my own part quoth he I did never so much as see him in my life nor do I desire it except we could get him fast into some Pen or Pound And then Wherefore it was resolv'd to catch him and to that purpose they set their Shepherd's Dogs upon him but what the Issue was I cannot tell For here 's enough for Diversion of a Sheepish harmless Parable at which no man can be offended that is either innocent or wise for none but a fool will challenge it for his own for his own Character And if any man think that this is too Jocular a way of writing upon a serious Argument I have the great examples of the most Learned Erasmus and Sir Thomas Moor for my President And a Warrant in my Pocket beyond all exceptions I mean my Bible's in my Pocket where not only the Prophets but our Blessed Saviour gives countenance as well as Authority for Parables What got Joseph's Brethren by hating him yet the more for his Dreams and for his Words Gen. 37.8 And what got the Chief-Priests and the Scribes by seeking to lay hands on our Saviour and had done it then but that they feared the People when they perceived that he had spoken the Parable against them Luk. 20.19 Come come it is much more pleasing to God and good men to repent and amend our sins than show our teeth or bite such as tell us of them Nathan told the King his own but modestly by way of Parable at first yet afterwards plainly told him to his head Thou art the man If some men I know had had David's Power that want the grace that David had they would have put Nathan in Limbo for it or have been revenged on him one way or other But Holy David lov'd him the better for it all the days of his life and kept him his chiefest favourite to his dying day But Holy David was a man after God's own heart the evil Spirit is too great in some mens hearts the evil Spirit of malice and revenge possesses them too much to be good at any thing so readily as mischief mischief to their power I mean to their utmost It is a sin to bid such God speed I never read of a Persecutor though never so great but came to an ill end What should I tell of the first Persecuting Emperor Nero that stab'd himself to halves and not being able to dispatch himself out of his pains nor any body so kind to do his business for him roar'd out Nec amicum habeo nic inimicum And after him Dioclesan when he was glutted with Christian-blood fled from his Imperial Crown and hid his hated head in a Garden 'T is endless to tell Stories of this nature to come nearer home to Cardinal Pool and Queen Maries days that after a short and Bloody Reign died both in a day whilst the bloody Bishops of London and Winchester Bonner and Gardiner a precious couple of Shepherds it 's pitty they should be parted died soon after miserably Let them go some men will never take warning till the Devil fetch them Oh! how that bloody couple did lay about them and pay poor creatures off Body and Soul the Body delivered to the Flames and first their Souls to Satan by Excommunication a wonderful good employment some think I will not say Much good may 't do them Some cannot believe that any Man should so be divested of Humanity or humane King how forlornly wicked soever as to do what is storied of one persuade a Man when he had his Sword at his Breast to renounce his Christendom and Jesus Christ and then he would spare his Life Which the poor Creature did in hopes of a Reprieve and time to repent it in and then immediately he run him to the heart that he might kill Soul and Body at one fatal stab But sure I am 't is true of these Bloody Couple of Bishops before-mentioned for they never deliver'd any Man's Body to the flames but first they Excommunicated him and deliver'd him to Satan in Faith and Hope that they had at once murder'd Body and Soul together These are worse than Scribes and Pharisees for though they look't upon our blessed Jesus as a Friend of Publicans and Sinners nay as a Conjurer and one that had Confederacy with Beelzebub nay as a Samaritan and as one that had a Devil yet they never Excommunicated him nor the Apostles nor interdicted them the Divine Service Synagogues Temple Sacrifices or Sacraments No no this debarring and depriving Men of the Sacrament was brought in by Priestly Lordliness and Prelatical Covetousness for if they can once persuade silly Bigots that they are Apostolical men and can bind and loose and have got the Keys of Heaven gates and can open and let in and absolve and again upon displeasure can shut out and Excommunicate undoubtedly they may take the wall of all Mankind at least of all Christendome But alas alas They have got the wrong Key I 'll prove it to them before I have done with them our blessed Saviour's Keys that he left behind him to Peter were spiritual Keys and his Kingdom was not of this world nor the Men he left the Keys to worldly-minded Men and therefore he left not those Keys of binding and loosing on Earth in Heaven no not to his own Apostles until first he had enabled them to use them infallibly and therefore mind the Text before he would tell them Whosoever Sins ye Remit they are Remitted and whosoever Sins ye Retain they are Retained He first breathed on them and saith unto them Receive ye the Holy Ghost But if Men will turn Doctors and Preachers and Interpreters of Scripture and never mind the Context and out of a foolish Ambition ascribe all that Christ said to his Disciples as if spoken to their own silly sinful selves no wonder that they err not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God The Gift of the Holy Ghost always infallible never Clavis errans never turning the Key the wrong way by hands awry crooked and warping as Interest and Revenge Pride and Covetousness Tyranny and Cruelty Malice and Wickedness does annuate and guide I hate and abominate this Apish Mimickry and Imitation Did the Apostles by laying on of Hands give the Holy Ghost The Pope would seem to be Some-body too he would lay on Hands too but Cui Bono who but a Bigotted Coxcomb found any good it did him Did the Apostles heal the Sick anointing with Oil in the Name of the Lord The Pope would Ape it too a little the clean contrary way and he and his little Priests will ' noint too not for Health and Life and to recover but for Death Did the Apostles cast out Devils The Pope would be a Devil-driver too and his little Exorcists though I never met with many of them that were Conjurers Did the Apostles speak with new Tongues Why the Pope then too makes it a necessary
Defendant hereby protests That if he ever shall or ever did transgress the known Laws of England or the dark and disputable Laws of England it was through error of his judgment and not of his will and therefore he desires this Court to inform and inlighten him and set him to rights if he err or if they can do it For it is not safe to say of that Act of Parliament 13 Car. 2.12 of not allowing or confirming the Canons of 40 commonly called the Lambeth Canons and all other Canons and Constitutions not confirmed by Act of Parliament c. that they signifie nothing and are inserted idlely and for no end and purpose Which those seem to assert and imply that say those words of not confirming the Canons or not allowing are not disallowing nor any remarque or neglecting Character thereby set upon them For the Canons had been left in statu quo prius as all other things were not mentioned in the said Act although not one word concerning them had been therein mentioned In all Grammatical Construction then the Not-confirming the Lambeth Canons or Canons of 40 c. That Not-allowing is a disallowing as plain as the Times perhaps would then bear And all those words in the said Act signifie the distaste and neglect the King and Parliament had of all Canons not confirmed by Act of Parliament and then all those words concerning the same signifie something and not nothing Especially leaving things as they were in the year 1639. when the High-Commission Court was up and 1 Eliz. 1. in force which is absolutely repeal'd by the same Statute And if any man thought that some had got by that 13 Car. 2.12 an Act for their Turn as was endeavor'd they were vilely mistaken or out-witted at least it was all that would even then be done for them which latter is most probable because of that fatal mistake in repealing 17 Car. 1. And there never was such an Act in the world nor any made in that year that this Defendant can find so lasting were the deep and bloody Prints of the High Commission even yet in Parliament-mens heads And this many took notice of long ago if they had thought it meet and opportune to take notice of it it might have been amended and may yet by an Act of Parliament otherwise it is to be feared that the mistake is fatal And the 16 Car. 1.11 be in force and not possible to be repealed by the repeal of the 17 Car. 1. Then good-night Nicholas and there 's an end of the Story and a Commissary Official or Register's place is not worth the buying no nor that of a poor Proctor of this Court of Arches which use to cost about 40 l. though the same man be a Proctor in any other Spiritual-Court yet he cannot practice in this Court without laying down the Cash I mean down with their Dust Gold Dust or Guinees Money more Money Which perhaps is the reason why the Proctors are suffered to take ten groats for a Fee that used to be by the style of this Court but and proportinably all other Fees abominably enhanc't wherever the fault lies they that buy must fell or else they have a bad bargain The Fees of an Excommunication and Absolution used to be but but now they are this Defendant knows to his cost and by woful experience a Guiney but note by the way This also is added de novo the said Bishops Vice-Register Nucourt is Arrested in an Indebitatus-assumpsit and will also have an Indictment or Information brought against him for the Extortion at the Suit of this Defendant who is vilely loth to be chous't of his Money and by a pitiful Proctor and Vice-Register too So that by this time this Defendant is come a great way towards the final Answer of these Articles in this Spiritual-Court if there were 1000 more of them especially in a Court that will neither show nor pretend to sit by a Commission from the King In whom alone is always inhaerent all executive-Executive-power both Ecclesiastical and Temporal But our gracious Sovereign not only in his last Declaration but always has declared That he will rule us according to His Oath and the Fundamental Laws made by the only legislative-Legislative-power the King and Parliament And the Kings of England always have been of right and always were except during the Pope's Supremacy equally Heads or Head of the Church as well as of the State if they be two things And has right to make Laws for the regulating the Church or State-Ecclesiastical and as much as for Regulating the State-Temporal And far be it from the modesty of this Defendant to pry into the Cover'd Ark and search into the Prerogative of His gracious Majesty the Kingdoms glory as well as support both for his Mercy and Justice our dear and dread Sovereign and only Head of the Church and State which Prerogative His Majesty and his Father of blessed Memory our late Martyr'd Soveraign have explain'd to consist not only well but best with their Peoples Liberties and Properties making a sweet Harmony and enriching both King and People as Queen Elizabeth found that never had an Exchequer sooner emptied than filled though her Wars and Enemies were Great and Powerful She sometimes forgave and remitted what was given her by her Subjects in Parliament but never made a Speech or Motion for Money that prov'd successless Of which this Defendant had not now and here taken notice of further than to show in this his Defence in reference to the Church and the pretended Canons and Constitutions of the same that the said Queen never made any Canons neither did King James make any Canons or Constitutions for the Church or its Regulation until her Majesty and consequently his Majesty King James had by 1 Eliz. 1. and in that Statute given unto her and them her Heirs and Successors Power to Amend Reform c. And no more then needed at that time when the Clergy in Convocation acknowledged and surely they knew their own strength as well and much better than any can do at this distance and confest in the Statute 1 Mar. 2. that they had no Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and therefore not Queen Mary but she in Parliament by 1 Mar. 2. restor'd it namely the old Popish Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction until 1 Eliz. 1. Repeal'd it and in its room gave Power to the Queen to set up another which 16 Car. 1.11 and 13 Car. 2.12 pull'd down and Repeal'd Nay 't is evident in Cawdrey's-Case in Cookes Reports that the Jury were forc't to find the said High-Commission specially and so must other Juries do as well if ever the right of the Spiritual-Courts in Sequestrations Suspensions Deprivations in medling with mens Carnal Goods and Free-holds comes to be tryed in the King-Courts by a Jury if they can at this time a day find such a High-Commission which will be a difficult thing to persuade a Jury unto except such
Aye Here 's your Men quoth the Popish Priests Chapmen What do you lack What do you buy Then then and not till then they got the whipping-hand of the superstitious world for he that has got a hank over other Mens Souls and Consciences their Bodies and Estates consequently are without dispute at his Service and Devotion And when a Priest can make a poor Lady believe that he can damn her or absolve her and has the Keys and something else under his Girdle and can let her into or shut her out from the Church and Sacraments so that she will but shew him all her Secrets and unbosome her self in Auricular Confession Cajol'd thereunto superstitiously and bug-bear'd by many lying Miracles in the Legend of many that dyed and got as far as Heaven-gates but were glad to return a long and weary Journey to earth again to be confest by a Priest before they could be let in dying unshriv'd or unhousled can such a Priest that has got the Lock and Key of a Ladies Closet and Secrets have far to go before he come at her heart And I have therefore wondred that the jealous Italians Spaniards and Portugueze that will not suffer any man scarce a Brother to see their Wives face should yet permit them to go to secret and auricular Confession to a young vigorous unguelt piece of Sanctity I had almost said Hypocrisie I could not but wonder 'till now of late to find St. Ambrosie Ora pro nobis in the Popish Letany or Mass For what merit Oh! Captain St. Ambrose was the first Ecclesiastical-Hector or Spiritual-Bravo that in defiance of God and the King durst as malapartly as barbarously and insultingly some say Traiterously shut the doors of the Church against his Prince and Emperor Theodosius the elder not admitting him to the Sacrament nor Divine Service 'till the Emperor submitted to the proud insulting Priest and promis'd upon his knees that for the future he would be rul'd and so he and the Priest became Friends again Well I see St. James the Author the Papists say of their Liturgy and Mass though he was none of the Twelve Apostles yet was a Bishop and a Prophet too if he could so early insert into the Churches Common-Prayer Book stout Captain St. Ambrose and make him pray for himself and all Christen-Souls 400 years before he was born Oh! the merit of some mens Ecclesiastical Insolence But if Captain Ambrose was Canoniz'd and Sainted for shutting the Church-doors and debarring a great Sinner from Divine Service and Sacraments Will not the men of the same Leaven Anathematize me for opening the Church-doors thus to Sinners great Sinners and small Sinners and shut me out But it is better far to eat with Publicans and Sinners as our blessed Saviour did than to partake with Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites to whom he denounced Wo Wo Wo. Thus have I known School-Boys taught in the Church but better fed than taught to barr out their Masters and be Masters of Mis-rule upon pretence of Christmas and a Holy-time and with a Brazen-face make Declamations and Verses in praise of that precious Ecclesiastical Discipline But if I come I 'le open the Church Doors again and spread the Arms of Mercy wide open and outstretched to as great a Latitude and Comprehension as our Blessed Saviour did even to Publicans and Sinners they shall eat with me let the Hypocrites eat alone and as fittest by themselves if they will not vouchsafe to eat with Sinners let them cringe and bow and face to the Left to the Left to the East the East Sinners look you Sinners though they despise Sinners so much in nomine Domini Sinners are the best Gryst that comes to their Mills If it were not for Sinners the Bench Ecclesiastical at least would not be so scarlet as it is their Holinesses might sit alone as well as a cold if it were not for Sinners and look as lean as an Easter-Offering Sinners quoth a Who is this that despises Sinners which our Blessed Redeemer did not despise by God's help this little Book shall open the Church-Doors to let in Sinners in spight of the most self-conceited Hypocrite as far as the Old and New Testament will go I say ipse dixi What shall sin walk barefac't magisterial in open Court and unrebuk't And shall the Naked-Truth be glad to hide its Head Ha shall the wicked Extortioners of Doctors-Commons sin and will you make me suffer and be whipt for their faults upon their Backs whilst they hold me up to you Sir look you my Lord Is there any Conscience in this Look you Sir look you I am got into the Modern Rhetorical Phraze entail'd on some seats of Eloquence can it be Justice look you my Lord that I should suffer because they sin and I only wish and endeavour their amendment Just thus does the unjust World abuse the poor Cuckolds when the Naked-Truth on 't is the great and only fault is in the Cuckold-makers the Whore and Rogue And must he not have a face of Brass look you and a conscience of Steel my Lord that shall vindicate that domineering Popishly invented Prelacy which the Holy Scriptures and our Blessed Redeemer condemns making all his Disciples Spiritual-Levellers Luke 22. Whose Disciples then are the Popish Prelates that in defiance of Christ will domineer over the Clergy their Brethren and vex them with Law-Suits having great Interest and great Power and withal Purse-proud to defend in spight of Christ that Antichristian Lordliness and Clergical Tyranny over their Brethren calling it as the Pope contradictione adjecto first call'd it Hierarchy or the Holy Rule But how can that be Holy that the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Jesus decries and condemns and it was first Enacted and made a Law in England when the Pope did what he list both with King and People They had and we have a happy time on 't yet most of these Popish Hierarchical Laws are abolished and that was stoutly attack't though it still stands and let it stand I said in my Naked-Truth Rome was not built and cannot be destroyed in one day it crumbles a pace If you be for Discipline and Spiritual Weapons rather Draw upon the Adulterers and Adulteresses the Extortioners impudent Extortioners in your Spiritual-Courts in Probates Administrations Visitations Ordinations grant ing Licences to Preach Institutions Inductions Procurations and if you have power to Anathematize and Curse Curse the Cursers and Blasphemers of the unparallel'd Age we live in In all the Reign of Edw. 6. I find no man taken upon the Writ de Excommunicato capiendo nor 'till the fifth of Queen Elizabeth nor any legal Cursing or Commination save that in the Common-Prayer-Book denouncing of Gods Anger and Judgments against Sinners Cursed is he that smiteth his neighbour secretly and Cursed is he that lyeth with his neighbours wife c. and all the people shall say Amen Cursed is he that taketh a reward to slay an