Next to this as a second means for the suppressing of popery I vvould subjoyn the casting out from among us all appearance of popery every thing that looks like Rome every thing of vvhich the papists may say This you borrovved from us c. I condemne not every thing receaved from Rome as simply evill but certainly as long as the papists see any such things among us in our publike vvorsbip they vvill but scorn us and our religion as imperfect and unable to furnish us in the service of our God vvithout being beholding to them If ye knovv these things happy are ye if ye doe them Iohn 13 17. in all parts of the kingdome to demolish all Idolatrous reliques and superstitious monuments as they have already most worthily begun with that great Image of many faces in Cheapside to punish open Idolatrie blasphemie swearing cursing Sabbath-breaking and all such as are lawlesse disobedient traytors ungodly sinners unholy prophane murderers of fathers murderers of mothers manslayers whoremongers defylers of themselves with mankind men stealers lyers periured persons c. 1 Tim. 1 9. 10. but to uphold and maintaine those that walke godly righteously and Tit. 2 12. soberlie among them though it should not be just in that way and manner of publike worship which the Parliament shall set up For I can not but hold well of that which that faithfull and able minister of the gospel Mr. Henry Aynsworth hath long since written Counterpoy Pag. 232. concerning the Parliament of England saying Howsoever all subjects are and ought to submit to the good civill lawes there inacted and obedience may be inforced by the sword Rom. 13. if any resist yet in cases of conscience every man must live by his owne faith Hab. 2 4. Nen must gladly receave the word Act. 2 41. out of which all religion must be gathered all Kings and Kingdomes submitting unto the lawes and ordinances in Christs testament Psal 2 10. 11. 12. if they would have blessing and salvation by him With which agreeth well that excellent note of an antient writer and there are many that reverence antiquity in matter of religion and indeed it is the old way in walking wherein we find rest who teacheth us that Bern in Cant. fides suadenda est non imperanda For the Apostle plainly declareth that none can Rom. 10 14. 15. 17. call upon him in whom they have not beleeved neither can they believe in him of whom they have not heard and heare they can not without a preacher and none can preach except he be sent of God and furnished for that service So that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God not by the commandements or traditions of men which are of no such power to perswade the conscience as the word of God is And if the heart conscience be not perswaded in feare of God to yeild obedience what will come of it but an inforced hypocrisie a drawing neare to God with the lip when the heart is farre from him which is a service abominable in his sight and wherein there can be no true inward comfort and assurance which is the life and marrow of religion and that which begetteth true loyaltie to the higher powers For surely it is a true saying that was once spoken unto this present Parliament in a publike sermon by one of their owne ministers Junij 20. 1641. viz That there are a great many ministers that are not resolved what to doe c. they will wait for what the Parliament will doe you may set up what religion you please they will be of your religion still So also may be said of others they wil be of what religion the king is of so long as he hath any power to support them and any boones or offices to give them Yea some think it high presumption to be of any other mynd that way than the king or Parliament is of If this be not a serving God after the will of man I know not what is Let us not therefore Rom. 14 13. judge one an other any more but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way but let every man be fully perswaded in his mynd Vers 5 23. and doe no thing without faith in this kind for whatsoever is not of faith is sin and Heb. 11 6. without faith it is impossible to please God Now Ephes 2 8. faith is the gift of God wrought in the heart by his holy Spirit useing thereto as the outward meanes thereof the ministery of the word of reconciliation and be sure of this that so soone as the heart is truly moved by the work of the Spirit there cannot but be a most free and readie joyning to the Lord in faithfull submission to his will for saith the Spouse Draw me Cant. 1 4. and we will run after thee and the prophet David I will run the way Psal 119 32. of thy commandements when thou shalt inlarge myne heart And untill the heart of the people be moved all that the kings and parliaments of the earth can doe by their outward force and power shall not prevaile to establish the service of God in its due and right order yea though they should be as godly and zealous as Iehoshaphat the King of Judah of whom the scripture noteth that he walked in the way of Asa his father and departed not from it doeing that which was right in the sight of the Lord 2 Cron 20 32. 33. Howbeit the high places were not taken away for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers And if such a zealous and powerfull prince as K. Jehoshaphat could not prevaile in the reformation of externall and visible abuses in religious worship and that becaus the peoples hearts were not prepared c Much lesse shall anie earthly prince or potentate be able by his worldly power to make this people to Ioh. 4 23. worship the father in Spirit and truth and such he seeketh to worship him The reason is becaus the kingdom of Christ is not of this world neither can be planted or established by worldly power for so long as the vaile 2 Cor. 3 13. is over mens hearts they can not looke to the end of that which is abolished but when the Lord shall mollifie their hard and stony hearts and give unto them hearts of flesh when he shall enlighten their myndes and open their understandings and so turne them from Idols to serve the living and true God then the vaile shall be taken away Now the Lord is 2 Cor. 3 16. 17. that spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty to wit from the bondage of sin to serve God in righteousnes and holynes all the days of their life Gal. 5 1. Rom. 6 22. 7. 6. Luc. 1 74. 75. Wherefore that was a good decree of King Cyrus who being appointed to
aske grace to help in time of need Wherfore a learneâ— doctor calleth the just man's prayer i Oratio justi clavis est coeli ascendit precatio descendit Dei misericerdia Aug. ser de tom 226. thâ— key of heaven becaus it ascending up to God draweth downe his mercy upon us The reverent and faithfull performance of this duty is a note whereby wâ— may know the Saints of the most high whereby we shall approve our selves to our owne consciences in the sight of God 1 Cor. 1 2 whereas the wicked are branded for the not doeing of it Psal 14 4 Job 21 14. 15. The frequent performance is also very profitable 1. To procure favour anâ— mercy from God 2. To preserve it 3. To regaine any good lost and fourthly to turne away anie judgement plague or trouble whither generally oâ— the state wherein we live or of the church whereof we are members or particulerly of our selves for the Lord hath promised us helpe and deliverance herein if we will but call upon him for he saith k Psa 50 15. Call upon me in the time of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Is the judgment or affliction already upon us be it a common calamity as the sword captivity plague famine or the like or particuler chastisement as sicknes banishment povertie distresse c See what pregnant proofes we have in Scripture of the validity of prayer in such cases When the King of Assyria had sent rayling l 2 Kings 19. Rabshekeh to revyle the people of God and good king Hesekiah and to threaten warre against them Hesekiah went into the house of the Lord and prayed unto him with earnest affection and the Lord did not only destroy in one night an hundred foureskore and five thousand of the King of Assyria's host but also shortly after the king himself was slaine that by his owne sons Wee have read what captivitie and bondage the children of Israel were in under Pharaoh King of Aegipt and his people yet the Lord heard the m Exod. 3 7. prayers of his people and of his servants Moses and Aaron and brought them out from thence with a strong hand and out stretched arme and so did he also afterwards deliver them from many other servitudes wherein they were Manasseh was for his idolatry taken prisoner by the host of the King of Asshur and they put him in fetters bound him with chaines and carryed him away captive into Babel and when he was there in tribulation n 2 Cron. 23 12. 13. he prayed to the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers and God was intreated of him and heard his prayer and brought him againe to Jerusalem into his kingdome When the pestilence was inflicted so sore upon the people of Israel as that there dyed in three dayes seventie thousand persons King David raised an altar unto the Lord and offered o 2 Sam. 24. Last burnt offerings and peacâ— offerings and the Lord was appeased towards the land and the plague ceaseâ— from Israel p 2 King 20 3. 4. 5. Hesekiah when he waâ— sick he turned his back to the wall anâ— prayed and wept sore and he receaveâ— presently a message from the Lord by the mouth of Isaiah the prophet that his life should be prolonged and he should recover And the Apostle James assureth us that the q Iam. 5 15. prayer of faith shall save the sick Yea prayer is a speciall remedy for the sicknes of the soule which is the r Prov. 15 15. greatest sicknes that we can be afflicted withall in this life Is the judgment or affliction not yet fallen upon a people but threatened gainst them as it is against us at this day if we repent not let us know then that prayer if it be fervent is an espetiall meanes a soveraigne remedie to avert and turne away the same A proofe whereof we have in the people of Å¿ Ionah 3. Niniveh unto whom though the Lord sent his prophet with an expresse message to denounce his judgment against them for their sins telling them directly as if there had bin no recalling it yet fortie dayes and Niniveh shal be destroyed yet the people of Niniveh beleeving God and humbling themselves with fasting and crying mightily unto the Lord the text saith that the Lord heard them and repented him of the evill which he had threatened against them Iacob hereby prevailed with God when he was t Gen. 32 7. 9. 28. in feare of his brother Esau and so may we too if we pray with faith and waver not Which serveth both to reprove the too Vse too great neglect of this holy duty and to exhort and stirre us up to the diligent and zealous practise thereof It is one of the greatest charges wich lyeth upon the ministers of the gospell to teach men how to pray and to presse them to the doeing of it there being not a more infallible signe that a man is the child of God than this that he hath receaved the Spirit of grace whereby he is made able willing and ready to goe unto God as his father and with true faith and fervencie of spirit to poure out his complaints and supplications to him as his present occasion requireth Art thou then by distance of place imprisonment banishment necessary travaile or otherwise removed from the ordinarie hearing of the word of God taught and preached from fanctifying the Lord's day in doeing the publick duties of worship and service unto thy maker with the rest of thy bretheren the people of God and thyne heart doth as it were long and pant as the hart doth for v Psal 42 1. the brooks of water to appeare before God in those his publike ordinances and administrations be not discomforted but alwayes have recourse unto God in prayer x Dan. 6 10. three times a day with Daniel y Psal 119 164. seven times a day with David alwayes as our blessed z Luke 18 1. Savior teacheth and a 1 Thes 5 17. continually as the Apostle Paul instructeth us and above or before all thinges as we learne in the text Offer up this sacrifice to God morning and evening saying with the sweet singer of Israel b Psa 14 1 2. let my prayer ascend unto thee as incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice Let it be thy first and â—ast worke every day Make it even the key to open the daie and the lock to shut up the night that thou mayest rest in â—afety and thy sleep may be sweet and â—one may make thee affraid Let the â—erformance hereof goe before they reâ—eipt of thy daylie food and conclude â—he receipt thereof with giving God â—raise So shall the good creatures of God â—e sanctified to thee In a word whatâ—oever thou goest about or layest thine and unto though thou hast not time
of Rome and honour the pope as head of the Church c. So I also take that generally the common people in England and elswhere doe understand by Brownists or Brownistically affected seing the name can not agree to anie point of doctrine such as doe follow that doctrine and discipline which one Browne was a prime author witnes and constant maintayner of by word and writing which to prove concerning the doctrine and discipline professed by those who seperate from the church of England as a false Church not daring to have any communion with her for feare of defyling their garments and hold the discipline of every true church to be independant would be hard for any of those that so call them be they never so learned history-graphers to doe But indeed thus much I confesse that I have both heard and read of one Browne who lived about the latter end of Q Elizabeth or beginning of K. James his raigne and had receaved once some tast of the good word of God and made some profession of the truth but afterwards revolted from the countenanceing of the way of God it seemeth for the 2 Tim. 4 10. love of the world and turned like the dog to his old vomit for he tooke againe upon him his Antichristian ministery and countenanced the Church of England to his death though I have also heard that when he hath bin put upon it in discourse to shew reasons against the way which he did so discountenance he could say little or nothing yet becaus of the flesh pots of Egypt the garlick and the onyons wherewith his belly was filled and having it may be tasted or seene the poverty of the Saints and hatred of men against them which is one of their Ioh. 16 33. badges here in this world he was loth to leave it by personall seperation Wherfore I see little ground why the professors of seperation should be called after his name as if they were his disciples But rather I conceave I have the witnes not of man but of God in my behalf that he returning againe to the state of the Church of England and dyeing in the testimony thereof countenanceing it by his communion and society therein and being a preacher thereof hath thereby manifested to the world and to men that 1 Ioh. 2 19. he was not of us for if he had bin of us he would no doubt have continued with us but he went out from us that he might be made manifest that he was not of us Whence I conclude that they may according to the signification of the word more properly than any be called Brownists who for the love of their earthly benefits and to avoyd the hatred of men doe continue still in or returne againe unto the countenanceing of the Antichristian estate wherein the Church of England was at that time and those indeed are they that are Brownistically affected i. e. affected as Browne was Wherfore my hope is that whensoever the high court of Parliament shall proceed to their well setled reformation though I expect not that by the ordinances of men the truth of God shal be ever established in the sincere profession thereof and that becaus the Lord himself saith Psa 110 2. that his people shal be voluntaries in the day of his power and our Saviour plainly declareth that no man Ioh. 6 44. can come to him but whom the father draweth for it is not Zach. 4 6. by might or armies nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts they will manifest to the world their utter dislike of P. Ansvv to the K. declar of his vict Oct. 3. 1642. pag. 10. Brownisme according to the reall and proper signification of the expression that is those that follow Browne in the countenanceing and approving of the man of sin his Antichristian Hierarchie And to this understanding of this nick-name they are necessarily bound by the rule of charity upon their owne grounds for if they hold seperation from the Church of England to be an error and that Browne was once in that way then when afterward he returned from that and gave them such satisfaction as that he receaved again his ministerie he repented of his former error Now for to make him a patrone or father of that whereof he repented and which he cast off is a great breach of charity not beseeming such as accompt themselves ministers of Christ to put upon their follow-labourers I have spoken thus much upon this slight occasion only for this end that the professors of the truth all that are well mynded may take notice that there is at this day no religion heresy sect or faction that doth so unjustly and improperly beare the name wherewith they are usually named by their opposites as doth this poore despised people But let them be comforted that it is for Christ's sake their seperation from the unfruitfull works of darknesse that they are so named and happie are they therein for great shal be their reward in heaven I have perceived also now in these dayes of England's trouble the presses to be imployed more freely than they have bin in times past and many are bold to publish their conceits and opinions in matter of Religion and to be counsillors admonitors to that high honourable court which is the great Counsill of the Kingdom how they should behave themselves and what they should inclyne to in their reformation of Church-goverment Which mē doe seem to me to spēd labour and trouble that Court in vain for if they did rightly consider the nature of Christ's kingdome they need not seeke unto men but if they be servants of God they need only to seeke unto him who is the Nom. 27 16. God of the spirits of all flesb to send forth his word with the power and demonstration of his good Spirit which would be as indeed it is the onlie and suffitient way and meanes for planting and establishing of his true Church and only advise the Parliament to approve themselves the ministers of God in suffering his truth to flourish and cherishing the professors of the same and to restrain by their power the malice of wicked persecutors as did that noble King Darius of Persia who commanded the enemyes beyond the river Ezra 6 6. 7. 11. 12. to be farr from hindering the Jewes from building the house of God yea whosoever saith he shall alter this word let timber be pulled downe from his house and being set up let him be hanged thereon and his house be made a dunghill for this And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all Kings and people that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem and to make such wholsome and good lawes as might inable and authorise the civill magistrates and Courts of justice Mr. Nevvcomen in his serm before the Parl 5 November 1642. pag. 44.
build the Lord an house in Jerusalem did not force or compell all his people to set on that work but gave out proclamation saying Ezra 1 3. who is there among you of all his people his God be with him and let him goe up to Ierusalem which is in Iudah and build the house of the Lord God of Israel c. and the text saith afterwards Vers 5. Then rose up the chief of the fathers c with all them whose spirit God had raised to goe up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem With which agreeth the decree of Artaxerxes after that which he sent unto Ezra the Scribe saying I Eza 7 13. make a decree that all they of the people of Israell and of his priests and levites in my realme which are mynded of their owne free will to goe up to Ierusalem goe with thee For indeed this is a thing that must needs be done before the service of the house of God can be set in order to wit that there should be a people fitted and prepared by the Lord for the making of his temple these stones must be hewea in the mountayne they must be fitted and prepared before they can be joyned into the holy covenant Of this fitting preparing neither the K nor parliament can be competent Judges but they must be those workmen that have squared them for the building which must judge of their fitnesse they must be men learned and expert in the scripture which is the golden rod or rule the line and plummet where by the matter of this spirituall house is tryed that must be the masons and workmen that must be the overseers and chief rulers in this worke And when they are fitted ther must be a willing giving themselves to the Lord and adjoyning one to another to serve God with one consent they must not be drawen by force it must be the love of God that must constrayne them or all will be lost labour Wherfore the Jews when their adversaries would by fraud deceit have thrust themselves into the worke of building they would not permit it but said You Ezra 4 3. have nothing to doe with us to build an house unto our God but we our selves togither will build unto the Lord God of Israel as King Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us And be sure God will not neglect his owne worke but in his good time will inlighten the myndes of his elect and call them to the knowledge of his truth And for them that are not of that nomber what have they to doe saith God Psal 50. to take my covenant in their lips seing they hate to be reformed Thus for the Parliament to behave themselves in point of religion I doubt not but would be an espetiall meanes to bring peace to their Kingdome free them from that sin whereof the man of sin is declared guilty who sitteth as God in the temple of God oppressing and compelling the consciences of men by his laws and canons when the canon of the Scripture is neglected or receaved but in the second place and to make this the most renowned parliament that ever was assembled in that land It would ease them and the whole land of great trouble and expence if they would only looke to the Civile governement of the land according to the law of God and the just lawes of the Kingdome and take off that yoke of oppression which hath bin by former parliaments layd upon the consciences of the free-borne subjects of that Kingdome who have by the law of the land or by the misunderstanding of the Judges of the law bin excommunicated fyned imprisoned banished corporally punished yea and some put to death for dissenting and seperating from their Idolatrous and Antichristian assemblies Then should their fasting be accepted before the Lord and their prayers be heard on high or at least the prayers of God's people for them and I can not be otherwise perswaded but that then the Lord would soone be moved to turne away his wrath which now is burning against that nation for Isa 58 6. 7. 8. 9. 12. is not this thefast saith the Lord that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickednes to undoe the heavie burdens and to let the oppressed goe free and that ye breake every yoke Is it not to deale thy bread to the hungrie and that thou bring the poore that are cast out to thyne house when thou seest the naked that thou cover him and that thou hide not thy self from thine owne flesh Then shall thy light breake forth as the morning and thine health shall spring forth speedily and thy righteousnes shall goe before thee and the glory of the Lord shal be thy rereward Then shalt thou call and the Lord shall answere thou shalt cry and he shall say Here am I. if thou take from the midst of thee the yoke the putting forth of the finger and speaking vanity c. And they shal be of thee that shall build the old wast places thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach the restorer of pathes to dwell in By this meanes also they should soone finde out who are the Achans that bring trouble upon the Kingdome and the lawes and Courts of justice might seize upon and punish them For liberty being thus given unto men or more properly men being left to the work of God's word and Spirit in matter or rather manner of religion and nothing imposed upon them by the State but only injunctions to walke orderly and justly it would soone appeare who are the faithfull subjects who are they that are obedient to Kinges and those in authority who are they that wish most the good of the land and on the contrary who are they that deserve to be punished imprisoned and if their fault so require banished namely Psa 101 8. the wicked if the land those that live in ryot and drunckenesse in chambering wantonnesse in swearing cursing Idolatry Sabbath-breaking oppression and villanie for they are those who being left unpunished or countenanced by authority bring downe God's judgments upon a nation and not those that Eccl. 12 13. feare God labour to keepe his commandements and seeke to save their soules by Nom. 16 26. seperating from the Communion and society of such wicked persons as are before named For these are the righteous who by their prayers and teares upon all occasions doe turne away the wrath of God and save the City or Country wherein they dwell Job 22 30. Eccles 9 15. Gen. 18 25. c. Genes 30 27. Acts. 27 24. These few words have I uttered further out of zeal to God love to my native Country honour to my prince and that honourable Court of Parliament and for the discharge of myne owne conscience that it may not be at that day layd to my charge that I had once a time to speak and held my peace And I beseech Almighty God to turn away his fierce wrath from our land to give his gospell a free passage that the kingdome of his son may be increased and the kingdome of Satan and Antichrist be more and more consumed by the sword of his mouth and at 2 Thes 2 ◠length wholie destroyed by the brightnesse of his coming that we may with the Apostle John heare that great voice of much people in heaven saying Alleluja Rev. 19 1. 2. 3. 4. salvation and glory and honour and power unto the Lord our God For true and righteous are his judgments for he hath judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication and hath avenged the bloud of his servants at her hand And again they said Alleluja and her smoke rose up for ever And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell downe and worshiped God that sate on the throne saying Amen Alleluja FINIS Errata Pag. 1. l. 12. r In vindication pag. 18. l. 23. r stop pag. 33. l. 13. r warfare pag. 40. l. 14. r vers 5. c. pag. 53. l. 19. r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 54. l. 17. r nor pag. 61. l. 10. r watch pag. 64. margent r misericordia pag. 97. 8. is a mysterie pag. 117. l. 4. put out pag. 120. l. 2. r satisfaction pag. 121. l. 1. put out pag. 123. l. 16. r. men pag. 126. l. 26. r make his