OH Monster: Oh Monstrous Monster: The Monster of Monsters: The Mon­ster of Munster?

Woe to you Anabaptists, when the Monster of Munster appeares. He is a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing; He left NOT ONE Anabaptist alive to tell their own story: much less to contradict the Others so largely written in their Innocent Blood. In the Massacres of FRANCE and IRELAND they were not half so cunning: therefore they that escaped Lived to Record their Cruelty in Red Let­ters. But our Monster of Munster, NOT Leaving ONE, made their own Relation Authentick. And lett all men Judge, whether Anabaptists did not deserve to be so served; for all those Despised things through-out, POLAND, HƲNGARY, BO­HEMIA, GERMANY, and the Low-Countries (as all men and women who have been in those Parts can wittness) instead of Destroying their Enemies or Defen­ding themselves, hold it a sin to Resist Evil, because their Saviour forbids them: And think it fitt that if a man smite them on the one cheek, to turn t'other, And our own Relators tell us, that these Anabaptists of Munster stood still, and lett out Monster kill them: and some of them climb'd up upon Trees wayting for Miraculous help from Heaven: but our Party prevented that Miracle. Oh that they would do so here in ENGLAND (cries the Rabble) then should not our Pulpits and Pam­phlets need to tell so many Lyes to Incense the Multitude; Nor should we need to Disarm and Disfranchize them from all English Liberties before we kill them. And when all is done, we are so dismaied, that we know not how to go about it, for fear left when they are gone, we should be no wayes able to Cope with our Numerous [Page 2]Enemies of the other hand. For our Ministers are so zealous and inompatible since they were Infected with New ENGLAND spirits, and tryumphed over the Bishops that we have not one friend left but our selves: and we are friends to none but our selves, But the Anabaptists heretofore have been our best and surest friends, and stoutest Warryers in time of Danger. And the GOD of the Anabaptists hath shew­ed himself so Partially for them, that we know not well how to be against them.

Yet we have the Monster on our side: and he is very bold and subtil: as subtil as the old Serpent. He hath lately crept up into our Pulpits, who in the beginning of these Warrs was hardly known amongst us. And now tells us stories of half an hour long, which are held as true, and Orthodox as the Gospel they preach. For we have heard with our own eares, and they have declared it openly in their Sermons, that the Monster was come into England: and that the Anabaptists of England would have cut All our English Throats (and we had no other to eate sweet meets and drink burnt Wine with a Christnings.) And if they had Cut All our Throats, and our Ministers too, none of us all could have terrified the vulgar with these lamentable stories. For we never heard of any that spake after their Throat was Cut. And many of us have been put into grievous frights by it: so that we felt on our Throats to find whether it were not done already: but we found them yet very sound and whole, which is a certain and infallible demonstration that our Monster is a Prophet, and foretells things before they come to pass, or likely to come to pass. For we are yet all living, and mean to Cut theirs: Ah Rogues Cut our Throats? we'l be revenged on them. A silly Waterman the other dy boasted how many Anabaptists Throats he would Cut for his share: and should we be behind a silly Waterman [...]n our Zeal for the Good Old Cause. For we say this is the Good Old Cause what ever they affirm to the contrary. It was the Good Old Cause in Neroes time, and all the Roman Emperors time: It was the Good Old Cause in all the ten Persecutions: It was the Good Old Cause in the Massacre of France. I was the Good Old Cause in Munster in Germany: It was the Good Old Cause in Qeene Maries dayes: And it was lately the Good Gld Cause in Ireland, and Pied­mont, and should have been the Good Old Cause throughout all Germanay. What should we loose time? It is and hath been the Good Old Cause in all times and places, from the beginning of the World to this day, to Cut the Throats of Here­ticks though they were not all Anabaptists, and so will continue to the end of the World, if the zealous Orthodox men of the times might have but their own will, Abel was an Heretick, who being neither Priest nor Levite, but a younger brother, would offer and preferr the strong savovr of a Lamb, before the sweet smell of the Fruits and Hearbs of his Elder Brother, but it cost him his life; And Paul confesseth himself to be accounted an Hereteck amongst the Orthodox Scribes and Pharisees of [Page 3]his time, when he was accused by those learned men (the Children of the Co­venant) to be a ringleader of the Sect of the Nazarens, and by that meanes a Pestilent fellow and mover of sedition (Act. 24.5.14.) A Sect that was every where spoken against, (Act. 28.2.) And these men, who were Jews, the very Children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom pertaind the Adoption and the Glory, and the COVENANTS, and the giving of the Law, and the SERVICE of GOD, and the PROMISES, Rom. 9.4, 5. These men cryed out away with him from the Earth, it is not fit such a fellow should live (Act. 21, 22. & 25, 24.) Yet he was but one, and should we suffer such a numberlesse number of Anabaptists to live, who are so many? who we? who are the Children of the Covenant, and whose Children are in the Covenant? what we? who are indeed such very Children of the Cove­nant, that we know not the right from the left, nor the old from the new in matter of Covenant? And that is the reason (by the way) that we do break our Covenant so often, and act things so directly contrary to our Holy League and Covenant: But that's a trifile, that's but by the by, as we said, and now quite out of date, let us now return to our Monster again, and hear his Pro­phesies. For we may well call him a Prophet that tells things (like the welsh Prophet Arize Evans of Black-friers) before they are, or will be, or like to be: yea, perhaps such notable things as are impossible ever to be: therefore how transcendent a Prophet is he? should not such be beleived? what not such as our very Godly Ministers themselves beleive, without so much as examinings the probability of the thing? And they themselves preach it as matter of Faith to be beleived: For if they would not have us beleive it, why should they preach it? and that at the very same time when they preach unto us their Gospel; yea at our most solemn meetings of all? In times of Feasting, and times of Fasting, and greatest humiliation and sincerity before Almighty God. It oft doth serve their turn instead of the Gospel it self, so as to furnish them with the greatest part of their Sermon. And some­times is of farr greater use to them then the best Text of Scriptures, in con­futing the Anabaptists. For when we or our Ministers have nothing at all to say for our selves against the Anabaptists, we do but raise up this Monster, and so stops the mouths of the common people, who else would be all running af­ter them; But when they see this Monster in the way, they come running back to us again for shelter: as we see little Children scared with a Bulbeg­ger. And it is a plain CASE that our CALAMITY were very great if we had not this Monster for our refuge at a dead lift. And surely the story cannot but be true and concerns us very much to be so. We must, we will, [Page 4]we cannot but beleive it. For whom should we beleive if we beleive not our Godly Ministers? 'Tis true, we are yet alive: else how could it well be a Prophesie? And both we and they must tell these things whilst we are alive, for when we are dead we shall not speak one word: and so our busi­ness may be represented, as fowl as the Anabaptists themselves, who never spake one word since they were killed: But now we may say what we will for all them. The men of Munster also that killed the Anabaptists told their story whilst they themselves were alive: but they were no Prophets as we read of: but plain Historians writing of things past; yet farr more subtill then common Historians, who can relate no further then every man may have seen or heard: but these declare the very secret purpose and intentions of the Anabaptists, which lay so secret within them, that perhaps the silly Ana­baptists themselves never knew it, nor no man else till the men of Munster, who killed them, and opened them, and saw their very hearts, revealed it to the world, as the true and just reason of their so dealing with them: lest any man should judge them cruel to do so horrid an Act without cause, and so abhorr both them and their Religion for so doing, as some have done the most devout and learned Calvin, for causing Michael Servetus, who fled our of Italy to Geneva for Conscience sake, and was there burned for not mel­ting presently into all Mr. Calvins Orthodox Opinions, and so was con­demned to the fire, supposing him to be like wax, and being heated, the fit­ter for their purpose: but he proved combustible to ashes. We have seen therefore wherein their zeal failed, and hope to make better use of ours. We are all forewarned from the first time that Sir George Booth had the watchword, and though he miscarried, yet we (by Presbyteriean Providence) are once more forearmed: And what should we do with our Armes, if not to cut the Anabaptists and all Sectarian Throats? For when we have cut all their Throats, we shall be then sure they cannot cut ours. We have the Sword, and should we weare it in vaine, as the Anabaptists did? For they did not so much as touch the hair of our heads all the while they had the power in their hands, and would you have us to do so to? They knew not what to do with the Sword, but we do, and they shall know it to their Cost. We have already turned out 400 of their Officers, and disarmed the rest to expose them to the incensed mercy of the Irish, who have already begun to burn and spoyl some of their Goods and Houses, to the value of 500 l. for one man, and threaten the like to the rest; That the Presbyterean Plot might in no­thing be undervalued, or give place to the Traytor Strafford's: whose designe was the forerunner of that Glorious Irish Massacre so highly Canonized in [Page 5] Rome and Spain, and amongst all zealous Catholicks. And some are clapt up, for fear lest being provoked they should serve us the same sauce, for they are much for DO as you would be DONE by, an old obsolete Law of the Jewes and the old Christians above 1600 yeares ago, as if it were a better Law then all the Lavves of our Native Country. A Company of Lavvless Crea­tures they are; They vvould have all things done by Love (for-sooth) if they might rule the rost; And so all our Auncient Fundamentall Lawes would down at once. But we hope our Lawyers will see to that: For if they go down, it is their fault more then ours: for they are chosen Speakers, and they are chofen Chaire men, and they are chosen Secretaries, and they are chosen Judges, and they are chosen Ambassadors, and they are chosen Ad­vocates, Serjeants and Counsellers. Yet we should not much stand upon it, if they were all down, so our Godly Ministers were up, and not one whit abridged of their Tythes and Argmentations, and all impropriations and Gleab Lands and daily freewill offerings, first fruits and tenth of Tythes and the like. Poor Ministers! They have had a hard pull on't; They were fain to be entertained at the chiefest Tables in all the Land, and had like to have lost Livings of 400 ot 500 l. a year, and some divers Livings and places to­gether to the value of one thousand or fifteen hundred pounds a year. There­fore many of them could not Preach all the while; yea they were fain to turn their preaching into soliciting and pleading: But we have now gotten the Parliament trump on our side, and we care not a pin for the Anabaptists, if they stick fast to us. And now if Charles Stewart would but come in upon our Termes and Confirme, all that we do, we should carry the Game be­fore us; And if he should not, we would deal with him in the stool of Re­pentance, and if that would not serve turn, we could make him as Glorious a King as we did his Father, and have another Free Parliament into the bar­gain; And our Godly Ministers would take care enough in all places that no Sectaries should be chosen; for we could sooner comply with Papists then with them. Yet if Charles Stewart should bring with him the 200000 Scottesh and Irish, who have been banished, and suffered with him all this while: besides all the Rabble of France and Spain, and all the English also beyond Sea, to joyn with the Malignants and Papists in England, (whose Lands we have gotten into our possessions) and make us live again like Pesants and Ap­prentices, and poor Sneaks, who now live like Lords, yea and some of us d [...]bd Lords, both by the mighty Protector, and the Almighty and Ever­sting Rump (as we call them when we are by our selves, or amongst the Malig­nants): For the Truth is we dare not well trust them, for all their colloging with [Page 6]our Ministers and Inns of Court, in establishing our incomparable Lawes, and the Auntient Divine Right of Tythhs, and Augmentati­ons in an other Title; we had rather have those of 48, or a free Parlia­ment; for we dare not trust these further then we can throw a Millstone; nor had done so much as we do, but that they put the Sword into our friends hands; In whom we put far greater confidence then in them; And yet it sticks in our Stomack to think of C. S. whether he have any more Irelands and Bishops, Deanes, and Chapters Lands to give us. And if he should be too cunning for us, we should wish the Anabaptists alive again to help us. And yet now it is aquestion, whether they would not sooner joyn with him, being promised better Conditions, and surer Tolleration then ever we are like to afford them. Really (and that was the Old Protectors sober Oath, when he did not swear in private) Really it is a hard CASE and CALAMITY we are put too, whether we should let them live or no? We must advise with our Ministers, they are Wiser then we. What should we doubt? They tell us all things that shall come to pass in another World, and cannot they tell what will come to pass here? we trust them in greater mat­ters, we may well trust them for the less; For if it were not for them, we should be as ignorant as Papists. And yet we see what an excellent order they keep by beleiving as the Church beleives, and if we should not do so to, we should soon come to Confusion. It is a dangerous thing to know too much, for Solomon tells us, that thereby sorrowes are increased. Therefore we see the Papists putting all that trouble upon their Prsests, and they upon the Pope, they go on as boldly and resolutely, and couragio [...]sly as blind Ba­yard: and surely in many things the Papists will shame us; for they beleive what their Priests say, before they beleive their own eyes, or their own tast, or their own hands. And we know that our Godly Ministers are a great deal more learned then they: For they say so themselves. And in their Ser­mons, if they meet with a Popish Ceremony in the way, they will so can­vas it, confute it, and be so learned upon it, that none in all the Congrega­tion have one word to say against them, or if they had the very Reverence of the man and his Office (together with the severe Laws, and that Statutes of the Land) do so over-aw them, that they all depart in peace.

And by this meanes he that is most in the Ministers favour, is most in the favour of the whole Parish, and hath most respect. And it is the only way of Preferment in the Commonwealth; therefore we are resolved to stick by our Ministers, whether right or wrong. It is a plain CASE that CALA­MITY attends all those that side not with them, and they are nigh to de­destruction, [Page 7]What wise man therefore will side with the Anabaptists; we look upon them as our deadly and mortall Enemies, and so intend to prove them. If they can but hansomely proceed (as they have begun) in Ireland; we will prove them both Mortall and deadly, if Fire and Fagot, Halter and Gibbot can prevaile; It being a farr easier and safer way to proceed with them, and make them mortall one by one: then to deal with the least Company of them together, lest 10 of them should chase 100. and 100 a 1000, as they say is written in the Scriptures, Oh they are a dangerous Generation. For we neither dare fight with them, nor speak with them; For our Ministers them­selves, if they come to parly with them, cannot answer one of a thousand. They will so thunder out Arguments, and Scripture after Scripture, that a man hath not a breathing time between. And if they were not more Con­scientiously obedient to Magistrates then we are our selves, and that our Mi­nisters are so diligent night and day, early and late, by their Wives and Ser­vants to solicit all the chief Magistrates against them, whilst we nettle their Conscience by crying out in all places that they will endure no Magistracy, because they themselves are not ambitious to be Magistrates: the whole Na­tion would be soon over-run with the Doctrine of Baptismes; Not the Invi­fible Baptism of Mr. Dell and the quakers, but the outvvard Washing of vvater vvith the inward Answer of a good Conscience in the Spirit.

And in all these things we have found the Anabaptists so cunning and subtill, that when our Godly Ministers have brought Scriptures which we before lookt upon as impregnable and invincible, they have taken those very Scripturs and turned them upon our Ministers, that they had not one word to say: But to flie off to other Arguments or end in a Huddle, or get behind the Covenant, and there they skip from one Covenant to another, somtimes in the Old, som­times in the New, somtimes in both, somtimes in neither; and so get into a Thicket, they escape & run away; sometimes they ply it so Home that they make many of us believe that Jesus Christ & all his Apostles, and all the Pri­mitive Churches for 300 years were all Anabaptists: And tell us that if Jesus Christ & his Apostles were in our dayes, we should even use them as the Jewes did: being the case is the same. For they all Dipped in Jordan and Aenon, and the River of Philippi &c: And Jesus Christ was but the Son of a Car­penters Wife, And his Apostles but Fisher-men, and were never Ordained by the Priests and Levites, nor of the Doctors; nor yet brought up in any Universities, Nor yet among the Learned, Except it were Paul and Mat­thew, [Page 8]yet they drew multitudes after them, & went into Synagoges and Prea­ched, Disputed, Baptized, what not?

Away with such Dangerous Fellowes, a man cannot hear them but his Con­cience is troubled for ever after, if he do not follow their wayes; And there is no way to resist them but to feare the Conscience with the Red Hot Iron of Obstinacy and Resolution; They are more Dangerous and powerfull then Inchanters, Conjurors, or Jesuits; for the Jesuits do use Inchantments and Conjurations, and have the Assistance of Magistrates and the Inquisition, for­bidding the Scriptures, and have to help them aboundance of Wealth, Ho­nour and Riches, yet if these Anabaptists were once countenanced, they would gaine 10 Proselits for one of the Jesuits, or of our Godly Presbiterian Ministers either; And the very quakers have noway to escape them but to get into a dark Lanthorn, & slie from the Scriptures to the Light within them. Down with them all, Downwith them; Let not one Live, for a litle Leaven Leavens a whole Lump: Ifone of them Live they will presently Swarm into a Multitude. No way to [...]e [...] with them but as with the Bishops, Root and Branch. Yet the Reviving of our Lawes and our Knack of old Tythes, with the Presbyterian &c: (as well as the Bishops) will insensible undermine them, and Consume them, & drive them into Lurking holes, and to flie to their Old Denn of Amsterdam, and Germany; Well fare New England; It is as Rare to see an Anabaptist amongst them as a Wof in Old England; except it be in Sheeps Clothing, and of them are many thousands.

Well we are resolved either they shall fall, or we will fall, Power indures no parity: should we beat the Bush, and another catch the Bird; Was it not we that stirred up all these Commotions; did not we stir up the Saylers and the Souldiers at first? did not we curse Meroz? did not we bring in our Brethren of Scotland? did not we pull down the KING and House of Lords and cut off their Heads? Did not we firk out the Bishops, root and Branch, and got into their fatt Livings? did not we chuse Parliament men, and fill'd up all Offices, and suffered only a few Independents and Anabaptists to help, and they think now to rule the Rost, because old Oliver proved too subtle for us? No such matter? Oliver is now dead; Therefore they may see how they are deceived. Have not we yet a Sir George in England, a Sir Charles in Ireland, and all our friends in Scotland: besides our wise and subtle Pentionaries in Councills and elsewhere? Have not vve all the Apprentices on our side still? And at a dead lift we have a C. S. upon any termes. But what have we fought for, if it be not for Liberty of Conscience; And how can we possibly have Liberty of Conscience, and the Sectaries have it also? [Page 9]As if Liberty of Conscience were a two handed Lawyer, and could play Jack on both sides. No; Liberty of Conscience is on our side; We fought for it, and we will keep it safe enough from their comming to it. For we hope to be keepers of the very Liberties of England, and it must be a large Conscience that can hold all the Liberties of England; It is our Liberty of Conscience to be uppermost, since Bishops are down, who kept us from it. And since we came to the ticklish point of Government, we have had a very tender Confcience, and diligent care that none should have the like Liber­ty with us, lest we should not have liberty enough for our selves, and lest they should return to the Flesh Pots of Aegypt: or else run into any Opini­ons which we hold Erronious, so that we have concluded all others to be He­reticks, and in State of Damnation. For how can we love others better then our selves? And whether we are right or wrong, All men ought to Beleive as we Belcive, and Do as we Do: For our Salvation lies at stake for it. And what benefit will it be to us that others should be saved, if we be not? And if we should not be saved, (who do all as our Ministers bids us,) vvhat vvill become of those that never come to our Sermons, nor care for vvhat our God­ly Ministers Preach, save in matter of Faith and Repentance? And of such the vvorst vve meet vvith are the Anabaptists, for vve can outreason the Pa­pist, Lutheran and quaker, and make them ridiculous: but the Anabaptists vvill outreason us, as if vve vvere almost as much to be condemned as they. And against them vve have no refuge but to flie to our Victorious and Try­umphant Monster. Go on therefore thou Monster Persecution; Not novv the Monster of Munster but the Monster of England. Si. George on Horseback; who bestridest and boastest thy self over England, Scotland, and Ireland. And if thou meanest as thou sayest, and the purpose of God be that the Anabaptists should be those fellovv Servants and Brethren that should be killed as the Souls under the Alter vvere, Rve. 6.11. (For the vvord of God and the Testimony of Jesus:) Then Satiat thy Cruel Mavv vvith Blood, or be blood-thirsty still and never satisfied: And vvhat thou doest, do quickly; For the time is comming, and novv is, that though Judgment may begin at the House of God: yet the dreggs shall be given to thee O Monster. For it is vvritten, Wo to thee that spoilest, and thou vvert not spoyled: And dealest Treache­rously, and they dealt not Treacherously with thee: when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoyled; and when thou shalt make an end todeal Trea­cherously, they shall deal Treacherously with thee, Isa. 31.1. For God hath determined to render unto thee double, Rev. 18.6. Here is the Patience of the Saints, and here are they that keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus. Blessed are they that die in the Lord, Rev. 14, 12, 13. To God only wise be Glory, Amen.