prayers nor tears nor outward estate nor limbs nor blood nor their dearest lives for the publick But endeavour in the way of holynes highly to proâ—…rte a speedy and perfect reformation in all matters of Religion and value it above their worldly comforts and cast out fear of all worldly crosses and resolve rather to suffer persecution with Gods people then persecute them and behave themselves meckly lovingly and moderately towards all men Then may they justly expect to have the favour and countenance of heaven and to be accounted by the holy inhabitants of TSion of that coelestiall number whom God shall fully blesse with compleat deliverance Wherefore they might do well to importune the Parliament not for persecution but for a publick toleration 1 That as they tender the happines of the miserable members of the Church of England which these term a miserable Church the true prosperity of this afflicted City and distracted Kingdom the timely comfort of all their reall friends the seasonable cure of all their deep distempers before they grow remedilesse the hastning of the Kingdoms enlargement from all its pressing distresses its enjoyment of all contrary blessings from the Lord the exaltation of the name of God whose glory is now by the members of the Church of England prophaned to the dust and their Faithfull performing of Covenant and promises they would make all possible hast forthwith to suppresse by their civil sanction all such persons who violently break the bounds of civillity and morality by oppressing tender consciences compulsively against the very light and law of nature and right reason which being done will be more forcible for bringing a speedy reformation then a thousand such Synodian models these Presbyterians boast of and say the Synod according to their wisdom have presented And let them cause a confession of Faith according to the word of God to be produced forthwith and a Catechisme according to it that so ignorant persons may be rightly informed in their minds and perswaded to enter into aright spirituall order which is the readiest way to establish Church government and not seek to settle Church government first and make a beleef and Catechise afterwards which disorderly manner of proceeding it seemes these Presbyterians can patiently endure yea greedily swallow down approve of and justifie But away with all tenets that make way for this popish maxime that men must beleeve as the Church beleeves surely they are happy who are far enough from such a Church that cannot spare time to produce a confession of Faith lest unavoydable and desparate mischiefs should as these say come unto them Ye Presbyterians take heed what ye do enter not into the fellowship before you are in the faith lest your latter end be worse then your beginning examine try and prove your selves come not into the holy assembly sit not down in the Lords Sanctuary without the wedding garment least the wrath of God fiercely sieze upon your poor soules and make you as miserable in punishment as you are in sin and bind you hand and foot and cast you into the dark dungeon of everlasting perdition to be tormented evermore in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb where the victory of the Saints shall not be the glory of sinners Then that harlot Tyre shall sing no more melodious songs of remembrance but shall be utterly forgotten And all the sermons of her false prophets which preach for hire shall be as sentences of condemnation unto them when the mountains and hills of magisteriall power and authority shall not be able to hide or cover them from the wrath of the Lamb. 2. These Presbyterians should not have petitioned unto men for power and authority to confer upon the Presbyters that which is only in the power of God Divine right must be sought for only from God Humane power from men in authority The greatest men on earth can give no more then what themselves have but these would have the Parliament to give them such a compleat measure of power and authority as may fully enable the Presbyters to maintain all Christs sacred ordinances in their highest splendor and purity held forth in the word c. This is Gods gift and none other and he will give it to his Church and Presbytery and to none else in the world It s an inheritance which cannot be purchased by the temporall sword all the carnall weapons in the world will not procure it for the Lord will fight against such fighters who insteed of a holy and glorious reformation bring a sinfull and shamefull defamation adding to these distractions more destructions and ruinations in whose secrets let not the souls of the Saints enter their glory let them not unite unto them in their impure imperfect and impious waies for though the path of the just is as the shining light which shineth more and more unto the perfect day yet the way of the wicked is as darknes they know not at what they stumble Prov. 4. 18. 19. O that the Lord would open the eies of these Presbyterians that they may see their sinne and turn unto him and behold that holy mount Zion which the Lord will more and more establish upon the top of the mountaines and exalt above the hilles that they may discerne the light of God and walk uprightly therein then they may with holy resolution say that though they repent of their former sinne yet they shall not repine at their future doings or sufferings in reference to the posession and practice of the glorious truths of God But expect constancy from God to continue triumphing in his praise for crowning his spouse with spirituall glory and for lifting up the hearts of his Saints in these sacred things to do worthily
DICTATED THOVGHTS Vpon the Presbyterians late petitions for compleat and universall power in Divine Ordinances to be conferred upon the PRESBYTERS by Humane Authority SUrely if these Presbyterians did but know indeed what the true Religion is and did account it the life and crown of all their I berties and priviledges as they pretend they would not so endeavour to infringe the outward much lesse the inward liberties and priviledges of the professors thereof as they have done and do If the manner of a pure and perfect reformation in all Christs ordinances were not hidden from their eyes which they pretend to account the beauty of Religion they would never seek thus to compell by civil sanction uncivil persons to divine obedience but hate the casting of holy things to dogs and pearls before swine and not torment those by constraint to worship God whose worship is abhorred by God A mind well informed knoweth that Gods true worship must proceed from the mind The mind must be moved by reason not by rigour To constrain men to the positive duties of the first Table of Gods Law is not mans but Gods It 's the devine unction of the word not the civil sanction of the world that frameth men in a spirituall posture pleasing to God Those persons that go this way to work and whom God hath so much honoured to promote and accomplish such a reformation lay the foundation of the Lords house upon the rock and are to be accounted as those famous witnesses were in the days of King Edward and Queen Elizabeth of happy memory Those that do otherwise are sandy foundation-layers friends to the midnight of Popery and enemies to the sweet dawning day of reformation What double honour divine providence hath devolved upon this age by causing the light of the truth of Iesus Christ to shine in the world exhibiting wholsome directions according to the perfect directory of the word of God we desire to accept from the directers with all thankfulnesse But in this work of such high concernment all the axes hammers and tools of mens inventions we utterly reject knowing that such polishers are no good reformers but great poluters of the sanctuary of the most High Spirituall minded men not persecuting spirits know that Iesus Christ is the Lord of all administrations and that he hath established the government and discipline of his Church sufficiently and firmly in his Word and hath cursed those that add thereunto or detract therefrom To it all persons must yeeld subjection and not dance about the golden calfe of their own invention much lesse desire it to be established by a civil sanction for that will not ease the extremity of their perplexed and amazed spirits nor heal the distempers of our distressed Nation Neither can the Parliament though excelling former Parliaments preserve Christs precious ordinances and in particular the Lords Supper from all contempt and profanation as these Presbyterians speake for that cannot be in this world If they do their utmost endeavour to keep all ignorant and scandalous persons therefrom are we to desire or doth God require any more of them in that particular But surely if it be true as these petitioners say that English Parliaments never had such a learned pious and faithfull Synod to hold forth sincerely the mind of Christ and the model of Church government agreeable to his will as this Parliament hath and yet Church government and discipline to this very day doth remain unestablished Then by this it may appear that the Synod hath been either very negligent and would not or deficient and could not establish it and so have not held forth sincerely the mind of Christ agreeable to his will as is pretended and these Presbyterians themselves affirm that their confession of Faith publick Catechisme must necessarily take up a far longer time then can possibly be spared from setling of government without many unavoydable and desparate mischiefs And whereas they would have it brought to passe by civil sanction that is Temporall power to constrain all men of and in the Nation both high and low rich and poor bound and free under pain of corporall punishment to do according to their determinations in matters of worship And therefore do they in their petition call out for a compleat power to be established upon the Presbyters It appeareth they conceive that the government of their Church will not be established without it at least in their way and according to their mind for without the Temporall sword their Kingdom Power Glory Preheminence and Maintenance which they stand for fals to the ground But their pressing argument is that no Parliament ever had such and so many forcible engagements upon them from God and unto God as are upon this And I wish the Lord would engage them to him and his more abundantly And whereas these say that the City of London did never so flourish with such a conscionable and painfull ministry as at this day I desire they were all more conscionable and painfull in good and then the City of London would flourish indeed But whereas these question whence then should it be that the children being come so near to the birth there is yet no strength to bring forth If they mean their two children viz. power and maintenance it is because the Man child Iesus Christ with his rod of Iron is about to crush the Priestly power and maintenance which they have conceived in their minds and so much cry out for with their mouths But these men who will not be content to bear with others in Religion call out for others to bear with them saying Bear with us a little in this fervor of our spirits it is for our Religion Reformation and the House of our God we cannot hold our peace They cannot hold their peace and why because they have not temporall power to stop the mouthes of those who stand for their Religion and the House of their God and cannot hold their peace more then they though not in craving for temporall power against the Presbyterians as the Presbyterians call out for it against them What way soever we cast our eyes say they we cannot but see most sad fruits of the not setling of Church government to this day Here they still lay their old creeping accusation as if Church government were not established Surely If the Angels of the Lord had not smitten them with spirituall blindnes they would before this have found the door of the visible Church And if their hearts had not been hardned by the deceitfulnes of sin they would ere this have entered into it for Church government was established by Iesus Christ and put in execution by his Saints long ago though contrary to the minds of the common multitude and their blind guides yea they waited not for the power or command of civil Magistrates for Queen Mary and such as shee would never assent unto the true Religion but the Saints
did set themselves to do the work which Christ had sent them about and do remain through the power of God unto this present day executing the Ecclesiasticall and Ministeriall power of the Gospel though contrary to the decrees of men And it is not the want of setling Church goverment which causeth so many herisies which they speak of Herisies do arise that those who are approved may be made manifest amongst us 1 Cor. 11. 19 convincing the sinfull sects with sound positions and not with satanicall persecutions which will neither provoke them to good nor deter them from evil peoples persecuting them with the sword and not convincing them by the word hath hardned their hearts and made them to blesse themselves in their own seducing waies supposing them to be the persecuted waies of God and all men as they do perceive this Presbyterian way to be a persecuting way do endeavour to draw back their shoulders and stand a far off and beware of such an envious monster that will suffer no man to dwell peaceably by him in the world unlesse they be of the same Religion with him yea by this means some precious truths of Christ taught by the Presbyterians are by some not credited but suspected by othersome exceedingly contemn'd as falshood because handed by persecuting sensuall spirits whereas if these would content themselves with the gift of God not tormenting but admonishing such by the Scriptures in the spirit of meeknes without ranker malice envie evil speeches or rigorous actions the deceived would be undeceived Heriticks may be converted and herisies suppressed though as damnable and dangerous as these their positions are false and scandalous But these Presbyterians taking it for granted that Church government is not setled to this day They conclude saying that hence many abhominable errors and damnable herisies are broached amongst us without controul without controul say they Hereby it appeareth they would have power from the civil magistrate to controul as if the word were not a sufficient weapon but suppose the blind Presbyters were all made controulers they had need of good spectacles to discern who to controul least they controul truth insteed of error and controul their betters who excell them in wisdom piety and honesty Their armes must be long and strong lest they in controuling of others are controuled themselves and their own weapons fly in their own faces O old malice the feeder of faction and breeder of division that dost so eye and envie the sweet unity harmony fidelity and victory of the English Armies under the command of the Parliament when wilt thou come to an end Thy forefathers the blood-thirsty Bishops and their sharking shavelings would never be quiet till they were insnared as they are in the vain works of their own hands surely as they did so dost thou and as they are so shalt thou be The precious truths which Iesus Christ hath sealed with his blood are trampled under foot by thy children thy servants prophane the pure and holy ordinances of Christ Is there any of these presbyters that do not polute prophane and trample under foot Christs precious truths are they not their own witnesses against themselves who have cast down the Bishops and are set in their seats build up superstitiously what before they puld down cast down the Prelates callings as Antichristian yet from them do they derive their ordination who have it from the Pope of Rome that second beast mentioned Rev. 13. 11. which rose up out of the earth having 2. horns like the Lambe but speaking as the dragon And hence I beleeve the ordinances of Christ are wofully profaned by persons grosly ignorant and scandalous and also by persons of knowledge that do not walk up to their light for the Presbyterians have had time enough and have not yet excomunicated their prophane comunicants nor separated themselves from them but have their children baptized by and receive the Supper from such who are scandalous in their callings time-serving popelings wandring stars Antichristian Priests who have no calling to the work of the ministry more then Ieroboams priests They say multitudes of unstable soules have fallen off But from whence not from the Church of Christ but from the Church of England in which they were before unstable but not the more for falling off therefrom And if any one maintain strange Sects as they speak It is not the Separates for they withstand them all and particularly the sect of blasphemous persecuting treacherous Presbyterians and will not pray with them much lesse suffer them to be incorporated into their separated Assemblies unlesse they renounce their erronious opinions and therefore these Presbyterians charge the separates falsly neither do they set up illirerate persons to be their Pastors but such that the meanest of them is able to confound the greatest popish Presbyter in the world and that by sound arguments from Scripture without carnall weapons And though thy manage their meetings with boldnes because they are righteous and confide in those who are called Gods and children of the most High Psal 86. 2. yet they are far from insolency as these insolent Presbyterians lyingly speak and furthest of all from contempt of all authority for they acknowledge authority knowing it is the ordinance of God and therefore they will not resist the higher powers but protect them with their lives and estates as is apparant to this day but the Pope conceiveth that all power is given unto him and that therefore whosoever he be whether magistrate or other that contemns his authority he contemns all authority even so say the Presbyterians in contempt of all authority to the disturbance of the City every one doing that which is right in his own eyes and there is no course to reclaim them all which accusations are notorious false for the separates bring not the least disturbance in the City but it is Demetrius and his craftsmen who incite the rude multitude to disturbe them at their meetings to the danger of their lives And if any transgresse the second table of Gods law it being made known to the magistrate he hath power immediatly to punish him as it is meet according to the law And those that transgresse the first table of Gods law means is used by the ministers of the Gospel to reclaim them also by the spirituall sword of Gods word which is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousnes 1 Tim. 3. 16. whether they be none-Churchers omni Churchers Anabaptists the sect of the Libertines prophane Presbyterians Heathens Iewes Turks Papists or any sect under heaven And if any of all these rebell against the rules of morality the magistrate without the minister hath power to punish him according to his offence and the minister without the magistrate may and doth use the spirituall power which the Lord hath given him to perswade the Conscience and therefore these Presbyterians in saying that every one doth that which is
right in his own eyes and there is no course to reclaim them do thereby cast an aspersion not only upon the people in generall but on the magistrates and ministers in speciall And such fire-brands as these Presbyterians cause the unnaturall stames of division especially about Church government In the same kingdom betwixt people and people In the same City betwixt minister and minister in the same congregation betwixt Pastor and flock yea in the same family betwixt master and servant betwixt Parents and children betwixt husbands and wives And it appeareth thus because when some differ from othersome and walk up to their light then do the Presbyters teach the Presbyterians to persecute them divers waies seeking to draw them back by carnall compulsion and the tender consciences not being willing to be forced further then the light of reason in them immediatly the fire of contention proceeding from the Presbyterians secred consciences breaks forth into a flame as it is spread over Kingdoms betwixt people and people in the same City one minister vilifieth another in the same congregation or parish the minister and the people are at it yea in families the Presbyters set the master to persecute the servant and incourage the servant to despise the master who is not of their mind hence ariseth persecution against the children by the father and against the father by their children yea the husbands are taught by the antichristian Presbyters to lord it over the consciences of the wives and wives to persecute their husbands insomuch as when any one declareth himself to be a separate or an independant immediatly their neerest Presbyterian friends alienate their affection because he differs from them in judgement and break out into many bitter and reproach full contentions and open persecutions no marvell then that God hath of late manifested divers sad and remarkable tokens of his displeasure against England and Scotland both by sword and pestilence and destroyed many thousands what may the impenitent remnant then expect who are not killed by these plagues Rev. 9. 20. but the cup of the wine of Gods wrath to be powred out without mixture Rev. 14 10 judgement without mercy upon them who shew no mercy Iam. 2 13. Surely it is laid up in store with God and sealed up among his treasures To him belongeth vengeance and recompence their foot shall slide in due time for the day of their calamity is at hand and the things that shall come upon them make hast Deut. 32. 34. 35. And surely the divisions between minister and minister pastor and flock is not amongst the separates but rather in the Church of England neither do the separates despise Orthodox ministers nor discourage them in their ministry nor disharten or deterre hopefull plants from the ministry But it is the monopolizing Presbyters who seek to bind all preaching in their own hands as if none had the spirit of God to divide the word aright but they and such as are authorized by their patentee-licencers for preaching even like unto those 4. Angels which John saw standing upon the four corners of the earth to hold the 4 winds of the earth that the wind should not blow on the earth nor on the Sea nor on any trees Rev 7. 1. Therefore if it were tryed and examined the Orthodox all ministers would prove to be the independant preachers and not the Presbyterian praters that think when they have got up in the pulpit they may crow without controul And insteed of godly ruling fall to ungosple like railing at the people of God to the sadding of the hearts of their owne hearers and causing the best affected amongst them to forsake their publike assemblies of England and go where they may be better edified even amongst those who are by the Presbyterians pretended to be teachers of new Gospel but as the Presbyterians do by the separates so the Epicurian Athenians did by Paul some said what will this babler say othersome he seemeth to be a setter forth of strange Gods because he preached unto them Iesus and the resurrection Acts 17. 18. But Paul was not so as they would have had him to be but reproved their superstition even so the separates are not as the Presbyterians would have men think them to be they plead not for the universall toleration of all religions and opinions but would have all to professe and practize the true Religion not that any religion is to be persecuted but all rebellions prosecuted neither do they wilfully contemn the sabbath and month-daies of humiliation backt by the authority of Parliament much lesse do they open a wide door to all prophanesse and licentiousnesse as these Presbyterians maliciously speak if that were true the hearts of the truly godly would groan more then they do and our brethren of Scotland would have more cause of astonishment then they have And as for the enemies scorning and insulting we are not to regard it but walk so in offensively that they may be convinced and acknowledge the Spirit of God in us and not aspirit of giddines which if these speak true they say the Presbyterians are given up to And whereas these say those look at this City as a stage of faction and herifie that is a slander put upon this honourable City for no better end as may be well conceived then to breed a combustion amongst the Citizens by rasing persecution against honest well affected men under the notion of independants meerly out of spight to mischief the City which hath been so active in defence of the Kingdom against those rebels and traytors and their assistants who irriligiously scorn and inhumanly fight against both Church and State the true Religion and professors thereof But herein the proverb is verified he that walketh uprightly in his way is an abhomination to the wicked And yet though their distempers should grow more incurable and the reformation of the generality of the people every day more difficult and improbable yet no doubt but God will have his number in spight of all malignant opposers the remnant shall return to the mighty God of Jacob and he will save them The consumation decreed shall overflow with righteousnes from God to them which people he hath formed for himself and they shall shew forth his praise and hastily according to their holy Covenant when the great mountainis become a plain compleat the reformation in all the desireable perfections of it not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of the Lord. Surely if these Presbyterians did but seriously consider these things they would do what they say they could do even pour out their very souls in them and be in bitternesse for their sweet Saviour the crimson blood of whose tender heart they have spilt by their piercing spear of persecution and in this concerning cause of God and Religion they would joyn peaceably and unanimously with the Parliaments cordiall friends against their mortall enemies and spare neither their