he is a great stranger in Israel who knowes not, that this Kingdome hath long laboured under many and great oppressions, both in reli­gion and liberty, and his ac­quaintance here is not great or his ingenuitie lesse, who doth not both know and acknow­ledge that a great, if not a principall cause, of both these hath beene some Bishops and their adherents.

Master Speaker a little search will serve to find them to have beene the destruction of unitie under pretence of uniformity to have brought [Page 4] in superstition, and scandall, under the titles of reverence, and decency: to have defil'd our Church; by adorning our Churches; to have slackned the strictnesse of that union which was formerly betweene us, and those of our religion beyond the sea, an action as un­politicke, as ungodly.

Master Speaker, wee shall finde them to have Tith'd Mint and Anice, and have left undone the weightier workes of the law, to have beene lesse eager upon those who damne our Church then upon those, who upon weake conscience, and perhaps as weake reasons (the dislike of some commanded garment or some uncom­manded posture) onely abstained from it. Nay it hath beene more dangerous for men to goe to some neighbours Parish, when they had no sermon in their owne, then to bee obstinate and perpetuall recusants, while masses have beene said in security; a conventicle hath beene a crime, and which is yet more, the conforming to ceremonies hath beene more exacted then the conforming to Christianity, and whilest men for scruples have beene undone, for at­tempts upon Sodomie they have onely beene ad­monished.

Master Speaker, we shall find them to have beene like the henin Esop, which laying every day an egge upon such a proportion of barly, her Mistresse increasing her proportion in hope [Page 5] shee would encrease her egges, shee grew so fat upon that addition, that shee never laid more: so though at first their preaching were the occasion of their preferment, they after made their preferment, the occasion of their not preaching.

Master Speaker, we shall find them to have resembled another fable, the dogge in the man­ger, to have neither preached themselves, nor employ those that should, nor sufferd those that would. To have brought in catechising one­ly to thrust out preaching, cried downe lectures by the name of factions, either because their industry in that duty appeared a reproofe to their neglect of it (not unlike to that wee read of him, who in Nero's time and Tacitus his story was accused, because by his vertue hee did appeare Exprobrare vitia Principis) or with in­tention to have brought in darkenesse, that they might the easier sow their tares, while it was night: and by that introduction of igno­rance, introduce the better that Religion, which accompts it the Mother of devo­tion.

Master Speaker in this they have abused his Majesty, as well as his people, for when hee had with great wisedome (since usually the children of darkenesse are wiser in their gene­ration then the children of light; I may guesse not without some eye upon the most politicke [Page 6] action of the most politicke Church) silenced on both parts those opinions which have of­ten tormented the Church and have, and will alway trouble the schooles they made use of this declaration to tye up one side, and let the other loose, where as they ought either in discretion to have beene equally restrained, or in justice to have beene equally tollerated. And it is observable, that that party to which they gave this licence was that, whose doctrine though it were not contrary to law, was con­trary to custome, and for a long while in this Kingdome was, no oftener preached then re­canted.

The truth is Master Speaker, that as some ill Ministers in our state first tooke away our mony from us, and after endeavoured to make our mony not worth the taking, by turning it into brasse by a kind of Antiphilosophers-stone: So these men used us in the point of preaching, first depressing it to their power, and next la­bouring to make it such, as the harme had not beene much, if it had beene depressed, the most frequent subjects even in the most sacred audi­tories, being the Jus divinum of Bishops and tithes, the sacrednesse of the clergie, the sa­criledge of impropriations, the demolishing of puritanisme and propriety, the building of the prerogative at Pauls, the introduction of such doctrines, as admitting them true, the truth [Page 7] would not recompence the scandall, or of such as were so farre false, that as Sir Thomas Moore sayes of the casuists, their businesse was not to keepe men from sinning but to enforme them Quàm propè ad peccatum sine peccato liceat ac­cedere, so it seemed their worke was to try how much of a Papist might bee brought in without Popery, and to destroy as much as they could of the Gospell, without bringing themselves into danger of being destroyed by the law.

Master Speaker, to goe yet further, some of them have so industriously laboured to deduce themselves from Rome, that they have given great suspition, that in gratitude they desire to returne thither, or at least to meete it halfe way, some have evidently labourd to bring, in an English, though not a Roman popery. I meane not onely the outside and dresse of it, but equal­ly absolute a blind dependance of the peo­ple upon the clergie, and of the clergie upon themselves, and have opposed the papacy be­yond the sea, that they might settle one beyond the water. Nay common fame is more then ordinarily false, if none of them have found a way to reconcile the opinions of Rome, to the preferments of England; bee so absolutely di­rectly and cordially Papist, that it is all, that fifteene hundred pounds a yeare can doe to keepe them from confessing it.

Master Speaker I come now to speake of our liber­ties, [Page 8] and considering the great interest these men have had in our common Master, and considering how great a good to us they might have made that interest in him, if they would have used it to have informed him of our gene­rall sufferings; and considering how little of their freedome of Speech at Whitehall, might have saved us a great deale of the use wee have now of it in the Parliament house, their not doing this alone were occasion enough for us to accuse them, as the betrayers though not as the destroyers of our rights and liberties. Though I confesse if they had beene onely silent in this particular I had beene silent too: But alas they whose ancestors in the darkest times excommunicated the breakers of Magna charta; did now by themselves and their adhe­rents both write, preach, plot, and act against it, by encouraging Doctor Beale, by preferring Doctor Mannering, appearing forward for mo­nopolies and ship-mony: and if any were slow and backeward to comply, blasting both them and their preferment, with utmost expression of their hatred, the title of Puritans.

Master Speaker, wee shall find some of them to have labourd to exclude both all persons, and all causes of the clergie from the ordinary jurisdiction of the temporall magistrate, and by hindring prohibitions (first by apparant power against the Iudges, and after by secret agree­ments [Page 9] with them) to have taken away the onely legall bound to their arbitrary power, and made as it were a conquest upon the common law of the Land, which is our common inhe­ritance, and after made use of that power to turne their brethren out of their freeholds, for not doing that which no law of man required of them to doe, and which (in their opinions) the law of God required of them not to doe. Wee shall find them in generall to have encou­raged all the clergie to suites; and to have brought all suites to the Councell-table that having all power in Ecclesiasticall matters, they laboured for equall power in temporall, & to dispose as well of every office as of every benefice, and lost the clergie, much revenew and much reverence, (whereof the last is never gi­ven when it is so asked) by encouraging them indiscreetly to exact more of both then was due, so that indeed the gaine of their greatnesse extended but to a few of that order, though the envy extended upon all.

Wee shall find of them to have both kindled & blowne the common fire of both nations, to have both sent and maintained that booke, of which the authour no doubt hath long since wish'd with Nero; Utinam nescissem literas, and of which more then one Kingdome hath cause to wish, that when hee writ that, hee had rather burnd a library, though of the value of Ptolomie's. [Page 10] Wee shall find them to have beene the first and principall cause of the breach, I will not say of, but since the pacification at Barwicke. Wee shall find them to have beene the almost sole abettors of my Lord of Strafford, whilest hee was practising upon another Kingdome, that manner of government which hee inten­ded to settle in this, where hee committed so many, so mighty, and so manifest enormities and oppressions as the like have not beene com­mitted by any Governour in any government since Verres left Sicily. And after they had called him over from being deputie of Ireland to bee in a manner deputie of England, (all things here, being govern'd by a Juntillo, and that Juntillo govern'd by him) to have assisted him in the giving of such Councells, and the pursuing of such courses, as it is a hard and measuring cast, whether they were more un­wise, more unjust, or more unfortunate, and which had infallibly beene our destruction if by the grace of God their share had not beene as small in the subtilty of Serpents as in the in­nocency of doves.

Master Speaker, I have represented no small quantitie, and no meane degree of guilt, and truly I beleeve, that wee shall make no little complement to those, and no little apologie for those to whom this charge belongs, if wee shall lay the faults of the men upon the [Page 11] order of the Bishops, upon the Episcopacy. I wish wee may distinguish betweene those, who have beene carried away with the streame, and those who have beene the streame that carry'd them; betweene those, whose proper and natu­rall motion was towards our ruine and destru­ction, and those who have beene whirl'd about to it contrary to their naturall motion by the force and swinge of superiour Orbes, and as I wish, wee may distinguish betweene the more and lesse guiltie; so I yet more wish, wee may distinguish betweene the guiltie and the inno­cent.

Master Speaker, I doubt if wee consider, that if not the first Planters yet the first Spreaders of Christianity, and the first and chiefe Defen­ders of Christianity against heresies within and paganisme without, both with their inke and with their bloud; and the maine conducers to the resurrection of Christianity: (at least) here in the reformation (and wee owe the light of the Gospell wee now enjoy to the fire they then endur'd for it) were all Bishops: and that even now in the greatest perfection of that order, there are yet some who have conduc'd in no­thing to our late innovations, but their in silence; some who in an unexpected and mighty place and power have expressed an equall modera­tion and humility, being neither ambitious be­fore, nor proud after, either of the Crosiers [Page 12] staffe or white staffe: some who have beene learn'd opposers of Popery, and zealous op­posers of Arminianisme, betweene whom and their inferiour clergie in frequency of preaching hath beene no distinction, whose lives are un­touched, not onely by guilt, but by malice; scarce to bee equall'd by those of any condi­tion, or to bee excell'd by those in any Calen­dar. I doubt not I say, but if wee consider this, this consideration will bring forth this con­clusion, that Bishops may bee good men, and let us give but good men good rules, wee shall have both good governours and good times.

Master Speaker, I am content to take away all those things from them, which to any consi­derable degree of probability may againe be­get the like mischiefs, if they bee not taken away. If their temporall titles power and em­ployment appeare likely to distract them from the care of, or make them looke downe with contempt upon their Spirituall duty, and that the too great distance betweene them, and those they governe will hinder the free and fit re­course of their inferiours to them; and occasion insolence from them to their inferiours. Let that be considered, and car'd for, I am sure nei­ther their Lordships, their Judging of tithes wills and marriages, no, nor their voices in Par­liaments are Jure divino; and I am as sure, that these titles and this power, are not necessary to [Page 13] their authority, as appeares by the little they have had with us by them, and the much that others have had without them.

If their revenew shall appeare likely to produce the same effects (for it hath beene an­ciently observ'd that Religio peperit divitias, & Filia devoravit matrem;) Let so much of that, as was in all probability, intended for an at­tendant upon their temporall dignities, waite upon them out of the doores. Let us onely take care to leave them such proportions, as may serve in some good degree to the dignity of learning and the encouragement of students, and let us not inuert that of Jeroboam, and as hee made the meanest of the people Priests, make the highest of the Priests, the meanest of the people.

If it bee feared, that they will againe em­ploy some of our Lawes, with a severity beyond the intention of those Lawes a­gainst some of their weaker Bretheren, that wee may bee sure to take away that power, let us take away those Lawes, and let no ce­remonies which any number counts unlaw­full, and no man counts necessary (against the rules of Policy and Saint Paul) bee imposed upon them. Let us consider that part of the rule, they have hitherto gone by, that is such canons of their owne making as are not confirm'd by Parliament have beene, or no doubt short­ly [Page 14] will bee by Parliament taken away, that the other part of the rule (such canons as were here received before the reformation and not contrary to any law) is too doubtfull to bee a fit rule, exacting an exact knowledge of the canon law, of the common law, of the statute law knowledges, which those who are thus to governe have not, and it is scarce fit they should have. Since therefore wee are to make new rules, and shall no doubt make those new rules, strict rules; and bee infallibly certaine of a trienniall Parliament to see those rules observ'd as strictly as they are made, and to en­crease or change them upon all occasions, wee shall have no reason to feare any innovation from their tyranny, or to doubt any defect in the discharge of their duty. I am confident, they will not dare either ordaine, suspend, si­lence, excommunicate, or deprive otherwise, then wee would have them. And if this bee beleeved, I am as confident, wee shall not thinke it fit to abolish upon a few dayes debate an or­der, which hath lasted (as appeares by story) in most Churches these sixteene hundred yeares, and in all from Christ to Calvin, or in an instant change the whole face of the Church, like the scene of a Maske.

Master Speaker, I doe not beleeve them to bee Jure divino, nay I beleeve them not to bee Jure divino, but neither doe I beleeve them to [Page 15] bee Injuria humana. I neither consider them as necessary, nor as unlawfull, but as convenient or inconvenient. But since all great mutations in government are dangerous, (even where what is introduc'd by that mutation is such as would have beene very profitable upon a primary foundation) and since the greatest danger of mutations is, that all the dangers and inconveniences they may bring are not to bee foreseene, and since no wise man will undergoe great danger, but for great necessity; my opi­nion is, that wee should not roote up this an­cient tree as dead as it appeares, till wee have tried whether by this or the like lopping of the branches, the sappe which was unable to feed the whole, may not serve to make what is left both grow and flourish. And certainely, if wee may at once take away both the inconveniences of Bishops, and the inconvenience of no Bishops, that is of an almost universall mutation; this course can onely bee opposed by those, who love mutation for mutations sake.

Master Speaker, to bee short (as I have reason to bee after having beene so long,) this triall may bee suddenly made, let us commit as much of the Ministers remonstrance, as wee have reade, that those heads both of abuses and grie­vances which are there fully collected, may bee marshal'd and ordered for our debate; if upon that debate it shall appeare, that those [Page 16] may bee taken away and yet the order stand, wee shall not need to commit the London pe­tition at all: for the cause of it will bee ended, if it shall appeare, that the abolition of the one cannot bee, but by the destruction of the other, then let us not commit the London-petition, but let us grant it.