COncerning your Letter to mee, consisting mainely of foure particulars, I shall endea­vour your satisfaction therein. And first con­cerning your disturbance even to discourage­ment about the great oppositions you meet with in the worke of your Ministry, from the People over whom the Lord hath placed you, I shall desire your consideration, first that your Ministeriall Office in the execution of it, is the Lords Militia, and I pray remember that a common Soldier you are not in the host of God, but a speciall Leader of Gods people against the Prince of dark­nesse and the black Guard of his hellish infantery: and in the Apostles words I would provoke your Christian courage, Endure hardnes as a good Soldier of Jesus Christ. Secondly, con­sider your worke is preaching the Gospell, I meane the faith­full Word, which the Apostle tels you, is not after man, and if you should yet please men, you should not, you could not be the servant of Christ; and you are so allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, not as pleasing men but God, who tryeth the heart. I shall thirdly desire you to consider that one speciall seale and proof of your co-ministeriall wor­king with Christ; is grounded on this hostility of men against you. Consider the same place 2. Cor. 6. In all things approving our selves as the Ministers of Christ in much patience in afflictions, in necessities, &c. Remember (saith Christ to you) the servant is [Page 2]not greater then the Lord, if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. In summe you are presidented to this by all in all Ages, even to this very day, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Professors; yea, (saith the Apostle) and whosoever will live godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution. Now I be­seech you my deare Fellow-Souldier in Christ comfort your selfe with these words. Your second scruple concerning the Liturgie I shall endeavour to satisfie; and concerting the use of it, I shall deferre the full disquisition thereof to our next happpie meeting: but de presenti I shall onely desire you to consider in generall; that so much of it as in the materiality thereof is not repugnant to the word of God, may at least for a time be tollerably used, you know the Apostle did circum­cise Timothy kept the Iewish Sabbath, shore his head at Cen­chrea commanded, yea docreed for Iewish abstinence, Aron did burne and not eate the sinne offering, and David did eate the shew bread, which was not according to the Commandement, and yet were blamelesse; St. Pauls policy is exemplarily imi­tated by you in this case, I became all things to all men, that I may by lay meanes save some; and your judicious observation of the 14. to the Romanes, with the 28. Chap. of the first to the Cori. I suppose will make up a full resolution in this matter. Sir I beseech you satisfie your minde in this particular, upon these grounds, if you shall finde sufficient evidence of truth therein: And I beseech you waite on God, and the Honourable High Court of Parliament, till a reformation in these things be granted from Heaven unto us; that by the plantation of a powerfull, able and praying ministery, in all the desolate and deplorable darke parts of this Kingdome, and that miserable poore Country of Wales: in a few yeares, there may be, as doubtles there may be, as little desire to the reading of a pub­lique liturgie, as in most places there is already, of the cold and powerles use of homilies, they being both of them an a­like, uncouth, and Babish publike mysteriall serving of God and his Church. To the other quere and wonder, you seeme [Page 3]to make at the generall entrance, and violent zeale of men, to the continuance of this publique liturgique service; I shall give shortly an account thereof to my abilitie; And first I shall say, it is little commended by their eager desire unto it, the pure word, and the pure worship of God, are much at one, in the esteeme of vulgar corrupt and carnall mindes: The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, Gal. 5. But I conceive, the chiefe cause of the generall great out-cry, for this Liturgique Service as great almost as that at Ephesus, Act. 19. to be principally this; that forasmuch as the dutie of Prayer is a naturall universall dutie, and imposed by God upon the consciences even of all; the neglect whereof is obligatory, to the necessitie of the Di­vine vengeance; and most men not being nor living in a spi­rituall and conseqnently an accommodious condition to this dutie, they are thereupon faine and forced to take up a way of such a praying, as most consists with and is best agreeable to their unpraying unblessed naturall state: and if this staffe of their age bee taken from them, no marvell if they cry out with Micah, Ye have taken away my Gods, and what more have J left me. There is yet another thing which doth further and much intend their violent zeale to this formal service, and that is this, they thus conceive, that a way of conceived, Mini­steriall Praying, although they account it praying, yet not theirs, and so they speake; The Preacher is in his Prayer; his Prayer, not theirs: now a forme of Prayer especially if it come in the loftie high-sounding Language of the Church Prayers, or divine Service, which in the continuall use of it, they have made the matter of their owne memory; of this they cry; 'Tis ours, 'tis ours asmuch as his, 'tis Common Prayer; and this, this onely is the divine Service of God: and which way of thus praying, the silliest Ignorant in all Wales may with the Parish Priest, as expeditely and roundly go through (and even just so) as any Forrest Foale, can go, or trot, or gal­lop, before, beside, or after a forrest Filly, unto which course of this foppish Popish Prayer, no small occasion is given, by [Page 4]the very appointment of the Service-Booke, wherein it is ap­pointed, that the people shall after the Priest say over the selfe same words, by him before spoken, as in the Confession and other where, a thing having neither shew of reason, or warrant of Scripture. I shut up all in the Prophets words; Cursed he the deceiver who hath in his flock a Male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing. To the fourth and last of your Letter, as touching your informing the scandalous words of that unvorthy person to the Parliament: although I thus think, that the least dishonourable word or malignant thought against those noble Senators, be a neere approch to to an high degree of blasphemy; yet considering the basenes of the man, and the inferiour nature of the words spoken, your forbearance I verily think will be your best course. We know the worke is Gods, those Worthies are about Magnalia Dei the high acts of God, and do you wonder that the dogs do barke, the Divels no doubt do gnash their teeth at them; but our Prayer to God and hope is such that neither Rome nor Hell nor men nor Divels, as hitherto they have not, so never shall they have power (although to barke) yet not to bite them. To the rest of your Letter I respit the Answer till the next opportunity.