Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	body_n	great_a	soul_n	12,147	5	5.0848	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

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

unlearned as himselfe who busily and frequently proposed questions unto him and were not able rightly to conceive his answers nor the nature of their owne questions proposed unto him For both he and they wanting the true apprehension of so high and sacred a Mystery as is the Nature and Quality of our LORD IESUS CHRIST His glorified Body tooke libertie unto themselves to talke at randon of high and mysterious secrets and thereby lost themselves in their vaine janglings His faith and judgement was very right in this point according to the small measure of his understanding But he wanted apt termes to explicate his conceit in so deepe a matter When therfore I acquainted him with some termes frequent in the Fathers and Schoole-men in the enodation of an Article of our Faith so abstruse and difficult and transcending the sphere of vulgar apprehensions telling him that the Body of our Lord was passive mortall liable to violence in the state of His Humiliation Impassive immortall glorious and exempt from infirmities and injuries in the condition of his exaltation he freely assented submitted himselfe and confirmed that to be his meaning that our LORD His blessed and glorious Body was changed onely in qualitie not in substance But that for want of Theologicall termes he was not able to unfold himselfe And then the Conclusion touching his opinions is this he was neither Anabaptist Enthusiast or of any other odde sect whatsoever but only a silly Ignorant and downe-right English Puritane 35 On Tuesday the twentieth of August this Malefactour the staine of Nature and reproch of mankind was carried on horseback from Shrewsbury thirteene miles to the place of his execution When hee was come to Bishops-castle Towne hee desired in his Inne to receive the holy Communion of the most sacred Body and Bloud of our LORD IESUS CHRIST which I had refused to administer unto him because he would not take it in the decent and Reverent gesture of kneeling The Minister of that Towne a learned Gentleman refused likewise to give it unto him unlesse hee would receive it in obedience to his Superiours and kneele downe Reverently in that holy Action A while hee continued obstinate but overcome at last by perswasions hee yeelded as hee said to gratifie the desires of a Gentleman there present Thus the man who in the furious zeale of an inraged heart drew that bloud that bred and nourished him comming to the point of his death shrunke in his courage or rather his contumacie and either to please men or to procure favour in the mitigation of execution of Iudgement upon him fell from the ground of his unhallowed profession Which convincingly proveth that obstinate Hypocrisie producing disloyalty in contempt of Authority is built upon a weake a slippery an unstable foundation 36 This Malefactor being now come to the place where the Gibbet was erected for his exemplary punishment Hee kneeled downe and made a short prayer to GOD. And having finished his devotions and being commanded to ascend the steps of the ladder as soone as the Executioner had put the rope over his head into his necke hee was instantly so surprized with the feare of approaching death that in all the parts of his body hee trembled with great perturbation and anguish of Spirit And when hee was ready to bee turned off hee cryed twice with a loud voice God bee mercifull to mee a great Sinner And then being cast off and strangled to death to the great Agony and regreet of his friends and kindred the beholders thereof testified by three shrill ●kreekes and cryes he was trussed up into a frame of Iron brought thither for that purpose And his body though deprived of sense to feele it the truth of that Iudgement denounced in the Scriptures p Prov. 30.17 The eye that mocketh at his Father and despiseth to obey his Mother the Ravens of the Vally shall picke it out and the young Eagles shall eat it For as well the Father was mocked as the Mother despised when his bloudy heart and hand robbed the Husband of his Wife and deprived the Father of both his Sonnes When hee had hanged forth waving in the ayre more then a fortnight and lesse then three weekes some Brethren of his owne disposition and faction who are restlesse in wilfulnesse that I may not say wickednes contrived a device by rearing up a ladder in the night a worke of darknesse to saw off that part of the Gibbet where his body hanged and tooke it away even then when the smell and stench thereof was so unsavory and noysome as hardly able to bee indured unlesse they were provided with stronge Antidotes to correct the loathsome savour of his putrified carkasse but it was a messe good enough for such contemners of royall Majestie and the wholsome lawes of the best governed Republicke upon the face of the earth 37 And now in few words to touch the fact of those Persons who by gracelesse disloyalty have opposed the practice of Law and Iustice did they not know that the body of every Malefactor after legall conviction and judiciall condemnation is wholly at the dispose of the King as a part of His Royall Prerogative by vertue of the violation of His Lawes Rom. 13 1 2 3 4. The right of the King Himselfe therein which Hee hath received from Gods sacred Ordinance is by delegation of subordinate power transmitted to the Persons of the Iudges and they by pronunciation of Iust and legall sentence are to command the execution of what the letter of the Law hath given in charge Out of which just and formall gradation descending I draw this consequence and regular deduction ascending He that resists or nullifies the sentence of the law pronounced by the Iudge opposeth therein the Naturall law of humane equity familiarly knowne to all men and dishonoreth the Person of the Iudge from whom that sentence proceeded The dishonour of the Iudge being the Deputy substitute of the King falls directly on the royalty of His most sacred Person The dishonour of the Kings Person being the vicegerent of the LORD of Hosts rests not there but ascends to the contempt of the Divine Majestie of God Himselfe whose constitution it is Gen. 9.6 Who so sheddeth mans bloud by man shall his bloud bee shed for in the Image of God made he man Did not then the stealers away of the putrified corps of this Malefactor know these things before hand To charge them with Ignorance of such things which the Dictates of naturall reason hath imprinted upon the table of every Mans heart is to make them brutish and to range them with beasts To say they knew these things and yet against their owne knowledge and conscience they contemned all peaceable obedience therunto is to make them peremptory and Rebellious against both Divine Majestie in the nature of God and Humane Majestie in the person of the King Thus I have put them upon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a

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

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

piety of former ages in charging Idolatry and superstition upon them I would be a testimonie of more wisedome and moderation in them to suspend all censure of their intentions and reall expressions of devotion and let them stand or fall to their own Lord their Creator their Father since these men themselves in pleading the justification of their knowne and convinced errours desire the same libertie to be granted to themselves But let 's returne to Enoch from this short digression 33 Vpon Sunday morning following immediately the day of Enoch his condemnation the Hang-man being in the Prison-house was seene of five prisoners condemned to dye at that Assises And one of these persons condemned for the murder of a maid whom he had devirginated and defloured said to the rest of his fellowes in Enoch's presence I could finde in my heart to breake yonder knaves pate but that it is a sin and I have enough of that upon me already To whom Enoch replied It is no finne to kill death and had I knowne that knave to bee the Hang-man I would have beaten out his braines if I could have come at him These words of his begate over all the Prison-house consisting of many persons great exclamations against Enoch his wickednesse being himselfe a condemned person and should have imployed his thoughts upon better matters The next day in the morning as soone as I was come to the prison-house to see this condemned malefactour and to know how hee stood prepared for death Three persons severally one from another gave me notice of Enoch his words uttered the day before in the hearing of many●● appointed his overseer to bring him unto me in a private roome who being come and nothing dejected in minde or countenance but rather inwardly jocund in his owne soule I said unto him Did you Enoch utter such words concerning the Hang-man as divers persons do both testifie against you and are also greatly displeased with your desperate and furious outrage Hee replied unto mee I spake indeed those words in jest In jest quoth I unto him are you being a condemned person by judiciall sentence a fit person to utter jests do you not know that no Kingdome of the world can possibly subsist in Iustice and Honour without the service of such persons as shal be assigned to execute those lawes upon the persons of malefactours if Law condemne by just and upright sentence the wicked facts and persons of such men as by violating equitie disturbe the peace and welfare of Kingdomes and Governments are those Lawes of any force without the ministry and service of such men as shall put them in execution Surely Enoch the eye of your heart and judgement is not yet open to see your abominable villanies which doe yet rage and swell within you nor is your minde with the illumination whereof you have so much in secret pleased your selfe guided by GOD's Spirit For had these gifts of GOD taken place in your soule as you have still pretended the person of the Hang-man would have beene rather pleasing than offensive unto you as being the instrument of GOD's mercy to let out your soule surcharged by gripes of your conscience with fearefull tremblings into the glorious presence and welcome imbracements of CHRIST your SAVIOUR But looke to your selfe I admonish you for your time of life is short flatter not your selfe in thinking to escape the stroke and infliction of Temporall Vengeance due unto you If you die in these desperate and unchristian moods it is more than greatly to bee feared for it is evident and apparent that your owne personall election whereof you have so much talked was but a presumptuous errour and a gracelesse opinion by Satanicall delusion 34 Now touching this fellow and his opinions hee was charged to hold some points of Anabaptists and Enthusiastes matters I dare be bold to say because I know it right well farre beyond the reach of his apprehension for excepting only his distlike of our Church-ceremonies and his proud opinion of his owne spirituall estate in the favour of GOD he was a most ignorant m●● in all parts of knowledge belonging to religion The matters of Opinion wherewith hee was suspected were principally these First that the soule of a regenerate man is perfectly pure and cleane within him by vertue of his New-birth and consents not either in the understanding by approbation or in the will by election and inclination to any act of sin But that it is only the body and flesh which remaining unsanctified and naturally defiled sollicites urges provokes unto all evill and executeth all acts thereof in the elect of GOD after their conversion and regeneration This opinion is a monster in nature not onely divorcing the soule and body each from other it the time of this life but also attributing unto the body without all motion influence or concomitancie of the soule the producing of actions and operations reall and sinfull This Enoch though of meane apprehension in philosophicall matters understood right well and his opinion herein was onely this and no more That for as much as sanctification which is very rightly and aptly tearmed Inherent Righteousnesse by repairing the decayes of originall grace in our soules and re-inducing the Image of GOD into us is not perfect in this life therefore in all reall acts of sindone by a childe of GOD in state of grace there is a consent to that act both in the understanding and the will the most ●oble and principal faculties of our soules for without assent of these no act is ever produced but it is such a consent as carries not with full sway and violence either of these powers within us pleasingly with strong delight and approbation to prosecute those actions but rather by infirmity under the strength of temptation they themselves are seduced to assent and execute things evill and are thereby for the present supplanted And of this his opinion he was desirous to make illustration in his owne person affirming that his regenerate soule in the very time and act of these murders stirred up some reluctancie within him and suspended his fulnesse of consent in the perpetration thereof His opinion I allow as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 orthodox and sound and confirmed by the experience of all good men in the world But for his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or illustration thereof in his owne person it is Heterodox unsound and of all good men to bee abhorred For an act of wrath resolving it selfe into malice contrived in the minde for the execution and terminated in bloud and murder cannot possibly be admitted to participate of infirmity His Second opinion charged upon him was this That CHRIST our LORD is not now in heaven in that body which by sanctified conception and incarnation Hee tooke of the substance of the holy and blessed Virgin and in which Hee conversed among the Iewes His answer to this was that he was mistaken by certain persons as

Gospel implanted among us Hence grow ' your important pressings and perswasions to constancie in the Faith even to death by Apologie and Martyrdome wherein some of your owne friends have wished that the salt of discretion and prudent moderation had allayed your violence and seasoned your thoughts to a better conceit of that gratious Prince and Government under which we live in peace and spirituall liberty The name of Puritane you told them was a royall badge and and thereby you intended to confirme depraved judgements in error and contumacie against Authority and that wholsome reformation that is now aymed at Surely these intemperat flashes issuing from your unbridled spirit and uttered in such a time when reformation of Schisme not change of our Orthodox faith is intended doe plainely convince you in the judgement of wise men to be a man of a disloyall heart and unquiet head Your bold intrusion into other mens charge being neither warranted by the Lawes of GOD or man can receive no blessing from GOD. For what inducement have you to vent your wares among us who neither desire your aid nor need your help Keep at home I advise you and labour in that place of charge where the LORD hath disposed of you that shall bring more comfort to your conscience more peace to your calling more credit to your person Your Sect is very forward in running uncalled and thrusting your selves upon people unknowne unto you and should for ever rest unknown were it not that as the Apostle tells us Iude 16. You have mens persons in admiration because of advantage Certainly GOD's Spirit hath given a most cleare and exact description of all such wily and seducing spirits Rom. 16.17 18. It is the worke of GOD's mercy and love unto his Church in laying open the spirituall sleights I dare not say impostures wherewith your Sect hath so long deluded the people and by the wisdome and authority of our King and State to correct and reforme them Your opposition to the Authority of our Lord Bishop was so peremptory and insolent by your pride and contempt of your Superiours as is not to be endured in a peaceable Government For you were in place both in the Church when his Lordship gave his charge and also in the Chamber at the signe of the red Lion in our Towne and heard his Lordship make knowne to us of the Clergie his Majesties Royal care and his gratious intentions he had entertained in his heart both to countenance and to advance the welfare of his Ministers But first he would be assured of their ready subjection to his just and royall commands Yet within three dayes after this charge sounded in your eares you most contemptuously violated his Majesties Injunctions and being not admitted into Saint Alkmunds Church to vent your schismaticall conceits you put your selfe into an exempt and peculiar Iurisdiction and there you were as safe in your opinion as policie could make you Assuredly Mr. F. these factious courses are unsanctified by GOD and the issue and event of them being done in publike affront to the sacred authority and command of your Prince the LORD 's annointed will prove dangerous if not desperate unto you for the strong arme of Iustice wil crush thousands of such poore wormes as wee are I my selfe have knowne within these twenty yeares last past Plus minùs many men of excellent wits great and piercing understandings prompt and eloquent in their deliveries of illustrious note and ranke in the Common-wealth yet by opposing the designes and commands of Royal Majesty have ruined their estates and fatally ended their dayes in ignominy and misery For the eminencie of Princes being by Substitution and Vicegerencie from GOD the lively Image of Divine Majesty for temporall regiment is by GOD's ordinance made so sacred and inviolable both from the intemperate rage of our tongues and the rancour of our naturally seditious and rebellious hearts That never any man obliged to loyalty made head against them either openly or secretly but the Angell of the LORD's wrath pursued him to shame and destruction For it is decreed by the wisdome of GOD and shall never be reversed Ezra 7.26 Whosoever will not obey the Law of GOD and the King let judgement speedily bee executed upon him whether it be unto death or unto banishment or unto confiscation of goods or to imprisonment For your person Mr. F. I protest before GOD the searcher of all hearts I wish no otherwise than to my owne soule But I onely ayme at the peace of our Towne which will never be effected till you and such as you be restrained from preaching and enkindling faction among us Thus I have imparted my minde unto you and for the censure of both our persons I refer it to the wisdome and justice of his Lordship our most Reverend Diocesan who I doubt not will correct your insolencies and keepe you in order A copy of this Letter I have sent to my L. Bishop to demonstrate how ingenuously I have dealt with you GOD blesse you and sent you much happinesse 54 This is that Letter Verbatìm without addition detraction or mutation of one syllable against which such tragicall out-cries have beene raised by ●icentious detractors of the good names of their neighbours But my comfort is that I feare no mans tongue or malice in the world as long as mine owne conscience checkes me not for any wilfull violation of my duty to GOD and to my Prince nor act of unrighteousnesse done to the person of my neighbour And when this generation of men who take too much ungodly libertie unto themselves to suspect evill of their neighbours and upon that susspition to raise lying defamations against persons truely religious and vertuous shall governe their tongues and hearts with more holy feare of GOD and gratious charity towards their peaceable co-habitants I doubt not but that the LORD in mercy and love to our Church and Kingdome will unite our hearts in the firme bond of pure religion and not suffer us to bee torne into factions by dislike of innocent and harmelesse Ceremonies And for the wrongs which they very foolishly Imagine to have beene done to this their Minister by my Persecuting him as they most wickedly phrase it I referre my selfe to my hottest and sharpest adversaries whose tongues fly at randon without grace wit or honestie to restraine them to examine censure and determine from this relation whether I have beene Active in doing or passive in suffering wrongs And from the sight of their owne errour or rather malicious railing and traducing of my innocence herein let them learne to use more Christian moderation in reporting of things unknowne unto them And to practise those gratious vertues of integritie of heart and truth of speech which wil more adorne their conversation and render them more pleasing unto GOD and man than all their forward profession of firy zeale in erroneous devotion Many good things in the exercise of family discipline As Prayers Instruction of their children and servants Singing of Psalmes and such like I doe freely acknowledge to be in some of these men But as Salomon speaks of a wise man Eccle. 10.1 That a little folly brings disgrace to him that is in reputation for wisedome so I say unto these men That a little dishonestie or injustice towards their neighbours which piety and the true feare of GOD should extinguish in them doth obscure the lustre of a glorious profession and makes them most justly to be suspected to be but meere Formalists Thus having cast my Mite into the Treasury of GOD's Church by desiring the holy and blessed peace of our Sion I will adde my continuall prayers thereunto that our hearts may be firmely knit together in unitie and love FINIS