returning from the Lake of Minturnum where he was forced to skulk from the proscriptions of Scylla Catenae fuga exilium honorificaverunt dignitatem that is their Exilements Imprisonments Scornes Miseries did imblazon their dignities and set a varnish upon that Gold which the evil tongues of those and these dayes had laboured to rust and with Calumnies Canker-eat and deface Victrix causa malis placuit sed victa Gatono I loved the Church when she was unlovely when she was blackest then was she comely A dis-figured Parthenia is the lov'd Mistress of a constant Argalus Bright Cynthia with all he spots is amiable and our Ladies in smaller volumes imitate the pale Lady of the skies In my Mother the Church her spots are not black Foyles but red the Red-letter daies being the Ornament of her Year her Festivals my present subject so many pillars as in Solomon 's Porch the beautie and flourish of the building I do acknowledge that learneder Pens have laboured in this Argument and I come forth burthened with their just Fames and must needs incur the censure of an impertinent and superfluous Scribler Scribendi Cacoethes is a Disease incurable for which there is no dose in our Pharmacopaea I can make no other Apologie then this that Nil est dictum quod non est dictum prius the Mode perchance the Fashion may be new but the ground-work is old If I prove Scinctillula de Scinctilla a Sparkle of a Spark is honour enough Longè sequor vestigia semper adoro The many little Starrs in the firmament make a very rare Via lactea which the greater Luminaries do neither envie nor obscure Let my vantage Candle I pray be taken into the pound to make weight at least while your Christmass Tapers carry the glory of the day These Apologetick complements premised I proceed to prove the Antiquity and Legality of these Festivals wherein also I am prevented by the learned Dr. Gunning after whom to glean is too much honour for me unworthy to carry his Books And first of the Antiquity of Easter what can be more reverend for its Age more holy for its Subject it was instituted by the Apostles themselves kept by them and is indeed the leading Sabbath or rather Holiday of the year Dies Dominicus non Sabbatum creationis the Lords Day a Commemoration of the Resurrection of our Saviour which was the complement and perfection of the Redemption of the World This is the Lords day in which his Arm brought mighty things to passe And for the Antiquity of Lent it is deriv'd by Dr. Gunning very far to whose more authentick authority I refer you According to Helvicus and the Cronologer upon him we finde it instituted by that good Prince Sigisbert amongst us English-men having first restored Christian Religion in the year of our Lord 640. but at Rome it obtained sooner observance in Telesphorus his Episcopacy of that See For then the name of Pope was not appropriate to the Bishop of Rome onely but was shared among the rest of his Brethren but in Phocas the Emperour's dayes Boniface the third usurped the title of Universal Bishop and did affix the name of Papa to the Roman See onely though S. Gregory before him plainly said That whoever did assume that title was the fore-runner of Antichrist What need the Geneva Glosse is not S. Gregory enough to state the Question And in 142 Lent was instituted at Rome the forementioned Telesphorus being Pontifex Maximus but as for the business it self the Antiquity makes no great matter no more then our long contentions for the Superiority of Oxford and Cambridge though in this present Parliament my Mother hath got the right-hand side and to shew my thankfulness for that Vote I shall tell the noble Suffragators of a piece of Petrarch a Poet too yet of good authority wherein speaking of the ancientness of the Disputative Ergo he saith Vetustum illud ergo hoc Oxoniense illud Parisciense Which doth intimate that Cambridge had no name then or no ergo or ergo fallor let these Universities be for ever styled as my Father Ben calls them most politickly in his Dedication before Volpone most equal Sisters It is not the oldness of any thing unless it be also very good makes it praiseworthy Stand in the old way that was the first covenant of the Decalogue was a holy Precept but fight for the Good old Cause which was a covenant for Mischief and Treason was an abominable invitation and a call to Rebellion Curse ye Meroz was a very good commination against those backward Israelites which kept their Tents and would not rise with the Lord against the mighty but to your Tents O Israel and the new Curse you Meroz of our times was the decoy to Sedition Tumults and War and a spur to England to ruine themselves to cut off the best King that ever Christianity knew The Iewes at this day attribute their long abandoning and dispersion to their rebellion against the house of Judah Shall a Iew repent of that sin of Witchcraft and shall the Godly Party wipe their mouths like the Harlot and say it is a sweet thing and persist in impenitency and provide for future Risings Pudet haec approbria vobis Et dici potuisse non potuisse refelli Countreymen I am ashamed of your obstinacy and beseech you to undeceive your selves These Meditations if read with impartial eys will befriend you into the true way that way which your King upon his Theatre of Martyrdom told you you had forsaken Remember the words of your dying Father of a true Jonathan though not the son of Rhacab but a sober Prince a chaste Prince a pious Prince and for his sake who prayed for your Pardon who purchased your Act of Indempnity with his own Blood of his Mercifull Son for his Son's sake for his Christ's sake yet in this your day leave off murmuring repining speaking evil of Dignities and every high thought of heart and come with old Barsillai you and your sons and families bring the King to Jerusalem settle him in his Royal City with joy and make one Festival more then I write of make one Iubilee to the universal rejoycing of this yet distracted Nation At this Repentance Heaven will dance the Angels will be pleasant and your own hearts wil be enlarged with everlasting comforts Which is the hearty vote of a true Son of the Church of England and a Religious Physician That word makes me reflect upon my selfe and commands me to shew some reason why I intitle this Book The Religion of a Physician since that hath been used by Doctor Brown an able Artist in that Faculty To whom for that and his Vulgar Errors the world stands still engaged and obliged I do not do it for this end and purpose that either in Physick wherein he was admirable or in Theologie wherein he was curious I should match my selfe with him or labour to out-vie him A poore Dwarf
the joyfull matter you may guess Glory to God good will to men t' Earth peace When such a Song shall ever more be heard Or when such Choristers 't is to be fear'd The Saints are black and of another tone Hatred to men War and Destruction Upon the Sons o' th' Earth and yet they cry All 's done to the glory of God on High Away then Sheepherds to the humble place And kiss his feet view your sweet Saviours face What Glory shines about the Babe the Hay And Straw all on a fire make no such day The Beasts affrighted with such flames here gaze And run about the Infant as it blaze What need we care where us our Mothers lay A Manger is Gods Incunabula Mary incircled with a glorious Light Is in a cloud her self her thoughts in night Deliver'd of a Son but not of Doubt Her heart was joy'd but yet was pierc'd throughout Certain 't is hers uncertain how 't is hers Shee does believe 'fore Reason Faith preferrs The births of all men do depend upon Their Mothers here the Mother trusts the Son Whose Incarnation to himself was known And Mary Mothers it Father there 's none Upon S. Stephen the Proto-martyr HOw shall I write thy Legend who am all Extremely bad as bad as either Saul What though I threw no stones as Saul I had A hand in thy Lords Lords death and that 's as bad The Sins preceding present and to come Are all upon account the cursed summe And hand-writing against us which stood good Untill Christ had expung'd it with his Blood The Jewes cry'd Crucifie their voice prevailes But every Sin of mine was Goad and Nailes Mount Calvary the Stage the World the Cause And He condemn'd for our not keeping Lawes And every one that does profess that name Hath for his Badge Death Poverty and Shame While devout Stephen preaches him and spake A Poniard-Sermon made the heart to ake Like the smart penn'd Philippicks word and blow Th' eternal Life and Death of Cicero What is contriv'd his fate a Sermon friend Of truth doth th' utterer to th' Scaffold send But what should anger them Stephen you know Was no Apostle that 's no Bishop no He was a fervent Deacon had he been O' th' higher Form he 'd been the Man of Sin No Order scapes their malice no Degree Exempts the Clergie from their Tyranny If he speak truth and boldly reprehend Bishop or Deacon it shall be his end 'T is not thy Miracles or Wisdome Saint Though it convince them shall obtain a Grant They are o'recome convicted Guilt proves Rage Not onely then but now in this our Age. Look what a crew and crowd of Enemies Are rais'd against apparent Verities Which Libertines convene they will dispute And Sense and Wonders shan't a man confute Just like the enemies to David's Throne A line of wicked Combination Edom and Ishm'el Moab Hagarens Gebal and Ammon Tyre and Philistines Conspire 'gainst Iudah all so here a Nest Of Sectaries oppose the Truth profest And all in vain then to the old Designe Make a Malignant of the best Divine Blasphemer Innovator one that doth Act against God in words and the State both This will prevaile if that the people cry Iustice aloud good Stephen thou must die Thus do false cryers up o' th' Temple kill The truest Props and Churches Pillars still Upon S. John Evangelist and Apostle BElov'd Disciple pillow'd on the breast Of Christ which was a favour 'bove the rest From whence thou suck'dst sublime Divinity And soarst aloft with Eagles piercing eye Into the Mysteries of Faith To thee We owe the profound arguments whereby The Ebionites and Arrian Hereticks Socinians and their late invented tricks Are all confounded and whosoe're do fight Against Christs Incarnation or his Right In the Blest Trinity th' c Eternal Word As in a scabbard is inclos'd a sword Couch'd in the Flesh shewn thorow that shadowing veyle And 'bove the Hood the Glory did prevail It was not possible to shrowd him so But by his works his Father he must know He prov'd his Father by his wondrous Deeds Than those his Acts there need no other Creeds Believe me for my Works they 'r his own words These speak me God these speak me onely Lord. To make men eyes and legs were blind and lame It is as to create the very same To raise the dead to life redeem restore To raise himself from death what would you more More if he would have done his own self saith Could not if what he did would not gain Faith The reason of this Unbelief 't is this Men hated Light for its discoveries Mischiefs in Lanthorns lodge in Mists and clouds And flie whatsoe're their dark designs inshrowds Deluding Oracles are dumb when Truth Doth speak the Divel himself hath ne'r a mouth When that the Word Essential is in place Darkness and Light can't joyn Malice and Grace Forc'd and extort confessions may come From Devils themselves who would like men be dumb But when th' Effective Word exerts its pow'rs Both Devils and Men must then be Confessors But in his Umbrage of Divinity These combin'd parties dare affront him high Call him a VVine-bibber companion With Publicans and Sinners any one Harlots Samaritans he made no choice Rather with Poor then Pharisees rejoyce Christ was no Seperatist onely from Sin He liv'd up Love and preach'd Communion in So did his lov'd Apostle whose works show The Fountain whence those streames of love did flow How sweet his Trias of Epistles run And to his last he sang as he begun Love one another when his aged eyes By guides came to his Pulpit-offices Love one another his last text so prove Your selves to be of God to be in love So ended this Saints life for he alone Escap'd the Cross the Fire the Sword the Stone Of all the Twelve yet was the Caldron heat And the amanded Fires did streight retreat And could not hurt his Sacred Person for Long life was promis'd by his Saviour Not a No Death as was mistook so he In Patmos was an Exile then did die VVhere lies the Body of this Sacred Man Banish't to th' Isle by proud Domitian Upon the death of the Innocents LOe here a company of sucking Saints Suffring before the knowledge of their wants Their Saviours Proxies Vicar-Sacrifice Whilst He by Angels guide to Aegypt flies Aegypt the succour now of Israel Which did to its own cost them once expell Away false gods and Garden Deities No Superstition neer this cradle lies The Land is Goshen all and Light by thee And cursed Cham a greater Child doth see Then Moses or that fam'd Interpreter Made the chief Ruler from a prisonar Not so in Israel where the cruel King Slayes without mercy every sucking thing Nor spares his own young Infants but lets Rage Arm it self keen 'gainst that Innocent Age As if the Land were
drinks such Healths Even now in their reformed Common-wealths Mark how Ierusalem runs forth to see This prodigie of new sobriety VVhich Noah though i' th' Flood preserv'd did lose And Moses bred o' th' waters did not choose But as at first Creation on the waves The Plastick Spirit mov'd so here it saves VVhat cannot water do weaknesse is lost VVhen that the Inmate is the Holy Ghost VVater inflames inspires blowes up warms Grace And washes souls but us'd to clense the face Besprinkled with such Holy Water Jew Thou art re-born and circumcis'd anew The Sacerdotal Knife cuts not the Evil These drops drive out the VVorld the Flesh the Devil How highly ought this Sacrament be priz'd Be then baptiz'd but be not re-baptiz'd Iohn was no Anabaptist people came But once to th' Font and Christ did just the same A seven-times washing was for Naaman One dipping will suffice a Christian Preparatory Graces bring in God He fits a lodging for his own abode First Iohn and then a Iesus Penance hath The happinesse to usher saving Faith Safe in thy Desart hadst thou there remain'd Prophet thy vertues to the Court 's proclaim'd Where thy rough Doctrines thy Destructions are So did our Court dispatch a long-liv'd Parr His by a change of diet no excesse Kill'd thee the Court was a fine wildernesse Herod the Beast o' th' Forest whet his sword And did behead our Prophet for a word For a non licet to his lawlesse lust First to the prison then the Axe thou must Methinks in these our later dayes I see Great Saint thy now re-acted Tragedie Onely our age out-strips that horrid thing And does behead not onely Priest but King Thou that but once and that i' th' womb didst dance For joy thy Saviour to thee did advance Art at a dancing Ladies loose request Depriv'd of life but by it higher blest So that thy triple Baptisme standeth good By VVater first next Spirit then by Blood On the Feast of Saint Peter WHat honour Great Apostle is not due To thy renown'd Confession first you I am no Thover started that great word Which made that Article Lord from the Lord And God of very God no Flesh can tell Unlesse inspir'd whence that great Issue fell Th' Eternal Generation was too high For mortal reach and is a Mysterie Reveal'd not understood the motions know Of Divine actions in thick darknesse go Or cloth'd in light that 's inaccessible Hid by their brightness Angels cannot tell Though they desire to peep into it and Shall our unequal souls hope t' understand Not Peter while he spake did comprehend Himself if so he 'd not deny'd it 'fore his end Yet worthily thy name was chang'd a Stone A Rock sirnam'd for this Confession And upon it not thee the Churches Faith Is laid may I believe as Peter saith I do believe by the same Grace not boast My self but give the praise to th' Holy Ghost Peter did so the honest Fisherman Nere dreamt of what the Petropolitan And Denizens of Rome have since contriv'd Nor would have worn three Coronets had he liv'd The Chaire Infallible perchance that he Might well have wish'd before's Apostacie How weak was the Man Peter for to lay A Basis on should last untill this day When that a wave and something weaker too A pitifull wench made him his faith forego But weakness is made strong when Teares precede And high Repentance wash'd away that deed I don't upbraid thy known Apostacy But balance it with their new Primacy VVhich Roman Catholicks kinde souls bestow On thee insensible of things below VVe all allow thee the First Confessour VVhere Iames was President in Chaire and Pow'r VVe all confesse thee prais'd by Christ when one VVas more belov'd the Eagle-ey'd Saint Iohn VVe ne're deny to thee the Keyes of Heaven But of those Keyes there were beside Eleven VVe all applaud thy Heaven-dropt sheet whereby The Faith broke forth into Community VVe all confesse thee Apostle of the Iewes Though now the Roman thee their Primate choose Unkind repulse when Paul to th' Romans wrote Alone and to their Faith such honour got VVe allow thee Bishop of Christs Flock Twelve equall Pastors a most Royall stock Feed then successive Angels that 's your care Feed the poor Lambs they 'r Wolves that do them tear The Legend of Saint James called Major one of the Sons of Zebedee and Apostle of Spaine ARt thou Red Letter'd Yes the Almanack Preserves thee though the Holy-day we lack VVe keep the Fair 't had been good policy If that the Church could it these times foresee Had made the Twelve Apostles Marts then they Might all whereas now some have a Saints day Dame Zebedee so full of zeal ne're thought His Honour should to so low ebb be brought The right hand and the left was her bold boon And that in Heaven her sons both Iames and Iohn Might be advanc'd how would the woman pout If she had known on earth they were put out And that he is deny'd the pay by some Of honour to his glorious Martyrdome Herod thy person murder'd Holy Saint Our mighty men of VVar thy Day why mayn't We hope to see as in those dayes befell Our Herods as that Herod fall as well It was not long before Revenge did seize That Deify'd Orator struck in a trice Pimme had not all the worms it once may please Vengeance to smite not only Conscience But their Apostate body's with close Lice Who onely spoyle and murder solemnize But these and Herod differ in some things Herod kills Prophets These both Them and Kings Herod imprisons for popular applause How many have been coop'd upon that cause But by a finer word Imprisoning Securing's call'd Robbing is Sequestring But Herod speeches it and gives no praise To God O but these do in our good dayes There 's not a Murder not a Plund'ring but They do the Pulpits with Thanksgivings glut Had you now liv'd you Sons sirnam'd of Thunder Then fire from Heaven you could not have ask'd under Nor would have been deny'd but 't is as well Their fire is sure if not Above from Hell Upon the Legend of Saint Bartholomew THe Gospel's sound though the whole world is run Now hear it preach'd where Inmate is the Sun On India's parched ground the East the West Wealth that few Merchants get and yet the best Who dare upbraid the Lord at latter day And say this newes did never come in 's way Shall he be damn'd for what he could not know No Arguer thou shalt not if 't be so No Gospel slighted no Apostle slain No Faith rejected no eternall pain God by no absolute Decree does list Men to damnation maugre Calvin's Twist Conditional are his Decrees and they Mulcted alone who gainsay disobey We fondly therefore to Iamaica sent To convert Indians when for Gold'twas meant Saint Bartholomew full sixteen hundred years Ago as in Eusebius Chronicon appears Preach'd to those Heathen Folk who did
cannot be made greater by any Optick helps The God that made us is as much above our decyphering as comprehension and no Painter no Apelles can draw the lines of this Representation so strong the Agony so vehement that an Angel is sent to strengthen the Man the God for a time withdrawn The Angel no sooner gone O take not from us those Guardians see a multitude comes and Iudas a Devil and his Legions The Traitor now acts his part this holy Cut-purse this Pious uses man whose love to money made him verbally good to the poor He was more thirsty and saving for a box of precious Oyntment then for the Lords Anoynted For with a Kiss the signe and seal of highest Affection this false Apostle betrayes the Lord of Life to certain Death for thirty pieces of Silver sells the King of Righteousnesse to the Devils Emissaries Auri sacra fames quid non mortalia cogit Pectora A purse of Gold and a million of money shall preponderate and out-weigh plighted Allegiance covenanted Fidelity and a King if Queen Argent command shall be delivered to the merciless cruelties of implacable Beasts Now the Rout have him and Souldiers Captaines and Chief Priests a combination of Murtherers but a Jewish High Court of Iustice they first privately in the close Committee vote him to death in mockery of the Law bring false witnesses against him in the Court. As Iudas was brib'd to betray his Person so these mercenary mouths sweare his Guilt accuse him of a Fact he never did nor they never knew This is the known Artifice against all good and loyal men in every Age When their Vertues and Actions grow either suspected and hateful to the State then Sparge res voces In vulgum ambiguas quaerere conscius arma If Lies will not prevaile Tumults and Souldiers doe it without fail So the Renowned Prelate the noble Earle of Strafford and his Sacred Majesty of ever Blessed memory were belyed out of their lives and Armies raised to defend the lawlesse Execution But the Jewes may not put any man to death that morsel of sweet revenge Regall Power was not permitted to their Elderships they might accuse stoutly but could not sentence That Jurisdiction was the sole Priviledge of the Supreme Power which at that time was Tiberius the second Emperour from Caesar so then to Pilate his Governour under him was this Innocent Person led by malicious Persecutors whose charge is that he was an Innovator a Sabbath-breaker an Enemy of Caesars I there it went for Pilate was to look to that above all other accusations the first device of his intention to change Religion was to open the peoples throats who though they understand little in the point yet they are alwayes very fierce for the Word and are very jealous of losing that indeed they never had but all these aggregated and accumulated Treasons would not reach to his life 't is strange they had not begg'd the murder and enacted it with a salvo Law to their own necks Ne trahatur in exemplum But that trick was reserv'd for our Modern Jewes who far out-did these of the Text For our Saviour begs pardon and forgiveness for these excusing them to God because of their ignorance They knew not what they did and the Apostle afterward apologizes for them If you had known you would not have crucified the Lord of Life but our Hirudines our King-Leeches the Eldership of the late Model knew that Charles the first was their King had sworn Faith and Allegiance to him and yet in pursuance of a blessed Covenant suffered their fellow-Foxes to worry that Lamb of the Land to death Their hypocriticall excuse is nothing That they never intended the business should go on to Blood But Qui nolunt occidere quenquam Posse volunt Many there are who will not kill But wish the power to do it still Is it the Axe onely destroyes do not the Accusers doe not the Witnesses doe not the Despoylers of the Fences of Innocency do as much as the Executioner He is more excusable then the other for being an appointed Minister for that purpose he does the commands of Superiours and let them look to it whosoe're were the Authors and Abettors who brought him to the block But observe I pray what a league of love is struck in the very height of an intended murther Herod and Pilate two publick Ministers of the Emperial State are this day cemented into a fresh amity by the blood of Christ Sectarians and Souldiers Cromwell Bradshaw and Ireten could not hugg closer in private then these great Officers did in publick Quos opinio divisit scelus hoc conjunxit whom diversities of Religions did divide a prosperous Mischief does unite O fatall Friendship for by this confederacy the Lord of Heaven Earth was exalted to the shamefull death of the Cross see him pendent in his own Aire which when he made it was good but desires to be now as it was before struck out of Chaos Haec est illa dies quae magnae conscia caedis Exitio Christum virgo Beata dedit This is that fatall day and conscious hour Virgin which kill'd thy Son our Saviour See here the Type of that Brasen Serpent long ago raised up in the Wilderness which saves even those that fixt him to the Crosse that sav'd the Trooper Longinus who converted at the sight of his Sacramental Blood and Miracles of the Passion was baptised at the Wound himself made in his side soveraign is the Blood of Soveraignes so the blood-dipt Hankerchief of a scoffing Souldier proves a Cure to the Kings Evil when they had done all Evil unto him The Scoffs the Taunts Revilings of stony hearted Spectators were greater piercings to him then that of the Spear that was Vinegar to his eares more sharp and acid then that of the Spunge a sad draught to drink his last in yet in that Salutem propinavit mundo he drank Saving Health to the whole World And so Exit Regum optimus Vitaque cum gemitu fugit exornata sub umbras But what a Scene is in that last Catastrophe The Sun withdrew his light the Temple rent assunder the Graves opened Let me a little paraphrase here so was it under correction at the departure of our King The Light which was more precious then the Suns the Gospel was for a time clouded and extinct Darkness worse then Egyptian surrounded us no Goshen but here and there a light like ignes fatui the Wise and Learned of the Land wandered up and down in Fields and Dens the Routed Glow-worms of this Land shone for all that in this obscurity Temples rent not onely but pull'd down or violated by Horsedung and what is worse Dungmen Graves opened and the bodies of new Saints streight appeared which no man ever knew before These Graves were truly open Sepulchres which devoured Widowes Houses Royalists Estates Church Kings and Bishops