fountaine yee sustaine a common cause with all the Saints who in any age have opponed themselves to the current corruptions of the Kirk Kirkmen in their time such as Basil Ierome c. The Albigenses contemptuously stiled Apostolickes the Waldenses called Puritans c. 6 In consideration of the change brought upon me and of the course of my declining from my former perfection my errors now may bee smaller and yet my case is worse then in my growing dayes when I was wrastling against greater infirmities My lukewarmnesse then was a way to and a degree of heate but now after my zeale I am become Laodicean waxing colder frō day to day And increase with Vincentius I love but defections changes I loath Our bodies sayth he albeit in processe of time they grow yet they change not The same members the same joynts are in children which are in men though in the one stronger and greater in the other smaller and weaker But if the shape bee turned into another kinde or any thing be added to the number of the members or taken from them then either the body perisheth or becometh monstrous or at the least becomes weak It is right so in religion if we begin to make chāges wherof the kirk of Christ should be a diligent keeper changing nothing diminishing nothing adding nothing I admit no alteration for indifferent that tends to Apostasie and not to accretion 7 Considered in themselves not in relation to other things more necessary A leg or an arm is necessary for a mans body yet not in that degree that it is necessary for the life as the soule I may live be the kirk of God so long as Christ by his spirit breathes faith into my soule Yet wanting the least thing which God hath ordained and receiving supply of a leg of wood from mens artifice I can never bee beautifull in Gods fight nor cheerfull in performing my own actiōs but pines dwines away til at last nothing be left but a stinking carkasse unfit both for the habitation celebration of the majesty of my God 8 Whatsoever they be in thēselves and in their own nature yet falling under our use and practise they become to us either good or evill and consequently either sin or acceptable service wherin Scandall beares so great sway that for avoyding of offence arising upō weaknes or ignorance all actions albeit never so lawfull and profitable which are not necessary to salvation are either to bee left off or kept up or at least to bee put off till another time Woe bee to them not onely who give offences but by whom offences come 9 The Fathers in the primitive times partly preferring the Vernish of the Iewes religion and the pompe of Paganisme to Christian simplicitie And partly with greater zeale then knowledge desirous to enlarge the boundes of Christs kingdome by drawing both Iewes and Gentiles unto their profession did change sacraments into sacrififices Pastors into Priests Tables into Altars Prayers into Liturgies Saturnals into Christmasse c. And pestered the Kirk then with heapes of their ceremonies Quod consilium specie prudens re anceps eventu infelix hodieque lugendum luendum est Ecclesiae sayth Tilenus whatsoever some talke now of his Palinod in particulars It was not lawfull for the heathen Poets to borrow matter from traditions of Scripture and in their allegorizing veine to persue them for their purposes of profanity Lesse tollerable for the spouse of Christ to begg ornaments from enemies whether at Ierusalem or Athens But farrest from indifferencie and most intollerable in you who ought to bee wise by the dolefull experience of others to walk again upon the same snares after yee have escaped twice to make shipwrack to lick up your own vomit and to make your sins once of a simple die now to bee of a scarlet colour 10 By reason of the warrant which they seek without the boūds of the law and testimony Yee have no other Ephod no other Vrim and Thūmim but the light of scripture Herein as in the breast of your high Priest may yee see and read the will of God for your direction in all your actions as they are actions of a Christian even your naturall and civill actions farre more your religious duties So that albeit yee can neither conclude affirmatively nor negatively frō the words of mē yet were your knowledge as ample as the Scriptures and could your faith adequat the largenes of the revelation therof ye might inferre a conclusion both wayes from them In all these considerations they can bee no indifferent judges that call them indifferent When it was objected by Mauritius the Emperour to Gregorie that he busied the Kirke with a needlesse contention when the question was about the name of universall Bishop hee answered That some things are frivovolous and not hurtfull other things frivolous and hurtfull albeit indeed there be nothing frivolous in the matters of God Carnall men have coinzed with their wit a new Category of indifferent things and have made the Genus summum their own wil. The prophetical princely office of Christ is no lesse perfect then his priesthood And he that either addeth to his word or discipline or yeeldes not obedience to them in every poynt can have no comfortable hope of full redemption by his sacrifice It is a fearfull judgement and a wide doore to finall excecation hardnes of heart first to revolt and peevishly to rebell against the light once received and now to be guiltie of affected ignorance closing your eyes against ingyring knowledge Albeit Pastors who are to teach others in respect of their office and place be bound to know many things which others of another condition and vocation are not yet considering the occasions and means offring things to your particular consideration even secular persons and privat men are bound to know beleeve that whereof Pastors themselves not observing it may bee safely ignorant Refuse not resist not the least truth of God for pleasing of your selves or others Albeit any of my ministers might with Ambrose speaking to Theodosius Valentinian say touching his majesty that it is neither imperial to refuse the liberty of speking nor pastorall not to speak that which he thinks In Gods cause whō shal ye heare if yee heare not Gods minister by whose greater danger sin is comitted Who dare be bold to speak the truth unto you if the minister be not bold Yet far be in frō them to utter any thing that may exulcerat his meeknes or provoke their dread soveraigne to wrath As Emperours know saith Tertullian who gave them the Empire they know that it was even the same God who gaue unto them to bee men and to have humane soules they will perceive that hee onely is God in whose onely power they are so with him My children acknowledge that after God Kings are in order the second and
our God set upon your heades that they have made you the meath of ther religious wishes they haue with vehement desires longed to see the things that ye have seene And have not spared to profess that in your case they would rather suffer themselves to be dissolved then that one pinne of that holy Tabernacle so divinelie compacted should be loosed Within and amongst your selves that puritie of profession received universallie with so full consent that Prince and Peeres Pastors and people were all for Christ one heart one soule of these who beleeved with such evidences of Gods favour that the windowes gates of heaven seemed to be opened to raine downe upon this Land spirituall gifts to save you as sometime they had beene readie to powre downe raine to destroy the world every hand almost received some gift and every head crowned with some grace with such successe that it brought a rare unitie prosperitie peace upon Kirk cōmon wealth With such power and presence of the spirit of God in converting comforting confirming his people that Satan was seene fall like lightening from heaven the infidel and unbeleever casting himselfe downe on his face and confessing that undoubtedlie God was amōgst yow and in the middest of your meetings as the soules of his own secret ones can best beare witnesse who have beene most submitted to that holie and happie simplicitie the effectes whereof yet remayning in the harts of many all worldly power be it never so violent sall not be able to remove it And with such terrour from God and the Kings Lawes that ye wanted not your Theodosians publikly humbling themselves The hardest hearted and haughtiest were made to stoup The Atheist either changed in heart or in countenance and forced to play the hypocrite the proudest papist eyther made like you or made to leave you Heresie never hatched within your walles and the Babylonish brood of schisme in the infancie till this tyme was dashed against the stōes Ye sought not then my dere children with Iohn and Iames like great Princes one to sitt on the right hand another on the left nor to be busked with earthly glorie and Persian pompe better beseeming the kings of the world then the kingdome of Christ. The Carbuncles the Saphyres the Emeraulds the Chrysolites the gold the precious stones wherewith my foundation walles windowes gates were set and adorned were out of the Lords own thesaurie Your ambition was then set upon spirituall glorie the cōquest of syn and Satan by the powerfull puritie of the Word Sacraments and discipline The joy of your soules was to see Christ reigning in the middest of his enemies his sword dividing the father from the sonne and the sonne from the father yea a man frō himself parting the soule and the spirit the joynts and the marrow and ending in glorie to God and peace upon earth Then were the tabernacles of God amiable then provoked ye one another with cheerefulnes to go up to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob ye were sure there to learne his wayes and how to walke in his pathes Then found ye the Lord his glorie filling his Sanctuarie and one of the largest springs of the blood of Christ from Eden watring the citie of God and glaiding your soules wearied with sinne This was my beautie so truelie glorious in the sight of God and his Angels that all the glorie of this lyfe is unworthie to enter in comparison with it Better to you to have this glorie under a crowne of thornes with our Saviour in a chaine with Paul in the Lyons den with Daniel then all the splendor of Tiberius of Nero of Darius wherewith the weak eyes of the world are dazled and pitifullie to my great griefe bewitched And surely your forgetfull ingratitude were inexpiable if with the mater ye remembered not the finger of God wonderfully working in the meanes of that glorious reformation We have to regrate that the Atheisme of these dreggs of tymes and manners is become so gross that all events now are sacrilegiously ascribed to second causes If Naaman his cure or Anna her fruitfulnes or the Egyptiā or Babylonian libertie had fallen out in these godles tymes it had beene counted foolishnes and simplicitie of men over religious upon the ignorance of alterations wroght by nature or policie to attribute them to God Yet God is the Lord Of him and through him and for him are all things Ezrah Nehemiah and the godly of that time acknowledge no less the wonderfull working of God in their redemption from the bondage of Babylon then their fathers did their deliverance out of Egypt Although the power of God was not so miraculous in the one as in the other Consider a little and mark the constitution of the tyme before this reformation was wrought the grandeur pride insolencies of my office bearers thē the averse disposition induration of the personages both at home abroade upon whom in mans eyes it did depend the heathenish darknes of idolatrie and palpable blindnes of superstition wherin the multitude was wrapped and ye shal be forced to say that he who would have intended a change of religiō might have received that desparing answer which a man of great spirit and place an enemie of Romish pride and a desirer of reformation gave concerning Luthers purpose Brother brother goe to your cloyster and say have mercy on me ô God All seene second causes were posting on in a contrarie course or if any possibilitie of alteration could haue beene imagined what hope could there have beene therof except it had beene wrought with the edge of the sword bathed in blood as Grostead the hammer of Rome said a little before his death Yet to the endles praise and wonderfull goodnes and wisdome of our God be it remembred the great worke was so singularly brought about and perfected that almost without blood except the blood of a few martyres wherein through the same wisdome and goodnes for commending and ratifying the truth the mouth of the sword of persecutors was dipped the whole bodie and shadow substance and ceremonies roote and branches of Romish Idolatrie were at once cut off Thus by reason of the wonderfull manner of Gods working of my own feeling and yours of the wonders wrought amongst you and of the testimonie of others both friends and foes about us may not ye with one voice say and sing with the Kirk Psal. 126. When the Lord turned againe the captivitie of Sion we were like them that dreamed then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing Then sayd they among the heathen the Lord hath done great things for them the Lord hath done great things for us wherof we are glad And would God as your deliverāce was in many things like that of Israel so your infidelitie and unthankfulnes were not like theirs there arose an other
will of God bee so For howsoever all Christians be called to suffer yet every one is not called to every suffering 2. your conformitie with Christ. And 3. the assurance of an happy out-gate by his power who was put to death in the flesh but was quickned in the spirit and now stands on the right hand of the father to maintaine his owne and to revenge himself upon his enemies Deceive not your selves with worldly policie under the name of that heavenly vertue of Christian prudence which doth nothing intendeth nothing admitteth nothing in deed in word or in shew neither by dissimulation nor simulation against the honour of God in prejudice of the least truth against the love of your brethren or the duties of your own vocation Prudence never doth the least evill for procuring the greatest good for avoyding the greatest evill Shee is carefull of her own duty and commits the care of the event to God to whom it pertaines She is never so perplexed betwixt two evils but her eye seeth an out-gate without falling into a third evill of sin She teacheth her followers either with Cyprian in a matter so holy as is the casting of a little incense into the fire of an idoll not to enter in deliberation or else after deliberation with that worthy Prince of Conde to make the right choyce never to choose sin to remit punishment to the pleasure of superiours and the successe to the providence of the most high Beside that common necessitie layd upon you all in generall there is a speciall dutie at this time required of my Pastors and leaders The schooles of divinity which of late were a pleasant Lebanon fortimbeâ— to my buildings are become dennes of ignorance and impiety sinkes of schisme and sedition for my subversion The sonnes of the Prophets are made enemies to prophesie in stead of convictions of heresie hearing nothing almost but the censures of sincerity in place of the harmony of Christs Evangel deaued with dyted contentions about Antichristian geniculation Among their schoole Doctors sonnes of Ismael descended of Hagar Mismah Duma and Massa our toung-tied teachers all men of profound and hid learning the greatest Rabbi but that hee hath no hebrew at all whom God hath marked many wayes in his speeches preachings and practises bitterly condemneth them for heretickes who stand constant against that which of late he himselfe condemned of superstition idolatry both by word and by writ yet extant among his scollers in his patched and plagiarie collections written by many of their hands Thus alas my glory is become my shame my fouÌ„taine a puddle my Naâ—oth my beauty is become my loathing my deformity Hence forsooth shall bee furnished that plentie of excellent labourers cracked of to fill the places of my faithfull watchmen for their fidelity silenced and deprived Had my worthy Pastors but the favour of papists now or popish monkes of old casten forth of their places but not out of their livings our young divines fore-runners if ever any of religions ruine would neither like the lyons whelps make so great haste by their pricking pawes to get out of the matrix and in into their roomes nor yet make their mother so pregnant and parturient I may hope for some of Luthers spirit forth of these Cloysters and I beseech my God to give them the spirit of discerning But for the most part they were never taught to speak against papists for the truth to deale with the soules of people nor to live as Christians and yet must lay their hands upon the Lords Arke temerating my sacred mysteries entring unrevereÌ„ly with shooes and all into my Temple and making that holy ministery a meane of temporall life unto themselves more then a power of spirituall life to others The discharge of their calling is conforme to their education and entry and answerable to the wishes of the wicked people and wiles of the worldly patrones In conversation they and others before them so lewd that now it is esteemed puritanisme in a Pastor not to be prophane Every man and minister carefull to walk before God studious of Scripture and given to any abstinence in his diet as of old hee was set down by Ithacius in his Kalendar of suspected Priscillians so now by men of Ithacius spirit in the roll of Puritanes who cannot better to their iudgement approve the soundnesse of faith then by a more licentious and loose behaviour The authority of many preachers is so farre from procuring credit to their doctrine that to my great griefe and discredit of the Gospell that is thought by many in earnest which by a learned man was uttered in jesting of a profane preacher that hee would not willingly heare him say the Creed lest hee should take it for a lye comming foorth of his mouth This is it which carieth with it a secret cause of the conformity of the most part For how shal he that makes no conscience of morall duties in his conversation count it religious to stand against ceremonies in his vocation Or how can he be a director of thee in rites who is a neglecter of himselfe in substance The sonnes of Eli made the people to abhorre the offering of the Lord and they were slaine When Nadab and Abihu were consumed with fire from the Lord for failing in the outward duty of the ministry in a matter as might seeme of smal moment Moses told Aaron his brother that the Lord would bee sanctified of them that came neere unto him Few of the best sort can plead innocent of the matter in hand If people had been more painfully instructed in times past they had been better prepared for the present difficulties Had ye cleared your selves by your Apologetickes to your friends in forraine parts I had not been despised in the world neither had your reprochful defection been proclaimed among your adversaries Had you made your meane to your gracious soveraigne and layd before his mercifull eyes the pittifull cause of his own deere people lamentably scandalized and ready to make shipwrack of their souls upon these dangerous sands and uncouth rockes of novelties â—et in their way his maiesties clemency had not suffered matters to come to this desperate passe If yee who are the remembrancers of the Lord had not kept silence had ye blowen the silver trumpet in the middest of the congregation in the dayes of the holy assemblies had ye instantly denounced curses against the re-edifiers of Iericho had ye informed judicious professors in private and publicke of their owne interest and my danger had ye withdrawn your presence your countenance concurrence from the ring-leaders of that course had every watchman been watchfull in his own watch-tower defection had not gone on so farre at least your uncessant proclaimes and continuall protests would both have witnessed to the world and to the posterity after you that defection was not universall and also would have given your selves some
things the one that our orders condemned by them we ought to abolish the other that theirs wee are bound to accept in stead thereof And the other he that would bring in the use of the surplice into the reformed Kirkes where iâ— hath no place cannot be excused from schisme and superstition whatsoever hee alledge for his excuse As he speakes of one so hee speakes of all The drierie lamentations heavie complaints of the unsupportable burthen of the ceremonial yoke powred out in all ages by the holy men of God may provoke the compassion of the hardest hearts Augustine in his time complained that the Kirke was pressed contrarie to Christs mercifull institution with such a servile burthen of ceremonies that the state of the Iewes under the law was more tollerable then the condition of Christians seeing they were subject onely to Gods ordinances not to humane presumptions as Christians are How would hee at this time have mourned for the case of other Kirks and for the perill that I am in Erasmus Polidorus Virgilius c. â—ing the same ditta It is a certaine truth many ceremonies little faith Look how much is added to the midding of rites as much is withdrawen not onely from Christian liberty but from Christ himself and his faith while the multitude seeketh for that in rites which they should seek in the onely sonne of God Iesus Christ. The greater bulk of bodily ceremonies the lesse spirit of true devotion The true worshippers under the Gospel shall not say The Ark of the Lord they shall forget all those outward ceremonies and never revive them Moses his vaile farre more all other things that neither were nor are froÌ„ God is removed and now may we with open face behold the glory of God Then the sea about the altar was of brasse and could not be pierced with the sharpest sight but now our sea about the throne is glasse clearly convoying the knowledge of God unto our minds The Amphiscij can tell that the more shadow the lesse light The shadow alwayes accompanies the body sometimes it followes behinde but sometimes also it comes before Ye may be sure the dark body of error is not farre off when the shadowes of ceremonies are at hand and iustly may feare that they are the harbingers sent before by Satan whatsoever be mans intention to make place for their owne substance Oh if the Lord would open your eyes to see the subtill working of that mystery of iniquity The web may be divided in mens intentions who possibly mind no more for time to come then they urge for the present But in the iustice of God punishing the world for the contempt of the truth and in respect of Satans malice bringing in his lye it is all of one threed And that which is begun by one may be wrought out by another entring upon the preceeding labours Ye see not this weed growing but it will be perceived to have growen The seeds of Popery were secretly sowen in the Primitive Kirke and by degenerating ages grew up to that monstrous height which now the world wonders at But alas all our countrey wit is Mâ—tanoia after wit My people are like the Athenians who as Demades objected to them never intreated for peace but in mourning gowns that is after they had suffered great calamitie in battell When afterward ye are poysoned with errour and over laden with crosses ye and your children after you shall be forced to cry out upon your owne madnesse and folly that would not see and resist the beginnings of so great evils The remanent sparkles of natures light looking upon the common providence of God may let your Honours see that it serves most for the prosperity of Kirkes and Kingdomes that ilk constitution and order in a societie should sort with the nature disposition and condition of the people My people have from the liberal hand of their God externall abundance for the honest sustentation of their bodies with a substantial sound and simple religion for the salvation of their soules Yet farre from the artificial fulnes whereby the Tyrian spirits of the world do disquiet their neighbour nations striving to subject all to their formes that they may reigne over all as Queenes against the protestations made in all the confessions of faith of other Kirkes A single forme of policie is more fit for a plain people and mean provisions then the gorgeous shew of a pompous port necessarily requiring rents complements and carriage that neither this land may beare neither wee nor our fathers have learned Rites must have rents their service is both cumbersome costly they scorne the assignations of our plotted povertie they strive with Statesmen Earles and Lords for place precedencie they loath the preaching of the Gospell and like better the chief places of estate The restitution of the Kirk to her wonted possessions to her worldly dignities must goe on together with equall speed Neither can so long experience be denied but that ordinarily the estate of the common wealth accompanies the constitution of the kirk as the morning starre goes with the Sunne which Constantine acknowledged in his grant to the Kirkes of Africa thus beginning his Epistle Considering that the due observation of things pertaining to true religion and the worship of God brings great happinesse to the whole estate and common wealth of the Empire of Rome and Charles the 8. of France lamentably experienced For when he had faire occasions to reforme the Kirke of Rome at his pleasure and to help the Kirk of God he neglected both wherefore shortly after striken with a sudden sicknesse he died according to the forewarning of Savanarola who told him plainly that he should have great successe in his voyage to Italy for reforming the corrupt state of the Kirk which if hee did not he should returne with dishonour and God would reserve the honour of that work unto some other All the policie of Achitophel and wisdome of Salomon cannot establish a kingdome wherein the kingdome of Christ is misregarded His true worship is the pillar and wall of policies If the Lord remove his truth from you hee will deprive you also of your civill liberties and give you over into the hands of mercilesse enemies If he spare not his own strength and glory but give over the one to captivity and the other to the hands of his enemies he shall respect you no more theÌ„ the mire in the street The nation and kingdome that will not serve the Lord shal perish and these nations shall be utterly destroyed My faithfull ministers and obedient children to the meanest are all Gods people and his majesties loyal subjects and faithfull servants The testimonies of his love belong to them all for their comfort in this world and safe conduct to the world to come As they feare God they honour his highnesse they pray for him and his children and all
grieved them whoÌ„ he should have made to rejoyce had made theÌ„ rejoyce whom he should have grieved Many speeches as lots are offered to your Princely consideration but the disposition is of the Lord whom we pray to grant that the best cause may have the first lot And who knowes but your Honors are advanced at this time to intercede for me that his highnesse may blesse and reward you for hindering hard courses against his harmlesse ministers and most dutifull subjects sincere professors of the Gospell Dorotheus and Gorgonius men of great authoritie and place and of the Emperours privie chamber when they beheld the punishment of one Peter with them spared not to say Wherfore O Emperour why doe yee punish in Peter that opinion which is in us all Why is that in him counted an offence which wee all confesse wee are of that faith and religion which he is off The truly noble Terentius for all other suâ—es which the Emperour desired him to make craved onely liberty for Christians and beeing refused of that gathered up the peeces of his riven supplication and could not be induced to seek any thing else The Lord requires not onely profession but confession at your hands in this case Wheâ— can yee better make your affection knowen then when the Lord Iesus in the persons of his spouse and your owne mother becomes a petitioner unto you As yee would wish to see his face in mercy in that day of his second comming make not by your unkindnesse his countenance to fall down upon you now send him not away with a repulse He hath run many times like the Roe or the yong Hart over the highest mountaines of difficulties to succour you in your distresse when ye have called upon him Let no pretended impediment be an hinderance unto you to help his cause most instantly suing for support at your hands If there bee any iniquity in my children let them suffer for it spare them not But if they be innocent smite them not Open your mouth for the dumbe Iudge righteously the afflicted and poore Deliver the oppressed that they may offer sacrifice and pray for the life of the king and his sonne If hard courses be taken against faithfull ministers and people let not your honours wash your hands of that harme It is all one to doe them evill and not to helpe them against wrong done by others The hoast of Israel spake in great courage for the life of Ionathan and Ionathan for David to the danger of his life Ebedmelech spake a good word for Ieremie and was saved when his master Zedekias was slaine But curse yee Meroz curse the inhabitants thereof because they came not to the helpe of the Lord against the mightie although they had no hand against them God that hath given you grace and credit with his highnesse requireth that ye bestow it upon his matters and that yee reserve it not for your own Remember the example of that worthy Courtier Nehemiah who esteemed a libertie to build up the walles of the Citie of God a sufficient reward for all his faithfull service As your solicitude is great to leave the common wealth and your own honorable houses in good case so dilapidat not my libertie Leave me not of whom ye have both your first second birth in worse estate to your own incredible griefe and the desolation of your posterity Invenistis marmoreane ne relinquitâ— lateritiam Vpon the wall that yee have found rather build a palace of silver Cant. 8. 9. It was that name of Iehovah and holinesse to the Lord put upon the head of the high Priest that was the greatest beautie and crowned all the other inferiour ornaments The truth of religion and the purity of your profession as it hath been so let it still bee your glory and the luster of all those inferiour gifts wherewith the Lord hath inriched you As this is the first great triall of your hearts Love to Christ and me so it may be your last occasion It is not long since the places which ye possesse were filled with your ancestors of worthy memory whose constancy in defending the liberty of Gods worship is frequently observed in your owne history who now are passed to their eternity and ere be long according to the succession of generations one after another others shal have their time of your present dignities both in degree and continuance Bend your wits and credit to do good while ye haue time Hazard not the happinesse of your eternity Do not that which at the least while yee live will be a bleeding wound in your soules Set your eyes upon him that is invisible and that recompence of reward so shall yee esteeme the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of AEgypt And shall choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season The Lord who searcheth the reignes sees you and the secrets of your deliberation and conclusions and could make them to found again outwardly in your eares and to the hearing of others All your thoughts are legible to that piercing eye from which nothing is hid Look not what ye may say for your excuse or what one partie may say against another whether in private conference or publick velltation by print or dispute But in the sight of God coÌ„sider upon your beds by the light of his spirit whether of the two courses from the beginning ye find to be of through and for God And we have no great feare but ye shal be moved to break down that wall of ceremonies hurtfull to all and profitable to the souls of none that both the houses may be one as the Lord himselfe abolished the Iewish ceremonies and put none in their place I have many children some aged some poore some consumed with godly griefe not so much for their own trouble as for the decay of purity and my desolation They would doe all things for pleasing all parties wherin God is not displeased and their consciences not disquieted But the honour of God and peace of their soules they dare not but regard And albeit obedience to the word should destroy their own all other mens worldly estate yet they must still and uncessantly urge it If in times past your honors have been pleased to hearesome of them in pulpit and in privat in the matters of religion and have not despised their speeches when there was greater probabilitie for suspition there is greater reason now when they are in hazard of suffring to beleeve and take to heart that which they say and require Wherof as they must be couÌ„table to the eternall Iudge of all the world so shall yee be for your hearing and shall not escape his hand if yee harken not for disobedience to the truth The world may well dally for a time and make men so drunke with the wine of wickednes that through security they