Conformitys Deformity, Title page – Dedication
CONFORMITIES DEFORMJTY.
In a Dialogue between CONFORMITY, and CONSCIENCE.
Wherein the main Head of all the Controverſies in theſe times, concerning Church-Government, is aſſerted and maintained; as without which, all Reformation is headleſſe, and all Reconciliation hopeleſſe.
Dedicated by HENRY BURTON, to the honour of Jeſus Chriſt, as the firſt-fruits of his late recovery from death to life; as a teſtimony of his humble and thankfull acknowledgement of ſo great a mercy: And publiſhed for the ſervice of all thoſe, that love the Lord Ieſus Chriſt in ſincerity.
Scripture-Warnings for England, if not too late.
ESA. 1. 5.
Why ſhould you be ſtricken any more? Ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is ſick, and the whole heart faint.
ESA. 29. 9, 10.
Stay your ſelves, and wonder: Cry ye out, and cry, They are drunken, but not with wine; they ſtagger, but not with ſtrong drink: For the Lord hath poured out upon you the ſpirit of deep ſleep, and hath cloſed your eyes: the Prophets, and your Rulers, the Seers hath he covered.
EZICH. 22. 23,
&c. Son of man, ſay unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleanſed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation: There is a conſpiracie of her Prophets in the midſt thereof, like a roaring Lyon, ravening the prey. Her Prieſts have violated my law, and put no difference between the holy and profane. Her Princes in the midſt thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to ſhed blood, and to deſtroy ſouls, to get diſhoneſt gain. And her Prophets have daubed them with untempered mortar, ſeeing vanity, and divining lies, ſaying, Thus ſaith the Lord, when the Lord hath not ſpoken. The people of the land have uſed oppreſsion, and exerciſed robbery. And I ſought for a man to ſtand in the gap, that I ſhould not deſtroy the land, but I found none.
HOS. 7. 11.
Ephraim (ſo England, London) is like a ſilly Dove without heart: they call to Egypt, they go to Aſſyria.
ESA. 1. 21.
How is the faithful City become an harlot? It was full of Judgement, Righteouſneſſe lodged therein, but now …erers. Thy ſilver is become droſſe, thy wine mixt with water: thy Princes are rebellious, and companions of theeves.
O homines, ad ſervitutem parati!
Tacitus.
O men, fitted for ſlavery! ſaid Tiberius of the Roman Senate; ſo yielding he found their degenerate ſpirits to become ſlaves to his tyranny. As Rome was in Livies time, of which he ſaid, That neither the Maladies, nor Remedies could be endured: So is England now.
London, Printed for Giles Calvert, at the Black Spread-Eagle neer the Weſt end of Pauls. 1646.
To the Right Honourable, The LORD MAIOR of the City of LONDON.
Right Honourable:
THis Title ſalutes you as Lord Major, in relation to your Place & Office; which being Honourable, then much more, when true worth and vertue makes the Perſon Right Honourable, as in title, ſo in reality: Otherwiſe ſuch uſual Titles are but empty founds, being but Civil complements, and not of any Moral notion. As it was the cuſtome of the Heathen to ſtyle thoſe their Benefactors, who were their Oppreſſors. Chriſtians ſhould not uſe ſuch flattery. For my part, I have taken this boldneſſe to ſalute your New Lordſhip, without giving flattering titles, leſt (as Elih… ſaid) my Maker ſhould ſoon take me away. And in truth, ſuch Places and Titles of Honour Job 32. 22as theſe, being well weighed, do ſomewhat reſemble Honos onus.the Crown, which Henry the 7. of this Realm, finding at Boſworth field to be flung in a Thorn-buſh, ſaid, He that knew the weight and cares of a Crown, would not ſtoop to take it up. And though your Cap of Maintenance come ſhort of a Crown; yet into ſuch times are we fallen, as may make your Cap, to your ſelf at leaſt, being truly ſenſible of it, as heavy as a Crown. And if I may ſpeak plainly my apprehenſions, the well-being and ſafety, not only of this City, but even of our fair England, claimeth and loudly cals for of you, an honourable, wiſe, and faithfull execution of your Majoralty this very year: all mens expectations being erect, ſome with hope, and ſome with fear, according to their ſeverall intereſts. But with what minds ſoever, and for what ends, Men made choice of you at this time; this we are ſure of, That Jeſus Chriſt the Lord of heaven and earth, who hath all power in his hands, as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, who raiſeth up, and throweth down again, hath in his wiſdome called you to this place at this time, to do his will, and not your own. And therefore, in this high and important office, and this juncture of time, what need have you of another heart, and another ſpirit then your own, (it being dangerous, eſpecially in ſteep and ſlippery places, to be led by Mens ſpirits) and of new principles from heaven to be put into you (as we read of Saul, who had another heart given unto him, ſo as he was turned into another man, ſo ſoon as he was annointed 1 Sam. 6. 9.King) and all to furniſh you with ſuch qualifications of wiſdome, underſtanding, and the fear of God, as may in the due execution and faithfull diſcharge of your office, declare to all the world, that your main aimes and ends are more for Gods glory then your own, and more for the publike good, then for your own private; and more to gratifie good men, then others, though never ſo high or great, and whoſe deſigns drive at nothing more then ruine & confuſion. For we are not ignorant what diabolical plots are on foot, and how ripe for execution, and what kind of Counſellers and active Spirits, your Chair, and Table, yea and Bedchamber too will be haunted withall, if experience deceive us not. And you ſhall find their ordinary counſels to drive at two main things (yet both reduced under one head, to wit, Tyranny) the one, Tyranny over our Bodies, Eſtates, Freeholds, Liberties, Lawes and Birth-rights of all Engliſh freeborn Subjects; the other, Tyranny over our Soules and Conſciences, which are CHRIST's peculiar freeholds and purchaſe, and ſubject to no other Law, Lordſhip or Kingdome, but Chriſts alone.
And in truth (my Lord) in this reſpect, you are in a hard condition, in caſe you ſhould by any importunity be perſwaded to interpoſe as a Judge in the matter of Religion, and eſpecially in the point of Church-Government, the main controverſie of theſe times, as wherein you have been little verſed, conſidering how few there be that come to preach before you, who ſet themſelves to open unto you this great myſterie of Chriſts Kingly office, and government, over Conſciences and Churches: But on the contrary, ſuch as Ignorants moſt admire and adore as gods upon earth, do withhold this truth of God concerning his Sons Kingly government from you; nay (though under other terms) do publikely in your ſolemn aſſemblies exclaim againſt it, ſhut it out of their churches, will not ſuffer others to preach, or print it, with their good wils, but do exaſperate and incenſe you againſt all thoſe that hold forth this truth in the glory and excellency of it: this being that very Kingdom, of which Chriſt ſaid, Woe be to you Soribes and Phariſees, hypocrites, Mat. 23.for ye ſhut up the Kingdom of Heaven againſt men, for ye neither go in your ſelves, nor ſuffer ye them that are entring, to go in.
But, my Lord, you are a lover of Peace; as that part of your Speech upon your Election, in the Hall, declared, and we all believe it: when you ſaid, That you would endeavour to have Vnity; for which you propounded two wayes, either by Intreaty, or by Force. Indeed, in ſuch a caſe, and for your place, Intreaty is very commendable: but if you think by Force to compoſe the differences, that will prove none of Gods wayes, nor to lie within your ſphere; as I dare ſay, you abhorre to be a perſecutor of thoſe that are the promoters of Chriſts honour. And being a thing not pertaining to the office, eſpecially of a Chriſtian Magiſtrate; I need not tell you what befell Vzzah, for ſtretching out his hand to ſtay the trembling Ark.2 Sam. 6.
And now that I have been thus far bold with your Lordſhip, (which hath proceeded meerly from a hearty deſire, that you may not be carried with the ſtrong tide of the times by any malignant ſpirit filling your ſailes, through many under-water Rocks and Shelves, endangering not only the ſplitting of your own Veſſel, but the total ſhip wrack of this floating State:) Give me leave further to beſeech you, that (as you love your own ſelf, and ſoul, and family, and poſterity, your native Country, the Honour of this City and Nation you would improve the whole power of your Office (among other evils) for the not only ſuppreſſing, but utter obliterating out of all records of memory, or mention, that late Remonſtrance of London, which like the Trojan horſe is ſtuffed with ſuch matter, as, if the importunity of ſome might have its deſire, would unavoidably hale in ruine both to City and Country.
Nor doth any thing more clearly demonſtrate that ſpiritual Judgement of blindneſſe, and hardneſſe of heart to be upon all thoſe who have their heads and hands in that Remonſtrance, and wilfully ſtill perſiſt in the proſecution of it now in cold blood: Than the unnaturall hating, and hunting after the deſtruction of thoſe very men, as our mortal enemies, who have with the extreme hazard of their lives, been honoured of God to be the Preſervers both of Them, our City and Country, and on the other ſide, the high eſteem and honouring of thoſe, as our faithfulleſt friends, who are part-takers with Murtherers, with Rebels, with Traitors, Incendiaries, Underminers of our Parliaments, and conſequently of the State of the Kingdom, Dividers between the Parliament and City, that themſelves may reigne, whoſe violent and fraudulent practiſes proclaim them to be not friends, but ſuch, as in whom to put the leaſt confidence, is to truſt in the Reed of Egypt, whereon if a man lean, it will pierce him through. And therefore, for theſe many and weighty conſiderations, both in a due reſpect to your Lordſhip, and hearty zeal for the honour and ſafety both of Parliament, City, Kingdome; fuller of dangers and enemies at this day, then (by reaſon of that ſpirit of blindneſſe, and deep ſleep, wherein our City hath of late been ſweetly lulled by the ſtrong charms of fair falſe friends flatteries) we are aware of: I have in the name of Jeſus Chriſt humbly commended this ſmall Book to your Lordſhip, that therein I might diſcharge the duty of a poor Watchman, to awaken you in the firſt place, and conſequently all of that Court and Counſel with you, to look out, and inward too, for the ſpeedy preventing of all thoſe imminent dangers, which otherwiſe will ſuddenly ſurpriſe us, and take us napping in the deep of our too credulous ſecurity. For the Spirit of that Tenhorned Beaſt is now making war with the Lamb, Rev. 17.(which is likely to be his laſt war, Babylons fall following in the next chap.) & this Spirit warreth under Rev. 18.new colours, not red, but white, whoſe Word is, REFORMATION, and this under a fair colour of a Covenant, by vertue whereof pretending a juſt title to the War, he hopes, by the help of the Remonſtrance, and the prime authors thereof, and their adherents, to erect a new Beſtial tyrannie over ſouls, bodies & eſtates, under new names and notions. But the iſſue is, The Lamb ſhall overcome them (for he is Lord of Lords, and King of Kings) and they that are with him are called Choſen and Faithfull. And, my Lord, you ſhall find in this Book, Conformity to be the Myſtery of iniquity, the mother of all miſchief, the cauſe of all our preſent calamities, and the forerunner and haſtener of our ruine, if we repent not, & if our Lord Ieſus Chriſt prevent not, which certainly he will, becauſe himſelf is the Great and Almighty General, whoſe Cauſe and Name is mainly engaged in this warre. Now the Lord Ieſus Chriſt give you the Spirit of wiſdom, well to conſider and lay to heart theſe things: which that you may do, is, and ſhall be the hearty prayer of
Your Lordſhips moſt humble ſervant, HENRY BURTON.