one against them There is no such Preaching and Praying and performing good Duties as is absolutely perfect and free from all Faults and often-times in necessary Ingredients and Conditions the best Man faileth This supposed the Question arising is Whether they who observing the Call of God Answer of their Conscience need and benefit of Souls are blessed of God in their Work tho but in some measure do not do better to preach and pray at all hazards if otherwise it cannot be than if they did forbear because in one point they offend against a revokable Law and for that how many Circumstances do over-match that one First For their Persons they are else in all points subject to the Laws Secondly For their Doctrine ready to give an account Thirdly For the manner of doing it is in a peaceable way without any kind of Riot they meet and part as peaceably as any of our Church-Assemblies do There is I say again no such performance of Duties as is absolute faultless and perfect in all Circumstances The Duties they perform are religious defective only in outward Form and is it not comparatively better to perform them than forbear them And can he that punisheth them for such Religious Exercises neither materially poisonous nor effectually poisoning Subjects ever be excused from punishing Well-doing and for Religion if these Considerations have any Reason in them Obj. It is not Religion but their Nonconformity to the Laws that 's punished Answ Their Nonconformity was punished once before by their loss of their Livings and temporal undoing how often must the same Men be punished for the same Fault as you and not they account it Obj. They are Men of ill Designs c. Answ Why do not you prosecute them as such if they are such and leave out their Preaching and Praying out of your Informations and Warrants Obj. If the Execution of Laws shall be termed Persecution then wo to Magistrates will any Man dare to call it Persecution This 〈◊〉 the case c. Answ All due Reverence to the Laws and to the Magistrates premised the Administrators of Laws may be guilty of undue Prosecutions and persecuting Men with good Laws Merciless and uncharitable urging of good Laws beyond their intention and scope and with Revenge and Rigor upon the Peccant is Persecution in the common Acceptation of Men. To conclude this Disquisition It is undeniable that nothing but Preaching and Praying and other Religious Exercises are the Cause of Trouble and Sufferings to very many who had not been at all molested but for those Duties If there be a house full of Friends or Strangers that come and go in a peaceable manner yea altho many or all of the Men are armed with ordinary Weapons if there be nothing but eating and drinking and common Discourses they are not molested yea if a great deal of their Discourse be religious there is no Information nor issuing out of Warrants but if there be a Preacher among them and any Solemnity in the Duties of Religion this becomes offensive and liable to the Laws It is the Exercise of Religion that gives the Offence and makes the Company guilty and how Punishments fall upon such when met without Weapons or quarrelling or disturbance of the Peace to make it a Riot but for Religion is not to be thought There is no Question to be made but many Justices have been guilty of gross Persecution abusing the Laws to the service of their Anger and Revenge and have gone beyond the Law when they have wanted sufficient Evidence either of Preaching Praying or Expounding or of any Preacher being in Company but have told the Informers if they heard but a Tone like Preaching it was sufficient It can be proved of one Justice that without any other Proof sent out his Warrant to levy upon the Goods of them that were present and I have seen a Copy of another Warrant for levying of 20 l. when it was not proved that there was a Preacher in the House If these are true then such Executioners of Justice do execute for Religion and for no other Offence Such also as threaten they will not leave a Meeting-house standing who know bo h the Preachers and their Auditors to be peaceable Persons and cannot pretend any cause of Fear From their Assemblies do threaten as displeased with their Religious Exercises and for no other Cause for if they can suffer many lazy irreligious Persons to absent from Church and not punish them tho they have no lawful cause of their Absence and threaten to punish them that are religious but in another way it is not Conscience and Zeal of Duty to the publick Worship that moves them for then they would punish the lazy 〈◊〉 idle or prophane and say They will not suffer any Person to be absent from the Common-Prayer but be zealous against some as against others But this is not the Temper of all therefore I will not bring in a charge of Persecution against all but I will endeavour to shew what is required of a Man that cannot be said to persecute and leave it to the Examination and sentence of every Mans Conscience 1. He must be a knowing Man not in Christian Religion in general only but in these controverted points about Religion he must not be so senceless as to call Religion Sedition nor to make a different Form to be a different Religion or that Religion is subverted by a Difference from some humane Constitutions He must be a knowing Man lest he rush ignorantly upon the Servants of Christ Paul was a Persecuter when he was ignorant Ignorance did excuse him from the Malice but not from the Persecution He must not only think he doth God good Service for so did others who for all their thought did persecute the Disciples but be sure he doth God good Service 2. He must be a sincere Lover of Jesus Christ of his Holy Ordinances of all that believe on him and that worship him for if he hate Christ hate his Gospel Preaching Praying and Religious Duties or hate the Disciples of Christ he must needs be a Persecutor and of the grosser sort 3. He must be sincere in what he doth for the thing which he doth he must be satisfied that he doth well and he must intend the Glory of God and the honour and preservation of Religion in it If he pretend in his Warrants Sedition or evil Designs when there is none he acts falsly and pretends that to be the cause of his Commands which he verily knows is not the cause as not being as much as alledged or proved If he thus proceeds he strikes at Religion under pretence of Sedition and Rebellion 4. He must consider the Circumstances of the Persons both Preachers and Hearers the time of their Meeting the need they have in their Places and other Circumstances But if without Examination or making any difference for his Information he follows the story of the Informer then
to hear Divine Service established by her Laws c. The second is to speak or write or to perswade any to deny or impugn Her Majesties Power in Causes Ecclesiastical or perswade any against hearing Divine Service or to be present at Conventicles or unlawful Assemblies The Penalty is first Imprisonment until he acknowledg his Offence and declare his Submission in some Church or Chappel which if he refuse to do within three Months he shall abjure the Realm if he do not or if he shall return without her Majesties leave he shall be proceeded against as a Felon I shall speak of the second under the fourth because it was to expire after the next Session of Parliament which was after three Years And pass to the third Statute The Offence by that Statute is If any Person that had enjoyed any Parsonage Vicarage Lecture-stipend and had not conformed to the Act of Uniformity and shall not take and subscribe this Oath I A. B. do swear that it is not lawful on any pretence whatsoever to take up Arms against the King and that abhor that Traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are commissioned by Him in pursuance of such Commissions and that I will not endeavour any Alteration of Government either in Church or State If he shall preach in any Conventicle or come within five Miles of any City Corporation or place of his Ministry except on his Journey or summoned by a Subpaena he shall forfeit 40 l. The Original Crime is Nonconforming the next is not taking the Oxf. Oath preaching in Conventicles and coming within five Miles of any such place The fourth Statute Car. 22. is c. And the Crimes are 1. If any Man shall be present at any Assembly c. under colour of any Exercise of Religion in any other manner than according to the Liturgy and Practice of the Church of England at which there shall be five Persons or more assembled together besides those of the same Houshold 2. If any Man shall take upon him to preach or teach in any such Meeting he shall forfeit 20 l. for the first Offence after Conviction and 40 l. after the second Conviction of a second Offence 3. If any Person shall willingly suffer such Meeting to be in his House Out-house Barn Yard or Backside and be convicted shall forfeit 20 l. c. And every Hearer 5 s. The Faults that are most obvious and most commonlly prosecuted are first Preaching Hearing or entertaining of any Meeting under pretence of Religious Exercise after another manner than the Liturgy or Practice of the Church of England to five or more besides the Houshold where such Meeting is kept Fourthly I am to explain what I mean by Forbearance 1. I do not mean what never came into the Question an Universal Toleration or License of all Irreligion Atheism Heresy or publishing pernicious Errors contrary to Godliness and Peace 2. I do not mean by Forbearance a Toleration or Forbearance of Prosecution against any that shall be found guilty of those Offences and Crimes Nor did the N. C. desire but the Toleration of those that are toterable and the peaceable Liberties of all that agree on Catholick Terms of Primitive Simplicity in Doctrine Worship and Discipline Petition for Peace Anno. 1661. contained and declared in the Reasons of these Statutes for the prevention whereof these Statutes were primarily intended as the Intention of the Law 1. I do not mean a Forbearance of any Person whatsoever that shall by Printing Writing or express Words purposely practise or go about to prove or perswade any of His Majesties Subjects or any other within His Realm to deny or withstand or impugn His Majesties Power in Ecclesiastical Causes See the Statute 35th Q. Elizabeth or shall perswade any from coming to Church to Divine Service or Communion to that end There is no Nonconformist that hath written or printed or that ever I heard of spoken to impugn His Majesties Power circa sacra but own it as hereafter it will appear 2. I do not mean a Forbearance of any Person or Persons whether more or fewer than five that shall have or do contrive any Insurrections as Seditious Sectaries Vid. Statute of 16 Ch. II. c. 4. or Disloyal Persons or any dangerous Practices of Seditious Sectaries or other Disloyal Persons who under Pretence of tender Consciences have or may at their Meetings contrive Insurrections or that make but a pretence of Religious Exercises to carry on any such Intentions The above explained Nonconformists will heartily subscribe to this Against these Contrivers the Law is bent and not against such as are in earnest for Religious Exercises but upon no seditious Design tho it is otherwise interpreted contrary to the declared end of the Law 3. The Persons to be forborn are such Preachers and Teachers as never kept Conventicles or Meetings making those Religious Exercises a pretence only when the Design was Rebellion Sedition or Insurrection as never taught any such pernicious Doctrine to such a wicked end but that have taught and hold the contrary performing Religious Exercises for Religious ends and both they that hear them and they that entertain them should be forborn 4. By Forbearance I mean a total Forbearnce of all the Penalties which they have incurred upon their Persons and their Estates The merciful Indulgence of the Government and many over ruling Providences concurring have given them Advantages and Boldness to meet more openly and in greater Numbers than they did before than they could or would have done If now there shall be a severe Prosecution against them the Prisons will fill in many places their Fines amount above their Estates there will be neither Dish nor Spoon Stooll nor Bed left for their Wives and Children no nor a Friend of their way left in the Land in a Condition to relieve them It is the ready way to fill many places in the Land with Tears and Cries Beggary and Misery such as no good Protestant can behold without a Sympathy This is no better than to forbear a Creditor till the Interest grows to a great Sum and then seize upon all he hath enter upon his Land and drive his Cattel c. this is Mercy till Offences grow big for a huge Severity Mercy patent for latent Justice to give them time to gather Flesh and then to devour them If the Rooks the Informers those Birds of Prey hope to flesh themselves by picking the bones of the Nonconformists it should go against the stomack of every true Gentleman not to say Merciful Christian If they must be supprest give them notice of it do not kill them in cold Blood after Quarter given them To make the Case familiar There are a Company of honest quiet People live about me they were once in good Fashion and Reputation but are now fallen in the World's danger and are forced to be beholden to their
Friends they live in my Mannor and have trespassed upon me against the orders of it I thought it hard to trouble them or severely to gather my Amerciaments for they were honest Men and of my Religion too for the main they were good Protestants in their way I never heard of any Riots among them or ill Designs that could be prov'd against any of them when others were at their Pastimes they were at their Prayers and were laborious while others that had more of the World took more Pleasure and they know that if I had been severe with them for every Trespass they had not had a Cow or Cows keeping not a Sheep or a Pig and now they have well about them and I am resolved I will make them pay all the Amerciaments of my Court for every Trespass they shall have neither Cow nor Sheep nor House to sleep in in my Mannor I 'll make them pay or ly in Prison or fly the Land for they are a dangerous ungrateful People for when I stand for a Parliament-Man or desire their Votes for my Friend there is not a Man will appear for me but they are all for them that are against a Popish Successor and for uniting of Protestants and such things as these They are cross to me what I abhor they approve when I address they refuse to subscribe Well but Sir I beseech you be merciful to them and if you will have all your Town to be in all things of your Mind give them notice first or else it will be said you forbore them their lesser Fines till they grew to a great Sum. I beseech you do not so by them but be as merciful to them as you are to other kind of Sinners Fifthly The Limitation of the Question is untill such time as our Gracious King and Parliament in time to come shall take the State of the divided Protestants into their Mature Consideration We may rationally hope we shall have a Parliament from our King who hath often declared his Resolution to have frequent Parliaments we hope it will be a free Parliament I do not mean free from force or violence upon Men's Persons but violence upon their Reasons by Drunkenness with its shameful Antecedents and Effects And if ever we have such Elections we shall pitch upon such Men as long as there are any to be found that are Men of Loyalty to the King and Government of Estates and Quality that are freest from Temptation to get by dishonourable Arts and that have too much to give away from themselves and the Freeholders that choose them A Protestant People will elect Protestant Representatives and such as have a respect to Protestant Dissenters in things that may be spared without hurt to Religion or infringement of Government much less a change and that as they are Natives Relatives peaceable and pious good Men. It cannot be thought that they that would exclude Popery will leave a Breach among our selves for it to enter in at our last Parliaments have declared their Inclinations by their Votes and from what they have done we may guess at what they will do if God give them time And there must be a depth in Policy deeper than Men of a short Line can fathom or a great mistake that those Gentlemen and Magistrates that are bent to suppress our Conventicles should act with such a Spirit now when they have declared who and what they are for Is this the way to gain the Body of the Nation to choose them or those they affect into a next Parliament when it is visible what Interest they serve by disobliging the Protestant Nonconformists and giving notice to the Church and Conforming Protestants that they cannot be safe from them that suppress if not cut off as many as they can of the same Faith and Worship for substance for those Differences that need not be if Condescention and Love might but come in Fashion The Controversy between the Church and them is not yet determined The Rev. Dr. Stilling Preface to Vnreasonableness of Separation Mr. Baxter Humphrey Lobb c. but there is this good of late got by the Heat of Writing that both sides have declared their Minds more freely than heretofore and there are Proposals made by both sides which if they cannot be universally admitted yet from the rude Draughts of a Building wise Men may agree upon the Frame by adding taking away and composing As the Parliament made the Laws out of Love to the Church and they will not do Magistrates out of Love to the Church should abstain from Prosecutions for a time and be patient for a while except they saw what no Man can see that lives nearer to them than their Informers any more cause of Suppression by any contrived dangers either to Church or State than when they are fast asleep in their Beds If you have just cause to fear their Principles disarm them of their Knites but those that know them better than their Enemies or your Informers do think no more Danger like to arise from their Principles than there was against the King and most favourable Parliament from their Preparations for Rebellion Are all the Nonconforming Preachers of a sudden turned Jesuits is their Faith turned into Faction have they submitted their Scriptures and their Senses to an Infallible Guide acknowledged in him the power of both Swords and listed themselves under his consecrated Banners Are all their Children Males Are all their Infants in a few Months grown up to be above sixteen Years of Age fit for Arms Are their Wives and Daughters become Amazons How many thousands can they make Where are their Rendezvouz their Musters their Lists their Magazines Where are their Generals Who are their Correspondents and Confederates abroad The distressed persecuted Protestants of France Are they fortifying their Barns and Meeting-Places or ready to march and take the Field Why are we not all in Arms for fear of them if the Danger be so great from their Assemblies Abstain from these Men for a little time and let not their Flight be in Winter or on the Sabbath-Days If you will not forbear till such a time one thing I hope and look for that when you drive their Cattel or offer their Goods to sale you will find no Buyers or if you send them to the Goals their Keepers and Fellow Prisoners may become true Converts and that you that send them thither may fetch them out But I must not forget my Arguments to prove the Affirmative of the Question That it is better the Execution of the Laws should be forborn against Protestant Dissenters than urged or countenanced I have laid the Question in a Comparative and affirm it is better c. The Comparative doth suppose a Positive if I can prove that it is not good to execute the Penal Laws upon Dissenting Protestants then it will follow a fortiore majore that it is better they should be spared than punished
It seeming to be to serve the Church was help'd forward by the Zealots for the Church but what was more contrary to the Church than a secret Schism priviledged by the Law that forbad an open one 3. It was most likely to be perpetuated the closer it was kept and free from Punishment 4. They who were then Papists in a Disguise and when they thought it time threw off the Disguise could so manage the Business as procure a Toleration of Papists but it shall go under the name of Favour to Protestant Dissenters For the Merits of the Papists pleaded for them a share of the Favour granted to Nonconformists that deserved so ill An oppressive Act made way for an easing Toleration which the Parliament well perceived the Year following and then crossed the Contrivances for Popery and saw that Popery had got by the Toleration and their own Act and moved for a Revocation of both 5. The Protestant Dissenters without any difference of their Principles were by this Law rendred suspitious and thereby odious as conveying poisonous Preparations to Rebellion in their Preaching the lurking Jesuits and com-plotting Papists might carry on their firing and murdering Projects and when any Mischief broke out the suspected Protestant might next way suffer for it or be brought in question so that if State-Policy shine out into a Favour to Dissenters the Meritorious Loyal Jesuits and Papists shall go Partners with them If State-Inquisitors smell a Fire or Gun powder the suspected Dissenter shall have the odium of it and the Papists appear bold-fac'd as a trusty Loyalist and who dare speak Truth of his untainted Innocence and Greatness 6. These dissembling Jesuits might creep into Couventicles into any of them and do their Work according to their Art exclaim against the rigor of the Laws unmercifulness of the Bishops defame the King and a hundred Mischiefs as many as they could invent seduce and pervert the King's Subjects and be much pleased to hear the aspiring Conformist talk at his highest rate against the Nonconformists and plant his Great Guns against Geneva and bring up more Stories out of the Acts of the Presbyterians than the Acts and Monuments of the Martyrs burnt by the Papists It must needs delight the Papists to hear a zealous Ignorant be-rogue and damn the House-Preachers such as creep into Corners when they durst not shew themselves as undoubted Protestants in the Pulpits And what Advantage the Papists made of our Divisions first and next of this Suppression of learned and able Men they will make a Gain and if the ill Effects of their evil Spirits be not greater than any Evil which the open Meetings can be charged with I 'll say no more but this one thing which shall conclude this Argument and I am sure it deserves a reading and a great deal more from every Loyal Protestant Christian It is the greatest Mischief that can come to our Government and true Religion to give the Papists the least Advantage and Opportunity of carrying on either Conspiracies or false and damnable Doctrines or to do greater Harm than ever they have done and these Advantages and Opporunities they will have by driving the Nononformists into private Houses 1. The old sound pious and excellent Men of the Nonconformists grow few and thin Death lays them up safe from all Evils to come This is so far from being commodious to the Church as it is Christian and Protestant mark I do extend Protestancy beyond Conformity that it is a great Loss without a great Supply for I 'll speak my Conscience in giving them due Honour they were and are constant Students and laborious Residents learned skilful successful and deservedly had in Honour by discerning and honest Men. These were of Loyal Principles and sought Peace with Truth and Purity and as little as they were regarded they were regarded more than most young Men will be a long time The Dissenting Party will walk in their wonted Paths both from their Education Prejudices Principles and Convictions they will hear in Private they must have Preachers their Preachers cannot be in many Places they must have Supplies their Supplies will be young Men. Young Men and bred Scholars will be but comparatively too few and what then It will be a temptation to Men of Confidence to go beyond their Line spiritual Pride will puff them up as Men of Gifts yet the pretence of Wants and conceit of Gifts will endanger many Now now if ever here 's an Opportunity for the Boys of St. Omers who can tell the Tales their Masters teach them to come into England here 's work for them Can they not ly and say they are the Sons of Nonconformists tutor'd under Nonconformists cannot they ly to damn the Souls of Hereticks as confidently as they did to save the Lives of Traitors cannot they pretend they were born and bred in New England To the weaker and credulous Independent that know not Men as their able Ministers do they may say they were brought up by such Independents To the Quakers they may pretend Conversion and come a great way off or give them the Honour of bringing them out of Darkness and so through all And why cannot they make use of the Miseries of our persecuted Brethren in France and speake a little broken English and say they are French Protestants intended for the Ministry or bred in some of their Universities and who can disprove them what cannot a lying young Generation do Preach against Popery in some points to bring it in We read what work one Whitebread did in Meerings of several Perswasions and why not more take the same seducing Trade But when Nonconforming Ministers are known and appear in the open view of the Church and Kingdom they are accountable for what they preach and do and if any secret Conspiracies pernitious Doctrines Atheism Blasphemy are sowed or fomented the Innocent may be known and the Guilty the sooner discovered And thus I have gone thorough my whole Argument and I hope said something aptly to prove my Question That it is better the Execution of the Penal Laws be forborn than urged at this time if not altogether Having stated and I hope offered some considerable Proof of that part of the Question which I have chosen tho furthest out of the Sun of Humane Favour I shall draw another Division of Arguments to guard and maintain it and to turn back the Force that comes out against it If there be any Reason in what hath been offered then I hope I shall meet with some Inclinations in wise and good Men to be perswaded to take that Course which is proved to be the best I am sure wise Men will choose that which is best and good Men will not exercise Severity without urgent Cause and a rational Foresight of Advantage I humbly desire these following Arguments may find due Regard First The Wisest Holiest and most Catholick Governours of the Church have by long Experience
found that Reason Conviction and Calmness have been the winning ways upon scrupulous Persons or else it cannot in Charity be thought that they would come behind others in accomplishing the work of Peace and Uniformity They cannot but know what Destruction without Reformation will follow Excommunications if they proceed to Writs and follow the Course of Law to the uttermost Many of our Ecclesiastical Courts have taken that way and can any of them shew us any one Man converted to Uniformity by it Many have removed from one Country and Diocess to another and wrought themselves out of Trouble or abide in them to this day But can they shew any one Man they have brought over to a sincere and hearty Conformity Their Molestations go nearer the Heart to separate them than to unite them If the Church should for Nonconformity proceed to Sentence and thence to Writs and thence to Execution what way can they take more effectual to disobligle the Nation The Gentleman and Landlord suffers in the ruine and loss of his Tenant the thousands of poor Families that live by Manufactures suffer in the Losses or Removes of their Masters and as many as actually suffer of what Condition soever and their Families and Posterity that suffer in them are made the poorer but never the better Christians they are all disobliged and broken from us Besides they know the charge of their Dissent which is often-times no more than pay your Fees and go home The Officers of Courts get but what doth the Church get thereby It is visible that those parts of the Land have the most for number and the most resolute Nonconformists that have been most severely used The more many Men suffer the more Arguments they gather for the Goodness of the Cause for which they suffer The far greater part of our Church-Governours have abstained from rigorous Courses Now the Civil Magistrates are rowzing up and awake as out of sleep But what 's the Cause of this Excitation The Conservators of the Peace are harnessing themselves for the Defence of Church and State But what fear of the King's Life Is it not the Acclamation of all Protestants is there in this one Dissenter among them Long may the King live Who doth hold up a Finger to shake the Throne or Government or who is there that hath heard of as much as a whisper of any Conspiracy If there be God who seeth in secret reveal it quickly by the Guilty themselves and there is no likelihood of a Concealment if there be such a thing for none but beggarly mad Men can be in it the service then must be done to the Church The Magistrates rise up in Defence of it But doth not the Magistrates Vigilancy reproach the Severity and Sleepiness of the Watchmen how can any that at other times and occasions do not talk with any great Concern Affection or Reverence of the Bishops now be so zealous If the Bishops should proceed with one mind roundly to Excommunications and break up Families by it who would sooner complain than Gentlemen that suffer by it who more earnest or be more complemental in Intercessions But now why should they be so forward to undo great Numbers to the apparent detriment of the Common-wealth when the Bishops are so backward to give them their Friends or their Dependents Trouble What Alterations will the Execution make in Rents and Trade and who will sooner feel the Effects than he who takes his Ease and lives high and cannot bear the fall of his Revenues If the Magistrate appear in his Power when the Church calls for his help it will be duty and self-denial too to take part of the Odium of what is counted a Persecution but to hazard the breaking of many thousands who can in some parts of the Kingdom make a Rise or fall of Commodities and the loss and trouble of abundance more by Participation to their own Dishonour is a greater Kindness to the R. R. Bishops than was expected or can be rewarded with their Blessing Secondly It is more God-like Christian and Humane to use Clemency and follow the Examples of the Indulgent especially when the hurtful Effects of Severity are great and apparent and the Benefit doubtful God is wise just and holy but continues to uphold the World by Mercy Christianity is full of Mercy and the Author of it is a Reconciler and Mediator Human Nature so given to offend would be destroyed but for Love Forbearance and Mercy Mercifulness is like the soft Cement that binds all the Stones in the Fabrick of Human Society which else would never hold together but fall without it With ut it Men are like rugged Stones and Severity doth not square but chop and should never be exercised but when Society cannot be preserved without it If this Age will follow Examples of the most exact and strict Governours it will find more room for Mercy than hath been shewn to them that have been excluded for want of it But if it will set it self for an Example it is a question whether wise Posterity will follow it The High Commission Court was a kind of Inquisition so the wise Lord Treasurer Burleigh wrote to Arch-Bp Whitgift But according tomy simple Judgment said he Fuller's Ch. History B. ix An. 1583. this kind of proceeding is too much savouring the Romish Inquisition And of all Men the Puritans felt the weight of it The Puritans were opposite to the Bishops and their Government and Courts and they made themselves and the Queen their Government and Hers all one what was said or done against them was done against Her Majesty As in Mr. Udal's Examination and Trial is to be seen Pr. Lond. 1643. Can. 4 6 9 11. And the Opposition between the Puritan Discipline and the Episcopal was greater than hath been urged ever since the King's Return If Church-History were silent we may learn frrom the Canons of 1603 what Language was common in those times But now the Controversy is not between the Presbyter and the Bishop but between Bishops acting in a narrow Room and a larger Diocess yet they are not discontent if the King shall honour some as he doth with Lordship nor continue their Revenues The Independents supposed to be Brownists but are not give not the Language of Antichristian to Bishops or our Congregations but look upon us as parts of the Catholick Church The Bishops are Antichurchians as against their Congregational Power but not Antichristian Dr. Owen of Church-Peace c. Dr. Goodwin on the Ephes §. 35. which was the Language of the Brownists but those that were more opposite or hung off were more kindly used Mr. Fox a N. C. held his Prebend of Salisbury Dr. Humphreyes was Dean of Winchester President of Magdalen Colledg and Regius-Professor in Oxford Mr. Tho. Cartwright the Head of the N. C. was at last much favoured by his mighty Antagonist A. B. Whitgift made Master of the Hospital in Warwick