THey that have don the same abominations, for the com­mitting whereof their fathers and brethren, in former ages, have been, by the law of God, cut off from the earth; These ought, by the law of man, to be Cast-out of the Land: The Arch-bishops and Bishops have committed these abominations, for which others, in ancient times, have suffered death; Therefore these ought to be throwne-out of the Land, by the Law of the Land.

I deny that the Bishops have committed such abominations.

They have committed the same abomination (I will instance in particulars) against the Day of Gods worship, which, one man having committed, was, by the command of God, cut off from the earth. Numb. 15 35▪

I am not so slenderly read, but I know whom you mean by that one man, him that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath, and was by the com­mand of God put to death for so doing; But you can never prove, that the Arch-bishops and Bishops, gathered sticks upon the Lords day; nei­ther their graces, nor their Lordships would stoop so low, I am confident of that: And as confident I am, that they did not commit the same Abo­mination.

Your confidence will deceive you, and you must forsake it: The Bishops have committed the same abomination with an higher hand, and a more open face. I say, the same in your sense, First,

(1) They commanded Rushes to be gathered against the Lords day: And when the people should be preparing themselves to their solemne addresse before the Lord, they were commanded to bestrew the Chap­pell [Page 2] with Rushes; A service not worth a rush, but a notorious dis-service to the Church, and scorne to the Lord of the day; But the Bishops would shew their power.

(2) The same in your sense and understanding; The Bishops com­manded the people to gather flowers, therewith to plat a garland, and to set it upon a May-pole; To the intent the people might, upon the Lords day, dance about it with more chearfulnesse. O yee heavens! be ashonished at this! Never the like dishonour to the Lord Christ, since their forefathers platted a crown of Thornes for his head. But I go on.

(3) The same in our sense and true construction; For you must not conceive, that the man was stoned for gathering sticks; there was more in it then a bare action; there was a malignancy in it; As his need might have required, he might have gathered sticks, and kindled them upon the Sabbath day too, and have given a good account for so doing: As a more toylesome work might have been don, and is don upon the Lords day, then is strewing of Rushes; But there must be a command for doing it, if not from GODS mouth, yet from mans necessitie, that has a com­mand: If you observe the Context, this one man did presumptuously; he needed a fire no more then others of his brethren, yet he would presume above all; he would try the Patience of the Lord; and, in so doing, he reproached the Lord, sayes the Text: his action was presumptuous, a re­proaching Ver. 30. of the Lord. The Arch-bishops and Bishops did the same abo­mination; The same! They did more presumptuously; They did▪ reproach the Lord; never any, from the beginning of the world to that day, did so presumptuously as they did; never did any of the Heathen so reproach their gods, which yet were no gods, as these have reproached the God of gods, and Lord of Lords; and so have been an inlet to that fire, which now rageth in the Land; They have been a means (I would take no man off from communing with his owne heart, and enquiring how willing he was to have it so) They have been a means to make our Land a Tabhe­rah; Because of the fire of the Lord amongst us Numb. 11. 3.. I demand then, Is the Law of the LORD cleare, for the cutting-off these men?

Yes, those that have committed that abomination; but all the Bishops have not don so.

You shall have free libertie, to speake-out, and what you have to say for them, anon. This is to our purpose now; That the Law was clea [...]e, for the cutting off that one man; muoh more for the cutting off these men, who were guides unto others; had a clearer light than he had; did more presumptuously, more reproached the Lord, than he did; The clearer the light, the clearer the Judgement; And the clearer God [...] [Page 3] Law is against them, for the cutting of them off; the clearer the Law of the Land is against them, for the casting of them forth.

But you have charged this upon the King.

Not I, The King of Kings has charged this blaspemy, has laid this burden upon the Kings shoulders; yet so, as it is not a graine the lighter upon the Bishops shoulders. It is charged upon the King, decre­ing that blasphemous decree; upon the Bishops, prescribing the same: Up­on the King, as chiefe Author; Upon the Bishops, as Instruments. Woe Isa. 10. 1. Vae aucto­ribus ma­leficiorum tum etiam admini­stris. Wo to the Authors of wicked decrees, and to the Ministers executing the same. Isa. 10. 1 [...] Trem. Isa. 10. 3. Jer. 13. 1 [...]. Act. 9. 26. unto both, sayes the LORD, And what will you doe in the day of visitation, and in the day of desolation, to whom will they flee for helpe? They have de­filed their Sanctuary, polluted their Lords day, reproached the LORD of the Day. Say unto the King, and to his Bishops, Humble your selves, sit downe, for your principalities shall come downe, even the Crowne of your glory. And untill the King, chiefe in the trespasse, shall say so much to his own soule, and not onely say it, but be indeed and in truth humbled for it, giving cleare demonstrations thereof in all the peoples sight, till he sayes so, and does so humble himselfe, his good people will be as jea­lous of him, as afraid of him joyning with his Parliament, as the Disci­ples were of Paul, when he would joyne himselfe with them; ‘They were all afraid of him, and beleeved not that he was a Disciple; This is he, said they, who compelled the people to blaspheme, and persecuted the Saints to strange Cities;’ Therefore Pauls repentance was as fully de­clared as his sin was, and then he was trusted, and not before. I proceed to a second Argument.

II Argument. The Bishops have blasphemed, &c.

You have said enough, if you can prove that.

I prove it first, They said they are Bishops, when they were not; for they did nothing as became Bishops.

Is it blasphemy to say, Wee are, what indeed wee are not?

Yes, in Gods account, and He can best judge of Blasphemy; I know, sayes the Spirit, the blasphemy of them, who say they are Jewes, and they Rev. 2. 9. are not; What was their blasphemy? Surely, wee know no other but this, They said they were, what they were not; That was their blasphemy: And it is of high consideration, & of the same concernment to us Chri­stians, to teach us To be, what wee say wee are.

The Bishops said they are Bishops, and they are Bishops, [...] see them to be so.

Yes, if lawne sleeves, and an outward dresse, or garb, can give in sufficient evidence, That they are, what they say they are; But let us, ac­cording [Page 4] to the Charge, speake as the Oracles of GOD, and deliver forth clearly, what they say, and what wee see: It is true, the Lord Christ, who sees the heart, and knowes the secrets therein, does not judge after the sight of the eye, nor reprove after the hearing of the eare. But wee, poore Isa. 11. 4. men, who see no more but the out-side, wee must take leave to judge af­ter the sight of the eyes, and reprove (for wee have no other means) af­ter the hearing of our ears: Wee professe heartily, wee marke not so much, what men say, as what they doe; Wee care not what they say they are; but what wee see they are; And so wee will compare what they say they are, and what wee see they are, and so leave it to others, thereby to give Righteous Judgement; They say they are from heaven; wee see they are from Rome. They say they are Fathers; wee see they have no natu­rall affection at all; bloudy Fathers have they been, bloudy Fathers. They say they are spirituall; wee see they are altogether carnall. They say they are Lords; wee see they are slaves to their lusts, to their honours, to men, Time-servers, Men-pleasers. They say they are ovex-seers; wee see they over-see nothing but their Rents and Revennewes, which was the com­plaint long agoe See Hi­story of the Coun­cell of Trent. Book 2. Pag. 252. and 216. Non ma­gis de pas­cendagre­ge, Cogi­tant qua sutor de orando. Calvin Instit. 4. Chap. 5. Sect. 12, 13 Jer. 23. 13 14. Ezek. 22. 26. Zach. 11. 17.. They say they are men of GOD; wee see they are men of the world. They say they stand for Christ; wee see they stand against Christ, opposing Him in all His wayes. They say they are Ministers of the Gospel; wee see folly is in them, and horrible things are committed by them. They say they are Shep-heards; wee see they are Idoll-Shep­heards, and the sword is upon their right eye, and arme; their Arme is cleane dried-up, and their right eye is utterly darkened: This wee see, that they are not what they say they are. Their mouth was yet wider open to utter blasphemies; for

2. They said they were Bishops by divine Right: I mean it not in their sense now, nor as it was commonly understood, though that was an high presumption, this was more. They said they were Bishops, and would have made themselves so, by the same right, whereby the Lord Christ, blessed for ever, was made a Priest for ever; By the same right would they have made themselves, Arch-bishops, Bishops, Deans, Arch-Deacons, &c. for ever. Marke wee whether it was not just so; To be established by an Oath, was a peculiar Instalment to our High Priest, the great Bishop of our soules, He was made with an Oath; Other Priests, without an Oath Heb. 7. 20, 21.; But so they thought to establish themselves, that their thr [...] might endure for ever; for, unto an immutable thing, wherein it was impossible (they thought) to be mistaken, they had fixed the An­chor of their hope, both sure and stedfast. What doe you thinke of this?

I thinke it to be a greater blasphemy, than the other.

It is hard to make a comparison, who blasphemes most; he, that blasphemes in words; or he, that blasphemes in deed. But you thinke this to be a great blasphemy?

Yes.

Surely you cannot thinke lesse, for here they said more presump­tuously, than that proud King did; ‘Wee will exalt our Throne above Isa. 14. 13, 14. the Sta [...]res of GOD; wee will ascend above the height of the Clouds; wee will be like the most High, (will was all their reason.)’ And now see what the LORD has don! (for it is the worke of His hands) He has brought them downe even to the sides of the pit. I argue from hence, the lawfulnesse of the eradicating, or rooting-out this abominable roote (the Hierarchy with its branches) by the same Argument, which they used for the rooting themselves-in; And we are sure, that there is strength enough in the Argument, if the highest presumption, and most horrid blasphemy can give strength unto it, for all this is in it.

Hitherto wee have seene the Law and Hand of the LORD against these men, for the Abomination committed against the LORDS day. 2. For their presumptuons sayings and blasphemous doings against the LORD Himselfe. Wee proceed now to another Argument, for the Casting of them forth, because of their force and fraud against the people of GOD, the Clergie indeed, the lot of His Inheritance; Thus I argue;

‘Arg. III They that did call the people to the Sacrifices of strange gods; They that did seeke to entice and turne-away the servants of GOD from ser­ving so good a Master, were, by GODS command, to be hanged-up Num. 25. 4. before the LORD;’ The Bishops have spoken all that they could speake, and have don all that they could doe, whereby to entice and Deut. 13. 1. thrust-away the people of God, from the service of God, to serve abomi­nable Idolls, the worke of mens hands; Therefore, by mans law, these are to be Cast-out; What will you deny here?

This, That the Bishops have don as you have said, sought to en­tice the people of God secretly, & by fraud: or by force to thrust his peo­ple away from the service of their God; All this I deny.

All this you deny! It is quickly said, but you stand charged to consider, what you deny, least you contradict the evidence and verdict which all your senses give-in unto you touching this matter; I shall call them-in now to give witnesse; and I charge you before the Living God, answer now the truth, and the whole truth, as your senses have made report unto you; first,

What heare you from their Pulpits?

I cannot answer that question; for the Arch-bishops have not [Page 6] preached these (I know not how) many yeeres: and the Bishope preach in the Lent-time onely; and then there is such a throng to heare a Bishop preach, that I cannot come within hearing; Therefore I can give you no certaine report.

Though you heard not the Bishop, yet you heard of his Sermon; What heard you?

That the Bishop no sooner named his text, but he ran away from it as from an adversary, with which he could not agree: Indeed the re­port of the Bishops Sermon is very various, and monstrous, so inconsi­stent it is with its selfe, and with the text: for though the sacred Scrip­ture be constant to its selfe, yet the Bishop and his Chaplin (for he stood­up often in the Bishops place) did mould, frame, and fashion his Text as you can doe Waxe, to the fashion of the time, or businesse in hand, still turning head upon God, and his Word, and preaching not the preach­ing which God said unto him, but what best agreed with the work in hand, Jonah 3. 2. to make the King absolute; and the Bishop an absolute Monarch also. So they preached; for just as the time served, so the text should serve. Now he preached-up the Kings Prerogative; and preached downe the Subjects Priviledge; set the Kings throne above GODS throne, and his people below his foote. This was the chiefe part of the Sermon, as per­tinent to the Designe in hand, as it was crosse to the text. Then Episco­pacy must be Asserted by Divine Right; The Government in the Church must be Monarchicall, as in the Civill state, it must be absolute: And the better to bring about all this, They preached-up Ceremonies, Altars, A brutish service wil render a people brutish. and Organs; and the lawfulnesse of the warre with Scotland; the pursu­ing that brother with a sword; Peace with Rome, but no peace with Scotland; What ever was the Text, that was the Doctrine and subject matter a great while. I pray you doe not aske mee any further account of the Bishops Sermon; I can give no more account of it, than the sick­man can of his dreames. Surely, It was so Heterogeneous, incongruous, Inconsistent with, I say not baptized Reason, but common reason, and Baptiza­tam ratio­nem. sense, that in very truth, no good report can be made thereof.

I beleeve you, and therefore I have done with your eare: What reade you?

A very godly booke, the Arch-bishops against the Jesuit Fisher; wherein there is nothing sure to thrust away the people of GOD from the service of GOD: but rather from the service of Rome; I am confi­dent of that.

Be not so confident of an Arch-bishops booke; for, as one said of his loving friend, a blow from that hand would never hurt him: So you [Page 7] may be confident, That the Arch-bishop never intended, by that booke, to hurt the Pope, or his Cause, but to promote it heartily: I doe assure you, that the Arch-bishops intent was so honest, so true, so heartie to­wards Rome, and so false toward the true Church, that had he had as many necks, as I reade one man had mouthes (no fewer than fiftie,) they deserve every one to be tr [...]ssed up about with a rope; and yet not a full recompence of reward for his ungodly labour in that booke.

Proceed, What reade you?

A very pious booke, which has thrust us quite off from Rome; has caused a deadly fewd betwixt us and Rome, it is called, No peace with Rome.

There is such a book indeed, but you do reade also, that the same man has written, That Rome is a true Church; have you not read so?

Yes, and truly, me thought, there was a great contrarietie in words, such a difference as could never be reconciled; No peace with Rome, yet Rome a true Church, it can never be reconciled, thought I.

Yes, that it can, though not well; distinguish the times, and persons, and all is reconciled; The same man writ both, No peace with Rome be­fore he was Bishop: Rome, a true Church, after he was Bishop; The one, as a Minister of Christ, the other, as a Minister of Antichrist. When he was a Bishop, he must write as a Bishop, that is the point. And he could reconcile all very well (he had been unbishopt else) and so he put forth a book, and called it a Reconciler; which caused more than a suspition of the man, that he was not a fearfull man onely, but a right man, a Proctor for Rome, a subtill broker for Babylon. GOD give him an heart to think of this, for surely, such a man as he should not have given so just a cause of suspition. But proceed; What reade you?

Pray you doe not trouble me with that question any more, let it suffice to tell you, what I know in two words, the Bishops books, and books licenced by their Chaplines (if they may be called books) are very many, and stand as fully charged against their LORD, and the Lords Anoynted, as any books in Italy, or in the Popes Library can doe.

Ile aske you no more, What you reade; but what doe you see; doe you see any thing from the Bishops tending to edification?

Yes, if edification be a building and setting-up, (as I thinke the word doth import) I see much tending that way. I saw Bishop Wrens Libra­ry opened, where I saw (what doe you call them?) pretty knacks, Images and Crucifixes, &c. All tending to edification of Romes Church, and the Popes leige people.

Have you seene any Altars?

You might as well aske mee, whether I have seene any Churches, or Chappels, or Cathedralls; for in every of these places, there is an Al­tar, and most eminently seene there; there is an ascent to it, by degrees and steps, as to Solomons Throne; Indeed I may answer your question in the words of the LORD, According to the number of (Thy Cities) Jer. 2. of thy Cathedralls, thy Chancells, thy Chappels, are thy Altars, thy gods, O England.

You have bolted out a Truth here, I thinke, before you were aware; I pray you, let us understand our selves, and examine whether you have spoke a Truth or no? I asked you, whether you have seene any Altars? You answer mee, Yes, as many as there be Cathedralls, and Chapp [...]lls, and then you called them gods: I pray you understand, that it is not the Bishops calling wood or stone, an Altar, or the setting of it like a D [...]esser-board in your Kitchin, Altarwise, which makes it an Al­tar? No: They may (for they are B [...]shops, you may not) take a stone a [...] a stock, hew and polish the same, then [...]avish gold out of the bagg, and so adorne it: though all this cost and paines be bestowed upon it, yet it is not an Altar, nor a god yet; no nor yet, when they have set-it-up, as was said, Altar-wise, like the D [...]sser table in your Kitchin, yet it is not an Altar, nor a god yet. But if the great man Isa. 2. 9., the Arch-bishop hum­bleth himselfe; and the meane man, the in [...]eriour Bishop, bowech-downe before it, then you may call it an Altar, and, i [...] you please, a god too. But if you have seene no bending nor cringing, nor bowing, nor humbling before this wood and stone, then you have miscalled this wood and stone, and wronged the Arch-bishops and Bishops all.

I have not miscalled it; I have called it as they have named it.

You are a man of short Discourse, pray you remember what was said; That it is not the forme, fashion, placing, setling of wood or stons, or calling it an Altar, which makes it an Altar: none of all this; but the bowing and humbling, that gives unto it a worship, and that makes it an Altar, and a god hoth Ecce plumbatur erig [...]tur nec adhuc Deus est. Consecra­tur oratur [...]unc po­stremo Deus est. M. Fel. in fol. 1. pag. 16. lin. 27..

But now, nor Pope, nor Bishop, will grant, That bowing and humbling before wood and stone, make it a god.

I thinke as you say, and no matter what Pope, or Bishop, Jesuit, or Papist, grant ordeny. This wee affirme to the face of all the Papists in the world; That this bowing and humbling (no Civill worship in the Church) is a worship proper and peculiar to God alone; He is a God, whom wee so worship; or wee make it, though out wood or stone, wee make it a god, as much as in us lies; while wee make wood and stone share in this worship, wee deifie it, wee exalt it on high, (and our folly with [Page 9] it) wee make it more than a creature. In a word, By bowing and hum­bling before wood and stone, wee make it a false god, and our selves; I say not, abominable; but a very abomination. My Question then is; Have you seene any of all this, bowing and humbling before wood and stone? Have you seene Arch-bishops and Bishops, the great men, and the meane men doe so?

I can give you a cleare answer to your Question; for I can tell you, what I have seene with mine eyes. In Aprill 1640. The day after the Parliament sate, then and there, in Pauls Quire, I observed the Arch-Bishops and Bishops every one, except two, ducking so low before the Altar, that their back-parts appeared, and their fore-parts (their heads) dis-appeared: And what call you that? Bowing and humbling sure. And what they did in Pauls, they would doe in the Kings, and Queens Chappell, and in their owne, where they have the same piles of wood and stone, with wax-tapers upon them; and Priests (with what call you it upon their backs?) before the Altar; I call it an Altar now by your allowance, and a god too; for the great man has humbled himselfe be­fore it, and the meane man has bowed downe.

Had wee time to stay upon it, I would bid you reade on; There­fore forgive them not; These are terrible words, but wee must passe them over, and so proceed, Your eye has don you good service; It has showne you the most abominable Idolatry that ever was committed un­der the Sunne, exceeding that of the Priests in the Queens Chappell; for there they humble themselves, and bow, but not before wood and stone, but before a wooden or a Breaden-god, the worke of their owne hands. They that can make gods with their owne hands, can worship them, and with the same Reason. I descend now from the eye, to en­quire of your other senses.

What did you Smell, and Taste all the time of the Bishops raigne?

As was the smell of the Services in the Queens Chappell; where was the grossest, the rankest, the most stinking Popery; yet not so abo­minable, as the Bishops Idolatry, for the Reason above-said.

What have you felt?

You should not aske me that Question; I am, as they call mee, a lay-man (by which name, I cannot tell my selfe what I am) nor must you aske any of the Bishops Clergy-men [The Bishops and their Mini­sters are the lot and inheritance of the Lord, the Clergy, they say, though] They are as their Lords are; Aske a Minister of Jesus Christ, any one faithfull Steward in Gods house, he will tell you, That if the Bishops could not thrust him off from the worke and service of the LORD, [Page 10] then he could thrust him-out of GODS house, and his owne; and thrust yet sorer at him, till he had thrust him out of the Land; It is unspeaka­ble what Gods faithfull Ministers, and faithfull people, have suffered from the Bishops themselves, and their bloudy servants; what Devou­ring words! what violence from their hands!

Very well: Now I pray you answer mee from what all your senses have reported to you, whether you have observed any thing spoken or don by the Bishops, any fraud, any force, whereby to thrust away the people of GOD from the service of GOD, their good Master in hea­ven? Answer according to the report your senses have given to your understanding touching this matter?

That the Bishops have endeavoured by all their sayings and do­ings, To render The Lords Day, vile and contemptible; more marred than any Day. They endeavoured also, to thrust away King and people from the worship and service of their God, &c.

That is enough, for grant so much (and yet more you must grant) and then that followes, which, being well prosecuted, will strike at the Bishops heads, and trusse them short by the necks. But yet you must an­swer mee more fully, and so you will put me to the trouble of other Questions, and your selfe to the answers. Was all this fraud and force, these Devices, Methods, Depths of the Bishops, were all these but an en­deavour onely, and a Designe with them? ‘In polluting To pollute The Lords Day; In defiling To Defile the house of God, and the services there; Was it but an endeavour only to thrust away the Deputy from the faith? To stop the mouthes of the Ministers? To thrust them out of GODS house, and their owne, and into prisons, or out of the Land? Was it but an endeavour; but a Designe onely, To make some of them, who would doe their dutie, a spectacle to God, Angells, and men?’ [I know the Lord has His Reserve, a Remnant, a few Names, who would not de­file their garments; He did preserve some out of the fire; and some in the fire; some He delivered from the Lions den; and some He rescued from out of the Lions mouth. I know the LORD has had His Reserves evermore; and His Deliverances, and His Rescues are wonderfull. It is granted also, That all these hard words and ungodly deeds, have tended to the spreading of the Gospel; the furtherance of it even in this Land, and to the encrease of the faithfull, the ennobling and hightening of their Spirits, by the opposition made against them: It has made many lights burne the brighter, the stronger the winde was to put them out. The LORD has many and faire wayes to re [...]rute His Nobles, and Worthies, wayes well beseeming and becomming the God of Gods, and Lord of [Page 11] Lords. But what the Lord has don, what good He has brought out of all this evill, is not the Question now.] I charge you before the Living God, answer me to this; Were all the writings, sayings, doings of the Bishops, but an endeavour onely, but a Designe? Have they effected no­thing touching the premisses: Open your mouth, and speak as the Ora­cle of God, and as in the eares of God, Have the Bishops but endeavou­red onely in polluting To pollute The Lords Day? Answer me that first.

It cannot be denied, That the Bishops set-out a Book, wherein they gave an Advousion of libertie to the people, for harmlesse sports, and pass-times, to passe over the Sunday, as they, The Lords day, as yee call it. Indeed this Grant of libertie, workt contrary effects, as all men say, but that was by accident, as the Logicians say; It was not in the nature of the thing, but in the nature of the people.

You are mistaken in the first word, and so all along. You call the Declaration for Sports, a grant of libertie to the people. That is true, though they need not such a grant, for they will take it without leave; But it was a Law and Command to the Pastours, To give their people that libertie. Secondly, You call them harmlesse Sports, and lawfull pass-times. You should understand, That these very names, sports and pass-times, are not compatible, not any way congruous with so sacred a Time, as is The Lords Day: Therefore the Bishops should not have distinguished of sports, but have cast-them-out, as neither Civill, nor Harm-lesse nor Man-like; but the contrary: nor lawfull (specially mixt dancing) on any day, most unlawfull and brutish on the Lords Day. Thirdly, You say, That this Declaration for Sports, worke contrary to the Bishops meaning; and that the effects were by accident. Wee say the Declaration workt according to the heart of the Bishop, And that such effects, as wee have now seene, were in the nature of the thing; as well as in the nature of the people.

You must remember, That there were two very godly expressi­ons in the Declaration for Sports, whereby the Bishops did declare a ve­ry pious meaning sure. The first; That they commanded no other sports, but what would make the people fit for warre, that is the expression.

A godly expression said you, and declaring a godly intent! by giving the people a libertie to sport and passe-away a sacred Time, with Whitson-Ales, May-games, &c. thereby to make the people fit for warre! Ile tell you a Story, whereby you shall be inabled to give Judgement up­on this. Cyrus, a brave Commander, vexed still with the Lydians, a ve­ry warlike people, bethought himselfe of a way to tame the Lydians, and to make them sober men, by making them first drunke with wine, and [Page 12] sotted with pleasures; for thus it was; ‘Cyrus sets forth a gracious Declaration unto them; gave the Lydians the same libertie then, which the Bishops gave to the people now, A licence to set-up Ale­houses; Cauponias [...]t ludicras artes ex­ercere. To exercise their bodies, and refresh their minds with sports, pass-times, games, &c.’ I put a Question now, and crave your answer; Was Cyrus his intent, by this grant of libertie unto the Lydians, To make them fit or unfit for warre?

Unfit sure.

You have spoken like a man, the very Truth, for so it was; A ve­ry warlike people before, becomes as weake as water presently after; And, to give you in short, what Aelian contributes to this Story; These people were so delighted in dauncing, That they taught their horses to daunce: So when the horses heard the Trumpet and the Drum, they thought it was the Taber and the Pipe, so the horses fell to daun­cing, and gave up their Riders to the spoile. And now if you cannot, the present time shall declare the Bishops meaning, and the purpose of those words; To make the people fit for warre; (i. e.) make a peo­ple fit for destruction, To be devoured by the mouth of the sword, as it is at this Day. The people were made drunke with wine, and strong drinke, and drunke with pleasure, Now the Lord has made them drunke with their owne bloud in their owne Land. Wee, by command from the Bishops, have blasphemed Gods Name; polluted His day; defiled His Sanctuaries; Now The LORD has made us fit for warre Now He has given us for a spoile, and to the Robbers, He has powered upon us the fury of Isa 42. ω. His anger, and the strength of Battle. And doe wee complaine, That our Cities are, some of them, wasted, and othersome, impoverished? Let us admire, That our Cities are not all so wasted, and left without Inhabi­tants; That all are not made as Sodom, and like unto Gomoral [...] That is the wonder, and the patience of a God! That a God, so provoked, should be so gracious, there is matter for wonder.

To interrupt you a little, I must tell you, That the Declaration for sports and Pass-times, do's declare its selfe against silthy Tiplings and drunkennesse, The other expression, very godly and gracious! expresse against Tipling, that swinish sinne, forbidding it in expresse tearmes.

You are mistaken; That D [...]claration commands Riott, Luxury, Drunkennesse. Intemperance, and wantonnesse, Though not directly, and in expresse words, yet by most necessary & undoubted consequence, as an effect from the cause, which being naturall and sufficient, inclu­deth the effect, and alwayes giveth it. It is true, There was an expresse forbidding of filthy Tiplings, and Drunkennesse, for so run the words; [Page 13] They are but words; Filthy Tiplings, and Drunkennesse, and Rioting in 2 Pet. 2. 13 the day time, all these were in that Charter for libertie, as in the roote; As Death was in the Pott; As a fall in pride; As destruction and death, in sin and rebellion. It is not possible to countenance Whitsun-Ales, and discountenance Drunkennesse; To Command Wakes, and forbid Tiplings; To allow of setting-up May-poles, and other sports therwith used, and disallow of Chambering and Wantonnesse. If I grant the cause, I cannot forbid the effect, no more than I can forbid a stone to fall down-ward, or an Eagle to hasten to its prey; no more than I can for­bid the fire to burne, or the Sun to shine. But if I take away the fuell, then the fire will goe out. No man will show himselfe so uncivill, and below himselfe, as to Command Drunkennesse, Intemperance, wanton­nesse, in plaine tearmes; Nor need wee a command to doe that, wherein our natures too much command us; Where the law of nature speakes, no need it should be assisted by a Commandement; Wee carry about us a law in our members, which leads us captive to the law of sin. If a Ma­gistrate will be entreated for the erecting & supporting of bloudy dens, Schooles of mis-rule, nurceries of the Gallowes (so blessed Bolton calls Ale-houses) he doth encourage and support swinish Drunkards, worse than swine in the Church, and more harmfull than they in that garden; Set open the Ale-house, you may be sure some body will come reeling out. The same may be said of setting up May-poles, and countenan­cing other sports thereto belonging; You cannot command them, and forbid the taking pleasure to riott in the day time. Wee doe not reade, (and it is worth our observation) that Balaam did command the peo­ple to commit whoredome with the daughters of Moah. He did not point Zimri and Cosb [...] to goe to the Tent in the face of the Congrega­tion and on that solemn day; he had more civilitie than so. Balaam Numb. 24. 14. Chap. 31. 16. See Trem. did advise, onely so and no more. Balaam was an old Man; as he was, so his counsell must be, grave, not seemingly sowre, nor apparently un­civill. Let Isra [...]l and Moab come to an inter-view; let them see each others faces; let them be present at each others sacrifices. This was the Counsell, but worse than a curse, for now folly will be committed in I [...]l no doubt of that: And then The GOD of Israel will be offended wi [...]h Israel He will depart, and then a curse followes, as certain as when the Cloud is thicke, The thunder-clap followes (in our senses) the sparkling flash; Bad Counsell is worse than sower Counsell, and more poyson u [...], for by bad counsell, not sower counsell, Balaam taught Balack To lay a stumbling block before Israel, as the Spirit calleth Rev. 2. 14 it: And it proved in the issue sower counsell too; Israel found it so, as wee [Page 14] reade Numb. 25. 9. 1 Cor. 10. 8. To apply here; The Bishops did not command Idolatry, say­ing, Goe serve other gods. No, but they set-up Altars, That was enough to defile the whole Land, and to make a people commit adultery with stones and with stocks Jer. 3. 9.. The Bishops did not command Tipling and Drunkennesse. No; But they commanded sports and pass-times, Whit­son-Ales, and May-poles; Allow the cause, and countenance that, you allow the effect, and countenance that also which naturally issueth thence. If the maid lay leaven in three pecks of meale, shee need not command it to sower the whole lumpe; Put fire and fuell together, you need not bid it to burne; Set a desirable object before the eye, you need not command the heart to lust after it; Set the windowes, doores, gates all open, you need not bid the enemy enter; A small sparke falling into gunpowder, you know what it will doe, whether you will or no, or though you command the contrary. And you know as well, That they, who command Wakes, Whitson-Ales, setting up May-poles, and other sports therewith used, do command filthy Tiplings, and Drunkennesse, and other abuses in such distempers usuall. I have been the longer upon this, to cleare your judgement in so necessary a point. I proceed now to the next Question; Did the Bishops but endeavour, was it but their seeking onely, To turne the Deputy from the faith? Act. 13. 8.

I cannot make answere here, for I cannot tell whose endeavour, and seeking it was; I can tell All are turned from the Faith, King and Bishop, Priest and people, and all; All are turnd away from God, that is cleare enough. The Church and State are turned up-side downe, what possibly Church-men could doe, But who was the chiefest Artist, and Turner here, that I cannot so well tell.

If you cannot, you are content to be informed at this point from them who can tell us from ancient Records, That the Bishop turned the Deputy from the faith, and with him very much people; wee will reade the Records; but consider with mee first, How high the Bishops Power and Authoritie was?

How high the Bishops Power? He was not in the Zenith The Ze­nith is the highest point in the hea­vens over your head: The Na­dar is that point of earth your foot stands upon; The place wher the Popes must be laid, and their ho­nours in the Dust. of the Church, for there onely the Pope sits. Take it at the height of its eleva­tion, The Bishops power was but Derivative, as a streame from the See of Rome; a bastard-power from the Pope.

You are mistaken, our Bishops power was as independant as the Popes power is; as absolute a Pope in his Diocesse (and that was all over the Land) as the Pope is all over the Christian world: And all his Actions, Dictates, Determinations, &c. were as Magisteriall and Pope-like, as ever were the Bishops in Rome. But I pray you consider with mee, what I was about to say, but that you interrupted mee.

2. What an influence (like some malignant Starr) the Bishops power had, from the Councell-Table, Starr-chamber, every Court and place, into the affaires and transactions of Church and State.

3. Enquire wee of ancient dayes, and wee shall well understand, That, while the Priests were good, The King was good: When the people might say, He is a very good Priest; Then they might say, He is a very good King. Jehojada an excellent Priest, for he made a Covenant between 2 Chron. 23. 16. God, the King, and the People; That all should be, not their owne, but The LORDS People; an excellent Priest he. So was Joash the King, as forward and zealous (to say no more) as the Priest was Ver. 6.. The Priests zeale kindled the Kings zeale, made it fervent and boyling-hott; So it was like the burning of thornes, quickly in a flame, and as quickly out; It was not a zeale, a fire from above; But this is the point; So long as the Priest was excellently good, a living example before the Kings eye, so long the King was good. Zechariah, a very good Priest too, And in his dayes, Ʋzziah was a very good King, for he sought God in the dayes of 2 Chro. 26 Zechariah: and all that while he prospered: I might be large, wee will reade but one or two Records more; The one tells us;

4. That the Temple, and the Temple-worke there, was never defiled, while the chiefe Priests there did their office. It is true, The King fretted against the Priests, and stormed against the LORD, till the LORD 2 Chron. 26. 20. smote him in his forehead, then he was calme and still; But while the chiefe Priest, and fourescore more with him, did their office, all was well, except the King; It was ill with him, who did fret against the Priests, because they did their office, and against The Lord, That char­ged them so; It was ill with him. But the Censer and the Sacrifice was in their hands, unto whom it did belong, To offer unto the LORD, and serve before Him. Let us record one example more, and that will relate to these times. King Ahaz had a servant, a Right man for his s [...] vice; But as vile a Priest as was in all Judah; What was the King? If any man makes it a question, The sacred Records will resolve him, As mise­rable a King, as his Idolatries, & other abominations could make him: And his Priest, the basest servant in the world, a slave to his Masters lusts, and his own; The Priest hastened his Masters destruction, for he did, ac­cording 2 Kings 16. 16. to all that King A [...]az Commanded; I have read the Records What is the result from thence? You must tell us; for from the premisses, you have drawne the Conclu [...]ion; I pray you what is it?

That, I [...] it be now▪ as in ancient dayes it has been, then the Bi­shop is the Witch, the Sorcerer, he is the cun [...]ing Artist, he turnes all up-side downe, he has turned the King, and people from the faith.

There is no new thing under the Sun, What was, now is; like Priests, like people; Brutish Priests, brutish people. And now sith you have answered mee so clearely to this, Ile aske you no more questions; I will not aske you whether the Bishops endeavoured onely To defile the house of GOD, and the services there? Not; whether they set-up their Thresholds, by Gods Thresholds Ezech. 43. 8. Adhiben­do tradi­tiones suas ad praecep­ta mea. Jun.? Not, whether they thrust GOD out of His House, and His servants out of their houses, and Gods House also? Not, whether they have thrust His servants into corners, and out of the Land? Not, whether they have used Gods precious ones, villanously? All this is as cleare to all the Christian world, as is the noone day: And indeed, you have yeelded to all this, when you granted, what you could not deny, That the Bishops set-up Altars, and made gods. Will the GOD of gods endure this, To be mated in His owne house with gods of mans owne making? Surely, surely, This is enough to cause the LORD to measure us, as He did Judah and Israel; or (to relate unto Times nearer hand) to streteh over this Land also, the line of Germany, and the Plummet of the Palatinate-house, To cause the Land to be wiped, 2 King. 21. 13. as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turning it upside-downe; Enough and enough, (so much as a man can doe, and was in his power) To make all the Inhabitants of the Land Papists and Atheists all; Setting-up Al­tars, and making of gods, has don all this; O wonderfull! That all this has been don here before the face of His Holinesse, and yet He has spa­red, He has not meated out unto us, as unto other Lands; He has not wiped the Land yet as a maid wipeth a dish; He has not made our Land Hormah Numb. 21. 3., utter Destruction, or Anathema, a curse; Not yet, Though these abominations are found here; And yet behold [...] greater Abomi­nation than has been shewen hitherto, which I shall not declare here.

I pray you let us heare all; declare what you can declare; shew me [...]d the world, that other Abomination.

You must spare mee, and your selfe that trouble; Indeed I can say nothing touching the Bishops example, that is the abomination, my words cannot reach unto it; how provoaking! how defiling! how cor­rupting! how spreading! No leprosie so infecting, so destroying. This how cannot be expressed; A Bishops Example! A Bishop, and set­up Altars! A Bishop, and make gods! Ah LORD, how many thou­sand thousand soules, has a Bishops example Destroyed! He has by his abominable Doctrines (as wee heard,) he has thrust away King and people from the worship of their GOD; By his example, he has com­manded Persua­det lingua jubet vita Athan., forced Gal. 2. 14 Cogi eos dicit, qui exemp [...]o Petri, Ju­daizabant Jun.. compelled King and people to serve other gods. I can say nothing touching this Abomination; I confesse it is hard to forbeare; [Page 17] but I doe forbeare, for your sake, That you may now take the more scope, and libertie, to say what you have to say for Arch-bishops, and Bishops, Their government, their office, their Name. Come, gird up your loynes, and speake like a man; What say you?

Truly I have much to say, yet nothing at all against that you have spoken from the word of God, and Judgement from His mouth, upon the Bishops. I can yeeld unto your hearts desire, That our two Arch-bishops ought to be thrust-out; Nay, more, That those two (I ever ex­cept a third, The Primate of Ireland) ought to be hanged-up by the necks; for, wee know what one has don; and it is as legible what the other does; he fights stoutly for the Pope his Lord; I could yeeld you-up some of the Bishops too, to the Justice of the Law, to be hanged by the neck, or rosted in the fire; I could yeeld you up our Wren, &c. But to tell you, what grieveth mee, I cannot endure to heare all the Bishops jumbled together, like Chest-men in a bagg, honest men and—toge­ther; Two Metropolitan Bishops, & one Primate together; Great men, and mean men, together; vile men, and precious men, together; you have made no distinction; I professe unto you, you have so confounded the persons, that I cannot finde out the Primate of Ireland, nor difference him from another Bishop, (now he is in Oxford) where all the Bishops are, or where all their hearts are: You have made such a mingle-mangle one with another, that I cannot single-out Bishop Wren, that vile man, from Bishop Hall, that precious man: You have, as I said at first, jum­bled them together, like Chest-men in a bagg: You should have consi­dered, how soundly some of them have preached, [but some; some not at all; very few oftener than once a yeare, and then not soundly neither] what good bookes they have written. And touching the Cere­monies, how cleare they are for the innocency of the same. All this you should have considered, and not have jumbled them all together. Indeed I am grieved, that you cannot distinguish better.

Truly I would grieve no honest man; and I hope to cleare my words so unto you, That they shall be no griefe to your heart. You say I have jumbled the Bishops all together, like Chest-men in a bagge. Ile answer you to that first, and grant, so I have done, and purposely I have done it, for mightie reason, for so they jumbled the dayes of the weeke, the seventh Day with the six dayes, they made no difference, no distinction at all. Destinction! No, They marred their Lords day more than any Day. I grant you, they have don some good workes; ‘So did Alexander the Great, greater workes than they; But Alexander killed his deare friend Calisthenes; Him, who dearly loved Alexander, and [Page 18] the King both; and ever after that, when it was alledged for the ho­nour of Alexander, That he had don such and such great things; It was checked with this; He did so indeed, but he killed his true and honest friend, Calisthenes, he killed him;’ And that darkened all his glory to his dying day. So when it is said, The Bishops, some few of them, have written good bookes; Yes, but they have polluted the Lords Day; which, if there were no more, is enough, to stain their glory, while the world stands; But there is more. Have they, the best of them, answered their names? have they magnified their office? have they given attendance to 1 Tim. 4. 1 [...]. Ezek. 22. 30. [...] reading, to exhortation, to doctrine? or, when The LORD sought for a man amongst them, I say a man *, to speake for Him, was there a man amongst them, the Bishops all, that did appeare? They should have ta­ken His people by the hand now in this day of their trouble, doe they A man in­deed that has the fire of zeal in him, will stand in the breach till hee has hedged-up the hedge. doe it? I say againe, doe they doe it? or doe they take the people of GOD by their throats? GOD is witnesse, even GOD is witnesse. He is witnesse also, What blasphemies they have heard belched-out from the Pulpit, and they were silent the while, and afterwards. What hard words have they heard in the Court, pointed out against His hidd [...]n ones, which they reproved not? Reproved not! encouraged rather; God knowes, what ungodly deeds they have seene! and how the best of the Bishops have strengthened the hand of the wicked, doing violence to the godly! GOD knows all this; He knowes, even the Holy One, who tri­eth the reines, and searcheth the hearts, & understanddeth the thoughts long before. He knowes, That the best of them have dealt most cor­ruptly in His matters; most treacherously with His people in the Day of visitation; most wickedly in the Covenant; The best of them is a briar; Mich. 7. 4. Th [...] most upright is sharper than a thorne-hedge; The day of Thy Watchmen and Thy visitation cometh, now shall be their p [...]rplexitie, Amen.

I cannot joyne with you; You should have pulled out the Pri­mate hence, and Bishop Hall, before you had said Amen; Why man, The LORD bids you put a difference betwixt the good and the bad; the precious and the vile; And, when the LORD visits a people in wrath Psal. 4. 4. [...] Exo. 8. 22 B. 9. 4. 11. 17. Aug. de civit. Dei, l. 1. cap. 9. See Cure of feares. pag. 33. and indignation, then He sets a marke, He makes a seperation, H [...] mar­vellously seperateth ^a. B. He do [...] indeed, then He sets apart, then He sepe­rates indeed. Then He sets a marke, a legible marke, a proper and pe­culiar marke upon His chosen ones. But not visible to a common eye; as it was in the 4. Psalme, and other places. No; good and bad▪ the precious, and the vile, are carried away with the same floud of GODS wrath; there is no distinction made to your outward eye, for the rea­sons intimated before, more fully set downe in that notable Chapter, [Page 19] pointed to in the margin ^b; But because I finde your spirit grieved, Ile open the sacred Records, and reade what wee finde there; This, That Num. 25. 3. Israel joyned himselfe unto Baal-Peor (an abominable Idoll:) and the an­ger of The LORD was kindled against Israel. What was Israels Idolatry Primari [...]s populi, Iun. to their Governors, and Chief-taines, the Heads of Israel ^c? Yes to them, and they must suffer for it. What! The people joyned to Baal-Peor, and the Heads of the people lookers-on! They must be hanged up all for that. It is the Charge of the LORD; Take all the heads of the peo­ple, and hang them up. All the heads; you will observe that, All. Doubt­lesse, some heads did not contrive for the setting up, or serving that shame Hos. 9. [...]0. Nay, doubtlesse some heads, there, thought the setting up that shame, and serving before it, To be as abominable, as any heads amongst us judged the Declaration for sports (that shame) to be, even so abomi­nable. Nay, doubtlesse, could they have maintained their honours, and head-ships amongst and over the people, they would have withstood that abominable service, the peoples joyning to Baal-Peor, that shame; But not one, not one man was found, that would doe as Phineas did; not a man, that would show his head appearing for GOD, and against that shame: Therefore, Take all the heads, and hang them up; Where? Before The LORD, before whose glorious eye, they committed that abomination; And because not one of these men would shew their heads, would appeare for their Lord; hang them up before the Sun; put them to shame; make them a publike example; shew them openly; make them a spectacle; set their heads before that Sun (which they made an Idoll) that all may point at them with the finger, and say, These are they, who did slinke away, who hid their heads, would not appeare when time was, for their Great Lord, and Master in heaven: Now they doe appeare; Now they are showen openly before the Sun. It must be so don, it ought to be so don for GOD has said it; Take all the HEADS of the people, and hang them-up before the LORD against the Sun, that the feirce anger of the Numb. 25. 4. LORD may be turned away from Israel. Looke you well upon it, consi­der it well, and you must conclude from hence, That all the Bishops, the chiefe, the Primate, and Metropolitan, the great men, and mean men, all must be thrust downe, all cast-out: Ile carry it no higher than to a thrusting downe, a casting-out; Hang them-up before the LORD, and a­gainst the Sun, That I leave to the Judges, as it followes*; But if you Vers. 5. 6. will not yeeld so farr for the Thrusting all the Bishops downe, and ca­sting them all out; Then I must say, you are the man, who will not be satisfied from reason, or Scripture, nor from the mouth and command of GOD.

I am satisfied; I yeeld them up all patiently to the Justice of the Law: And I say now, Currat lex siat justicia, ruat mundus; Let the Law have its course; let Justice be don, though the earth shake, and the king­domes be moved, yea, shattered to pieces, let Justice be done. Amen, But

What another But yet, and so out of place! you are not satisfied, I perceive, touching this All.

Yes that I am, content, That all these Arch-bishops (they are but two) be thrust out; And all these Bishops every man; Take them, even All the heads, and &c.

Speak out man, the terror of an Arch-bishop, or a Lord, cannot make you afraid now, GOD will be terrible to them, speake out; And hang them-up before the Sun that followes.

True, But I was speaking for them, yet indeed I am ashamed, but I consider, All your Allegations are but vitia personarum, these may be thrust away, or hanged-up before the Sun, and others thrust into their places, for indeed Arch-biships are venerable for their Antiquitie.

Ah Lord! What a word is that! The same word will serve to establish errour, very ancient, Truth, its opposite, but a few hou [...]es before it. Venerable for Antiquitie! You may say as much for the Devill too▪ that old Serpent. Venerable for Antiquitie! So is Sunday and Monday, and so through the whole weeke, (and Saints dayes, as we fooles miscall them) anciently called by those names by the Heathen in honour to the Sun, and to the Queen of heaven. Venerable for Antiquitie! So is the Pope too, and his Cardinalls more ancient than he, if you will beleeve them, or their Advocate; for he and they conclude from sacred Scripture too, (see what Interpreters they are) That the Cardinalls are two dayes older than the Moone; They were in the firmament of the Church, before the Moone was set in the heaven, as they collect very wisely from the Text 1 Sam. 2. 8 See Childs patrimony pag. 104. pointed to in the Margin; I will not contend with you, nor you with me; you shall have your saying, Arch-bishops are venerable for their An­tiquitis: So you say, so I say; wee are agreed: Arch-bishops are as an­cient as Paganisme, as Heathenisme in this Land: They were here before the Land was Christian; And now that this Land must be the LORDS Land, and the people there, The LORDS people, Christians indeed, now shall Arch bishops be no more.

Let Antiquitie goe, I see it will doe them no good, but a necessitie there is, there should be Arch-bishops.

A necessitie! then there is reason for it, and Law both: but there is neither; He be as plaine with you as a pack-staff. Tell mee. when I have told you; There ar [...] severall flocks of sheepe in the Land, a Shepheard [Page 21] over every flock; so carefull wee are of our sheepe, that harmlesse, use­full cattell: And great reason for that; Now tell me; What reason or Law is there, That there should be a great, a Catholique Shepheard to o [...]ersee all these Shepheards; have you any Reason or Law for that?

No truly, That there should be a great Overseer over small over­seers.

I thought so; Therefore I know there is no necessitie.

I must grant it; but there is a Decency.

A Decency! worse and worse; You should remember your charge, To speake as the O [...]acle of GOD, and as in the eares of GOD. You doe not answer your charge, when you say, That the being of Arch­bishops in a Church, makes for the decency in the Church. I answer you, there are not Arch-Angells in heaven: And is it decent, there should be Arch bishops or Primates on earth? There is no decency in it at all. I know you will forsake that Argument.

Well: But they say, there can not be a glorious Church without Arch-bishops.

A foppery! I had almost said a blasphemy; I shall say it anon. The Church is glorious in heaven, you will say, and yet there be no Archbishops there, all men say.

I have heard them highly extolled, commended, and praised.

For what, for their vertues?

Yes.

So was Hildebrand Beno Cardinalis A­ventinus, making his en­try to speak of Pope Hil­debrand, saith thus; Now must I speake of warres, slaughters, mur­thers, killing of fathers strives, hatreds, fornica­tions, robberies, spolings, of common treasure, spoi­lings of Churches, de­bates and seditions more then civill. the Pope praised, who had poy­soned six Popes his predec [...]ssours, w [...]s a Conjurer and rai­ser of Devils and threw the Sacrament into the fire. This man was commended for his vertues. Judas has been com­commended above the Apostles. Commended! Is that a­ny newes, when Robbers, Murtherers, Rebels, Traitors, vile, and treacherous Priests, and persons are highly com­mended at this day; they are honoured, dignified, titles of grace and honour are conferred upon them? To say all in a word, the Anti-Parliament, the Parliament in Oxford, consisting of the out-casts from this Parliament, Oxford Parliament I say, the refuse, the garbage of the land, that Parliament is commended. Will you put any force in praise and com­mendations? I pray you know from me, that a quartane Ague has been praised: so has folly been exalted by very learned men. Nay, I could read you a long oration in the praise of a Louse. If I should tell you what persons and flatuous things have been commended, I should make [Page 22] you laugh heartily. But we are serious. Certainly that Argument will not hold neither. But to speak-out plainly, and all in a word. It is blasphemy for a man to take unto himselfe that honour.

I grant it to be blasphemy in the Popes mouth.

In the Popes mouth! It is blasphemy in the mans mouth, who will assume unto himselfe that name (that incommunicable name) Archbishop, or Primat, for he is Pope, the mouth that speaks blasphe­mies, as truly Pope in London, as Pope Leo was in Rome. To dispatch this, and to cleare your judgement from the clearest light; I pray you consider, That the Lord Jesus Christ, Blessed for ever, is (if I might use our Dialect) the Archbishop and Primat in heaven and earth: And the Seaven Spirits is His Vicar-generall; He is the great Shepheard, the sole Monarch, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And because the Gi­an [...]s of the world, and Lords of the earth; because Almighty Kings (in their conceit, thinking they have an arme like God, and so) Lord-like Bishops, have set themselves against this Lord and King; therefore has this Lord and King set his face against them: He has taken to Him­selfe power, and an Iron rod into his hand, and now we see him thrash the Nations like straw, and the Hills like chaffe: and comming upon Princes Isa. 41. 15. 25. as upon mortor: Now we see him smiting the earth terribly, nor will he leave smiting till the bloodshed there bee discovered; till the gods there be starved, till the Idols there be cast out to the Moles and to the Batts; Isa. 2. now we see him shaking Kingdomes and Crownes, nor will he leave shaking, till he have shat [...]ered and broken them to peeces, because they would not be the Lords Kingdomes, nor would they with the Elders, cast down their crownes before the Throne. If they continue obstinate, if [...] 4: 10 they will not rule for Christ, if they will not submit unto Him, then thus and thus the Lord Christ will do unto them, that all the Kingdomes of the earth may know, The Lord Christ reigneth, there is a God, that judgeth in the earth. But who shall bold out while hee sees these things accomplished? They that wait patiently for the Lord, (for here is the patience of the Saints) They that leave God to his own time, worke and way; doe their own work faithfully, take hold of the Almighty arme, wrap up their soules in a promise touching this matter, so they are at peace: And this peace of God which passeth all understanding▪ shall keep their hearts in perfect peace, peace, peace, Amen.

I [...] you have not done.

Ye [...] indeed have I, unlesse you have any more to say for Arch-bishops; have you?

Not a word; I could bite my tongue for saying so much. But I have [Page 23] much to say for Bishops, that others may be put into their rooms, that the Bishops government may be continued, their office, and their name.

I see you will trouble me, and I am content with the trouble, so it may ease your mind, and give you content. But touching the govern­ment by Bishops, I thought verily you were resolved clearly, and fully, that it is Antichristian, are you not?

No indeed not I.

I see your memory fails you, not your understanding; you have understood that the head of this bulky body is reprobate silver; what will you think then of the other members of this body? What of the taile? What of the f [...]ot? Nay, you understand that the head of this bo­dy (nay the heads, and that argues it is a monstrous body) the Arch-bishop, is struck-off by his own hand, a slain man An Ido­later is a slain man: I will cast down your [...]lain men. Ezek. 6. 4.. For to say all in a word, which you heard before; in that head is the mouth that speakes blasphemies, he is a slain man, cast out as an abominable branch. Will you plead now for any part of this body: For the shoulders? they are the Bishops. Or the Belly? That is their Courts. Or the Thighes? They are the Chancellours, Commissaries. Or Feet? They are their Proctors, and Doctors, what shall I call them? They are the Bishops Purvayers, and Caterers, to serve the Bishops lusts and their own: Will you contend for these?

I tell you, I contend for the government by Bishops.

A government! If you have the government, you must have the governours, Archbishops and Bishops, Archdeacons and Deacons, Chancellours and Commissaries, you must have their Courts too, with their Doctors and Proctors there, the most notorious—, I want a word whereby to expresse their villanies and notorious insolencies; you must have that—garbage too, their Emissaries, their Pari­tors, those execrable rabble that stink all the world over. All these you must have. Will you contend for these? or will you have all this pro­digious government and governours sink down and fall into the earth, from which it had its rise and originall, after the Archbishops?

I would have the government stand.

You would anger a Saint! pray you consider, the Bishops are but the Archbishops hands: the other officers (not worth the record­ing) are but Instruments in the B [...]shops hands. Will you contend that these brethren in iniquity, instruments of the Divell, that these should be reserved and kept alive; will you contend for this?

Yes indeed will I, life is a pretious thing: Ile pray that they may [Page 24] be kept alive, that is, that the Governours may continue in their full force, power and vertue, notwithstanding any law (though Gods law) to the contrary.

A pittifull man! But it is a foolish pitty, and spoils a Citie and Kingdome both: had you lived in the dayes of Ioshua, you would have been a very earnest sutor to him, That Achans silver, his garment, and his wedge of gold, and his sonnes and his daughters, and his oxen and his Ios. 7. 24. asses, and his sheep and his tent, and all that he had, might be preserved, would you not?

Yes surely, it would have grieved me to have seen all those per­sons and things to perish before mine eye, as it grieved the Singing-men that were in Pauls, to see the Priests—(what doe you call them) ve­stiments, or horse trappings, to be burnt there before their noses: so it would have grieved me to have seen such an execution, such a de­struction.

You have more wit then you shew: for in shewing your pitty, you had seemed wiser then Josua and all Israel; For Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan, and all the forementioned with him, stoned him and them: then burnt persons and things. (Doe you mark that? ston'd them first, and burnt them after; stoning was not enough, they must be burnt too) Then they raised a monument there, and there they set a marke, they called it the valley of Achor: (i. e.) a valley of trouble, and perple­xitie: Achan had troubled all Israel, he and all his must be troubled for that, neither persons nor things must be spared. Junius gives us a large note upon the place, the sum is, to teach us, how contagious a thing sin is, and how execrable the instruments of sin are. Can you apply this to the persons and things in hand?

Yes I thank God.

That is well; but if you can apply it indeed, you will be aware you doe not your selfe trouble Israel: nor will you have a word to say for them that are troublers there.

Not a word for Troublers, yet I must speak for the government: for indeed we idolize it, we dote upon it, we must have it.

If there were no other reason but that, for the abolition of that government, that were enough; wee make it an Idol, wee dote upon it, therefore it shall be taken away. But will we have the Government still, then we must have the Governours still. And now if I should tell you what horrible, prodigious, execrable,—(I want a word) mur­thers, villanies, have been committed by those Governors and their ser­vants, (slaves rather) I should make your eares tingle.

I think so too: But you could tell me no more then the faults of persons only, and their Courts, no more. Might not the persons bee purged, and the Courts too, and the government preserved? Though there be no Catholique Bishop (an Archbishop) yet might there be a Diocesa [...] Bishop. And now I have told you what we would have, (and our meaning) a Diocesan Bishop we would have.

Very well: But you must explain your meaning now, what doe you mean by a Diocesan Bishop? Or what is a Diocesse?

I cannot tell: It is Greek to me.

To me also [...].. But you a strange man to conclude for that, which is Greek to you, you understand not: You contend for a Bi­shop over his Diocesse, and you know not what his Diocesse is. Ile tell you as well as I can, for it is a strange word. ‘A Diocesse is a government in an house, or in the place we commonly call the Church, and they have stretched it all over the Citie and Countrey;’ I mean, they have enlarged the Diocesse, they have so out compassed it, that all the Bishops in the land, were they Bishops indeed, could not be sufficient for that place, to fill up such a roomth: they have rendred it so capacious, that their Diocesse containes more roomth, then Philippi, a Citie in Macedo­nia contained, and yet they allow but one Bishop there, whereas by the expresse word of GOD, there ought to be Bishops and Deacons Philip. 1. 1.. To in­form you yet more fully, I will tell you a story. A request was made, (who made it, or to whom, is not pertinent) for such a length of ground as an Oxes-hide would cover (or rather be stretched unto.) A modest request, it was granted; a small spot of ground would be cove­red with an Oxes skin. The petitioners make much of the gift; for they did not doe as our Curriers doe, and as Homer, after his manner, relates the manner very fully, they did not tugg at it to stretch it out, that it might fill-up as much as possibly the hide could hold: But they cut large thongs out of it, as we say, and so stretched and tentered those thongs, that they could reach over so much ground, as thereon to build a Citie as capacious as Philippi was, King Philips towne, and there they placed, if I well remember, one Regent. Here was a notable policie to get ground. Truly the Bishop has dealt as politickly with the Diocesse, he has made it wide, and large, he has cut large thongs out of it, he has gained much ground (if all be gain that comes to his hand) he has built a palace thereon, and found a Lordship there; and there he (was) there he had elbow-roomth enough, and was a Lord in his Diocesse. Do you understand what an over-grown thing this Diocesse is? How the Bi­shop hath lengthened it? what incomes the Bishop hath from it? [Page 26] what provisions were made for him there? And yet Lucullus coenat cum Lucullo [as he said when he had prepared a supper for a King▪ which he al [...]ne did partake of.] All these provisions and preparations are but for one Bishop: all this to cram and fatten one Capon (that was his name who was predecessor to Mr. Juel (of him anon) as vile as the o­ther was pretious. You know a Diocesan Bishop now, and what his Diocesse is; A monstrous thing, wherein I know not how many hun­dred parishes are crowded-up together, that there may bee more roomth for the Lord. You understand this?

Yes, I thank you; I understand your meaning fully, That you would have a Bishop in every Parish.

My understanding is not cleare there: For to be briefe with you; First, I doe not allow of the name Bishop; and I beleeve, when I shall have told you somthing about it, as I shall anon, you will not allow the name neither. 2. And for a Parish, I doe not well understand that division, or who made that distinction.

Can you tell what you would have?

Yes, I thank God; I would have in such a place as Philippi was, Bishops and Deacons, for that is according to Gods expresse will. Phil. 1. 1.

Very true: But how many Bishops and Deacons must there be for such a place as Philippi was?

I cannot tell the number. But there must bee a Bishop and Deacons for every Diocesse.

So think I too: one Bishop for one Diocesse, non est elenchus in­ter nos, we are agreed.

True; but then it must not be a Diocesse stretched out and tente­red, as the Oxes-hide was, beyond all imagination. We were conclu­ded even now, that that is properly a Diocesse, which one man can o­versee: and whereunto his voyce can reach, when his people are assem­bled in their meeting-place.

A meeting-place! Why not a Church?

Your question is not to purpose, therefore you shall have no an­swer. Can you except against any word, that has been last spoken tou­ching the Diocesse, and the Bishop there? that is the question.

In effect I have answered already, No, for what you have spoken, is the expresse will and word of GOD. But you seem to hold, that there is no superiority in the Church: quit your selfe there first, that I may re­solve others touching that great objection.

That I will: These words Bishops and Deacons Tit. 1. 5., (not my words) hold forth the contrary, so also these, and ordain Elders ^a: These words [Page 27] doe inferre, not onely, That the Ministers are above their people; but that there is a superioritie amongst themselves; nature, sense, reason; the naturall body, if wee should goe over it, and observe the parts from top to toe, will cleare all this. There is the head, and so downward; put your finger into your mouth (that is the little worlds heaven) there are upper and lower teeth, but all doe the same service for the body. It is so in the body politique; There are some for Counsell, they are heads; Some for direction, they are eyes; Some to uphold and beare up others, they are shoulders; Some for action, they are hands; It is so in the house of Parlia­ment, two houses they say; there are Speakers in both, to whom all turne themselves when they speake; Superiours for the time, and when the worke is done, then there may be a change. It is so in every Court, a Chaire there, and some one sitting in it. It is so in the Assembly of Di­vines; every where, in Church, Chappell, House. It is fit it should be so, nay, it must be so. What a fond conceit is it then to thinke, That there cannot be Over-seers in the Church, but they must be everlasting Lords, and as perpetuall Dictators? There is a destinction of gifts, of graces; therefore of persons, and of places. How grosse a mistake now to thinke, That wee allow of no Superiours, because wee abhorre those that have Lorded it over the LORDS inheritance? Wee doe indeed, for it is ex­presse against the command of GOD. I might be large here; but you are a sober man; you are satisfied touching Superiours; and I have quit­ted my selfe at that point, have I not?

Indeed you have. But now, That wee are, as our vowes are upon us, throwing-down and rooting-out the Hierarchy, that Antichristian, that cursed Government; Its friends make clamours against us; Ile tell you what they say very briefly, (for so you will answer I am sure,) They bring Scripture, and object first; That wee speake evill of Dignities. Jude 8. Verse 10.

Bid them say on, things, which wee know not; Then bid them prove, That wee know not, what the Dignities of Arch-bishops and Bishops have been: or know not, that they be evill: Bid them prove that; but that they can never doe; wee know those Dignities are evill; and sith they call evill▪ good, woe unto them. What say they next? They speak Scripture still; So did the Devill too; What is it?

That the Arch-bishops and Bishops, are Powers: Therefore not to be resisted, for there must be no resisting of Powers.

Bid them reade on; That are ordained of God. Now bid them prove, that Arch-bishops and Lord Bishops, &c. are ordained of GOD; are the ordinance of God. Rom. 13.

I have enough to choak my adversaries now.

No, but you have not, They will goe on with the argument, but marke how they proceed; Just as a boy that goes upon his head, his heeles are upward, and so he spurnes against heaven; Just so, these kinde of men will goe-on, till they have wrought out this conclusion; That the Devill and mans will are to be obeyed; Their Reason, for they are POVVERS; and all powers are of God; doe you observe?

Yes, very well, and I am sure, I shall be too hard for my Adver­saries Aug. takes away the honour (Lord) from the Bishop, & leaves him the work: The Bi­shop does clean con­trary, takes to himself all the ho­nour, and leaves the work. Lib. 19. ca. 19. 1 Tim 3. 1 Thes. 2. 7, 8, 9. at that argument. But I have two words, wherein I would be sa­tisfied before wee come to a full stop; The one is touching the office of a Bishop; the other is, touching the name. Concerning both, great things and honourable are spoken, even by GOD Himselfe. Touching the office first; Can you except against it?

No indeed can I not; I cannot except against a good worke, and that is the office; To give the minde to reading, to exhortation, and to do­ctrine, that is the office. Naturally to care for the children, exhorting, comforting, charging them (as a Father doth thence his dutie is conclu­ded) That is the office. To be gentle among the Children, knowing them by name; affectionately desirous after them, provoaking them by teares; and as a nurse, cherishing them; That is the office. It cannot be blamed, nor the Bishop neither. I mean the man, for he is a father, a nurse; he is that which stands in the nearest relation, importing the tendrest care, and dearest affection, and he is blamelesse in all. How dare you or I blame him, whom GOD commends?

So say my Adversaries too; The office is not to be blamed, nor the Bishop; You see both are as ancient as Paul was; And you know too, That a Reverend Father of the Church, has calculated the nativitie of the Bishops, and the descent of the office, and he finds the office in hea­ven; and the Bishops before the ancient Kings in this Land.

Very true all this. And now you need not tell your Adversaries, That the Reverend Father is answered by the Sonnes of the Church; [...]or that he sta [...]ed heaven in the face so long, that, at last, he fell into the Ditch: You need not tell your Adversaries this, for they know it well enough. I could tell you now a notable Story, as judicious Calvin tells it mee, concerning Maximilian the Emperour, a notable Story, and ve­ry pertinent; but I will not trouble you with it, onely point at it in the Margin Calvin upon Isa. cap. 19. 11.; And so question you a little; Doe you thinke, that Paul means by office, and Bishop, the Government of a Catholique and uni­versall Bishop, (an Arch-bishop) or Diocesan, and Lord Bishop, doe you thinke so?

I cannot tell what to thinke.

No; why I told you before, their office cannot be found in the earth.

They have found it in heaven.

So presumptuously they said, and now you see, though they will, not, that they are brought downe to the sides of the pitt; You should not put mee to repetition, for indeed, what I spake of their Government, might have sufficed for their office. But reade the Text againe. The office is a good worke, cannot you tell your Adversaries now, what worke they have made in the Church, and Common-wealth? I know you can. You reade also, That the office of Pauls Bishop was naturally to care for his people; as a father, as a nurse. His office was to feed the flock of Christ. The mightie word of GOD, was the Scepter of Pauls Bishop, there­with he cast downe strong holds: strong rodds Ezek. 19. 11. were the Scepter of these B [...]shops; These did not feed▪ but rule the sheepe of Christ with a rod of Iron Rev. 2. 27. [...], signifies, He shall feed, or rule. The Pope and his Bish. make the later to be the office of a Bi­shop; So the sheepe have had a hard fee­ding from that inter­pretation.. You reade againe; Pauls Bishop must be blamelesse: were these so?

What is all this to the office?

I told you before, and I will repeat it but this once, Their office is not found in heaven, or earth. It is true; If wee beleeve them, they have found their office in heaven, and have executed it upon earth (as wee heard) but who will observe the whole Series of things, shall dis­cerne plainly, That a curse has cleaven to their office evermore, closer than the Ivy to the wall; or the morter betwxt the joyning of the stones: As it alwayes does to that office, which is not of Gods ordaining, and for which, no man (though for his sinceritie, honestie, learning, without exception) can be sufficient. I will not recall here what was said, how crosse Catholick Bishops, Lord, or Diocesan Bishops, are to God, and His Word. I will onely say what some have said of the Pope, and ap­ply it to ours; ‘Some Popes have been Fathers, but never any Pope an holy Father; And some few, very few, good men, But never any, a good Pope. So also as true of our Bishops, looke wee over them all, wee may finde some good men (very few) but not one Good Bishop.’ And this, I must ever thinke, is by vertue of the curse, which cleaveth to the office.

I am in a worse case to answer my Adversary now, than before. Never any a good Bishop! Many good Bishops, say my Adversaries, for many of them were martyrs.

Not many, if I remember, five onely; but twice five were persecu­ters. Five martyrs will not argue so strongly for the goodnesse of the office, as twice five against it. Againe, Martyrdome does not make a good Bishop; he must render himselfe good while he lives, by magnify­ing his office.

Well, and so they did. Bishop Ridley, and Bishop Latimer; What can you say against them?

Nothing, not a word, God has accepted them, He has pardoned, It shall be remembred no more; how Bishop Ridley dealt with King Ed­ward the Saint; he would, but I forbeare. Nor how Bishop Latimer, that good man, over-taken through Infirmitie, did, in a Sermon, com­ply with a murtherer, against the good Kings Uncle, the good Lord Protector, too like a Bishop.

Bishop Hooper, what say you against him.

Against him! I have much to say for him, an excellent man he! he had his Table full (with good cheare, you will say, and so have our Bishops too, no) full set with company, (he eat not his morsels alone) and they the poorest of his flock, and, which I would have noted, God would have it followed, he fed their soules first from his owne mouth, and then their bodies with his meat; his doctrine did drop upon them Deut. 32. 2. as the raine, and his speech distill'd as the dew. The meaning is, he Cate­chised them first, and then said, Eat friends, and be merry, GOD accep­teth the worke. An excellent man. So was Bishop Juel too, the Jewel Lege vi­tam Ju­elli. of our Church, set as a Diamond there; ‘He gave himselfe up to the LORD, and His worke; he spent and wasted a wearied body there­in; and gloried in it, as well he might, that so he did. And it greatly refreshed his dying spirits, when his soule sate on his lips; That he had wasted his body, and spirits too in the worke of the LORD, &c. to whom he hath given-up his account with Joy.’

Very well; excellent men these! and were not these good Bi­shops?

Look how you force me; yet I will not reply bluntly, No: But this I say, ‘All this argues the goodnesse of the men; but does not argue the goodnesse of the Office.’ They were good men; yes, and good Bishops too: but not so farre as their Diocesse reached, for that was all over whole Shires: But so far as they could oversee their flocks, so far as they could quit themselves as good Bishops, catechising their poore people, exhorting, comforting, or as we heard, so farre, and not further. They were good Stewards, and faithfull in their administra­tion, (that is as much as is required) so farre as was possible for their oversight and care to reach. We think, and with reason, that a man cannot be said to be a faithfull Steward in that house where hee never was, nor can know what roomes or what persons are within. I say then, for I would be as plain as I can, so farre as their overfight could extend, (that is, to the compasse and extent of that Diocesse, explained [Page 31] before) so far they did well, no men ever before them better. Wee say further, and we think it is no more but what all must grant, That there is a point (easily decernible) where the creatures impotency and weak­nesse must necessarily set bounds to his oversight: if yet he will willingly Augustus, Candidus, Philopa­ter, &c. good names, and Sapientiae, Iustinians Townes name, ex­ceeded all, but no ho­nour these names to the per­sons. Salv. lib. 3. [...]. & lib. 4. with­in two leaves of the end. lege Naz. Orat. 21. and knowingly, for ends best known to himselfe, if hee will lanch-out further beyond these bounds, and so out-bound himselfe. At that ve­ry point of his transgression he shall meet with a curse. In short, the meaning is, To that very point and part of the office, which out-com­passeth the officer, thereto the curse cleaveth, which the person may quit himself of, but he shall never quit the Office. And so I have done my best to cleare your understanding touching the office.

Indeed you have cleared the office of a Bishop, now I hope you will allow us the name.

No matter for my allowance, you need not stand upon that; but yet, I wish you would not contend for a name, an empty thing. A name! what is that, if the man be nought? Cain, a good name, the man not so. Abel a vain name, the man was excellent. I assure you, the vilest men have had the best names; Popes have been called Pious and Innocent both. It is true as the heathen Emperour said, Nomina magna onerosa, great names are great burthens; good names are a good engagement to fill-up, to answer their names. A Christian King, a Christian man, is an honourable name; but dishonours him or them very much, who are not answerable to that name, but are against Christ all they can.

But I pray you, tell me, what is your reason why we should relin­guish the name?

I will; but you must tell me first, the reason why we should retaine the name?

That I can doe, I can give one reason which shall have more weight in it, then two of yours, it is a Scripture name, Bishop Timothy, Bishop Titus, and Bishop Peter, Bishop of Rome, as I heare.

You doe not well to tell me what you heare, and neglect what you read, which is this, as Peter speakes of himselfe, Who am also an Elder. 1 Pet. 5. 1. [...]. 2 Iohn..

He was the chiefest of the Apostles, the Papists say.

There is no heed to bee taken to what they will say, they prattle clean contrary to what Paul sayes of himselfe, and Peter of himselfe. But if you would observe their Acts, and one Chapter there, you would see it as cleare as noon day, that Peter was not the chiefe, (nay, there was no chief amongst them) nor was he Bishop.

I am sure we have Bishop Timothy, and Bishop Titus: for I can point to the place.

You can; but neither to the chapter nor the verse, which you might have done, if it had been Canonicall. The Bishop hath thrust it into our Bibles, as they have thrust in a whole family of the Iesuits Numb. 26. 44. A text as boldly perverted, and so has been ever since 1610. As are the contents before Psal. 149. into our English Bibles; a notable prank. God has found them out for this, they shall be thrust out, and then our Bibles shall be purged.

Christ himselfe is called a Bishop.

He is not: He is called an Overseer, and so he is; and by his Vicar generall, hee looks to his flock, he cares for them, he holds them fast, not one of them shall be lost or taken out of his hand. To put you out of doubt, Bishop is not a Scripture name: for it is neither Hebrew, nor Greek, nor Latine, nor does it concerne you what it is, onely pertinent to this place it is; That it is not a Scripture name, and so your strong reason, as mighty as two, proves nothing, why the name should be re­tained. Now if it please you, Ile give you my reasons why the name should be abolished.

It pleaseth me very well: I pray you let me heare them.

First, because it is a name so greatened and hightened, that we have not roomth enough in the world, not a place big enough, or high e­nough to containe his Lordship; he has out-compassed a naturall bo­dy. Let his name goe. Secondly, the name is abused, clean perverted, as the name Tyrant is, a good name once, and good English still: for it signifies a King; but when the King stretched his power the contrary way, to the hurt of his people, in stead of doing them good; and to the subversion of his Kingdome, and throwing downe lawes and liber­ties, in stead of building all up; Then the name grew odious, and was abolished. The same reason for the abolishing this name; The Bishops, not Prelates, but Pilats; not Pastors, but Impostors; not Doctors, but seducers, as their unreasonable carriage has caused the Rime. They have made the name odious, and themselves abominable. A sufficient reason why the name should be abolished, and themselves, as aforesaid. Third­ly, Bishop is as terrible a name to some, as a Divell is: as pleasing as a God to others. That neither side may be hurt, take it away: It is the Idoll of the land, Idolized as much in our dayes, as the Brazen Serpent was in King Hez [...]kiahs dayes. I cannot submit here to anothers judge­ment; I must judge it very reasonable, That, as when the people began to put a religious honour upon the Serpent, then the King would have it called plain Brasse. So now, sith Bishop is so idolized by the common 2 King. 18. 4. people, let the name goe, and let the man be called a Minister of Iesus [Page 33] Christ. If he be so indeed, he will like well of the name, for it is all one, as if he were called, The messenger of the Churches, and the glory of Christ. I might adde a fourth reason here, There is no need of the name; Cast it a­way, and there will be no lacke.

Lastly, should I reade you a leafe in the Rhem: Testament, how effectu­all the holding-up and keeping-in of names has been, for the keeping-in of abominable persons, and things; you would yeeld mee so farre at least, That this name Bishop, is to be abolished. I have don.

And I am satisfied, and at a sweet agreement in my soule, That Arch-bishops, Lord-Bishops, their Government and office, is to be thrust-out; and the name abolished. I pray you heartily, give me leave to weepe.

You need not aske leave, you have a command for that; Weepe with them that weepe. It is sufficient you have a command to weepe for your owne sinnes, and others, and for the slaine of the people. You have example for it too; To make your couch swim with teares; your eyes flow like rivers; and to make the place you stand in a Bochim Judg. 1. 5, a place of weeping, for reasons many, from within, and from without; weepe and spare not.

To tell you the truth, I never thought of this kinde of weeping; I asked you leave to weepe for company with the Kings and Merchants of the earth; Because their gods are taken away, and what have they more?

O monstrous! weepe for company with the Kings and Merchants of the earth! This indeed is to weepe with them, that weepe; but it is to doe as those women did, who sate weeping for Tammuz. Ezek. 8. 14

That is Hebrew, is it not?

No nor Greeke neither; It was an Aegyptian-god, a most abomi­nable Idoll: As comely a posture now, for Kings and Merchants of the earth, to sit weeping over the Hierarchy, amore abominable Idoll than was that Tammuz.

I yeeld to you heartily. But truly I intended to weepe in a merri­ment onely, as I have heard one did; and so Ile tell you a Story, to re­fresh you and my selfe a little; A little man, but a great Tyrant, was ferrying-over to a place, from whence he must never returne: And a poore Cobler, who was mightily oppressed by that Tyrant, was in the same Boat with him; The Tyrant wept heartily, for he was taken from all his gods, he should see them no more, neither his Palaces, nor his Lordships, and so he cryed lamentably. The Ferriman, a merry fellow, would make the Cobler cry too, and so he did; O mee poore Cobler! [Page 34] I have taken Sanctuary now at the place, where the wicked cease from troubling; where the weary lie at rest; They heare not the voyce of the op­pressed. O mee poore wretch! I shall mend shooes no more; I shall la­bour no more; I shall feele neither hunger nor thirst any more.

Ile heare no more, not a word more, though I know it might be well applyed. You have made it pretty Christian, yet it is not for this place. I would have you rejoyce in all the peoples sight, and sing aloud for joy of heart, for so the upright doe. Certainly, there is the same cause now to rejoyce, as the Church had, when they went through the Psal. 66. 6. flood on foote: There did wee rejoyce in Him, (our Fathers went over, wee rejoyce:) And for the same reason, for wee say now, as they did then, Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power, and so forth; for wonderfull workes follow, as are the workes of GOD now adayes. Certainly, the Church has the same cause of rejoycing, as it had, when the great Dragon was cast-out; Then was heard a loud voyce, saying, in Rev. 12. 9, 10. heaven (in the Church) now is come salvation, &c. reade it out. Certainly, the Churches time is coming, nay, it is come, when Babylon must be throwne downe. Therefore wee must now heare, a great voyce of much Rev. 18. 21 people in heaven (the Church) saying, Hallelujah, Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God, Amen. Rev. 19. 1.

I thanke you Sir, you have made good use of my fained teares, and fained mirth; you have taught mee how to doe both in good earnest.

It is an hard lesson, heare me forth, I pray you, and The LORD grant I may heare my selfe. (1) If you doe weep indeed; if you are grie­ved indeed; then your griefe is more, That you have grieved GOD, than because His and your Adversaries have grieved you, that is first. (2) If you rejoyce indeed, then you rejoyce with trembling. (3.) If you prayse GOD indeed for the workes He has done, (I cannot expresse how wonderfull they are) then you live to His praise; That is Selah; then you rise-high in praises, when your life praiseth Him, that is, when your conversation is in heaven. If God, your God, is your strength; then He is your Song: If He be your Salvation, He is your praise too. (4.) If you long to see God appeare in His Glory; To see Him worshipped according to His Command, in a Church-way: Then you are fitting and making your heart meet for such a worship; and you commune with your owne heart upon your bed, enquiring what holi­nesse you have gained by the Ordinances you now have; for they that are not good husbands, and thriving under these, I cannot tell whether they shall be trusted with greater matters. (5.) And to shutt up this mat­ter; [Page 35] If it be with you as aforesaid, Then your heart is open, and your mouth open, and your purse is open, and your hands hang not down; All you have, and all you are, shall be expended, laid out for Him, for His Name, for His cause, for His servants, All for Him, who hath so laid-forth all His Attributes for us, A falling, sinking, dying Nation; All for Him, (forget it not) who remembred us in our low estate. All for Him. Amen.

I joyne with you heartily, and that is all the answer I can make to all the fore-mentioned. I must enquire further of you for resolution now; The Government by Bishops, it is gone, it is fallen like a great Milstone; It shall be found no more in heaven, the Church, Amen.

There are now two wayes of Government, (I expresse it as I can, and as I conceive it in the most popular way) The Presbyterian way; the In­dependent way. The Adversary meets mee in both wayes, crosseth mee in the one, choakes mee in the other. I beseech you, Sir, for Gods sake, and His cause, be pleased to give mee satisfaction, that I may satisfie o­thers, who finding mee almost your Conver [...]

Ile cut you short there. I pray you doe not call your selfe my Con­vert. If the Word of GOD has not turned you, hold you where you first were, for Arch-bishops, Lord, or Diocesan-Bishops, hold you there.

God forbid. But I pray you pardon the Word; It relates to you, but as to an instrument, and let mee goe on; My Adversaries finding me a Convert, hitt mee in the teeth with this; You are for the Scotts Disci­pline, the Presbyteriall-Government, a Rigid Government, worse than the Bishops, an Iron yoake.

Answer them thus, but in the Spirit of meeknesse; as you tender the Glory of GOD, and the good of His chosen; shew no heat in these matters; but tell them, They are cleane mistaken. The Scotts Discipline is as neare, as their light has carried them, close up to the Word of God; and as more light shall appeare, closer-up they will come. Tell them, God has appeared to that people in that way, wonderfully, marvai­lously: And a great Reformation is wrought amongst them, a great Re­formation! And great things has the LORD wrought by them, and marvailous! And if wee trust not in them, if wee leane not on their arme, great things will they doe for us. But for their Discipline, say againe, That, were not the Pillars out of course; and the Lawes silent, because the Trumpet is so loud; could their heads and leaders walke in the way with a right foote Gal. 2. [...]. [...]., as the word is, and as they desire to goe: could they keepe close, and keepe their people close, in this extravigant time, to [Page 36] their owne rule, and principles; Then your Adversaries now would a­gree with you, and acknowledge, That they have, after their manner, blasphemed the Scotts, and their way. Tell mee now, Doe you thinke that this I have said will not stop the Adversaries mouth, so wide open against the Scotts Discipline?

No indeed; All this will not stop the mouth of the Adversary. The reason is, Because some mouthes will not be stopped, till they be wrapt-up in a winding sheet, and stopped about with dirt. But you have answered mee, and I am satisfied at that point. My adversary will meet mee at another point, and he will b [...]fle mee there, or choake mee quite. He will tell mee, ‘You shall have Lords in every place more ab­solute than was the Lord-Bishop, for they will be more independent.’ That choaks me quite, I have not a word to reply. I entreat you, Sir, helpe mee here, and tell mee, what you thinke of that way, what is your judgement thereof, I meane judgement as wee speake popularly.

You say well, else I should have said, who made mee a Judge? Indeed you should not have craved my judgement, which is so low and small, in so high and great matters. But fith you crave it, take it, as it is, and make the best of it: Thus I judge of the way; It is an excellent way, an heavenly way, a Church-way, an holy way: And the excellent of the earth walke in that way, and are for that way; and that is as much as I shall say concerning the way.

It is enough; but you must make good what you say.

That needs not, and yet it shall be made manifest and apparent to your eyes, though I say no more; for what are words? The con­versation of these men who are for this way, in their owne house, and in the house of GOD, this holds-forth their way to be an holy, an hea­venly, a Church-way, as was said; there is the proofe.

It is indeed, and The Church in thy house is the praise in the Gos­pel. But is not the conversation of those men, who are for the other way, as gracious, as holy, as Church-like, as is the conversation of these men who are for the Independent way?

Indeed my spirit is stirred, I had best to stop a while, lest I fire up­on you, and word it with you, and so marre all—I doe bethink my selfe of the way we are upon; I must doe nothing unbeseeming that way; else you should heare words sharp or cutting You would force Tit 1. 13 me to make comparisons, they are odious, The conversation of the one and the other is Church-like, else they are not in a Church-way. I spake not words, but my heart before. I protest unto you, I doe so honour the Scots, and their way, that I can scarce keep my heart from [Page 37] idolizing them in their way: And certainy, could it doe them any good, I could wash their feet, and kisse them when I have done, such love I beare to them and their way. You will give me leave now, sith it is for your satisfaction, to tell you my judgement touching this way, and so I have done heartily: Now you would have me make compari­sons: No but I will not.

Pardon me, Sir, and teach me I pray you, what I shall answer to my adversaries, who tell me that the men you so commend, are Inde­pendent. men. What shall I say to this?

Tell your adversaries, they are fouly mistaken.

The men say so themselves, they call themselves Independents.

They doe not sure. But you are a learner, beleeve me: The men that are for this way, are the most (I had like to have exceeded in com­parison) are as Dependent men, as any are in the world. They lean upon their beloved evermore; they seek counsell at his mouth evermore; they would not move a step, nor speake a word without him: they hearken diligently what their LORD saith: And they will hearken what any man, though the lowest of men, any man shall say unto them from their LORDS mouth. They independent! How independent? As you and I are in our houses; low and weak men, we, and yet wee will not suffer another man to Lord it over us in our house: for the Cook, they say, will not abide it in his Kitchin; so Independent we and the Cook are. And yet so dependent we are, that our practices, our duties, our Doctrines, &c. are subject to the Spirit of the Prophets, as they submit themselves to the Spirit breathing in the Word, the Rule of all. I could wish heartily, a better and larger explication of this word, then here is time, or place, or ability to make: because it is so generally mis­understood, it should have a more free and full explication.

What say you to the gathering of Churches? The language of the times, and the practice of grave and learned Ministers; what say you to it? a Matth. 24. 40. Luke 17. 34.

I will, in all meeknesse and submission to better judgement, bolt­out what I have conceived; That this separating, this culling and gathe­ring work, is reserved for the Angels when GOD shall give them com­mission, b Hiphlah Psas. 4. 3. Then the Lord sets apart him that is godly for himselfe. and then a marvelous separating shall be; for then Two shall be in one bed, &c. the one shall be taken, the other left: so it will be then, a ga­thering, a culling out one from another who stood before in the neerest relation, were partakers of the same worke and reward, then a separa­tion, and not till then in an orderly way. Now husband, wife, child, and servant, all should goe together to the same place, there to partake of the same ordinances.

Very well: But then the wife that is spirituall, may partake of the same holy things with her husband, who is carnall: And the ser­vant, that is the Lords free-man, may break bread with his master, who is to every good work reprobate. What say you to that?

Not much, let the Pastors or Ministers look to that.

But here is a leaven now in our congregation, which leaveneth the 1 Cor. 5 6 whole lump.

Search the Scriptures, and enquire wee of our Teachers whether that be the meaning, That another mans wickednesse can leaven you: En­quire concerning that matter, you will read, To the clean all things are clean ^•. I cannot think that unclean persons, whom the sacred Scrip­ture calls Dogs and Swine, can pollute childrens bread to children. Ile tell Tit 1. 15. [...]. Luk. 11. 41 All things are clean unto you. Ne omnes Angelos, si Missa in­tersint, &c. Epist. 265. you what Calvin sayes; ‘My position is (saith he) that a pious or sa­cred action cannot be defiled by the fault or pollution of men: And thus I use to cleare it; If all the Angels in heaven were present at the Masse (that abomination) they could not, with all their holinesse, wash off the filth of that Sacrifice; nor can all the Divels in hell (if present at the holy Supper) defile that sacred Ordinance to me, received by me with pure hands, and a clean heart.’

If this gathering of Churches be according to the expresse Word of GOD, why should you or any man be against it?

According to the word of God, and against it! God forbid, on­ly, I say, sith there is an if in it▪ let us, simple ones, stay a while, till fur­ther enquiry be made at Gods mouth, and resolution given touching that matter, that so all (ifs) may be taken away.

But in the mean time here are two wayes.

Yes, seemingly, and no more: As two wayes upon a great Com­mon or Heath, which anon will meet in one: or as two streams which break the bank a little, and so run crosse, but after a small circuit a­bout, meet again, running into the same channell. I leave these wayes under hope, and full perswasion, that a way shall be taken to cleare this word and way, from a sure word, so as both wayes shall meet in one; and all that are seemingly divided there, shall kisse and embrace each other as brethren: for they shall enquire, not each of other, what is this m [...]ns way, or that mans way, but of GOD, and the word of GOD, they shall enquire what is GODS way, and the way of his people, concer­ning which they are charged, This is the way, walke in it. I have told you my hope, I will shew you the grounds of this hope. The first,

1. Wee have a promise, I will give them one heart and one way. A sure Ier. 32 39. word; It is don; So The LORD speaks of things to be don in His ap­pointed [Page 39] time, the best time: God is one; The Lord Christ one; faith one; Church one; without doubt the way shall be one, and the foole shall Isa 35. 8. not erre.

2. Wee see how the Assemblies both conspire in one, To unite hearts and affections, and judgements, so to make all one! Wee see this, else wee see nothing.

Indeed I doe not see it, I can tell you that there are in the As­semblies, some for this way, and some for that, and very eager and hot-spirited they are for their way, as was told me.

And you might tell your selfe; That Angells are not Assembled there, but men, subject to the like passions as wee are, and may declare them too openly as men doe. But this I can tell you, That these men who are indeed for a Church-way (an holy way what ever it be) and doe walke in it, have been greatly humbled for that eagernesse of spirit, if more than was fitting, which was declared in their contention for that way: And before they came to their seats next day, where they were a note too high, they were low in humiliation, they afflicted their soules for being so high the day before; And they have made their watch the stronger for after-time, and for ever. And this for mightie reasons; (1) Because they are contenders for a holy way; All must be don in an holy manner, Church-like. (2.) They know also, many there are, who watch for their holting. It is enough for Caution.

3. There are mightie wrastlings, the wrastlings of GOD, strong prayers; His servants will not let their Lord alone; They will give their God no rest. Jacob weeps and he prayes; God must answer him; Jacob will not leave His GOD, without He leaves a blessing behinde Him. Heare you what seeking, and knocking, and praying there is, Lord, give the Nobles and Worthies in their Assemblies, to be perfectly joyned toge­ther in the same minde, and in the same judgement, for this one way; That the LORD may be one, and His Name one in all Congregations. It is don, seekers shall be obtainers. As Jacob, so the seed of Jacob never sought God in vaine. God is appearing in His Glory, for the destitute are im­portunate with Him; Now I will arise, saith the Lord. And indeed He Psal. 102. 17. does arise in all His peoples sight; and He has made bare His Arme, even His Right Arme, and has done valiantly; Let the servants of the LORD say so, even for what they have seene, though they should live to see no more. Their fathers have sowen prayers, and watered them with teares, and wee have reaped. What a returne of prayers have wee seene! O wonderfull! Jacob has prayed, and the seed of Jacob has pray­ed, and then He spake unto us Hos [...]a. 12. 4.; Wee have the fruit of their prayers; [Page 40] They prayed, Lord cast-out the vile, set in their roome the precious; Note, that they doe cause all the trou­ble, who have a 3d. way, the way of their own hearts, and that way they would goe. Lord purge the Temple, the services there; Lord give thy people pure Ordinances; So they prayed; Then the Lord spake unto us; and as He spake, so He has don in our Dayes, Blessed, blessed, blessed be His Name; Then He spake unto us. O what cause have wee every one of us, To make our hearts Temples, our houses Churches, our lives living monuments of His prayse, That a Church-way, and a Church-life, and Church-Ordinances, all holy, and pure, may meet together, and kisse each other, Amen, and Amen.

To take a view of what is said, wee have seene the Bishops way, the way of Caine; Wasting and destruction is there, their foot stands, even at this present, in the path of the destroyer; Yet the Bishops have their Advocates, those, who plead for them and their way. The sober man has what to answer; And is shewen an excellent way, the old way. There is a parting in it, as wee observe, the same way compassing an hill, and meeting againe in the valley, for the ease of man and beast. [As a Beast Isa. 63. 14. Leniter et commodè duxit ut solet, ju­mentū du­ct in des­censu mon­t is ardui. Isa 63. 1. goeth downe into the valley, so the LORD will have his people lead] This way is as it is called a Church-way, the way of Holinesse. No Lion shall be there; The uncleane shall not passe-over it. And now that I have mentioned them, the uncleane, I come to the remainder of my under­takings, The casting-out of the Bishops Curates, those uncleane persons, for like Bishops, like Curates; called so in a contrarietie to their office, as a mountaine is called in a contrarietie to what it does; It has its name from motion, they say, but moves like a mountaine: So these Cu­rates have their names, as Bishops have theirs, from cure and care, and over-sight, when they care for nothing, nor did oversee any thing, but their Rents, Tythes, and in comes: and to make provision for their lusts. Wee cannot thinke, that Wren or Pearce, (these were called Bishops) would endure, their Curates should be better than themselves, but as themselves, as brutish men, as drunken sotts, as vile Priests, as treache­rous Prophets, as loose and swinish in their life, and then, more then probable, they will be Naballs at their death. And what are the people now, that their guides are blind and brutish; They must needs be so too; from the Prophets and Priests is prophanenesse gone forth into all the Land; Jer. 23. 15. They have leavened the Land with Atheisme, abominable Idolatries, and Heathenish prophanenesses. And now all yee beasts of the feild come Isa 56. 9. to devoure; yea, all yee beasts in the Forrest. And so it is according to the good word of the LORD; for His watchmen are blind they are all igno­rant, Ver. 10. they are all dumbe doggs, they cannot barke, sleeping, lying downe, lo­ [...]ing to slumber. You see whom I meane by these Curates; I argue now for the casting-of-them-forth.

‘They that have committed the same abominations, which others, It is argu­ed for the casting-out of Cu­rates. Jer. 29. 2 [...] having committed, have been rosted in the fire, and then made a curse; These ought to be thrust-out of the Land, by the Law of the Land: But these Curates have committed such abominations. Speake, have you any thing to say for them.’

Not a word, I must not plead for them, whom God condemnes; You must make proofe, That so they have don, according to those abo­minations.

They have committed villanies in Israel, adultery with their neighbours wives; They have spoken lying words, (God knowes how many,) They have blasphemed God, and the King; they have pollu­ted God, and his Day, and his House, and all the honours and services there.

You have said, you have not proved.

There is the clearest proofe of all this that can be desired. A Cen­tury is come-out already, where their names are upon everlasting Re­cord, and their horrible abominations registred: That one Century, (a hundred) implies nine Centuries more, they make a Chiliad, a thou­sand. And certainly, had wee the names of those, and their abominati­ons registred also, who are under the Kings protection, we should have a booke, as large as that wee call the Centuries.

Now that their places, their wickednesse rather, have spewed-them-out, whither are they gone?

To the place where such men shall finde favour, to Oxford. They have proceeded to the highest degrees of wickednesse in the countries, they are Doctors in the Art of drinking, whoring, rioting, now they gone to Oxford, as we say, to proceed Doctors of Divinity; and thence dispersed to those severall places, whence Gods faithfullest servants have been cast-out, where they will drink the healths, for they cannot pray, of their good Lords and Masters, and for the prosperity of their Ar­mies, now in Array against the Lord Jesus Christ: for as those Ar­mies prosper, so the Curates shall prosper. But now we heare they shall be all summoned to make their appearance at Oxford: for as they have there a thing they call a Parliament, made-up as aforesaid, for the sub­verting the Lawes, and Liberties of the Kingdome: so there must bee an assembly of Divines too, such as have been spued out of their places, for the establishing of the religion so often protested for. Ah Lord! But I forbeare. The poore commit themselves to the Lord, Thou shalt pre­serve Psal. 1 [...]. [...]. them from this generation for ever. The wicked walke on every side, when the vilest men are ex [...]lted.

These Curates, as unsavoury salt, are cast-out of the Church; Now the Divell has admitted them into his Chappell: Let him take their Service too: For, as like Bishops like Curates: so, like Curates like Ser­vice, abominable all. I argue for the casting of it forth.

This service is Dogs-meat, it must be cast-out to the Dogs.

I could never think the Curates Service to be childrens meat, but never heard I the Curates service called Dogs-meat before.

Yes, you imply as much your selfe, If not childrens meat, then whose meat? Dogs-meat, I think. But I argue it, Torn flesh is Dogs-meat. The Curates service is as Torne flesh.

Prove that if you can, That the Curates service is as Torn flesh.

The Curates Service is a torn, distracted service; here is a peece, & there is a peece; here is the former part, and there is the latter; here the first service, & there the second service; here read at the Desk; there said in the Pulpit; thence drawn up to the Altar: here are saying prayers, there are tooting prayers, upon the Cymball and the Organ; here they roared like Beares, there they braied like Asses, and yet Divine service, they say: But hearken what the LORD sayes; As torn flesh, Dogges Exod. 22. 38. Mal. 1. 13 meat, so is these Curates Service unto Me, Doe you bring that which is torne to me? Cast it to the Dogges. It is done, they have it at Oxford, and all over the Land; yea all over the Christian world, where the De­vill hath his Chappell, and where these abominable Curates and Priests are. Let them alone with their meat, no man envies them; no good man but pittieth them, yet let them alone, these Curates with their ser­vice together.

Now I must compleat my undertaking, and argue against the Neu­ters.

I pray you explain your selfe, and tell us what these are?

What they are! They are Neuters, a cursed generation of men, seem not to know their right hand from their left; not which way to Who are [...]uters. turn. I can liken them to nothing so fit, as to a shadow of a man, a pi­cture▪ such as you may observe ordinary in Flanders; There is a thing they call a Christ on the left hand; another thing they call the virgin Mary on the right hand; and in the midst, a third thing called a Catho­lick, with this inscription before him, Crime vortam nescio.

Ile heare no more of that; such a picture does not become your gravity, nor is it proper to the matter in hand.

I like your plainnesse well, I spake it but to try how you had pro­fited by all our discourse hitherto. True it is, such a picture gives us no instruction touching the subject in hand; for which way soever the [Page 43] looker-on had turned, death was on either hand. But now take things as indeed they are, not represented to us, but indeed and in truth.

Here is the Living God, the Lord Christ, and his Truths on the right hand. Here is the Devill, his Pope and his Bishops with all their blas­phemies, on the other hand; yet, cui me vortam nescio, the man is not yet resolved what hand to take, he is a Neuter.

Secondly, here is on the right hand, a Parliament called together by the King himselfe, acknowledged a Parliament, confirmed and establi­shed a Parliament by his own hand: On the left hand there are Assem­blies of (Robbers) which they call a Parliament (in Oxford) made up of the refuse and garbage of the land, and yet, cui me vortam nescio, to what hand he may turne, he cannot tell. This is a Neuter.

Thirdly, here are, on the right hand, Nobles and Worthies, who have approved themselves true Patriots, zealous of Gods honour, and faith­full to their King and Kingdome; who can have no other end, as is cleare to all the Christian world, but the peace of the Church, the ho­nour and safety of the King and Kingdome, no other end: On the o­ther hand are, left-handed men, robbers, spoilers, murtherers, unjust men, who know no shame, who are as roaring Lions, and devouring Wolves, to the inhabitants all over the land; yet, cui me vortam nescio, he knowes not to which side he should joyne; he is a Neuter.

Fourthly, Here are a generation of Seekers, who seek God day & night, who have commanded us as Q. Ester her people, Goe, assemble your selues Est. 4. 16. together, fast and pray for us, we also will doe likewise, these are on the right hand: On the left hand there is the Prince of Robbers, Murthe­therers, they that curse and sweare, and blaspheme all the day long; yet, cui me vortam nescio, to what hand to turn hee knowes not, Hee is a Neuter.

To speak yet more plainly, and according to the expresse word of God. They are Neuters who come not out to help the Lord against the mighty; mighty Nimrods, mighty hunters before the LORD, men skil­full to destroy the Faith, Religion, Lawes, Liberties of the Kingdome; mighty hunters before the Lord; yet these will not come forth to help the Lord at such a time as this; no though the Lord calls to them now, Who will rise up for me against the evill doers? Or who will stand up for me Psa. 94. 16 against the workers of iniquity? These will not, these are Neuters.

Possibly, nay probably these may not know that things are as they are; things are represented to them otherwise, as they have heard it declared and protested more than seven times; They may not know.

What may they not know? They doe know that Ireland is de­stroyed. [Page 44] They doe know that this viperous generation is eating-out the heart and bowels of the Kingdome; They doe know that the Faith, Religion, Lawes and Liberties of the Kingdome are destroyed under a colour and semblance of maintaining the same. They doe know, &c. But I will tell you a story first; ‘That notable murtherer, who stab'd K. Henry the 4^th of France, was examined whether hee did not make known his purpose to his Ghostly Father, his Confessor; Hee answered, Yes; His Confessor, a Jesuit, was examined at that point; he answered, he did not know (that is, to tell them) but very likely, said he, the intention was made known unto me, under the Rose, and I have a gift (of the spirit) presently to forget what is told me under the seale of Confession.’ My Author is not at hand, nor doe I remem­ber how they dealt with him; but certainly, they took a ready way to quicken his memory before hee was cut asunder: so it must be here, These men pretend they know not this, and they know not that, They will not know, or they will not know to tell us. But they dissemble in all that they say; They doe know that the Kings foot stands up to the knees in blood, in the path of the destroyer. They doe know, that he has cast forth all the pretious Ministers of Justice, and Ministers of the Gos­pel, where his hand could reach; and thrust in the vile into their places; They doe know what the Queen has done beyond the seas, what Digby with her favourites (her Agents and factors for Babylon) what these have done there, and what they are doing here; They doe know what is in designe, how bloody the adversaries intentions are, and that they have slain the servants of the Lord with a rage that reacheth up to hea­ [...]en so high must their judgement reach: This they doe know. They doe know that the King has made peace with his worst enemies, & is at warres with, and bids defiance to his best friends. They doe know, That the King is plucking down his own house; That he has thrust away the great supporters of his Throne, Iudgement and Iustice. They do know what the King has protested, proclaimed, declared to all the world; And they doe know what his Commissions have been, how bloody, how destructive. They doe know how that Bristoll is given into the enemies hands, and they doe heare that the Queen shall have a Chappell there: They doe heare the groanes of the prisoners, and the cries of the poore because of their Taskmasters: for their oppression is more grievous than is, or ever was, the Turkish or Egyptian slavery. They doe know, which way the Devill, and all his ministers doe draw, now, and yet they withdraw themselves as men that know not which way to turn, They are Neuters. Hang them, cut them asunder. It is the sentence from the [Page 45] law of Nature, of Nations, of Armes: It is the sentence from the law of God too.

1. It is against the law of Nature, that they who are without naturall affection, should enjoy the common gifts of nature, light, water, fire. Against the law of Nations and Arms, that those subjects should enjoy the priviledges and communities of subjects, who see with open face, the adversary and enemy destroying all these, and hold their hands in their pockets the while. Against the law of GOD, that they who see the Lawes, Rights, Liberties of his kingdome trampled upon by swine, and yet stand Neuters, that they should not feel the sharpest punishment. I will argue these things in order.

They that are the same, and have done the same which he did, and for It is argu­ed for the casting-out of Neuters. doing so was plucked a sunder with two Teemes of Horses, four Horses in a Teeme, do deserve to be cast out of the land by the law of the land. But these Neuters are the same as he was, and do the same as he did, for which he was so punished. Therefore, &c.

2. To relate to a more known story, They that are the same, and have done the same, and for doing whereof, others, their fellow-brethren, have had their skin torne from their flesh, and their flesh from their bones, these doe deserve to be cast-out of the land: But these are the same, and doe the same which they did, who, in former time, were so punished. Therefore these ought to bee cast-out by the law of the Land.

3. They that are the same, and doe the same, which they did, who were cursed from Gods mouth, and commanded to be cursed by all the people these ought to be cast-out of the land by the law of the land. But these are the same, and doe the same, which they did, who were so cursed. Therefore, &c.

Prove that these Neuters now, doe now as they did in ancient times.

They doe now the same thing: for they get to an upper-place (in Metius Suffetius. speculation) as he did spying which side is strongest, and likeliest to prevaile; and to that side they will wheel about anon. But that is too farre of; I will take that which is neerer the eye. These men doe as the men of Succoth did, therefore these are as the men of Succoth were, &c.

I can say nothing to that; I know not what the men of Succoth were; or whether there were such a people in the world.

It is your ignorance, and not to be excused; you know not the Scriptures, and therefore your workes must needs be bad, and you must walke as a man in the darke; It is a very famous story, touching the men of Succoth, Ile relate it as briefly as I can.

Gideon and his three hundred men were faint, yet pursuing after Z [...]ba Judg. 8. 4, 5. and Zalmunna, Kings of Median, Israels enemies: And he said to the men of Succoth, give, I pray you, loaves unto the people that follow mee, for they are faint: Gideon told them also, (as is likely) That he would requite their kindnesse when God had delivered his enemies-up into his hands, whereof Gideon made no question. The Princes of Succoth, living at ease, and faring deliciously, hearkned not to Gideon, nor regarded how faint his men were: They mock and jeere at Gideon; Yes, say they, you will re­turne us our bread when you have your enemies in your hands; When will that be? That is a doubtfull case; wee will not part with our bread upon such an hazard. You thinke your selfe as sure of your enemies, as if you had them in your hands; you see not at what disadvantage you stand, wee doe see it: Your enemies are Kings, Kings will helpe one the other, They have power, you are weake and faint; You have not sup­ply of necessaries, and thinke you to overcome two Kings? There is a great peradventure. Wee will see the businesse cleared, and the doubt re­solved, then wee shall know what is best for us to doe; If you have the victory over the Kings, then you shall have our bread; If the Kings have victory over you, then they shall have our bread. Goe-on now and pur­sue, faint you may, and fall downe, and starve for us; you get no bread of us; wee will not part with it at a peradventure; You question not the victory; It is a great question to us; Are the heads of Zeba and Zalmunna Verse 6. in thy hands, that wee should give bread unto thine Army? This story is as soone understood as read; & as easily applied to our neuters now adayes.

Very well; But how prove you, That neuters were so grievously punished in ancient dayes?

I prove it first out of the Romane Chronicle; The body of Metius Suffetius, who stood neuter, to spy which fide was strongest, that thereun­to he might turne, was adjudged by a Councell of warre, to have his bo­dy tyed unto two teemes of foure horses, which halled contrary wayes; So his body was drawne asunder, and plucked into two peeces accord­ingly.

What have Christians to doe with what the Romans did? It was the first and last punishment that ever the Romanes executed with so lit­tle respect, or none at all, To the Lawes of humanitie, sayes the Histo­rian himselfe.

Well then, let it goe, though it instructs us very well, what may lawfully be don to neuters now adayes. But wee must not so lightly passe over what we reade in the sacred Text, upon which wee were even now, and must set a marke. Wee reade, how the men of Succoth jeered and up­braided [Page 47] Gideon; Now reade what Gideon replies to them; Therefore when the Lord hath delivered Zeba and Zalmunna into mine hands, then will I teare your flesh with the thornes of the Wildernesse, and with briars. And as he threatned to deale with them, so he did deale; He tooke the Elders of the Citie, and thornes of the Wildernesse, and briars, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. He taught them! A sore Teaching! but very exem­plary for these men in our dayes, They that will not be taught with words, must be taught with paine.

Yea, but Gideons teaching is no rule for us so to teach; he taught with briars and thornes, wee must be more mercifull.

More mercifull! mercy to the wicked is crueltie to the good: pit­tie to Gods enemies is but a fruit of bitter hatred to His friends. But I will passe over that too, yet wee must not passe over, but observe with all observation, what the LORD sayes; Curse you Meroz, said the Angel of the Lord; Curse yee bitterly the Inhabitants thereof.

I pray you, what was this Meroz?

Surely, I cannot tell; An obscure people they were, they had no relation to Israel, farther than that they were men, partaking of the same common nature, neere adjoyning to Israel; and beholding the di­stresse; lookers-on, when mightie Adversaries were before them; Israel, Gods people, distressed behinde them, yet lookers on Israels affliction, in the day of their calamitie; beholding it with the eye, but not regarding it.

Was that all?

All! It was enough to bring a curse, and to make it cleave unto them for ever; Therefore curse yee Meroz, never cease Indesi­nenter, Jun. calling for a curse, till the curse come; In cursing curse yee him, because they came not out to help the Lord against the mightie. The distresse of a person, or a people, is e­nough to command pitty: If a person or people be fallen into the hands The day of Jacobs troubles, is a disco­vering day. When Ja­cob is fal­len into the hands of theeves, (the prince of robbers) hee shall know who is his neighbour of theeves: But I will not make an if of the matter; That, which was a parable anciently, is a truth now, & relates to Ireland and England both, These two Nations are fallen into the hands of theeves, God so disposing and suffering it to be Now woe to the lookers-on, and passers by on the other side, woe to them. Now is the distinguishing time, now wee shall know our friends, who is our neighbour and our brother; he that shewes mercy, he is the neighbour, though the adversary and enemy sayes, He is a Samaritan and has a Devill.

By this account now, which you have given of Meroz, and of Is­rael in distresse, fallen into the hands of Theeves, Zealand and Holland should come-in now to help England.

That they should sure, stronger bonds and engagements are upon [Page 48] them, then was upon Meroz. Stronger, said I? I should have said more: But I forbeare.

What means it then, that they have shipped over their Artillery, instruments of death, to furnish the enemy and adversary?

You must lay the blame of that—upon the Devils instru­ments, ungratefull wretches, there and here, and every where, lay that—upon them, and not upon the countrey, or people. The adversary prevailed there, and thrust forth a ship or two fraighted as wee know; but doubtlesse the Hollanders doe know what the English have done for them, to render them a free People: they will not send over instruments of death therewith to cut English throats, or to make them slaves; they abhor the thoughts of such a requitall for old unrecountable favours from the English: How much English noble blood hath been shed to maintain their cause! How much?

Embassadours are now come to mediate a peace, they say.

A peace! What, &c. all the world knowes what followes, God is making inquisitiō for blood: he will require it at the hands of them that shed it. And now the Parliament cannot take it ill that they are not treated with about the thing some call Peace: The GOD of gods, KING of kings, and LORD of Lords, is not treated with. And yet when he giveth quietnesse, who can make trouble? And when he hideth his face, who can behold him, whether it be done against a nation, or a­gainst Iob. 34. 29. a man only? To shut-up all: Thus we have concluded from un­question'd premisses, That though Holland hold their peace, and stand-Neuters, as Meroz did, Yet enlargement and deliverance shall arise to the Est. 4. 14. Church of England from another place. It is a comfortable promise, Hee shall send from heaven and save me. England shall be saved, the Church Psal. 57. 3. there shall have a glorious salvation, that it shall. But yet God and man expects neighbours should shew themselves neighbours. And who knowes whether all the kindnesse England shewed to Holland, was not for such a time as this. But if this move not, surely the curse upon Meroz (well thought on) will move; A cursed generation, cursed from Gods mouth, and commanded to be cursed by all the people of God, Curse ye Meroz, said the Angel of the Lord, curse yee bitterly the inhabitants there­of, Iudg. 5. 23. because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. So shall all thine enemies perish, O Lord, they shall leave their names for a curse to posterity: But they that love thy Name, shall be as the morning light, which increaseth more and more till the perfect day. So be it. Amen.