one that hath the eie of reason may easily conclude And we haue many presidents in sacred writ both for the change of the roome in the celebration of the Supper of the Lord. And also for multitudes of communicants as in the whole Church here of Corinth for one and the Apostle commands them that they should come together in publick but for the changing of the time and gecture it is no where in sacred writ to be found but amongst the Apostles and primitiue Christians they were both obserued and kept And so much concerning that Now let vs looke into the oppositions of Antichrist and his disciples and see there other diuerse mutations in this diuine ordinance They haue not onely changed Christs Supper into a breakfast but into a sacrifice an other abominable imimpiety and nefarious innouation turning the Sacrament of the Lords owne appointing wherein Christ Doth graciously giue and offer himselfe with all his merits to the faithfull and beleeuing communicants into a sacrifice of the masse as they call it Propitiatory for the liuing and dead where they say that the body and bloud of Christ is offered vp by a Preist after the order of Melchisedeck for the sinnes of the quick and dead and by vertue of this Sacrifice they affirme that Christ is there corporally and really present and with all adoration as the second person of the blessed Trinity to be worshipped In the which action to say nothing for the present but this for the blasphemies and abomination of it are innumerable there is greater idolatry committed then euer was in the worshipping of Dagon Rimon or the God of Echaron and of all them that loue the Lord Iesus and looke for redemprion by him and hope for his blessed comming ought to be detested and abhorred as the deuill and hell it selfe with all the damnable crew of Preists that are agents in it and fauourers of it Thus I say Antichrist and his complices that oppose Christ in all things haue changed this blessed supper a type of our heauenly and spirituall cōmunion with Christ and the faithfull and the bread and wine in that into a most detestable idol and breaden God And in this fearfull idolatry do our Prelats harmonise with them and are making as great speed to their old Mistris as they can for they haue brought in Preists and altars allready and they haue all the wedding garments prepared and euery thing for the purpose they want but an opportunity to accomplish all things And howsoeuer they seeme to vary it is but in shew for they agree well enough among themselues A reall presence of Christ they both acknowledg and a corporall adoratoon and reuerence in regard of that they both inioyne But before we come to the abuses that follow vppon the supposition of the reall presence let vs see what Christ and his apostles teach concerning that and what the Pope and his disciples teach You shall see that the Pope and Prelats will euer oppose Christ and his Apostles in whatsoeuer they doe or teach Christ Iesus the Lord commaunds his Apostles and in them all Christians in eating the bread and drinking the wine saying do this in remembrance of mee Luke 22. 19 And Saint Paul relating the institution as he had it from the Lord commands them in receiuing the bread and wine saying cafe and drinke this in remembrance of mee farther adding for as oft as yee eatt this bread and drink this cupp ye do shew the Lords death till he come By all which it is manifest that the Lord is not there present The same doctrine he commendeth vnto the Colossians in the 3 chapter hauing eleuated their minds from all terrene obseruations aud will worship and trifling inuentions of men in Gods seruice he bids them seeke those things which are aboue where Christ sits at the right hand of God And Saint Peter in the Acts tels vs that the heauens must containe him till the last day Infinite places to this purpose might be produced to proue that Christ is now in heauen and there to remayne till the consummation of all things as in our Creed also we beleue Yea the Scripture in many places calleth the elements by the proper names of bread and wine So that by all these maner of expressions and by the apparent words of the text the Lord Iesus himself and his Apostles teach vs that there is in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper a real absence of Christ. But Antichrist and his Apostles teach vs a real presence Now here is the doubt whether we shall beleeue Christ and his Apostles or Antichrist and his shauelings Christ and his Apostles teach vs a real absence they a real presence Certainly one of those most teach false But Christ and his Apostles they teach not false ergo the Pope and Prelats teach false doctrine and are not to be listned vnto Now from this supposition and opinion they haue brought in damnable idolatry worshipping of a peece of bread for the blessed Son of God Christ Iesus himself the worshipping of the cup and pixe communion tables Altars temples the name and Syllables of Iesus and infinit other trumperies making of one place more holy then an other But as the worst Nutmegs are commonly gilded ouer so the worst things are varnished ouer with finest names and compellations to say nothing of morall vices that carry the name of vertues But to the matter in hand all these abominable impietyes of will worship superstion human inuentions idolatry prophanesse of the Lords day must be vshered-in vnder the name of lawfull recreatious reuerence decency obedionce to the Church order c when indeed they bring in confusition and disorder both to the Lawes of God and the King and a profanation of his ordinances and execrable wickednesses all arising from the vaine conceit of a reall presence and the incitements of the deuill that desires to destroy the image and workmanship of God in all his works and ordinances and therefore suggests into his sworne seruants those rebells to the will of God which they can not obey thousand inuentious for the peruerting and corrupting of them because they can not altogether abolish them And if they should come which opon opposition and say let vs fall downe and worship the bread and wine or the crosse or table or alter or the Church for this is God they know that all men would then explode them and therefore being all for the most part not onely the Popes knights I meane fir Iohns bachellors of wicked arts but Masters of the black and deuillish art of deceiuing I say they pretend that Christ is there really present and therefore in honour to him they doe all this reuerence I know what they haue alwayes pretended for their wickednes but that must not suffice in things of this consequence aud in matters that concerne the worship of God where we looke for his expresse word for our rule oboue and beyond
comedy in it Whereas they compared their bretheren to the rebellious Iewes I could earnestly desire that his Highnes and the Nobility would but seriously a little consider these mens proceedings and their Christian candor in it and that they would examine them by the rule of truth and Iudgement and then they should well perceiue that malice and enuy and not ripe and mature brotherly reason had dictated this calumniating ventosity to thē by which they make themselues preuaricators against God and men Let them not therefore say that those they brand with the name of Puritans are like the Iews but proue it Wherein I pray haue they euer shewne their least disloyalty to his Maiesty or plotted any thing against his life or dignity or impeached his royalty in any thing has he not their liues liberty and purses to the vttermost yea aboue their abilities at his command doe they or euer did they resist his royall authority in the least thing nay in any thing do not his seruants hale them to prison take away their goods driue away their cattle at any time vpon any pretence without the least reluctation Let dayly experience then the prisons convince this notorious calumniation wherefore then are these abominable things acted against them in their pulpits before King and Councell the whole Nobility and flower of the Kingdome I know there is not one of these poore men but would spēd their best bloud abandon their wiues and children and hazard their estates yea all they haue for the honour of his crowne and dignity and that most willingly and although they should be trampled vpon to death would neuer harbour a disloyall thought against his Soueraignty but as Iob sayd concerning God if the Lord kill mee I will trust in him so I dare promise in the person of them all if the King should conceiue neuer so meanly of them and of their allegiāce were it to death it selfe yet they would a thousand times rather die before they would be found disloyal in any duty that the King by the right of a King or the lawes of his Kingdōe can either expect or chalenge at their hāds or by any autority or Prerogatiue royall vindicat How is it thē I say that these unworthy Preists dare thus abuse the Kings royall eares and so honorable an audience with such dayly false accusations What a damnable hight of impiety are our profane Preists and Prelats come to to make the pulpit a stage and place to vent most seditious lyes in and those for the incensing of the king against his most loyall Subiects and that to make a diuision between the head and the members the vnity of which is not onely the glory but the safety of a kingdome which neuer florisheth so well as when there is a sweet harmony between the king and his people This is not to be Ministers of Christ who is the king of peace but of the deuill and Antichrist so to preach Looke vpon the first Sermon that euer was preached after the natiuity of Christ by the Angel to the shephards it was a sermon of ioy and Peace and of good tidings Listen also the heauenly host what a sermon they made in the theater of glory in their praysing of God and you shall heare them saying glory to God in the highest and on earth Peace and good will towards men And when the disciples like the Preists and Prelats of our age before better information would haue had fire come downe from heavē to destroy those that would not entertaine Christ he sayd vnto them you know not of what Spirit you are teaching all his disciples euer after by that Sermon to preach peace and good will and not to incite to destruction their auditors And indeed the Gospell is a message of peace and the Ministers of it should teach peace and good will and not warre incensing and inflaming kings against their poore Subiects and alienating the Subiects from their Soueraigne Lords and Masters Sainct Tiberne is a fitter Place pulpet for such Preachers then the kings chappell Neither can there be any thing writ spake or done too seuerely against such sowers of sedition and especially those that make the pulpit a place of it The peace-makers haue euer been blessed by Christs owne testimony but for such as are cause of sedition oppressiō and warre in a common wealth they are accursed Christ the blessed peace maker made peace between God and men Moses his seruant he stood vp in the gap between God and the people and made an attonement for the people The Apostles likewise were all preachers of peace and so are all their true Successors But our Preists and Prelats they preach warre and make the Pulpet a place to act their lying comedies in to the estranging of the king from his Subiects and breeding in his royall heart sinister surmises against them to the wounding of the poore Subiects hearts with greefe when they see their King and ruler the breath of their nostrils whom they honour and loue better then their liues to be alienated from them And that the Pecres and Nobles of the king dome should by their diabolicall preachments harbour any evill thoughts of them This I say wounds the poore Subiects hearts and of all this lamentable misery are the Prelats Preists the onely cause by their dayly acts in their pulpits They haue diuerse parts in their sceane Sometime they bring them in as most dangerous and pernicious enimyes of his Highnes making them worse then the powder plotters And because forsooth there was a man killed his mother and his brother not long since there must be a booke printed that he was a Puritan that he did that facinorous exploit because they would not kneele at the Sacrament and howsoeuer there be sufficient witnesses to the contrary yet that must goe for current there must I say be a rayling pamphlet set forth against the whole company of those that feare the Lord as if they were all of the same mold But had it been so that a distempered man had perpetrated so foule a crime through some deuillish temptation that had made profession of religion must it follow they are all such Because Iudas was a Traytor must all the Apostles be therefore condemned Because one Courtier may be found disloyall to his Prince therefore must all the rest be accused of the same wickednes and because one merchant may breake and play the knaue shall we say that all are such good reason will make no such illation And yet this must be acted and preached before his Maiestie and that by a Prelat that all Puritans are such and a thousand such impieties are dayly layd to their charge Yea what wickednes is there that they are not dayly accused of to King and Nobles both priuatly and publickly I haue heard many Sermons at the Court yet neuer did I heare any wherein I saw not the Puritan brought vp with one
subiects to lay open the wickednes and vngratitude of such men by the most fittest termes they know how to expresse it Wee see the scripture is full of expressions of this kind malice and hatred to their persons being layd aside which I harbor not in my heart against them I thinke it me duty 18 set forth their malicious plots the best way I can for to such a hight is their malice come that speak them faire or speak then fowle nay let them but thinke you speake to them though you meddle not with them it shall ruine you Neither are they content with their owne power in destroying of poore men which no Court hath in a greater measure or euer had that I remember but they call for all aide still of the Nobility and of the Kings maiestie himself to help them in their dayly oppressings of poore men as if any of them resisted at any time their autority or as if they of themselues without any other help could not ruine all the honest men they brand with the name of Puritans in the Kingdome and trample vpon them at pleasure when the whol realme seeth and feeleth dayly their tyranny ouer their brethren which they groane most greiuously vnder and vnder the which thy haue no way to releiue themselues but by appealing to Caesar the Kings most excellent Maiesty which was all the refuge of poore Christians and all distressed subiects in all nations and ages yea vnder heathen Emperors and that now is all the hope of releife they at this day do enioy which if it fayle them they cannot expect from the Prelats any other but a life far worse then death for I haue credibly been informed that they dayly labour to incense his gracious Maiesty against such as complayne of their exorbitant domineering ouer them and would make the whole State beleeue that they are weary of their liues and the onely persecuted men that now liue though they liue in all honour and pompe and onely forsooth because there are some vnder others names and others without names set downe the greivances of Ministers people which maner of complayning I could wish were subscribed euer vnto with the hand of the authors for that I thinke more beseemeth men whatsoeuer the issue be for they must dye one day and to dye for the honour of God the King their Religion and country or to suffer any thing for either of them it was euer thought honourable and I call God to witnes the onely loue and honour of these hath made mee abandon all loue to my self and mine in comparison and made mee lye downe in dust and ashes whereas if I could haue temporised I might haue enioyed no small portion in things of this life But I say I would earnestly wish that the oppressed would shew his Maiesty indeed by name and by the effects that they groane under a mighty and vnsupportable bondage vnder the Prelats not knowing which way euer to haue releise but by his gracious assistance And truely if men would goe playnly simply to worke to justify vnto the Prelats faces the things they accuse them of as I euer will if it did themselues no good it would witnes to all posterity that there were some willing to abdicate all for the honour of God and the good of the Country and Religion And who knoweth but as Benedad said of the Kings of Israel and Iuda that they were mercyfull and therefore they might by humble entreaty find favour so our Christian Kings succeeding them and the best of them in faith and goodnes and being more mercifull who knowes I say but humble suitors may happily find favour at their princely hands at last and that they truely being informed of the calamities their poore subjects sinke vnder would send them speedy relief especially when they consider their owne place and the end of their being that King and Princes are appointed by God himself to be nursing fathers and nursing mothers of his people and therefore they haue their titles of gracious Princes and Sauiours of their people for Kings are Gods vicegerents to doe that which otherwise he might doe himself which is to releiue the oppressed and deliuer them from the mighty and help them against their enimies and were wont to sit in the gates to receiue their complaynts and this is the doctrine that God teachers Princes the practice of which in common wealths is far better then Machiauells and brings more security ever to their crownes and dignities And those that teach Kings and Princes contrary vnto that that God himself hath taught them are but sucking Polititians whatsoeuer the world esteemes of them and haue been euer fatall to all Empires as if you looke into histories you shall finde If God himself hath said that for oppressions and cruelties a land shall be made desolate and giues in charge to Kings and Princes for their owne preservation and the common good to remoue those that oppresse the people and cause them to sin if Machiauell and his disciples shall say the contrary that Kings must favour such as seeme to advance Princely dignity by what meanes soeuer it be and by so much the more that the commons complaines against them and that Kings are not tyed to any Lawes but by their absolute autority and prerogatiue may doe what they will I will affirme it vnto the death it is damnable doctrine and the teachers of it ought to be put out of office at least be they Bishops Preists or Deacons But concerning such men heare what the learnedst King that euer was King IAMES I meane said in his speech to the Lords and commons at whitehall March 21. 1609. who had more policy in the paring of his nayles then all the Grollish Polititians that are now extant in the whole body of them yet he said that those that perswade Kings to doe contrary vnto their lawes are vipers and pests both against them and the common-wealth And these are the words of a mighty learned and prudent King this doctrine I haue receiued from him And if it would please his Highnes our renowned King whom God long preserue well to consider what his father says his Majesty would better Perceiue the truth of 〈◊〉 his speech for in that he spake not onely like a King of wise dome but like an oracle frō heauen And indeed Monarchies haue euer been preferred before all populer gouernments because there is one euer ready to whom the subjects in all their pressures by the mighty may haue recourse and from whom releife and whom to appeale to So that they shall not need then allwayes to wayte for publick meetings for the redressing of greuances For this is a part of Kingly art to cure these diseases of state in time and obstare principiis miseriarum populi and the violation of their lawes for if the people be depriued of the benefit of the law and the appeale to the King that
hath ioyned together let no man separat Now most cleare and euident it is that the confession of the mouth and that of the whole congregation is as much required at the name of Iesus as corporall and externall bowing of the knee and if the neglect of the one be a sin and deserue punishment the neglect of the other is a sinne and deserueth punishment also and for the confession with the mouth to be ioyned with the bowing of the knee at the name of Iesus it was neuer yet practised in the world nor can possibly be without such confusion as neuer was brought into the Church and such a perpetuall bondage to all Christians as that of the Iews was nothing to it For first what an interruption of all duties would there be if at the name of Iesus as often as it sounds the whole congregation should cry out a lowd in the assembly Iesus Christ is the Lord. I say it would perturbat and interrupt all holy dutyes and fill the world with confusion Now God is a God of order and not of confusion and therefore the holy Ghost by those words neuer intended any outward bodily bowing or orall confession at all which as I sayd would not bring-in confusion onely but vnsupportable bondage yea a continuation and an ineuitable circulation of worship which may be called the cyclopedia of the Prelats for at the name of Iesus we must bow and at the name of Iesus likewise we are cōmanded to confesse aloud that Iesus is the Lord and this orall confession calls for a new bowing and that bowing for a new confession so that the one cannot be without the other and hauing once made a beginning they must goe on without cessation and this doth necessarily follow from the text if it be a command and if the words be to vnderstood and taken as they sound for if bodyly bowing be required then outward confession also at the name of Iesus is required and if the one then the other if not both then neither So that if it be a command as the Prelats will have it they haue euer liued in the open breach of it for I neuer heard them yet at the name of Iesus with their mouthes confesse alowd in the congregation that Iesus was the Lord and therefore for them to liue in the apparent breach of this soe graat a commandement it is a great impiety and to serue God onely with quarter seruice and horrible hypocrisie and disobedience Wherefore I would perswade them for time to come to leaue off to peruert the holy Scripture by putting salse glosses vpon it and laying burdens vpon mens shoulders which they will not touch with one of their little fingers or els they may surely looke that the Lord will seuerely punish their damnable hypocrisy wickednesse cruell tyranny they exersice ouer their brethren For can there be a greater impiety then this for what God commands them by example and precept as they themselues confesse that they will not doe What he forbids them that they will doe He sayes at the name of Iesus euery tongue shall confesse alowd that Iesus is the Lord to the glory of God the father and that they should bow both their knees But this command they haue neuer yet obeyed He bids them feed his sheep as they loue him and sent them for that purpose they neither feed his sheep nor will let others feed then He bids them learne of him to be humble and meeke and that they should not seeke the first places and highest roomes in assemblyes They affect nothing but state POMPE GREATNES PREEMINENCE AND PRECEDENCY BEFORE OTHERS Christ also forbids them to be Lords of his inheritance and to exercise autority ouer their brethren and tells then plainly that they must imitate him who came to serue and not to be serued as formerly also he by his owne example had instructed them flying from those that would haue put worldly dignity and honour vpon him refusing to be a Iudge and diuider of the inheritance and openly before Pilat renounced secular power and autority Notwithstanding the Pope and Prelats rebelling against Christs commands and prohibition exercise as great yea greater autority and domination ouer their poore brethren then any secular Princes and Lords do captiuating them at their pleasure not onely iudging of them dayly and diuiding their inheritances but giuing away all they haue and their very soules to the deuill to the vndoing of them their wiues and children and that for doing their duty which is the greatest tyranny that euer was exercised in the world And as they exercise more then a Lordly power and authority ouer their poore brethren so they are attended like the Lords and Princes of the earth with mighty retinues and are carryed in coaches with foure or six horses a peece in them when a wheele barrow such as they trundle white wine vineger about the towne were a great deale fitter for them I wosse so little honour they deserue for their seruice towards God or the King and for the good to the Church and State of all which they are the cursed enemies who thinke nothing that Christ did or spake reuerent timely or orderly but it must be either altered or neglected or absolutly reiected by them and abiured and howsoeuer he inioines them to teach or preach nothing to the people to be obserued but what hee gaue them in commission yet neuertheles they preach and vrge little other but their owne conceits superstitions and vainest and idlest ceremonyes aud howsoeuer Christ strickly forbad them to be Lords ouer his flook as I sayd before yet they boldly tell him to his face if he should be obeyed in that there could be no gouerment and those that would vrge the necessity of his commaunds vpon the Ministers of the Gospell they labour to ouerthrow Monarchies and all regality and therefore they being a little wiser aud knowing better what belongs vnto the managing of the Church and States they thinke it very fit to take autority and domination into their hands and to obtrude their owne lawes vpon their brethren and with greater seuerity and rigor exact the obseruation of them and with more bitter seuerityes punish the meanest neglect of them then the breach of all Gods commandements and this you cannot deny by all which proceedings of theirs it is more then apparent that the Prelats and their confederats are enimyes of Christ and of his Kingdome and therefore by all such as loue him and his glorious appearing ought to be prayed against And so farre am I from thinking my self in an error in desiring deliuerance from them that I desire that all would ioyne with mee in the same LETANY feruently and vncessantly praying From plague pestilence and famin from BISHOPS PREISTS AND DEACONS GOOD LORD DELIVER VS by the agony and bloudy sweat by the crosse and passion FROM BISHOPS PREISTS AND DEACONS GOOD LORD deliuer vs. By the precious death
and buryall by the glorious resurrection and ascention and by the comming of the holy ghost FROM BISHOPS PREISTS AND DEACONS good Lord deliuer vs. VVe Sinners do beseech thee to heare vs good Lord. And so after my Letany I come to your other exceptions wherein you thinke they will argue mee of scandalizing them in saying they goe to their Venery in forma pauperis by which words I seeme to accuse the holy tribe of iucontinency and this you thinke they will make penall bnt for that to say nothing of my owne experience as I AM A PHYSITIAN nor of what I haue heard from the most famous of that profession of the incontinency of those followes who they haue had vnder their cure after their venery because I will not in any thing temerate our function nor be like those beastly Preists that in their displeasure against a man will reueale whatsoeuer was most secretly commetted vnto their trust in deepest familiarity and sweare to it also and make records of it to the vndoing of many a poore man and the violating of all the lawes and iura Ioues hospitalis to speake nothing now I say of my owne knowledg looke but a little into their bawdy Courts in all the diocesses through the Kingdome and there will scarce passe a Court day wherethere are not two or three Preâ—â—ts or more presented for incontinency and either for getting their owne mayds with child or their neighbours or it may be more profound vncleannes then they bring along with them their compurgators which doe that office vpon condition that they shall be compurgators for them an other time and so they are pronounced rectos in curia and freed from all crime and thus they harmonise together for the cloaking of one an others knauery Nor to say nothing of Chaplins in generall what base filthinesse they perpetrate euen in the familyes of illustrious men where they are entertayned and too much honoured sometime with their daughters or allyes sometime which their seruants or freinds of which the Kingdome cryes shame they professedly carrying kissing comfits in their pockets and blush not to publish their lesciuiousnes being at any time demanded what they smack I my self haue been an eare witnes of that good confession But not to speake of this neither nor of their codpisse Simony to vse their owne language and dialect nor of the suits that for their beastlinesse haue been cast on t of the HONORABLE COVRT OF STARCHAMBER But to come to the High Commission Court in the which if you please to be present you shall heare sometime foure or fiue in a terme of such base filthynesse OF THEIR PREISTS as no chast eares can heare them such things indeed as the apostle sayes expresly they are not to be named amongst Christians aud such as the very prophaue cry shame of and yet it is wonderfull to see with what grace and how distinctly and orderly the Registers will reade that good stuffe sometimes three or foure houres together and more and how diligently and attentiuely those reuerend fathers a whole after noone together will heare those BAWDY BVSINESSES when to be one houre in the pulpit to teach the people their duty towards God and their neighbour in half a yeare is a thing very tedious vnto them So that they cannot take it in ill part when their owne Courts do sufficiently proue their lewd behauiour which indeed now is well knowne through the Kingdome insomuch that though their incontinency with their debaushednes be proued neuer so manifestly they shall find compurgators and come well enough of except they be branded with Puritanisme also and that he preacheth diligently then perhaps he may lose his place for it But I say let his incontinency be neuer so euidently proued and that he is a breaker of all the lawes of God suspention is all that I euer heard was inflicted vpon such persons if they be conformable and if there be any other punishment against INCONTINENT PREISTS it is more then I know But this I haue often obserued that others that haue been proued men of an incontaminat life of holy conuersation diligent Preachers yet found fayling perhaps in some trifle of conformity they haue been depriued ipso facto of their ministry and of their liuely-hood and committed to prison without either mercy and compassion So much conscience is punished now a dayes and incontinency fauoured amongst our reuerend Fathers And therefore if they take pepper in the nose for saying they goe to their venery in forma pauperis let them do their worst for I will neuer feare to speake the truth Now whereas you suppose they will make it an hainous crime THAT I INVITE THE WHORE OF BABILON to my christning with the Prelats I do conceiue no such offence in that businesse For I hope all learned men and good Christians are well assured that Godfathers and Godmothers are not essentiall to baptisme and that many thousands were well christened in primitiue tymes and euery day are in many reformed Churches in our age without either Besides he that shall looke into the first originall cause of them will at this day see no need of them among vs at least very little For Baptisme succeding circumcision and as vnder the old law children were not to be circumcised whose Fathers and mothers were not within the Pale of the Church and within the Couenant So I say in the tyme of the new testament baptisme comming in place of circumcision none were thought fit in the first Christian churches being children to be receiued to that holy Sacrament of initiation but such as were the children of Christian parents for the promises were made and renewed to them and to their children Herevpon when children were to be baptised and to receiue the seale of the couenant Christians being but few in comparison of Iews and Gentiles and withall a persecuted generation of men and all forced to liue in obscurity and stragling one from an other and to haue their meetings very priuate especially in the great persecutions of the Church for the satisfaction of the whole congregation when they assembled together and when any INFANTS were there presented vnto them to be baptised there came in some two or three Christian neighbours to testify vnto the congregation that those children that were brought into the assembly were Christians children so that they might without any scruple admit them to the sacrament of Baptisme and this was all the end of witnesses in those times and all they did at the Font which any two either Iews or Paganâ— might haue done as well as Christians for ought I know for the congregation desired but to know whether they were Christians children otherwise they admitted them not to baptisme Now a Iew or a Gentile that was their enemy would not haue their owne children incorporated among Christians but would make Christians goe among their owne fraternity therefore as I suppose their witnes would easily