The Churchs Thank-Offering to God Her King, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
October, The Product thereof; Many Mercies, and yet but one marvellous worke wrought for the Church at that time.
SECT. I.
October, The imployment thereof.
NOw the Lord Keeper was buſily imployed in iſſuing forth Writs to ſummon a Parliament, which ſervice he did more out of duty than affection to that high Court.
This MonethMonth was much of it ſpent in enquiring after, or reading newes out of the North; and in chuſing Knights and Bargeſſes for the ſeverall Counties, Cities and Towns; Where there were a poore people alſo, who had no voices but in corners, and there they might be bold to ſend up ſtrong cryes to Heaven, which furthered the buſineſſe not a little.
Now the people having choſen a Man to ſtand for ten thouſand, they tranſmitted unto him the great Truſt, their Eſtates, their Liberties, their Lives, their all, that was theirs, Religion and all: And they, who underſtood what they did, prayed, That the ſervice he had to doe for his King and Countrey, might be throughly thought on and accepted: And that he might goe up and returne in the fulneſſe of the bleſſing of God.
SECT. II.
Many Mercies in one Parliament. A comprehenſive Bleſſing. Why called a Parliament. The Honour and Antiquity of that High Court. Long vacation there makes ſinners impudent.
THis MonethMonth the Church heard the newes, That a Parliament muſt be ſummoned againe. Very comfortable newes That, and another manner of ſight then to ſee the whole world repreſented in a M…p: That's but a dead repreſentation: In a Parliament we ſee the Body of a Kingdome, not, as ſometimes you ſee in a Table, head and ſhoulders onelyonly and no more, but the entire Body repreſented and compacted together as one man. And my ſelfe I ſee there, though but as the foot in the Body, yet there I am, my intereſt there, my eſtate there, my liberty, my Religion (ſo farre as man can command it) all is there, that I have below, as in a joynt ſtocke: there it is managed and carried about by that great Body.
We cannot wonder now, that we heare ſuch ſhootings in every corner, beſides thoſe we heare from the Pulpit, Grace Grace aZach. 4. 7.unto it; The Good-will of Him that dwelt in the Buſh bDeut. …3. 16.be upon it, Lord bleſſe the King and the Parliament.
It is the higheſt Court on Earth, it can call all other Courts to account, how they have proceeded, whether according to or againſt Law. It is the great Aſſembly gathered from all the quarters and corners of the Kingdome, whether all the people from Dan to Beerſheba come up to preſent their ſores (there they looke for balme) their grievances and preſſures, there they expect helpe and eaſe.
It is the great Councell of the Land, there they conſider, take advice; and ſpeake their minds. Every man there doe's as the purpoſe of the word is, PARLER-LA-MENT, ſpeake judiciouſly his mind, neither to flatter prerogative, nor …o extend priviledge cNec praerogativis blandientes, nec privilegia dilatantes. L. Cooke …p. 8. be-his Reports., being wiſely valiant and zealouſly wiſe. Therfore (if I might uſe the Sages word) chriſtned a Parliament; the higheſt Houſe on Earth, (we cannot properly call it two Houſes,) if we doe reſpect the Antiquity of it, it is moſt venerable and ancient dSi vetuſtatem eſt antiquiſſim ſi dignitatem eſt honoratiſſima ſi iuriſdictionem est capaciſſima, Ep 9.: if the honour and dignity of it, it is moſt honourable: if Juriſdiction and Power, we remember the old ſaying, The KING and the PARLIAMENT, what cannot they doe? Even what they pleaſe: and wee ſtand ſtill and hearken what that will be; The Church is reſolved already, That ſhall be done which plea…eth them; for ſh…e is of the Shepheards mind, That ſhall be done which pleaſeth God, and what pleaſeth God, pleaſeth her: But the Church counted it a mercy to heare newes of another Parliament. If we ſhould out-live Parliaments; if a Parliament ſhould be denied us; or, being granted, ſhould be deſtroyed, then I-C ABOD, where is the glory? Then call the Church deſolate, and her Land forſake…: The wicked would walke on every ſide, for the vileſt men ſhould be exalted *Pſ. 12. 8..
The long vacation given to the high Court, hath given all the advantage to the Adverſary, whereby to worke their owne ends in the ruine of the publike. Then was their time to ſow tares, and to give them rooting, when they could caſt the Lawes into a dead ſleepe; when they could cauſe jealouſies, betweene Prince and people; when they could raiſe an evill ſpirit (their owne familiar) a fire of Contention, which ſhould come forth on the left-hand, and devoure upon the right, and then from the right, and devoure upon the left.
O what an exceeding Mercy to have a Parliament in England! like the great day of Judgement to the wicked; when by the good hand of God upon it, there is a full diſcovery of things; the waies, yea the hearts of men are laid open; Things repreſented as they are: the upright perſon, as he is, The vile, as he is: When Mephiboſheth commeth in, but of late, repreſented as an enemy unto his Prince, but now ſound at the heart, (though lame in his feet) and forgetting himſelfe wholy for joy that the King is in ſafety, and his Kingdome like to proſper; when there is a right underſtanding of things betweene the King and his Subjects. The King beholding his good peoples he…rts, truly loy…ll and faithfull; and they the face of their King, as an Angell of God O! A Parliament, 'tis a fundamentall Mercy: So th… Church allowes us to call it, and to put it to that head, and then reckon on, A great Mercy to have another PARLIAMENT, a Mercy, but no wonder. For,
SECT. III.
Things were ſo farre out of frame, that they could not be ſet as rights, but by a Parliament: The having one or two in one yeare, is not a wonder, but a MercieMercy.
COnſider we how it ſtood with the Church (as it is commonly and … be cal'…) …nd no… with the Common-wealth; we conſider there two, the Church (as then it was called) and the Common-wealth (as then it ſtood) a part and divided, for ſo they are; The Church ſtanding againſt the Common-wealth, as the one Pole againſt the other. The Church (ſo they were called) the Governours, Seers, Over-ſeers, chiefe Over ſeers, commonly called Prieſts, Biſhops, Arch-biſhops and their ETCETERA'S, made their loyns ſo ſtrong and fortified their power ſo mightily, as they thought they might rule with a rod of iron, and ſtill prevaile, breaking in peeces the Lords Jewels, as they pleaſed; and making-up in the place thereof, the baſeſt peeces of the Earth. The Holy Ghoſt hath fitted us with a moſt fit and full expreſſion, none like it, Their workes were the workes of an imperious whooriſh woman aEzek. 16. 30., They were growne ſo impudently bold, ſo paſt all ſhame, ſo farre beyond all bounds of civility and modeſty; that they could not be longer endured. They laid ſuch loades upon the people. That the ſtomacke of the Land was ſo over-charged, that it muſt ſpew them out, without putting finger into the throat, or elſe die of a Sur…et. No Remedy, but by a PARLIAMENT. I ſhall be corrected, a CONVOCATION, you ſhould ſay, let the Prieſt correct the Prieſt. A Convocation! that were to ſend the Ieſuite to be tryed in a Conclave of Cardinals, they would never find him guilty ſure. The whole Body of the Land was ſo ov…r-charged with the laſt Convocation, that th…y cannot thinke thereof without loathing. It's ſo unſ…voury at this day. There muſt be a Parliament, if it were for no other end, but to adviſe about this whooriſh woman, ſo imperious ſhe was. And a Covocation, in all likely-hood, would make her more imperiouſly proud They would have reformed the Church (they were about it) as the Reformers did in the Councell of Trent, who made the greateſt Deformation that ever was heard or read of in the world. But it is pleaded. Let Church-men determine Church matters; Let ſpirituall men have to doe in ſpirituall things▪ And let them …o; …ut let them know, that there is a Councell above them, that can call them to an account, how ſpirituall they have beene. And how like Church-men, they have kept to the rule in their Determinations about Church matters This is not above the Power and Wiſdome of a Parliament, called together to adviſe, DE ARDVIS REGNI & ECCLESIAE Then ſurely the Lord Chriſt, Hi… Religion, Worſhip and Service; the matter and manner of it is one of the greateſt and moſt vveighty things, and of the higheſt concernment.
N…w every conſiderate man was very jealous of the Clergy of England, as corrupt then every whit, as once it was in the Iewiſh Church, vvhen head and heart, all vvas ſicke and faint, from the ſole of the foot …ven u…to the head, there vvas no ſoundneſſe in …t, but vvounds and b…u…ſes and putrified ſores So it was in the Church aEſa. 1. 5..
No better in the Common wealth, for where Gods Law is inſulted over, Mans law will be trodden under; ſuch a confuſion there vvas in the Kingdome: The Pillars were ſo wreſted out of place; Prerogative ſo ſtrayned; Priviledges ſo broken, and underfoot; ſuch vexations there vvere, on every hand, ſuch breaches in the great houſe, ſuch clefts in the little houſe bAm. 6. 11.; ſuch a howling for v…xation and oppreſſion; That it had beene a wonder if a Parliament had not beene ſummoned.
Ai, but to ſee two Parliaments in one yeare, and to ſee one hold ſo long, and to give Cauti…n againſt ſo long a vacation, to that High-Court, is a wonder ſure.
No, none of all this; time was, when a Parliament was called twice a yeare and oftner, as the aff…ires of the Kingdome might require: So I remember a great Sage of the Law r…p…rts. Therefore I have no warrant from the Church to call this a wonder, the having two Parliaments in one yeare, or the having …ne every third yeare; it is rare with us; but every thing that is rare is not a Wonder: Naturall cauſes can produce, and ſo did, all this. The breaking of the one, Naturally and Rationally work'd for the producing of another, and to make it hold, and to put in Caution for after-time. We never exclude the firſt cauſe, That we ſuppoſe goes along with us ſtill, as the Needle before the Threed, and then no wonder is all this, but a very great Mercy, as we heard, and ſhall heare. And all this we have heard, is but to prepare the eare to let in the Wonder, and that it may not ſtay there, but linke downe into the heart.
SECT. IIII.
Gods marvellous workes for the Church, and with the PARLIAMENT, That it wrought for her Liberties and enlargement every way.
YEs, that is the marvellous worke indeed; not that ſhe hath a Parliament, and that continued, &c. But that the Church hath received ſo much good from a Parliament; the finger of God is there, moſt remarkably there. The Church hath as much cauſe to complaine of Parliaments, as to ſpeake good of them, though ſhe can bleſſe God for all. She was never trod downe, never ſet under-foot, till a Parliment had ſet their foot upon her. You may beleeve her; the Church did tremble, and had fainted, but that the Lord was her ſtaffe and ſtay, when ſhe heard newes of a Parliament. Therefore ſhe beſtirred her ſelf, and uſed her weapons to purpoſe, Prayers and Teares, and ſo became Iſrael, a prevailer with God. The Church doth acknowledge, That ſhe never received ſuch enlargements from any meanes here below of humane inſtitution, as from the hands of a Parliament: nor ever caſt into ſuch ſtraits and bondage, as by the ſame hand. That Court ever made her happy, or miſerable; it laid the foundation ever, either for the greateſt bleſſing, or the ſoreſt curſe: either it lifts up a Nation, making it honourable; or ſinkes a Nation, making it the baſeſt of Kingdomes. That this Parliament did not doe the later, make her Deſolate, and leave her as forſaken, That will be the Wonder, the marvellous working of a God towards His People, if wee conſider,
I might ſay firſt, the Truſt and Confidence we put in that High-Court. We reſted-upon it, more then upon God; we waited for it as for the raine, and opened the mouth wide, as the parched ground for the latter raine. So we did well; but our eyes, which ſhould be ſingle to God only, were ſingle bIob 29. 23.towards it, as the only means that could doe us good and recover our ſicke and languiſhing State, And this our vaine Confidence might have ſpoyled all; for, as God doth curſe bold and daring Attempts: ſo he doth ſhrinke-up and wither the Arme of fleſh, when man will make it his arme, depend and reſt upon it; for then his heart departeth from the Lord cIer. 17 5.. There is but one thing, wherein is aſſurance and ſtrength, ſtrong confidence dPro. 14. 26., and the Lord doth commonly reject all other confidences, ſo as man ſhall not proſper in them eIet. …. 37.. But I paſſe this; for the Lord hath paſſed it over, not charging upon His ſervants their vaine Confidences.
¶ 1.
THis we muſt chiefly conſider; That it was the great Deſigne of the Adverſary; This they plotted and contrived; for this they ſpent their pretious ſpirits, that ſuch might be choſen, who might draw to their ſide, and eſtabliſh their wicked and miſchievous Devices by a Law; wherein the HEAD and TAYLE, both work'd together; the HEAD contrived; the TAYLE, put forth it is ſting, and therewith did much hurt: All conte…ed and contended, and altogether, not only to make the hope of the righteous Null (as they call it) invalid and of no force; but to take them away from the Earth, Root and Branch, that they might be no more a people; or, if ſo, then the moſt deſpicable and peeled people on the face of the Earth: Thus HEAD and TAYLE contrived and contended. Who are they? I thanke the Reader, that he will not conſter my words▪ before I have explained them. By the Head I doe not meane the Ruler of the People; but him, that preſumes to rule the Nations, and that with a Rod of Iron (which he cals ſeeding fRom. 2. 27. foreign..) Not him, that beareth the Sword, but him, that challengeth two Swords, and hath right to neither I meane him, that is the Head of Heads and Lord of Lords, the POPE, I meane. I confeſſe I never heard him ſpeake; but I have heard ſome of his flatterers ſay; That a Prieſt is ſo much above a King, as a Man i… above a Beaſt; Tantum Sacerdes praeſtat Regi, quantum homo praeſtat Beſtiae, quantum Deus praeſtas Sacerd…ti, tantum Sacerdo… praeſt as R…gi; Qui Regem anteponi… Sacerdo…, is anteponis Creatu. ram …reato… Stanu laus Ovichovius. I find it in M Iu…ls Apol. 4 par.as much as God is better then the Prieſt; ſo mu…h is the Prieſt better then the King: He that ſetteth the King be ore a Prieſt, ſetteth the Creature before the Creator: Then how farre thinke you, doth a Pope exceed Kings and Emperours? How much then is that Head above other Heads? It is anſwered, w…th liberty enough (for they take leave to pen …heir owne Ch…rter) He is as much higher above Kings, as the Sunne is above the Moone He ſits i… the very ZENITH of the Church, in the higheſt place there; as hi…h above your Head, as you can looke with your eyes. There's a tall Man indeed. True, but he was a woman once, and that they may not be couz…ned the ſecond time, he muſt ſet upon a ſtoole, (ſo 'tis related) and before he muſt know himſelfe to be Pope, the ſt…ders by muſt know him to be Iohn, not Ione. And tru…y, bu… th…t he goes to the ſtoole every day, he would quite forget that he were a man, for he is above the Sacred Scripture too.
This is the HEAD, a monſtrous Head, he is MANY, a Legion and more, for I joyne the whole Body with this Head, and all thoſe Heads too, be they Kings, or be they Emperours, or what heads you can thinke off, who have given up their Head ſhip to this Head, I meane their power unto the Pope; have made themſelves Servants to that SLAVE. Slave! What a word is that to give to ſuch a tall Head? The Pope in a voluntary humility gives himſelfe that Title, SERVƲS SERVORƲM. What's that? In plaine Engliſh, the baſeſt Servant, S…ave; for a… a Song of Songs, is an excellent Song; The God of gods, is the true God; the Lord of Lords, is the excelling Lord; th… Maſter of Maſters, is our Maſter in Heaven: So a Servant of Servants, is the loweſt Servant, the vileſt, baſ…ſt Servant, a true Slave. But there is the Head with all the appurtenances and adherents. And ſee how he contrived and plotted to enlarge his Dominions, to dethrone the Lord Chriſt, to take from Him, His poſſeſſion, not onelyonly the ends of the Earth, but the head of Kingdomes. See I ſay, how he wrought to eſtabliſh miſchiefe by a Law! How hee ſought to curſe the people of God! For that purpoſe his Balaams were poſted to every place, and Altars built up there; and all to curſe thoſe, whom God had bleſſed, and they muſt be bleſſed; but conſidering the height, the power, the policie of this Head, and yet hee could nor prevaile, he could not curſe, that is the wonder, and yet we heare not the halfe.
¶ 2.
VVE muſt deſcend to the TAYLE, that Nadar, that deſpicable part, as that Earth is, whereon the foot ſtands (if it ſtands upon a muck-hill) that ſtinging part; the Text ſaith, and we feele, the ſting is in the Tayle; What is that? the ſacred Scripture interprets it, The Prophet that teacheth lies, he is the TAYLE bEſa. 9. 15.. Reader, looke about thee, and obſerve in paſſage, where he or they are, who teach Lyes: They that doe ſo, though they be dignified with Titles and Honours, and Preferments; though they have their Schooles and Colledges for their encouragement, and to engage them the more to their God; yet if they teach Lyes, they ſhall not be called by Him, Who giveth to every man his dues and right name, not Seers, not the Eyes of the Land, but the TAYLE. The Prophet that teacheth Lyes, hee is the TAYLE. And he is many too; and how did he wriggle, I cannot expreſſe my ſelfe, how did he ſtruggle, and ſtrive, and contend, to wriggle-in that Head the Pope, to ſting the Church and to curſe thoſe, that ſtood on her ſide? Truly, this was told in Gath; what? What Prophets we have: it was publiſhed in the ſtreets of Askelon, and the daughters of the Philiſtines did rejoyce, and the uncircumciſed did triumph: True, but their rejoycing was but ſhort, for the TAYLE could not ſting His People. Of the ſting in the Taile and poyſon in the mouth, the Lord made a preſervative, a ſoveraigne medicine, and Hee turned the curſe into a bleſſing; Bleſſed be His Name.
Now the Church prayes, the Lord unſcale the eyes and unvaile the hearts of thoſe Prophets, that they may ſee and conſider what they have done and doe, and pardon them according to the multitude of His compaſſions. Amen.
¶ 3.
THat the marvellous workes of the Lord may be raiſed in our thoughts yet higher, that we may have an high and honourable eſteeme of them, we muſt conſider, as followeth.
Here was a Head which thought to eſtabliſh wickedneſſe by a Law; here was Tayle-Prophets, who taught lies, and theſe prevailed ſo far, that they brought the people on their ſide, as the ſand on the Seaſhore for multitude: Theſe made the People glad with their lyes, and he was a Prophet unto them, that could propheſie of wine and ſtrong drinke aMic. 2. 11.. See here, Councell and Strength is for the warre, the Adverſary had both, and multitudes ſo many as we heard, and yet ſee the over-ruling hand of the Lord Almighty; theſe prevailed not, neither by their ſtrength nor by their councell, nor by their multitudes, as appeareth this Day. There is the marvellous worke of God and a wonder.
To make the wonder yet more compleat, we muſt take-in a third perſon the moſt chiefe and principall, BEE LZEBƲB their Prince and King, the Angell of the bottomleſſe pit; hee keepes his nature ſtill, ſo he keepes his name ſtill; in the Hebrew ABADDON b; in the Greeke APOLLYON bRev. 9. 11.; two names different in language and in ſound, but in ſignification one and the ſame, A man ſlayer, a Soule-devourer. He hath his name ſo in the Hebrew, becauſe he is a mighty let to the comming-in of the Iewes (no ſuch offence to them in the world as your Images and Image-makers. And hee hath his name ſo in the Greeke, becauſe the head of this faction mightily oppoſeth the compleating or filling up the number of the Gentiles: For he oppoſeth with all his might, the ſpreading of the Goſpell, the revealing that mighty arme of the Lord.
We have the principall now, the King and Prince, we will put all together, the Head, the Taile, the bulky-Body, with the King over them. What is the marvellous worke now, what is the wonder? This, That the gates of Hell prevailed not. Wiſedome, mighty for plotting and contriving, was turned into fooliſhneſſe. Strength, mighty for action, was turned into weakneſſe. Multitudes did fall as drunkards; had not ſo much power as women, or as wounded men. We have not all yet, this muſt be conſidered alſo, for this is our deſigne, to advance the name of God in confounding ſuch a Troope, by ſuch weake meanes.
The Righteous, who ſeemed a very few, a thin ſcattered people, theſe ſpake often (not only, as in an evill time) one to another •, but openly, and to the Adverſaries face. Theſe I ſay, though Prudent men, Mal. 3. 16.did not keepe ſilence, no, not in that time, ſuch an evill time *Am. 5. 13.. I ſhould goe on, but here an Objection will thruſt in upon me, to take off from this wonder, and to ſhorten, if it could be, the Arme of God, even the right hand of the Almighty.
SECT. V.
The Obiection, That the Arme of the People was ſtrong here, and the Arme of God not ſo glorious.
SEe the manner of Men before we heare them if we can ſee any cranny or chinke, whereat light and comfort comes in unto us, to that we will looke, not minding the Sunne, whoſe beam it is. If our net be quite broken all to peeces, we will ſcarce caſt it away; we will thinke it may catch and hold ſomething, and ſo to our Net we will ſacrifice, that is, to our owne ſtrength and wiſdome; That did it, God did nothing gAdrete re…rr…, hoc eſt, pu…a… Diū nihil eſſe. Hab. 1 16. vid Calv., If the arme of fleſh be ſtrong, we looke not after, we regard not at all the Arme of the Lord, the Right-hand of the Almighty. But was the arme of fleſh ſtrong now? nay, was it conſiderable? ſurely, the Lord ſeemed now to cut Iſrael ſhort h2 Kin. …0 30.. Iacob was then very low, as a worme now, very ſmall; Surely it might be queſtioned now as once it was, O Lord God forgive, I beſeech thee, by whom ſhall Jacob riſe? for hee is SMALL iAm 7. 2.. But ſee, I ſay, what hearts we have, ſtill warping, nay, ſtill departing from the Lord. If there be any thing of the arme of fleſh diſcernable, whereat to take hold, there we take our hold-faſt, and thereon we reſt, Juſt ſo wee did here; Here wee ſaw Head and Tayle, and multitudes, and their King alſo, all confounded. Thanke the Country-man for this, ſo they ſay, and ſo they abate of the wonder, and from the glory of the work. We will examine the truth of that.
It is ſaid, the People in the Country were at this point wiſe enough and provident enough. That's true, wiſe enough in their Generation, wiſer then the children of light; and provident enough too; for what? For their owne private-wealth, their particular intereſts; Take them otherwiſe and in the lumpe, and out of their owne tractes, and they have little wiſdome or providence at all. True it is, they were pinched now, and that made them looke up from the ground, wheron they are ſtill poring. They did howle, becauſe of their Taskmaſters, which made them looke out for helpe, and be a little more provident then ordinary. They that preſſed Ship-money, ſhould never have their voyces; ſo they were reſolved, ſo tender they were in their owne eaſe, and where it pinched; but for the cauſe of Chriſt and His Church, it is little in their thoughts. I know the manner of men well enough, by making enquiry into mine owne heart, and the manners and cuſtomes there. As our intereſts leade us, and our relations ſtand, there is the BIAS, that way we goe, and there we caſt our voyce, conſidering no more, but that he is our moſt honoured Lord and Maſter. Thanke the Country-man, who will; the Church will not, till ſhe heare of ſuch an one, who, againſt his owne intereſt, private-wealth, and ſpeciall Relation, minded the Common-weale, and ſo caſt his voyce, She will praiſe the Lord, as vvell as ſhe can, and call upon all ſo to doe; and bleſſe His Name for His good Servants, vvhoſe voyces vvere ſent up in corners. And ſo we may count it a mercy, that ſuch a choyce was made; but for the marvellous worke, and the wonder we read it before, and this, that followes, makes it yet more wonderfull.
That vvhen the Worthies came altogether, and made a full Court, then and there, The Lord did ſo ſtirre-up their ſpirits, as that they vvere carried ſome of them above themſelves, yea, and (I appeale to themſelves) againſt themſelves: I meane, againſt vvhat they thought and intended, vvhen they vvere entring the doores of the Houſe. Doubtleſſe ſo it vvas, elſe ſuch things had not bin done, as are done, had it not beene even ſo. But it is wonderfull in our eyes, for it is the Lords doing, Who when His vvorke is in hand, vvill frame and mould the ſpirits of Men, according to His good pleaſure. There is yet ſomething more in it, and greatly to be obſerved, that the Lord ſent forth a dry wind, which ſifted and ſifted this Court; now one was blown away, anon another: Now this man vvent his way, and the other did flee away. All this, that it might appeare to all the vvorld, that the Lord intended aſſuredly to doe His Church good by this Court, with His whole heart, and with His whole ſoule *Ier. 32. 41.. We muſt learne now from all theſe foreign great things, vvrought theſe two Months, theſe vvonderfull adminiſtrations; and picke out great leſſons therefrom.