Gangrena Part 3, Theological tract · Part 3 – Part 4
A Relation of ſome Paſſages in the Prayers of ſome Sectaries.
IT was for certain related to me, and to many perſons of worth, that in June laſt, when the King was with our Brethren of Scotland, an Independent prayed publickly to God, that God would deliver the King out of the hands of thoſe evill Counſellors in whoſe hands he now wa….
Tis written to me in a Letter, and teſtified under the hands of three witneſſes, that an Independent in a publick Church prayed thus; Lord, if thou art not pleaſed to bleſſe us in the ſeducing King, and trayterous Queen, then bleſſe us in the Prince his Son, or the Duke: And at another time the ſame man prayed thus; Lord, now that the Sword is drawn, let it never be ſheathed, untill it be glutted in the bloud of the curſed Malignants.
A Great Sectary in London upon occaſion of the City Remonſtrance, prayed as followes▪ (of which prayer many Citizens had Copies, and I was told it from good hands it was brought in to the Court of Aldermen.)
O Lord, thou knoweſt there is a Remonſtrance to go up to the Parliament, which is much to thy diſhonour, and the hurt of thy Saints, for Lord thou knoweſt the Kingdoms of the Earth by right belong unto us thy Saints. Suffer not thy Saints any longer to be trampled upon, but ſtand up for thy people, and do not ſuffer the ungodly to go up with this wicked Remonſtrance: Confound their device, and ſuffer it to take no effect: And Lord we thanke thee that thou haſt ſtirred up ſome of thy Saints with courage already to proteſt againſt it, we beſeech thee ſtir up more. Lord, ſtir up the women that lie in their husbands bo…es, and the children to cry unto their parents, every one to be helpfull to one another to ſtay this Remonſtrance. Lord, we will faſt and pray unto thee this day, to morrow, and the next day. O Lord hear our prayers and let our cry come unto thee; as thou ha…t been mercifull unto us, ſo we beſeech thee to continue thy favour and love unto us.
I was told it alſo by an underſtanding godly Miniſter, that this Summer about the time of Lilburns commitment by the Houſe of Lord, a great Sectary in one of their Conventicles prayed to this effect; O Lord, caſt down, or confound all Monarcks a…d Monarchies, and lift up or advance thy ſervant Lilburne. This Miniſter had it from ſome, who ſaid they were eare witneſſes; and I deſired to ſpeak with them about i…, and he promiſed I ſhould, but having not yet ſpoken with them, I do relate it but as a report, and not with that confidence as I do things I hear, or find written, or that I have from godly perſons I know who are eare witneſſes. Some of the Independents and Sectaries uſe to court God in prayer, having as affected ſtraines, and ſtrong lines, as ever Univerſity Preachers uſed to have in their Sermons at Saint Maries. One of them began his prayer, Right Honourable Lord God; another begins oft-times, Immortall God, and then makes a ſtop and pauſe, and then comes on the Se…aphin…s tongues are tip… with thy praiſes, and praying in an affected manner. Another Vide Doct. Baſtwicks utter rou…ing of the Army of the Independents: Epiſt. to the Reader.Independent ſpake to God in prayer by way of complaint againſt the Presbyterians; Lord, they hate us becauſe we know more of thee then they do; but we beſeech thee Lord give … ſtill to know more of thee, and let them hate us more if they will.
A Relation of ſtories and ſundry remarkable Paſſages co…ng the Sects, and Sectaries; and amongſt others of ſome Souldiers who are great Sectaries.
JƲly the third 1646. two Citizens, honeſt men related to me this ſtory in the hearing of another Miniſter, and that with a great deal of confidence (one of them having la…en in the Town where the fact was committed, and having ſpoken with many Inhabitants about it) that ſummer was a two yeares Captaine Beamant and his company being quartered at Yakeſly in Huntingtonſhire, there being a child in the Town to be baptized, ſome of the ſouldiers would not ſuffer the child to be carried to Church to be baptized, and the Lieutenant of the Troop drew out a pa… of the Troop to hinder it, guar…ing the Church that they ſhould not bring the child to be baptized, and inſtead of the child being baptized, in contempt of Baptiſme, ſome of the ſouldiers got into the Church, piſſed in the Font, and went to a Gentlemans ſtable in the Town, and took out a horſe, and brought it into the Church, and there baptized it, and after they had done ſo, ſuch of the Townſmen as ſpake againſt them before they went away they did them miſcheif▪ and this was ſo certainly and generally ſpoken of that a godly Miniſter who dwelt hard by, heareing of it came next day to the Town to find out him who baptized this horſe, and the reſt who had a hand in it, and to ſtirre up the Pariſh to complaine and proſecute them. Which ſtory being thus related to me with much confidence from theſe two Citizens, as having ſpoken with this neighbour Miniſter, and divers of the Inhabitants of Yakſly; yet becauſe I well know that reports will flye variouſly and many miſtakes may ariſe in relations, and becauſe this was ſo ſad a…ory and ſuch a d…ſperate proph…ation and contempt of Gods Ordinance of Baptiſme▪ I therefore intreated theſe Citizens for my ſati…faction, and for the credit of the ſtory to others, to get under the hands of ſome of the Inhabitants of quality who related it, the truth of the ſtory, wh… of it was true and what might be built upon … certa… …her…upo… they ſent about it, and took ſuch a courſe, that abo…t ten dayes agoe, in September I received from the hands of a godly Miniſter this certificate to a tittle, and do keep the Originall by me to produce when ever I ſhall be called to make proof of it.
Auguſt 15. 1646.
THat Captaine B…ant was quartered at Yakeſly in the County of Huntingdon about June 2. 1644. and preached on the Lords day in the Parochiall Church; and in the time of his quarter there, his ſouldiers fecht a bald horſe out of Maſter Finnmo…s ſtable (of the Captaines) where he was quartered, and in the Church at the Font (having piſſed in it) did ſprinkle it on the horſe, and call him Ball… (becauſe he was hairie) and croſt him in the forehead: They had ſouldiers Godfathers, and one Widdow Shropſhire, a ſouldier ſonick-named, was the Godmother. This the Le…tenant Brayfield by name reported to the Captaine, and they all gloried in it at Maſter Finnmo…rs, and the other ſouldiers immediatly reported the ſame to be done in many houſes where they were q… Which we the Inhabitants of Yakeſly do witneſſe whoſe names are ſubſcribed▪
William Finn…
Thomas Eva…
John Caryer.
Robert 8 Sumerly his marke.
John Pal…er.
Robert Cu…dge.
Holl… Bell.
Robert Ra…er Corporall was the man … acted the part of the Miniſter, Bartly Ward by name was the Godmother, Laure…ce Dodds, … man, was … that f…cht the horſe out of the …able.
The …ame godby Miniſter who hath relation to thoſe parts, and … whom I hall this paper tells … here are …y other miſde…anore of ſome of the Sectaria… ſouldier… ſpoken of By many in theſe parts, as the baptizing of a pigg… and other ſtra…ge exploith with he will enquire the … of and …ordingly … finds, give me notice; and he ſaith … S… ſouldiers are ſo …, that the godly Orthodox Miniſters cannot with ſafety to their perſons preath againſt ſome of thoſe … which they …, as againſt univerſall grace, and ſome others; ſome of theſe ſouldiers to one godly and able Miniſter who preached againſt their opinions, laid their hands upon their ſwords, threatning him with a great deal of …ury.
There is a godly Miniſter, and a man of ſome place more then ordinary (whoſe wiſe being much incl…ed to the Sectaries and going often to their meetings) he went divers times with her, and among many ſtrange paſſages which he hath ſeen and heard in thoſe Aſſemblies, he relates this following ſtory for a certain truth, which hee both ſaw and heard, but was not willing to have his name made known becauſe of ſome eſtate lying ſo, that he perhaps might ſuffer much for diſcovering any thing concerning the Sects.
About Algate in London there was a great meeting of many Sectaries, (among others one Maſter Knowls, Maſter Jeſſe, and ſome other of the Sectarian Miniſters were there) for the reſtoring of an old blind woman to her ſight, by anointing her with oyle in the name of the Lord: The manner of it was after this manner, the old blind woman was ſet in the midſt of the Roome, and ſhe firſt prayed aloud (all the company joyning with her) to this effect, that God would bleſſe his own Ordinance and Inſtitution for the reſtoring of her ſight; after ſhe had done praying, Maſter Knowls prayed for ſome ſpice of time to the ſame effect for a bleſſing upon this anointing with oile, and after prayer ſhe was anointed with oyle, theſe words being words uttered by him who anointed her or to this effect, The Lord Jeſus give, or reſtore thee thy ſight.
In my firſt part of Gangr…a a ſtory is related of ſome Sectarian Troopers aſſaulting Maſter Andrews a Miniſter in Northamptonſhire: Now I ſhall give the Reader a continuation of that ſtory, viz. ſo farre as to ſhew to what place theſe men went from Wellingborrough, and what pranks theſe, and others of that Troop played in Warwickſhire, which was told me by a good hand from one who came out of thoſe parts, and aſſured me it was moſt true, and proferd to give it me under his hand and the hands of others in that Town, and the ſtory is as followes. That very company ſpoken of came to a Town call'd Lemington or Remington in Warwickeſhire, and to the houſe of one John Mathews who looks to Baron Trevers eſtate there, where their Captaine quartred, viz. one Captaine P. and they told him of the paſſages at Wellingborrough, boaſting what they had done, and how narrowly the Prieſt eſcaped them, and what they would have done if they had gotten him, and there was a great deale of applauding them by their fellowes who were there. The conſtant courſe of that Troop whilſt they quartered in that Town was to ſpeak againſt the Miniſtrie, calling them Prieſts, diſſwading the people from going to Church; hardly three of a hundred of that Troop would goe to Church, they would tell the people that they would give them a Book ſhould do them more good then all the Sermons they ſhould ever hear in all their lives from all the Prieſts; and that they could preach better then the Miniſters of England; and this Company of Sectarians was ſo rude, that they did more hurt to a fine Dove-houſe of Baron Trevars, which this John Mathews was to look to, then Prince Rupert and all his ſouldiers when they quartered there: This John Mathews intreated them they would not make ſuch ſpoyle and waſt, killing old as well as young without diſtinction; and he prevailed with their Captaine to go to them to forbid them, but they anſwered him that pigions were ſoules of▪ the aire given to the ſons of men, and all men had a common right in them that could get them, and they were as much theirs as the Barons, and therefore they would kill them, take their liberty, and not part from their right; upon which words the Captaine ſaid he was ſo convinced with their arguments, that he could not anſwer them, and ſo came away letting them do as they would. At another time there being Poultrie provided by the good woman of the houſe for their diet, which ſhe killed with wringing their neeks about (as the cuſtome of the Country is) theſe ſouldiers would not have them dreſſed, but threw them away, and fecht others, cuting of their heads, for they would not eate things ſtrangled; and ſuch was the carriage of theſe Sectaries, that though John Mathewes be a man well affected to the Parliament, and well diſpoſed, yet he profeſſed he had rather have Prince Rupert and his Company to quarter there, then that Troop of Captaine P.