confession of the truth of it is not much more generall then the disauowing and reiecting of the practise For how manie are there which hold off and almost take a pride to be vnstayed in the matter of religion How manie which by pretence of disagreements in the Church cannot tell what to make of themselues The Papists they haue sought vp their gods againe which they had cast to the backes and to the moules they frequent Masse in corners and they behaue themselues so as the Familists in their assemblies and that company of them which are called Iesuites may more worthily bee called Adamites which were the first founders of the Familists For these Masse-monges watch Tammuz in the nights and these night-birds keepe little better then the feasts of Isis Osiris in this citie As for the rest if the name of Recusant should be taken strictly for euerie one that refuseth so to dwell in the tents of SheÌ„ as the Lord would take in good part the Recusants of this land are innumerable When we consider how long the Gospell hath continued amongst vs and compare it with the great heapes of people in this City which make no difference of the Sabboth day at all for coÌ„science sake we may truly cry out of a prodigious wickednes It can not be denyed but that there are now more sufficieÌ„t preachers of Gods word amongst you then euer there were But the ignorance of the most that professe and the rudenesse of the troupes of those that scorne to professe is very offensiue and loathsome There are they say belonging to diuers seuerall paririshes many thousand people peraduenture more to some then the parish church can contayne though I know not the case yet I propound it to you And how do you thinke are a greate parte of this people occupied when they shoulde bee present at the hearing of the word I would demaund of the frowardest man in all this presence whether he do not thinke in his conscience that the greatest part of them are so frarre from being in the tents of Shem that they are in the tents of Cham. For I pray you tell me are not these drunken Tauernes and victualling houses these play-houses and brothell houses the tents of Cham where all the rest of their villanies are accomplished and made vp with the scoffing at Noah Assuredly dearely beloued if that which is called coÌ„science be any better theÌ„ a iest that which is called Gods word be any better then a stale these are damnable things to be done and therfore horrible things to bee suffred I confesse vnto you that my skil extendeth not duly to limit forth the blame of the rulers to lay it iustly where it is Vnfainedly I speake it I forbeare that particular course for no other cause but because I would not reproue sinne with sinne by speaking into a matter before I know it But well I am sure that if they which are charged with the reformotion of this abuse by the places which they sustaine did busie themselues therein more zealously then yet they do they should please God better then in anie thing els for the most part wherein they are forward They that come out of the world into the Church come out of a desert and they that come into the Church as most men are come in come into a desert are like sheep without a shepheard This great forrest of London is full of couert for wandring creatures and there are too manie priuiledges for sinners I beseech you heare me this one thing with patience and vouchsafe to weigh it well The Magistrates being annoyed with the disorders of loose and wicked persons which swarme about this citie do performe a laudable office indeede in reuising the orders of Bridewell and in vrging better execution of the good lawes which tend to a remedie But except the tents of Shem were surueyed likewise and the apparance there were better vrged it is to small purpose to endeuour this externall reformation For this one thing be sure of that these loose persons these disguised conycatchers haue informed themselues of their state what it would bee if they should change their course with that which the Magistrate would vrge to wit that it would be both more poore and more painfull And therefore they are resolued rather to venture the vttermost penaltie then to submit themselues to this change So that there is nothing that can effectually reclaime them but onely this to marshall them to the tents of Shem. For there they shall find allurements to quiet their minds in obedience They shall finde that they are not bidden to losse but that they shall better their state by the change For to dwell rightly in the tents of Shem is in some measure to dwell in heauen And I would the magistrates would duly consider how much they are beholding to the Ministers of the Gospell in this behalfe assuredly the Magistrates are vnthankfull if they vse them not respectiuely and kindly And I would the Ministers would likewise endeuour to bring hither their forces For so should they directly satisfie their owne duties in bringing men to Gods Church and consequently assist the Magistrate in the reformation of the common-wealth And as for the people themselues which are runne wild be they poore or rich I would they would consider what wrong they doe themselues with this out-lying what benefit it would be to them to come and dwell in these tents And it were to bee wished that some euen of those which resort to Paules Crosse and will not come at their owne Church and when they are here delude the law with walking and talking were better ordered for their resort hither is like the piller-prayers of manie which kneele downe only for fashion sake I say I would not onely the poore but also the rich offenders would obserue it of what qualitie soeuer For as Augustine saith Quisquis ille est qualiscunque ille est Aug. serm 181. de tempore Christianus non est qui in Christi Ecclesia non est Be what he may be he is no ChristiaÌ„ that is not in Christs Church though his head were of brasse Pardon my libertie of speech of these Libertines These Conycatchers and vagrant Caines which haue gotten a perpetuitie of haunting Tauernes and infamous house without difference of dayes and without respect of the time either of prayer or preaching are no better then the diuels rogues But if they would come to Shems tents their priuâ—ledges should be great For first Ephes 2 12. wheras they are now a sort of maisterlesse hounds and Atheists in the world as S. Paul saith they should be receiued into the seruice of God and so come vnder his tuition which would bee a rowling away of their shame for this non apparance is a shamefull crime of irkesome reproch Secondly by being in checke-roll in his tents they should be capable of the benefite of his seruants to
Papist is a make-god and the Atheist is a mock-god And you may be sure that the maker wil be so bold as to be a mocker in time The Papist deludeth his conscience and the Atheist derideth his conscience Poperie being copia cornu of sensuall ceremonies for euerie sense a play-fellow a merrie religion the good-fellowes religion comforteth the flesh Atheisme suppresseth the spirit Brethren obserue it well and you shall find that Poperie to them that haue heard the Gospell soundly and sincerely taught marke well what I say to them that haue heard the Gospell soundly and sincerely taught hath nothing in it to allure anie but hypocrites nor anie thing in it to detaine anie such in that religion but those which are in a faire forwardnesse to degenerate into Atheisme But peraduenture it will be alleaged that there are manie euen in the bosome of the Realme that after the hearing of the Gospell are drawne away in their verie consciences to Poperie But I aske who are they Are they not they of whom a man may say O how great is that darkenesse when their verie Mat. 6.33 light is become darkenesse when the candle of their conscience is put out Are they not they which are giuen ouer to a forlorne sense whose thoughts and conscience as Salomon saith are litle worth Prou. 10 20 because as Saint Paul saith themselues being defiled Infidels nothing is pure to them Tit. 1.15 but euen their mindes and consciences are defiled It is no great matter which way the consciences of these men doe wagge I will tell you dearely beloued what may be obserued of many that are sodainly reconciled Papists in this kingdome that if there were no other respect but the losse of them for the good that was in them when they were Protestants they are better lost thē found and become that Synagogue better then this Church for they suite it better Men of a proditorious imperious and luxurious disposition But what should I talke of conscience seeing that kind of religion is the refuge of the vnconsc̄ionable whose trade is first to promise what they lust thē to make heretikes whom they lust and at the last to breake promise with them when and how they lust Their religion it selfe is spied well enough by many of the professors of it And there are manie that are Papists euen against their conscience if conscience were to bee stinted at this apprehension that Poperie is a false and fraudulent religion haeresis Catholica impostura magna the imposture of the world But to say the truth they are not Papists against their conscience because they haue no conscience secundum sensum And therefore as for the examples and liues of men whereby wee are to allure one another they neede not to boast so much as they do considering that their religion consisteth by consequence of the profession of many great crimes Against the third commandement they professe resolution of periurie if it serue their turne when they are sworne to those that they call here-tikes Against the fist commandement they professe disobedience to their princes if their holy father incite them to it Against the sixt commandement they professe murther vpon the like warrantie Against the seuenth commandement by barring mariage and expresse preferring the faults of single life before it they professe filthinesse and vnchastitie in those that ought to bee most pure Against the eight commandement they professe making merchandize of soules Against the ninth commandement vnder pretence of reconciling to the Church they professe alienation of subiects from their natural princes and are the most renowmed artificers of mischiefe and debate that euer were heard of All these they doe directly or indirectly professe besides the rest As for vs which professe the Gospel it behooueth vs on the other side to allure by our example in better maner then we do and not to cause the name of God to be blasphemed by these Papists through vs but rather to let our light so shine before men that they may glorifie our father which is in heauen Matt. 5.16 For the truth is that wee are to too short in this kind of allurement The doctrin which we professe is indeed Gods alluring doctrine but our examples are not such The workes of the Papists especially many of their Antichristian piles are monuments of their errours And our works are monuments of the prophanation of Gods truth as our antisabbatarie play-houses But who doth anie common good The merits of an arrogant Papist are caried after him with a dolefull Item fit for a black Sanctus that they will not go for payment And our works if we repent not will follow after vs and giue vs our payment because we in our generation haue not beene so gracious in alluring as the Papists haue beene witching in theirs The Lord giue vs grace to repent The fourth conclusion out of this text is that all those true Iapheths whō the Lord shall take in hand to allure shall dwell in the tents of Shem that is shall come to the true Church and shall abide therein If God be not mercifull vnto vs in this thing all his mercies are frustrate vnto vs. And vnto this blessing he after a sort exhorteth them to wit to lay hold vpon it For it is the greatest fauour that God bestoweth vpon men in this world to make them true members of his true Church And this is the grace if wee bee not vtterly vngratious which aboue all worldly things we will desire and affect though it should cost vs all we are worth to purchase this field As Dauid saith One thing haue I desired of the Lord that I will require and will not alter this petition into another Psal 27.4 5 that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beautie of the Lord and to visit his temple For as he saith Psal 48.2 3 Mount Sion is the ioy of the whole earth to wit as farre as God hath any people in the earth belonging to his election For in it saith the Prophet he speaketh forth all his glorie This is the Arke Psal 29.9 out of which there is no saluation all else is a floud fifteene cubits aboue the highest mountaines They therefore which cannot be allured to come and dwell in the tents of Shem must perish For euen the children of God themselues are no better then wretches so long as they are withheld from hence Whose state is represented in the prodigall sonne that was faine to feed on swill and swads Luk. 15.15 16. And Dauid complaineth of his banishment from the Church which yet he was not guiltie of Psal 120. Wo is to me saith he that I remaine in Meshech and dwell in the tents of Kedar But you will say vnto me that I shal not need to vrge this point because it is alredie confessed But I am constrained to replie that the
make a breach therein for vs and set a king in the midst thereof euen the sonne of Tabeel that is such a one as shall set vp idolatrie No lesse pride then this is in the hearts of Papists They meditate terrible things and are more arrogant them Iannes Iambres which resisted Moses 2. Tim. 3 8 For they had Pharaoh on their sides to countenance them But these haue our gratious Queene against thē whose clemencie they haue most vngratiously abused and are therefore to be well watched that they breake not from vs and duely suppressed by those which ought according to the direction of her royall authoritie The Lord in the fourth commandement saith That the stranger that is in our gates shall not breake the Sabboth that is shall not be suffered to breake it but shall be helde at the least from the manifest contempt of Gods commandement For as I say without holding them down by authoritie according to the trust reposed by her Maiestie in the Magistrates it is not to bee hoped that the Lord will holde them downe For we shall be guiltie of contemning of the meanes by which the Lord both spiritually and outwardly treadeth downe his enemies as it is written Rom. 16.20 The God of peace shall treade Satan vnder your feete marke what he saith Your feete And be sure of it that if this serpent will turne againe and bruise our heele Genes 3 15 though we tread vpon him and breake his head that then if we tread not vpon him he wil not be contented to bite at our heele but will flie in our face But the Papists are instant that violence ought not to be offered to their consciences This is not other obiection then hath beene made by heretikes of old yea it is one of the things wherein Saint Augustine reformed his iudgement Although it be true indeed that whosoeuer seemeth to imbrace true religion if he do it against his conscience sinneth for his conscience sake and on the other side if hee imbrace it not he sinneth for the trueths sake and so sinneth perplexed that is whatsoeuer he doth as long as his conscience is blinded in which respect he seemeth to be thrust vpon his damnation by vrging yet vnderstand that here that saying ought to take place that it is better to admit a mischiefe then an inconuenience because this mischiefe in particular Papists is not to bee compared with the inconuenience that commeth to the whole Church of God by suffering them to goe vntied The administrations of the Church ought not to be subiect to the conscience of vnreclaimable heretikes to the hurt of the Church no more then the administrations of the common wealth ought to bee subiect to the irregularitie of the licentious in anie other kind to the hurt of the commonwealth Moreouer obserue well that that whereunto they are vrged is negatiue that they shall not bee reconcilers or peruerters They cannot say that this is to vrge their conscience when they are pressed onely with negatiue lawes for this case differeth from that of vrging them to come to the Church to receiue the Sacraments which is by the vertue of the affirmatiue lawes extending onely to other penaltie But these men cannot be content to scape with their Recusancie for a pecuniarie mulct which they pay to the halues but doe complaine that violence is offered to their conscience to the perill of their soules except they may bee suffered to infect and supplant our Church by Massing and reconciling And where they threaten vs with their argument that Compulsion doth no good nor worketh anie conuersion and therefore better left It is plaine enough that the same consideration which gaue satisfaction to Saint Augustine in the same point concerning the Donatists may satisfie vs likewise that as in the common-wealth so in the Church malefactors are vtterly to bee repressed for a common good whether the malefactors themselues get good by it or no. There are all meanes to be vsed to winne them and all gentlenesse and forbearing to be vsed towards those of whom in godly charitie there is good hope by reason of their tractablenesse They also that are of a quiet disposition among them are not to be proceeded against with like seueritie as the turbulent So that wee beare in mind what Pliny saith of Serpents Plin. natural historiae lib. 8. cap. 23 Vulgatum est colorem plerosque terrae habere qua occultentur Most of them are of the colour of the earth that they may not be discerned and that some of them do gather in their bodies like birds to entice birds Otherwise let there be no fraud Iude 22. and then as Saint Iude saith put a difference And whether it bee by louing wisedome or by wise loue let those that can preuaile with them haue their foorth Only let two rules be obserued First that their doinges bee warrantable by the word of God and secondly that their heartes bee sound to the Church of God For whatsoeuer is don ought to bee done out of our loue to the religion already established to amplifie it in the first place and out of our compassion to our seduced brethren to reduce them in the second place Where this course wil take no place it behooueth vs to cary a quick eye and a steady hand in suppressing the Canaanite that is stil in the land So as our loue to God and our Prince therein may appeare But principally let vs haue our part with Shem that consequently we may succeed in dominion ouer Canaan Let vs al holde of our renowmed Shem our Shem in deed Iesus Christ to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honor and glory now and euermore Amen FINIS Friendly Reader I pray thee mend one fault in the fourth page and 15. line for ly read family