that shineth unto all there is no obscurity in it hear you it you that be far off and you that be nigh Next him Austin God hath bowed down the Scriptures to the capacity of Babes and sucklings that when proud men will not speak to their capacity yet himself might After him Chrysostom The Scriptures are easie to understand and exposed to the capacity of every Servant and Plowman and Widow and Boy and him that is most unwise Therefore God penned the Scriptures by the hands of Publicans Fishermen Tentmakers Shepherds Neat-herds and unlearned men that none of the simple people might have any excuse to keep them from reading and that so they might be easie to be understood of all men the Artificer the Housholder and Widow woman and him that is most unlearned Yea the Apostles and Prophets as Schoolmasters to all the world made their Writings plain and evident to all men so that every man of himself only by reading them might learn the things spoken therein Next Justin Martyr saith Hear the words of the Scripture which be so easie that it needs no exposition but only to be rehearsed And this the Protestants say was the perpetual and constant judgment of the antient Church c. And further pag. 21. he alledgeth Theodoret who writ of his times You shall every-where see these points of our Faith to be known and understood not only by such as are Teachers in the Church but even of Coblers and Smiths and Websters and all kind of Artificers yea all our Women not they only which are Book-learned but they also that get their living with their Needle yea Maid-servants and Waiting-women and not Citizens only but Husbandmen of the Country are very skilful in these things you may hear among us Ditchers and Neat-herds and Wood-setters discoursing of the Trinity and the Creation c. The like is reported by others And say the Protestants his Doctrine that was President in the Trent-Conspiracy That a Distaff was fitter for Women than a Bible was not yet hatched c. Oh it were well if the contempt of these pious practices were paled only within the Romish profession and were not practised in and among those that profess themselves to be separated there-from as what is more frequent in the mouthes of many Protestants yea the Bishops themselves than these and such like words Must every base fellow Cobler Taylor Weaver c. meddle with the exposition or discoursing of the Scriptures which appertains to none but to the Learned Yea do they not forbid their own Ministers to expound or discourse of the Scriptures read their 49 Canon which is No person whatsoever not examined and approved by the Bishop of the Diocess or not licensed as is aforesaid for a sufficient and convenient Preacher shall take upon him to expound in his own Cure or elsewhere any Scripture or Matter or Doctrine but shall only study to reade plainly and aptly without glozing or adding the Homilies already set forth or hereafter to be published by lawful Authority c. So that not only Jesus Christ and his Apostles who are alive in their Doctrine though not in their persons are forbidden all exposition of the holy Scriptures or Matter or Doctrine not being licensed by the Bishops but also their own Ministers who have sworn Canonical obedience to them Yet when they are put to answer the Papists who practise the same thing they take up both Scriptures and antient Writers to confute it CHAP. 5. The Learned in humane learning do commonly and for the most part erre and know not the Truth but persecute it and the professors of it and therefore are no further to be followed than we see them agree with Truth THe next thing in order is seeing the Lord revealeth his secrets to the humble though wanting humane Learning that we now prove on the contrary That God usually and for the most part hideth his secrets from the Learned and suffereth them to erre and resist the Truth yea so far as to persecute it and the Professors of it And first let us begin with the Learned Heathen who were behind none in humane Learning the wise-men of Egypt how did they resist the glorious and powerful Truth of God delivered by Moses yea they resisted it with such signs and lying wonders that the heart of Pharaoh and all his people were hardned against it Exod. 7.11 12 13. and 8.7 And what was the cause of Babels destruction but their trusting in the Learned Isa 47.13 Thou art wearyed in the multitude of thy Counself c. And Isa 44.25 I destroy the tokens of thy Southsayers and make them that conjecture fools and turn the wisemen backward and make their knowledge follishness The things of Gods dealing none of the Learned of Egypt or Babel could interpret but Joseph and Daniel Next come to the learned Priests and Prophets of the Jews Whose lips should have preserved Knowledge and at whose mouth the people should have sought the Law But saith the Lord Mal. 2.7 8. They are gone out of the way they have caused many to fall by the Law c. Also Isa 29. Stay your selves and wonder they are blind and make you blind they are drunken but not with Wine they stagger but not with strong drink for the Lord hath convered you with a spirit of slumber and hath shut up your eyes the Prophets and your chief Seers c Therefore the Lord said Because this people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips but have removed their heart far from me and their fear towards me was taught by the precepts of men Therefore behold I will again do a marvallous work in this people a marvellous work and a wonder for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of the prudent shall be hid c. And Isa 56.10 c. Their watchmen are all blind they have no knowledge c. And these Shepherds cannot understand for they all look to their own way every one for his own advantage and for his own purpose Also Jer. 8.9 c. The wise-men are ashamed they are afraid and taken lo they have rejected the Word of the Lord and what wisdom is in them c. And Jer. 14.14 c. and 50.6 My People have been as lost sheep their Shepherds have caused them to go astray and have turned them away to the mountains c. And Micah 3. Night shall be unto them for a vision and Darkness for a divination the Sun shall go down over the Prophets and the Day shall be dark over them c. For they have no answer of God they build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity c. And Zeph. 3.4 Her Prophets are light and wicked persons her Priests have polluted the Sanctuary they have wrested the Law And in the time of our Saviour How had they made the Commandments of God of no authority by
man would not be deceived by them nor plead for them but because they teach many Truths people receive them But first for whatsoever they teach they neither could nor should teach publickly their mouths should be stopped if they received not that their power to teach such Truths from those the Dragon sends and therefore none can receive those Truths from them but they receive the Devil by whose power they teach for as our Saviour saith Mat. 10.40 He that receiveth you receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me So he that receiveth those the Beast sends receiveth the Beast and he that receiveth the Beast receiveth him that sent him that is the Devil Further. Did not that Southsayer Balaam teach excellent Truths Numb 23 24 chapters Yea the Southsayers of the Philistims the like 1 Sam. 6. Yea Those in the Gospel preach in Christs Name Mat. 7.22 As many moe testimonies might be manifested And secondly For their bringing of people to Reformation and therein doing great works Did not the Southsayers before recited 1 Sam. 6. shew the Princes their sin in detaining Gods Ark and the judgments against them for the same exhorting them to send it away and not to harden their hearts as Pharoah and the Egyptians hardned their hearts And was not Reformation wrought hereby And did not they that preached in Christs Name cast out Devils and do many and great works of whom our Saviour testifieth he never acknowledged them But let us a little consider wherein the Reformation consistech procured by their preaching in Drunkenness Whoredom Swearing c. moral duties which things whosoever is not reformed in shall never see Gods Kingdom yet which things many of the Philosophers that knew not God abounded in as they that know the Stories cannot deny But do they teach their hearers to hate vain inventions and love God's Law In a general manner of teaching they may but if it come to particular practice you shall see what they will do Do they teach any to submit to that one Law-giver Christ Jesus for the guidance of his Church and not to Antichrists Abominations No they will tell you you must sigh and groan till the Magistrate will reform for you are a private person and must be subject And if the powerful working of Gods Word and Spirit prevail in you to let you see that the Magistrates not reforming will not excuse you at the day of account but that that soul that committeth abomination shall dye and that rather than you will worship the Beast or his Image you will suffer with Christ peaceably separating your self from such open prophanation as neither can nor will be reformed endeavouring to square your self both in your entrance and walking in Christs way unto that golden Rule that he hath left for direction then the best of all those Preachers and Reformers will be hot and bitter labouring with all the turning of devices to turn you and withhold you from Reformation And if they cannot prevail hereby then publish you in their priviledged Pulpits where none may answer them You are a Schismatick Brownist Anabaptist and what not to make the multitude abhor your doings and not to follow you therein and some of them if not all under a colour procure your Imprisonment and trouble by their Canonized Lords or some of their hellish Pursevants And such Preachers of Reformation are the best of them all Indif Oh how have we been besotted in these things for want of true knowledge and understanding from the Scriptures how have I and others satisfied our selves with these things in that our estate was happy perswading our selves thereof when alas our fear towards God was taught by the inventions of men but the reason thereof was we judged our selves by our own perswasions and not by Gods Word Ch. I pray you let not that seem strange unto you that people should perswade themselves of their good estate with God when it is not so The Israelites Gods People thought their estate good many times when alas it was otherwise as the Prophets declared unto them yea our Saviour testifieth that they boasted of God being their Father when they not so much as knew him Joh. 8.19 yea when they were of their father the Devil ver 44. The five foolish Virgins thought their condition good enough and that they should have been let in but it was otherwise Luke 20. The wicked thought they did God service that killed Christs Disciples Joh. 16.2 Mans heart is deceitful Jer. 17.9 Who are more confident of their good estate with God than the Papists notwithstanding all their gross abominations Even so have you and I God pardon us thought beyond all that we were in a good estate having such zealous Teachers that teach so many excellent Truths under the title of Christs Ministers till we came to examine them as the Church of Ephesus did Rev. 2. then we found them to have no other Ministry than that they received from the Beast and his Image which the Dragon gave Rev. 13. Indif Are all without exception in this fearful estate to be case into the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Ch. All that submit obey or worship the Beast without exception for there is no respect of persons with God So saith the Lord If any man worship c. These worshippers under the Beast's Image may be divided into two sorts First those that ignorantly perswade themselves that all that is practised is good and acceptable to God Secondly those that see and acknowledge many things to be evil which they would gladly have removed but because they cannot without the Crosss of Christ partly for that and partly by the perswasion of their Prophets that the things are not fundamental and the like pretences all submit and teach men so Indif Some affirm There be thousands in England that never worshipped the Beast c. but be careful to keep the Commandments of God and Faith of Jesus Ch. Such are not under these Judgments but if their meaning be of any that submit to these Ordinances appointed for these Assemblies such Teachers preach peace when there is none strengthen the wicked that they cannot return from their wicked way by promising them life whose reward shall be according to the reward of such false Prophets Ezek. 13.1 and chap. 14.10 because they follow their own spirit and have not received it from the Lord for thus saith the Lord Such shall drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God Indif It is also affirmed by some That in respect of personal graces some of the Professors as they are called are the Children of God and may be communicated with privately though in respect of their Church actions they are members of Antichrists body to whom are Judgments of God appertaineth Ch. This opinion proceedeth not from Gods Word but from man's vain heart by the suggestion of the Devil which that it may evidently appear let us
and 6.6 8. the Wisdom of God therein teaching that the Forehead and Hand are the apparantest parts of the body to the view of all men so that to receive the Mark in the Forehead or Hand is to make manifest Profession of him we obey The sum of all which is that whosoever openly professeth obedience and subjection to that spiritual cruel power of Rome the Beast or to that spiritual cruel power of England his Image wheresoever they or either of them are exalted such a one and such persons shall drink of the Wine of Gods wrath and be tormented in fire and brimstone and shall have no rest day nor night for evermore Indif Your description of the Beast the Papists will deny so will the English Lord Bishops and their followess deny your description of his Image but thousands will grant both and some will deny both as the Familists who say that Religion standeth not in outward things and therefore they will submit to any outward service and they that do not so but suffer persecution say they are justly persecuted Ch. Those Enemies to the Cross of Christ are most of them not worth information because for the most part they are such as do with an high hand sin after enlightning having forsaken the way wherein they walked because they would not bear Christs Cross but in that some simple souls may be seduced by them let us a little in general compare their Opinion with the Scriptures True it is that Religion standeth not only in outward things for God requireth the heart and truth in the inward parts but that God requireth not our subjection upon fearful punishments to those outward Ordinances which he requireth is a doctrine of Devils as I shall prove And first for the outward Ordinances of the Old Testament which were meerly shadows and now are beggerly rudiments Gal. 4.16 what indignation the Lord had towards them that transgressed Nadab and Abihu offering strange fire which the Lord hath not commanded a fire went out from the Lord and destroyed them Levit. 10.1 2. The men of Bethshemesh looking into the outward Ark which God had forbidden the Lord slew fifty thousand and threescore and ten of them 1 Sam. 6.19 Vzza of a good intent leaning his shoulder to the same outward Ark which God forbad the Lord slew him I Chr. 13 7 10. Vzziah the King oftering up outward Incense which God commanded to be done only by the Priests Numb 18.3 7. the Lord smore him with Leprosie until his death 2 Chron. 26. Corah and his company what fearful Judgments came upon them though he a Levite for presuming to meddle with the Priests Office the Earth opening and swallowing them up Numb 16. King Saul likewise offering up Incense in time of need as he thought the Lord rent his Kingdom from him 1 Sam. 13. as also for his disobedience afterwards touching the fat of the Amalecks Cattel 1 Sam. 15. How often was the wrath of the Lord poured down upon them Israelites because of their transgression of his outward Ordinances in place person and things for it was a Law Lev. 17.3 4. That who so brought not his Sacrifice to the place viz. to the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation but offered it up other where blood should be imputed to that man and he should be cut off from among his People yea such Sacrifices were esteemed of God as offered to Devils ver 7. And the Lord caused them to pronounce Deut. 27.26 Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to do them and all the people must say So be it Was God thus jealous of Moses's Ordinances and is he less jealous of Christs Must he dye that despiseth Moses Law and shall he escape that despiseth Christs upon what pretence soever And Christ saith It becometh him and all his to fulfil all Righteousness in outward Ordinances as washing with water Mat. 3.15 And whosoever saith he knoweth God and keepeth not his Commandments which are outward aswell as inward he is a lyar 1 Job 2.4 And whosoever breaks the least Commandment and teacheth men so he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 5.19 And whosoever will not hear that Prophet Christ Jesus in all things that he shall say unto them shall be destroyed out of his People Acts 3.22 23. The affections of the soul are to be manifested by the actions of the body according to Gods Word and all other good intents or affections are abominable We may not neither can we worship God with our spirits and the Devil with our bodies for we are bought with a price and therefore must not be the servants of men but must glorifie God with our bodies and with our spirits for they are his 1 Cor. 6.20 and 7.23 And this may suffice to satisfie any concerning the overthrow of this cursed Conceit knowing also that Christ and his Apostles and all his Disciples to the end of the world might and may live peaceably enough from Persecution if this Doctrine might be observed viz. Submission with our bodies to any outward service The Lord discover such Hypocrites Indif I bless God I have learned of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13.8 to say nothing against the Truth but for the Truth and therefore when I see things are evidently manifested by the Scriptures am desirous to submit and not to cavil But you know it is pleaded they have the Word and Sacraments in the English Assemblies Ch. I confess they have the Scriptures in the which Gods Mysteries are contained which are locked up from them and revealed to his Saints Col. 1.26 which they wofully pervert to their own destruction They have also imitations of Gods Ordinances as Water Bread and Wine and other things which they use after their own inventions which things make them boast so much of their Christianity and of their Church which makes them reason thus We are Gods People for we have the Word and Sacraments The Philistims might better have reasoned 1 Sam. 5. who had the true Ark of God amongst them these have but a shew We are Gods People for we have Gods Ark and holy Oracles amongst us But I think they had no great cause to rejoyce thereof in the end No more shall these have in the end when God recompenceth all that withhold the Truth in unrighteousness Gods dealing is not now as it was of old he now reserveth punishment to the last day he is patient and would have men repent but they despise his bountifulness and long-suffering preaching peace when there is no peace Indif It cannot be denied but that the Ministers preach many excellent Truths and do bring people to much reformation in many things Ch. True it cannot be denied For if the Devil should come in his own likeness men would resist him but because he transformeth himself into an Angel of light therefore he deceiveth So his ministers if they should teach all lyes
are upon us in that it is in your power to redress them and especially at this present in this High Meeting assembled for the publick weal of all your loyal Subjects Our miseries are long and lingring Imprisonments for many years in divers Counties of England in which many have dyed and left behind them Widows and many small Children taking away our Goods and others the like of which we can make good probation not for any disloyalty to your Majesty nor hurt to any mortal man our Adversaries themselves being Judges but only because we dare not assent unto and practise in the Worship of God such things as we have not Faith in because it is sin against the Most High Heb. 11.6 Rom. 14.23 as your Majesty well observeth in these words It is a good and safe Rule in Theology That in matters of the Worship of God Quod dubitas ne fereris according to Pauls rule Rom. 14.5 Let every man be fully perswaded in his own mind Medit. on Lo. Prayer If we were in error herein these courses of afflicting our bodies for Conscience cause are not of Christ but of Antichrist as hereafter is most plainly shewed And if no Church be the Rule of Faith but only the holy Scriptures as the learned Protestants do truly confess and that therefore the Doctrine of the Church of Rome that all must believe as the Church believes and so practise or else be cruelly persecuted be most ungodly as it is then how can they avoid the like censure that practise the same thing contrary to their own Judgement For the learned Protestants do say it is high cruelty for the Papists to constrain them to practise those things in Gods Worship which they have not Faith in nay which they know to be evil with Imprisonment Fire and Faggot and therefore why may not we say it is great cruelty for the learned Prorestants to constrain us to practise such things in Gods Worship which we have not Faith in Nay which we certainly know to be evil with lingring Imprisonment loss of Goods and what other cruelties they can procure against us of your Majesty and the Civil State If your Learned say they have the Truth and we are in Errour that resteth to be tryed by the true Touchstone the holy Scriptures If they be our Judges the Verdict must needs go against us If their sayings be a safe Rule for us to be saved by we will rest upon them And then why may not the saying of the Papists be sure also and they be the Protestants Judges and so bring us all to believe as the Church believes The iniquity of which we have discovered as briefty as we could beseeching your Majesty and all that are in Authority to hear us It concerneth our eternal Salvation or Condemnation and is therefore of great importance for what can a man give for the ranfom of his Soul Oh he pleased to remember the saying of that great and good man Job chap. 29. I delivered the Poor that cryed and the Fatherless and him that had none to help him The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me and I caused the Widows heart to rejoyce I was a Father to the Poor and when I knew not the cause I sought it out diligently I brake also the jaws of the unrighteous man and pluckt the prey out of his teeth Our prayers are and shall be for you day and night to that God of glory by whom you reign and are advanced that He will pat it into your hearts to let these things enter into your thoughts and then we doubt not the evidence of them being such that you will be moved to repeal and make void all those cruel Laws which we most humbly beseech which persecute poor men only for matters of conscience not that we any way desire for our selves or others any the least liberty from the strict observation of any Civil Temporal or Humane Law made or to be made for the preservation of your Majesties Person Crown State or Dignity for all that give not to Caesar that which is his let them bear their burden but we only desire that God might have that which is his which is the heart and soul in that Worship that He requireth over which there is but one Lord Eph. 4.5 and one Law-giver who is able to save it or to destroy it Jam 4.12 which no mortal man can do It is not in your power to compel the heart you may compel men to be Hypocrites as a great many are who are false-hearted both towards God and the State which is sin both in you and them The vileness of persecuting the body of any man only for cause of Conscience is against the Word of God and Law of Christ It is against the profession of your Majesty against the profession and practice of famous Princes The antient and later approved Writers witness against it so do the Puritans yea the establishers of it the Papists themselves inveigh against it so that God and all men do detest it as is herein shewed And therefore in most humble manner we do beseech your Majesty your Highness your Honours your Worships to consider of it and do as God directeth you in his Word that cannot lye Let the Wheat and Tares grow together in the world until the harvest Matth. 13. And so in humble manner we proceed CHAP. I. The Rule of Faith is the Doctrine of the Holy Ghost contained in the Sacred Scriptures and not any Church Council Prince or Potentate nor any mortal man whatsoever PRoved by the Scriptures themselves which are the Writings of Moses and the Prophers the Evangelists and Apostles these are a sufficient Rule alone to try all Faith and Religion by our Reasons are 1. They are inspired of God and are able to make us wise unto salvation and perfect to every good work 2. Tim. 3.15 c. 2. Because these Writings are written that we might have certainly of the things whereof we are instructed Luke 1.4 That our joy might be full 1 Joh. 1.4 And that we might believe and in believing might have life John 20.31.3 We are commanded not to presame or be wise above what is written 1 Cor. 4.6 For with this weapon Christ put to flight the Devil Mat. 4.4 And taught his Disciples Luke 24.27 46. And Paul taught Christ Jesus Acts 17.2 The Godly are commended for searching the Scriptures Acts 17.11 All are commanded to search them John 5.39 And they that will not believe these Writings will not believe Christs Words John 5.47 nor one that should come from the Dead Luke 16.31 If any ask how we know all or any of these Scriptures to be inspired of God We answer The ear saith Job 12.11 discerneth words and the mouth tasteth meat for it self And as the eye discerneth the light of the Sun so doth our Spirit discern these Scriptures to be inspired of God and that for these