your severall Remonstrances have made them known yet give me leave to informe the rest of our brethren a little of them Our adversaries in Ireland have bin plotting their present rebellion these seaventeen yeares as some have deposed See the Friâ—sh Remonstrance These seaventeen yeares they have bin making fireworks and laying traines for the kindling of that combustion which now devoures that miserable Kingdome And what have our adversaries bin doing here the meane while Think you nothing Whence then proceeded those long intermissions of Parliaments that we began to feare our Parliaments would prove like those Roman solemnities Ludi seculares Alexan. Gen. Dier li. 6. c. 18 Quos nemo mortalium vidit unquam nec visurus est Which no man lived to see twice being held but once in a hundred yeares Whence came the immature dissolutions of so many Parliaments but from the plots of these our adversaries He that knowes not where the strength of England lies may learn of Englands enemies For as the Philistins when they knew that Samsons strength lay in his haire plotted to cut off that and then they easily bound him put out his eyes and made him grinde in their mill So our adversaries knowing our strength to lye in our Parliaments have bin ever plotting to cut off them One Parliament they attempted to blow up with powder but many a Parliament they have blown up without powder that so our Parliaments being intermitted interrupted they might at once lay bandes upon us and put out our eyes that we should not see our owne bondage lay us in our Lawes and liberties and we should neither know nor see Esth 7.4 And if only in our Lawes and liberties If as Esther said We had only bin sold for bondmen and bondwomen the mischeif had bin more tollerable But had not our adversaries plotred to slay us as the two witnesses were slaine in the Revelation To slay us by taking the word of truth and life from us Did they not say we will come upon them and they shall neither know nor see tell we are in the middest of them and cause that work to cease I know there are many in the Nation and may be some here that cannot yet be perswaded there was ever any design for the alteration of Religion amongst us Such I beseech in the spirit of meeknesse to lend me a patient and unprejudiced eare I stand not hear to declaime against any persons or rankes of men but to speak the words of truth and sobernesse I know that I stand this day not only before a great Court but before a greater God to whom I must give account for what I now speak Contzen Politic. li. 2. cap. 18. Layes a plott for the altering of Religion in a Protestant Kingdome which is Laid downe in certaine rules Adam Contzen A Jesuite of Mentz in his second booke of Politickes the Eighteenth Chapter hath drawne a plot for the cheating of a people of the true Religion by sleight of hand and the serving in of Popery againe upon them by art of legerdemaine that they shall neither know nor see The method of this which certainely is one of Satans Methods he layes downe in certaine rules Be pleased but to observe how exactly the late times have moved according to those Rules and then judge of their designes His first rule His first rule is this To proceed as Musicians doe in tuning their instruments Who straine their strings with agentle hand and set them up by little and little Or as Physitians doe in curing diseases who abate noxious humors by degrees and pauses This rule was observed both for the destructive and adstructive way For the destruction of the true Religion and the advancing of the false they had learned this wisdome to proceed by degrees and pauses And first for the destruction of the true Religion To suspend all the Orthodoxe preathers in the land at once would have made too great a noise therefore proceed by degrees And first suspend all Lecturers which will not constantly practise the ceremonies Then after a little pause Clap downe all Lecturers as an order of Vagrants not to be toller ated in the Church When that is done Forbid all Pastors and Incumbents preaching in their owne parish Churches upon weeke dayes Next inhibit preaching upon the Lords Day in the After noone under pretence of advancing Catechising by that meanes and yet with in a little while after forbidding all Catecheticall exposition tying men to the bare words of the Primmer Catechisine As soone after they forbad all praying but in the words of the Canon Now what can any ingenuous man thinke the designe of all this was But to rob us of preaching and praying and thereby of the Gospell and true Religion wholly in conclusion Only to doe it by degrees for feare of noise and tumult to doe it so as we should neither know nor see And for the adstructive way The rebuilding of Rome among us did they not proceed by the me steppes First Urging the constant and full practise of the old Ceremonies beyond the intention either of Law of or Canon Then bringing in an Idolatrous fardell of new pop shisuperstitions without warrant either of Law or Canon but their owne paper injunctions forcing their observance upon Ministers and people but by pauses and degrees First the Table must be railed in soone after set in an Altar posture Then thirdly All must be compelled to come and kneele before it or not receave the Sacrament Then it must becried up as the Sanctum Sanctorum the place of Gods chiefe residence upon earth the Seate and Throne of God Almighty And there upon Fifthly All mens faces in prayer must be turned towards that Men may yea must say some adore and bow before it c. What could the intent of all this be but after the Altar to bring in the sacrifice and with their wooden worship the breaden God Only to doe it by degrees that wee should not know nor see So in doctrine First bring in Arminian doctrines then the popish will easily follow Let the Serpent but winde in his head he will soone worke in his whole body Let Arminianisine but obtaine countenance and licence in the kingdome Our Pulpits Schooles Presses will soone bee filled with popish doctrins witnesse the publishing of so many points of popery one after another specially those two That the Pope is not Antichrist And that the Church of Rome is a true visible Church Alta sic surgunt maenia Romoa Thus according to the rule of their Master Iesuite they seeke to re establish Rome by degrees They said they shall not know nor see His second Rule His second Rule is this To presse the examples and practises of some as a good means to draw on the rest And was not this familiar with them to dazle the eyes of the meaner and lesse judicious people of the kingdome with the practices
wife Theodora addicted to the heresie of Eutyches did no lesse foster encourage promote and reward the teachers maintainers of that heresie than the Emperor did the true orthodox professors yea prevailed so farr with her husband as to make Severus a chief leader of the Eutychian faction Bishop of Constantinople Thirdly By this meanes not only the present age but posterity is indammaged For put case the unbelieving party doth survice there is danger least the children specially if young should by the authority of an Idolatrous father or rhe perswasion of an Idolatrous mother to be drawn away from the true Religion An instance of this we have in Valentinian the younger whose father dying and leaving him in the tutelage of Justina his mother who was an Arrian though all the time of her husbands life shee had concealed ir Socr. 5.2 Theod. 5.13.14 Sozom. 7.13 knowing her husbands zeale for the Orthodox Religion she taking the advantage of her husbands death and the tender and flexible age of her son to advance the Arrian faction easily corrupted him that he was scarse warme in his throne but he falls a persecuting the true Religion These and many other inconveniences have bin observed to attend such kinde of mixtures betweene the Church and their adversaries which the adversaries are not ignorant of and that is the reason sometimes they are so willing to offer their daughters in marriage to the members of the church 1 Sam. 18.21 but it is onely as Saul gave Michal unto David that she might be a snare unto him Third The third Art whereby the adversaries of the church have endeavoured the ruine and over throw of Religon is by covering their intent to alter religion with a pretence of publick emollument So Jeroboam to cover his Idolatrous projects pretends the peoples ease It is too much for you to goe up to Jerusalem 1 King 12.28 a great journey a great charge you may serve God nearer and better cheape at Dan and Bethell as if he meant not to alter Religion but only to let them have it with more ease and bettex accommodation Like that of some of late time For people to heare two Sermons a day it is too much one well heard and remembred is enough For young folke to be kept from sports on the Lords Day it is too much It is too much for you to goe up worship at Ierusalem The like pretence was sometimes used to Theodosius justly called Great who having abolished in Egypt their Heathenish sacrifices and forbid their Idolatrous worship upon paine of consiscation and death the people fearing the omission of their accustomed superstitions would make the River Nilus whom they honoured as a God keep in his streames and not water their land as in former yeares began to mutinie and things tended to sedition whereupon the President of the Countrey wrote to the Emperour beseeching him for once to please the people by conniving at their Idolatry To whom he answered It is better to continue faithfull and constant unto God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Soz. 7.20 then to preferre the overflowing of Nilus and the fruitfullnesse of the earth before piety and godlinesse Nay I had rather Nilus should never flow then to have it raised by sacrifices and inchantments A brave resolution and becomming a true Christian Prince Let people be pleased or displeased come losse come gaine let truth and godlinesse be maintained A fourth fraud or art whereby they endeavour to supplant the Church is By counterfeiting a friendly compliance with the Church of God as if they meant to help and farther the businesses thereof when in truth they intend nothing but to overthrow and hinder all So the Adversaries Esra 4. When the people of God were about rebuilding the Temple the Adversaries came and offered to joyne with them vers the second Let us build with you for we seek your God as you doe When they intended nothing more then to betray them This was the great art of the Adversaries in the Apostles dayes when many false bretheren joyned themselves to the Church Galat. 2. meerely to spy out their liberty and many false Apostles that seemed to preach Christ with abundance of zeale and forwardnesse but it was only that they might withdraw Disciples from the true Doctrine and Apostles of the Lord Iesus and fill the Church with rents and schismes as they did the Church of Corinth Thus the Arrians would often counterfeit themselves Orthodox men and mingle themselves with Orthodox professers that they might with lesse suspition spâ—ead the poison of their errors That good Prince Constantine the Great was much abused by that Generation in this kind his great admirer Euschius confesseth he retained neare him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb de vita Constantin 4.54 Sceleratos Nebulenes qui simulaverunt Religionem Christeanam Specially one potorious one who had bin Chaptain to the Emperours Sister and by her dying was commended to the Emperour and received into his Family and though all the time of Constantine the great he kept his poison hid yet no sooner was he dead but he began to play his pranks First inveigling the chiefe Gentlemen of the Emperours bed chamber then some of the rest after these the Empresse and soon after the Emperour himselfe winning them all to the Arrian heresy who if in Constantines time he had not complyed with the Orthodox party he had never had the accesse to Constantine and so never this opporrunity of spreading that heresie This is a trick not unusuall with Rome I have heard that the Jesuites have a practise of running over to the Lutheran Church I find a passage in Frantrius that may give some credit unto this Oracula Sacra 129. p. 842. pretending to be converts and to build with them but it is only to keep up that bitter contention that is between the Calvinists and the Lutherans the virulency whereof is much fomented by these râ—negado Iesuits The first way is To ingratiate themselves to Kings and Princes with much officiousnesse and pretended care of their profit and honour that so being potent with the Potentates of the earth they may have the more power to doe the Church a mischiefe So the Adversaries of the Iews pretended that in duty and conscience they could doe no lesse then complaine of the Iewes to King Artaxerses Ezra 4.14 Now because we have maintenance from the Kings pallace and it was not meet for us to see the King dishonoured we have sent and certified the King Wretches that cared no more for the Kings honour then a straw only pretend this that they might the more easily draw out the Kings power for the suppressing of the Church So Haman Esth 3.8 seemed to mind only the Kings profit when his mind is only set upon the Iewes destruction It is not for the Kings profit to suffer them So the Iewes themselves in prosecuting and murdering the Lord Christ pretend
thinke there is any thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either in the one or in the other that can adde unto your light if any thing spoken or written may excite or encrease your heat I shall enjoy much of the end I propounded in this Service I dare not undertake to direct in any thing if in any thing I may erect your spirits in times so full of distempers with a Christian holy dedignation of all oppositions to carry on the great businesse of the Lord Iesus in establishing Religion Reforming the Church rooting out Popery I have enough if I faile of this it is the sin of my infirmity not my intention Luther in sad tumultuous times was wont to say to his Brethren and those about him Come let us sing the 40. Psalme Me thinkes you Right Honourable in these sad conflicting times may say one to another come let us reade the Booke of Nehemiah there you may reade experiences encouragements quicknings directions presidents to spread them before you is not the worke of an Epistle nor is it needfull having beene fully and excellently offered to your view in a Fast Sermon Dr Gouge his Sermon onely this as you have made the same preparations to this service you are now upon Nehem. 1. which Nehemiah did addressing your selves thereunto by Fasting and Prayer and have met the same varieties of oppositions and discouragements so persisting in the same pathes of Zeale for God compassion to his Church dependance on his power adherence to his cause constancy in his Service Doubt not but the same mercifull hand of his and your God after your Nehemiah like conflicts shall crowne your faithfullnesse with Nehemiahs successes which were so glorious that when all their enemies heard thereof Nehem. 6.16 and all the Heathen round about they were much cast downe in their owne eyes for they perceived that the worke was wrought of God And they that are of you shall build the old waste places shall raise up the foundations of many Generations Isa 58.12 and yee shall be called the repairers of the breaches the restorer of paths to dwell in which hath been and is the Prayer of The least and unworthiest of your and the Churches servants MATH NEVVCOMEN A SERMON Preached to the Honourable House of Commons now assembled in PARLIAMENT Novemb. the fifth 1642. NEHEMIAH 4.11 And our adversaries said they shall not know nor see till wee come in the midst among them and slay them and cause the worke to cease The Introduction THis chapter gives you a veiw of the various discouragements which that gracious man Nehemiah met in that glorious work of repayring Jerusalem and restoring the lapsed State of Church and common-wealth Discouragements you shall behold in this chapter breaking in upon him like waves of the Sea while he stands as a rock unbroken unshaken in the midst of all Like Iobs Messengers before the first be dispatched there appears a second before that be answered a third like Ezekiels prophesie mischeife Ezek. 7. upon mischeife and rumour upon rumour In the first verse you have the adversaries rage When Sanballat heard that we built the wall hee was wroth and tooke great indignation In the second you have this rage venting it selfe in foame in scoffs and sarcasmes cast upon Nehemiah his brethren and their undertaking What do those feeble Jewes will they fortifie themselves will they sacrifice will they make an end in a day c and Tobias said even that which they build if a fox go up hee shall breake downe their stone wall But this is the coolest of their rage the heat of it reaches unto blood so you find verse the 7. and 8. When Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians c. heard that the walles of Jerusalem were made up they conspired all of them together to come to sight against Jerusalem and to hinder it Withall the people at the same time begin to murmur verse the tenth And Judah said the strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed and there is much rubbish so that we are not able to build the wall And this as it is probable gives incouragement to the adversaries to antidate their triumph and glory as if the Jewes had beene their request their prey already And our adversaries said c. Division of the Text. In which words you may please to observe First a strong combination against the church of God And our adversaries said Secondly a wicked designe they were combined in To cause the work to cease this is first in their thoughts though last in their words Thirdly a bloody meanes propounded and agreed on for the accomplishing of that design and that is slaughter Slay them and cause the worke to cease Lasty a subtile way projected for the effecting of that slaughter we will come upon them secretly suddenly they shall neither know nor see till we are in the midst of them slay them and cause the worke to cease I intend not to prosecute the particulars of the text but to give you the sum of the whole in one observation The Doctrine The great designe of the enemies of the church is by craft or cruelty or both to hinder any worke that tends to the establishment or promoting of the churches good All the visible enemies of the church of God are but the Emissaries of Satan his agents and therefore they observe his (a) Ephes 6.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 methods his rules of art in their attempts upon the church Now as Satan himself sometimes opposes the church by force and then he is b Isaia 27.16 His allegoricis appellationibus figuratur sublimitas omnis tam spiritualis quam corporalis quae adversus deum se extolleret vi fraude vel utroque simul Iuni ad locum Esai 34.16 a piercing Serpent and sometimes circumvents the church by craft and then hee is a crooked serpent vel rectus venit vel tortuosus vel leonem agit et saevit vel draconem agit fallit So doe his auxilliaries those that fight under his colours against the churches peace and good craft and cruelty are their chiefe engines of mischiefe and not one but both they use that as the scripture speaks of those birds of prey and desolation none of them shall want their mate And as some write of the Asp he never wanders alone without his companion with him so the craft of the enemies of the church is never but accompanied with cruelty and their cruelty seldome without craft and both bent to hinder any worke that tendes to the establishment and promoting of the churches good Proved by Exemplification To give you ocular proofe of the crueltyes wherby the enemies of the church have from time to time indeavoured to cause the worke to cease would be the businesse not of a sermon but of a volume and yet easily done had we but time because their cruelty ever appeares in its
nothing but loyalty and respect to Caesar We have no King but Caesar And if thou let this man go thou art not Caesars friend So that Arrian Priest of whom I was even now speaking that corrupted Constantius the sonne of the great Constantine insinuated himselfe first into the favour of that young Prince by his officiousnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Soz 8.1 in carrying his Fathers will to him and the advantage that he made of his favour was to corrupt and poyson him It hath alwayes bin observed that the greatest Heretikes have bin the greatest Courtiers The Arrians in their age and of them the Iesuites learned it and of the Iesuits the Arminians All of them have made it their master-piece to insinuate themselves into the favour of Princes and then make bold with their power for the oppressing of the truth A sixt stratagem of theirs is To charge the Truth and Professours of it with false accusations thereby to render them odious either to Princes or people So the Gospell of Christ was called heresie Paul a pestilent fellow and a mover of Sedition So Ezra 4. The King is told if the Iewes rebuild the wall they will pay no tole nor tribute â—ozom 2 24 â—heod 1. â—0 â—ocrat 1.21 Athan Ep. ad â—olit vitam â—gintes â—ozom 2.8 So the Primitive Christians had horrible unnameable crimes laid to their charges Thus the Arrians charged Athanasias with Adultery Murther Witch-craft Thus the Iewes of Persia in the time of Sapores accused Simeon Bishop of Sileucia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a friend of the Romane Emperours and one that gave intelligence to them of the Persian affaires which was the occasion not only of the death of Simeon but of a generall persecution against the whole Church Thus deale the Jesuites with the Protestants And thus the Adversaries of the power of godlinesse charge it with Heresie Faction Rebellion Willets Pillars of Papistry Ger. Con Cath. l. 1 p. 2. c. â—9 and all that will make it odious either to Prince or people The 7h. way is By procuring and enacting Lawes whereby they may either insnare the consciences or the lives of the people of God unawares Such as that was Daniel 6.7 when they come and tell the King All the Presidents of the Kingdome the Governours and Princet Councellours and Captaines have consulted together to stablish a royall Statute That whoever shall aske any Petition of God or man save of thee ô King for thirty dayes shall be cast into the Lyons Den. Darius was newly ascended upon the Throne and his Princes seemed to have studied nothing but the increasing of his power and might they pretend it will much adde to his magnificence and strike a greater awe into the hearts of his new conquered Subjects if such a Law as this be made Now when all the Presidents and Councellours and Governours shall commend a thing to the King as the unanimous result of all their councels and desire such a Law to be made for the Kings Majesty and Honour it is easily obtained though their designe was by this Law to ensnare the people of God either to wound their consciences by making them sin in neglecting that duty of worship they owed to God or else to cut off their lives in the pursuance of that worship The King could not find this out nor it may bee most of the common sort of the Jewes but Daniel did and resolved rather to transgresse the Lawes of the King then the Law of God rather to be cast into the Den of Lyons then to carry about a Lyon in his bosome even an inraged conscience So Iulian that subtill enemy of the Church of God insnared the poore Christians unawares for calling his Souldiers to appeare before him that they might receive their pay Theod. 3. â—5 16 he caused an Altar with fire upon it to be set by and a Table of Incense and commanded every souldier as he came to receive his money to cast some Incense into the fire upon the Altar which some of his Christian souldiers understanding to be an implicite and interpretative Idolatry refused to doe and would rather loose their pay others not knowing the depth and mystery of this iâ—iquity suspecting no hurt did it and so defiled their consciences which filled them afterwards with such extreme griefe and horrour when they came to the knowledge of it as they did offer to expiate their sinne with their blood Had Darius knowne that the intent of his Princes in that which they called their Royall Law had been to intrap the life of Daniel he would never have signed it Had the Christians knowne that the intent of Iulian in commanding them to sprinkle some Incense upon the burning Altar had been to make them deny the Faith they would never have done it But this is the craft of the Adversaries to procure and enact Lawes that may looke one way and strike another that may seeme to be for Majesty or Honour or Decency but are indeed for the insnaring and supplanting of the Church of God Another way is By secret conspiracies and treacherous combinations against the Church to undermine and ruine it So here Nehem. 4.7 8. The Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites conspire all of them together to come and fight against Jerusalem So Psa 83.3 They take crafty counsell against thy people and conspire against thy hidden ones they have consulted together with one consent they are confederate against thee Gebal and Ammon and Amalek c. So Act. 23.12 13. Certaine of the Iewes banded themselves together and bound themselves under a curse saying that they would neither eat nor drinke till they had killed Paul Such was the Strâ—tagem of our Adversaries the deliverance from which we celebrate this day a conspiracy of men that had bound themselves by a curse to destroy us and had not only said but sworne The Doctrin proved by Reason 1. Drawn from the Adversaries 1. Hatred of the Church Wee will come upon them and they shal neither know nor see til we are in the midst of them and slay them and cause the worke to cease Their designe was by craft and cruelty to disturbe and destroy the Churches peace And truth is in Reason we can looke for no other if we consider the innate disposition of the enemies of the Church First in regard of that implacable hatred the Adversaries beare unto the Church It is a true saying Odia Religionum sunt acerbissima a Immortale odium nunquam sanabile bellum Ardet ad-huc combos Tentyra summus utrinque Inde suror vâ—lgo quod Numina vicinorum Odit uterque tocus cum solos credat habendos Esse Deos quos ipse colit Juve Sat. 15. Omnis Contentio quae Dei causâ suscipitur stabilis sutura est diuturna Drus Apotheg Hatred grounded in differences of Religion are the most bitter and uncapable of Reconciliation And it is
faith patience courage When there was deliberation at Rome about the demolishing of Carthage * Sinenda est Carthago ut ejus metu disciplina à majoribus tradita jam Laba cens rest ituatur Appian de bellis puntcis let it stand saith Scipio least the people of Rome should want an occasion or object whereon to exercise their valour God could soone annihilate his Churches enemies but let them live saith God let them doe their worst they shall but be for the exercise of my peoples wisdome faith zeale constancy courage and whole panoplie of grace 3. For the further illustration of his owne Glory And yet God hath a further end in permitting this then his peoples exercise and tryall and that is The illustration of his owne glory by the crafty and cruel attempts of the Churches enemies that the glory of his wisdome and power in the preservation and prosperity of his Church might be the more illustrious Archimedes had never been so famous if the City where he dwelt had not been so long so violently besieged and a long time preserved onely by his meanes If the Church of God the city of the habitation of his holinesse should not often be surrounded with enemies besieged with difficulties and oppositions the wisdome and power of God in preserving and prospering his Church would never be so glorious therefore the Lord suffers the Adversaries of his Church to designe and indeavour by craft or cruelty or both to hinder any worke that tends to the Churches good gives them leave to plot and conspire against his Church and lets them say They shal not know nor see til wee are in the midst of them c. The Doctrine applyed 1 By way of Commemoration And now if ever Text were verbum diei as the vulgar Latine reades it or verbum super rotas as some others Surely this Truth this Text is such Every word of this Text is a Wheele of that triumphant Chariot Pro. 25 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mercer in which our Church and State this day glories over a designe of our Adversaries against us fraught with all the subtilty and cruelty that hell it selfe was able to infuse into it This day thirty seven yeares was this Scripture fulfilled in England This day thirty seven yeares the King then sitting upon the Throne had summoned the Peeres and Commons of this Kingdome to an Assembly of Parliament The intent of that meeting as was hoped by Gods people and feared by their enemies was to surround Ierusalem and the Temple with walls and bulwarkes to secure the Church the true Religion and worship of God with needfull healthfull Lawes this was the worke intended Wherefore should a Parliament meet but for that worke and our Adversaries said they shall not know neither see till we are in the midst of them and slay them and cause the worke to cease And our Adversaris Our Adversaries Who are they Consider and then judge Who are they that when time was filled their loathsome Prisons with the bodies of our fore-Fathers Made our land drunk with the bloud of Martyrs In the space of lesse then 4. yeares sacrificed the lives * Balthaz Hol. in Chron. Osiand Cen. 16 Histor Eccles Anno 1555. of 800. Innocents unto their Idols And ever since God hath put a stop to those bloudy outrages have travailed with nothing but Englands destruction now these Fourescore yeares Who are they that have made so many desparate stabbes at the breasts of our Prineces so many deadly blowes at the heart of the State given life and vigour to so many insurrections and rebellions in the bowells of the Kingdome Are they not the Papists It is easie then to point out these Adversaries The Papists they are our Adversaries so they have beene so they are so they will be as long as Christ is ours his Gospell ours the Reformed Religion ours Sooner shall a man finde honey and balme in the nests of Aspes and the Dennes of Dragons then wee true friendship and peace with Papists Said Sooner shall East and West meete and kisse the Arke and Dagon Hierusalem and Babylon Christ and Belial cease to be Adverse then they cease to be our Adversaries These were these are our Adversaries And our Adverssaries said These our Adversaries had had many a saying to us they had said in eighty eight a Psal 83 4. Come and let us cut them off from being a Nation that the name of England may be no more in remembrance They had said as Moab b 2 Kin. 3 2◠Up Rome to the spoyle presuming the victory was theirs before the fight And when that Saying was disappointed yet they said there was a day a comming which should pay for all that was the day of Queen Elizabeths death concerning which their Balams prophesied c Parsons ans to the libell of Eng Iust p. 176 181. That by the uncertainty of the next heire the Kingdome was in a despeat case in the greatest misery that ever it was since or before the Conquest and farre worse then any Countrye in Christendome d Cujus sepulchrum velut totius Regni voraginem naufrrgium tanquam sub oculis contemplemini Ingentes moles tempestatum conturbationum cruentorum imbrium conglomeratas nubes vestris impendere cervicibus despicietis Vndiquaque Anglia in praedam expetitur expectatur Weston de triplici hominis officio in perorat ad Academ That Clouds of blood hung over England which waited but her dissolution for their dissolving that upon her death England would be a common prey and her tombe would be Englands grave This our Adversaries said then and from these sayings issued all that prodigious variety of murderous complotments against the sacred person of that ever honoured Queen The miracle of her Sex the glory of her Age the astonishment of the World But the silver line of her pretious life being hid in the hollow of Gods hand from all their desperate assassinates she full of yeares and more full of honour went to the grave in peace and God who frustrates the tokens of the Lyars Isa 44.25 and makes Diviners mad contrary to the hopes and confidences of our Adversaries brought in a peacefull King and established his Throne in peace What Say our Adversaries now are they not so ashamed and confounded in their former disappointments as they can open their mouths no more No they are saying still the malice of our Adversaries is as uncapable of disheartning as Balaam was in his attempts of cursing Israel Let God appeare never so often against them let the Angell of God stand with a drawn Sword in his hand they will on yet again our Adversaries said c. What Pharaoh said to his Servants that our Adversaries said one to another Exod. 1. Come let us deale wisely our former projects against this people have bin too shallow and open our
upon their own heads it was the Lords doings and it is marvellous in our eyes But now as that great King Esther 7. When he read in the records of the Chronicles that Mordecai had discovered a Treason against the King presently enquired What honour and dignity had been done to Mordecai for this So do you You have seene this day a briefe record of that which deserves a larger Chronicle You have seene how the God of Heaven prevented and disappointed a Treason as darke and cruell as Hell intended against the whole State and Kingdome Now your parts it is Honourable and Beloved who representatively are the whole Nation your parts it is to enquire what honour what dignity hath been done to God for this True it is the Parliament then assembled whose the Deliverance more immediately was did ordaine this Anniversary which wee celebrate this Day But besides this what honour what dignity hath been done to God What hath been done for the advancement of his Glory the propagation of his Gospell the repressing of Popery from that Deliverance unto this Day Doe you in your consciences thinke that the bare keeping this deliverance inmemory or an acknowledging of it in our assemblies as at this day is sufficient retribution of dignity and honour to our great deliverer Did not Hezekiah doe as much as this did not hee indite a Song in the praise of that God that had delivered him from the sentence of death You have it Isa 38. to yet is it not said 2 Chron. 32.25 But Hezekiah returned not unto the LORD according to the benefit done unto him Hezekiah returned praise unto the Lord even a Psalme of praise But Hezekiah returned not unto the Lord according to the benefit done unto him Therefore was wrath upon him and upon Judah and Ierusalem May it not be said so of England for all our Anniversaries our Sermons and Songs of praise But England hath not returned unto the Lord according to the benefits done unto them Quid verba andiam facta cum videam Care I saith God for the flattering praises of England when I see the cursed practises of England Have not my purest Truthes been adulterated in England and Romes grossest errours entertained in England and that even since this Deliverance Have not my purest Ordinances beene polluted in England and Romes grossest superstitions practised in England Have not Masses beene openly celebrated with a greater confluence of multitudes to them then to Sermons and Sacraments Have they not published edictes against the Sanctification of my Day Deut. 32.6 but none against the Idolatry of the Masse Have they not without Law against Law persecuted my Ministers my Servants imprisoning them compelling them to voluntary exile while they have neglected to put in execution their owne Lawes against Romish Priests and Iesuites Doe you thus requite the Lord O foolish Nation and unwise Did I deliver you this Day from Romish cruelties that you should deliver up your selves to Romish Superstitions and Idolatry Is this to returne to the LORD according to the benefits hee hath done Arise arise yee Princes of the tribes of England yee members of the honour able houses of Parliament act something this day worthy of your selves worthy of this day worthy of this deliverance worthy of your great deliverer God I perswade my self hath reserved unto you the glory of returning unto him according to this dayes mercy You have begun to do more for the repressing of Popery for the reforming of the Church in doctrine worship discipline then your forefathers have done ever since the first hand was put to the work of reformation Go on in the name of the Lord in the power of his might in the multitudes of his strength Go on to root out not only Popery but all that is Popish Let this day adde something towards the perfection of that work Some such thing I suppose was in the hearts of the honourable Houses when they made choice of this particular day for the assembly of Divines to meet on Why to meet this day if not to deliberate and advise something that might tend to the farther honour of the Authour of this dayes deliverance and the farther confusion of the Authour of this dayes treason the Romish Religion Wel that assembly by the said distempers of these bleeding times is yet suspended I beseech you make this the work of yours and when you returne to your Parliament House again let the first question put to vote this day be Davids Quid retribuam psalm 116. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me Let this be the question and the God of wisdome and grace direct you in your Resolves And what ever God shall reveale to make most for his glory his Churches peace and good the union of the Kingdomes the extirpation of Popery let that be the Crowning Act of this day Scripio Africanus being accused before the Tribunes of the people and the day of his triall falling upon the same moneth and day in which be had some yeares before wonne a great victory over Hanniball in Affrick Iiv 8. c 40. Vpon his first appearance addresses himself to the people in this wise Hoc die Quirites cum Annibale faeliciter pugnatum est c. This day Gentlemen did I fight with Hanniball in Affrick with good successe therefore leaving Law suites I passe directly to the Capitoll to salute the Gods and give them thankes Hoc die Quirites This day Knightes and Gentlemen God himself fought for you against Rome ô do not think it enough that you have come to salute God in his Temple this morning and give him praise but when you returne to your Parliament-House againe letting all other businesses sleep a while in the first place Resolve this question Quid retribuam What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits Application second by way of Information And this I would the rather excite you to Honourable and beloved in our Lord because due thankfulnesse for former deliverances is a happie meanes to procure new God is never weary of delivering a people that studyes thankfulnesse And hath not England hath not the Parliament need of the arme of God to be stretched out againe for their deliverance For have we now no adversaries or have our adversaries changed their natures put of their woâ—â—ed craft and cruelty forgott their ould note to say They shall not know nor see till we are in the middest of them and slay them and cause the work to cease No certainely Sooner shall the Leopard change his sports or the Ethiopian his skin then our adversaries change their scrafty bloudy dispositions or cease to plot ruine against us till they have utterly ruined themselves by their owne plots Have our adversaries thinke you bin sleeping ever since this powder treason You that have bin now these two yeares wrastling with them you know what their Molitions have bin and in
of great persons If any begun to tartle or be troubled at the matter what was their present answer My Lord Bishop doth thus and thus and my Lords Grace of Canterbury doth thus and thus The Knights of the most noble order of the Garter bow Versus Altare A C. Speech in the Starre-Chamber p 47 towards the Altar at their installement His Majesties Chappell is thus and thus adorned By these the like pretences casting a mist before the peoples eyes that some did not others durst not see any thing tending towards the altering of Religion Our adversaries said they shall neither know nor see His third Rule His third Rule is this That arch Heretickes and such as are teachers of Heresie must be banished the Common wealth at once if it may safely bee done but if not by degrees It is easie to know who are the Iesuites Arch-Heretickes the most active orthodoxe Protestants For the rooting out of such the Iesuite prescribes a method of twelve or thirteene steppes Cout Pol. lib. 2â— c. 18. §. 6. For which though well worth the relating I referre you to his book least this discourse should swell to much Only in summe Let me shew you how their operation hath beene according to this Rule The Arch-Heretickes and Teachers of heresie in England have beene counted the Puritan Preachers though they teach nothing but consonant to Scripture and the publike Doctrine of the Church yet they are the teachers of heresie and being too many to root out 〈◊〉 once it must be done by degrees that it may effected with more ease and lesse noise and therefore First east all those out of the ministery that will not be punctuall and full conformists to the old Ceremonies Next because there were a company of conformable Puritans as themselves stiled them they procure an edict for recreations upon the Lords Day and this must be published by Ministers that such as could stand under the ceremonies though groaning for the burden might fall and be broken in peâ—ces under this And yet because some men suspected of Puritanisme might have a latitude here bey ond their brethren They have a third engine â—nd that is injoyning new Ceremonies and adorations that if any could swallow the book yet they might discover cast them out by straining here To this they adde a fourth Prayers and Proclamations to be read against our brethren the Scotts And their last and greatest engine which was like the powder plot against the godly ministery of the nation to blow up the reliques of them at once was the oath for Episcopacie By these successive stratagems they made account utterly to extirpate those Arch-Hereticks As it was somtimes said to Elijah 1 King 19. Him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Iehu slay-and him that escapeth the sword of Iehu shall Elisha slay So had they said Him that escapeth the dint of the Ceremonies shal the book of sports slay and him that escapeth the book of sports shall the new injunctions slay and him that escapeth the new injunctions shall the proclamations slay and him that escapeth the proclamations shal the oath slay And this by degrees and pauses that they shall neither know nor see till we slay them and cause the work to cease His fourth Rule The fourth rule is this That those which are adversaries to the true Religion which with him is Popery be put by their dignities places offices I think none here is such a stranger in England but from his own knowledg can wiâ—nesse this The bestowing of all offices the collating of benefices the election of Masters and fellowes of Colledges in both Vniversities who had the over-ruling hand in them all the power of mandamus but Canterbury and his faction And whom were they conferred upon Vsually Men infamous for and a So Leontius Bishop of Antioch a dissembling concealed Arrian was observed to disrespect all Orthodox men and preferr no one in the Church but such as enclined to Arrianisme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Theod. 2 24. Quis enim non facilè Pruitanos in Anglia redigâ—â— in Or â—inem si Episcoâ—or m approbationem ab tis ex torqueat Contz vbisupra paragrap 9 impudent in Arminian and Popish opinions Protested Arminianisme and bold faced Popery the only speedy unerring way to Church preferment His fifth rule is To make the Protestant Religion odious by laying load upon such tenents as are most subject to harshest constructions In this our adversaries have not bin sparing Quot plaustra convitiorum have they poured out upon some doctrines of our Religion specialy the points of grace The pulpits of Italy and Rome never spitt more gall and venome against the doctrines of Election free grace justification by faith perseverance c. nor never sweat more to exaggerate the seeming absurdities which carnall men would draw from them then some of ours have done His sixth rule is To foment the quarells that are among the Protestants and strengthen that party that is nearest compliance with Rome And here the wretch hath the unhappines to prescribe one thing as the proper meanes of Englands cure For who saith he might not easily reduce the Puritans of England into order you know what the Iesuits reducing into order is if he could extort from them an approbation of the Bishops And had they not attempted and almost effected this They had made us their slaves before and were they not about to make us swear we would be so for ever Certainly though nothing but Episcopacy floated in the surface of that â—ath yet Popery was in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the c. of it oâ— reducing the Puritans of England into order sensu Pontificio His seventh rule His seventh is this That all private Conventiles and publick meetings must be forbidden For private Conventicles you all know that to meet together to pray or to conferre which with them was a Conventicle was Peccatum irremissible A man might at a better rate almost answer any thing then such a meeting For publick meetings The ancient laudable exercising of prophecying I mean not in that sence the word is lately taken for private spirits to interpret Scripture but prophecying by men in office peculiarly gifted and called to that work these are banished The publick and most frequentod lectures blasted Publick fastes by consent of Ministers which had of long time bin used in many parts of the Kingdome were become piacular A sermon at next Church the forbidden fruit when they had none at home or worse then non Our adversaries have bin but too diligent to suppress not only private CoÌ„venticles but publick Assembl His eighth rule The eighth meanes is By severity of Lawes and punishments to compell the obstinate unto duty and yet the rigour of the Law must be slowly drawn out and not against all but only such as be most dangerous Now what severity not only Ad summum
christiano c. 2â— Papistry saith he can neither stand with peace nor piety The State therefore that would have these things hath just cause to suppresse it But what course is to be taken for the suppressing of it Shall wee take that course for the suppressing of popery which some of theirs prescribe for the suppressing of the truth Decretum fuit in consiliis Toletanis c. They made decrees in some of their counsels That every King before he bee installed should sweare among other things That hee would permit no man to live in his Kingdom that is not a Roman Catholick but will pursue all Hereticks with the sword I know it is disputed among Divines Whether it be lawfull to use compulsory meanes in matters of Religion And no lesse among Politicians whither it would bee successefull I shall neither take upon mee to determine those disputes Nor direct the wisdome of the great councell of the kingdome in a course for suppressing popery Only in briefe the meanes to be used to this end are either sacred or civill Acts of Religion or of State For religious meanes I conceive that as the re-establishment of Popery in Queen Maries dayes was an Act of State and of the whole Kingdome assembled in Parliament so if the State the Parliament now assembled would please to indict some Day or dayes of solemne Nationall professed humiliation for that sinne of the Nation which as farre as I could ever learne was never yet done it might bee a happie meanes to expiate that sinne and to purge the Land from that bloud of Martyrs which it yet groanes under and would blessedly prepare the heart of the Nation for a more thorow perfect Reformation We observe it in particular persons that if they slide out of profane and sinfull wayes into wayes of more retirednesse without any evidence of a sincere and proportionable Humiliation That Reformation seldome proves lasting or saving I know not why the same may not bee verified in Nationall Reformations And among other things which possibly might bee causes why the wrath of the Lord was not removed from Hierusalem notwithstanding Josiah's so glorious Reformation this may bee one because the Land was never humbled for the Idolatries or Bloudsheds of Manasses but looked upon the reformation as sufficient without humiliation which verily hath been Englands course to this day we have blessed our selves in a kinde of Reformation But never tooke to heart the Idolatrous and bloudy Lawes enacted by our forefathers to bee humbled for them Next to this as a second meanes for the suppressing of Popery I would subjoy ne the casting out from among us of all appearances of Popery every that lookes like Rome every thing of which the Papists may say this you borrowed from us True it is the Israelites by Gods expresse commandement borrowed of the Aegyptians Iewels of silver and Iewels of Gold but when they imployed those Egyptian Iewels to Egyptian worship and turned their Egyptian gold into an Egyptian God you know what followed I condemne not every thing received from Rome as simply evill But certainely as long as the Papists see any such things among us in our publike worship They will but scorne us and our Religion as imperfect and unable to furnish us in the service of our God without being beholding unto them The third Meanes is To ridd the Church of scandalous Ministers that what by their corrupt doctrine what by their abominable lives have exceedingly hardned the Papists against our Religion and strengthened them in their owne Fourthly By complying as neare as possible may be with other reformed Churches in all things The resolution you have put on for uniting with the Church of Scotland is one of the blessed'st things for the utter subversion of popery that hath beene since the first reformation And lastly Plant a faithfull painefull powerfull Ministery through the Kingdome And give maintenance and incouragement answerable But O Lord in such a corrupt State of Clergie and Universities where shall we finde faithfull men to plant the Nation with The harvest is great the labourers few O pray yee the Lord of the Vineyard to send forth labourers into his harvest To give the word that great may be the multitude of them that preach it As for Civill meanes of rooting out Popery I shall wholly leave them to the Councell of the State Only one thing more let me adde which I cannot without sinne forbeare If ever you would root popery out of Englâ—nd with the uttermost of your vigour prosecute the affaires of Ireland If Popery prevaile to the suppressing of the true Religion there Doe not thinke you can prevaile to suppresse popery here I know your Domesticke affaires are great your occasions of expences vast yet I remember what the Historian saith of the Roman State There was nothing did more evidence the greatnesse of their spirits then that at such a time as Hanniball was even Ad portus Their treafure exhausted by long Warres Their Armies routed diverse times The State at the lowest ebbe that ever it was in Yet even then when a mighty Warre lay upon their backes They did not remit the care of any affaires though never so remote from them And nothing did more make Hannibal despaire of taking Rome Then that he heard supplies of Souldiers were sent out of the Citie into Spaine even then 〈…〉 22. c. 3â— when he with his whole army lay before their walles I know not whither any thing would more please God or procure a blessing upon your affaires at home I am sure scarce any thing would mâ—â—e dant your adversaries at home and abroad then to see you at such a time as this sending supplies into Ireland And you my brethren the rest of you that stand before Exhortatiâ—â— the peoplâ— the Lord this day Withdraw not your assistance from the honourable Houses of Parliament in that or any other worke so just Honourable and pious You see they meete with opposition from their adversaries impossible it is it should be otherwise Oh let them not meete with discouragment from their friends from their brethren No question it was worse to Nehemiah to heare Iudah say The strength of the bearers of burdens is decaied and there is so much rubbish wee cannot build the wall Then it was to heare the adversaries say We will come upon them and they shall neither know nor see till we are in the midst of them and play them and cause the worke to cease That which the adversaries said was no more then he looked for But this of Iudah was unexpected O let not London say let not England say The strength of the bearers of burdens is decaied The expences of the Irish warre and of the English affaires are such a burden wee can beare no longer our strength is decaied wee cannot build the wall the worke must cease I know your burdens this way have been great and in this City farre