small short sweeping out root and branches and clensing the Land of all their remnants The next two Canons are planted upon their passage to cut off all ayde and succour from them whiles the other are battering 9 Canon Minans or stand of Assistants 10 Canon flagrans a long Basiliske whose siery eyes at long distance threatens death and destruction to all that come neare to plead for them or partake with them against the Lord Iesus the mighty King incensed to wrath against their working And thus courteous Reader if thou mindest aright this service I hope thou shalt finde it not unprofitable at this time but affording some usefull instructions to all sorts of men whereby t is hoped some may be bettered in some measure 1. The first to be looked at are the suffering servants of God who have lyen under long and great oppressions under the Prelates these may hence be comforted to see their long deserted cause at length victorious though the seidge prove long these Canons are strong will not miscarry if the service be hot nay if some of them be not discharged at all that depend on mens hands and handling yet there are enough besides in the number that will not spare them and are in the divine hand of a jealous God who will let flie at them one thunderclap from on high at their blasphemy will teare their building from top to bottome or a word from the Lord Iesus mouth shall roote them when he begins to roare in mount Zion his voice is powerfull and full of majestie Psal 29.4 he will shake their deepe rooting and lay them on the ground his eyes are as flames of fire if once his wrath begin to burne woe to them he finds in his way of advancing his kingdome he will make waste mountains and hills of greatest enemies for the Lord is jealous the Lord avengeth the Lord avengeth and is furious the Lord will take vengeance on his enemies Nahum 1.2 and he will comfort Zion and build her waste places he hath had respect to the prayer of the desolate and will not tarry they may then be comforted to them belongs the songs and palms of victory over the beast of Rome and his Image in these bratts of Babell these are they that come out of great tribulation that keepe the Commandements and faith of Jesus that are not defiled with the silthinesse of the whorish woman for they are the virgins that follow the Lambe and shall enter with him through the gates into the Citie The consideration whereof should mitigate their present sorrowes having an eye to the recompence of reward 2. The enemies of Christs kingdome may read their doome from the righteous judgement of the Lord of hoasts and be at last provoked to repentance and resignation of their unlawfull offices and doe homage to Christs Scepter who otherwise will come as a these in the night upon them and cut off their pompe and power and make them naked and unarmed and cast them out as dogs out of the holy Citie and so there be left them no place to repentance though they seek it with teares out of time when the gate of the Kingdome is shut against them they may howle and cry and knock till they be weary ere St. Peters keyes come to open This will certainly befall them sooner or later if they repent not 3. Those that are gone back to the flesh-pots of Egypt and are swimming downe with the streame of the time may be forewarned to returne and come out of the tents of these wicked men least by partaking in their sinnes they partake of their plagues Isa for it is the time of the Lords vengeance the yeare of recompence of the Controversies of Zion 4. All sorts of men loyall subjects of the King and good Patriots of their Countrey may be moved with pitty to helpe to remove the insupportable burthens which presse downe the land to ruine and misery Vbi dolor ibi digitus is the part and dutie of every member of the body all flowing from the Hierarchy and till the pressures in Religion be removed and Christs kingdome advanced the Common-weale cannot be eased they are like Hippocrates twinns they mourne and rejoyce live and dye together T is the office of Prelacy that keepes out Christs kingly office is the Achan sin that troubles the Land and is the cause of all our miseries and threatens still greater if that be not removed Gods wrath will not be appeased our troubles not ended The Lord pitty us and ease himselfe and us of these his Adversaries who will not have Christ to reigne over them Undique concurrunt ac crescit turba malorum sed cum probrosi castra superba tenent Lament 5.17 18. For this our heart is faint our eyes are dimme because of the mountaine of Zion which is desolate the Foxes walke upon it SOME ARGVMENTS AND MOTIVES TO The finall Extirpation of the usurped unlawfull Government of the HIERARCHY AS Having no foundation in the Scriptures but meerly in that filthy dunghill the Canon Law of the Popes Authoritie and therefore Antichristian Argument I. THat Name which is onely proper to the Lord Jesus is unlawfull yea blasphemy for any man to assume But so is the name Archbishop onely proper to the Lord Jesus 1 Pet. 5.4 Heb. 13.20 Acts 3.15 5.31 the chiefe Shepheard and Bishop of our soules 1 Pet. 2.25 Ergo for any man to assume that name is unlawfull yea blasphemy and the blasphemer should be stoned to death Levit. 24.11.14 II. That office whose originall is not knowne is unlawfull But the originall of the office of Archbishop is not knowne as the chiefe champion of Prelacy confesseth Whitgift cont Cartwright pag. 351. And further nothing can be said for the primacy of a Metropolitane Bishop but what will as well maintaine the primacy of the Pope as universall Bishop of all the world Ergo the office of an Archbishop is unlawfull III. That name and office which is unlawsull and blasphemy for any man to assume no Prince or humane power may lawfully give But so is the name and office of Archbishop as before Ergo no Prince or humane power may lawfully give it to any man and wee hope his Majesty when he is rightly informed will explode the remembrance of it this is the very corner stone of their building if this once faile the whole fabricke will suddenly tumble upon their heads The Lord grant it and put into the heart of our royall Soveraigne to execute his will upon these Bratts of Babell IV. No officer in the Church is lawfull who cannot prove his function from the word as Iohn did when the Priests questioned him 1 Iohn 20.23.25 But all these officers in the Hierarchy from the chiefe Metropolitane to the meanest Apparitour are such as cannot prove their functions from the word when they are questioned their onely prooses are fulminations of Canons censures excommunications prisons and fines
slaughter of these his enemies who will not have him to rule over them Luk. 19.17 The Minor is their part to prove See Argument 4. And if they have any Letters Patents for their offices let them open their black boxes and produce them or els as polluted be put from the Priesthood as those Nehem. 7.64 that could not reckon up their Genealogie from Livi 2. In all the book of God from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Apocalyps we find not one word of warrant for the name or office of an Archbishop Diocesan Bishop Deane Archdeacon Chancellour or any of their orders but are meerly derived from Antichrist crept into the Church by carnall policy and flattery and abuse of Princes favours and have no foundation but in the Canon Law of the Pope as before Arg. 5. and 6. that 's all the divine authoritie they have and no wonder if it be divine enough for them to stand upon being the same with Antichrist for Diocesan Bishops were the first step whereby the Papacy mounted to its height and are the pillars of its support even to this day But when the Prelates father their authoritie some upon God the Father some upon God the Sonne and others upon the holy Ghost they declare themselves to be of that stamp Christ reproves and accuses of blasphemy and to be of the Synagogue of Sathan who say they are Jewes and are not but doe lye Apoc. 3.9 Who say they are Apostles and are not but are found lyers Apoc. 2.2 So then when they boast of divine authoritie they are right like themselves for that is another mark of Antichrist the adding of lyes to all their abhominations for which they shall be cast out of the holy Citie Apoc. 22.15 3. The whole streame of truth flowing out of the Scriptures as the fountain runs so strongly against them that down they goe to the Sea of Rome that dead Sea to fetch their pedigree from that ancient family of long Enmitie to Christ the Ancient of dayes and fountaine of all Antiquitie before whom nothing was and without whom nothing was made or done Joh. 1.2 3. That this is so see clearly Mr Paul Baine his diocesan tryall the very Prelates rats-bane and will burst them ere long it savours so sweetly of the Scriptures fragrant fulnesse and excellency by the breathings of Gods Spirit which is the Prelates deadly poyson that none of them durst ever take it in hand to answer it now about twenty years published and there who will may read the doome of their divine authoritie 4. If they flie to Antiquitie we ans 1. We acknowledge no antiquitie but what is according to the Scriptures the Judge of all Controversie it s a sure rule of the learned against the Papists that Whatsoever is not according to the Word but by or besides the Word is against the Word 2. We answer with Cyprian the flowre and sweetest bloome of all antiquitie a Martyr and a Bishop but no Lord or Diocesan Bishop Epist ad Pomp. Epist. 74. Antiquitie without truth is antiquitie of errour and antiquitie without truth is nothing worth saith our learned Whitakers Controverse de Eccles quaest 5. But to leave them more without excuse we wil prosecute yet one tryall more of them which we learne from our great Master the Lord Jesus for the discovery of false Prophets who come in sheepes cloathing but inwardly are avening Wolves By their fruits yee shal know them Mat. 7.15 16 20. False Prophets in Scripture alwayes set forth such as have no lawfull but a pretended office so the Diocesan Bishops c. are the false Prophets wee have to doe withall the name of Prophets so the name of Bishops is the sheeps cloathing they come in to doe the works of Sathan and Antichrist the very name of Bishop which in it selfe is good is like Jacobs voice with Esaus hands there 's much power of Sathan used under the shelter of words and names as of great force to deceive Mountebanck-like and therefore saith Luther Luther de falso nom ordine Episcoporum Tom. 2. p. 330. they shew or set out themselves as if they were Pastours of the Church as if they were Bishops when they are meere shadowes sacrificing persons dumb statues and painted truncks under the loftie high title of Bishops destroying the whole world and therefore having been too long deceived with words and names wee now will follow Christs rule By their fruits to know them The office of Prelacy is the lame Jade we spoke of even now and hath been long tryed by the Word but now is growne so hot ridden as will not abide that kinde of handling therefore the last tryall of them is this By their fruits to know them and so by their footsteps we shall see which way they are running Now the fruits of the office wee have shewed in the foregoing Argument to be the overthrowing of the offices of Christ and propagating the Kingdome of Antichrist Ex mero officio as the proper fruits of their functions and naturally flowing through the office out of that filthy lake of Romes authoritie as before and therefore the fruits must needs be according to the soyle bitter fruits to the Church of God And here wee will take a further tryall of them and how they grow and increase in fruitfulnesse Such plants as are of the Fathers planting the Son purgeth that they may bring forth more fruit Ioh. 15.2 Fruits unto holinesse Ephes 4.24 But we see when these men once enter into a Bishops Sea or other their offices they soone wither and cast their fruit how many of learning and good abilities before they entred into these corrupt offices have quickly after fallen under the withering curse of the Fig-tree Never fruit grew more upon thee And how can it be otherwise there 's such a plaguy infection lyes in the office arising out of the filthy dunghill foundation which rots and blasts all the fruits of their learning and morall parts and renders them wholly like the soyle they live in and corrupt ayre of the Episcopall Seas they breath in here 's the infection the poyson that kills them sooner or later t is in the office not so much in the person but as the office infects him therefore no safetie to their persons till they be put out of the infected places to lodge in fresh ayre A Caveat Their counsell then is not good who would onely remove and change the persons and put other learned men in the places O it is the greatest cruelty you can doe to these mens soules you had better place them to live in a Pest-house or cast their bodies alive into the Mari Mortuo than into a Bishops Sea if they be good men they should so save their soules whereas this way you hazard their soules and bodies both Let none then be so cruell to their friends to put them upon this preferment on so desperate a condition
colour He also nourishes in his Diocesse a company of popish-Arminian Ministers of Wil Cants. chiefe correspondence by whom as by the like in other parts of the Land he hath had constant intelligence of all matters and of all the persons and families that favour our religion in those parts that once they might get a day to rid the world of them He also connives at dangerous meetings of the most stirring Papists their baptismes and night burialls with tapers and torches and bells ringing but without the use of the Service Booke and against their owne Canons whereby it appeares their Service Booke and Canons serve onely against puritanes and must not be discharged against Papists So as the chiefe Townes of his diocesse are of late become dennes of Papists and places of resort to their meetings and Masses and of traffique and trade in their Books and Beads and Romish Merchandize All which considered he may be said to have given the lye to all his former works and writings against the Papists So that it may be verified of him that he is the greatest Papist friend that ever came in Duresme since our reformation See here how the Antichristian office hath blasted all his fruits and made him the shame of his old age and of that pretended divine office of Episcopacy which now the Lord will have made naked to the world And all this flowes out of the dunghill foundation and filthy nature of the office serving principally to propagate Antichrists kingdome to waste the Church and overthrow the offices of Christ So as it would seeme that Episcopacy now is come to its full height and ripenesse in this Land it hath ever since our reformation opposed Christs kingly office as its mortall enemy whereby it s growne to this height at this day to overthrow his Propheticall and Priestly offices also that all the world may see as in the Sun-shine that the offices and government of the Prelacy are meerly Antichristian By this time I thinke they have done and so have we with their divine Authoritie as having too long raked in that dunghill and therefore we come now to the issue That since they cannot reckon up their genealogie from Levie from another divine authoritie than the Canon Law let them as polluted be put from the Priesthood Nehem. 7 64. Thus did good Nehemiah and the Princes true patternes of reformation before us The Lord put into the hearts of his Majestie and the Worthies of this Honourable Parliament to follow their example and to clense the Land of this polluted Priesthood and filthy dunghill offices of Antichristian Authoritie which hath so long eclipsed the Gospels light and the name and fame of our Nations glory in the eyes of all the reformed world who with the bulk and body of Popery have also cast off this heavie yoke and regiment of Episcopacy Therefore as not compatible with Christs kingly office and scepter of his World with Our royall Kings Authoritie our Sions peace and Kingdomes glory in the flourishing of Christs Kingdome Wee hope this Honourable Parliament will no longer suffer this tree of Sathans planting to stand but root it out according to Christs owne sentence and will Away with all the reverend Fathers and their sonnes of the Church with all their trumpery Mat. 17.16.20 and 15.13 Cut off from Babell roote and branch son and nephew name and remnant destroy her utterly let nothing of her be left Ier. 50.26 Isa 14.22 thinke it not to be sufficient for you will not finde it so to curbe the insolency and lop off the loftie spreading branches of this tree of Episcopacy when the Lord Jesus hath said it shall be rooted out and hath laid the axe of his Word to the roote and will have it cut downe Mat. 3.10 and cap. 17 20. and east into the fire Doe you Right Honourable and Noble workmen of the Lord take it as a choise blessing that now the Lord hath by a Parliament put into your hands the axe of authoritie to be also layd to the root of this tree and count it your greatest honour every one of you to lend it a blow and it will suddenly fall God hath done his part if you set to yours he will put strength into your hands against all difficulties Ios 1.9 be strong and of good courage these Cananites shall be but bread for you Numb 14.9 for the Lord is with you to remove mountaines of difculties that lye in your way if yee faithfully trust to his assistance yee shall say to these mountaines remove and they shall be cast into the Sea Mat. 21.22 Plow up the very roots and weed the ground the land of it that nothing of it be left and the place will be a fruitfull soyle Their pluralities and fat Livings they have enclosed and impaled to serve their ease their pomp and pleasures will be as Sharon Sheepfolds for Christ to feed his flocks by his Shepheards tents Cant. 1.8 Therefore doe not this work of the Lord negligently if you curbe their greatnesse and lop the branches never so much and leave the root the office in the ground within their warme nests and Episcopall Seas though you shall binde it downe with Iron bands and lay upon it all the weight of good Lawes you can possibly devise it will through the sent of the puddle water Iob 14.9 bud and spring againe next season and bring forth more bitter fruits than ever Episcopacy not the persons is the root of all our evills it is that uncleane bird we spoke of that is flowne out of the Arke and will never be drawne to your lure never be disciplined Set up Christs Kingdome and it will bring in Arm-fulls of blessings to us and our posteritie and make our Kingdome flourish If men were but once acquainted with that royall Scepter and government his sweet and easie yoake they would quickly see the benefit of reformation and what a heavy yoke the Prelacy hath been to our King and State and whole Land Now having shewed the unlawfulnesse and evills of the offices and tryed them both by the Word and by their fruits to be Antichristian If any yet will be so venturous against so cleare light to open their mouthes to plead for Episcopacy oppose the setting up of Christs Kingly office in his throne and glory we will shew them the danger of it for their warning in two shorts Arguments Argument IX If the Prelates and their officers in the exercise of their unlawfull offices doe many things in the worship of God without warrant of the Word of God they are guilty of the sinne and punishment of Nadab and Abihu of Corah Dathan and Abiram But so doe the Prelates and their Officers as witnesse the whole source of their superstitions and mens inventions of old and late innovated abhominations of Jewish Popish and Heathenish fopperies and Ceremonies which they have brought into the worship of God Ergo they are