persecute the beloved Spouse of Christ the Church But the Lord hath reserved a peculiar people to himselfe that hâ—ve not bowed the knee unto Baal God hath selected a faithfull and obedient flock that follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth These the Lord our God the God of Israel who keepeth covenant for ever hath blessed and they are blessed and no adversary power is able to curse them When Jesus Christ was upon earth he prayed thus for his Elect Holy Father keepe through thine owne name those whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we are John 17. But he is entred into Heaven it selfe now to appear in the presence of God for us And this man because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them Moses verily was faithfull in all his house as a servant for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after but Christ as a Sonne over his owne house whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firme unto the end Let us not be slothfull but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises For God is not unrighteous to forget the work and labour of love which his servants have shewed towards his Name The earth which drinketh in the raine that cometh oft upon it and bringeth herbs meet for them for whom it is dressed receiveth blessing from God But that which beareth thornes and briars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose and is to be burned Let us labour therefore faithfully in Gods Vineyard the Church Militant least we fall in unbeliefe for an ensample of a rebellious and stiff-necked people My hearty desire and continuall prayer to Almighty God is that every one of us in our severall places and callings do shew all diligence in the Worke of our great Lord and Master the God of our Fathers whom we serve and that we labour to advance the truth and purity of doctrine taught and delivered by our Saviour Jesus Christ and his Apostles and to resist convince and silence the gain-sayers and enemies of the Gospell Let us be strong and very couragious that we may observe to do according to all the Law that God hath commanded us let us not turn from 〈◊〉 to the right hand or to the left for then the Lord shall make our wayes our indeavours and works prosperous and then we shall have good successe Let us take good heed therefore unto our selves that we love the Lord our God Else if we do in any wise go back and cleave unto the remnant of Idolatry that remaineth among us Know for a certainty that the Lord our God will no more be mercifull unto us will no more be among us and deliver us But those Idol-worshippers false bloudy-hearted Papists shall be snares and traps unto us and scourges in our sides and thornes in our eyes untill we are restrained from all the good things which the Lord our God hath given us Would God that we had the courage and resolution of Joshua and that this charge of his from the Lord unto the people of Israel were written in our hearts Now therefore feare the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth and put away the gods which your Fathers served on the other side of the Floud and in Egypt and serve ye the Lord. And if it seeme evill unto you to serve the Lord choose ye this day whom ye will serve whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the Floud or the Gods of the Amorites in whose Land ye dwell But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. See the 24th of Joshua and the 2d of Judges both remarkable Chapters for this purpose O Eternall and most Gracious God inflame thy Messengers the Ministers of thy Word with a holy Zeal and arme thy servants the Civill Magistrates with a godly courage that they may demolish beat down and root out Popery Superstition Heresie and Prophanesse out of these Isles and Dominions of our Sovereigne Lord King Charles The toleration of Massing Religion is against the grounds of true Christian Religion against reason and against the policy of the Common-wealth as I finde at large in an Answer to the Masse-Priests presumptuous Supplication directed to our late King James of renowned memory and published 1604. Our Adversaries themselves declare that indifferency of Religion or toleration of two contrary Religions in one Kingdome is intolerable Possevin Biblioth Select lib. 1. c. 26. saith 1 It is a divelish invention 2 that it is contrary to Gods Ordinance 3 that it repugneth against the Lawes of Moses of nature and the Gospell it selfe 4 That it is contrary to the substance and proprieties of Christian faith 5 That it taketh away the truth and certainty of Christian faith 6 That it taketh away the certainty of Gods divine Worship and of the Church 7 That it taketh away Christian Discipline 8 That it cutteth asunder the unity of the Church 9 That it is contrary to the Word of God 10 That it is repugnant to the practise of the Primitive Church the authority of Fathers and Decrees of Emperours And finally that it provokrth the wrath of God against the Authours of it If then the Adversaries themselves see Liberty of divers Religions to be so pernicious where they have winde in pupp I hope they will pardon others that will not admit their lewd pernicious and phantasticall opinions We read in our Histories when Ladislaus son of Albert King of Bohemia about the year 1440. went to Bohemia there to be crowned where Pogtebracius had the Governance that during all the time of his being there though being much requested yet would the young King neither enter into the Churches nor hear the service of them which did draw after the Doctrine of Hus. Also before he departed thence he thought first to visit the noble City of Uratislavia in Schlesia In the which City the aforesaid King Ladislaus being there in the high Church at Service many great Princes were about him among whom was also George Pogiebracius who then stood neerest to the King unto whom one Chilianus playing the Parasite about the King as the fashion is of such as feign themselves fooles to make other men as very fooles as they spake in this wise as followeth With what countenance you do behold this our Service I see right well but your heart I do not see Say then doth not the Order of this our Religion seem unto you decent and comely Do you not see how many and how great Princes yea the King himself do follow one Order and Uniformity And why do you rather follow your Preacher Rochezana than these Do you think a few Bohemians to be more wise then all the Church of Christ besides
harden his heart and speak thus unto him in the fiercenesse of his wrath Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might shew my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth Thinkest thou ô man that doest these things that thou shalt escape the judgement of God or despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance But after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God who will tender to every man according to his deeds for there is no respect of persons with God O that wee knew the time of our visitation and that wee could see in this our day the things that belong unto our peace least the Lord withdraw the light of his countenance from us and least the mercie and loving kiâ—â—ness of our God be hid from our eyes Thus saith the Lord to Israel I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people which walketh in a way that was not good after their own thoughts a people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face that sacrificeth in Gardens c. And our most holy Redeemer and blessed Saviour Jesus Christ thus compassionately bemoaneth a stif-necked disobedient hard-harted gain-saying people O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee How often would I have gathered thy children together even as a Hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not Behold your house is left unto you desolate and the Apostle exhorteth us Whilst it is said To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts as in the provocation Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evill heart of beliefe in departing from the living God but exhort one another daily whilst it is called to day lest any of you be hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sin Heb. 3. Let us therefore provoke the Lord to wrath no more by our sins but let us enter into a holy Covenant with God to walke uprightly before the Lord as Noah Abraham Moses Joshua Job Daniel King David and all the Prophets Apostles and servants of the Lord have done before us and let us resolve to serve the Lord our God with all our hearts with all our souls and withall our might Then shall our captivity and all our sufferings and afflictions worke together for the best for the Lord will set his eyes upon us for good and he will bring us again unto our Lands and to our huoses and he wil build us and not pull us down he will plant us and not pluck us up and he will give us an heart to know him that he is the Lord and we shall be his people and he will be our God for we shall return unto him with our whole hearts and we shall be like Trees planted by the Rivers of water that will bring forth fruit in season our leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever we doe shall prosper The ungodly are not so but are like the chaffe which the winde driveth away The Lord will deliver them to be removed into all the Kingdoms of the earth for their hurt to be a reproach and a proverb a taunt and a curse in all places whether he shall drive them And he will send the Sword the Famine and the Pestilence among them till they be consumed from the Land that he gave unto them and their Fathers For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish Your Majesty may read in the Chronicles of holy Writ That King Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord as did David his Father and he tooke away the Sodomites out of the Land and removed all the Idols that Abijam his Father had made and also Maachah his mother even her he removed from being Queen because she made an Idol in a Grove and Asa destroyed her Idol and burnt it by the Brooke Kidron but the high places were not removed neverthelesse Asa his heart was perfect with the Lord all his dayes Also King Azariah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his Father Amaziah had done save that the high places were not removed the people sacrificed and burnt incense still on the high places And the Lord smote the King so that hee was a Leaper unto the day of his death and dwelt in a severall house and Jothan the Kings son was over the house judging the people of the Land And King Hezekiah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord according to all that David his Father did He removed the high places and brake the Images and cut down the Groves c. he trusted in the Lord God of Israel so that after him there was none like him among all the Kings of Judah nor any that went before him For he clave to the Lord and departed not from following him but kept his Comandements which the Lord comanded Moses And the Lord was with him and he prospered whither soever he went forth and he rebelled against the King of Assyria and served him not And King Josiah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all the wayes of David his Father and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left And the King sent and they gathered unto him all the Elders of Judah and of Jerusalem and the King went up into the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah and all the Inhabitants of Jerusalem with them and the Priests and the Prophets and all the people both small and great and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the Covenant which was found in the house of the Lord. And the King stood by a pillar and made a Covenant before the Lord to walke before the Lord and to keep his Comandments and his Testimonies and his Statutes with all their heart and all their soule to perform the words of this Covenant that were written in this book and all the people stood to the Covenant And the King comanded all the vessels that were made for Baal and for the Grove and for the Hoast of heaven to be brought forth out of the Temple of the Lord and he burnt them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carryed the Ashes of them unto Bethel And he put down the Idolatrous Priests whom the Kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places c. Moreover the workers with familiar Spirits and the Wizards and the Images and the Idols and all the abominations that were spyed in the Land of Judah and in Jerusalem did Josiah put away that he might performe the words of the Law which were
blindnesse of their heart who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousnesse to worke all uncleannesse with greedinesse But ye have not so learned Christ if so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts and be renewed in the Spirit of your minde and that ye put on that new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse And the same Apostle saith 1 Cor. 6. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Be not deceived neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind c. shall inherit the Kingdome of God And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Now if these and such like places of Scripture will not worke upon prophane worldlings and excite them to repentance and amendment of life I mean such riotous persons as have beene lately posted in our Streets being styled the Sucklington Faction or Sucklings Roating boyes I leave them to that dreadful doom pronounced by the Preacher Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thy heartche are thee in the dayes of thy youth and walke in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee unto judgement Eccles 11. Because sentence against an evill works is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to do evill Though a sinner â—o evill an hundred times and his dayes be prolonged yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that feare God which feare before him But it shall not be well with the wicked neither shall he prolong his dayes which are as a shadow because he feareth not before God There is a vanity which is done upon the earth that there be just men to whom it happeneth according to the worke of the wicked againe there be wicked men to whom is happeneth according to the work of the righteous I said that this also is vanity Eccles 8. But yet for the comfort of the godly which suffer for the Name of Christ and for righteousnesse sake we read in the 2 Pet. 2. When the Cities of Sodome and Gomorrah were destroyed being made an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly that God delivered just Lot vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked for that righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawfull deeds The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished But chiefly them that walke after the flesh in the lust of uncleannesse and despise Government Presumptuous are they self-willed they are not affraid to speak evill of dignities whereas Angels which are greater in power and might bring not railing accusations against them before the Lord. I am perswaded that if godly understanding Preachers were sent abroad into the severall parts and corners of his Majesties Realms to tell the people of their sinnes and if good laws were put in execution for the punishing of offenders wickednesse and prophanesse would not be so much in fashion as it is I have often wondered that albeit the Parliaments of England which like learned and wise Physicians have alwayes been very diligent to provide choise Antidotes against the distempers of the Common-wealth by making good Laws and Statutes yet they never truly tooke into consideration and seriously weighed the miserable and deplored state of the Church so as to apply apt remedies for the redresse of those grievances before mentioned Surely I am even ashamed to thinke what horrible contempt and disgrace is cast upon the meaner sort of the Clergy those Reverend Pastors that have the charge of our souls and whose Callings are sacred How vilely are they accounted of in the Countrey by ignorant scoffing irreligious vaine persons who can afford them no better titles then these viz. poore journey-men schollers ragged priests sillyratts and the like But I am so far from casting the least blemish or aspersion of infamy upon the noble Professors of the liberall Arts and Sciences and especially I am so far from dishonouring of the Tribe of Levi the lot of Gods own inheritance that the Elders which rule well I account worthy of double honour especially they who labour in the Word and Doctrine For the labourer is worthy of his reward 1 Tim. 5.17 18. I could wish that the large possessions and the superabundant extravegant revenues of Bishops Deanes and Chapters or at least that part of them were bestowed towards the erecting of Churches and Chappels of ease in the severall parts and places of our Kingdomes where they are wanting And towards the maintaining of learned and godly Preachers for the better growth and increase of Religion And I could wish that those lay Parsons that hold Impropriations that the Lords and Tenants of Abbey Lands who pay no tythes and that That Ignavum pecui the Fraternity of sluggish Drones in our Universities I mean those Masters and Fellows of Colledges who mis-imploy their wealth which their Founders endowed them with all for the advancement of Learning and Religion And they themselves are no better than Sots whose filthy and ungodly lives I compare and paralell with the wickedness of the Monks and Epicures of old And I hold them fitter subjects to serve such a Master as that beast and monster of men Heliogabolus was than to lead such Frier-like and Monastick lives as they do making a vain profession of piety and learning under the most religious Christian Prince in Europe To say no more These men are guilty of one very soule fault which I will not mention for shame But they may guesse at my meaning in these old Verses as I finde them in Chaucer in the Monks Prologue which each of them may apply to himself as the case stands with him in particular And it is thus Thou wouldst be a trede foule a right Hadst thou as great leave as thou hast might To perform all thy lust in ingendrure Thou hadst begotten many a creature In truth I could wish that all those above-mentioned especially and that every one of us besides according to our severall abilities c. would contribute cheerfully and freely to this pious work of providing things honest for our spirituall Pastors and give them due honour and necessary allowance who do labour in the word doctrine And last of all I could wish that the honourable Court of Parliament by the direction of almighty God would consult about the promoting establishing and maintaining a faithful learned painful preaching Ministry
righteous but sinners to repentance Mat 9.12 13. And in the 13th Chap. of Isai Almighty God himselfe speaketh most graciously and particularly to his distressed people with most sweet and comfortable words saying But now thus saith the Lord that created thee O Jacob and he that formed thee O Israel fear not for I have redeemed thee I have called thee by thy name thou art mine When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee and through the flouds that they do not overflow thee thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee for I am the the Lord thy God the holy One of Israel thy Saviour c. Can a woman forget her child and not have compassion on the son of her womb yea they may forget yet will not I forget thee Behold I have graven thee upon the palmes of my hands thy walls are continually before me Isai 49.15 16. Like as a father tieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him For he knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are but dust Psalme 103.13 14. Me thinks these and the like places of holy Scripture should worke a saving compunction in our soules and cause our hearts not onely to burne but even to melt within us Let us therefore hold fast the things which we have learned and are assured of and let us search the Scriptures which are able to make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope 2 Tim. 3.14 15. Rom. 15.4 and John 5.29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever that we may do all the words of the Law Deut. 29.29 What man is he that feareth the Lord him shall he teach in the way that he shall chuse His soul shall dwell at ease and his seed shall inherit the earth The secret of the Lord is with them that feare him and he will shew them his covenant Psal 25. The froward is abomination to the Lord but his secret is with the righteous Prov. 3.32 Teach me thy way O Lord I will walke in thy truth unite my heart to fear thy name Psal 86.11 Mans goings are of the Lord how can a man then understand his own way Prov. 20.24 It is the glory of God to conceale a thing but the honour of Kings is to search out a matter The heaven for height and the earth for depth and the heart of Kings is unsearchable Prov. 25.2 3. If we have forgotten the name of our God or stretched out our hands to a strange God shall not God search this out For he knoweth the secrets of the heart Psal 44.20 21. Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever for wisdome and might are his and he changeth the times and the seasons he removeth Kings and setteth up Kings he giveth wisdom to the wise and knowledge to them that know understanding He revealeth the deep and secret things he knoweth what is in the darknesse and the light dwelleth with him Dan. 2.20 21 22. and Amos 3.6 7. Shall there be evill in a City and the Lord hath not done it Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the Prophets O how great is thy goodnesse which thou hast laid up for them that feare thee which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sonnes of men Ye that love the Lord hate evill he preserveth the souls of his Saints he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked Psal 32.10 and Psal 97.10 The Lord is a buckler to them that walke uprightly and he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him This is the Lord still and still that preserveth the godly and evermore standeth in the behalfe of his so that there is nothing so wickedly and craftily imagined and so secretly plotted and contrived to their harme which some way or other cometh not out Thus hath thy power O Lord appeared mightily and thy Name in this Kingdom and thy protection of thy faithfull Servant our deare and gracious Sovereigne King Charles O Lord how hast thou opened the darknes of sin conceived against his Royall Person his beloved Consort our Queen and their Princely Issue against this Land and the life of those that feare thy Name For we are sold we are sold O Lord by many bloudy mindes the King thy sacred Servant first as our Head and Stay under thy Maj sty and then the Queene and the Royall Progeny and likewise we his Majesties poore people and subjects living and breathing under his shadow not to be for servants and hand-maids as complained that Queen Hester to Ahâ—suerus for then they had not been so cruell but to be destroyed after many miserable and monstruous torments with bloudy Sword of murthering mindes that should have licked us up and drunk our bloud till they had vomited again for fulnesse with the same And from all this thine owne selfe hath saved us and set us free giving them their portions either by Sea or Land by one means or other as they did deserve Thou broughtest out the conspiracies the mischievous plots and intentions of the bloudy Spaniards and the massacring French and of the Hellish Gunpowder English Traitors towards this our Island of Great Britaine all times to this day and thou savedst our Religious Queen Elizabeth our late renowned and blessed King James and thine anointed Servant our now Sovereigne whom thou hast set up amongst us and over us to our unspeakable comfort ten thousand wayes Some or other heard of those spirituall wickednesses and infernall machinations of those Jesuiticall murtherous wicked plots and devices and were instruments of wisedome counsell and service to prevent them Blessed Lord we thanke thee with the very souls of our souls we thank thee craving mercy that we cannot â—o it as we should O Lord continue thy mercy for thy mercies sake and let the soule of our Sovereigne be still deare unto thee write him dear Father in the palmes of thy hands and regard him ever as the apple of thine eye Continue thy Gospell to his Kingdomes and the light of thy countenance still in oâ—r dayes blessed for ever and ever for what is past There are many devices in a mans heart neverthelesse the counsell of the Lord that shal stand Prov. 19.21 O love the Lord all ye his Saints for the Lord preserveth the faithfull and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart all ye that hope in the Lord Psalm 31.23 24. The Kings heart is in the hands of the Lord as the Rivers of water He turneth it whether soever he will every way of a man is right in his own eyes but the Lord pondereth the hearts
beginning of the world And this is true humility when we presume nothing upon our owne strength or worthinesse but depend wholly upon the truth of Gods promises Moreover marke the Comandement of the Apostle to the Cor. Prove your selves whether you are in faith examine your selves know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ dwelleth in you except ye be reprobates 1 Cor. 3.5 Know yâ— not saith the Apostle know ye not that is assuredly and certainly without doubting c. The Prophet Nathan said to David 1 Sam. 12. Thy sin is done away And our Saviour Christ said Son be of good cheere thy sinnes are forgiven thee Mat. 9. And thy faith hath made thee whole hath hath not shall shall it is done doubt not c. Therefore we justly conclude out of the stable Word of God That faith is a knowledge firme and certaine But Popery doth crosse this plaine truth That knowledge ought to go with faith There is nothing more hatefull in that Kingdome of darknesse than to heare of knowledge and in this particular most they abide it not For Nic Cusanus Epist 2. ad Baron a great pillar of their Church is not ashamed to write that Obedientia irrationalis est consummata obedientia perfectissima quando obeditur sine inquisitione rationis sicut iâ—mentum obedit Domino suo Obedience without reason is a full and most perfect obedience when thou obeyest without asking any reason as the horse doth his Master Upon these words Bishop Babington in his Exposition upon the first Article of the Creed saith thus A most strange speech and fitter for a horse or Baalams Asse than for a man surely most ill beseeming a Cardinall but that errour will often be most grosse Yet he stayeth not here but again in the same Epistle answering to this Objection What if the Church comand contrary to Christ whom must we obey with as great grosnesse he saith againe Ab hoc est omnium praesumptionum initium c. This is the beginning of all presumption when particular men thinke their own judgement to be more agreeable to Gods Comandements than the judgement of the Universall Church Whereby you see that he utterly disliketh the people should any way seeke to know what they believe or what they obey unto but simply and sillily to follow blind guides whithersoever they please to lead them The very selfe same darknesse doth Doctor Smith and other of their Catholick teachers againe deliver in one of his Books where he saith That albeit a man do by the comandement of his Bishop or Priest a wicked thing yet this very cloak of his simple obedience shall excuse him But the blessed Apostles knew no such obedience when they answered Whether it is better to obey God or man judge you c. Sir Thomas Moore and other of that side not unlearned boldly avoucheth that If ten should preach in a day and every one contrary to another yet shall he never thrive that will search who saith true directly contrary to the Commandement of our Saviour Christ John 5. Search the Scriptures and to that notable example of the men of Berea so comended and liked by the Holy Ghost that believed not even Saint Paul himselfe without triall but searched the Scriptures whether those things were so Acts 17. And we further read in the Scriptures 1 Thes 5. and 1 John 4.1 and 1 Cor. 11.1 Prove all things hold fast that which is good believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God or no be ye followers of me but how even as I am of Christ Mark this example well and consider in your own heart whether any Priest or Prelate under heaven may challenge more obedience of Gods people than the blessed Apostle might but the Apostles will be obeyed no further than he obeyeth and followeth Christ which he leaveth us ever to try him in As this Doctrine of Proving all things now in question doth reprove the palpable ignorance and blinde zeale of the Papists so it doth comend the activity and diligence of many of the Laity as of the Clergy in those last times that have attained unto a great measure of knowledge of Gods revealed Will by an industrious and frequent reading of the Scriptures joyned with prayer and hearing of the Word not omitting conference with the learned and using other good means for the right understanding of them This Doctrine I say doth approve the labours of some that in humility of heart sâ—eke the Lord but withall it condemneth the arrogancy and over-boldnesse of others that have a zeale of God but not according to knowledge Rom. 10.2 That boast much of the spirit but can they shew the fruits thereof in their words and actions If we live in the spirit let us also walke in the spirit Let us not be desirous of vaine glory provoking one another The Apostle telleth us The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance against such there is no law Galat. 5.22 23. Moreover the Papists are more blinde in their beliefe than they are grosly idolatrous in their worship and service of God It shall be worth our time and paines to consider the worshipping of Images whether it be lawfull for a Christian man or woman cringing kneeling creeping crossing kissing lighting up candles to it and such like as we see done in the Church of Rome with great observation In the Scriptures of God we have a plaine Comandement Thou shalt not make any graven image c. Read the 4.5.6 and 7 Chapters of Deut. Neither shalt thou set thee up any graven image which the Lord thy God hateth Deut. 16. Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image an abomination unto the Lord the workes of the hands of the craftsman and putteth it in a secret place Deut. 27. See Exod. 23.24 Levit. 26.30 and Isai 41.29 and 44.10 and Jer. 43.13 and Psalm 97. Let it fall then even in the feare of God what mans head inventeth against the Lord in his own duty and at the last let us see it to be a vain mocks to think we can worship God in an Image and by it or under it Our Adversaries have a shift for defence of Images in the Church but it is a very ill favoured one They are say they Lay-mens books and stand in very good stead to put us in mind of God Now that they are no good Books but very dangerous and deceiving sights for lay-men or other whatsoever let the Word of the Lord himself be Judge The Prophet Jeremie in Zeal of Spirit detesteth such books and refuseth to be put in minde of God by any such deceitfull means For the Stock saith he is a doctrine of vanity yea they are vanity and the work of errours and in the time of their visitation they shall perish Jer. 10. The Prophet Habakuk againe saith That the image is a teacher
of lies though he that made it trust in it c. Habak 2.18 Shall then the Book full of lies vanities and errour be so good a book and remembrance to Lay-men Shall that which endangereth the learned nothing hurt think we the unlearned O that we knew not by experience into what fond and wicked opinions of God poore people have been brought by these painted and carved books How many hearts lament their folly and how many tongues to the praise of Gods mercy in visiting them with his light can and do tell what fond conceits they had of the Lord and heavenly matters seduced by the sight of their eyes Therefore since God hath said it and experience found it that they are so dangerous let them be books for Pagans and Heathens Surely for Christians they should not be Which of the Prophets or Apostles went about ever to have Images made either to put themselves in minde of any thing which the Lord had taught them or the people of any thing which they delivered to them from the Lâ—â—d But they used the admonition of their brethren and especially by writing down what they taught they helped this infirmity of ours signifying even by that their practise what means ought now to be to put us in mind of God and heavenly things chiefly his word The Lord himself saith Ye saw no Image but heard a voice only therfore make no Image And again You saw that I spake to you from heaven therfore you shall make no Gods of gold nor silver Deut. 4. As if he should have said my practise in speaking to you by voice not by image should teach you that by my Word and not by Image I am to be remembred And it is a notable place in Esay That when the Word shall take place with his then they shall abhor images Isai 30.21 Now hereupon it followeth that we ought to serve the Lord according to that Rule which himselfe hath laid down and prescribed only You shall not do every man what seemeth good in his own eyes for in vaine do men worship me with traditions of men saith the Lord. Deut. 12. Moses did nothing in building the materiall Tabernacle beside that was comanded and shewed him Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron died for presuming of themselves to serve the Lord with strange fire Levit. 10. The very heathenish Romanes had this reason with them that it was better for them to be quite without Christ than to worship him and others with him against his will and liking And ad placandum Deum in opus habent homines quae ille jubet that is To please the Lord saith Lactantius men have need of those things that he himselfe comandeth And a Christian minde doth not finde a sure stay but when it heareth Hoc dicit Dominus Thus saith the Lord If Saul breake the course that God doth appoint and of himselfe devise to serve the Lord be his necessity to do so as he thinketh never so great and the intent of his heart never so holy-like certainly Samuel both must and will tell him to his face he hath done foolishly for the Lord hath more pleasure in that his will is obeyed than in all the fatlings of the Amalekites offered up unto him of our own wills and heads 1 Sam. 13. and 1 Sam. 15. Intents will not serve neither voluntary religion stand accepted And therefore let us even weigh and follow the counsell of Solomon and look to our feet when we enter into the house of God being more ready to heare then to offer the sacrifice of fooles Eccles 4. Read Babington upon the second Comandement Thus we see that Popish Religion is grounded upon unwritten Traditions But no man is to follow or admit a Religion whose grounds are either contrary to Scriptures or to themselves or are new and uncertain or else depend on the credit of man as most of their Traditions do Whosoever therefore either regardeth the Laws of God or abhorreth falshood and heresie cannot choose but abhor all the abominations of the Massing Religion and never suffer any such thing within the Realm of England if he can hinder it Those Kings of Israel that together with the Law of God retained Groves and hill Altars and other Reliques of superstition never prospered The mingled Religion of the Samaritans to the ancient Jews was most odious Emanuel Commenus that linked himself with the Turke and cancelled the curses publiquely set out against Turkish Religion became afterward in all his action most unhappy and after his death most infamous If we may have no good Conditions in Spaine and Italy the Papists may do well to forbear to speak of England where Christians are better resolved of their Religion than Papists can be of their new Superstitions especially considering the diversity of our grounds And albeit France doth threaten their Protestants with like measure as is meted unto Papists here in England yet we believe and know that the same God which delivered our Nation from the bondage slavery and the Egyptian darknesse of Popery The Lord which doth continue his mercy unto us and the liberty and light of the Gospell unto this day amongst us is both able to preserve those that are godly and he will deliver his people out of the jaws of the Lion when and wheresoever they do call upon him in truth Me thinks that fatall end of Sennacherib King of Assyria who sent such a reviling Message by Rabshakch unto Hezekiah King of Judah should be a warning unto all proud spirits and vaine boasters of their Arme of flesh 1 King 18. and 19. Chapters Thus having finished this Treatise which I composed in fourteen dayes I 〈◊〉 on the whole discourse for I have laid a side two or three sheets of the Originall Copie not having leisure nor occasion for the present to transcribe them I shall humbly pray thee charitable Reader to interpret favourebly this birth of mine according to the integrity of the Author and not looking for perfection in the Worke it selfe And I hope by this modest and humble profession of my piety and good intentions to the Republique aut laudatus ero aut excusatus I shall either be approved or excused and by thy candide and impartiall judgment of me and thy pious censure of these my labours I shall be held either worthy of praise or not blame worthy or at least if I shall be no gainer let me be no loser by thee For in truth I deeme it far more unseemly and indigne to lose praise than praise-worthy to attaine it This being admitted I may confidently averte under correction and say with Tacitus Verba mea arguuntâ—r adec factorum innocens sum Tacit. l. 4. Annal. I shall onely now in the last place cleere an Objection and so conclude It may be objected thus What have young heads novices in Religion Learning and Knowledge to doe to meddle in the weighty affairs of the