causing it to be kept in his Library at S. James After his much lamented decease I was continued in the same place and office to Prince Charles when God stirred up my heart to enter into the Ministry being then above thirty yeares of age but yet too soone as having not yet sufficiently learned to weigh that Text of the Apostle And who is sufficient for these things or yet the right way of a Ministers externall call which the ignorance and sloth of those times had not learned to walk in In that time I writ a Treatise against Simony entituled A Censure of Simony Also another Book entituled Truths triumph over Tront wherein I unfolded that mystery of iniquity packed up in the sixth session of that Councell encountring therein those two Champions of the Councell Andreas Vega and Dominicus Soto These two Books were published Cum Previlegio though with much adoe obtained of the Archbishops Chaplains in those not then full growne ripe evill times Yet they ripened so fast Abbot of Canterbury yet living that I could not obtaine of his Chaplaine the licensing of an answer of mine to a Jesuits Book entituled The converted Jew which he boldly had dedicated to both our Universities And I understood he durst not doe it for two causes first because in that Answer I had upon occasion confuted the Arminian Heresies secondly because therein I proved the Pope to be the Antichrist Which two things began in those dayes to be Noli me tangere and fewell for the Hâ—gh Commission furnace proving afterwards pillary-offences inexpiable never to be forgiven neither in this world nor in the world to come Which after times being hastened on by the immature death of King Iames have beene the only causes that have made his life desireable as Titus Livius said of Hieronymus of Syracusa Qui solus Patrem desiderabilem fecit Well King Iames being dead whether so or so or otherwise time hath not yet examined and King Charles succeeding I shall now acquaint you with a notable passage of divine Providence in parting the Court and me asunder For I understanding that the Bishop the old Clerk should still continue in that Office and that the King had designed me for some other inferiour Office and observing also that with Neale Lawd also should be continually about the King I saw there would be no abiding for me in Court any longer Yet before I went I thought I was bound in conscience by vertue of my place to informe the King of these men how popishly affected they were simply imagining that the King either did not so well know their qualities or that perhaps he might be put upon second thoughts by considering the dangerous consequences of entertaining such persons so neere about him as I presented to his Majesty in a large letter to that purpose Which letter he read a good part of I standing before him but perceiving the scope of it he gave it me againe and bade me forbeare any more attendance in my Office untill he should send for me Whereupon though for the present my spirits were somewhat appalled and dejected yet going home to my house in London and there entring into a serious meditation of Gods Providence herein how fairely he had now brought me off from the Court when I saw such Lords were like to domineere and how I might doe God and his Church better service in a more retired life as wherein I was in no danger of Court-Preferments thereby to bee cowardized from encountering such Giants as began already to threaten the Hoste of Israel and against whose power I thought Sauls armour would give me small defence but much hinder me rather I hereupon began to recollect my scattered spirits resolving now after almost twice seven yeares service quite to forsake the Court which I did signifie by another letter to a friend of mine of great place neere unto the King so as the King hath said that I put away him and not hee me However it pleased him to say so yet I had abundant cause to blesse God and daily to rejoyce with exceeding joy that I was now freed from the Court which joy hath now continually increased ever since to this very day without intermission Thus having bid the Court farewell I kept me close to the Ministery of the Word and besides my weekly preaching every Lords day twice I answered sundry erroneous and heterodox Bookes set forth by the Prelats and those of the Prelaticall party As 1. Montagues Book styled An Appeale to Caesar the first part whereof defended all the Arminian Heresies and the second was to maintain many grosse points of Popery And Dr. Francis White prefixed his Approbation to both My answer to the first part was published in print but that to the second was by the Aegyptian Task-masters strangled in the birth being upon the breaking up of the Parliament taken tardie in the Presse as it was a printing A second Book to which I made and published an Answer in time of Parliament was Cosens Private Devotions or Houres of Prayer to which his Popish Canonicall Houres I framed a fit Diall A third was a Book of Dr. Hall B. of Exceter wherein he affirmed the Church of Rome to be a true Church Which in a Treatise of mine upon the 7. Vials I occasionally confuting and Mr. Cholmley his Chaplen and Mr. Butterfield another Minister making each of them a severall reply I thereupon made one full answer to them both so as both sate down and replyed no more and Dr. Hall himselfe would salve or rather dawbe up the matter by begging the suffrages of two Bishops and two Doctors who so shuffled together each his own Cards that they easily made one pack And wel might they both shuffle pack cut and deale when no answer was permitted to be published But for all that my Babel no Bethel remains intire and unshaken by any of their breaths saving that some of their black mouths laboured to besmeare me with their proud scorne And for so writing against the Church of Rome as no true Church of Christ and because such kind of Bookes were printed without licence when none could be obtained I was brought the first and second time into the High Commission whence I had not escaped without cindging at least to make me smell of it ever after if not stigmatising either in my name or purse had I not come in time to procure a Prohibition in the Court of Justice before the doore was shut which was not long after the Bishop having a little before my Prohibition threatned in open Court that whosoever after that of Mr. Pryns then tendered should be the next which fell to my lot to dare to bring a Prohibition there he would set him fast by the heeles But instead of setting me by the heeles he hung me up by the head for the next morning after that my Prohibition was tendered in Court whereat the whole
back for my friend to follow the Bishop at that very instant changed his note and began to speak me as faire as possibly could be whereupon I came towards him againe saying withâ—n my selfe that if he spake reason I would heare him Nor was I at any time before him but methought I stood over him as a School-master over his School-boy So great was the goodnesse of God upon me Another time I being convented at a High-Commission Board at London-house about my fore-said Book Babel no Bethel Harsenet then Archbishop of Yorke having run himselfe out of breath with railing against me and my Book a speciall faculty wherein his Grace exceeded at length saying that I had dedicated my Book to the Parliament to incense them against the Higher Powers he meant the King then I answered No my Lord I am none of them that divide the King and Parliament but I pray God to unite them together At this he had never a word more to say For this was presently after that Parliament was broken up wherein the Petition of Right was signed so that he knew better who they were which at that time divided the King from the Parliament Well at the same time I must to prison and tendring bale London answered No for said he the King had given expresse charge that no baile should be taken for me Then my Lord said I I desire to know by what Law or Statute of the Land you doe imprison me if it be according to Law I humbly submit my selfe otherwise I doe here claime the right and priviledge of a subject according to the Petition of Right but nor Petition nor Right nor Law could keep me from prison To the Fleet I went where stepping in and saying to the Porter By your leave and he answering You are welcome Sir I thanked him saying that is some comfort yet But I found the comforts of my God there exceedingly it being the first time of my being a Prisoner saving that I was still and had beene a long time in the High Commission Bonds which restrained my liberty to the scantling of that tether But I hasten to the maine Battalion or pitcht battell with the Prelates and their prelaticall party For I more and more disliked their usurpations and tyrannicall Government with their attempts to set up Popery Therefore I purposely preached upon the second Chapter to the Colossians crying downe all will-worship and humane inventions in Gods service Hereupon I began in my practice as in my judgement to fall off from the ceremonies Only I watched for an occasion to try it out with them either by dint of Arguments or force of Law or by the King and his Counsell resolving of this that by this means I should either foile my adversaries though I had no great hope this way or at least which I was sure not to faile of discover the mystery of iniquity and the deceit of hypocrisie which like a white vaile they had cast over all their foule practices and false pretences being woven with the fine thread of solemne Protestations Declarations Proclamations and the like And this discovery I tooke to be of no small importance and consequence because I saw how every day they got ground in the hearts of simple and credulous people apt to beleeve their plausible pretences and pompous shewes of piety as if all they did were to maintain the Protestant Religion when under that specious colour the withered whore of Babylon came in maskd at the first till at length she began to shew her painted face in her Superstitions Altar-service and other garbs And as they laboured to undermine and overthrow the true Protestant Religion and in stead thereof to set up Popery so they did no lesse seeke to overthrow the Civill state with the good lawes thereof and just liberties of the subject and to introduce an arbitrary Government otherwise called Tyrany which taketh away every mans property in his owne goods and estate as plainly appeared by all their practices as in exacting of shipmoney which was to be perpetuall and sometimes twice imposed in one yeare upon some pretence of forraine enemies when we had cause to feare none but our home-bred traitours and other impositions with a thousand monopolies Of all which I being not a little sensible both as I was a poore servant of Christ and therefore bound to vindicate his cause against Antichristian men and also as a free borne subject of the kingdome as one who ever prized the just libertie of my birthright above this life it selfe I therefore thought how I might best acquit my duty both to God and to his Church and to my Country in defending the cause of both To this purpose on the fifth of Noxember 1636 being a day by Act of Parliament to be solemnized in an anniversary solemne thanksgiving for that great deliverance of King and Parliament from the Gunpowder-treason which Popish traytors conspired to have executed on that day 1625 I preached according to my custome two Sermons taking for my Text Prov. 24. 21 22. My sonne feare thou the Lord and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change For their calamity shall arise suddenly and who knoweth the ruine of them both But before I proceed to a further relation hereof let me tell you of a passage or two falling out but a little before my troubles The first was this A reverend godly Minister Mr Williamson of Kent having newly preached in my Church upon Acts 21. 13. and we having some private conference of his Text and Sermon I said to him in the close Well brother I must be an example hereof one day The other was of a strange dreame I had one night not many dayes before this day came I dreamed lodging then at a deare friends house in Stratford Bow neere London that I saw a most magnificent Pallace the like whereof I never saw upon the earth and therein a most glorious throne erected and in the throne Jesus Christ sitting in Majesty but all alone without any attendance of Angels or Saints about him only there lay all along before the throne a man dead with his feet towards Christ and his face upward the other way But after awhile the dead man was raised up and stood upon his feet looking towards the throne Whereupon immediately there appeared about the throne an innumerable company of glorious Angels and Saints exceedingly rejoycing and praising God for restoring life to that man This dreame I told in the morning to my wife and after that to my deare Christian friends in the house all yet surviving to whom I also made this interpretation that this dead man was the present Church of Christ which now lay for dead and none took the care of it but Christ alone but after awhile Christ would restore his Church to life and set her in a glorious estate as one raised from the dead to the state of glory and then all the
the present and afterwards in the time of healing much more painfull then the chopping off of the head with one stroke Thirtenthly As God indued Paul with an excellent spirit to undergoe and overcome all his affliction with a singular alacrity and constancy so as he sung Psalmes in the prison and accounted his life and all outward things but as dung in comparison of Christ so the same God poured into my soule abundantly the like spirit of fortitude and magnanimity not only cheerfully and constantly but even triumphantly to be more then conqueror in all my sufferings as also the Apostle said of himselfe 2. Cor. 2. 14. and Rom. 4. 37. Besides all this First Paul was never haunted hunted and vexed by Pursuivants as I have been Secondly Paul was never bound in bonds of two or three hundred pounds to answer the High Priests in their synedrion as I have been in the high Commission Court Thirdly Paul when he was a prisoner and that under Nero yet had liberty to visit his friends and acquaintance and they to come and visit him but I was shut up in a close prison where neither my selfe could visit others nor they me Fourthly Paul had his fellow prisoners with him to be mutuall comforters but I was shut up all alone without a fellow or compainon Fifthly Paul was never fined in more then he was worth but I was Sixthly Paul was never deemed to more punishments then one at once but I to many and those most griveous punishments and that contrary to the law of the Medes and Persians Ezra 7. 26. Seventhly Paul was not condemned before the hearing of his cause nor himselfe condemned for refusing to assent to the condemning of his own cause before hearing but both I and my cause were thus condemned contrary to the law of the land and of all nations Eightly It was lawfullfor Paul to have carried about with him a sister a wife if he had had one but I having an honest godly most loving and tender hearted woman to my wife was not suffered to have her with me according to Gods Ordinance for our mutuall comfort and support in our great affliction but wee were violently separated one from the other without any the least colour of cause Ninthly Paul was suffered to write to his friends and to those his children whom he had begotten by the Gospel and to those Churches which he had planted but I was not permitted the use of pen inke and paper so much as to write to my friends or to my disconsolate wife or my poore orphan-children whom God had given to me in lawfull wedlock Tenthly Paul never was banished from his native country but I was and that extrajudicially sent into perpetuall banishment Eleventhly Paul though a prisoner yet was not forbid to preach but exercised his ministry in the prison to all that came unto him but my mouth was by Decree for ever stopped which one affliction was to me as in it selfe so heavy as is sufficient to counter-ballance all Pauls afflictions Twelfthly Nor did Paul live to know experimentally those sufferings which Antichrist foretold of by him should both craftily invent and cruelly inflict upon Gods servants in these last times which my selfe have now lived both to see and suffer Antichrist was then but a cockatrice in the egge but now he is broke out and growne to be a great red dragon Thirteenthly Paul once by pleading the priviledge of a Roman escaped the whip but I though once by pleading the benefit of a subject I obtained which yet cost me ten pounds a Prohibition whereby I was delivered from a double lash of the High Commission yet the next day after as aforesaid I fell under the Prelates lash who suspended me from my ministry for preaching the truth for the which truths sake I have also suffered all these things Finally Fourteenthly Pauls Judges would not condemne him for the bare accusation of his adversaries saying It was not the manner of the Romans to condemne any man before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face and have licence to answer for himselfe concerning the crime layed against him but I though I had permission by the Court to make my defence in writing and at the censure to speake for my selfe yet all was as nothing but without either accusers or witnesses saving only a counterfet information in Court charging many things but proving nothing but serving only for a snare which innocency it selfe could not escape I underwent the most terrible Censure that ever was inflicted in the world But though I underwent it yet through the power of Christ I overcame it To him alone be all the glory and praise of a suffering which only his power and grace made so great so glorious After aâ—l this let me a little recreate my Reader with a smale story of a passage falling out while I was in Guernsey Castle On a time a pigeon sitting neere my chamber window where my daily feeding of them made them so familiar as they would follow me up and downe the Castle a wild hauke suddenly plunged upon her and beats her downe to the ground above four stories and falls a preying on her I beheld it a while from my window and presently thereupon ran downe to rescue the dove though I was to run above a flight shot off I ran and sound the hauke still upon the pigeon and when I was ready to cease on the hauke she flew off and then the poore Pigeon took her faint flight also the bold hauke pursuing her about the Castle but the dove escaped for any thing I could heare This use I made of it I compared the Dove to the Church and the Hauke to the enemies of it hoping that though for a time the Hauke get the Dove under to pâ—ey upon her yet deliverance shall come in the nick in the Mount will the Lord be seene and the Church shall escape but hardly but whether by flight as Revel. 12. or otherwise that rests only in our Great Deliverers hand This by the way But now it is high time to close it up For November 15. 1640. being the Lords day a Bark comes to Guernsey from England with friends and an Order from the Honourable House of Commons for my enlargement and returne for England Blessed tidings indeed and the more because it came from a Parliament and yet more in that it was the Parliaments handsaile presenting much good but promising much more The Newes filled the Castle with joy and so the Iland The first observation I made of it was of the day on which this tydings came First I noted it was the Lords day which day I had mightily propugned and defended both by preaching and writing against the malignant and profane adversaries of the sanctification thereof and of its morality And when the book for dispensation and allowance of sports on that day came with an injunction to be publikely
holy Angels and Saints should rejoyce and sing Halelujahs to him that sits upon the Throne And this I told them should most certainly come to passe and that shortly so as they should live to see it And so being to goe to London that morning I took my leave thereupon saying Well what ever come on it I must to my work And this work proved to be that aforesaid Nov. 5. When having preached those Sermons I was not long after summoned by a Pursuivant into the English Inquisition Court the High Commission from which I presently appealed to the King And because I foresaw that this would prove a publick cause and putting no confidence either in my Appeale or in the equity and innocency of my cause or in the just lawes of the Kingdome being fallen into such times wherein nor law nor conscience nor innocency nor justice nor clemency nor humanity could take place but that some unjust odious censure must stigmatize both the cause and the person therefore I shut my selfe up in my house as in my prison and there did compile my two said Sermons with my Appeale in one Book to the end it might be published in print as it was sheet by sheet as I writ it the while the Prelates Pursuivants those barking Beagles ceased not night nor day to watch and rap and ring at my doores to have surprised me in that my Castle nor yet to search and hunt all the Printing houses about London to have prevented the comming forth of my Book which they heard to be at the Presse But God by his good providence so prevented them as neither they could touch my person before I had finished my Book nor yet prevent the publishing thereof for all their unwearied search And here I may not omit to magnifie the great Name of God especially for two things First for his admirable strengthning and supporting presence in so carrying up my spirit all the while of my writing that Book entituled For God and the King together with the Appeale c. that not all the incessant roarings and ballings of those beagles could either interrupt my work or distract my thoughts or discourage my resolution by any the least apprehension or feare of danger but that with all cheerfulnesse and invinciblenesse of spirit the work was finished Secondly the Lords wonderfull Providence is here to be admired in that the Pursuivants had no power either to apprehend my person or to prevent the publishing of my Book but just that night when I had received some dozens of Copies bound up and the Books for the King and Councell were a binding up and nor sooner nor later having also newly concluded the Family-duties for that night came the Serjeant at Armes with his Mace in the Bishop of Londons name accompanied with divers Pursuivants and other Officers yea with the Sheriffe of London with swords and halberds and with pick-axes fell a breaking up my doores which being strong and I making no resistance held them work till eleven of the Clock They break in surprise my person ransack my study carry away what Books they pleased and carry me away prisoner to a Constables house for that night and the next day at night being Febr. 2. they had got a new warrant from the Councell Board to carry me to prison in the Fleet where I was kept close prisoner from wife or friend and so remained for halfe a yeare till I was removed to another prison as you shall heare anon During my abode in the Fleet I was served with a Writ into the Starre Chamber to answer an information there against me drawn up by the Kings Atturney in the Name of the King notwithstanding my said Appeale not yet repealed But all is one for that With much difficulty being all along close prisoner I get my Answer drawne up by Counsell and the same by speciall Order of Starre-Chamber admitted in Court upon my Oath to be a true Answer Above a week after I heare that the two Chiefe Justices by appointment of the Court have quite expunged my Answer and defence contained in 80 sheets leaving only the negative part and that also of their owne patching together contained in some halfe a dozen lines Thus my Answer in Court is left no Answer of mine After this comes the Examiner for my Answer to his interrogatories which was to be reckoned part of my Answer in Court But I answered him that my Answer in Court being wholly expunged and so made no Answer of mine I was not bound to answer the interrogatories Hereupon I was brought into the Starre-Chamber to be censured by all those terrible ones pro confesso as having refused to put in my Answer when indeed themselves had put it our What I then spake for my selfe by leave of the Court which had already the day before set downe my Censure in black and white and what the Censure was and by whom I referre to the Relation of all the passages of our three sufferings set forth at large in Print 1641. Only thus much when I saw that they would proceed to censure notwithstanding they did not nor could object the least crime in all my Book For God and the King but that they said I was too sharp against the Prelates having obtained leave to speak I said My Lords I perceive I am brought into a great strait that of necessity I must either desert my cause and my conscience or undergoe the Censure of this Honourable Court and therefore I doe without any further deliberation choose rather to abide the Censure of this Honourable Court then to desert my Cause my conscience Here at the Audience gave a great humme But when they came to the censure it was so terrible especially the perpetuall close imprisonment in a desolate goale that lest my spirits should faint within me I did there earnestly in my heart entreat the Lord that he would strengthen me and hold up my spirits that I might not any way dishonour the cause or give those terrible ones cause to triumph And at that very instant the Lord heard me he put such strength in me as neither my selfe nor my two Brethren did once change countenance before those terrible ones so as some of them afterwards said that they never saw three such men who instead of being daunted so stood before the Court as if they had sit in the Judges place And forasmuch as the night before a friend came to me in the Fleet and told me he saw my Censure set down in their Book as standing on the Pillory c. I did therefore that night * redouble my prayer to God that he would strengthen me at my Censure so as I might not dishonour him and his Cause the next day before that great Court And immediately upon my prayer I was filled with a mighty spirit of courage and resolution wherewith I was carried up farre above my selfe even as it were upon
read in my Church upon a Lords day that very day in stead of reading of it which I utterly abhorred to doe as an abominable thing I turned my afternoon preaching into an opening of the fourth Commandement therein proving the Lords day to wit the first day of the week to succeed the seventh or last day of the week both for Sabbath and Sanctification under the Gospel Now the newes and Order for my enlargement comming to me on the Lords day I took it as a gracious reward of mercy from God whose day I had formerly stood for against all the adversaries thereof Againe secondly this day was the fifteenth day of the month to wit November which was the first day of the last month that made up the three yeares and a halfe from the day of my Censure and so was fulfilled that which I spake before at Coventry to the said Reverend Ministers Mr Nalton and Mr Hughs that three yeares and a halfe hence we should meet againe and be merry For June 14. 1637. was my Censure and November 15. 1640. was the first day of the last month that made up three yeares and a halfe so as the Parliaments Order calling me forth of prison to be presented before them seemed to me to be that great voice from heaven saying to the two Witnesses after their lying dead three dayes and a halfe three yeares and a halfe unburied Come up hither Moreover I observed that I had come to Guernsey on the fifteenth day of the month and three yeares after on the fifteenth day of the month taking that month current from the fifteenth day came my release And the like did my brother Prin of his comming to Jarsey which was on the seventeenth day of the month and his release came to him on the seventeenth day of the month so punctuall is God in doing all things in number weight and measure could we but take a right measure of his doings in all the passages of his Providence On Tuesday the seventeenth the messengers came to my brother Prin so as by Thursday after he came to me to Guernsey where we being feasted by all the Ministers there and more especially by Mr Delamarch at his house and my selfe by some worthy Merchants in the Towne we were no sooner ready to set saile but the wind came about for us to goe for England And here I cannot omit to observe the sweet Providence of God in bringing our friends from London so prosperously They came on Thursday from London to Southampton the next day they provided a Bark the while the wind was opposite but Saturday morning the fourteenth they being ready the wind came about and brought them the next day to Guernsey They staid not one day for the wind in comming nor we for going for England On Saturday the 21. about two of the clock in the afternoone taking our leave of the worthy Lievtenant and the rest we set saile for England where the wind by a gentle gale brought us the next day at night being the Lords day to arrive And here againe I observe two speciall passages of the divine Providence First that the wind blowing slack and the night comming on and we being now distant from from the maine land three or foure leagues so as the master was somewhat perplexed for want of wind we encouraged him and thereupon all our company went into the hold and fell to sing Psalmes Wee had no sooner begun to sing but presently the wind began to whistle up so that we might heare the Bark to rowse through the waves we continued our singing and the wind continued his blowing untill just as we had done singing the master had cast anchor we not knowing it till we came upon the deck for which we blessed our God The second Circumstance was that in the very same place where I had parted last from England did our Bark now cast anchor for England God so disposing it by his wind And this was in the mouth of Dartmouth where leaving our Bark to goe for South-hampton with our Stuffe we lodged in Dartmouth that night concluding and refreshing our long Pilgrimage with the close of the Sabbaticall rest of that day The next day being courteously entertained of some of the best of the Towne who also provided us horses being nine or ten in company we hastened for London and came that night to Exceter within night where we saw the faces of many religious people who most lovingly entreated us many of them accompanying us the next day out of the City We rode the next day to Lime where comming though somewhat late in the evening we were kindly entertained by the reverend and godly Minister there Mr Geere and by a worthy Justice of the Peace Thence we set for ward the next morning before day hastening to come to the Lecture at Dorchester which we did being there refreshed both in soule and body where we were saluted and entertained by many worthy Christians After dinner the same day we rode on our journey lodging at a private Towne betweene Dorchester and Salisbury The next day we dined at Salisbury where we visited Mr Thatcher a reverend and laborious Minister there but very sickly at that time and since deceased whence in the afternoone being accompanied by sundry good Christians in the City we rode to Andover that night being in the way met by sundry good Christians of that Towne who entertained us very courteously and accompanied us on in our journey the next day on which being Friday we reached to Egham that night being met by the way before we came at Bagshot by many of our loving friends and neighbours of London and especially my Friday-street neighbours my old Parishioners and when we were not farre past Bagshot we were met by my most loving and dear wife who came accompanied with many loving friends and worthy Citizens of London among whom was that most affectionate friend Mr Willingham and his loving wife who came with my wife in the Coatch which he had provided for that purpose What expressions of joy and love there were at our meeting cannot be expressed Well to Egham we came in the close of the day where every house brought forth a light to light us to our lodging where we were most nobly entertained by multitudes of friends that from London met us there They called it our wedding night which was principally celebrated by that worthy and reverend Minister of Egham Mr Rayner who prayed with us with solemne giving of thanks expressed also in singing of Psalmes which he had most fitly and sweetly composed of many parts and parcels of Psalmes very admirably accommodated to the present occasion and all which continuing almost a whole houre Mr Rayner repeated without book The next morning very early all our company was ready and after prayer took horse being on our journey for London before the Sunne arose Of the whole traine consisting of two or three