the oversight of all the Churches in their Diocesses some peculiars excepted and put in and put out at their pleasures and this must be allowed for the people surrendred or rather yeilded up by compulsion into the hands of these wolves pretending to be Shepherds all their right and power But alas this grew through corruption of time when Antichrist was come to his height then he and his Prelates inthralled the Churches and wrested from the poor people that right which the Gospel gave unto them and which continued for the first three hundred years after Christ as is confessed by the Papists and Protestants Fullers holy state li 2. ca. 12. pa. 87. Acts 1. 23. 6. 5. Calvin Instit l. 4. ca. 19. Sect. 31 14. Se. 31. Cath Divine An. Caudrey Case Prefa sect. 8. Magd Cent. 2. ca 7. cent 3. c. 7 Cipr. epist. l. 1. epist. 4. epist. 3. l. 1. 3. epist. 11. But these Wolves made void the Law of God by their Traditions and the slavish Ministerie of England are unwilling to come out of this Babylonish servitude but with Issachar because he sees rest is good or rather his Benefice fat he croucheth down under the burthen But see the use and equitie of it in our dayes it may be at the first this power of presentation was given to a good man or rather he took it because he founded or endowed the Church but by revolution of times it comes by descent or purchase to an Atheist a Papist a Symonist or some wretch not fit to be trusted with the life and death of a dog much less with the soules of men And by this means the souls of men according to that Prophecie become the merchandize of Rome for who seeth them not set to sale almost by every Patron yea and their bodies too Rev. 18. 13. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} for according to the number of the people and the profit of their bodily labours is the Advowson sold for more or less And I know no other way in all the world how the bodies and souls of men can be made the merchandize of Rome but by this means nor is the Prophecie any other way fulfilled for if it should be meant of selling slaves that properly belongs to the Turks Pr. But I told you although some Patrons prove Latrons and sell the Presentations the people may except against the partie presented if he be not a worthie man and if they do not it s their own fault Ph. You had need to have more skill in Divinitie then you have in the Law Alas this Libertie is but a meer gullerie and cousenage of the people If any one refuse to admit or do keep out the partie presented And a quare impedit or such Writ be brought to trie the right Gods Law never comes into question but only who hath the best title to present by the Law of the Land which is Popish in that point as in manie others the Lord of heaven amend it and lookes only upon the presentation as a temporal right without judging the matter as appertaining to Religion therefore I pray you speak no more of this matter for the more you stir in in it the more it stinks But shew me some better evidence of your calling Pr. I will shew you sufficient Wee have abilities and gifts fit for the Ministerie being apt to teach and able to divide the word of truth aright And our Ministerie is sealed by the conversion of soules and however our outward calling in a nicetie may be defective yet we have the inward which is most effectuall and therefore there is no cause of separation Ph. For your calling I account it not right for what you formerly alledged And for that you last said its no proofe that your calling to the Ministerie is lawful for a private man may be abundantly gifted yea and convert souls as common experience sheweth and yet have no calling to the Ministerie And this I dare farther add and know by mine own observation that God doth not bless the Ministers labours who have received the mark of the Beast by their conformities and subscriptions as he doth the labours of other faithful men And the reason is because they stood not in Gods wayes for if they had they should have turned the people from their iniquities But for want of a faithful Ministerie it hath pleased God to blesse the endeavours of godly Parents and religious governours of families and private Christians who with Joshua serve the Lord to the conversion of many more souls then are turned unto God by these mens Ministery how learned and Orthodox soever So that where a man can hardly finde any converted by the Ministery of these men he may finde the footsteps of Religion and godlinesse derived from religious Parents and Families for the continuance of the Church from generation to generation even to admiration And your old conformitie and Subscription which you are constrained to defend by Popish arguments when you have to deal against the Brownists and Independents are a great blemish to the Ministery Pr. We subscribed to nothing which was unlawfull although many things were inconvenient Ph. Thanks bee to God that we be rid of the Hierarchy of Arch-bishops Diocesan Bishops Arch-Deacons Deans and the rest of that rabble the Books of Common-prayer Homilies consecration of Priests and Deacons with the spiritual Courts Licenses Dispensations Commutations of Pennance Consecration of daies to Saints and some to wicked men and Idols as the Crosse and the Rhoode daies observed by some forbidding of meats and marriage at some times with their Canons and Ceremonies Crosses Surplices worship of the breaden God and many other popish trinkets All which the most ingenious amongst your selves have condemned as not capable of purgation but fit to be abolished else I could easily prove the whole body of them which are contained in your Subscription most of them being injoyned and set forth in the Rubrick and the rest comprehended in your Oath and Canonicall obedience to be reliques of Antichris◠〈…〉 by that man of sin and his vaâ—â—â—ls and are at the best humane presumptions brought into the Church without warrant of the Word Vid. Preface to the Common-prayer Book or teaching Ceremonies which Christ onely ought to appoint who is the Teacher of his Church and serve for nothing else but to mis-leade the simple and to offend the weak and tend onely to conformity with Rome And therefore altogether unlawfull But cheifly the Cross which in Baptism is made the sign and Seal of the whole work of Sanctification is the worst of all Popish Ceremonies and the greatest Idol in the Romish Church except the Virgin Marie for that blesseth all the rest and therefore is the greater as Bellarmine teacheth Bellar. Contr. de sacra Confer. l. 2. c. 13. pa. 371. These things you know better then I do yet I name them thus briefly that you may consider
in their names and did not appear Ph. But did you all this your self I mean examine the people judicially in order to their admission to or suspension from the Lords Table and that by the advice of your new Elders or assistants surely herein they made you an absolute Pope and sole Judge of that which the Bishops never allowed nor do your Brethren of the Province of London approve thereof But was this all you did I doe suppose you and your Elders should have informed your selvs whether such as intended to communicate had set up Christ in their Families and places in the exercises of Religion and had shewed forth by their conversations the signs of faith and Repentance these things are necessarie for all Communicants Ph. For the lives of the Communicants they are better known to others then to me and for my part I shall not take notice of them but do desire that those who are privie to such offences as may justly debar the receivers from the Sacrament will make it known to me and I shall acquaint the Church viz the Elders with it and take their advice what to do And so shall I likewise crave their assistance in Judiciall Examination for the future Ph. It seems you go no further but only to bring the people to conform to your new Government for I understand you had some of your Communicants were so verie ignorant that they could not tell you how manie Commandements there are and others knew not what Faith was and others answered as ignorantly And yet the names of these were taken by you and they admitted to the Lords Table and none were refused Pr. It s true I confess I found some ignorant but verie willing to conforme and receive instruction and that gave me good hope of them And therefore for the present least I I should discourage others I admitted all that offered themselves at the Table whose names I had before entred in my Book and divers others who were not of my Parish came also to my Church to receive at the same time for the incouragement of others Ph. Do you account this superficial dealing separating the precious from the vile when none are refused It is just as I expected it would be this is but the Counterfeit of Reformation and much like the Reformation which manie in the Church of Rome would willingly have for they have written divers Books tending to Reformation so it might not demolish the stately Fabrick of their pretended Church but might rather polish it by taking away those things which all men crie shame of and which do therefore indanger their Church the reforming of which would give them more hope of the continuance of the old Idolatrous Babel which yet together with all your devices will ere long come to ruine Pr. Nothing is perfect when its first brought forth what ever you think I conceive this to be a good begining of Reformation and I hope we shall proceed in it to more perfection But touching the Reformation of the Church of Rome I never expect anie they being appointed to destruction These are but the discouragements of you and others who oppose the setting up of all Government in the Church Ph. I have often told you we do not oppose all Government we would only have this building demolished that a better might be set up in the roome of it Pr. What course would you have for preaching the Gospel if the present Ministerie should be removed and the Churches disbanded Ph. Without doubt the Parliament seeth how that may be provided for For my part I wish that all the Parishes were dissolved as to the matters of the Church and all the Tithes belonging to the late Bishops Arch-Bishops Deans and Chapters Donatives Parsons and Vicars were released or sold at a reasonable rate to the owners of the Lands out of which they arise And these probably without anie addition may raise a sufficient revenue for maintenance of a godly and able Ministerie through this whole Common-wealth to preach the Gospel to all who will hear the word of God And all who shall be found worthie may be imployed Pr. What will this conduce for Reformation Ph. By this means this plant I meane this Popish Order of Ministerie who unjustlie usurp authoritie over the bodies souls and States of men calling them their Churches their Parishes their flock their sheep and their Tithes as if all were theirs nothing Christs not being of the planting of our heavenly Father will be plucked up which being removed the faithfull will have libertie and opportunitie to separate themselvs from the wicked and profane and be gathered unto Christ under true Pastors and Church-Officers who will lead them in the pathes of righteousness and truth where being associated together in Church-fellowship they will be more reformed then ever can be expected from anie companie in anie Parish-Congregation Pr. Well I now fully perceive what your intent is in a word you set your self to cast contempt upon our learned and reverend Clergie and to take from them their double honour both of reverence and maintenance and to bring them as low as the slipendarie Clergie of Germanie And I see no hope if your amendment I will therefore spend no more time with you yet I doubt not but we shall hold our Parsonages and Church-Livings as formerly we have done And if some will needs separate let not that hinder us of our Tithes and profits and then let them run after what new Teachers they please If they run from us we are discharged of that care which we should otherwise have of them Ph. Sir it may be before you and I meet again you may wheel about and change your minde as you and some others have done alreadie Remember what I say and so fare you well * Cotton upon the 16 of Mat. ver. 19. Way of Congregat. Chur. Pa. 2. pa. 5 Par. 1. pa. 20. where Parker Ames â—ane are cited a Amesius Medul cap. 32. 3 4 5 6 15. 18. Cap. 39. 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.
part Politicks either concerning Monarchical Government Libertie of the people Municipal Lawes Obedience to Princes foundations of Government Levying of Warre disbanding of Forces exalting the Clergie payment of Tithes punishing of other men of contrarie judgements under the names of Sectaries and Schismaticks defence of Classes and Synods for politick ends under pretence of Order defence of their own Callings to the Ministerie and other such like tending to their honor and profit And in effect their preaching it self is but a preaching of themselvs when they tell us of the great honor due unto them and of their great labour that they travel as those that bring forth labour as the husbandman nay as under Rowers in Turkish Gallies from whence one said the Metaphor is taken although there was no Turkish Gallies within the space of 620 years after that was written And of their honorable maintenance which they plead for All which are but meer Policies and oftentimes with these things they mingle divinitie as Thomas Aquinas doth Philosophie with his Schoole divinitie And upon the whole matter Preaching is made but a trade to get money and to live by and the Conversion of souls comes in but as a subordinate end to their other advantages Pr. I wonder how you dare thus vilifie the Ministers of the Gospel they take no more honour to themselvs then the holy Prophets Apostles and enen of God did assume and for their painful callings they say no more then Paul and others of the Apostles said And for their preaching its a matter of labour and alwaies founded upon some Text of Canonical Scripture Ph. What I have said is no way dishonorable to the holy Prophets Apostles Pen-men of the holy Scriptures to whom agree all those things properly which these Politicians falsly and arrogantly take to themselvs First for honour it stood in this that they were the Secretaries of almightie God and of the Lord Christ the unerring Scribes and Pen-men of the holy Ghost holy men of God and are all in heaven And for their labours I refer you to a Catalogue of them left recorded by the holy Apostle Paul 2 Corinth 6. 5. 11. 23. c. But above all their labours there mentioned behold the sufferings who as the Prophets did most of them laid down their lives for the Lord and his Christ and for that truth of God which they delivered 37 38. Hebr. 11. 36 Where are any of these men who dare say this honour belongs to them they have undergone these labours or have suffered thus for the Lord Jesus his Cause or truth All they can say is that they are Ministers of the Gospel I wish that were true from my verie soul if it be not but I doubt the most part of these men make merchandize of the Gospel and in managing thereof use as manie sleights and deceits of men as others do in secular Callings carrying all their busines aloft in a mysterie that they may be accounted Oracles and will have everie one bound to believe all they deliver how false frothie and erroneous soever because their Text is a part of the holy Canonical Scripture but a great part of their Sermon no kin unto it but composed to further their own honour and profit Pr. You talk of manie sleights and deceits which they use in their Ministerie I pray what are they Ph. I could tell you manie but I will only name two of these mens sleights besides what I have alreadie pointed at which tend much to their ease and profit and are invented of late Pr. What are those Ph. The first is this when they are young and have little or nothing to do They make them a common place book of the Bodie of Divinitie as young Lawyers make them a common place book of the Law And this they gather out of such writings as suit best with their genius or fancie the most fantastical who would be counted most learned collect it out of the Schoole men a sort of rotten Divines and Fathers especially Origen The superstitious out of School-men Postillers and other Friars the most discreet and sober out of the writings of modern Divines as Perkins Amesius Chemnisius Musculus Calvinus Vrsinus Vossius Beza Rivetus Weames Peter Martyr Piscator and such like The more ignorant sort make use of Boyce's his Postills or collect a companie of Sermons either as they hear them preached or as they think fit to cull them out of the great store of English Books which are in everie place to be had And this may be some two years work and that is time enough when this is done they are readie for a Church Living and without doubt as one of the sons of the Prophets have an especial calling to preach Then they come from the Universitie and bring with them the curse of Elie's house crouching to some or other to put them into the Priests Office that they may eat a morsel of bread have a Living to maintain them and keep from want or use their friend Symon Magus his wisdom to shew an apparition of Angels and by that means wrap for a thousand bodies and souls of men or more or less as their purse will speak Well the bargain is made the man is approved of rung into his Church and gives great hope that he will be a peaceable man and use the Parishioners well for their Tithes And so falls to preaching so soon as he hath had sufficient time to fit himself to satisfie the humours of his auditorie which is a main Policie at the first And to this purpose if he have not his Sermons alreadie written he takes a a Text sutable to his common place upon which he will preach and writes his Sermon in a Book verbatim Then when he comes up into the Pulpit instead of preaching he reads his Text and all his Sermon out of his paper Book which sometimes for the credit of his Cause is bound up like a Bible And this is the pains he takes and is as confident that he dischargeth his dutie as if he exercised all the gifts of the Spirit and this Sermon serves for twentie Texts being reduced to his common place This course the most learned and Orthodox amongst the rigid Presbyterials whom I know do take from day to day some making better Sermons then others but generally all are tacked with these diseases of idleness and hypocrisie in this respect The idlest and most unlearned reade over their tasks of Sermon having but a certain number as I have seen proved upon oath and then begin again And I once heard one that lately was a Minister in London charge another that he never studied but on Saturdaie night wrote out of a book half an houres matter and then reade it in the Pulpit on the Lords day and another that he thought not of his Sermon untill the bell ringed And yet all these men in my knowledg pass for constant preaching Ministers and neither
Readers of Homilies nor dumb Readers of the old fashion whereas indeed they that thus read are either such as with the evil Servant and sloathfull hide their Talent in the Earth or are not Ministers of the Gospel not being apt to teach and so not of Gods sending and without repentance shall have a reward according to these works Pr. It may be some mens memories be short and have need of helps I take this to be no great fault If the other sleight you speak of be like this I shall make no great matter of it Ph. There is a vast difference between walking with a staff to stay a man if he should slip and going upon crutches without legs the same proportion is between reading a Sermon and having some notes for help if need be the last may be allowed but the first is no more then a childs work who can reade without the exercise of other gifts And the dumb dogs of this last age who are cashiered were judged by all learned men to be no Ministers of the Gospel for that very reason And to defend themselves they were constrained to hold that reading is preaching Pr. There is somthing to that purpose Acts 15. Moses is preached being read in the Synagogue every Sabbath day And when it 's said Acts 20. 7. Paul continued preaching at Troas untill midnight the word signifieth homilizing It s not certain what Sermon hee repeated whether his own or some others Ph. This indeed I heard once from a learned man and it is the Argument of Doctor Heilen a Geographer of more learning then conscience a superstitious Divine But it 's a shame for any Minister of the Gospel to take for his refuge such a Burrow of a dunce To what end go you to the University onely to learn to read For answer to these Texts to that Acts 15. I confesse in a generall sense reading is preaching that is declaring or shewing sorth or publishing but when it 's applied to the Minister it is taken in a strict sense for reading and giving the sense or expounding answerable to Ezra's reading the Law Neh. 8. 3 4 8. and so it must be understood which preaching is also called teaching or prophecying to which that a man may be fit he must be 1 Tim. 3. 2. apt to teach and able to divide the Word of truth aright 2 Tim. 2 15. to anatomize as it were to lay open every vein joint and sinew And touching that of Paul The word is likewise indifferently used for preaching or rehearsing but it 's a sencelesse thing to conceive that Paul having extraordinary gifts of Prophesie and Revelation besides ordinary gifts fit for the Ministery would lay all aside and betake him to another mans Sermon and become a pattern of idlenesse to all dunces to the end of the world But because no such Sermon appears we must presume he spake as the Spirit gave him utterance If our Ministers had Pauls spirit and gifts then they would sure be ashamed of such reading Pr. What is that other sleight as you call it of the Ministers with which you finde fault Ph. It is their removing from place to place for none other cause but case and profit Pr. How can that be removing is chargeable and the saying is The rowling stone gathers no moss and it 's also painful and troublesom Ph. It s true it is so to other men who remove upon necessity or upon hard termes as they do when they over-buy their Livings for some of them are never able to give a dog a crust of their own afterwards But the most take a wiser course never to remove but to a greater Living or for some great advantage one way or other and upon every remove commonly they endeavour to take the Summers profits of both Livings or get some other help to bear charges Howsoever they have commonly no losse in removing and for the most part they double or treble their Revenue And if not they have this benefit That when all their old Sermons are read over which is commonly done in two three or foure years and sometimes sooner then they are all new in a new Living and then they confidently say them over again which doth abundantly save their pains and afford them leisure to oversee their Tythes to build plant take their ease and pleasure or follow any other imployment beseeming their qualities and conditions And this is the other shift of which I told you Now I have given you my reasons wherefore I conceive these men of so great honour and credit intend no reformation And that their pride and covetuousnesse absolutely hindereth the same more then any thing in the Land Pr. Why should you not think they intend Reformation have they not submitted to the Ordinances of Parliament injoyning Reformation and conformed themselves so far as the State hath appointed and what hath been done by the Parliament hath been done upon the Assemblies advice unlesse it be in some few particulars Ph. I confesse the Assembly hath done something which is in effect as good as nothing if we rest there and it may be observed they have not acted any thing against their honour and profit Pr. Why say you so shew me how or wherein that may appear Ph. I shall easily do that in manie particulars 1. First they have renounced the Prelacie being a curb to them and obscuring their magnificence and some say they were Antichristian But they defend their Callings from them least they should be accounted no Ministers 2. Secondly they have left the Ceremonies as unprofitable but they retain their Popish offerings 3. They give over reading and praying at the grave for which they had nothing but for their see they will make you a Funeral Oration 4. Fourthly they tel you they desire the Call of God and his people to their Livings but if they can get the Patrons presentation or the Committee for plundered Ministers Order they will fight for it ere they will leav it let God and his people say what they will 5. Fiftly they are content to Iay aside the Common Praier-Book and reading Homilies as emptie formes and nurses of idleness but they will reade all their Sermons manie of which are scarce so good as some of the Homilies Vide Homilie against the peril of Idolatrie 6. Sixthly they will not buy two Livings and so become Pluralists for sometimes the bargain is hard and too dear But they will take take three Livings or places during the Sequestrations so they can have them freely which may continue during their lives 7. Seventhly they at least most of them put no difference in admitting to the Lords Table although the Parlament have enjoyned some to be debarred least those debarred should be thought to be none of their sheep and so they loose their Easier offerings and Tithes But they are content to complie with the heads of the Parish in their Vestrie to keep out the poor and others not