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cause_n	great_a	know_v	lord_n	3,918	5	3.5901	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A10189	A looking-glasse for all lordly prelates Wherein they may cleerely behold the true divine originall and laudable pedigree, whence they are descended; together with their holy lives and actions laid open in a double parallel, the first, betweene the Divell; the second, betweene the Iewish high-priests, and lordly prelates; and by their double dissimilitude from Christ, and his Apostles.	Prynne, William, 1600-1669.	1636 (1636)	STC 20466; ESTC S121078	71,933	128

suddainely and fearefully from heaven to earth like Liteninge Luke 10. 18. yea the●… with all their vsurped power lordlynes po●…pe State glory and multitude shall forever descend into Hell Isay 5. 14. as to their propper place Acts. 1. 25. 47. The divell is an importunate suitor who will hardly take any refusall or denyall of his suite A diligent so●…icitor and vigilant prosecutor of his designes overslipping no oportunity or meanes to atcheive ●…is ends and an impudent shamelesse miscreant who will never bee shamed daunted terrified by any detection discovery or publique dislike of his mischievous wiles plotts and attempts against the Ministers people O●…dinances Gospell Kingdome of God and Christ as appeares by Iob 1. 13. to 22. c. 2. 1. to 10. Math. 4. 1. to 10. Ephes 6. 11 12 16. 1 Pet 5. 8 9. So the Lordly Prelates are importunate suitors to Princes and others for the advancement preservation of their Hierarcie usurpations Iurisdictions Ceremonies and the suppression of the purity and power of Religion in which they will have no denyall or foyle they are most vigilant diligent and earnest solicitors loosing no 〈◊〉 sp●…ring no cost or paynes or promises to effect any thing that may make for the advancement of their proffit honour power Iurisdiction or suppression of the Puritans as they terme them now as their late encroachments upon his Majesties prerogative the subjects liberties the Common Lawes and other Officers witnesse yea they are impudent shamelesse most audacious brazen-faced creatures who will neither blush at give over nor desist the prosecution of their impious Popish designes though publickely detected to all the world witnesse our present experience For though the execrable Romish ●…esuiticall practises of some of our Lord Prelates to usher in Popery Superstition and Idolatry as by licensing Popish and s●…perstitious Bookes purging and altering the Common Prayer-booke ●…ast-booke and Gun-powder-treason-boo●…e in a most g●…osse and shamelesse that I say not traytorly manner by erecting Altars Images Crucifixes Crosses as the Archbishop of Canterbury the Arch-Irnovator both in Church and State affaires though hee will not bee thus reputed hath erected Altars and Crucifixes in the Chappell 's of Lambeth Croydon London-house Fu●…ham c. The Bishop of Coventry and Litchfield D. Wright this last pestilentiall Sommer blotted out Gods Ten Commandements in the Cathedrall at Litchfield a●…d set up a giont-like monstrous Crucifix as bigge and large as any three men with an Altar under it and also raysed the Chauncell and set up an Altar at Coventry as one Knightly a knowne Popish Priest in those parts directed as that Good-man S. Godfrey of Gloster hath also erected a Crucifix and Altar in his Cathedrall at Gloster and solemnly consecrated Altar-clothes for them And likewise hath set up a new Crosse at ●…inzor with a large glorious Crucifix on the one side and the picture of Christ arising out of his grave with his Body halfe in and halfe out of his Sepulcher in goodly colours on the other not fearing to write thereon in Capitall letters and to give publique notice to all the Realme That this Crosse was repayred and beautified at his costs Anno Domini 1635. contrary to the expresse Doctrine of our Homelies which condemned the very making of the picture of Christ or a Crucifix as Idolatrous wicked and a meere lye to which hee and all other our Crosse erecting Prelates have ofte subscribed and therefore are worthy of no painted but a reall Crosse themselues for tollerating and erecting such Crosses and Crucifixes contrary to their owne subscriptions only to set Popery by silencing suspending and persecuting godly Ministers Suppressing lectures and powerfull preaching in many Diocesse encouraging people to neglect and profane Gods Saboathes with all Heathenish sportes and impieties imposing new visitation O●…thes Articles Ceremonies and the like setting up the Popes Canon law rayling upon godly Ministers and people suppressing them under the name of Puritans Magnifying Popish writings and vilefyinge Protestant Authors endeavoring to bring in the Gregorian account punishing all those that oppose their Romish Innovations or indicte or molest them for it in the high Commission now made a meere Spanish Inquisition to suppresse our Protestant Religion and set Popery with an high hand against his Majesties Lawes and publique declaration and by sundry other such Iesuiticall tricks and stratagemes prescribed long since by the Iesuite Contzen Politiq liber 5. which their Lordships follow to an haires bredth Since some or all these their execrable practises I say at which the very divell himselfe might blush and hide his head have been laid open to all the world of late in such an apparant undeniable manner that all the people both cleerely see declayme against and abhorre their treachery villany and wicked Romish designes and themselves had they any conscience shame ingenuity grace or modesty in them would be ashamed to shew their faces either in citty or countrey Much more at Court having so notoriously abused his Majestie and affronted his Lawes and Declarations in all these particulars and injured his Highnesse in his Royall Issues Sister Nephewes in blotting them out of the Collect late Fast-booke and Catalogue of Gods Elect Yet these audacious holy Fathers as blushlesse as their Gownes their Rochetts or the divell are so farre from being ashamed or reforming these their enormities and impieties that they proceed on with as great or greater rage and violence in them then before silencing more Ministers every day yea breaking open the houses committing close Prisonners and questioning those with an high hand as seditious persons and offendors who dare preach or write against or finde fault with those their perfidious traytorly disloyall impious practises Purgations Innovations Crucifixes Altars Tapers and proceedings execrable both to God and man So like to the Divell are they growne in their affronted shamelesse impudency 48. The divell hath great wrath b●…b●…cause hee knoweth hee hath but a short time Revel 12 13. So have Lord Prelates no●… great wrath and ●…xercise strange unusuall rage persecutions exorbitances against Gods faithfull Ministers and people hunting after them with their blood-hounds the Pursevants and ri●…ing and breaking up their howses Studies Coffers with unheard of violence as if they were the archest Traytors breathing witnesse their late proceedings against Master Burton in clapping him up close prisonner and convicting his wife and Clarke to severall prisons onely for obeying his commands in presenting his Appeales and Sermons to the Lords For God and the King which makes people stand amazed at their tyranny and causeth the Papists to triumph as if the day now were theirs whereas Preists and Iesuites meere Traytors by our lawes are favored of late as their darling Sonnes and not molested by them Therfore doublesse the time of their vsurped tyranny raigne wil be but very short and their sinnes now growne ripe withall for the Sickle of Gods Iudgments the fica●…l ruine of their

antichristian Hierarchie and more then b●…barous tyrannie neere at hand 49. When the great redd Dragon and his Ange●…ls were cast out of heauen Gods Church the heauens and those that dwelt therein by Gods commandments did reioyce Rev. 12. 12. So when those Lordly Prelates and their forenamed Angels shall bee ca●… quite out of the Church of God Shee and all her faithfull members will exceedingly rejoyce they being now her greatest griefe and grievance of which shee is so weary and sicke at heart that shee groanes to bee delivered from unb●…thened of them being now intollerable for her to sustayne Such is their present divellish insolency pride and open tyrannie especially of that Arch-wolfe and madde red Dragon of Canterbury who now makes open havocke of Gods Church and Ministers like another furious power against all Lawes of God the Realme to the amazement of the people 50. Hell and everlasting torments are prepated for the divell and his Angels reserved now in chaines of darknesse ●…nto the Iudgment of the great day when they shall be all cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for ever Math. 25. 41. 2 Pet. 2. 4. Iude 6. Revel 20. 20. So are they prepared likewise for all proud Lordly persecuting unpreaching oppressing tyrannizing Prelates who suppresse the preaching and progresse of the Gospell with the Preachers Ministers and Professors of it and hate them to the death And if there be any place or torments in Hell hotter deeper greater or mo●…e insupportable ●…orrid and loathsome then other certainly that shall bee reserved for these ungodly Lord Bishops and false Prophets who shall have the same condemnation and torments in●…icted on them as the divell himselfe shall vndergoe 1. Tim. 3. 6 7. Rev. 20. 10. O that our proud persecuting Lording Prelates would now at last consider this o that they would repent and amend in time before they fall downe headlong quick into Hell Some of them as their late actions manifest to all the world being growne as insolent as impudent as desperate professed publique enemies to purity piety holynes the syncere preaching and Preachers of Gods word and power of Religion as the very divell himselfe and some of them I ●…eare worse then any divells For first all the divells beleeve Gods threats word Iudgments and tremble at them Iames. 2. 19. but they as their atheisticall vnjust vnconscionable tyranicall lives and actions proclayme to all men doe neither beleeue nor tremble at them 2. The divell confessed Paule his fellow preachers to be the servants of the most high God which shew unto us the way of saluation Acts. 16. 16 17 18. Lordly Prelates will not confesse our godliest faithfullest Preaching Ministers to be such witnesse there expung of the Collect in the last fast-booke begining thus It had beene good for us c. Only because it magnifieth often preaching and call such preachers Gods servants 3. The divell is exceeding diligent night and day but Lordly Prelates very lasie negligent in following of their spirituall Plough as B. Latimer shewes at large in his Sermon of the Plough so in those three respects are worse then hee When as they are parallels and checkmates with him in all and every of these 50. Particulars From all which I shall frame this Argument discovering the office and calling of Lordly Bishops and Prelates not to be from God nor of divine institution but from the Divell and his invention which I challenge all great Lord Bishops to answer if they can Those who are altogether like the very Divell tread in his footsteps doe his workes and bring forth his propper fruits in all the forecited particulars and that principally by reason of their function those questionlesse are none of Gods institution but of their Fathers the Divell of and from whom they are Christ himselfe so expressely resolving Iohn 8. 44. 1 Iohn 3. 8. Math 7. 16. 20. Such have Lordly domineering Pontificiall Bishops and Prelates in all ages beene and that principally by reason of their Lordly functions as the premises all Stories and experience manifest Therefore they and their Lordly function are none of Gods institution but of their father the divells of and from whom they are Yet mistake me not I pray as if I concluded every Bishop to bee like the divell in all these particulars or to bee damned Such uncharitablenesse and impiety bee farre from me and all good Christians I know some Bishops have beene godly men and Gods deere Saints I doubt not but there are some few such now though their cowardise and silence in Gods cause in which they now dare not publikely appeare bee inexcusable 1. But yet this I say withall First that they were such before they were made Lord Bishops 2. That their Bishoprickes never made any of them better or more laborious or couragious sor the truth then before but many of them far worse fearefuller and lasier 3. That since Bishopricks were endowed with Lordly riches Iurisdiction power and pompe I never read of any one man that was ill before who grew a good and godly Christian by being made such a Bishop a thing remarkable nor of any good man before that ever grew better more painefull hol●… zealous heavenly minded and laborious but most of them al much ●…orse more idle worldly covetous proud luxurious malicious oppressive petulant selfe-willed and unjust 4. That most Lordly Prelates especially those who have beene most pontificiall powerfull Lordly domineering active and stirring in the Church and state have in all ages since they were made Lords Peeres and B●…rons beene like the divell in all or most of the forecited particulars and if any proved good or became not such it was only from the overruling sanctifying grace of Gods spirit in their hearts before and after they were made Lord Prelates not from this very Lordly office pompe power and function it selfe which otherwise would have made them such as it hath made most other Popes and Prelates as all sto●…ies evidence 5. Finally I affirme that if to bee a Lord Bishop bee such a thing onely as many now define and make it Namely to manage temporall offices and state-affaires to give over preaching except one Leuten Court-Sermon in a yeare or two not in their proper Dioc sse to their people to follow and hunt the Kings Court to get and dispose o●… Ecclesiasticall and so 〈◊〉 civil osfices and preferments to suppresse Lectures Lecturers and often preaching of Gods Word Suspend excommunicate persecute imprison deprive godly Ministers and Professors for toyes and trifles yea for their zeale and piety against all Lawes of God and man to consecrate Chappels Churches set up Crucifixes Altars Tapers Crosses Organs Images ●…oyle in Communion-tables Alta●…wise set up Superstition Popery and Idolatry License Popish and Armenian Bookes Corrupt and purge the Common-Prayer-Booke the Gunpowder treason Booke the Fast Booke yea the Articles of Religion ad normam Romanae fidei

to make and impose new visitation Oathes Articles 〈◊〉 Orders Innovations to make Mini●…ers Churchward●…ns 〈◊〉 to keepe visitations and Consistories without any Patent or Commission from his Majestie in their owne names and rights alone to graunt out Citations Proces Excommunications Probate of wills Commissions of administration c. in their owne names under their owne Seales not his Majesties to fine imprison censure and 〈◊〉 his Majesties good Subjects c. their fellow brethren at their pleasures to bee coached and barged up and downe from place to place I am sure seldome to the pulpit to bee courted capped attended cloathed like petty Kings and Princes to fare deliciously every day to have stately Pallaces great possessions Knights and brave Gentlemen to attend them Lords and Earles to crowch unto them all to feare them flatter them none to rebuke oppose or control them no not in their oppressing and unjust courses to bolster out their encroachments upon the Kings Prerogative and Lawes and on his Subjects Liberties with might threats and violence to tramp●…e all Lawes of God and man under foot and doe all things by will power not Law or Canon to bee implacable unmercifull pittilesse proud stately cruell to shake up terrifie and b●…ow-beate imprison Excommunicate deprive degrade presents their fellow-brethren and eate them like their Curres to set forward all profanenesse disorders sports and E●…hnicke pastimes even on Gods own day and make no conscience of it to doe all things like absolute Law-givers Lords Popes and Monarks or rather professed Atheists fearing neither God ●…or man and breaking all their lawes to bolster up base drinke idle scandalous clergie men exempting them fro●… secular power jurisdiction to maintaine their Officers in 〈◊〉 open exortions oppressions abuses exhorbitant misdemeanor the like Which is now only to be and play the Bishop in point of Doctrine and practise Then thus to bee and act the Bi●…hop is in truth to 〈◊〉 and play the very divell and to parallell him in all forecited respects let those who are such Lordly Prelates deny it if they can or dare The second Parallel BETWEENE THE IEWISH HIGH PRIESTS And Lordly Prelates AS Lordly Prelates resemble their Father the divell in all the forenamed particulars so doe they the Iewish high Priests in these ensuing Particulars 1. The high Priests of the Iewes were ordained of men to offer gifts and sacrifizes on the Altar Heb. 8 3. Exod. 40. Levit. 1. to 22. So our high Priests the Lord Prelates are and will bee ordayned and also ordaine others high Priests for this end to offer Sacrifices and gifts at their new erected Altars not to preach the end why they every where erect advance consecrate and bow downe to Altars which now want nothing but a Masse to grace them withall 2. The Iewish high Priests had their Miters and brave costly pontificall Robes ornaments and attires whereby they were differenced from other men Exod. 31. 1. to 32. c. 28 2. to 43. So have the Lordly Prelates and that in imitation of the Iewish high Priests from whence they derive them 3. The Iewish high Priests went but once a yeare into the second Tabernacle to offer for the people Heb. 9. 7. And our Lordly high Priests commonly goe but once a yeare and many of them scarce once in 3. or 4. yeares witnesse both our present Arch-prelates some other unpreaching Bishops examples into the Pulpit to preach unto the people or to offer sacrifice on the Altar 4. The Iewish high Priests commanded the Apostles not preach any more in the name of the Lord Iesus to the people that they might be saved and apprehended imprisoned and scourged them for do●…ng it Acts 4 5. 1 Thess. 2. 16. Our Lordly Prelates heretofore and at this very day silence and suspend our best our painfullest Ministers from preaching Gods Word unto their people that they may bee saved though God the King the Books of Ordination and Statutes of the Realme enjoyne them for to doe it and threaten to apprehend imprison and fine them if they preach contrary to their suspensions as the Apostles did Who in despite of all the high Priests threats inibitions imprisonments stripes three times one after another Daily in the Temple and in every howse which now would bee a Conventicle ceased not to teach and preach Iesus Christ Acts 5. 41 42. And so would and should our Ministers now silenced against Law and Canon too were they true successors of the Apostles and not intoxic●…ted with a base unworthy spirit of carnall feare and cowardize which makes them betray their liberties Religion Flocks Brethren to the will and rapine of these beastly ravening Lordly Wolves 5. The Iewish high Priest granted out warrants or letters missive to Saul brea●…hing out threatnings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord that if hee found any of this way whether they were men or women hee might bring them bound to Ierus●…em Acts 〈◊〉 2. Lordly Prelates heretofore and now grant the like letters missiue warrants and Attachments to their Pursuivants and other malicious wicked Informers that breath out threatnings and slaughter against the Lords disciples against divers godly Ministers Christians and all such as they please to stile Puritans and Cowventicklers wheither men o●… women to breaks open and ransacks their houses take their bodies bring them up Prisonners to London Ye k●… or Durham before their Lordships holynesses to fine censure deprive imprison and undoe them though Christ his Apostles and the primitive Bishops never claymed or exercised any such Lordly secular tyranny or Iurisdiction but condemned it as unlawfull and unbeseeming Clergie-men 6. The Iewish high-Priest Ananias when Paul was convented before the Counsell and beganne to make his Apologie and plead his owne cause commanded them that stood by to smite him on the mouth and would not suffer him to speake in his owne defence Acts 33. 1 2. Thus doe our Lord Prelates deale with Gods Ministers when they come before them in the High Commission or elsewhere they will not suffer them to speake in their owne defence or pleade their owne causes to the full but when they offer to speake enjoyne them silence or else commaund the Pursevant or Iaylour to smite them on the mouth or take them away to the Prison So imperious are their Lordships growne Take but one fresh memorables instance insteed of many others One M. Snelling a graue Kentish Minister was suspended ab Officio Beneficio about a veare and halfe since by D. Wood commissary to the Bishop of Rochester and after that excommunicated pursuiuanted and articled against before the High Commissioners at Lambet●… only for not reading the Declaration for sports fathered falsely upon his Majesty by the Prelates To which Articles hee drawing up a full answer shewing the reasons both in point of law and conscience why hee conceived himselfe not bound to read it and so not culpable of any crime the

Register refused to accept or receive his Answer though tendred to him in writing saying it was too long and hee durst not take it Hereupon hee contracted it into lesse then a sheet of paper and tendred it to him as his answer He refused it the second time and though he thus tendred his answer yet an Attactment issued out against him for not answering The conclusion was hee must put in onely such an answer as the Register should prescribe without any justification or defence or mention of the reasons why hee refused to read the Booke telling him that he might and should put in his reasons in court by way of defence Whereupon he gave in a short answer without any defence at all in a manner which comming to bee repeated before one of the Commissioners the Register and hee dashed out of his very answer against all Law and Iustice what they pleased which M. Snelling perceiuing professed hee would not acknowledged for his answer none of his but their owne making vet notwithstanding this answer must stand as his This Hilary tearme hee tenders his defence the Register and Court at Informations refused to accept thereof telling him 〈◊〉 came too l●…te though before the cause informed against At Lambeth he tendred his defence in Court the Archbishop referre the consideration of it to Sir Nathaniell Brent and D. Guyn whether it were fit to bee received only he told them he would have no dispute of the point which is all one as if his Grace had said I will have no defence at all This the event hath manifested For hee tendering his defence to these Referres they refuse to receive or allow thereof telling him that the King the Archbishop have decreed that the Booke shall and must be read and therefore hee must submit and read it and they can allow of no Defence against it That the Archbishop hath decreed it shall be read I believe it without an Oath but that his Majestie hath made any such Dec●…ee they must give me and all others leave to demurre to it till they shall be able to produce such a Decree as this under his Majesties great seale which will be ad Grecas Calendas loe here the desperate impiety and injustice of our Prelates parallell to that of Ananias when hee commanded Paul to be smitten on the face as ●…ee began to make his Defence For first they will make and prejudge the not reading of this forged declaration an heinous off●…ce though there be no law canon or precept at all for the reading of it nor any clause at all that it should be read much lesse by the Minister nor any power given them so much as to question much lesse to suspend excommunicate fine or cenfure any who refuse to read i●… When as the great question is whether it be an offence at all but this must not be disputed What now is this but to prejudicate and not judge mens causes 2. No answer must bee given or received but what themselves shall make and allow and alter at their pleasures Is not this pretty iustice Who then shall bee innocent 3. When the answer is in no defence must be made or accepted If so then the most innocent man in the world may bee condemned What no defence made Christ himselfe had liberty to make his defence before Pilate an Heathen Iudge Paul the like liberty before Felix Festus and Agrippa ●…eere Pagan Infidell Magistrates Yea the veryest Traytors and Rebels in the world have liberty in all Courts of justice to make their defence and pleade the best they can for themselves yet this godly grave Minister cmming for such a grand crime as this before our Lordly Prelates must make no defence at all O divell o Iewish High Priests blush at this impudency impiety and injustice of these your sonnes and successors A drunkard an Adulterer a Symoniacke any incarnate divell may put in what answer and defence he please before them but this grave Minister every way unspotted in his life and doctrine must not doe it because they haue decreed before hand to condemne him Is not this right high Priests justic●… 7. This Iewish high Priest ●…te to judge Paul after the law and commanded him to be smitten contrary to the Law Acts 2●… 3. So our Lordly Prelates in their Consistories Visitations and Commissions sit to judge Ministers and others his Majesties Subjects according to the Law and yet imprison fine excommunicate suspend deprive degrade teare fleece and judge them for the most part contrary both to the Lawes of God the Realme and their owne Canons as thousends of Presidents evidence of late 8. The Iewish high Preist by Tertullus his Orator accused St. Paule before Felix the Governour for a P●…stilent fellow a mover of sedition among all the Iewes throughout the world and a ring-leader of the Sect of the Nazarens Acts 24. 1. Io●… The selfe same accusation haue the Lord Prelates laid to our Ministers charge in former ages and to our zealous godly Ministers and Preachers now adayes accufing them to the King and his Counsell and persecuting yea suspending imprisoning them every where as pestilent factious sedicious persons and ringleaders of Sects and Schisme as many late examples and some now in agitation evidence 9. The Iewish his Preists informed Festus the Governour against Paule and desired favour against him that he would send for him to Ierusalem that there they might judge him themselves according to their owne law or else murther him by the way Acts. 25. 23. c. 24. 6. Our Lordly Prelates Especially his Archgrace of Canterbury and other our Cant Bishops doe the like informing the King or temporall Majestrates against godly Ministers and people and desiring not Iustice but favour against them that they would sent for them into their owne Courts or High-Commissions or not suffer them to appeale or be released thence by Prohibitions o●… other meanes that so they might judge them after their owne law and wills and be both enemies parties delinquents and Iudges in their owne cause contrary to all reason Iustice equity and law both of God and man of which we have manylate memorable Instances and one thing verie observable that they have caused his clause derogatory to his Majesties royall Iustice and supremacy to make themselves absolute supreme Kings and Iudges that there shal be no Appeale or Provocation allowed or admitted from the high Commission●…rs to be inserted into their last Commission A strange clause to tie up his Majesties hands and soveraigne Iustice from being able to releive his oppressed or injured subjects be their causes never so good their Iudges their censures never so parciall mali●…ious exorbitant or vnjust 10. Saul by authority received from the Iewish chiefe Preists shut up many of the Saints in Prison and persecuted them even unto strange Cit●…es Acts. 26. 10. 11. 12. Our Lordly Prelates Pursevants Catchpoles creatures and vermine by like