YOU and I have both been Sufferers, by the hands of the Prelates, the comnon and open Enemies of Christ [...] King­dome; and the eyes of the people of God are therefore the more upon us, and are subject with lesse jealousie to re­ceive those things that come from us for truth, not immitating the noble Bereans, who dayly searched the Scripture, to see whether those things they heard, were according thereunto or no, Acts 17.11. the Law and the Testimony of Christ being the str [...]ight Rule, by which we are to walke espeacially in matters of worship, and whosoever he be that practices and speakes not according to this Rule, it is because there is no light of truth in him, Esa. 8.20. I have seen some of your late wri­tings, [Page 2] which a little diving into, I have found them full of bitter and unsavoury Language against the poore Saints of God, and the un­spotted wais of Jesus Christ, and finding your Confidence very great but your Arguments very weake and uns [...]und having received a Ta­lent from the Lord, I conceived my selfe bound in Conscience to im­ploy it, and lay it out for my Ma [...]ers best advantage) and I was de­termined some weekes since, to have writ you a few lines in a pub­lique way, and to have told you, you erre not knowing the Scriptures. Math. 22.29. (but being that you, and the Blacke-Coate? in the Synod) have not dealt fairly with your Antagonists in stopping the Presse against us, while things are in debate, yea robbing us of our Liberty (as we are Subjects) in time of freedome, when the Parlia­ment is sitting, who are sufficiently able to punish that man (what­soever he be) that shall abuse his penne. So that whill we are with the hazard of our dearest lives, fighting for the Subjects Liberty, we are brought into Egiptian bonds in this and other particulars, by the Blacke-Coates, who I am affraid, will prove more cruell Task­masters then their dear fathers the Bishops: who Cowardly sit at home, in my apprehension, for no other end but to breed faction and division amongst the well affected to the Parliament, promo­ting thereby their owne interest, which is Lazines, Pride, Co­vetousnes and Domination, endevouring to lay lower then the dust a generation of men whom they falsely call Sectaryes, that have in the uprightnesse of their hearts without Syodianlike ends, ventred all they have in the world for the good of the Parliament, and the Common-wealth of England, and who may bid defiance to all their Adversaries that brand them with unfaithfulnes. so that by mean [...] of which, I haue not been able that way yet, to accomplish my ear­nest desire: and truly it argues no manhood nor valour in you nor the Blacke-Coates, by force to throw us downe and ty our hands, & then to fall upon us to beat and buffet us, for if you had not beene men that had been affraid of your cause, you would have been wil­ling to have fought and contended with us upon even ground and equall termes, namely that the Presse might be as open for us as for you, and as it was at the beginning of this Parliament, which I con­ceive the Parliament did of purpose, that so the freeborne English [Page 3] Subjects might enjoy their Liberty and Priviledge, which the Bish­ops had learned of the Spanish Inquisition to rob them of, by looking it up under the Key of an Imrpimatur, in whose tyrannicall steps the Synod treades, so that you and they thinke you may raile at us own privilegio, and ranke us amongst the worst and basest of men, as root­ers up of Parliaments and disturbers of States and Common welthes, and so thinke to carry it away without controule, but it may be you will be mistaken, for though wee cannot print so fast as you, we can speake and lay downe as strong Arguments for our selves, as you can for your selves, and therefore being desirous to try a fall with you, though one of your freinds not long since told me, there was as great disproportion betwixt you and me, to write upon controverting the things of God, as there is betwixt a tall Ceder and a litle shrub: un­to which I replyed, goe you, and tell the tall Ceder, the litle Shrub will have about with him: And therefore, that I may be as good as my word, I send you these ensuing Propositions, upon which I will dispute with you, hand to hand before any Auditory in and about the City of London when and where you will chuse, giving me foure or five dayes warning before hand.

First, That the Ordinances, Lawes, Rights and Ceremonies of the Church of the Jewes were types and figures, which were only to last and endure till the coming of Christ, which he by his death did abolish, Gen. 49.10. John 19.30. Acts 15.24.29. & 21.21:28. Heb. 7.11:12. & 10.1. and he himselfe with his Institutions in the New Testament are the Antitypes of them, Acts 3.22. Heb. 1.8. & 6.20. & 7.17.18.19. & 8.1 2.6. & 9.11.12.

Secondly, That Jesus Christ being appoynted by God his Father to be Mediatour, hath a Kingdome given unto him, Dan. 2.13.14. Mat. 2.2 & 28.18. Luke 1.32.33. Heb. 1.8. which he hath erected, and set vp in the world, amongst his Saints, where visibly and spiritually he governeth, ruleth and dwelleth, Psal. 2.6.22.27.28: and 46.4: and 48.1. &c. & 132.13:14. Esa. 6.9 7. & 33.23. and according to that trust [Page 4] the Father hath reposed in him Acts 3.22.23. he hath been faithfull to every thing requred of him, Heb. 3.25. compared with Exod. 39.43. and unto this his visible Kingdome by his last Will and Testament he hath bequeathed perfect and compleate Lawes, which are unalterable and unchangable, in all times, ages and places by any of the sonnes of men, Acts 1.3. 2 Thes. 2.15. 1 Tim. 6.13.14.20. 2 Tim 3.15.16.17. Heb. 10.28.29. & 12▪25.

Thirdly, that the matter, forme, Lawes, Worship, Ordinances and Ad­ministrations of this Kingdome are not carnall, nor of this world, but all and every one of them spirituall, John. 4.22.23. & 18.36. Act. 1.15. & [...].41.47. & 11.23.24. Rom. 1.7. 1 Cor. 1.2. & ch. 5: 2 Cor. 2.6.7.8.

Fourthly, that no Parliament, Councell, Synod, Emperor, King, nor Majestrate hath any spirituall Authority, or jurisdiction over this King­dome, or the Subjects thereof, Mat. 20.25.27. 1 Cor. 4.5. Ephes. 1.21.22 23. and 5.24.25. Col. 4.17. 1 Pet. 6.5.3. Rev. 17.17.

Fiftly, that to persecute for conscience is not of nor from God, but of and from the Divell, and Antichrist, Esa. 2.3.4. & 11.6:7:9. Micah 4.2.3. Luke 9.54.55, 2 Cor. 10.4. 1 Tim. 1.20. Rev. 13.2.4.15 16.17.

Sir, In your last Booke that you put out, you spend a great deale of paines in citing old rusty Authours, to prove that Kings, Coun­cels, Synods and States have for so many hundred yeares medled with matters of Religion, I grant you they have; but I demaund of you, by what Right, or by what Authority out of the Word of God they have so done? Hath God the Father, or Jesus Christ his Son gi­ven them any allowance in thi [...]? Or have they not hereby rather fulfilled the Prophesies of the Scripture, which saith, (Rev. 17.17.) that the Kings of the Earth shall give their power unto the Beast, till the Word of God be fulfilled, which they have done in assisting the Pope, to joyne the Ecclesiasticall and Civill State together, making the gol­den Lawes of Christ, to depend upon the leaden Lawes of man; yea, upon such Lawes, as was just sutable to their tyrannicall lusts, and which might the most advance their wicked ends and designes, and in the doing of this, they have set up a perfect Antichrist against Gods Christ; yea, England is not free from this; for though King Hen­ry the right did shake of the Popes Supremacy, yet by the advice of the [Page 5] Clergie, the sworne enemies of Jesus Christ, he assumed the same, calling himselfe Head in all causes Ecclesiasticall and Civill, and so though he jusled out the Pope, he set himselfe in the Throne of Christ, and his Successours have done the same, for opposing of which, the Saints that were burnt in Queen Maries dayes have not only smarted, but also those that were hanged and murdered in Pri­sons in Queen Elizabeths dayes, and those that were banished and destroyed in King James his dayes, and my selfe and many others, that have suffvred worse then death in King Charles his dayes, and this is the great Contrversi [...], that God contends with the whole Earth for, and for which God will make the greatest of Princes and States to tast a Cup of trembling, yea, and to drinke the dregs of his fu­ry and wrath; for he will give people and Nations for his Saints, Esa. 43.3.4.14. And if England drinke yet deeper of this Cup, amongst other causes, they may thanke Mr. Prinne for it who hath incited them to wage war with the King of Saints, (and his redeemed ones) who will dash all the Nations of the Earth in peeces in being revenged of them, for that which they hove done unto them already in this par­ticular, Rev. 18. ch. & 19.1.2. For Sir, let me tell you, it is the incom­municable Prerogative of Jesus Christ alone to be King of his Saints, and Law-giver to his Church and people, and to raigne in the soules and consciences of his chosen ones, it being too high a throne for all the creatures in the world to raigne in; and therefore, were your eyes but open, it would make you quake and tremble, to consider what you have done, in endeavouring to set the Potentates of the Earth together by the eares with Christ (who is to rule all Nations, Rev. 12.5.) to plucke his Crowne from his head, his Scepter out of his hand, and his Person out of his Throne of State, that his Father hath given him to raigne gloriously in.

Oh Sir! consider the time is not long, before Jesus Christ will come againe in glory tryumphantly, and say it out of his own mouth before the eyes of the sonnes of men, bring those mine enemies before me, that will not have me to rule over them, that J may slay them, Luke 19.17.

Sir, If your Positions be true, that there is no rule left in the world, how we may worship God, but that Kings and States may set up what [Page 6] Religion [...] they please, or may mould it to the maners of their people; [...] Queen Mary did justifiably in burning the Saints in her dayes that would not stoope and submit to that Religion she and her Par­liament had set up: Truly, had I not seen your name to your Bookes, I should rather have judged them a Papists or a Jesuites then Mr. Prinnes, and without doubt the Pope when he sees them will Canno­nize you for a Saint, for throwing downe his enemie Christ, who you say hath been lesse faithfull then Moses, and so had need of the Pope, or some others to supply what he hath been deficient in; Surely you have given away your ears, & suffered as a busie body in op­posing the King and the Prelates; without all doubt, all is not gold that glisters; for were you not a man, that had more then truth to looke after, namely your owne ends and particular interest, which I am af [...]raid you strive more to set up then a publike good, you should rather importuned the Parliament, to have continued their favours and respects to that people, that cannot prostrate their consciences to mans devises though never so great and famous; (and who yet with their bodies and estates to the utmost of their power, yea and divers of them beyond their abilities) have done the Parliament as sinceare, upright, faithfull and good service as either your selfe or a­ny generation of men in England whatsoever they be) then to en­force them to destroy them: But truly the Son of God, and his saints (those beloved [...]ewels of his) are but a litle beholden to you, that will not suffer his ransomsed ones to enjoy the Liberty of their Conscience to serve their Lord and King, that hath bought them with his owne blood, [are you not in this as cruell a Taskmaster as Pha­raoh] nor to have footing in the Land of their Nativity, though Christ himselfe hath given them a true right to all things present in this world, and all things in that is to come, 1 Cor. 2.21.22.23. and they themselves (many thousand of them) have endeavoured more then your selfe to redeem their native Countrey from bondage and slavery with their dearest blood: And therefore I say, the Lord judge betwixt you and us in this particular.

Sir, It may be instead of satisfying my desire, you'll run and com­plaine to the Parliament; and presse them upon their Covenant to take vengance upon me, if you doe I weigh it not; for I blesse God [Page 7] I am fitted to doe, or suffer whatsoever the Parliament shall impose upon me, but if you do, take these two along with you.

First, That I am not against the Parliaments setting up a S [...]te-Go­vernment for such a Church as they shall thinke fit, to make the genera­lity of the Land members of, for I for my part leave them to themselves, to doe what they shall thinke good, so that they leave my Conscien [...]e free to to the Law and Will of my Lord and King.

Socondly, If you put them in mind of their Covenant, tell them, I thinke they have sworne to root out all Popery, and therefore have lately abolished the Common Prayer (that great Idoll) but yet have established Tythes, &c. the very root and support of popery, which I humbly conceive, is a con­tradiction to their Covenant, and which wilbe a greater snaire then the Common Prayer to many of the pretious consciences of Gods people, wh [...]se duty is in my judgement, to dye in a prison before they act or stoop unto so dishonourable a thing as this is to their Lord and Master, as to maintaine the Blacke-coates with Tythes, whom they looke upon as the professed enemies of their Annoynted Christ, he that pays Tythes, is bound to the whole Law of Tythes, in which there was a Lambe to be brought for a Sin-offering, which is abolished; also he that was to take Tythes, was one that was to offer sacrifice dayly for sin, which if any do so now it is to deny Christ come in the flesh, and to be the alone sacrifice for sin by his death, and so overthrow all our comfort, joy and hope. So desiring to receive your Answer to the things I propound to you, I rest