The Levites Scourge, Section 4
SECT. IIII. How D. F. his Livings came to be sequestred, and why.
BUt his Livings touched him more neerely, and to the quicke: The Sequestration from the Assembly made him but speechlesse there, where for the most part he was but a Mute before, but the sequestration of his Benefices made him livelesse, or rather according to the Apostles phrase, twice dead and pluckt up by the rootes: For as good upon the matter to be dead, as deprived of all meanes of livelihood. Thou wilt say, admit his voyce in the Assembly were Malignant; yet surely neither his Bookes nor his Livings were so. I grant it, yet some cast a Malignant eye at them, they were like a Pinne and a Web in the eye of Envie, they were two good Benefices conveniently seated neere London, the one hath a goo… friend of the Ayre, the other of the Thames; and therefore the Mouth of some of the Assembly watered after them, one of the Assessors, M. W. must have a convenient seat, and M. Nye must be denyed nothing: and because intus apparens prohibet extraneum, that they might be inducted, the Dr. must be outed: Neither want there presidents for it; Fundus Albanus in Italy, and Nabals Vineyard in Iezreel are ruling cases for it.Annal. Tacit. lib. 12. Agrippina Statilium Taurum hortis ejus inhians pervertit. Yea, but where are the men of Belial to testifie that the Dr. blasphemed the Parliament, and their Ordinances? they were ready at the Committee for plundred Ministers, namely Andrewes the Botcher, and Sharpe the Cobler, these prevailed so far with 4 of the Committee, that April the 23, the Dr. was voted out of his living at Lambeth, though six eminent and worthy Members of the Parliament there present (but not of the Committee) shewed great dislike of this Censure, and one of them said That it had bin better for the Dr. to have fallen into the hands of the high Commission, or Popish Inquisition, then that Committee. But salva res est, the sentence of foure men was reversed in open Parliament by 80 at least, who acquitted the Dr. and now he is setled in both his Benefices and lockt fast into the Assembly, and the separatists and schismaticall Recusants at Lambeth, (who the 23 of April, after the Dr. was sentenced, kept a great Feast, like to that of the Persians, called Magophonia, at which, first they prayed themselves out of their sences, and after dranke themselves out of their wits) now mourne in the chine, Iustin. lib. 1. Persae festum celebrant ob necem Magorum, dictum, foreign.their short wits are at an end, they know not what to doe, and therefore for 3 moneths they sit downe by the losse: but afterwards felix casus se immiscuit arti, an occasion is offered to effect that by an engine, which they could not doe with cleane strength. It was reported at London and at Lambeth, by some that came from Oxford, that the Dr. was lost at Court, by reason of his repairing so usually to the Assembly of Divines, and concurring with them in their resolves: upon this, they who before lay in wait for the Doctor, worke, and a Felt-maker in the Borough, a great stickler for the new Reformation, is sent to the Doctor, with a pretended message from the Primate of Armagh, Armiger Warner.that his Majesty was very much offended with the Doctors complying with the Assembly, and that he charged him upon high displeasure never more to meet with the Divines in Henry the 7ths Chappell. At this the Dr. being much appaled and troubled, not knowing how to steer his course betweene the Symplegades, nor obey the contrary commands of two such masters, the Messenger put him in some comfort, saying, that a word of the Primates to the King would set all right, and that the next morning, being Saturday, hee was to take his journey to Oxford, and that if the Dr. would write two or three lines to his Grace, and acquaint him with some late passages of the Assembly, with his desire to get leave of his Majesty to continue his attendance there, till he might upon faire tearmes withdraw himselfe▪ he ingaged himselfe deepely that he would bring an answer from the Primate the Tuesday following. Upon this overture, the Dr. very desirous to take the first opportunity to make his peace with the KING, dic…ated a letter, or rather a note which he read to the Messenger, demanding of him whether he thought there was any matter of offence or danger in it, and if there were, he wished him utterly to suppresse it; the Messenger answered, that there neither was, nor could be any danger in it, for it was a note onelyonly unsealed and conteined no secrets in it, but the open and knowne resolves of the Assembly. Whereupon the Dr. trusted him with it, but heard no Answer till some weekes after. In the meane while, the Messenger shews this note to diverse, and closeth with the Committee, who tooke a Copy of it, but dispatched him away with the Originall to Oxford, whereupon hee bringeth backe an answer from the Primate: upon his returne he is committed for a few dayes, but since preferred to a gainfull place in the Armie: so his turne was served, but the Doctor turned out of house and home, sequestred, plundred, and libelled in all the triobulary pasquils printed the first and second weeke of October.1643.
Being thus as you heard, made an Intelligencer to Oxford, he is censured by them who made him so, in the highest degree. And now the Vulturs hover over the carkasse of his estate: one (a)M W…ite of Dorchest.seizeth upon his Living at Lambeth; another (b)M. Nyeupon his Benefice at Acton; a third (c)M. Ben,upon his Books; a fourth (d)M Cooke.upon his provisions; a fifth (e)Andrew Ke…win.upon his goods and household-stuffe: and thou, Britanicus, here gottest store of Gall and Coppres to put in thine Inke; which, it ever God open thy eyes, to see thy error, thou wilt mingle with thy teares: For he was a great One that said it, Whosoever offendeth one of these little ones, even the least in the Kingdome of God, that is, the Ministerie of the Gospel, it were better that a milstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the Sea. Is this the puritie of precise Zeale? Are these the distilled Spirits of Christianitie? To beautifie the Temple of God, by damming up the lights thereof? To lay traps in their wayes, who guide our feet into the way of peace? To make men Delinquents, and then to persecute them with all severity? Is this the piety of this age, for the flocks of Christ to betray their Pastours to ravening Wolves; to strengthen the Armes of Brownists and base miscreants against learned, painfull, and Orthodox Divines; to take Oath upon Oath, and enter into Covenant after Covenant, to maintaine and support the true reformed Religion, and yet to supplant, and upon forged Cavillations overthrow the knowne Champions thereof? O ubi estis fontes lachrymarum? Oh where are yee! fountains of teares.