Archbishops to be Cut Off, Title page – Preface
A DIALOGUE, ARGVING That Arch-Biſhops, Biſhops, Curates, Neuters, are to be cut-off by the Law of GOD; Therefore all theſe, with their Service, are to be caſt-out by The Law of the Land.
Notwithſtanding, The world pleads for their own, why ſome Biſhops ſhould be ſpared, The Government maintained; The name had in honour ſtill; But the word of God is cleare againſt all this, for the caſting-of-all-forth.
The great Queſtion is, which way of Government now? For two wayes are contended for, The Presbyteriall and Independent: Something is ſaid to both theſe wayes: But we have a ſure word for it, That theſe two wayes are but in ſhew two, and will aſſuredly meet in one.
Neuters are ſhewen openly here, and the curſe of GOD upon them.
Preſented to the Aſſembly of DIVINES.
And the Lord hath given a Commandement concerning thee, That no more of Thy name ſhall be ſowen: I will make thy grave, for thou art vile. N…h. 1. 14
Sing unto the LORD, for He has don excellent things; This is knowne in all the earth. Iſa. 12. 5.
Ʋpon mount Zion ſhall be deliverance, and there ſhall be holineſſe. Obad. 17.
They have made themſelves vile, cast them out of My ſight, and let them goe forth. 1 Sam. 3 13. Jer 15. 1.
…, that thou ſtoodſt on the other ſide, A looker-on the day of thy brother; even thou waſt one of them. Obad. 11.
LONDON, Printed by T. P. and M. S. in Gold-Smiths-Alley, 1644.
TO THE EXCELLENT IN THE LAND, Dr. VVILLIAM TWISSE, Maſter of the ASSEMBLY: And to the DIVINES there: VVith the moſt highly honoured, and dearly beloved, The Commiſſioners for the Church of SCOTLAND.
AN unknowne perſon, (and deſires ſo to be) the meaneſt of many Thouſands, preſents theſe papers to your hands, which he call a Booke, having (he doubts not) Truth and reaſon for its Parrons *Libri, hoc nomine dignandi, in veritatis tantum et rationis clientelam ſe dare debent. Ver. de Aug. l 1.; Therefore he does not doubt, but yee will be its Patrons too; yee will countenance theſe, where-ever you find them, though amidſt ſome refuſe, bearing GODS Image and ſuperſcription. For the man, you will weigh him with his full allowance, he needs all that, and he looks for no more. So far as he dares truſt a great Deceiver, he dares ſay, That he has no other end in this, but the glory of GOD, and good of his brother: That he may be informed, if ignorant; confirmed, if weake; convinced, if froward and obſtinate, That is the White he levells at. There are Three maine Exceptions. 1) Againſt the Title, It is a Dialogue. (2) Againſt the Author, A knowne enemy to Biſhops, ſayes Here-ſay, a moſt notorious liar. (3) Againſt the wayes of worſhip now: For ſome ſay, There be two. I ſhall endeavour to give cleare ſatisfaction to all this in the next Pages. I ceaſe here to interrupt you any farther, ſo fixed upon your worke, Earneſtly contending for the faith; and ſtriving together each with other, and for other, in your prayers
Now the good will of Him, That now dwells in the Buſh, dwell in your Aſſembly (upon that glory let That defence be) and in your houſes, To ſupply your abſence, and all needs there; In your ſeverall Congregations, and be a ſmall Sanctuary there; In your hearts, and be Lord and King there, Amen. The GOD of Truth, lead you into all Truth, Amen. The Lord of Peace Himſelfe, give you peace alwayes by all meanes, That no occaſion be given to the Adverſary to ſpeake reproachfully, Amen. The LORD be with you all, Amen. Take you by the hand, keepe you in His way, hold you faſt to it for the Churches good, and your owne good everlaſting, Amen and Amen.
By way of Preface to all that love Truth and Peace.
THat is, To all over the Chriſtian world, for all love Peace. No; There is a generation of men, That ſhall leave their names to poſteritie for a curſe, who love Death, ſet themſelves in Battle Aray againſt the Truth, and are pretenders to peace, no more, they hate it in their hearts. I doe not feare to point-out theſe men, and to tell, who they are; They, who ſtand-up for Arch-biſhops, and Lord-Biſhops, (I call them by that common name, though Prelate ſeemes a more proper name) They will maintaine the Government by Biſhops, and their ſervice in full force and vertue, as it followes in our Briefes, Notwithſtanding that there is all law and reaſon againſt it: And, which is above all Reaſon, though the LORD CHRIT has taken to Himſelfe power in all the peoples ſight, bringing theſe men downe, even to the ſides of the pitt, whence they ſhall not returne, till they riſe to Judgement. The common people lookers on now, and obſerving the Princes and Nobles of the world, in this eager contention, betting (with the Divell) and ſtaking downe Earldomes, and Lordſhips, and the crowne of their glory; cannot be perſwaded in their hearts, That this betting and ſtaking is to winne a very triſte; to gaine a thing of nought. Therefore, having ſuch examples before them, They ſtand-up for Biſhops alſo, for their Government, and ſervice: And ſome of …hem, not common men amongst the commons, give their reaſon, why they would have Biſhops, neither their Government, nor their ſervice aboliſhed; Becauſe, Their No wiſe Reaſon from ſo wiſe-men.forefathers were born & dyed under the Biſhops Government, ſerved God after the Biſhops manner, and preſcribed formes of worſhip: and why ſhould they yeeld to alterations, or ſubſcribe their names to a Covenant, touching that matter? For theſe mens ſakes, whom I tender as brethren, All made of the ſame bloud; have all the like precious ſoules; bought with the ſame price; profeſſors of the ſame faith; called all by the ſame name; ſeeme to rejoyce under the ſame hope; looke to inherit the ſame kingdome; for their ſakes, I have taken this paines; To ſhew them, that will not ſhut their eyes, the cleare will and law of God touching the fore-mentioned, The throwing downe of the Biſhops (I carry it no higher) the rooting-out of their Government; The caſting-out of their ſervice; The aboliſhing of their name. There be three maine exceptions now, as was ſaid, Ile tell what they are, and remove them as I can.
(1.) It is a Dialogue: and therein I diſpute and argue the caſe with my ſelfe; and ſo wiſe I am, I will put no other arguments to my ſelfe, but what I can tell my ſelfe how to anſwer: And ſo I muſt needs overcome, as the Boy muſt winne the game, that playes with himſelfe. To this I make anſwer firſt.
(1) I thought A continued diſcourſe not ſo proper as a Dialogue, that the phancie might have more libertie to worke upon the underſtanding.
(2) I can ſay truly, That this is no fained diſputation, but truly and really acted; onelyonly now enlarged with ſuch Objections, and Anſwers, which, upon due conſiderations, I could imagine might be made for the upholding of the Biſhops, the continuance of their Government, or the name. I ſay againe, and as in the ears of GOD; That I have, by His good hand on me, throughly conſidered the preſent Controverſie, and have deſired to take-in, as my underſtanding did ſupply, what I thought could be ſuggeſted, for the maintaining of the fore-mentioned; That I might caſt-out all ſcruples, and cleare the minds of the ignorant, and weake Chriſtians touching theſe matters: So much to the firſt Exception.
A.
2. The next is, That I am not to be be heard in this Controverſie, for I was alwayes a profeſſed enemy to Biſhops; I anſwer firſt
B.
1. That I doe not crave Audience; let GOD be heard, and Truth be heard, and I have enough.
2. I am an enemy to Biſhops! Indeed I am, and ever was (ſince I underſtood them, and my ſelfe) An enemy to them: But no farther, than as they are enemies to their LORD CHRIST; (Ile adde) and to themſelves, no farther. But becauſe it is an hard matter, To walke evenly towards men, neither having their perſons in Admiration, becauſe of Advantage; nor contemning them, becauſe of ſome evill they have don againſt the Church; and ſome cloud of diſgrace, which has over-caſt their pleaſant Sun-ſhine: Becauſe of this, I ſhall ſay a little more; That I beare no ill will to any Lord-Biſhops perſon in the world. Ill will! nay, I call GOD to record upon my ſoule, That, To lift-up the Arch-Biſhops, and Lord-Biſhops (Wren and Pearce) nearer to heaven, I could fall-downe upon the earth, and wallow in the duſt there; I could behave my ſelfe for them, as for my friend or brother; I could bow-downe heavily for them, as one that mourneth for his mother; I ſay, I can mourne for them; That I can doe without an if; I cannot pray for them, but with an if. Ile tell you my reaſon; I have heard, and from the Pulpit too, Julian and Spira coupled together, and ſo concluded (from falſe premiſſes ſure) That even Spira (whom good-men hope to meet in heaven) that Spira ſinned as Julian did, he fell into that ſinne, which none but the cleare-ſighted man can fall into. Ah Lord I ſayes any ſo of Spira? What may wee feare touching theſe Biſhops? who have played and ſported themſelves upon the hole of the Aspe; and blundred very neare the brim of the darkeſt dungeon; They have fought againſt GOD at noone-day, holding a To…ch in their hand, the while: and ſo came-up neare borderers upon them, who oppoſed of malicious wickedneſſe. This is ſpoken, Reader, for mightie Reaſons; The leaſt for to cleare my ſelfe, a friend to the Biſhops ſoules. (2) To move all to doe for them, as Samuel for Saul, mourhe for them *Si non ores gea…as tamen, &c. Rev. 9. 20, 21.. (3) And to command our wat…fulneſſe, That wee doe not oppoſe cleare T…uths n…r ſet our ſelves againſt a common light: for ſomething is in this; The m…n that were not killed with the plagues, repented not of the works of their hands, that they ſhould not worſhip Devills and Idolls: neither repented they of their mu…thers, nor of their ſorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their theits: There is ſomething in this: and it is in fight. A good warning to us, That wee doe not ſo and ſo, as Arch-Biſhops and Lord-Biſhops have don; And ſo much to evidence my tendereſt reſpect to their perſons, and to their ſoules.
A.
3. The third exception; And what way of Government now? Theſe Diſciplinaries ſhould have continued the Government of Biſhops, till they had eſtabliſhed another.
B.
That is againſt the method of Edification; The old frame muſt be taken downe firſt, and the Rubbiſh caſt-out, before the new frame can be erected, or ſet-up.
A.
But here are two wayes of Government Argued for; which way ſhall wee, poore ones, take?
B.
Stay a little, and wee will praiſe God firſt, Tha…, when there were ſo many croſſe and contrary wayes of worſhip, and ſervice, as contrary as are Chriſt and Belial; the Temple of God, and of Idolls; Theſe wayes are cleane forſaken, now they ſhall never be trod-in any more: And the people of God are pointed unto two wayes, ſo agreeable to the word of God, comming-up ſo neare to the rule, and cloſing with it, That the moſt cleare-ſighted-men cannot tell which way comes-up neareſt. I would wee could praiſe God for this.
2. Let us, poore ones, be adviſed here, and be wondrous carefull and circumſpect, That wee doe not goe our owne way: for this is an undoubted Truth, That it is our owne way, which does and will cauſe all the trouble to the Church, and to our ſelves *Here I could ſpeake great words ſiō GODS mouth, againſt Maſter Randall, and ſuch like, who will goe their own way, pleaſing in their own eye, but abominable in GODS ſight..
3. Marke wee theſe, that are moſt querulous here, and are readieſt to make Objections; They are ſuch, who would make Diviſions amongst us; They are children of Belial; they would be under no yoak; It is their owne way, the way of their owne hearts, which they contend for, and would walke therein: And that will cauſe all the Trouble. Note this. It is not this way, or that way, which the people oppoſe; but GODS way and Command, which is, That every man ſhould looke to his owne way, be Judge there *Note, That the ſacred Scripture wills us not to judge anothers way, but our own way. 1 Cor. 11. 31., and give account thereof, how agreeable it is to the Goſpel-way; Which, giving account, wee wickedly call a Shrifting now adayes, and will oppoſe mightily.
A.
But here are two wayes of Government ſtill.
B.
So they ſay, and ſo it ſeemes to be, and but ſeemes; Theſe two wayes are but like two ſtreames, taking ſeverall channells, ſo they run croſſe a little time, and then fall into the maine againe, and keepe one way, a direct way for ever *Booke, p. 38 40..
Three words to him or them, who, with deſire doe deſire, That the way of worſhip may be cleared, and quickly reſolved upon. Amen.
(1) But conſider, That, in the meane time, if thy heart be right, thou maiſt order thy ſelfe and thy houſe in a Church way, the way of holineſſe; What hinders? 2. Thou doſt deſire pure Ordinances, an holy Diſcipline; It is well; But is thy heart fit for all this? Is it prepared? Thou hopeſt, Yes; It is well; But put it out of queſtion. 3. Thou expectest now, That the LORD will make great proviſions for His ſervants; He is preparing a feaſt now in His Holy Mountaine, for an holy people; He is indeed; But conſider wee, what have wee don with all our ſtore, that abundance which wee have had, ſpecially theſe foure laſt yeeres? Thoſe ſoule-quickening Ordinances! What have wee don with all that abundance? Certainly, theſe were given unto us, That wee might have life thereby, and have it in abundance. Ah Lord! I remember now how Chryſoſtome brings in the Heathen before the Throne of GOD, accepting their Judgement, from His m…uth; b…nding the knee, and giving glory to Him, that ſits thereon; yet had they but a common light, and never heard of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, not a word. I ſay not, ſayes he, Where ſhall the wicked appeare? But, where ſhall the Goſpellers appeare? Who have been lifted-up to heaven by the means of grace, yet were their converſation low, and earth-ward; how low will their fall be? A conſideration, if put home to every mans heart, will throw fire and brimſtone in thither for preſent, That he may eſcape it for the time to come, and for ever. Let us conſider, What good things wee have; how wee have improoued them; not what wee want and would have, but how wanting wee are to what wee have; I have don Prefacing: Wee muſt heare now what God ſayes, and would have don: Then wee will heare what man can ſay; God will be heard firſt.