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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	king_n	law_n	lord_n	4,135	5	3.8427	3	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13111	The looking-glasse of schisme wherein by a briefe and true narration of the execrable murders, done by Enoch ap Evan, a downe-right separatist, on the bodies of his mother and brother, with the cause mooving him thereunto, the disobedience of that sect, against royall majesty, and the lawes of our Church is plainly set forth. By Peter Studley, Master of Arts, and minister of Gods Word, in Shrevvsbury.	Studley, Peter, 1587 or 8-1648.	1634 (1634)	STC 23403; ESTC S117932	73,005	313

their furious cruelty For at the discovery of this I had long aimed but could never with arguments or entreaties obtaine at his hands And I am of opinion from his resolution of contumacie in the concealement hereof that for the security of that party by whom he was inveigled and deceived therein he had either by secret compact or by an act of his owne desperate will imposed on himselfe an oath of secresie for he answered me that day as hee had often done before and continued in that obstinacie to his death that not from man but from GOD he had received those conceits which I knew to be as false as I know it to be true that mine owne soule is living within me For how could it possibly happen that an unlearned Rusticke shall fall so directly upon the Controversies of our Church in Discipline and Ceremonies without a schismatical guide to informe and perswade him and thereby to ruine and undo him And to the soule of that Minister or Lay person I speak who is yet living and conscious to himselfe that by his perswasions or directions this man became seduced in opinion and thereby insnared by Satan thus to scandalize the Church of GOD and hazard the state of his own soule for ever let him repent of his wickednesse and reforme his owne judgement therein lest the justice of GOD for his close hypocrifie leave him under the raigne of his own carnall will utterly devoid of His gracious Spirit For it is no new or unknowne thing in this Kingdome for Ministers of that stampe to lay violent hands upon their owne persons and in the agony of their soules by torment of wounded consciences to fore-doe themselves For not above two yeares ago both in the Imperial City of London and in other parts of this Kingdome divers of that sect have shortned their owne dayes oppressed with the vexation of confounded spirits which justifies that old prover be Omne quod rutilat non est aurum Every thing that glitters is not gold 31 For it is well knowne in this County of ours that a Minister of that sect neglecting the duties of so sacred a calling and for his opinions sake applying himselfe to a secular vocation in teaching a Grammar schoole did in the day time as he walkt in the schoole in a passion of secret distemper in his heart Deprive himselfe of his Virility violating thereby the workes of GOD and Nature and Origen-like castrated himselfe though not for the kingdom of heaven Which shewes that Gods Spirit is not alwayes present in those mens hearts to guide them who violate their loyalty to their Prince by renting the unity of the Churches peace This man being two years before this fact of his convented before a grave and learned Official in the Diocesse of Hereford for his Non-conformity the reverend Gentleman as he told me himselfe offred him all the courtesie and kindnesse that might be hoping by moderation of proceeding and wise perswasions to correct his errours reforme his judgement rectifie his irregularities and winne him to obedience But the frowardnesse of this man fast bound to his owne fancies neglected and sleighted the Gentlemans kindnesse So that after much parley and many passages and crosse bouts of opposition betweene them the learned and prudent Gentleman finding him rather obstinate in his will by being strongly conceited of his owne opinions than judiciously grounded with weight of arguments to support his vaine cause asked him this plaine and familiar question What if your Governours should require you to sit or stand in the act of receiving the Communion would you then doe He replyed peremptorily Then would I kneele Which answer plainly imports that not tendernesse of conscience as many pretend but pride and stubbornesse of will in refusing subjection to their Superiours is the true and the onely cause of their disobedience to the Majesty of our King the annointed of the LORD and to the equitie of his lawes and is also that pernicious foment and oyle of selfe-will which nourisheth the flame of Schisme and faction and maintaineth the breach of our peace and unity of heart 32 There was also a Lay-man in Tewxbury in the County of Glocester who was a strict austere and rigid Puritane of a Mechanical vocation and this man being chosen fourteene years before his death Church-warden of his Parish did then in his first time of office take downe a crosse of stone built in the Church-yard of that Parish and which had continued there time out of minde And this he did of a proud contempt of all ancient Monuments of that nature The stones of the said crosse hee placed loose under the Church-wall where they continued by the space of fourteene yeares free from injury or rapine for it seemes the people of the Neighbourhood made conscience of sacriledge It pleased GOD that the two next children which his wife brought into the world proved dease lame and deformed by monstrosity of body as by good report I have beene told and so continue to this very day The father of these children never once suspecting that the hand of Divine correction was laid upon his family for his own disobedience to his Prince and Governours or for his violation and defacing of the ancient Monuments of other mens devotion persists stil in his former opinions of schismaticall disobedience without any correction or reformation of himselfe For it may be he had either by himselfe observed or by relation from others had heard it confirmed that the children of other men had miscarried in their understandings their senses and bodily shapes and were exposed to the world for Ludibria Naturae as well as his And attributing these things to secondary canses and errours in naturall operations frequent in the world he never look't up to the hard of Heaven but still pleased himselfe in his irregular courses And being fourteene yeares after his first election chosen againe Church-warden of the same Parish he tooke the stones of the former defaced and demolished crosse which lay look under the Church-wall and by cementing them together and hewing a hollow gutter in them converts them to a swine trough for his owne use But the first meat which his swine di●eate out of that stone trough drove them instantly into raging madnesse whereof they dyed This man now seeing what had befallen unto him in his swine which in his children he slightly passed over he began to reflect upon his former and later facts and discovering by the terrible testimonies of Gods wrath the naughtinesse of his owne wicked heart in so contemptuously abusing things once dedicated to conserve the memoriall of our LORD His Passion for our redemption overcome with the gripes pangs and tormenting terrours of a wounded soule he leap't into a draw-well in the court of his neighbour and was taken up brui●ed and drowned By reason of this exemplary vengeance 〈…〉 That whereas this sect of men is uncharitably 〈…〉 of the

bosomes the Iustice and Equity of the Kings cause now taken in hand by impressions of sensible feare making them to tremble at the mention of Humane Authority as it is the execution of divine power for Temporall government For were their persons as cleare and innocent as they pretend by ostentation of the uprightnesse of their consciences in the cause of GOD or their judgements right and sound in that they hold with dissent from their wise superiours or their cause it selfe a matter of importance wherein the Honour or Dishonour of GOD stands Interessed and Ingaged surely then the LORD would fortifie and adde spiritual vigour to their masculine and high spirits and not suffer them to shrinke under the practice of Humane power urged for their correction and amendment And let me further certifie this irregular generation that if their fancies had been of GOD and decreed for His fetled ordinance It had not received such a wound as of late it hath done by the hand of Princely power which already hath made their building to nod and totter and incline to subversion For the Argument of Gamaliel uttered by the present inspiration of GOD'S Spirit is invincible Act. 5.39 Mans power cannot overthrow that which is of GOD which impregnable and sacred Truth I will demonstrate in this syllogisticall processe Whatsoever is of GOD decreed for continuance and propagation Major can neither bee dissolved by Humane power nor weakened and abated This Novell Toy of resisting authority Minor is by Humane power weakened and abated and drawes on to dissolution Therefore it is not of GOD by ordinance for Propagation Conclusio The whole force of this Argument so clear and conclusive is drawne from the practice of GOD Himselfe in the Primitive infancie of the Christian Church when the Roman Tyrants mighty in power and extention of authority over most parts of the habitable earth raged against the glory of our LORD IESUS CHRIST in the lustre of His Gospell and vowed the extinction of His Name and memory but the more their fury increased and insulted over the poore sheepe of CHRIST daily dragged unto slaughter by Martyrdome the more they found to the check of their infidell pride and immanity that Sanguis Martyrum erat semen Ecclesiae The bloud of Martyrs was the springing seed of the Church both for the increase of the number of professors and dilatation of the glory and power of our SAVIOUR If any shal reply unto mee that Humane power may for a time suppresse the outward growth and spreading of this disobedience to our King and his Lawes yet for as much as they are godly forsooth and doe it for conscience sake their practice will still retaine spirituall heat and vigorous warmth in the root and secret heart thereof and thereby sprout out againe and declare it selfe to bee of the LORD'S plantation To these men I reply no more but thus That I wish all such persons to suspend their owne rash and sinister perswasions for a time and to expect the event of the LORD'S will therein which in doubtfull cases is never knowne but by the sensible and apparent manifestation thereof 51 Now for this firy fancie and exquisite fascination of our Non-conformity I will freely and openly deliver my opinion thereof and that is this That when she was in her greatest ruffe and glory deckt with all the plumes of her pride and best acceptation which ever she had in this Kingdome I conceive of her that then even then she was no more but meretrix cerussata a whited painted and artificially coloured strumpet exposing her selfe to her most profitable wooers and entertainers But now that by time and age shee is become Rugosa cadaverosa wrinckled and decayed shee goes on I hope to her grave with infamie and dishonour The reason of my opinion is this I suppose that if her stoutest champions who have long with the secret increase of their private estates supported her glory could now come off fairely from her without detriment to their livelihood and eclipse of the brightnesse of their former reputation for Piety and Sincerity That then not one of them would either depart this Land or endure to bee silenced and restrained from preaching but being shut up in a strait by reflecting on their owne hearts and calling to minde what high and transcendent prayses they have in corners given to this their fancie the engine and instrument of all their delusions and the artificial and fine-wrought key whereby they have opened the Closets and Cabinets of their deare and privat friends if now they should shrinke from it they overthrow for ever the reputation of their integrity And therefore having within their owne bosomes a troublesome conflict betweene their hearts puffed up with the remembrance of their late glory and deare esteeme among their friends and their consciences now secretly prompting them that the grounds of their Schisme were things light triviall and of no moment The pride of their hearts beares downe with strong power the plea of their consciences and makes them resolve rather to endure a silencing with hope to retaine the under-hand benevolences of their tender hearted friends than to supplant the pleasing contentments they have received to themselves in appropriating to themselves the words of GOD's Spirit Prov. 12.26 The righteous man is more excellent than his neighbour But let such men call to minde the judgements of GOD's wrath against that slothfull person Matt. 25.30 Who wrapped up his Talent in a Napkin and hid it in the earth For if Saint Paul could say in the case of planting of Churches 1 Cor. 9.16 Necessitie is laid upon mee yea woe is mee if I preach not the Gospell I cannot yet understand nor themselves neither of any dispensation or relaxation that Ministers have in these dayes to sit idle at home in vayne speculations and to neglect the Watering of those Churches and feeding of those flockes which by other mens labours have beene prepared and made ready to their Ministry Yet this liberty to please themselves by voluntary or imposed silence and the Iustice and Aequitie thereof on their parts in submitting to so sharpe a censure is still by them constantly assevered And thereby they strive to uphold the good conceits which their friends have of the puritie of their consciences and of the Iniquity Idolatry and Prophanenesse of those Antichristian Ceremonies which are urged against them for better termes or Titles they know right well they never afford them And this is the true cause why I was so bold and plaine with them as to tearme their practice of Non-conformity by the odious name of a Painted Strumpet because a learned Philosopher describing the Arts and subtilties of such wanton and uncleane persons sayes of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As Strumpets wish all sorts of happinesse may befail their lovers except understanding and wisdome to discover their own wickednes so doe flatterers

of selfe pleasing purity in matters of religion for there is no man so devoid of reason but he will freely grant and confesse that it had beene a fairer answer for Enoch to have made to my Brethren of the Ministrie and to my selfe if truth might have justified it that under the violent invasion of some raigning and unresistable passion to which hee had beene formerly accustomed he committed these facts then to cast them upon prepensed cogitation deliberate malice resolved purpose watching opportunity for the execution thereof And all these to spring and arise from the inward boiling ●● wrath in his rancorous heart conceived onely in matters ●● Church-ceremonies And he● though I name facts in the Dual number I desire all Re●ders to know and to take ●●tice therof that the death of brother only was by recognition contrived in his hear● without any intention harme at all to the person his mother though filial lo●● and reverence naturally ●●● from him unto her was whe●●ly dried up and extinct in ●●● soule For I asked him th● question whether he intende the same death to his mother by contrivance plot wh●● he resolvedly purposed to the person of his brother He answered mee and I conceive he gave me the truth therein that all his wrath as farre as malice and rage were adjoyned thereto was levelly and solely directed to the person of his brother without any reference at that time to his mother for had shee not come into the roome when the rage was upon him he had not gone forth to seeke for her But the unhappily rushing hastily upon him before his fury was rebated his distemper allayed and his affections better composed with the eye of reason to look into what hee had done hee strucke at her and slew her as is formerly related 24 Vpon the fifteenth day of Iuly I had occasion to rid● from Shrewsbury to Eccleshall to see the most Reverend Father in GOD the Lord Bisho● of our Diocesse newly place● in government over us and to make my selfe knowne un●● his Lordship And at that time the infamous rumours of these accursed and loud-crying murders were quicke and fresh in all mens mouths His Lordship askt me thereof in the presence of an eminent Knight of our County Sir Richard Newport whether such a murdere● were now in our Gaole and whether I had seene him and conferred with him To whom I related what passages in these matters were the knowne unto me And being further required by his Lordship to lay down in writing under mine owne hand and subscription of my name the truth of such particulars as I had received from the Prisoner his owne mouth I truly and faithfully performed the same and left in writing with his Lordship according to his appointment 25 After my returne from this most Reverend Father the next time that I vifited Enoch I found that some persons affected to Non-conformity had beene tampering with him and had very politikely brought him from his former confessions to mee of the onely cause moving him to these murders perswading him that it would be infinitely to his own discredit and to the reproch of the professours of the Gospel wh●● truly affected religion if such a bloudy crime could truely be charged upon him in reference to his dislike of Church ceremonies The inconstant heart o● this light fellow more sensible of personall infamie than of the feare of GOD by confirmation● of truth began to shift shrink away from his former reports And yet for all their perswasions and workings therein such was the over-ruling hand of GOD's power and providence over him that still he persisted in affirming that never any cause of variance fell betweene him and his brother in all their life-time but only difference in opinion touching the Gesture at the Communion yet he began to wave the matter and to qualifie the rigour and acrimony of his former termes not yeelding that hee slew his brother onely because of his kneeling And with this answer being a senselesse mitigation of his former true report and containing in it Contradictionem in adjecto as Logitians speake a contradiction in the report it selfe hee greatly pleased both his blinded selfe and deluded perswaders And herein they who are commonly called Puritanes much insulted and gloried in this subtile peece of their owne dishonest policie that they had foiled Mr. Studley the knowne Antipuritane of the County But now to check this master-peece of their subtill art by making sensible and palpable the errour and absurdity contained therein I will propose to their second thoughts and more p●●dent considerations these ●●●● friendly and familiar Arg●ments By the light and conviction whereof undoubtedly they will become sensible o● their owne foolish errour a●● let goe their hold 26 First the Apostle ha● told us of Enoch's elder brother called Cain in these word● l 1 Iohn 3.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cain was 〈◊〉 that wicked one and slew 〈◊〉 brother And wherefore sle●● hee him Because his own workes were evill and his brothers good Here the conj●ction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is causall as the lea●ned know and referres us to the sole and totall cause and not in part assignes the cause why Cain slew his brother Because Abel was a righteous man and the LORD approved his sacrifice and Cain a wicked man and the LORD rejected his sacrifice therefore and onely therefore the wicked man slew the righteous And if they please to examine deliberately every small circumstance of this matter recorded in the fourth of Genesis they shal find that Cains d jection of countenance and his inward wrath towards his brother arose from this cause and Only this cause that the LORD approved of the faithfull sacrifice of Abel and contemned his owne hypocriticall offring So that if any man shall pretend another cause over and besides this which moved and inflamed Cains wrath to the murder of his brother Abel he shall thereby wilfully deceive his owne soule although the word Only be not found in the whole contexture of that historical Narration A better conclusion therefore naturally flowing from the words of the Apostle because expresly contained in the words is this As Cain murdring of his brother was from the instinct of the Divell in his wicked heart onely because the LORD approved his sacrifice So the murthering of Iohn ap Evan by Enoch his elder brother proceeded from the same satanical instinct and impression of rage into his wicked heart only because he kneeled at the sacred Communion And this is all that politike se●● hath got by denying this word Onely in the cause of this late murder And then by true consequence it may be justly concluded that Satan hath instigated a Non-conformist to as unnaturall and bloudy a fact as ever was committed 27 My second Argument is this Enoch ap Evan slayes his brother either for this cause onely that Iohn would kneele at the Communion or for some

z Iob 34.18 Is it fit to say to a King thou art wicked c. If the lawes whose rigour life and authority flow immediately from Kings and Princes in their Dominions bee in their Nature wicked as they are Lawes certainely the Princes themselves who enact or authorize those lawes in the censure and judgement of those men who vilifie the same lawes by refusing to obey them cannot be good So that let them turne themselves which way they will they are taken in a snare woven from the cleare sense of the sacred Scripture For either they curse the King in his lawes or they judge not his Person to be righteous from whom unjust and unrighteous lawes doe proceede and are imposed by command For they cannot possibly affirme the King to bee righteous nor his lawes to bee righteous when they refuse to give obedience both to the one and to the other I know they will reply that they love and honour the King but that they like not his lawes And I answere them againe it is impossible to love and honour the King and to dislike his lawes for the lawes are the Spirit and life of the King as he is Supreame head over his people securing the royalty of his Princely State and sweetly attracting his subjects to cheerfull obedience For therefore doe the subjects honour reverence and love the person of the King because of the righteousnesse and equity of his laws whereby they are governed in tranquillity and peace And on the contrary no man living in the world doth naturally freely sweetly love the person of a Tyrant because he rules by the rage of his affections and the strong hand of power and not by the peaceable rule of Iustice and approved lawes So that the true and cordiall love of subjects to their King ariseth in them not onely from relation of superiority in his person and inferiority in theirs but much more fervently and firmely from his pious care in constituting good lawes for the regiment of his people in honour wealth peace and libertie free from the vassallage of oppressing subjection 44 Vnder the light and law of nature the very Heathens illuminated and endued with some acts of inspiration from GOD to quicken the principles of native light in their own soules have with more veneration and reverence honoured their Kings than Christians have done the knowne Vicegerents of GOD under the Law of Grace after the cleare declaration of GOD's will pressing and commanding obedience unto them For Elihu a young man could say to Iob and his friends a Iob 36.7 He withdrawes not his eyes from the righteous but with Kings are they on the Throne yea he doth establish them for ever and they are exalted And herewith accords the wise and as I may truly say the holy sentences uttered by those men who being destitute of the Divine and supernatural light of Christian faith have shewed to the world the light and the extent of Natures love in their understandings Homerus I liad 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The mindes of Kings are great in understanding their honour is from God and they are beloved of Him and directed What other sense can these words import recorded both in sacred Scriptures and by Heathen Writers than that GOD hath stamped the character of His Divine Majestie both on their persons for Authority and on their hearts for Government and direction For undoubtedly this sense is confirmed by other places in the sacred Scriptures As b Pro. 23. ●● The heart of the King is in the hand of GOD as the Rivers of waters he turneth it whither soever he will And againe c Pro. 16.10 A divine sentence is in the lippes of the King his mouth transgresseth not in Iudgment And this sacred Truth is approved by the consenting judgement of the ancient and godly learned Iustin Martyr 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have given unto you Princes mine owne Honour mine ordinance and my calling requiring you to Iudge my people as if I myselfe did judge them And for the preventing of disobedience against the sacred Persons of Kings and their Lawes all sorts rankes and degrees of men in the visible Church of GOD and out of the pale thereof are commanded d Rom. 13.1 Let every soule be subject to the Higher Powers for there is no power but of GOD. And those words are expounded by an ancient very learned and godly Father of the Greeke Church after this manner Chr. soft in loc 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. The Apostle demonstrating that these things are commanded to all men unto Priests and Monkes and not unto Secular Lay-men only he makes it manifest from the preface saying Let every soule bee subject to the supereminent powers yea though hee be an Apostle an Evangelist a Prophet or whosoever he be for this subjection doth not subvert pietie And againe the rule of GOD's Spirit in Scriptures commands us e Pro. 2● 21 My sonne seare thou the LORD and the King and meddle not with them who are given to changes 45 How comes it then to passe seeing these things are so manifest in the sacred Scriptures that so many Ministers in our Church by faction and schisme doe rend in pieces that blessed peace and unity which they are every-where in the holy Scriptures f Ephes 4 3● Phil. 2.2 30 commanded to preserve and support The true cause hereof I take to be this The povertie of the inseriour sort of our English Clergie And this answer I gave to the Lord Bishop of our Diocesse proposing this very question unto mee at the table of a worthy Knight of our County Sir William Owen my Noble and very Honoured friend For in this age of ours the practice of many Ministers exactly correspondeth with that of certaine Priests and Prophets in the Church of Israel g Micha 3.11 The Priests teach for hire and the Prophets thereof Divine for money yet they will leane upon the LORD and say Is not the LORD among us no evill shall come upon us For these Non-conformists as they are the movers of this faction and violation of our peace raise to themselves as farre as I am able to conceive and I thinke all wise men of this Land concurre with mee herein an underhand maintenance by private Benevolences of seduced friends after this manner by certaine gradations of Art and policie 1 First they insinuate into the peoples hearts a sly opinion which must not bee contradicted to wit that many things are amisse in our Church government which only Gods faithfull servants enlightned with His Spirit have found out discovered and made knowne to the world and because they cannot obtaine a reformation as the pious zeale of their hearts desireth they are forced to groane under the heavie burden of Antichristian servitude Now the Mobile Vulgus hearing these deplorable complaints uttered with the gravity of well composed countenances and expressed in an accent

wish unto all those persons with whom they converse and are entertained And even so this sect of men wish to their profitable friends all other kindes of happinesse riches honours dignities affluence of all worldly contents answerable to the desires of their owne hearts But that their understandings should be inlightned to discover their owne former errours and to find out the frauds and alluring enticements wherewith they use to insnare them and tye them fast to themselves This part of divine wisdome they never wish unto them but mainely labour to hold them backe from attaining therunto for if once this bright ray and beame of divine truth glance into their soules and be received by them with pause deliberation and more prudent inspection into their former courses than formerly they have used then these men know right wel Actum est de illis their Acts are discovered and their Play is exploded For now silencing from the execution of so sacred a vocation is become in this age for temporall emoluments farre more profitable to this kinde of men than the godly labours of religious Ministers in the constant imployment of their talents proves unto them So miserably are Gods people led blindfolded into spirituall captivity But if the bosomes of these men were transparent and the close-wrought veyle wherein all their policies are enwrapped were Translucent and thereby their sleights exposed to the view of all men I make no question but that the leprosie of corruption would bee sensibly discovered to have maculated their hearts and consciences For it is not possible that Gods Spirit should erre in describing the Acts and Qualities of seducers I beseech you Brethren marke them which cause divisions among you and offences contrary to the Doctrine that yee have learned and avoyd them for they that are such serve not the LORD IESUS but their owne belly and by good words and faire speeches deceive the hearts of the simple And these men in Saint Paul's time in the Church of Rome were reputed as sincere up right holy and spiritually qualified with gifts of divine grace as are our Non-conformists in the Church of England And certainely unlesse this worke of the Kings most excellent Majesty and his pious and prudent Bishops were directed by GOD Himselfe in their hearts it could never have received so great approbation in the hearts of most men and they wise religious and vertuous as of late it hath done in this Land for not only many thousands who had a kinde of charitable opinion of these men though they did not familiarly converse with them entertaine them in their houses or comply with them in their cōceits begin now much to distaste them and greatly desire the suppression of them But which is more even their owne friends also who were wholly theirs begin to faint in their courage and in some degrees to distaste those courses if they could handsomely shake them off and yet preserve the reputation of their former zeale For this is the maine blocke which most of them stumble at namely Not feare of dishonouring GOD nor hurting the purity of their owne consciences if they should shake hands and bid farewell to their niceties and follies But how to keepe up their credits in the hearts of those men who being honest vertuous and worthy of good respect they have much vilified dis-esteemed in matters of religion in comparison with themselves But this is a needlesse and superfluous care for I am of opinion that all honest hearted Christians both Ministers and Lay-people who zealously desire the peace and flourish of our Church and Kingdome will readily give them the right-hand of unfained fellowship receive them into their bosomes with alacrity and joy for their return to the obedience of their spirituall Mother the Church and never twit nor upbraid them with their former toyish errours And here let me put you my Brethren of Shrewsbury in minde which you ought to take in good part and thankfully at my hands from the sense and experience thereof in your owne bosomes That I have observed in divers of your persons that your zeale and fervour in your once approved cause doth begin to slake and remit of those intensive degree which it formerly had in you So that there is nothing wanting unto you but the application and pressing of authoritie unto your wavering mindes which are easily taken off from your former course And I am perswaded upon very pregnant grounds that there are of you who beginne to smell out either the fraud or Art or what other terme is apt for that fine peece of policie wherein you have beene long enwrapped by errour of your judgements to your cost and expences And which hath made many Gentlemen of this Kingdom to say in the words of our LORD though in a contrary sense Zelus Domus tuae exedit me Ioh. 2.17 The zeale of thy house hath eaten me up And many of your well-willers as your selves know very well being but halfe brothers and percell gilt are content to sooth and flatter you in your opinions but they will looke well enough to their purses and have care of the maine as though they had learned that axiome in Philosophie Noli perdere substantiam propter accidens Destroy not thy substance for an accident to wit a Toy My hope is therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with GOD that our Prudent Governour lately placed over us Bishop Wright in whose Person wisdome and courage conjoyned with gracious Affability and mildnesse of spirit doe strive for precedencie will execute that Authority wherewith the sacred Majesty of our King hath entrusted him and by correcting your insolencies which are nothing else but selfe-pleasing vanities and the proper effects of pride and weaknesse of judgement will reduce you to obedience of righteous Lawes and keepe you in order for untill the rod of power and discipline bee imposed gently for your correction your affections wil stray from that regularity of obedience which Gods sacred Word and the obligation of your owne consciences borne under the Law of natural alleagiance to the Majesty of your Prince require at your hands For it is an ancient and profitable saying and which holy David found true in spirituall matters Psal 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have kept thy Commandements 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Corrections whether Divine or Humane do instruct the children of GOD which I hope you are to wiser and more obedient intentions and actions 52 And here I am forced much against my will to Apologize for mine owne integrity and innocencie in a particular matter which lately fell out among us in which I have beene by many of this factious Brother-hood most impudently abused The matter would be very long to relate it with all circumstances incident thereunto take it therefore thus with al the brevity I am able The most Reverend Father in God the L. Bishop of our Diocesse preached a