in Authority But for all his Exhortation in a two hours Prayer first or last you shall hear but little of that or if the King be named his Titles of Supremacy are not recited or at most but half-way and if he be faintly acknowledged the Defender of the Faith it must not be said that he is Supreme in all Causes and over all Persons as well Ecclesiastical as Temporal for you must know a Presbyter is as great an Enemy to the Supremacy as a Papist and challenges an underivative-power in Spiritualibus from Christ himself to whom the King is but a Subject and by consequence even in all Temporals in ordine ad spiritualia to every petty Presbyter Oh rare and absolute and more than Papal Church-Tyranny O most excellent Arbitrary Spiritual Government How consistent art thou with Monarchy and with that old and true Aphorism of State Imperium non patitur Duos Empire is incompatible with Rivals and it must be aut Caesar aut nullus Sometimes they will in general terms pray for Him whom God hath set over us an Expression not without Malice according to that place in the Psalms Set thou an ungodly Man to Rule over them They might as well say Whom God has appointed or ordained to be over us which is a Scripture-Expression But I fear they do not think or believe the King and his Power to he of God's appointment for if they did they would endeavour to lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and Honesty and not think it lawful to draw a Sword against him or think such an Oath unlawful as would tye their Hands from doing it though with the nice distinction betwixt the King and the Person And let them but make it their own Case I dare say they will not be willing to hang up the Presbyter for fear you should also choak the Man This they have done and that they would not be accounted Changelings is plain by their unwillingness to renounce the Devil and all his Works the Covenant and Ingagement to live without King and House of Lords AS for our most Gracious Queen Katherine James Duke of York and the rest of the Royal Family the Bishops and Clergy they never come in their Mouths or Memories so that either the Apostles general Rule to pray for all Men especially for all that are in Authority must be Iyable to an Exception if they think fit or else Queens Dukes and Bishops are No-body with them or not in Authority that is a lawful Authority and indeed that is it which they would be at THERE is nothing which has gain'd these Men that Veneration amongst the Vulgar which this Imposture has done which they endeavour to impose upon easie beliefs whilst they pretend in these Extempore Effusions to be immediately inspired by the Spirit of God which all dissenters cannot be and I am afraid none of them are 1 Cor. 14.14 The Apostle St. Paul speaks of praying with the Spirit but it is manifest that he means there that Miraculous Effusion of the Holy Ghost who for the better propagation of the Gospel gave them utterance in several Languages and let me but hear any one of these men pray in Latine with that fluency as they do in English and I will believe they pray with the Spirit though many of them it may be if they could do that neither in Latine nor English with Understanding But the truth is the Book by which they were taught is not yet made free of the City and it would puzle Cicero himself with all his long-winded Sentences to bestow the Idiom of his Language in which he was so great a Master upon some of their Prayers which are hardly tolerable true English Latine is a Language familiar enough all over Europe and some of them have been educated in it though with others it is the Mark of the Beast and if they had truly the assistance of the Spirit it were as easie for that to teach them to pray in that Tongue as well as in any other and when they can I shall willingly spare them the trial of Hebrew Greek Syriack Arabick c. mentioned Acts chap. 2. But it suffices they say it is by the Spirit and the People who believe they speak as the Oracles of God they believe it and from hence draw a Conclusion that those Persons are the best men in the World having the Spirit in such an extraordinary measure above their Brethren AND this is not the smallest Engine which they make use of to undermine the Church of England and to render the solemn Service of God contemptible All set Forms being as they say dull dead flat and spiritless though they are in a great measure the express words of Scripture and warranted by ancient usage in the Church if not from the Apostolical Times at least from the very next and immediate Age unto them Yet one of their Disciples did not long ago in the presence of several witnesses openly declare That what we call Divine Service and the Worship of God was Blasphemy and the using those Prayers blaspheming not honouring or serving God and since they are all learnt Jurare in verba we may well believe he spoke as he had heard the true sentiments and opinion of his Master NOW that we may discover the greatness of this dangerous and popular Cheat we will first make our Appeal to their own Judg the Scripture Go we then to him who is the Way the Truth and the Life and to whom should we go but to him who has the words of Eternal Life And if we will hear him he gives us an express Charge against Battologies S. Mat. 6.7 8 9. and much speaking in our Prayers and commands a short Prayer and a Form too Whatever long Prayers may be he tells us they look like Hypocrisie and Superstition But when ye Pray say Our Father c. And use not vain Repetitions as the Heathens do for they think they shall be heard for their much speaking Be not ye therefore like them but after this manner pray How well they observed this Rule we need trouble our selves no further to find out if we can but remember that it is not yet twenty years ago since the Lords-Prayer was accounted unlawful and by some scandalous and indeed was generally out of Fashion in the Pulpit and so it is still amongst many Dissenters and yet then they would have us believe they pray'd by the Spirit as well as they do now and I believe they did but it must be the same Spirit which made Saul throw his Javelin at the Musician For it taught them the same Practice not only to be angry with the Musick but to kill the Musicians and put all out of Tune I am sure it could not be the Spirit of Christ which taught them to break and despise a Command of Christ for he tells us that promised Spirit shall speak what he hath heard
perswade you to come amongst them and hear that powerful Man who is as much beyond their Parson though if he be a Customer it may be he is a very good man too as sweet-scented Virginia is beyond St. Kitts The simple Country-man thanks him for his Love and innocently accepts his kindness sits down blows out one Smoak but sucks in another far more dangerous and intoxicating he is perswaded comes to the next meeting hears and likes what he does not understand goes home tells the fine story to his Neighbours and decoys them likewise into the Tunnel BUT lastly the great and Principal Design of all and the most dangerous if it be not in time prevented is in such places as have the Choice of Burgesses for Parliament or where there are many Free-holders who have a Voice in the Election of Knights to make such a party as may over-poll the rest and in succeeding Parliaments may bring in such a number of Members into the house of Commons as may bring to pass their Wicked and Treasonous Designes and I am confident so great has been their Industrie in this particular that they are fully perswaded they are able to accomplish their Drift if they could once come to a new Election and this is the Reason that all the Parties especially the Presbyterian are so eager for a new Parliament And that they have bid so fair for the Dissolution of the Present from which being composed of so many wise prudent able and truly Loyal Gentlemen the have not the least hopes but are in the greatest dread imaginable that by a Compliance with the necessities of the Ring and Kingdom they should still continue and not only enact something more severe against their restless Machinations but by supplying his Majesty with Money cut off all their hopes if they should come to an Honourable Dissolution for a future Parliament to cramp the Crown or work upon the Necessities of the Son to ruine him and the Church as they did with the same Engine his most Glorious Father and that they were in great hopes that this would be a short and the last Session of this most Loyal Parliament I think few will doubt who had any account count so is to observe it what a numerous Concourse of all the Factious Heads especially of the Presbytery there was to London against the opening of the Sessions which appeared like an Army of Hungry Vulturs hovering about and ready to seize upon it so soon as it should fall and become a Dead Carcase ready for their desired Prey But as their hopes have met with a happy disappointment so I doubt not but it is the hearty wish of every Loyal Subject that long they may and that this Parliament for the Honour Safety Peace and Support of the Imperial Crown of this Realm and of the Best Church and Church-Government in the Christian World may long sit and continue by the honourable name of the long Loyal Parliament CHAP. VII After they are settled in such Places of the Manner of their behaviour in the Meeting-House Of their Extempore Prayer Examined and exposed to open View Of the Pretence they make to gain Veneration that they Pray by the Spirit The ill use they employ it in to make the set and appointed Formes of Publick Prayers Nauseous and Odious to the People Proved from Scripture and the Express Command of our Saviour that it is not of Gods appointment nor a fruit of the Spirit By Example of the most infamous and abominable Sinners guilty of Rebellion and Witchcraft who had this faculty even to admiration Extempore Prayer shewn to be a meer Art the way how they or any Person indued with a tolerable measure of Confidence may attain to it A probable Philosophical Reason why they fancy themselves inspired in these Enthusiastick Effusions IT is now high time to hear what our Man of God will say for himself who being accoutred with all these perfections fixed amongst a Company of Wealthy Tradesmen whose Ears itch as much after Novelties as their Fingers do after Money in despight of Laws Reason or true Religion he advances in the new Meeting-house or a good large Private Room up into the Pulpit HAVING fitted the Cushion to the most commodious posture for the ease of his Elbows pull'd out his Handkerchief with which he intends to wipe off the sweat given the Uncanonical Cloak a twitch or two or if the Weather be hot laid it aside that he may not appear Lazy by thrashing in his Cloak and which is a sure sign that he is beginning to begin having roll'd his Eyes about as if he were falling into a Trance he gently recovers himself into his Prayer which he faintly begins with a low voice and languishing Tone a soft and deliberate utterance which as the Holy Fire of his Zeal comes gradually by Motion to gather Heat advances still higher and higher till at length being throughly warm like a Pot with too much Fire under it the Scum of his Brains boils over and he tumbles out his Expressions with that Ardor and Precipitation that every Word treads upon the Heels of another and pushes it forward Nor does it import whether the Expressions be Congruous or it may be Decent so long as they are but passionate and vehement and at every third or fourth Sentence to help the Pump as loud as he is able an importunate Lord Lord at which the People are strangely melted some into Tears some into Sighs and Groans which are the spiritual Hums and Plaudite's of a Conventicle and signifie that the Man comes off very well in Acting his Part upon that Religious Theater NOW though he pretends to hate all Forms yet he is not without a Method and therefore he begins with Confession and tells God Almighty a parcel of Notorious untruths in the Name of the People and would perswade him that he knows it too Lord thou knowest that we have been guilty of all manner of Sins of Omission and Commission which it may be to spin out the Hour-glass he gives them a Catalogue of Some of which for we will suppose them Christians and better Men than he does the Hearers may be so far from being guilty of that possibly this may be the first time that ever they were acquainted with their Names and after this rate he goes on through the several Parts of a little Book which he does not care to own though he is not a little obliged to it and makes great and constant use of it by Name The Gist of Prayer which till I got a sight of I thought they had got without Book by the help of the Spirit who I am sure needs no such helps to help his true Servants THERE is one general Rule which St. Paul gives for publick Prayers 1 Tim. 2.1 2. I exhort that first of all supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men for Kings and all that are put
all of them in their Application do generally confute yet does most unavoidably follow the other of absolute and unconditional Decrees which all Dissenters in reality hold whilst they affirm themselves the only People of God and all others Reprobates And therefore in this assurance of their being the Chosen and Elect of God they possess the greatest inward Peace and Tranquillity imaginable The Consideration of that Infinite Love of God and his free and distinguishing Grace to call them and pass by the rest of Mankind this particular and undeserved favour which they wholly monopolize and appropriate to themselves begets in them a Reciprocal Love to God for if God so loved them when they were Enemies as to send his only begotten Son out of his bosom purposely to save and redeem only a few out of the whole Mass of Mankind in the World of which few they are a part when in the mean time he passes by Millions more Wise Mighty and Learned without taking notice of them or doing any thing for them more than to harden their hearts that so he may take occasion to condemn them for refusing that Grace and Mercy which by reason of his Previous Decree they could not possibly accept How much then are these obliged to God for making such a difference How ought they to love God This Love still increases their confidence and security they are therefore sure that this is the Hope which maketh not ashamed which is the Anchor of the Soul because the Love of God is shed abroad in their Hearts and at last they arrive at such a certainty as will not permit them to have the least doubt but that they are the Vessels who are chosen to Honour who by this Grace are fitted for future Glory This fills their Earthen Vessels brim-full of Satisfaction and a Joy which upon all occasions runs over at their Mouths and to which they will tell you could you but once come to experience it all other Comforts are far inferiour Now they have sweet Communion and Fellowship with God their Conversion is in Heaven nay Heaven and all that is good and great stoops down to dwell with them And thus these things which are nothing but the pure Effects of this strong Imagination that they are the Elect are to them infallible Signs of their Election and they think the Spirit bears witness with their Spirits that they are the Sons of God by giving them this Joy in the Holy Ghost and in believing and so the Mother begets the Daughter and the Daughter begets the Mother like the Riddle of Ice and Water in infinitum a Simile not at all unfit for such a slippery and unstable Principle as is the Foundation of this their Perswasion But the mischief is that all that ever you can say or do to represent unto them the danger they are in signifies little or nothing for they look upon you to be carnal and not able to discern such spiritual affairs as this is BUT if you chance to tax them with Hypocrisie which is but too common you cannot do them a greater kindness for that convinces them beyond all other Arguments and confirms them in the opinion of their own truth and sincerity and that you are mistaken since they know and do sensibly feel those real Effects of Joy and Pleasure which you would perswade your self and them they do but counterfeit NAY further they are so far from believing any body but themselves that they will not believe the Scripture if that would perswade them that they do not walk in the Spirit or are not led by the Spirit or that they have not yet put off the Old Man and the former vain Conversion and crucified the Flesh and the lusts or desires and affections thereof CARRY them to that place of Saint Paul where he tells us what are the lusts of the Flesh and what are the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.19 Now saith he the works of the flesh are manifest Adultery Fornication Vncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Witcheraft Murders Drunkenness Revellings and such like all these they will tell you they have put off and are become new men and all this we must believe because in the outside of their lives they have quitted some scandalous and notorious sins which before they were guilty of and have got an affected way of hard words and talking about Religion some austerities of life in which they think all sanctity consists all which may be nothing but a Form or Fashion of Godliness and in which they have not yet out-done many Heathens who were strangers to Grace and I am sure in their opinion shall be so to Heaven But though they still live and it may be more than ever in the most notorious allowance and daily practice of Hatreds or Enmities Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions or Factions and Divisions Heresies Envyings Murthers if not of mens Persons yet of their Fame and Reputation which is as dear and tender as life all this is nothing Tell them as oft as you please as the Apostle there says 1 Cor. 3.3 Of which things I have told you before as also in times past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God they will neither believe him nor you Tell them as he does the Corinthians that whilst they are full of strife envyings and divisions one of Paul another of Apollos one of this mans Congregation another of that mans Church they are yet carnal they will laugh at you but neither credit him nor you Tell them that they who resist the Supreme Magistrate his Power and Authority his Laws and subordinate Ministers of Justice shall receive to themselves damnation they will answer they shall not if they do it for Conscience sake He says Rom. 13.2 5. they must be subject for Conscience sake they say they must not be subject but ought to do as they do and be disobedient He tells them there is a necessity for it wherefore ye must needs be subject from a necessity founded upon Nature Law Reason Policy self-Interest and Religion they will reply there is no necessity nay that it is a burthen and oppression to Good Men Christian Liberty and tender Consciences How true they are may be a question but it is none whether they are not a sort of unmannerly Believers thus to contradict an Apostle nay all the twelve and Christ too if they say not what pleases them TELL them they despise Governments 2 S. Pet. 2.5 and therefore are presumptuous self-will'd such who are not afraid to speak Evil of Dignities of the things they understand not sporting or pleasing themselves with their own deceivings or with deceiving themselves and that for these things they shall utterly perish they will not believe it concerns them but though they are manifestly guilty of the Crimes they will be ready to throw the punishment there or elsewhere mentioned upon your back IF St. Jude
or even as this superstitious Idolatrous Church of England Man who for all that with his devout Litany and humble Lord have mercy upon me miserable Sinner is in the judgment of him who shall be Judg of the quick and the dead like to go up to his House justified sooner than the boasting Pharisaical Presbyterian Separatist notwithstanding the large self-justifying Inventory of his own Perfections and Performances There are few but would be of my judgment in this particular that these men are strangely puft up with this wind-Tympany of Pride if they had but convers'd with them and seen how big and swell'd they look with self-conceit or if they had but heard them vilifie lessen and despise all others upon whom the best their Charily can bestow is a little scornful Pity Alas poor Souls they are in blindness Errour and Ignorance and do not see those saving Truths which concern their precious and immortal Souls or their everlasting Peace and Welfare CHAP. X. Of the ill Consequences this Doctrine has upon the private Communities where it comes From hence proceeds a certain breach of Vnity No People so addicted to Debates Envyings Strife Backbitings Whisperings Slanders condemning censuring all who are not of their Way to be Reprobate as are the Separatists Vncharitableness and Atheism hereby extremely propagated they separate the dearest Eriends and by creeping into Houses and beguiling silly Women divide those whom God had joined together they are curious busie-bodies in espying out the faults of all others which they publish to make themselves appear the Elect and all others Reprobates All this is done to fit them to act upon the publick Theatre of the World which they practise in private Villages or where ever they dwell FROM Themselves let us pass to their Neighbours and there we shall see the ill consequences this Doctrine has upon them as they are Members of any Community or private Society of Men. Hereby the Unity of the Spirit Eph. 4.3 which is the Bond of Peace and Perfection is utterly destroyed and wheresoever this Doctrine once enters there does immediately follow as St. Paul says to his Corinthians Debates Envyings Wrath 2 Cor. 12 20. Strifes Back-bitings Whisperings Swellings Tumults innumerable Disputes great heats in discourse and coolings in Charity strong arguings though weak Arguments from these men of perverse minds condemning censuring judging reproving and reproaching all their Neighbours who will not join with them and by running into the same Excess of Spiritual Riots unlawful Meetings Conventicles or Assemblies under pretence of serving God become new Men as they believe and speak themselves to be all those who look not through their Opticks are blind the Wicked and Reprobates If for this talkative and troublesome humours any of their Neighbours reprove or rebuke them presently it is because they know nothing of God or of goodness If hereby they purchase the aversion of the Sober or more Judicious the Prudent and Ancient who will tell them it was not so in their time but there was more true love faith and honesty when there was less disputing about Religion when men went all one way to the Church and Heaven and that it was never a good world since they came into it Oh! these are your formal Moral men who are setled upon the Lees and hereby they fortifie themselves in their Errors because they know the world must hate them which Hatred they make another infallible Sign of the true Church and which is just such another as the former Mark of Persecution and if one or both of these are true all manner of Thieves Robbers Murderers and combined Villains must undoubtedly be of their true Church because they are hated of all men except their Confederates and justly persecuted for their contempt and breaking of the Laws as these men are who for all their fine pretences are no less Malefactors nor less dangerous to the publick welfare of the State than the other and I am sure far more in one sense because they are more numerous and of worse design And whatever they may say it is for that danger which the natural Principle of Self-preservation teaches all men it is for their doing so many ill Offices setting Families and whole Towns together by the ears disturbing the peace and quiet of all their Neighbours it is for these and such like uncharitable practices that they deservedly pull those aversions upon themselves and not as they vainly please themselves for their being Religious which those that see through them and their Form of Godliness to their wicked Intentions say they cannot see any true Religion in them at all and cannot hate them for what they are not guilty of NOR does this a little advance the encrease of Atheism amongst us and it may be we need not seek much further for the true Reason of the great and sensible Decay of Christian Piety in the present Age. I have known in some places those who were of no particular Faction nor had listed themselves under the Standards of any Party who yet forsook the assembling of themselves together at the Church the Prayers and Sacraments for which I could never hear them give any other account but that it was impossible to know which was the right Way to Heaven or the true Religion whilst so many different Opinions pretend with an equal Confidence that they are in the Right and all others wrong and this sort of People wanting both Will and Abilities to judg are easily perswaded to dispence with all Religious Performances their natural inclinations having never very strongly bent them that Way and should the succeeding Age make but as considerable a step towards Heathenism as the present has done we should stand in need of a Second Joseph of Arimathea to convert our Posterity to the Christian Faith as 't is said the first did our Ancestors NEITHER has this Infection seized only upon the vulgar but even those persons who have been able to fly from other Plagues have been surprized by this Contagion and possibly Leviathan who is so much accused for debauching green heads has not made so many Proselytes to Atheistical Principles amongst the tender and unsettled Minds of young Gentlemen as the many Disputes and Uncertainties which of late have by our Dissenters been occasioned about which is the true Religion where whilest every one boldly challenges the sole acquaintance with Truth they come all at last to be suspected of Falshood and amongst so many glistering and well-set Counterfeits and Pebles the true and inestimable Diamond by the difficulty of discovery is in danger to be mistaken if not absolutely lost And the young Gallant whilest he makes it his Pastime as much as Cock-fighting to set the Doctor of his Parish as he calls him and a Quaker Anabaptist or Presbyterian into a dispute about Religion though he fancies the Rencounter very pleasant and thereby gets a fine Scene of Divertisement yet he certainly loses