Reasons 1. In regard of the Majesty Wisdom and Grace of them from all other Writings for there is a great Glory in these Scriptures as in the making of this wonderful World which is most evidently discerned Heb. 11.1.2 By their Teachings which excel all humane teachings leading us from Satan from this world and our selves to God to holiness faith love fear obedience humility 3. The true events of them or fulfilling of the Prophesies contained in them 4. The consent and agreement of all the parts of them the like whereof cannot be shewed of so many several Writers since the world began 5. The admirable preservation thereof against Time and Tyrants all which could not extinguish them 6. The Devil and his Instruments rage against those that practise the Doctrines contained in them 7. The Conversion of thousands to God by the power of their Doctrine 8. The Vengeance that hath come upon such as have not obeyed them 9. The Acknowledgment of them by the very professed Adversaries thereof 10. The Miracles confirming them from Heaven 11. The fight of a Saviour to man is only by and from them And lastly the simplicity of the Writers and plainness of the Writings for God hath chosen the mean contemptible and despised to manifest unto the world his Mysteries 1 Cor. 1. These are sufficient to perswade that those holy Writings are inspired of God and so able to make wise unto Salvation and perfect to every good work These Scriptures contain the Law and Testimony and if any Church Council Prince or Potentate speak not according to this Word it is because there is not light in them Isa 8.20 And we are commanded to hold them accursed Gal. 1.8 9. For Whosoever shall adde unto these things God shall adde the plagues written herein and whosoever shall take away from these things God shall take his name out of the Book of life and out of the holy City and from those things that are written Revel 22. Much by us shall not need to be written on this Subject the thing is so evident and so generally acknowledged at least in words excepting the Papists with whom we have not here to do only we will adde some humane Testimonies Whites Way to the Church dedicated to two Bishops pag. 12. The learned Protestants affirm and prove that it is the doctrine of the Church of England Artic. 6 chap. That the Scripture comprehended in the Old and New Testament is the Rule of Faith so far that whatsoever is not read therein or cannot be proved thereby is not to be accepted as any point of Faith or needful to be followed but by it all Doctrines taught and the Churches Practice must be examined and that rejected which is contrary to it under what title or pretence soever it come unto us And further they say p. 1. That the Pope or any mortal man should be the Rule that must resolve in questions and controversies of Faith is an unreasonable Position void of all indifferency when common sense teacheth That he that is a party cannot be Judge And again pag. 17. Which is the Church is controversal which is the Scriptures is not therefore let that be the Rule which is out of doubt And again The Scriptures contain the Principles of our Faith and shall we not believe them Or cannot we know them infallibly of themselves without we let in the authority of the Church This and much more the learned Protestants have written and sufficiently confirms that no Church nor man whatsoever may be the Judge Rule or Umpier in matters of Faith but only the holy Scriptures and whosoever teacheth and practiseth otherwise they must hold and maintain the Papists Creed or Colliers Faith which the Protestants so much in words detest pag. 6. and mention our of Staphilus his Apology thus The Collier being at the point of death and tempted of the Devil what his Faith was answered I believe and dye in the Faith of Christs Church Being again demanded what the Faith of Christs Church was That Faith said he that I believe in Thus the Devil getting no other Answer was overcome and put to flight By this Paith of the Collier every unlearned man may try the spirits of men whether they be of God or no by this Faith he may resist the Devil and judge the true interpretation from the false and discern the Catholick from the heretical Minister the true Doctrine from the forged If the Answer of the Collier and the Papists Conclusion upon it be not sound but detestable as the Protestants confess and cry wo unto the Papists for the same and that justly Then is it no less detestable in the Protestants or any other to require or any to yeeld so far in Religion and Faith that upon such a temptation he hath no better answer to make than as the Collier to say I believe and dye in the Faith of the Church or of the Prince or of the Learned for being demanded what that Faith is if he be not able to prove it by Gods Word contained in the Scriptures it is no better nor other than the answer of the Collier The Faith that I believe in Oh how many millions of souls in this Nation not Papists but Protestants live and dye and have never other Faith than this whereunto they are constrained and compelled by persecution without either Faith or Knowledge CHAP. 2. The Interpreter of this Rule is the Scriptures and Spirit of God in whomsoever THe next thing as the immediate Question from this former is Who must interpret this Rule because as is objected There are many dark places in it 2 Pet. 3 hard to be understood Unto which we answer The two Witnesses of God shall be the onely Interpreters therof which are The Word of God contained in the same Scriptures and the Spirit of God so are they called Joh. 15.26 27. Act. 5.32 First for the Scriptures themselves though some Doctrines in some places be dark and obscure as Peter speaketh yet the self-same Doctrines in other places are plain and manifest For all the words of the Lord are plain to him that will understand and streight to them that would find knowledge Pro. 8.9 And knowledge is easie to him that will understand Prov. 14.6 Secondly the Spirit of God So saith the Apostle 1 John 2.6 It is the Spirit that beareth witness for the Spirit is Truth And John 14.26 But the Comforter which is the holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance which I have told you And Joh 16.13 Howbeit when he is come which is the Spirit of truth he will lead you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear shall he speak and he will shew you of things to come And 1 Cor. 2.10 For the Spirit searcheth all things even the deep things of God And ver 11. For the
things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God And 1 Joh. 2.27 But the Anointing that ye have received of Him dwelleth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same Anointing teacheth you of all things and it is true and is no lye and even as it hath taught you you shall abide in Him And 1 Joh. 3.24 Hereby we know that He abideth in us even by the Spirit that He hath given us And 1 Cor. 12.8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of Wisdom and to another the word of Knowledge by the same Spirit The Scriptures be so plain in this that the greatest adversaries thereof do acknowledge the truth of it only herein lyeth the difficulty Who it is that hath this Spirit of God to interpret the Scriptures which is this sure Rule which in the next place is to be handled CHAP. 3. That the Spirit of God to understand and interpret the Scriptures is given to all and every particular person that fear and obey God of what degree soever they be and not to the wicked PRoved Psal 25.12 What man is he that feareth the Lord him will he teach the way that he shall chuse And ver 14. The secret of the Lord is revealed to them that fear Him and his Covenant to give them understanding And Psal 107.43 Who is wise that he may observe these things he shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord. And Dan 12.10 None of the wicked shall have understanding but the Wise shall understand For God will do nothing but He revealeth his Secrets to his Servants Amos 3.7 And Psal 119.99 c. I have had more understanding than all my Teachers and than all the Antients because I kept thy Precepts For he that keepeth the Law is a Child of understanding Prov. 28.7 And Joh. 14.15 If ye love me keep my Commandments and I will pray the Father and He shall give you the Spirit of Truth And ver 23. If any man love me he will keep my Word and my Father and I will come unto him and will dwell with him And John 7.17 If any man will do his Will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or no. And Acts 5.32 Yea and the holy Ghost whom God hath given to all that obey Him And Luke 21.15 I will give you my Disciples that obey me and suffer for my sake a mouth and wisdom c. and Luke 12.12 The holy Ghost shall teach you what ye shall say For Mat. 10.20 It is not you that speak but the Spirit of my Father that speaketh in you And Mark 4.11 To you my followers is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God but not to them that are without For the Mystery of the Gospel is made manifest to the Saints Col. 2.2 The Church and Saints of God have revealed unto them by the Spirit the things that eye hath not seen c. 1 Cor. 2.9 10. And they have received the Spirit of God that they might know the things that are given them of God But the natural man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned but he that is spiritual discerneth all things c. ver 14. Hence is most plain to whom the Spirit of God is given even to every particular Saint of God And it is no private spirit but even the publick Spirit of God which is in him which enableth him to understand and so to declare the things given him of God 2 Pet. 1.20 That is a private spirit that is not of God though it be in multitudes but the Spirit of God though but in one Saint is not private Gods Spirit is not private for it is not comprehended only within one place person or time as mans is but it is universal and eternal so is not mans therefore mans is private though they be many Gods is publick though but in one person CHAP. 4. Those that fear and obey God and so have the Spirit of God to search out and know the mind of God in the Scriptures are commonly and for the most part the simple poor despised c. PRoved Mat. 11.5 Our Saviour faith The Poor receive the Gospel And v. 25. I thank thee Father because thou hast opened these things unto Babes it is so O Father because thy good pleasure was such And Jam. 2.5 Hearken my beloved Brethren hath not God chosen the Poor of this world that they should be rich in Faith and Heirs of the Kingdom which he hath promised c. And 1 Cor. 1.26 c. Brethren you see your calling that God hath chosen the foolish of this world the weak of this world the vile of this world and dispised and which are not Gods dealing is to give unto the Simple sharpness of wit and to the Child knowledge and discretion Prov. 1.4 The Sprit bloweth where it listeth John 3.8 and is not tyed to the Learned Poor persecuted Micaiah had the Truth against four hundred of King Ahabs Prophets 1 King 22. So had Jeremiah against all the Priests and Prophets of Israel The Lord of Life himself in his fleshly being what was he but a man full of sorrows in his Birth laid in a Cratch because there was no room for him in the Inne Luk 2.7 A Carpenter by Trade Mar. 6.3 Having not a hole to rest his head in Mat. 8.20 And in his Death contemned and dispised His Apostles in like manner what were they but mean men Fishermen Tentmakers and such like having no certain dwelling-place 1 Cor. 4.11 which the worldly-wise Scribes and Pharises took notice of and reproachfully said Joh. 7.48 Do any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believe in him but this people that know not the Law are accursed ver 49. The truth of this is as plain as may be that the Scriptures being the Rule of Faith perfect and absolute and that the plainness of them is such as by the Spirit of God they may be easily understood of those that fear and obey God but of none else and that such are most commonly the poor and dispised for if any man want wisdom be he never so simple let him ask of God and he will give him Jam. 1.5 Which is also confirmed by humane Testimonies The Protestants confess Whit. pag. 7. That in the Primative Church the Doctrines and several points of Religion were known and discovered by the most mean of the people and the Bishops exhorted them thereunto c. Also pag. 9. That this Rule is of that nature that it is able to direct any man be he never so simple yea the most unlearned alive may conceive and understand it sufficiently for his salvation And they relate the Sayings of the Ancient in this thing pag. 32. First Clemens Alexandrinus The Word is not hid from any it is a common Light
Question Do you seek the Glory of God and the Salvation of my soul herein or your own Obedience Ant. I seek the Glory of God and the Salvation of your Soul and not my own Obedience Ch. Then manifest it not by words only but by deeds and truth which if you do you will not threaten me with punishment to cause me to come but with meekness and patience satisfie my Conscience by the Word of Truth for this is the duty of the Minister of Christ 2 Tim. 2.24 that I may come with a willing mind so shall I be accepted 2 Cor. 8.12 Psal 110.3 For if by threatning me with punishment as Imprisonment Banishment or Death you cause me to bring my body and not my spirit or soul so shall I come near to the Lord with my lips when my heart shall be far from him which he accounteth vain worship and hypocrisie Mat. 15. Ant. I perceive what you aim at you would have none brought to Church but such as come willingly of themselves so should every man worship God as himself pleaseth Ch. Your Conclusion I aim not at for I acknowledge that as there is but one God so there is but one way of worshipping him out of the which way whosoever is and repenteth not thereof shall pay a dear price and therefore it standeth all men upon not to please themselves in worshipping of him But you perceive aright that I aim at this That none should be compelled to worship God but such as come willingly for I will by Gods assistance prove most evidently by the Scriptures that none ought nor can be compelled to worship God to acceptance by any worldly means whatsoever Ant. Prove that Ch. Well I prove what I have affirmed thus First Heb. 11.6 Without Faith it is impossible to please God and Rom 14.23 Whatsoever is not of Faith is sin These two Scriptures prove most evidently that whatsoever I have not Faith in in worshipping God although it were undoubtedly true I may not offer it up to God for it is displeasing to him and it is a sin against him As also it appeareth plainly by him that came unto the Kings Supper and wanted his wedding garment Matth. 22. Ant. It is the Kings Law that you must go to Church and therefore you must be obedient Ch. The intent of the Kings Law is not so as appeareth both by the Statute for the Oath of Allegiance and also by his Majesties own words manifested in his Apologie for the Oath of Allegiance as is hereafter more fully declared For if the intent of the Law were to make me come to Church to worship God and not of Faith the intent of the Law were to compel me to sin which his Majesty requireth not Ant. I deny not but whatsoever is not of Faith is sin but we would have you come to Church to worship God in Faith Ch. It is not so you regard not whether I have Faith or no for if you did you would not urge the Kings Law against me which is but a carnal weapon and cannot beget Faith and therefore is no sure ground of Faith For in my obedience to God I must not presume above that that is written 1 Cor. 4.6 For the Word of God is the only ground of Faith Rom. 10.17 and therefore if you would have me come in Faith you would only urge the Law of the King of kings against me Ant. Have not all the Learned of the Land considered of these things and set them down Are such simple men as you likely to see more than all these Ch. I demand of you whether they be not all subject to erre as all men are and therefore I must try their spirits whether they erre or no 1 Joh. 4.1 For I may not hold either that they cannot erre or that if I find them to erre I must obey them notwithstanding do you not herein teach me that Popish and accursed Doctrine that you inveigh so much against in the Papists That I must believe as the Learned of the Land believe Ant. I do not hold that they cannot erre Ch. Yes you hold either that they cannot erre or if they do erre I must obey them for if I do not obey them you threaten me with punishment Ant. Nay but I hold that they being Learned do not erre and therefore you must obey them Ch. Then this is your Argument The Learned do not erre and therefore must be obeyed The Bishops and the rest of that rank are learned and do not erre and therefore they must be obeyed Another Argument as vain as they may be collected from this ground The Learned do not erre and therefore must be obeyed The Pope and the rest of that rank are learned yea as learned as yours and do not erre and therefore they must be obeyed The one is as true as the other but both abominable If you prove that they that want this Learning must not meddle with the wayes of God but as these learned men teach them then indeed you say something but if you cannot as most certain it is you cannot for the Word of God is against you herein then for shame to God and men leave oft your cruel persecuting For why do you persecute men that cannot in faith submit to your direction concerning the wayes of God upon which consisteth their Salvation if they walk in the true way of Faith with the love thereof and their Condemnation if they walk in a by-path Ant. Then I perceive if a man can plead that he hath not Faith in any thing which the King commands he need not to be obedient Ch. Would God all men could see your dealing herein This is your usual course when your mouth is stopped by the power of Gods Word that you know not what to answer then you run to the Kings Command and so make your matters good like unto your predecessors the wicked Scribes and Pharisees who when our Lord and Master had stopped their mouthes that they had no word of answer then they sought to make him a trespasser against Caesar but I have learned in some weak measure that as there is a Caesar unto whom in conscience I must be obedient So there is another King one JESUS that is King of kings unto whom if you will not be obedient in giving unto God that which is Gods He will tear you in pieces when there shall be none that can deliver you and cast you into the Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for evermore where there shall be no rest day nor night and therefore agree with this your adversary quickly whilst you are in the way with him The Power and Authority of the King is earthly and God hath commanded me to submit to every Ordinance of man 1 Pet. 2.13 14. and therefore I have faith to submit to what Ordinance of Man soever the King commands if it be an humane Ordinance and not against the manifest Word of
to the Laws and Statutes of this Realm before the Ordinary or any other having power to take such Presentments or Indictments or if the Minister petty Constable or Church-wardens or any two of them shall at any time hereafter complain to any Justice of Peace near adjoyning the place where any person complained of shall dwell and the said Justice shall find cause of suspition that then any one Justice of Peace within whose Commission or Power any such person or persons shall at any time hereafter be or to whom complaint shall be made shall upon notice thereof require such person or persons to take the said Oath And that if any person or persons being of the age of eighteen years or above shall refuse to take the said Oath duly tendered unto him or her according to the true intent and meaning of this Statute that then the persons authorized by this Law to give the said Oath shall and may commit the said Offender to the common Jayl c. Where we see that if any take the said Oath at their first apprehension they are not to be committed or if they being committed take the said Oath at the next open Court they are be set at liberty if they will not take the said Oath to be in a Premunire as is at large in the Statute declared and as is daily practised with Papists and others Ant. The Kings Majesty requireth your Allegiance to be testified by your coming to Church Ch. I pray let me demand this Question Doth the King require my coming to Church to worship and serve God or to worship and serve the King If to worship and serve the King I am ready to obey if to worship and serve God which none can do but of conscience the King himself saith he never intended to lay any thing to the charge of any for the cause of conscience and this coming to Church being a cause of conscience if not he why do you lay any thing to my charge for the same And therefore you wrong his Majesty in thus affirming for his Highness requireth only my faithful allegiance to be testified by the aforesaid Oath and therefore hath ordained it as I shall shew by his Highness own testimony If I should come to Church and not in conscience but for other respects as many Papists and other Hypocrites do to God it were most abominable and what faithfulness can be hoped for in such towards his Majesties Person and State Can any godly wise man think that he that playeth the dissembling Hypocrite with God that he will do less with men and will not work any villany if it were in his power and therefore herein you compelling me by tyranny to bring my body whereunto my spirit cannot be brought you compel me to hypocrisie with God and man for if my heart were not faithfull in sincerity to his Majesties Crown and Dignity as I take God to witness before whom I must be condemned or justified it is these courses would rather harden my heart to work villany than otherwise Now for his Majesties many Testimonies in his Writings they are worthy to be recorded with thankfulness to the Highest for guiding his heart and pen to write such things In his apology for the Oath of Allegiance pag 4 he saith speaking of such Papists as took the Oath of Allegiance And I gave a good proof that I intended no Persecution against them for conscience cause but only desired to be secured of them for evil obedience which for conscience cause they were bound to perform And pag. 60. speaking of Blackwel the Arch-Priest he saith I never intended to lay any thing to the said Arch-Priests charge as I have never done to any for cause of conscience And pag. 127. he saith First for the cause of their punishment I do constantly maintain that which I said in my Apology That no man either in my time or in the late Queens ever dyed here for his conscience for let him be never so devout a Papist nay though he profess the same never so constantly his life is in no danger by the Law if he break not out into some outward act expresly against the words of the Law or plot not some dangerous or unlawful practice or attempt c. Where we may see in short what is the whole sum that he requireth And in his Majesties Speech at the last Session of Parliament Anno Dom. 1609. where he saith he sheweth his Subjects his heart he saith thus I never found that blood and too much severity did good in matters of Religion for besides it is a sure Rule in Divinity that God never loves to plant his Church by violence and bloodshed natural reason may even perswade us and daily experience proves it true that when men are severely persecuted for Religion the gallantness of many mens spirits and the wilfulness of their humours rather than the justness of their cause makes them take a pride boldly to endure any torments or death it self to gain thereby the reputation of Martyrdom though but in a false shadow A most undoubted Truth which if be as most manifest it is by the Testimony of the holy Ghost throughout Christs Testament as before is proved then how cursed are all the rank of you that continually break this sure Rule of God thus confidently acknowledge by his Majesty planting your Church by violence and bloodshed forcing many thousands against their consciences to be of your Church and to receive your Sacraments by all the persecutions that would follow if they do not yeeld and those that fear God more than men and dare not yeeld casting them into noisom Prisons amongst most wicked Blasphemers of God to the wounding of their souls dividing them from their Wives Children and Families and from their Callings some an hundred miles and more utterly consuming that substance they have which sustaineth the blood of them their Wives and Children seldom or never affording them Release but either by yeelding to you against their consciences or else by consuming their bodies to death in Prison Banishment or the like leaving them and their Wives to horrible temptations of Adultery by parting them and their Wives and to all manner of evil in taking them from their Callivgs and so leaving them in continual Idleness Is Gods Church thus planted or do Christs Disciples thus plant Indif Oh I see this spiritual power is little inforiour cruelty to the Romish spiritual power I pray how or when was this set up Ch. Henry the eight casting off Pope Clement the seventh and so the Popes Power anno 1534 set up this Spiritual Power under him See Acts and Mon. pag. 1201 c. Indif I pray you shew the likeness between these two spiritual powers Ch. I will do my best endeavour which is but small First the Romish spiritual Power doth make Laws to the Conscience and compel all thereunto by Excommunication Imprisonment Banishment Death and the like
that shineth unto all there is no obscurity in it hear you it you that be far off and you that be nigh Next him Austin God hath bowed down the Scriptures to the capacity of Babes and sucklings that when proud men will not speak to their capacity yet himself might After him Chrysostom The Scriptures are easie to understand and exposed to the capacity of every Servant and Plowman and Widow and Boy and him that is most unwise Therefore God penned the Scriptures by the hands of Publicans Fishermen Tentmakers Shepherds Neat-herds and unlearned men that none of the simple people might have any excuse to keep them from reading and that so they might be easie to be understood of all men the Artificer the Housholder and Widow woman and him that is most unlearned Yea the Apostles and Prophets as Schoolmasters to all the world made their Writings plain and evident to all men so that every man of himself only by reading them might learn the things spoken therein Next Justin Martyr saith Hear the words of the Scripture which be so easie that it needs no exposition but only to be rehearsed And this the Protestants say was the perpetual and constant judgment of the antient Church c. And further pag. 21. he alledgeth Theodoret who writ of his times You shall every-where see these points of our Faith to be known and understood not only by such as are Teachers in the Church but even of Coblers and Smiths and Websters and all kind of Artificers yea all our Women not they only which are Book-learned but they also that get their living with their Needle yea Maid-servants and Waiting-women and not Citizens only but Husbandmen of the Country are very skilful in these things you may hear among us Ditchers and Neat-herds and Wood-setters discoursing of the Trinity and the Creation c. The like is reported by others And say the Protestants his Doctrine that was President in the Trent-Conspiracy That a Distaff was fitter for Women than a Bible was not yet hatched c. Oh it were well if the contempt of these pious practices were paled only within the Romish profession and were not practised in and among those that profess themselves to be separated there-from as what is more frequent in the mouthes of many Protestants yea the Bishops themselves than these and such like words Must every base fellow Cobler Taylor Weaver c. meddle with the exposition or discoursing of the Scriptures which appertains to none but to the Learned Yea do they not forbid their own Ministers to expound or discourse of the Scriptures read their 49 Canon which is No person whatsoever not examined and approved by the Bishop of the Diocess or not licensed as is aforesaid for a sufficient and convenient Preacher shall take upon him to expound in his own Cure or elsewhere any Scripture or Matter or Doctrine but shall only study to reade plainly and aptly without glozing or adding the Homilies already set forth or hereafter to be published by lawful Authority c. So that not only Jesus Christ and his Apostles who are alive in their Doctrine though not in their persons are forbidden all exposition of the holy Scriptures or Matter or Doctrine not being licensed by the Bishops but also their own Ministers who have sworn Canonical obedience to them Yet when they are put to answer the Papists who practise the same thing they take up both Scriptures and antient Writers to confute it CHAP. 5. The Learned in humane learning do commonly and for the most part erre and know not the Truth but persecute it and the professors of it and therefore are no further to be followed than we see them agree with Truth THe next thing in order is seeing the Lord revealeth his secrets to the humble though wanting humane Learning that we now prove on the contrary That God usually and for the most part hideth his secrets from the Learned and suffereth them to erre and resist the Truth yea so far as to persecute it and the Professors of it And first let us begin with the Learned Heathen who were behind none in humane Learning the wise-men of Egypt how did they resist the glorious and powerful Truth of God delivered by Moses yea they resisted it with such signs and lying wonders that the heart of Pharaoh and all his people were hardned against it Exod. 7.11 12 13. and 8.7 And what was the cause of Babels destruction but their trusting in the Learned Isa 47.13 Thou art wearyed in the multitude of thy Counself c. And Isa 44.25 I destroy the tokens of thy Southsayers and make them that conjecture fools and turn the wisemen backward and make their knowledge follishness The things of Gods dealing none of the Learned of Egypt or Babel could interpret but Joseph and Daniel Next come to the learned Priests and Prophets of the Jews Whose lips should have preserved Knowledge and at whose mouth the people should have sought the Law But saith the Lord Mal. 2.7 8. They are gone out of the way they have caused many to fall by the Law c. Also Isa 29. Stay your selves and wonder they are blind and make you blind they are drunken but not with Wine they stagger but not with strong drink for the Lord hath convered you with a spirit of slumber and hath shut up your eyes the Prophets and your chief Seers c Therefore the Lord said Because this people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips but have removed their heart far from me and their fear towards me was taught by the precepts of men Therefore behold I will again do a marvallous work in this people a marvellous work and a wonder for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish and the understanding of the prudent shall be hid c. And Isa 56.10 c. Their watchmen are all blind they have no knowledge c. And these Shepherds cannot understand for they all look to their own way every one for his own advantage and for his own purpose Also Jer. 8.9 c. The wise-men are ashamed they are afraid and taken lo they have rejected the Word of the Lord and what wisdom is in them c. And Jer. 14.14 c. and 50.6 My People have been as lost sheep their Shepherds have caused them to go astray and have turned them away to the mountains c. And Micah 3. Night shall be unto them for a vision and Darkness for a divination the Sun shall go down over the Prophets and the Day shall be dark over them c. For they have no answer of God they build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity c. And Zeph. 3.4 Her Prophets are light and wicked persons her Priests have polluted the Sanctuary they have wrested the Law And in the time of our Saviour How had they made the Commandments of God of no authority by