.

To conclude this reason, Take away but your Imposition of the few things controverted, and leave the particular Churches free in things confessed indifferent by your selves, and we are then all one, and the quarrel at an end. And a little love to Christ, to the Gospel, and the Souls of men, would tell a disinteressed person, whether the fruits of that Concord, or the fruits of our present Uniformity in those Subscriptions, Oaths and Ceremonies, would be the better; and which is the more lovely and beautiful state of the Church.

9. The different estimation which the two Parties have of the things imposed, doth make your violence notoriously unequal in the sight of any equal Judges. You call the Impositions (antecedently) Things indifferent. The Nonconformists do not so, but take them for such heinous sins, that they dare scarce denmoinate them to you▪ lest while they do but tell you their own reasons for avoiding them, they be thought to make you, or the imposers odious, by their censures. So that they are fain to suppose their judgments to be scruples, and themselves to be the weak Christians, and bring all under that name of Tenderness of Conscience, lest if they should tell you that they are strongly perswaded, that if they should Conform (not medling with any others), it would be in them no less than owning the Perjury of many thousands, and a publick Ministerial renunciation of a needful Reformation, and a promising to God, or declaring before all the people that we will not obey him, nor repent and amend what is amiss in our places; and an owning of all the Usurpations and abuses committed by many others, and a publick lying on deliberation, declaring, that we assent and consent to more than we do indeed, or can do▪ and a p. 219justifying of all the failings in that worship which is thus prescribed (when we dare not justifie the best prayer that ever we put up to God in all things), and an offering to God a worship which we cannot in faith be assured that he accepteth, &c. These are the Names of their fears, which they dare scarce utter, lest the incarnate Accusers of the brethren cry out, They make us all perjured, and publick rebels against God, and they make our Rulers the Imposers of such things: (But the day is coming when it will be proved an unhappy artifice to stop the mouth of innocencies defence, by making the crime imposed (in their judgments) so great, that it shall not be judged a thing sufferable to name it).

But if you believe that ever there will be a judgment where equity shall be of any regard, methinks you should see, that quoad hoc their end of the ballance much weigheth down yours; and that the opinion of Indifferency should yield to the opinion of so desperate a danger. If you prove it the right, yet you confess, that God may be worshipped decently in a comely Gown, without a Surplice, and that a Child may orderly and decently be baptized, without the transient Image of a Cross appointed to a dedicating half-sacramental use; and that a man may acceptably worship God, that cannot subscribe that your three books are Infallible to a word, &c. But if it should prove that the Nonconformist is in the right, Aggravated Perjury, deliberate lying, rebellious profession of disobedience to God, owning great and publick sins, corrupting holy worship, &c. are more tremendous matters than a thing indifferent: Let any then besides your selves be judges, whether not yielding and complying be the heinouser crime in them or you?

If you say, that [By this rule we must abate the Imposition of things indifferent to all that will but be so erroneous as to account them heinous sins]. I answer, 1. If you did do so, it were but the doing according to the Wisdom of the Holy Ghost and the Apostles▪ Acts 15. to impose nothing but necessary things: And to do as Paul did, that would forbear eating flesh while he lived, rather than the weak should be offended or scandalized. 2. But whether there be no more reason of the Nonconformists dissent and fears, than what such silly scrupulosity as you intimate may suggest, have patience till we come to the particulars, and we shall tell you, if you can endure to hear it.

p. 22010. The Argument from real scandal in this matter, is of greater force than you seem to take notice of: We fear that we shall do much to make our hearers infidels, impenitent, or utterly debaucht, and to make all our Ministerial labours a vain and fruitless thing to them, if we should Conform.

We still tell you that we are not accusing the Lawmakers or you; but telling you what we fear it would be in us, if we should do it. You see here that we plead not against the meer displeasing of our Hearers, but the damning of them; nor for the preservation of our own interest in them, but for the preservation and salvation of themselves. And is this kind of scandal, think you, which consisteth in tempting, ensnaring and damning men, regardable or not? Had Paul a soft head, in having so soft a conscience in this point? We were never Apprentices to the Butchers trade, but to the Physicians: It is not with us a thing indifferent, to send Souls, as much as in us lieth, to Hell. You shall hear the reason of our fears.

Our Calling is to save men from sin (without which we cannot save them from Hell): Were it not for this end, we had nothing to say to you; no request to make to you; nor would we stoop to be beholden to you for our Ministerial liberties. Many of us can live otherwise; and if we live as Ministers, it hath been in the days of our liberty with many of us, more to give than receive: And we have too much of the suggestions of the flesh, which would be glad if we might cast off the burden which you take from us, and would take our Silencers for our greatest friends. But the Spirit of God hath taught us yet to prefer things spiritual and eternal, for our selves and others: He that said, Ye are our Crown and our rejoycing, &c. And now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord; and I count not my life dear, that I may finish my course with joy, and the Ministry given me, &c. shall be our pattern as far as we can imitate him. The saving of the people from their sins, was Christs work, and must be ours.

And we fear t…t we shall perswade them to all sin and villany if we conform; For, first, the sins which we fear being guilty of, are as great as almost any that ever we shall preach against in them. 2. Our owning and justification of them will be as notorious as most ways that we could devise to do it: For, 1. it must be Deliberate. p. 2212. Publick. 3. Ministerially. 4. Perseveringly: And therefore sure Impenitently.

1. A man in a passion, or by a surprise, or inconsiderately, may lie, or speak an unjust thing: But when a man is called to do it, to study the case, and to do it upon mature deliberation, doth shew more of the habitual temper of the will.

2. A man that is secretly perjured, or false, destroyeth himself: But he that openly both practiseth it, and professeth and justifieth it, doth his worst to destroy the hearers and beholders.

3. If a Minister preach sound doctrine, and in his life be a drunkard, fornicator, or the like, I will hear him in case I can have no better, because his sin is Personal, and not Ministerial: But if in the open Church, as a Minister, he will declare that to drink away a mans reason is no drunkenness or sin, and to use forbidden congress is no fornication or sin, &c. This is a heresie, and a Ministerial wickedness, that is not so easily to be born.

4. If a man commit a fault in his drunkenness or passion, and after repent of it, God will pardon it, and so may we: But if a man publickly persevere both in the committing and justifying heinous sin, and live by it in the world, yea and entitle God to it, and say he doth it for his service—Blame us not to fear such things as these.

Now the sins which we fear being of the greatest sort that Hell suggesteth, Perjury, and owning the Perjury of thousands, and doing that which is equivolent to the preaching of Impenitency to them, and say Repent not, for I declare that it is no sin; and lying deliberately; and making a publick Ministerial profession of Usurpation and Church-Corruption, and of our resolution never to obey God in doing any duty of ours in order to a reformation; and other such like; I say these being the sins we fear, what can we think less than that the fornicators; drunkards, swearers, thieves, &c. that hear us should say, Is ours a sin, and is Ministerial Perjury, &c. none? What an hypocrite is this wretch, to talk against Lying and Swearing, with a deliberate Lying, Perjured tongue, and to consent to be a publick, ministerial, professed, impenitent Lyar, and Perjured, on condition that he may have leave to serve God in perswading us from Lying, Swearing, and other sins? Shall we believe his Sermons, or his profession and practice? Or can we believe that he believeth himself? What doth he mean by talking against sin? Is there any sin much greater than that p. 222which he listeth himself a defender and practiser of? And are we like to win Souls on such terms as these? yea, or can we expect that God should bless our labours, when we offer him Lying, Perjury, &c. for a sacrifice, and so blaspheme him? as interpretatively, to say, I deliberately commit these sins against thee, and will declare them to the Congregation to be no sins, that so I may have leave to Preach against sin. This is the scandal which we fear, and plead against.

11. It is the work of your own calling, and your Ministerial interest, to cherish a true fear of sinning in the people: And if you will prosecute them with Imprisonments or Excommunications, and Violence, who are come to so much regard of your doctrines, as to fear sin (if you think there be any error in the materials), what could you do more to contradict your preaching and office, and destroy that which is or should be your end: Especially, if withall, you do, as it were, proclaim, [He that will do all these things that we bid him do, and will not fear lest he incur any guilt of perjury, lying, professed disobedience to God, &c. in so doing, shall be capable of Church-preferment].

If you go this violent imposing way to work, whether you can see it or not, men that stand out of the dust can see, that there are but these ways to scape your punishment and censures: 1. Either to be so perfect in understanding, as to know in all things, what is lawful, and what not: And that is an impossible way, because the generality of subjects will never possibly be brought to that perfection: Nay if they were, it would be the way to their certain suffering and ruine. For it is most certain that you your selves have not attained this perfection, and therefore are still fallible; and when you your selves take any one sin for a thing indifferent, if the subjects know it to be sin, they must fall under the punishment of your imposing Domination. 2. Or else they must be men that believe nothing to be sin (which is the case of all that believe there is no God), and so dare do any thing to save their flesh: And this way will make all the world conformable to you, that are under your power. 3. Or else they must be such as believe that nothing is sin which you or their Rulers shall command them (As all do, who believe that you are Gods, or above God, and consequently indeed that there is no God); Or that believe that God hath made men absolute Rulers of the peoples p. 223Souls, and put Heaven and Hell into their power. Can you imagine how very many others should ever be exact Conformists to your imposing wills universally. If a few individuals should chance to be in all points of your judgments, indeed (which must be a rare case) it cannot be expected to be so with many, much less with all.

And if your interest should lead you to debauch the people, and take away all fear of sinning, by forcing them on that which is so feared, you would find your own interest cross'd at last: For it is the godly or the superstitious people that must long keep up your reverence and honour: We see by daily experience, that the Atheists and Infidels, and professedly impious ones, deride you behind your backs, and come very seldom to the publick Assemblies. Your Assemblies are more made up of such as dislike your proceedings, than of these that are brought beyond all fear of sin or punishment.

12. The Preachers whom you silence would do you less hurt in their permitted publick Ministry, than they do now, or will do when you have done your worst.

In publick, 1. Your friends and multitudes of several sorts will be their hearers, and witness against them for every word that they say amiss. But in secret they may take more liberty to oppose your way, if they affect so doing. 2. Your kindness, and their own and the Churches interest, will more oblige them to forbear you when they have publick liberty, than when you prosecute them as foes. 3. And the very Assemblies of men separated by expulsion and violence, doth seem to invite all the people to a sense of the cause thereof, which a liberty of such meetings without danger and unkindness would not do. 4. And if you keep them from Assemblies, they will make the deeper impressions on the people, in the families and secret converse which they use. 5. Or if you banish, imprison, or hang them, their sufferings will do far more against you, than all their preaching. I am assured that it is you that advance the reputation of many Nonconformists, and arm them thereby against your selves. The truth is, though they are commonly the most hearty, serious, feeling Preachers, yet some of them are weaker as to the congruity of expression, than the Debate▪maker, or the young Politician. But when the people see them true to their consciences, they value them much more than p. 224they would have done if you had let them alone. Whether you like it or not, so it is, and so it will be. Therefore it is you that fight against your selves.

13. You take the way to make your Church an unknown thing. None are to be reckoned for Christians and Church-members, but voluntary professors of it. Coacti non est consensus. And as Protestants tell the Papists, They may know who come within their Temples, but they never know who are members of their Church, because they know not who professeth voluntary consent, and who doth it involuntary by meer constraint. And so it may be said of others that go their way.

14. By the course fore-described, you will have a Church so corrupted, as will be a continual temptation to the most religious sort to distaste it, if not to separate from it. When men that fear sin are the suffering side; and fearlesness of sin, and a conscience that can do any thing, is full security from all those penalties, it is easie to foresee what sort of people you will make your friends, (who will do you more harm than good) and what sort will be more and more alienated from you. And then the zealous sort of Ministers and people will from age to age be the sharp reprehenders of your vices. And then that will encrease your enmity against them! And what will this come to at last?

I will give you but two instances now to calm you. Gildas our ancient Britain, hath so characterized the British Clergy, even in those elder and less tempted times, that he doubteth not to call them Wolves and not Pastors; and plainly to profess, that he that took them for Ministers or Pastors, was not eximius. Christianus, one of the more excellent sort of Christians. What could a Separatist have said more of you? And yet you can praise Gildas (for it is not in your power to eclipse his glory) and not endure the same words from any one that is near you. The other is that oft mentioned instance of St. Martin, who would not come to their Synods, nor communicate at all with Ithacius, Idacius, and the rest of the Prelates of the Synods and Countrey about him, though of the very same belief, because by their cruel ungodly prosecution of the Priscillian Hereticks, they had taught the world the way of violence in matters of Religion, and had made the strictest Religious people every where brought under the malignant suspition p. 225of being Priscillianists: so that having but once for the saving of a condemned mans life, communicated with the Bishops (being a Bishop himself) at the perswasion of the Emperor Maximus, he was, as he professeth, sharply rebuked for it by an Angel in a Vision, and would communicate with them no more. And what worse do the Separatists do by you, as to communion? And yet Sulpit. Severus tells you by what abundance of Miracles Martins credibility was confirmed.

Hear a little of the story from your own Hooker, with his application, judg you to whom, I deny not but that our Antagonists in these controversies may per adventure have met with some, not unlike to Ithacius, who mightily bending himself by all means against the Heresie of Priscillian, (the hatred of which one evil was all the virtue he had) became so wise in the end, that every man careful of virtuous conversations, studious of Scripture, and given to any abstinence in diet, was set down in his Character for suspected Priscillianists: For whom it should be expedient to approve their soundness of faith, by a more licentious and loose behaviour: such Proctors and Patrons the truth may spare. Can you endure these words of Hooker? (too short a scrap of that notable history) and can you mark them, and learn by them to know your party, and to foresee the end, and perceive what service such do the Church? Nonconformists think that this is too like our present case.

15. Sword-severities, as coming from the instigations of the Clergy, do abundance more harm, than if they came from the Magistrate alone. Experience telleth us, that they have ever made the Clergy much more odious than the Magistrate: Because the Sword is the Magistrates weapon: And if he err in using it, it doth the less abate mens respect to his person, because it is but the misdoing of his proper work: Or if he drive men into hard thoughts of his person, it hath not much influence on the honour of Religion. But Ministers have nothing to do with the Sword: Their office is exercised by Gods Word alone, and that is the only weapon with which they are to strike offenders. And their office being only to govern by Light and Love, the people cannot bear that from them which they do from Magistrates: It seemeth a monstrous and horrible usurpation to them. And if the Clergy will play the hypocrites, as the Papists do, and say, We do not meddle with the Sword, but only deliver them up to the Secular p. 226power to be punished, when they tell the Secular power that it is their duty, and drive them on to it, with the threats of Excommunication or Damnation: this will never reconcile the people to their cruelties. Of all beasts, they love not sheep that have bloody teeth and fangs; nor of all birds, a Dove, that liveth like the Hawks, on flesh.

And when the Clergy are once made hateful to them, I have told you that the scandal tendeth to make them think hardly of their doctrine, and at least to run into some contrary extream, if not to dislike Religion it self. I have seldom observed any extream in Hereticks or Schismaticks, which was not notably caused by the Clergies contrary extream. Antinomianism rose among us from our obscure Preaching of Evangelical Grace, and insisting too much on tears and terrors. Arminianism rose from mens prophane abuse of the Doctrine of Election, saying, If I am elected, I shall be saved, whatever I do; and when God will give me grace, I shall have it; and till then, it is not in him that willeth or runneth. The Quakers arose from the pride and vanity of Religious people, from which they fled into the fordid extream. And Separatists have almost always risen from the ignorance, ungodliness, the shameful disabilities, idle negligence, pride, covetousness, or cruelty of the Clergy. This is true, as the experience of all ages telleth us. The insufficient and naughty Clergy make Separatists. At this day the superstitious think they can scarce go too far from men that they account so ungodly, malignant and cruel: And the ungodly, and infidel, and cruel sort of men, do think they can scarce go too far from the superstitious. If you would read and learn of such reprovers, as Gildas, and Salvian, and Nazianzen, and Hilary, and Alvarus Pelagius Planct. Eccles. and Acontius, and such like, you need not have so many thousands flying from your Churches, as from an house on fire, or infected with the Plague; nor reporting your Crimes, as the Parliament-Centuries, or the Gloucester-Cobler, or your groaning Icabod have done.

16. You should rather help to cure the prejudice that the world hath against the Clergy, as envious, selfish, and cruel, than encrease it. The World already thinketh that the Clergy are so covetous, proud and envious, that they can endure no man that standeth in their light; but like the great dog that hath got the p. 227carrion, snarl at every little dog that looketh at them, suspecting they come to take some from him: It is their common opinion, that the Clergy are the incendiaries and troublers of the world; And that the worst Princes left to themselves, are not half so cruel against the faithful Preachers and Practisers of Christianity, as the proud and covetous Clergy are. It is therefore your duty not to confirm the world in this opinion, by seeming as envious and cruel as others have been; but to cure it by love, and tenderness, and self-denial.

17. Have you ever considered and regarded, whether the Apostles ever took your course? You say your selves, that they had power to give men over to the Devil for Corporal punishment: And yet when did they ever do so▪by any but desperate Infidels, (as Elymas) or desperate Hereticks, that denied fundamentals, as Alexander, Hymenaeus and Philetus? Or whom did they so much as threaten Church-sharpness to, else, unless it were such a proud domineering Bishop as Diotrephes, who would neither receive some brethren, nor permit others to do it, but cast them out of the Church, prating with malicious words against the Apostle. Paul blamed Mark, but did not silence him. He fell out with Barnabas to a parting, but did not hinder him from preaching the Gospel. He blameth Demas for forsaking him, and loving the world, and many more for forsaking him, when he appeared before Nero, and elsewhere, They all mind their own things, and not the things that are Jesus Christs: And yet he silenced none of them that preached the same Gospel which he did: He met with some Preachers so bad, that they Preached Christ of envy and strife, of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to his bonds: What then? Notwithstanding every way, whether in contention or in truth, Christ was preached, and he therein rejoyced, and resolved to rejoyce, and not to silence them, Phil. 1. 15, 16, 17, 18. Some indeed that preached the Law, and, as it were, another Gospel, he saith must have their mouths stopped; but none that preached the same Gospel; nor they, by the Sword, but by the convincing Word. He that wrote as he did, Rom. 14. 15. was far from silencing Preachers for not using Ceremonies, or things called indifferent, or for not taking an Oath of obedience to himself. And will you prove wiser and better than the Apostles at the last?

p. 22818. Methinks (as I said before) even selfishness should make you have some regard to your surviving names! Think not that your party shall be the Masters of fame: Think but on all history, whether those that suffered in their times, as the Martyrs, and such Bishops as Athanasius, Nazianzen, Chrysostom, &c. have not left a sweeter name to the Church, than those by whom they suffered! Whether the name of the Nonconformists, John Rogers, and his followers, and Bradford, Sanders, Glover, Hooper, Latimer, Ridley, Cranmer, &c. be not sweeter now than Gardiners and Bonners? And think on the nature of your cause and ours: When you have done your worst against Christs faithful Ministers, and sought to justifie it by calling them Schismaticks, posterity will enquire into the Merits of the Cause, and the Evidence of their words and yours: and their Writings at least will some of them survive when you have done your worst. And do you think that they who read such Works, as Amesius, Hildershams, Hierons, Baynes, Balls, &c. of old, and as Gatakers, Vines, Anthony Burgesses, Allens, &c. of late, will believe that they were Schismaticks, or unworthy to preach repentance and faith in Christ? I have written so much against Schism my self, as that I defie malignity it self, to make posterity believe me a Schismatick. When they peruse the Declarations, Subscriptions, Oaths, and actions which we refuse, and weigh our reasons, they will judge otherwise than interest, and partiality, and malice will do at the present. The next Sulpitius will describe us liker Martin than you, and the Fanaticks like the Priscillianists, and too many of your selves like Ithacius and Idacius, and their Synods of Bishops; which you may easily foresee when your Hooker himself in his Preface doth it by some Conformists already.

19. You take so notorious a way to tempt the people to their present suspicions of your over-much kindness to Popery, as that charity to them obligeth you to help to cure them of that uncharitable suspicion of you. And, I confess, if I would have liberty for any one sect my self, I would counsel and perswade men to take away the liberty of Religion from as great, and worthy, and considerable a part of the Ministers and People as I could, that the cry for changes and liberty might be so great, that others may be let in with them, as if it were to gratifie them. But it is our comfort that we have a King and Parliament, whose aversness to p. 229Popery, and their Law against all such surmises, doth put them out of the peoples suspicions! And I think you should do no less, but more than any others, to avert all unjust suspicions from your selves.

20. Is it possible that any partiality, interest or passion can make you think, either that the people of England need not as much Teaching, and Exhortation, and Ministerial help, to bring them to Repentance and Salvation, as all the qualified Ministers in the Land together are able to afford them? or that God may not bless the labours of such men as Burges, Allen, Norman, and hundreds more that now are silenced, to the conversion of many hundred or thousand sinners, unto Repentance and a holy life? And if you cannot, or dare not deny this, have you considered whether your reasons for silencing them be so weighty, as will countervail the salvation of so many Souls, and will comfort and excuse you at the bar of God? And whether then you can justifie your selves by saying, Lord, though so many Souls persisted in sin, and are damned, that might have been saved by the Ministry of these learned, grave and godly Preachers; yet the good which we obtained by their silencing, and all their other sufferings, was greater than so many mens salvation would have amounted to.

And if deliberately you will venture on such a cause your selves, what would you wish the silenced Ministers to do? You say it is our duty to forbear preaching when we are forbidden. But what if it prove otherwise, and that we must be judged as sacrilegious for alienating consecrated persons from Gods work? and as guilty of the blood of all those souls that have perished by our silence and neglect? What say you? Will you undertake to justifie us, and answer for us, and bear all the divine displeasure your selves which shall fall upon us for our obeying your silencing commands? Are you willing to run all that danger for us? But why do I ask you such a question, when your undertaking would but shew your greater obdurateness, and neither save us nor your selves?

If you say, that the crime is ours for not conforming; that is to be examined by it self.

If ever Episcopacy had two learned and judicious defenders, it was Bishop Bilson and Bishop Andrews: let not interest now make you differ from your chiefest champions. I will add the words of one of them at large.

p. 230Bilson of Subjection, p. 399. saith, The election of bishops in these days belonged to the people, and not to the Prince: and though Valens by plain force placed Lucius there yet might the people lawfully reject him as no bishop, and cleave to Peter the right Pastor.

And indeed the people so rejected Lucius, that the boys in the street would not touch the ball any more which Lucius's horse feet had trod upon; and to the last suffered all the Magistrates displeasure in refusing the Pastor imposed on them (who yet perswaded them that he was Orthodox). And the error of a Magistrate taketh not away his power, as I before said, but only his aptitude to use it aright. And the Nonconformable people think that they lawfully adhere to their old known faithful Pastors, and reject unknown obtruded persons.

Pag. 236 he saith, Princes have no right to call or confirm Preachers, but to receive such as be sent of God, and give them liberty for their preaching, and security for their persons. And if Princes refuse so to do, Gods labourers must go on forward with that which is commanded them from heaven; not by disturbing Princes from their thrones, nor invading their Realms, as your holy father doth, and defendeth he may do; but by mildly submitting themselves to the powers on earth, and meekly suffering for the defence of the truth what they shall inflict.

How you gather out of this, or any words of ours, that Christ and his Apostles might not preach the Gospel without Cesar's delegations, and license from others, the Kings of the Countreys whither they went, I see not, except you take the word [Supreme] for superior to Christ; all which standeth neither with our assertion nor intention, but is a very pestilent and impudent sophistication of yours—Marg. Bishops may preach without Cesars leave, if they submit themselves to Cesar's sword, as the Apostles did.

To this, I pray add his two pages, p. 233, 234. to prove that Patriarchs were not erected by Christ, but by the consent of Bishops; and that Archiepiscopal and Metropolitan Dignities were the gifts of Princes; and then consider how far that Office of Presbyters, which is of Christs own instituting, is to be forsaken in obedience to the command of a Metropolitan, or any power of mans ordaining.

Pag. 226. The charge which the Patriarchs and Bishops of England have over their flocks, proceedeth neither from Prince nor Pope, nor dependeth on the will or word of any earthly creature; therefore p. 231you do us the more wrong to say what you list of us—By supreme Governours we do not mean Moderators, Prescribers, Directors, Inventors, or Authors of these things as you misconster us, but Rulers and Magistrates, bearing the sword to permit and defend that which Christ himself first appointed and ordained, and with lawful force to disturb the despisers of his will and testament. Now what inconvenience is this, if we say that Princes as publick Magistrates may give freedom, protection and assistance, to the preaching of the Word, Ministring of the Sacraments, and right using of the Keys—Doth that prove that all Ecclesiastical power and cure of Souls do proceed and depend of the Princes right?

See also Page 362.

And p. 259. As Bishops ought to discern what is truth, before they teach; so must the people discern who teacheth right before they believe.

Pag. 261, 262. Princes as well as others, must yield obedience to Bishops, speaking the word of God: But if they pass their Commission, and speak besides the word of God, what they list, both Prince and people may despise them.

See him further, proving that all have a judicium discretionis, Pag. 259, 260, 261, 262.

Bishop Andrews his determination against giving unfit Kings the Sacrament, and in what sense the Pastors rule their Princes, (and consequently may not obey them in the neglect of their own office), I have shewed in the decision of the Erastian Controversie, and need not repeat it; yea he alloweth the very Deacon to deny an unworthy King admittance to the Sacrament. And Chrysostome would lose his life, rather than give it to the greatest that is unworthy. How far then Christs Ministers must give over Preaching, Sacraments and all, if men command them so to do, you may hence gather by these mens judgments.

And in the conclusion, let me again remember you, that the trick of twisting your interest pretendedly with Princes, and making them believe that those that you would have to be afflicted, or expelled, are more against Monarchy and Loyalty than you are, though it be an old device, and of great success, hath ever been hateful to sober men, when the falshood hath appeared, and will but make your blot the fouler. There were p. 232two great Philosophers in France, in the time of King Francis the first, Castellanus and Bicot. Bicot was a most profound interpreter of Aristotle, and saith Hornius, hath got the immortal fame of Scaligers testimony (Hist. Phil. l. 6. p. 314.) And indeed Scaligers words are very high in his praise, Exercit. 307. n. 15. Pag. 904. and smart against his adversaries: Haec quidem risui sunt atque contemptui nostris Lucianis atque Diagoris Culinariis, sed non neglecta sunt a maximo Philosopho Guilielmo Bicotio, qui quidem pene solus hoc summum jus hodie tuetur in reconciliâ Philosophiâ. But Castellanus hated Bicot because he was a Peripatetick. The King being a great lover of learned men, heard Castellanus often; and when some Courtiers extolled Bicot, and desired the King to hear him, Castellanus in wrath and cunning together saith, VVhat do you praise an Aristotelian? And that you may know, O King, what men these Aristotelians are, they affirm that Aristocracy is better than Monarchy. Which knockt the nail on the head, and the King would not hear Bicot, but Castellanus. Melancthon hath recorded the whole Story, and Hornius after him. These devices may do the feat for a while, and serve for a shift against not only Aristotles Philosophy, but more necessary Truths; but at the long running they will be out of breath, and flattery and calumny will stink.

Postscript.

LET the Reader, who hath read my Repetitions of Martins and Bicots Stories in other books, know that this was written before them all, and cast by, till mens importunity have prevailed with me to publish it.