in these times may behold as in a glasse the vilenesse of their sinne and the great displeasure of God against them for it If they look into the Scripture or later Histories and daily experience We read 2 Chron 36. 14 15. And the Lord God of their Fathers sent unto them by his Messengers rising up betimes and sending them because he had compassion on his house and on his dwelling place But they mocked the Messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets untill the wrath of God arose against his people till there was no remedy Therefore he brought upon them the King of the Chaldees who slow their young men with the sword in the house of their Sanctuary c. And Ahab and Jezabel persecuted the Prophets of God but dogs licked up the bloud of Ahab after he was slain and dogs did eat persecuting Jezabel The children which did mock and miscall Elisha the Prophet and Minister of God were two and fourty of them torn in pieces by wilde Bears 2 Kings 2. They were the children of Persecutors of Gods Ministers and spake their parents language The Persecutors of the Prophet Jeremiah said Come let us devise devices against Jeremiah let us smite him with the tongue Jer. 18. 18. Therefore God delivered up their children to the famine and their bloud was poured out by force of the sword Those that persecuted our Saviour the great Shepherd and did perswade people not to hear him preach saying He is mad and hath a Devil why hear ye him Joh. 10. 20. and would stone him though he spake as never man spake and did works which never man did yet they having begun to persecute him did sinne against the light of their own conscience and against the holy Ghost to make good their begun acts and hold up their reputation and did persecute him to the death What became of those persecutors Is not their judgement eternal in hell for their unpardonable sinne Alexender the Coppersmith and other Persecutors of the Apostles have their woful reward though they clamoured and articled against St Paul as a pestilent fellow a mover of sedition c. These things are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come and teach Ministers now for their comfort what Christ spake Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you for so persecuted they the Prophets that were before you And if they have persecuted me they will also persecute you But some men will not be warned by other mens harms and examples therefore they are made examples to others Our late Bishops and their Adherents are a rare and remarkable president of Gods Judgments on Persecutors of faithfull Ministers which sin made them ripe for their deserved downfall But their Persecutions ended at the beginning of the long Parliament Then the iron teeth of those beasts were knockt out and the iron yoaks which they had put on Ministers necks were all pull'd off But when the Ecclesiastical Courts were taken away the people took lawlesse liberty to themselves to put as it were a hogs yoak on Ministers necks and did persecute faithful Ministers sent unto them as sheep among wolves Oh what woorying and wearying out most precious Ministers by word and deed by tearing and tugging lyings and slanderings revilings and defraudings and withholding their maintenance by confederacy And these Persecutions especially in point of maintenance continue very great at this day all the Nation over people being encouraged hereunto for want of better Laws for Tything and of more speedy execution of justice according to the Laws that are in force Many hundreds of faithfull Ministers in England may justly write such books against their Persecutors to awaken the Christian Magistrate and warn Persecutors against whom their cries are gone up to Heaven and have brought down vengeance upon very many And their complaints and moans by words are daily heard and may be read some in print and in their Bils against thousands in the Court of Exchequer where relief is certain but so long waited for that in the mean time the poor Ministers and their families perish And oft-times the parties or witnesses or both die or the Tyth-robber breaks and runs the Countrey which is usuall before the Cause come to hearing I could shew Persecutors many very fresh examples of their sinne and of punishments on people that have lately persecuted faithfull Ministers in several Parishes as that of Mr E. K. of Dover in 1644. who came out of his seat and joyned in the hurliburly made in St James Church against Mr Vincent a godly able Minister who was sent thither by the Parliament and persecuted him otherwise But the Persecutor persecuted himself a little after by laying violent hands on himself and was a self-executioner by hanging himself This and many such bleeding examples may be produced touching the hand of God against such Persecutors enough to fill volumes But I shall now only instance in the Persecutors of Mr Richard Culmer heretofore of Magdalen Colledge in Cambridge Master of Arts and now Minister of Mynster in the Isle of Thanet in the County of Kent whose Persecutors are now very few living in that Parish but mighty and numerous elswhere even those of the Popish Prelatical and Cavalier Party that never saw him because of his activenesse against their Cause They have printed two libellous Books against him and often articled against him and raised Persecution against him to the shedding of his bloud c. as the ensuing History shews And to have their wils against him if it be possible to ruine him they have lately petitioned against him to his Highnesse himself and since publickly boasted against him in their confidence now to prevail against him which hath caused this Apology to be published in his just defence and for vindication of the truth This man after he left the free Grammer-school at Canterbury being senior of all that School then consisting of above two hundred Scholars in the time of Mr Roger Raven the King of Schoolmasters as he was deservedly styled at his Funeral an eminent godly learned yet persecuted and silenced Minister lived about eight years a Student in Magdalen-Colledge in Cambridge And being afterwards Minister of Goodnestone in East-Kent was persecuted from thence by Arch-bishop Laud only for refusing to publish the Kings Book for Sabbath-recreations See the History of that Arch-bishops Tryal in the Index letter C. Culmer And he continued three years and seven moneths silenced before the first Parliament was called In all which time he got not one farthing by his Ministry having seven children so little that he could and did carry them all at once on his back And to adde to his Persecutions by the Prelate he was persecuted by the Patronesse Mrs P. whose Posterity hath felt some reward of Persecution who immediately upon his silencing gave his Living away to Mr A. H. who for lucre of that
Eastry and the 500lb man spake against Mr Culmer a long time Then Sir Edward replyed saying He had heard him patiently and all was in their own commendations but nothing alledged against Mr Culmer but said he when you have said all Mr Culmer hath lent more voluntarily to the State than all your Parish besides his personall actings pray trouble us no more with your clamours till you have cause And afterwards Sir Edward Boys hearing of some potent agents which they had procured against Mr Culmer at Westminster wrote a Letter as followeth To the Honourable Committee of the House of Commons assembled in Parliament for plundered Ministers present these Honoured Sirs I and many of the Deputy Lieutenants of Kent have heretofore written earnestly unto you in Mr Richard Culmers behalf whom you have since setled in the Vicarage of Mynster in the Isle of Thanet in Kent for which I amongst others heartily thank you Some of which Parish being men of note for Religion and activeness in the common Cause have this day been with me earnestly moving me to be a means that he may be upheld and continued there against a few violent opposers who having begun to oppose him endeavour to make good their own wills and acts and leave no stone unremoved to that purpose although I have once and again shewed my dislike upon good grounds I doubt not but when you understand the truth of things you will be sensible of this cause which is of great concernment and will be such a president if his enemies prevail as will be of very ill consequence and I am certified that there is no such cordiall opposition in the most of the Parish as is pretended but if two or three would surcease all were at an end his life and Doctrine being such that it hath prevailed already with divers I shall not trouble you further only I intreat this honorable Assembly to continue him there untill be shall give just cause to be removed or outed in a Legall way which I presume to crave at your hands for him that in the worst times suffered under the tyranny of the Archbishop and for a man which to my knowledg hath been most famously active for the Parliament many wayes from the first of these distractions and for a man so well attested as he is by so many godly Ministers and others So I rest Your humble servant Edward Boys Dover Castle this 27th of January 1644. A little after this when Mr Culmer had ended his morning Sermon at Mynster on the Sabbath day one R. H. came crouding up to his desk door and clamoured saying Neighbours You that have set your hands against Mr Culmer for a more abler man pray stand to it against him we have had no Communion this blessed Nativity nor Prayers all this Christmas Holydayes Whereupon one or two clamoured but Mr Culmer went out presently and the afternoon Sermon being ended the clamourer came and cried out as in the morning then a chief man of the Parish cryed all all and the clamourer said aloud in the Church to the forenamed Scout who was of another Parish and then present Captain I hope you will joyn with us The Scout answered aloud in the Church saying I will both ride and write but Mr Culmer soon left them clamouring and talking Not long after that they raised a slander against him that he said they were Malignauts which I have often heard him say they meerly forged against him and that he only said he knew it was a plot of Malignants to incense them against him Upon this the 500lb man and some others went to the Committee of the County at Alesford and there accused him of that saying which they indeed had forged for their own ends to strengthen themselves to get a Certificate from that Committee That some of them being of the Trayned bands did advance towards Arundell and that they conceived them to be no Malignants The Certificate was drawn up by the Clerk of that Committee and upon debate about it Colonel Blunt said I see you have cloathed Mr Culmers opposers but you send him away stark naked one Mr Culmer I dwell far from him yet I have observed his activeness in the common Cause and once I made a Speech in the Lords House and he presently made another there to good purpose What say you Gentlemen of East-Kent who are his neighbours Whereupon they cloathed Mr Culmer so well with Commendations that his adversaries were unwilling to make use of their Certificate A little after that Mr Culmer was advised to call the Parishioners together after evening Sermon and to read his Certificates unto them which he did accordingly But so soon as they were read the 500lb man clamoured saying Mr Culmer Mr Culmer Now the people have heard your papers they are as much against you as ever they were if you be not speak ho whereupon only one man J. W. spake he cried out all all all all Then the 500lb man and some others spake against Mr Culmer to incense the people against him The 500lb man fell a jeering him about his little flock at Mynster because he had mentioned that day Fear not little flock And one accused him saying Mr Culmer you make dissention in the Parish you say when you begin your Sermons you that fear God hearken to the Word of God as if some in the Parish did fear God and some in the Parish did not fear God and so you divide the Parish and set us all at difference Another cried out Mr Culmer you may preach but you get no Tythes of me but by Law if you can come by them by Law so it is Nor of me but by Law said another c. Then said one Mr Culmer you gave thanks for a Lye for taking of Scarborow Castle which is not yet taken But Mr. Culmer did indeed give thanks for the taking of Scarborow Town and regayning of Weymouth Then the clamourer J. W. said he would take his Oath on it although it was false which he would so attest against Mr. Culmer But J. W. that so clamoured all all and offered to swear falsly about a week after being drunk fell in his drunken reel under the wheels of a wagon laden with 1500 house-tyles and was crushed to death vomiting up his bloud at his throat and mouth God is known by the judgments which he executeth But some notwithstanding continued after that to revile Mr. Culmer publikely calling him devillish roundheadid Priest and Ha Blew Dick the devil break your neck and roaring out of the Alehouse window as he went by You sirra Jack Priest c. And some came of purpose from other Parishes to jeer the Priest and affronted him at his door in such a manner as is unfit to be named much less committed to paper And because he used not the service-Service-Book they called it the Round-headed kinde of Service Come will you hear the Roundheaded kinde of Christning too
And one that was married by him affronted him in the Church at the time of marriage and told him he did not say right c. but he had not done right who had made a whore of the Bride divers moneths before the marriage And he was much reviled because he did not officiate at the grave but he said he would not be Chaplain to the wormes to say grace to them before they go to dinner and feed on the dead corps upon this account he was threatned to be buried alive He desired them to go into the Church after the corps was interred and said he would there give them a word of Exhortation seeing so many were there met together but their usuall answer was If we can have nothing at the grave we will have nothing in the Church It were well if all Ministeriall speakings at the grave were prohibited to take away all appearance of evill for by such officiating of the Minister there is hardning of popish ignorant and superstitious people as if some good came to the dead by the Ministers speaking over the dead at the grave and as if the devil will not come nigh Holy Priesthood Holy Church ground Holy Service And upon this account there is much enmity raised against good Ministers because some Ministers practice it out of superstition and some to humour and please the people least they should Article against them or not pay their Tythes well At one buriall when they began to raise at Mr. Culmer because he did not officiate there one J. D. a common swearer fell flat on his belly and thrust his arm into the grave and said aloud We shall have him here here here shortly but this man a young man died a little after stark mad cursing and calling out the devil the devil And one T. D. who had two wives living and children by them both who did beat his own aged dearest father was instrumentall in the persecution of Mr. Culmer whom he used to affront and said he had as much to do at the Vicarage as he and said he would go no more to the Steeple-house this man was a little after hanged in Sussex And when Mr. Culmer gave meat and money to divers poor people the persecutors told the people that Mr. Culmer did that in policy to get their good wills that they should not joyn with the rich men against him but they should not finde him so liberall afterwards A Grandee of the faction did use to lead many after him on the Sabbath as they went to the next Parish which when a worthy Gentleman of that Parish observed He sent the Grandee word That it was a badge of malice to leave Mr. Culmer to come to hear at that Parish where there was a Preacher whose gifts were farre inferiour to their own Ministers But this is an ordinary persecution of Ministers as now when lately in that Isle a drunken scandalous railing Priest was ejected there comes scarce one of ten to hear the godly Minister placed in his room And when Mr. Culmer reproved them for setting up a Tree May-pole it was told him to his face That there was a Bough strong enough to hang him on it And when he preached not on their Christmasse-day as they call it He was reviled for it in the Church and called Rogue and assaulted in the Church-yard and it was told him Such a Minister did preach then and why not you The usual saying of the 500lb man and his faction was We don't take you for our Minister At last the Persecutors plotted to advance their design against Mr Culmer by articling against him before the Committee for Plundered Ministers thereby to make publick shews of numerous Witnesses and to manifest their implacable and violent opposition against him Only by that pretence of enmity against him to prevail to remove him because thereupon it would be conceived That he was not like to do any good amongst them who acted with such animosity charge trouble or travel That was the mystery of the iniquity of all that opposition a confidence to prevail meerly upon the account of pretended opposition and unlikelihood of not edifying by him upon that account That 's the knack of it all the Nation over when only self-will and malice and private interest and self-ends are the weights that set all the Wheels a going For they could not be so sottish as to imagine to prevail by the merits of the cause They had a Treasurer at warre as I may so say who kept the money which was collected to defray the Charges in pursuance of those Articles to pay Witnesses c. They raised and spent above 300lb as appears by their own confession in prosecuting of him Some of the Articles are verbatim in the printed Libels viz. That he was a fantastick narrow brain'd man That false News was by a Proverb called Culmers News That he made a popular shew but gave very little That he denied to pay Parliament Texis That he is an impudent man and did pisse in the Cathedral in Canterbury That he gave not the Communion at Harbledown as he ought c. And to steel their numerous frivolous woodden Articles and to set an edge on them they accused him to be a common swearer and a Protector of Malignants They carried whole Coaches full of Witnesses through Canterbury in a triumphant bravado But at the hearing before the Committee they could not produce one Witness that ever heard him swear one oath It is true that one Wilde of Vpstreet a Ditcher was fitted with russet-boots and Yeoman-like and carried up to Westminster to witness one Oath against M. Culmer But when he came to the Committee door his heart failed him For the truth is That he had falsly accused Mr. Culmer whom he met one Morning and told him He did ride upon a Round-headed horse but Mr. Culmer said little to him using no oath or evil word against him as Thomas Heath who heard all that was spoken was ready to witness if Mr. Culmer had been called to his defence But a little after Wilde fell sick and consumed and died in a fearfull manner And that scandal touching Mr. Culmers protecting of Malignants It was raised by the persecutors from Harbledown because he dealt courteously with a Gentleman who was taken to be the Lord Digby being found at an Inne there in the night But the true Lord Digby rid through Canterbury that day and escaped over Sea The Gentleman in his frolick put his scarlet cloak on the Can-maker and he put on the Can-makers lethern apron and so danced in his gold lace But upon suspicion the house was beset and Mr. Culmer then Minister there was called up at midnight and went to the Justice at Canterbury and did write a Warrant at the Justices bed side and called up Richard Redwood then Constable The young Spark kept his room with his naked Rapier which be thrust thorow the glasse-window But Mr.
said Although I have nothing against M. Culmer which the Articles will reach yet I will denl somewhere else against him for words he hath spâ—ken of my wife Whereupon he petitioned and complained of Mr Culmer to his Highness and thereupon it is since boasted in Canterbury That Mr. Culmer shall be cast out of Mynster A quondam Singing-man of the Cathedral said in the open streets That he heard Mr Culmer had routed C. S. at the Sessions but C. S. would rout him out of Mynster And a Cavalier of Canterbury said to one of Mynster Nâ—w your Round-headed Priest of Mynster shall be cast out And they boast of their friends above in the Army But they need not seek further revenge for that then their own avenging themselves by their calumnies and false accusations and railings against Mr Culmer Besides the real wrongs they have done Mr Culmer especially in keeping his Maintenance from him and combining to undo him by charges in Law But it seems nothing will satisfie their malice and rage but his purses bleeding to death by taking away his means of Livelihood and Subsistence by his Ejection or Removal from his place and Station But if this project against Mr Culmer should prevail without the merits of the Cause to have their wils of him at such a cheap rate without their price of near 200lb per annum or rather than fail I suppose so much as Haman offered to pay into the Exchequer for the ruine of Mordecai and others Then what triumph would the Cathedral Prelatical Cavalier party in Canterbury and elswhere make against him and against all his worthy friends and against that Cause of God to which he hath constantly adhered How would they insult against whom Personally he hath acted for the suppressing of vice and brought them to condign punishment They triumph already in hope and confidence to prevail but then no doubt they would rejoyce and send gifts one to another at the ruine of him who had tormented them They would make if not Bonfires yet Books and Ballads as they did in the rehearsed Libel called The Razing of the Record viz. When the strongest was King there rose up a thing Some call 't a Divine for a Cause a c. And there was found in Canterbury at the beginning of this Parliament a base jeering quibling Catch or Libel written against Mr Culmer viz. And what 's the News in Kent They want a Parliament I drink to thee Jack Bennet And what 's the News in Tennet Blew Dick must out of Mynster His Wife must now turn Spinster He lov'd the Parliament But now he doth lament The Bishops he did hate But now Dick's out of Date Cathedral he did maul But now he spits his gall He broke the painted-Glass But now he cries alas Then drink to me brave Jack And let the Round-head pack And if pretences of not Edifying be cause of oppositions and general enmity should prevail to remove a Minister without the merits of the Cause which I fear is the only ground of the present attempt against Mr Culmer especially when such a rioting mutinous persecuting crew act against him If they should be so indulged as to wave the Commissioners and Common-Law Would not other Parishes be thereby incouraged to endless unwearied impudent Persecutions of faithfull Ministers in hope to prevail and weary him out one way or other one time or other especially under that pretence of not Edifying And many times there is pretence of universal cordial opposition in a Parish when only one or two lead all the rest to subscribe Petitions clamour c. against a Minister and all follow the Ring leaders for company or other respects as Sheep follow a Ramme drawn through a gap or leap out of a Boat as daily experience shews as they at Harbledown did where they barked for company It 's a sure sign commonly that a Minister is good when all the Parish is against him and commonly when a whole Parish loves a Minister and speaks well of him he is stark naught Woe be unto you when all men shall speak well of you A like Priest like people as a Neighbour-Priest to Mr Culmer said to the Parishioners when he had called them up into the Chancel Neighbours I would gladly give you all content pray do I read too much or too little of the service-Service-Book And every Parish hath as much right to have the Minister removed because they oppose him as any one Parish and thereby faithfull Ministers shall be runagates and wandring Levites all the Nation over Besides the very removal of a Minister which is not voluntary is scandalous and prejudicial to his Ministry whithersoever he is removed Mr Culmers Persecution from Goodnestone was taken up as a scandal and cause of opposition and clamour against him at Harbledown And whithersoever M. Culmer is removed he above all Ministers must expect hatred and opposition and persecution from ignorant prophane disaffected persons which abound in every Parish For not only the Persecutors that have their wils of him to remove him will pursue him and stir up enmity against him whithersoever he goes as they at Harbledowx did incense them at Mynster and those at Mynster did incense them at Cliff against him if he had been removed thither which was endeavoured But some of the Parliament opposed it for reasons of State that Mutineers should not be incouraged c. It is the nature of persecutors so to pursue the persecuted read Act. 14. 19. And he must the rather expect such opposition because the Ly-bels printed and published and spread all the Nation over have many lyes so loud against him in all places He was assaulted at Billingsgate in London in the time of the Kentish Rising after he was fled to London in 1648. where the people were incensed against him by a Scribe that did belong to the Archbishops Registry at Canterbury and Mr. Culmer hardly escaped with his life retreating in Summers-Key with his Rapier-Cane and Mr Mapsden took him into his house And about two years since P. K. a debauched Malignant-Priest incensed the people against him in the Minories without Algate but the Gentleman that is now Deputy there prayed Mr. Culmer to come into his house lest they should murder him And an Elder and Preacher of J. T. pretended Separate Congregation who is Curate to that Non-resident Pastor who lives near thirty miles from divers of his scandalous flock at Mynster meeting Mr Culmer lately upon the road affronted him and used opprobrious tearms and cried out Mr. Culmer Mr. Culmer Pray sell me four pounds-worth of the holy Ghost repeating those words again and again and said I know you had enough of the holy Ghost from the Bishop to afford a good penny-worth And afterwards overtaking Travellers boasted of this and told them How he had handled the Antichristian Priest And this Sectary said at Sandwich to Mr. Culmer before many witnesses If you be not all