The Worcestershire Petition for the Ministry of England, Title page – Preface
THE VVorcester-shire Petition to the PARLIAMENT FOR THE MINISTRY of ENGLAND DEFENDED, By a Minister of Christ in that County; In Answer to XVI QUERIES, Printed in a BOOK, called, A Brief Discovery of the threefold Estate of ANTICHRIST: Whereunto is added, XVII. COUNTER-QUERIES, AND AN HUMBLE MONITION To Parliament, People, and Ministers.
London, Printed for Tho. Ʋnderhill at the Blue Anchor in Paul's Church-Yard: And Francis Tyton at the Three Daggers in Fleet street. 1653.
THE WORCESTER-SHIRE PETITION DEFENDED, In an Answer to XVI printed Queries.
THe first Reason pretended against subscribing the Worcester-shire Petition for the Gospel and Ministry, by those few that scrupled it, was, that they knew not of any such Pamphlets or Petitions against the Ministry, as the beginning of it expresseth. As I then produced a dozen for the conviction of some of them, so here's another now, indited by the same spirit, which if they will peruse, may further their satisfaction. The scope of it is to prove Christs Ministers (called Priests) to be 1. Conjurers: 2. Thieves and Robbers: 3. Antichrists: 4. Witches: 5. Divels: 6. Lyers: 7. A viperous and Serpentine generation, going about to murder and strangle the Childe JESUS: 8. Blasphemers, living in the Kingdome and Government of the Prince of the Air, strangers to the guiding of the eternal Spirit, &c. 9. Scarlet coloured Beasts, a wel-favoured Harlot, &c. 10. Babylon's Merchants, selling beastly wares for a large price, &c. 11. Whited walls, painted Sepulchres, professing something, possessing nothing: 12. Ravenous Wolves, evermore persecuting the pure Truth that the Saints live in: 13. Greedy dogs, alwayes striving about fat Benefices, &c. Bloud-hounds, still hunting and gasping after their prey; like the mouth of Hell, never satisfied: Money is their Diana: still barking and raging like Sodomites against any that delight in Purity, &c. 14. Eminent and Ambitious Pharisees, &c. with more of the like. Also that our Publick Meeting-places are Idols Temples, that must down, &c. And in the end are Sixteen Queries to the Worcester-shire Petitioners. The Authours are many, not worth the naming, some subscribing one part, and some another: and sometimes daring thus to subscribe, WRITTEN FROM THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
I know it will be judged a great weaknesse in mee, to regard the words of such men, so far as to mention them, or vouchsafe them any Answer: But I think we have disregarded them too long. 1. The silliest soul is precious, and must not be vilified or neglected. 2. Christ condescended to the meanest, both in Redeeming them, and conversing with them; He disdained not to dispute with a Samaritan, or a Canaanitish woman. 3. We are commanded to learn of him to be meek and lowly: to stoop to the very washing of the feet of our brethren: to condescend to men of low degree▪ and he that would be greatest, must be the servant of all, Matth. 23. 11. Luke 22. 26. Rom. 12. 16. Ephes. 5. 21. 4. If the Governours of this Common-wealth doe think this to be meet language and Doctrine to be permitted by the Presse to be divulged to all their Subjects, it seems (horresco referens!) they take it not to be so intolerable and bad as we do: And if it have so far prevailed with the Brain of the Commonwealth, I think no inferiour person should make light of it. 5. Were it the absurdest Turk or Pagan that had liberty to speak so openly to all, there is a necessity that some should discover his vanity; for though he speak non-sense, if it be but earnestly, it will take with too many, if they understand but what hee drives at: For men receive Doctrines not as the Doctrine it self deserveth, but as themselves are predisposed and capable. Ignorant silly souls are sooner taken with such silly Discourses as are agreeable to their capacities, and familiar to their ears, then with the clearest demonstrations of a Learned man. And alas, if all the ignorant deceivable souls in this Land should be neglected, how small a number should be regarded? Contrarily, it is the most ignorant that have most need of Teaching: Wee should be ill Nurses, if wee think that all those Babes that want milk, should be rather contemned, then fed. 6. The most ignorant wretch may have as strong an arm, as fiery a spirit, and perhaps, to doe mischief, as crafty a wit as other men: If these beasts once know their own strength (as they never did more in our dayes) they may prove to Men more terrible then contemptible. Their Swords may be better then yours, though your poorest servant boy or wench may have more wisdome then they. Contempt will not save you from a mad man, or a wilde beast; nor will it quench a raging fire in the thatch of your houses. Experience hath taught us, how farr contemned men may prevaile, while wee sit still and slight them: and how successfully the sillyest servant of the Envious man may sow his tares, whilest wee are silent, or asleep. 7. I thought it worth a few hours writing, to shew the world so far the Honour of our WORCESTER-SHIRE Petition, that it hath none to open a mouth against it publickly, but such Miscreants as these. As I have known many souls confirmed about the veritie of the sacred Scriptures (after temptations to infidelitie) by observing the evident Discoveries of the Divels hatred and rage against it, and that all the opposition proceeded from him: so it is a great credit to our Petition, that it must be the mouth of the Divel that must speake against it. Let him that reads these Queries, but read the rest of the Book, and if hee finde not that it is the Hissing of the Serpent, and the Language of his seed, either he understands not that Language, or understands no other.
My intended brevity prohibites me any longer Preface, then to give you these Reasons of my action, that you may not think mee prodigal of my time. And for the Uses of the whole Pamphlet which I oppose, I desire you to peruse them in the end, whither I reserve them.