which was derived from Rome It is a sore stresse the Ministers of England have been put to namely to plead for the truth of the Ministry of the Church of Rome that thereby they might defend their own Now mark this thing following There arose false Apostles false Prophets false Teachers in the Apostle daies whom Satan clothed like true Apostles like true Prophets like Ministers of righteousness Thus they appeared thus they seemed to be but they were not of God but Satan not sent of God not inspired by God but inspired and sent by Satan These false Apostles these false Prophets fought against the true Church and true Ministry of Christ And though they were oftentimes discovered by the Spirit of Christ in his Church and the Church preserved from them yet we find related in Scripture that at length they did prevaile insomuch as the third part of the true Ministers was shaken and swept down from their place and standing by them Rev. 12. 4. yea and at length the Church her self as to the truth of her outward state overcome and fled into the wilderness vers. 6. 14. and a false Church got up in her stead which hath a cup of fornication to make people spiritually drunk and to bewitch them from the true worship of God into imitations and likenesses Rev. 17. 4. and those who will not acknowledge her likenesses imitations to be the truth but in the word of the Lambs Testimony witness against them she drinks their blood ver. 6. Now can any man of any manner of seriousness and sobriety of Spirit who is not drunk overcome with this Whores wine beleive that after false Porphets had got the day and set up the false Church that they would setup the true Ministry in it O how blind have men been that they should go about and take such pains to derive a succession of the true Ministry from the Ministers or Prophets of the false Church Thirdly What kind of maintenance was set up for this Ministry Was it a Gospel maintenance Was it that they should live of the Gospel which cannot but open mens spirits to the true Ministers thereof Or was it a maintenance forced from the people by that outward power which set up the Church And was this maintenance like unto or the same with the maintenance which the Popish Ministry had before in this Nation for their idolatrous service Fourthly What kind of Worship was it which was set up Was it the worship of the Gospel which is in spirit and truth Or was it a form of worship invented by man and so accommodated to the present temper of the Nation that they might with the more ease and willingness step out of Popery into it because of its nearness and likeness thereto Fifthly What kind of Church Government was set up Was it a pure spiritual Government Was it put into the hands of the spirit For nothing is to govern or can rightly govern over the spirits of Christs people in spiritual things but the spirit of Christ Or did men frame up a Church Government by their wisdome and put it into the hands of such as might exercise it without yea and against the Spirit Sixthly What kind of order was set up in this Church Was it the true Gospel order Was it the order of Christs Spirit whereby the carnal wisdome of man might be quenched and his spirit have scope Or was it a carnal order whereby the carnal wisdome learning knowledge and arts of man might have scope and the spirit in its motions be quenched Seventhly By what wisdome was the Common Prayer Book compiled and set up and surplices crosses and other cerimonies injoyned Was it by the wisdome of Gods Spirit for the building up of the spirits of his people in the faith Or was it for the pleasing and satisfying of the carnal part in people And what sort of persons were they who did most contend for and were most pleased with these Were they for the generality the stricter or the looser sort Eightly How came it about that the supream Magistrate of this Nation was made cheif head and governor of this Church under Christ Was this from Christs institution or of mans wisdome and invention If of mans inventing wisdome then against Christ then of Antichrists spirit who exalteth that which is not of Christ to sit and govern in his temple O weigh these things look about thee O England O Rulers Teachers and People look about you And if it plainly upon a naked search appear that there was at the very first a foundation laid of suppressing the true worship and the witnesses to it do not shut your eyes Have not the people of God still been mis-represented had reproachful names cast upon them and in some degree or other been persecuted from the beginning of the reformation And though names change and Rulers change and the teachers change and the people also change in their religion and worships yet is not the persecuting Spirit still the same and the persecuted Spirit still the same also The persecuting Spirit changeth its cover often but still retains its nature hunting after the life and pure power of the Spirit in the Children which are begotten of God Are not the people of God in every change a despised people and their integrity towards God still struck at When the Lord began a little to wipe off the reproach from them at the beginning of these troubles and the persecuting Spirit could not so conveniently hunt them any longer under the name of Puritans then other names were invented for them whereby the same spirit sought to make them appear odious again under a new reproachful title that so it might be persecuting the same thing afresh O how mightily hath the Lord striven to keep the Powers and people of this Nation from falling upon his people and yet still so soon as they come to any peace and feeling of power they are at it again O England thy persisting in this cannot but bring wrath upon thee What wouldst thou have of us Shall we not fear the Lord Shall we not obey the Lord Shall we not worship the Lord our God who hath redeemed and is redeeming our souls from death Shall we not be Protestants in truth and uprightness of heart before the Lord Shall we not testifie against the Popish Spirit and Popish practises and all new inventions of the same spirit though they get never so fine a covering in the Church of England as well as against them in the Church of Rome The Lord is our witness we would not offend thee O England no not the meanest persons of the whole Nation but from out of Popery are we called and from what ever else the same nature and Spirit may take up in the stead of it to follow the Lord our God towards the land of the living and follow him we must however thou deal with us O England If it had been so
A QUESTION Propounded to the Rulers Teachers and People of the Nation of England for them singly to answer in their hearts and consciences in the fear and dread of the mighty God of Heaven and Earth whose mighty arm of power is stretched out in this Nation first to overturn what stands in his way and then to establish in the place thereof what he hath purposed in his heart And this is the thing which the Lord hath determined to do both particularly in persons and generally throughout the earth namely to pull down the Mighty from their Seats and to exalt the humble and meek who are made such by the presence and power of his life in them that he alone may be exalted in the spirits of his People and throughout the earth And this work hath the Lord begun already for his great and notable day hath appeared and breaketh forth apace though the eye which is closed cannot see it nor the benummed sense feel it But he that hath an ear let him hear the sound of the Lords Trumpet which saith in the mighty breath of his spirit of life A wake ye dead and stand up to judgement for the day of Recompence is come the day of the eternal vengeance of our God and the day of his everlasting mercy and plentiful redemption The Question is as followeth QUESTION VVHen this Nation was rent from Popery in part I mean for wholly it was never rent but did still retain the same spirit though by the Magistrates Sword it was forced from that Form and way of Worship which the Pope had established did it wait on the Lord for the guidance of his Spirit and power thereby to build up a true Church and habitation for God in the spirit Or did it take such materials as were ready at hand and frame up a building as well as it could wherewith the consciences of many that were tender hearted towards God were even then disatisfyed and felt in the eternal life of God the reformation not to be right in its beginning This is a weighty Question for an errour at first an errour in the foundation is great and the cause of many following errours If the Spirit of God was not then consulted with and waited upon if he did not raise the fabrick surely the building was not right It was the Spirit of God which rent men from Popery so far as they were acted upon pure honest principles shewing the blackness and darkness thereof and kindling desires in men after a more inward and spiritual way of Worship Thus far was of him But if men did then consult with their own wisdom for the ordering and carrying on of the reformation and so upon politick grounds and reasons did raise up a building and not wait on the Lord for his light and power to build with then surely that building was not of God nor could he be honoured thereby nor his truth preserved nor the integrity and conscientiousness of his peoples hearts towards him cherished but all this would suffer and be in danger by this building and a contrary spirit be pleased with it and thrive under it And hath it not been so were not the non-conformists to it though known to be pretious persons in the savour and life of God looked upon and dealt with as enemies while such conformists as were known to be loose and scandalous yet could flourish wel enough make a fair shew in this National Church and be zealous contenders for the way of Worship and Government in it Yea those that have been strict in their lives and conversations and truly zealous towards God in their souls and Spirits pressing after righteousness and purity such as these though they might conform yet were they not hated nicknamed in scorn called Puritans and snares laid for them to intrap them And how could it be otherwise For â—f the building was not right if the constitution and Government of this Church was not of God then it could not favour and cherish that which was of God then it could not nourish or be pleased with obedience to his pure life and Spirit but rather with obedience to its carnall form For so it is in truth and reality before God This Church with its whole constitution Government Order and way of Worship was either of Gods Spirit and so spiritual or of mans wisdome and so carnal If of Gods Spirit then it wil be a friend to that which is spiritual and an enemy to that which is carnal if of mans wisdome then it will be a friend to that which is carnal and an enemy to that which is spiritual And this is a true mark of the true Church and of the true Church power and Government it begets and perserves that which is spiritual it beats down the carnal whereas that Church power and Government which is carnall preserves that which is carnal a carnal unity a carnal uniformity in worship c. but checks snibbs smites and persecutes that which is spiritual and such a kind of power and Government to be set up the carnal part in every man contends and cries out for And so long as there is any change made in this Church by the same wisdome it will never be otherwise it will be but from carnal to carnal and so still against that which is spiritual Therefore look back singly and consider what the building was and how it was reared up and see whether it was of God or no Or whether it was built up in the forwardness of mans spirit by carnal reasonings and consultings accommodating things to the present state of the Nation and not to the plain and clear measure of Gods truth First See what the materials were whereof this Church was built Were they materials fit to make up a true Church of Was it built up of a people truly converted to God Of persons changed in heart Of persons sensible of the fore going idolatry and turned in their souls minds and spirits from dead Idols towards the living God Or was not rather the heart of the Nation still inclined towards Popery even while it was turning into a Protestant Church And was it not cheifly made a Protestant Church by the force of the civil power which wound in by degrees a Protestant interest the heart of the people still remaining unchanged and hankering after Popery but at length in tract of time seeing they knew not how to help it won over to Protestanism with the same heart and spirit that they came out of Popery with Consider seriously in the sight of God who looketh both forward and backward upon things with a true eye whether it hath been thus or no Secondly See what kind of Ministry was then set up Was it a new Ministry as John Huss that famous Bohemian Martyr prophesied should arise and as Luther saw the neccessity of utterly disclaiming the deriving of orders from Popish Bishops or was it the same Ministry
that thy Rulers had built up a true Church yet the evil Spirit the unclean Spirit would have endeavoured to pollute it to provoke the Lorâ— to remove his candlestick which is an inward act of his Spirit the outward building might stand notwithstanding and then thy house must have been left desolate and the same Spirit would then have called his people out of it but if thy building hath not been Spiritual and in the Spirit how can the Spirit of the Lord suffer the Children begotten by him to lodge in it O when wilt thou have an ear to hear that the Lords wrath may asswage towards thee which kindleth more and more and is entring a pace within thy bowels This this is the Lords charge against thee Thou art for the Protestant name it is now become thy interest and a goodly covering in thy eyes but against the Protestant Spirit which the Lord calleth to follow him further and further from all the things of Popery and from all the things like Popery And the Lord will put a difference between the Protestant Name and the Protestant Spirit between them that serve him in the fear which he begets in the heart and them that set up that kind of fear wich is taught by the precepts of men O England we are now seemingly in thy hands who hast long handled us very roughly and we have no strength against thee nor no hope of deliverance from thee but in the Lord our God and there we are at rest waiting upon him in the innocency and integrity which he hath begotten in our hearts until he plead our cause And in that day thou wilt see that we have not been thine enemies and then thou wilt mourn over that mist of darkness which hath with-held thine eye from discerning what true friends we have been to thee and how we have endeavoured and sought with our hearts to prevent thy drinking of that bitter cup which is to go round the Nations And if thine ear could have been opened thou mightest have been spared POST-SCRIPT THe Gospel is free the grace and mercy thereof free the Spirit a free Spirit freely given of God and freely ministring for God the Church a Spiritual building built in the Freedome and Liberty of the Life of the Spirit the order aâ—â— government of the Church is from and in the same free Spâ—rit guiding a people whom God makes willing in the day of his power the maintenance of the Ministry a free maintenance tâ—â— whole obedience and worship free in the free spirit and in tâ—â— truth which is begotten in the heart by the free spirit The heâ—â— of this Church is Christ the living Spirit who hath appointed none to be Head under him here on earth nor hath givâ—â— power to any to make any Laws concerning his Kingdome the Government thereof concerning his Ministry or â—t maintenance thereof Is it not thus Doth not the least child Light see it to be thus But the Church of England was Church built up by force setled by force upheld by force her Ministers maintained by force her Order Unity Uniformity and Government forcible and the free pure spirit of life can have no scope in her but according to the wills of her Rulers Teachers and People if it move otherwise if it appear otherwise it is sure to be nick named and persecuted O England England can God alwayes suffer these things Will not his hand at length be stretched forth against thee Given forth by Isaac Penington the younger in the fear and dread of the most High 14. of 12. Month 1659. The day of the Lord so cemeth as a thief in the night For when they shall say Peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape 1 Thes. 5 2 3. And when the Lord cometh Woe to him who is found beating his fellow Servants and endeavouring to force the Conscience which God hath made tender and plyable to the voyce of his Spirit from its obedience and subjection thereto THE END London Printed for L. Lloyd at the Castle in Cornhil 1659.