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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90061	The craft and cruelty of the churches adversaries, discovered in a sermon preached at St. Margarets in Westminster, before the Honourable House of Commons assembled in Parliament. Novemb. 5, 1642. By Mathew Newcomen, minister of the Gospell at Dedham in Essex. Published by order of the House of Commons.	Newcomen, Matthew, 1610?-1669.; England and Wales. Parliament.	1643 (1643)	Wing N907; Thomason E128_1; ESTC R18223	52,376	80

for setling true Religion and repressing Popery And as Pilat came upon the Galileans when they were sacrificing and mingled their bloud with their Sacrifices And as the Adversaries heare made account to come upon Nehemiah and his builders and temper their morter with their blouds so did ours plot to come upon our Law makers they shall write no Lawes but in their owne blouds And Oh Lord if this plot had taken What a * That which P. Valderama fables concerning Ignatius his Lodgings indeed would have bin true of these buil●ings Cum pri●●um proposuit apud se militarem vitam abdicare Do nus in quâ tum s●●t ●ota contren u●t par●etes ejus concussa suerant lig●a omnta trabes concre●uerunt Quemad●●dum accidit cum in Mont● aliquo Sulp●u eo ●●neum os a●eritur Flammae exinde erumpere i●cipiunt fic c mille Terrores mille Pavores mille edium inceudia consequu●a fuerint Nu us un qu●n Aetea out ign●us mons paria secit Vesuvius what an Etna had this place bin What an Aceldama what a Golgotha had this Land bin What a Chaos had this Church and State bin how had our Lawes Liberties Religion bin swallowed up in that Fiery gulph and buried in those ashes How would that man of sinne that sonne of perdition have satiated his thirst of blood in the archivements of this Day and have looked upon those piles of mangled dismembred bodies and that horrid face of death such as was never seene before with as much content as Haniball did upon a pit full of the bloud of Men when he cryes out O formosum spectaculum Or Valesus the Asian Proconsul when trampling over the carcasses of 300. Men whom hee had slaine he cryed out O rem regiam Or that Queene who when shee saw some of her Protestant subjects lying dead and stripped upon the Earth cryed our The goodliest tapestry that ever shee beheld Many goodly bloudy sights hath Antichrist glutted his cruell mind with The Funerall piles of England in Queen Maries dayes The Massacre of France The warres of Germany The butcheries of Ireland Goodly sights in the eyes of Antichrist But to have seene a whole Parliament and therein the peace and Religion of a whole Kingdome blowne up in a moment Thuarus writes that the Pope caused the Massacre of Paris to bee painted in his Pallace surely had this Plot succeeded it should have been * For though the plot succeeded not yet F. Garnet had the honour to have his picture set among the reit of Romes Saints in the Iesuites Church at Rome Voluisse sat est Gir. 1. Apol. contra Iesuitas portraied in his Holinesse Chappell or Oratory And how came it to passe that it succeeded not Was there any thing wanting either in the wills or endeavours of our Adversaries No our Adversaries said They shall not know nor see till wee are in the midst of them and slay them Nor did we till that very night that Morning the fatall blow should have been given And then it was not any State vigilancy or prudence but meerely divine providence that brought to light this worke of darkenesse The particular acts of which providence I need not instance you know the Story and all that know it will acknowledge That if ever the arme of GOD were revealed in any deliverance it was in this onely that by all which hath beene spoken our hearts may bee raised to the higher straine of thankfullnesse Let me as I have set before you the subtilty and cruelty of our adversaries in the invention of this Treason present unto you the mercy of God in the prevention of it O how freely did God deliver us from the bloudy intendment of our Adversaries Many Deliverances hath God wrought for our Selves for other Churches for his Church in former times but was there ever any so free as this Esth 4.16 God delivered his Church from the bloudy conspiracie of Haman A worke of astonishing power and mercy But what Prayers what Teares what Fastings and Wrestlings did it cost Esther and Mordecai and the whole Church ere they could obtaine that Deliverance It was a gracious Deliverance GOD wrought for his Infantile Church in rescuing Peter from the hands of Herod but it was wrought by aboundant importunity uncessant Prayer Act. 12.5 Prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto GOD for him But this Deliverance came not upon the wings of our prayers but Gods free mercy wee knew not our danger and therefore could not make Deliverance the subject of our Prayers Masses were said in Rome for the good successe of the Catholicke designe but no Prayers in England for our Deliverance from their Treason and yet wee delivered admirable Mercy A people to be delivered by their God before they seeke Deliverance 2. And delivered so fully You know the Plot was laid for a full destruction to cut off every Person in that Honourable Assembly to blow them all up teare them all in peeces and in and with them the whole Nation But see how fully God prevented their mischievous designe That not a limbe of any one of them was shaken not one bone broken The Deliverance was like that of the three Children in the fiery fornace There was not so much as a haire of their head sindged neither did the fire so much as take hold upon any of their Garments neither was there so much as the sent thereof upon them Like that of Hierusalem from the fury of Senacherib who comming up against the Church full of pride and rage intending nothing but to breake in peeces and destroy saith GOD He shall not come up against this City nor shoot an arrow there So said the LORD to our Adversaries You shall not come up against this Assembly nor fire one corne of Powder nor shed one droppe of bloud there where they intended to have filled all with bloud and fire O admirable Deliverance Hath GOD delivered Germany thus Is Ireland thus delivered O England England The ashes of Germany The bloud of Ireland proclaime thy Deliverance this day glorious in the fulnesse of it 3. And not onely in the fulnesse of our Deliverance but in the confusion of our enemies whom God tooke this day in their owne Pits and snares And the plot they had laid to blow us up did recoyle and blow up themselves God turned it to their owne destruction That which they had designed for the advantage of their Catholike cause and Religion a good cause and a good Religion that must bee advanced by such sinfull devillish wayes hath been the greatest disadvantage to their cause All the streames of Tyber will never wash off that blot of just infamy which this Treason hath fastned on them till Babylon sinke like a Mil stone into the bottome of the Sea it will never be washed off This was the Lords doning This turning the Wheele upon our Adversaries this bringing their mischiefe

greater then in other places of the Kingdom and are like to continue still For though I hope it is not in the purposes of God to destroy England nor to destroy London yet I have thought sometimes The purpose and intent of God hath beene to humble and attenuate London and England For Englands long continued peace had abundantly increased Englands wealth and the abundant creased of Englands wealth had proportionably increased Englands pride The age before us knew not that excesse of bravery in clothes and utensils that we were growne unto And the generation growing up was like to exceed us in both God saw us labour so dangerously of a plethory as his wisdome and love judged it needfull to abate and exhaust our fulnesse at least so much as is super fluous and not matter of subsistence but matter of pride unto us which if we can willingly and chearefully resigne up to the disposall of God we may possibly thereby obtaine and secure our lives Lawes Religion the things that are or should be dearest to us But if we hugge our wealth when God would have us let it goe Take heed we lose not that and all the rest Me thinkes I reade it in the footsteppes of God towards England God hath said I will abate the wealth and pride of England Me thinkes the succession of these three warres within these few yeares which comes not without the speciall providence of that God who ruleth in the kingdomes of men the expences of all which must lye upon England speaks it That the purpose of God is to abate the pride and wealth of England And me thinkes we should say as Mephibosheth did 2 Sam. 19.30 Yea let him take all for as much as my Lord the King is returned againe in peace to his owne house might we but see our Soveraigne Lord the King brought in peace againe to his owne house and to His Houses of Parliament Might we but see the King of Kings upon his holy hill of Zion Christ in his beauty on his Throne The Church reformed truth and peace established let him take all I perswade my selfe every honest heart that is loyall to God to the King to the publicke weale would willingly speake it and seale it did not our adversaries by their crafty insinuations indeavour to divide as much between the Parliament and people as they have done betweene the King and Parliament That would faine perswade the people of this Nation with the Ape in the emblem to cut in under the arme of the tree whereon they sit and plunge themselves into a gulph and sea of misery To this purpose as they have tolde his Majestie so now they tell the people That the Parliament will alter Religion A charge like that of Rabshakeh against Hezekiah and as true When he would perswade the people God would not helpe them because Hezekiah had altered Religion Isaias 36.7 If thou say to me we trust in the Lord our God is it not he whose Altars high places Hezekiah hath taken away sayd to Iudah and Ierusalem you shall worship before this altar Truth is This is all the alteration of Religion the Parliament hath made They have taken away the high places and Altars that they have done intended to proceed to command all worship to be according to the rule of Gods word To say to England you shall worship according to this rule And this is he great crime of altering Religion My brethren be not deceived ●●●e●●tio Perse●riva o●ruptiva As in naturall so in civill and morall things there is a double alteration There is a perfective alteration And there is a corruptive alteration To alter Religion so as to corrupt Religion was the plot and work of the Popish Prelats and their faction To alter their alterations to antiquate their innovations to reduce Religion to its pure originall perfection which cannot be done without alteration of some thing introduced that was the purpose and work of the Parliament and for this it is our adversaries crie against them They will alter Religion I but then the Parliament will alter the government of the Kingdome Yes Just like as they altered Religion As in Religion such alterations as tend Ad perfectionem are not to be condemned So likewise in Polity and civill government Plato tells us That in all Common-wealths upon just grounds there ought to be some changes And that Statesmen therein must beehave themselves like ski●f●●l Musicians Qui artem Musices non mutant sed Musices modum But they do things without his Majesties consent I that is our greif and our adversaries triumph That our adversaries have so farre prevailed upon the heart of our soveraign as to perswade him to with draw first his presence then his assent from the great Councell of his Kingdome And thereby force them Either to do things without the consent of our soveraign Or else do nothing but sit still and expect their owne the Kingdomes ruine And in such a case is it so high acrime to determine things necessary for the safety of King and Kingdome without consent of his Majestie when it cannot be obtained I have read that the Persian Monarches were wont to call the Peers and Presidents of their Provinces to Councell but giving them no freedome nor liberty of Councell For every one of them had 〈◊〉 plate or tile of gold to stand upon in the Councell house and if he gave councell that the King thought well of Kecker Polit. the plate of gold was given him for a reward but if he delivered any thing contrary to the Kings minde Valer. Maxim l. 9. c. 5. Flagris caedebatur And one writes that Xerxes in his expedition against Greece called his Princes together and spake to them to this purpose Least saith he I should seeme to follow only my owne Councell I have assembled you and now do you remember that it becomes you rather to obey then advise Our adversaries would faine have it so with the Peers and Parliament of England and have a long time bin labouring to perswade his Majestie it ought so to be and would make the like impression upon the people now But you my brethren beware of their insinuations and know That they that devide between his Majestie and Parliament or between Parliament and people are the greatest enemies of King people and Parliament This is the first time that ever loyalty to the King was set in opposition to fidelity to the Parliament The first time that ever it was thought possible to draw the English Nation to desert their Parliament under the notion of adhering to their King Oh let not this age beare the date of such infamy Did ever Parliament do more for the Lawes and liberties of the Nation with more danger and detriment to themselves And will you when they have need of you leave them well here is our comfort God hath not left God will not leave his cause 1. Kings 8.57.58.59.60 his work his people 1. Kings 8. The Lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers let him not leave us nor forsake us that he may encline our hearts unto him to walke in all his wayes and to keep his commandements and his Statutes and his Iudgements He even he maintaine the cause of his servants and of his people Israël at all times as the Matter shall require that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is none else FINIS

upon their own heads it was the Lords doings and it is marvellous in our eyes But now as that great King Esther 7. When he read in the records of the Chronicles that Mordecai had discovered a Treason against the King presently enquired What honour and dignity had been done to Mordecai for this So do you You have seene this day a briefe record of that which deserves a larger Chronicle You have seene how the God of Heaven prevented and disappointed a Treason as darke and cruell as Hell intended against the whole State and Kingdome Now your parts it is Honourable and Beloved who representatively are the whole Nation your parts it is to enquire what honour what dignity hath been done to God for this True it is the Parliament then assembled whose the Deliverance more immediately was did ordaine this Anniversary which wee celebrate this Day But besides this what honour what dignity hath been done to God What hath been done for the advancement of his Glory the propagation of his Gospell the repressing of Popery from that Deliverance unto this Day Doe you in your consciences thinke that the bare keeping this deliverance inmemory or an acknowledging of it in our assemblies as at this day is sufficient retribution of dignity and honour to our great deliverer Did not Hezekiah doe as much as this did not hee indite a Song in the praise of that God that had delivered him from the sentence of death You have it Isa 38. to yet is it not said 2 Chron. 32.25 But Hezekiah returned not unto the LORD according to the benefit done unto him Hezekiah returned praise unto the Lord even a Psalme of praise But Hezekiah returned not unto the Lord according to the benefit done unto him Therefore was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Ierusalem May it not be said so of England for all our Anniversaries our Sermons and Songs of praise But England hath not returned unto the Lord according to the benefits done unto them Quid verba andiam facta cum videam Care I saith God for the flattering praises of England when I see the cursed practises of England Have not my purest Truthes been adulterated in England and Romes grossest errours entertained in England and that even since this Deliverance Have not my purest Ordinances beene polluted in England and Romes grossest superstitions practised in England Have not Masses beene openly celebrated with a greater confluence of multitudes to them then to Sermons and Sacraments Have they not published edictes against the Sanctification of my Day Deut. 32.6 but none against the Idolatry of the Masse Have they not without Law against Law persecuted my Ministers my Servants imprisoning them compelling them to voluntary exile while they have neglected to put in execution their owne Lawes against Romish Priests and Iesuites Doe you thus requite the Lord O foolish Nation and unwise Did I deliver you this Day from Romish cruelties that you should deliver up your selves to Romish Superstitions and Idolatry Is this to returne to the LORD according to the benefits hee hath done Arise arise yee Princes of the tribes of England yee members of the honour able houses of Parliament act something this day worthy of your selves worthy of this day worthy of this deliverance worthy of your great deliverer God I perswade my self hath reserved unto you the glory of returning unto him according to this dayes mercy You have begun to do more for the repressing of Popery for the reforming of the Church in doctrine worship discipline then your forefathers have done ever since the first hand was put to the work of reformation Go on in the name of the Lord in the power of his might in the multitudes of his strength Go on to root out not only Popery but all that is Popish Let this day adde something towards the perfection of that work Some such thing I suppose was in the hearts of the honourable Houses when they made choice of this particular day for the assembly of Divines to meet on Why to meet this day if not to deliberate and advise something that might tend to the farther honour of the Authour of this dayes deliverance and the farther confusion of the Authour of this dayes treason the Romish Religion Wel that assembly by the said distempers of these bleeding times is yet suspended I beseech you make this the work of yours and when you returne to your Parliament House again let the first question put to vote this day be Davids Quid retribuam psalm 116. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me Let this be the question and the God of wisdome and grace direct you in your Resolves And what ever God shall reveale to make most for his glory his Churches peace and good the union of the Kingdomes the extirpation of Popery let that be the Crowning Act of this day Scripio Africanus being accused before the Tribunes of the people and the day of his triall falling upon the same moneth and day in which be had some yeares before wonne a great victory over Hanniball in Affrick Iiv 8. c 40. Vpon his first appearance addresses himself to the people in this wise Hoc die Quirites cum Annibale faeliciter pugnatum est c. This day Gentlemen did I fight with Hanniball in Affrick with good successe therefore leaving Law suites I passe directly to the Capitoll to salute the Gods and give them thankes Hoc die Quirites This day Knightes and Gentlemen God himself fought for you against Rome ô do not think it enough that you have come to salute God in his Temple this morning and give him praise but when you returne to your Parliament-House againe letting all other businesses sleep a while in the first place Resolve this question Quid retribuam What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits Application second by way of Information And this I would the rather excite you to Honourable and beloved in our Lord because due thankfulnesse for former deliverances is a happie meanes to procure new God is never weary of delivering a people that studyes thankfulnesse And hath not England hath not the Parliament need of the arme of God to be stretched out againe for their deliverance For have we now no adversaries or have our adversaries changed their natures put of their wo●●ed craft and cruelty forgott their ould note to say They shall not know nor see till we are in the middest of them and slay them and cause the work to cease No certainely Sooner shall the Leopard change his sports or the Ethiopian his skin then our adversaries change their scrafty bloudy dispositions or cease to plot ruine against us till they have utterly ruined themselves by their owne plots Have our adversaries thinke you bin sleeping ever since this powder treason You that have bin now these two yeares wrastling with them you know what their Molitions have bin and in