AN ANSWER TO NINE ARGUMENTS Written by T. B. WHEREIN IS PLAINLY FROM THE SCRIPTURES shewed the weakenesse of his Arguments whereby he undertakes to prove both the Church and Ministery of England true as likewise describing the nature and properties of a true Church and Ministery Written long since by that faithfull Servant of God and his Countrey John Lilburne Leiftenant Collonell And now published for further good by a well willer to Him and the Truth Gal. 4.17 They zealously affect you but not well they would exclude you that you might affect them 1 John 4.1 Beloved beleive not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they be of God because many false Prophets are gon out into the world LONDON Printed in the Yeare of our Lord 1645. IOHN LILBURNE AETAT SVAE 23. An o 1641. G Glo fecit Gaze not vpon this shaddow that is vaine But rather raise thy thoughts a higher straine To GOD I meane who set this young-man free And in like straits can eke deliuer thee To the Reader Christian Reader THe providence of God bringing to my hands this ensuing Matter the Author of which thou well knowest if thou beest not a stranger in Israel is famous in Sufferings both for the cause of Christ in holding him forth to be the only King and Lawgiver of his Church against that Prelaticall faction which stood in opposition to the same as likewise in standing to defend the priviledges of the Kingdom whereof he is a member with his liberty estate and life as counting nothing dear to himselfe that he might render himselfe faithfull to Christ in giving to him that which was his due and unblameable to Caesar to give unto him that which is his resolving by the strength of Christ that although others that have seemed to suffer for Christ should deny him and plead for Baal yet to stand in his integrity my selfe knowing him to be the same that he was standing a member of such a Church which he maintaines to be the only spouse of Jesus Christ I thought good to publish to thy vow that which long since was written by him to that end when he was in the depth of his sorrowes or rather sufferings close prisoner in Irons in the Fleet is being an Answer to some Arguments which by an Opposite to the truth were then written wherein is unmasked those unsound grounds by which a false church and ministery is pleaded for as likewise describing from the Authority of the Scriptures the nature and properties both of true church and ministery And if it should be Objected by any that what is here published is not usefull to us the Prelats being now thrown down and a Reformation like to be established agreable to the Word of God To which Answer may be made that if it were so surely it would put an end to all contest of this nature For what is that Reformation the Word holds out but only the men should not Lord it over each others consciences but to serve each other in love and labour in the use of those meanes God hath appoynted to informe one an other as knowing it is the worke of the Lord Jesus alone as to bring Soules to himselfe so also to enlighten Soules in the knowledge of the truth as it pleaseth him and not men by banishments Chaines or imprisonments to doe it as the Prelates have done and the Presbyters in Scotland at this day doe But such a Reformation except God by a mighty hand interpose is like to be no other then a scourge to the States and as contrary to truth in the pure nature of it as the other although it have wore appearance of truth which will he plainly manifested to those whose eyes the Lord shall open to helpe to see and ezamine what in this ensuing Discourse is said there be two great evils which frequently are apt to beare-sway in the hearts of those that professe Religion which is spirituall sluggishnes which is manifested in living vpon other mens light takeing all for Gospell which Learned men say without tryall witnesse Mr. Enoch Gray who hath forsaken the truth to embace this present world and that great God of the World selfe love that cup of gold in the hand of the whore is so sutable to selfe that rather then that shall be for gon all the glory of Jesus Christ shall be trampled under feet by them And in my observaâ—ion I have perceived three sorts of men glued to those evils The first is carnall Professours that can content themselves with a forme of godlines and therefore takes all for gould that glisters The other two are Clergie men and Lawyers who are filled with selfe love that like Herod and Pilate they both joyne together against Christ and his pure wayes and what should be the reason that those two should cleave so fast together to goe hand in hand to fight against Christ truly I know not unlesse they feare that if the truth of Christ take place alone that it will bring such a luster with it as to appeare so perspicuous and cleare upon the faces of all men as thereby to roote the one out of their Calling and the other out of their Tythes and thereby spoyle all their glory and greatnes at one blow and I hope the wisedome of this present Parliament will see that such as that which now goeth by oppression into their purses may be turned to make vp the Kingdomes losses which may with much ease be done if they consult with God and their neighbour Countrey the Sates of Holland but I shall leave that to their wisedomes and thee in thee perusall of this to the blessing of the most High and if there be any thing in it that savours of harshnes to thee let it be looked at by thee as expressions of Resolution rather knowing that such a spirit hath been still manifest by him both in the cause of God and his Countrey And therefore I shall say no more but rest Thine in all services of love to his power M. N. AN ANSWEARE TO NINE ARGUMENTS of T. B. LOVING FRIEND TO satisfie your earnest desire to me I have put pen to paper to answeare the ungrounded Arguments of your Friend which you communicated unto me but to tell you my Judgment of them in few words They are of such Insufficiency and so ungroundedly compiled without all Authority of holy Scripture that I doe assure you if it had not been my promise to you to reply unto them I should not once more have spent my precious Time and Paines in a second view of them For in the laying downe of nine Arguments he hath not one Portion of Gods word to prove them all but only one and that is nothing pertinent to his purpose but runnes on most deceitfully to prove Logicke by Logicke Truly I am affraid he is too neer of kinne to the Prelate of Canterbury and Pope of Lambeth and the rest of his brother Bishops
that passed Censure upon that Worthy man Dr. Bastwicke at his Censure in the High-Commission Court who there Blasphemously affirmed that the Scripture is the Refuge of all Heretiques and Sismatiques as you may read at large in the Tenth and Eleventh Page of his Answeare to Sr. John Bankes his Information and I beleeve your Friend that gave you these Arguments thinkes so too or else he would have proved that which he had undertaken by the Authority of the Sacred Word of God But Antichrists Owles love and desire Darknesse and cannot endure to bring their sayings and actions to the unerring Touch-stone of the Holy Scripture and there to try them whether they be drosse or Gold for he that doth or saith evill hateth Divells Institution and Invention with which the Limbs of the Beasts Kingdome have for many hundred yeares together and still doe fight against the trueth of God and the Kingdome and Scepter of the Lord Jesus Christ And therefore I exhort you and all those that desire to feare God and walke in his wais and love the Salvation of their owne Souls to take heed of such an Erronious Sophister as your supposed Freind is that gave you these Arguments But because I heare he doth bragge and boast that none of the Seperation dare come to particulars but only run upon generals therefore to prove him a falsifier of the knowne trueth and also a lyar I leave my generall speech to you and come to the unfolding and ripping up every particular in all his Arguments Therefore to my Opposite I direct my speech And in the first place you say You have sent her your Friend those Arguments which doe prove your Mother the Church of England to be a true Mother To which I answear she is a true Whorish Mother and you are one of her Base-begotten and Bastardly Children for you know a Whore is a woman as truly as a true wife and she may have Children as proportionable as the Children of a true wife yet this doth not prove her Children which are Base-begotten are true-begotten Children because they have all the parts and Limbs of Children that are begotten in a true married Estate and condition even so say I the Church of England neither is nor never was truly married joyned or united to Jesus Christ in that Espousall bond which his true Churches are and ought to be but is one of Antichrists Nationall Whorish Churches or Cities spoken of Rev. 16.19 united joyned knit to the Pope of Lambeth as Head and Husband thereof being substitute to the Pope of Rome from whom he hath received his Arch-Episcopall Power and Authority as you may read in the beginning of Godwins Catalogue of Bishops and in the last Page of Francis Masons Epistle Dedicatory to George Abbot William Lauds Predicessour in his booke of Bishops Priests Deacons Againe you confesse the Church of England is a Scratched and Deformed Mother in some respects which you could wish were reformed and removed from her To which I reply she is a Whorish Mother and that is Deformity inough for though a Whore be never so personable and Compleat a Woman in all outward respects yet if she be a Whore there is Deformity inough in that alone to spoyle all her personall Comlinesse and parts But it is much you will confesse your Mother is Scratched and deformed in some respects seing in your ensuing Arguments you say you have the true matter of a Church and true Forme true Salvation true Religion and true Worship but if you have all these it is a wonder to me wherein her Deformity can be therefore I pray you the next time nominate and particular your Mothers Deformities that I may know them by your owne confession But put the case I should deny as justly I may that you have neither true matter true Forme of a visible Church nor true Religion nor true Worship I doubt I should so perplex you to prove it that all your Sophisticall decievable Logisticall Philosophicall Arguments would be to scant to make it good but I let it alone in this place and referre it to the ensuing discourse where it will come in more pertinent But if you could wish your Mothers Deformities were removed then why doe you not tell her of them and labour to discover them unto her that so her Deformed Face may be made strait and Comly truly in my judgement you are but a very unnaturall and unloving sonne that sees your Mothers Deformities and wishes they were removed from her and yet will not strive to your utmost as is your duty to purge her from them that she may be instead of a deformed Mother a wholl and beutiful Mother Againe in the Third place you say That your Labour may be effectuall to your Friend you would have her to observe these five things 1 Rightly to apprehend the trueth of your Arguments 2 To hold her thoughts largely upon them 3 To strive to beleeve them 4 That she should strive to remember the danger that will follow the neglect of them 5 That she should goe to God by Prayer to make them effectuall to her for her good For the answearing of which in the first place You would have her rightly to apprehend the trueth of your Arguments But how can she apprehend trueth in those Arguments that have nothing but falsity in them as by Gods assistance I shall make it appeare in my ensuing discource and if she should apprehend the trueth of them indeed she may justly say thus much of them that they are all Sophistry and ungrounded Arguments being destitute of any Authority from the holy Scriptures 2. In the Second place You would have her hold her thoughts largly upon them Truly if she should doe so she should exceedingly wrong her owne Soull for will you have her put Confidence in the broken Reeds of Egipt which will pierce and runne into her hand when she most trusts to them but such are all your Arguments being no better then Bulrushes which the Two-edged Sword of Gods Word at one blow will cut them all in pieces and if she have no better Weapons to defend her felfe with then these she may come to beundon by them by being more strenghtened confirmed in Errour and so lie open and liable unto Gods heavy Judgments Plagues and Vengence which he hath threatned to pour downe in aboundance upon all those that worship the Beast Rev. 14.9.10 and this is the Beast that she shall get by keeping her thoughts largely upon them and therefore her safest course is to compare them with the infallible Word of God by which she shall see it is her duty to keepe her thoughts upon them as litle as she can least she pay too deere for her so doing Rev. 19.20 3. In the third place You would have her to beleeve them I pray tell me whether you have the Spirit of God infallibly that you cannot erre in that which you say that you
would have her so confidently to beleive your Arguments without any proofe unto them from the Authority of the Word of God which is the only binder of the Conscience Indeed she hath but a blind Guide of you an ignorant Leader if she follow your guiding leading you will lead her into more Rebellion against Jesus Christ his Scepter and Kingdome and so bring misery inough upon her for Christ hath threatned to slay all those his enemies which will not have him to rule over them Luke 12.21 and if he dyed without mercy under two or three witnesses that rejected Moses Law of how much sorer punishment thinke you shall they be worthy of that reject the commandements of Jesus Christ as both shee and you do for the present therefore let her looke to it and take heed of giving to much credit to your Hereticall and Erronious sayings for are the things that you say of more authority then the sayings of Christ himselfe or his Apostles or the Angells of heaven that she must believe them before by the divine Scripture you have proved them truly you take more Authority upon you then Christ would doe for he would not have the Jews to beleeve him upon his bare sayings but the Scripture that did beare witnes of him Joh. 8.17.18 It is written in your Law saith he that the Testimony of two men is true non saith Christ I am one that beare witnesse of my selfe and my Father that sent me beares witnesse of me So that you see Christ would not have the Jews to beleeve him upon his bare sayings only but he brings his Father and the holy Scripture to beare witnesse what he is and then commands them to beleeve him Also Paull would not have the Galathians to beleeve either him or an Angell from Heaven but to hold them accursed if they bring any thing contrary to the Scripture Chap 1.19 but you would have your Friend to beleeve your Arguments and yet doth not bring two Portions of Scripture to prove them all therefore I againe advise her neither to beleeve you nor your sayings because there is no light of trueth in you seing that you goe not to the Law and the Testimony to prove that you say as you ought and should do Esay 8.20 therefore she is bound to reject your Arguments as Vngrounded Antichristian and Erronious and to Search the Scripture her selfe for that is it that truly testifies of Christ and of his waies Joh. 5.39 4 You would have her to remember the danger that will follow upon the neglect of them Your saying were very good if it were grounded upon the word of God but seing as I have already and will more fully make it appeare they are not I would have her remember the danger that will follow the observation of them which will be very great and terrible for the things that you would have her to give Eare unto will teach her to rebell against the voyce of God himselfe who hath commanded all his faithfull people and servants to give Eare to Christ only and alone in all things that pertaine to life and Salvation and his Worship and Service Act. 3.22.23 For Moses truly said unto the Fathers a Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto me him shall yee hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you and it shall come to passe that every Soull that will not heare that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the People So you see what Doome the Scripture saith will befall all those that will not give Eare nor stoope unto all the Lawes of Christ as well for the governing of his Church as the Salvation of their Soules for Jesus Christ hath been as faithfull yea more faithfull in his House then Moses was in his under the Law Hebr. 3. who was strictly tied to make all things according to the patterne shewed him in the Mount yea even to the very Pinnes of the Tabernacle Exod. 25.9.40 and 26.30 and 27.9 Which Moses caused accordingly exactly to be made and accomplished Ex. 30.43 this Moses did but as a servant but Jesus Christ was faithfull in all things that pertains to the welfare of his Churrch under the Gospell as a sonne and none may adde or defract from that which he hath done and left in his last Will and Testament but now if she should give Fare to your Grounds she should declare and say in her actions that Jesus Christ hath not been so faithfull in his house or Church as Moses was in his which were to tell the Spirit of God he lyes therefore let her looke to the danger that will follow her keeping those things which you would have her to observe 5 In the fift and last place You would have her to goe to God by Prayer to make them Effectuall to her for her good but if she should doe so she should put up an unacceptable and sinfull prayer for the prayer that any puts up to him for the keeping and confirming them in their Errours is detestable and Odious to him but those things that you would have her to goe to God for that they might be Effectuall for her good are grosse Errours and therefore I affirme it is her sin if either she pray to be kept in them or doe not forthwith reject them Well but now to come to grapple with your strong Arguments and the first of them is thus framed Arg. 1 That People or Nation that is dayly within the voyce and call of God calling them to Repentance that so they may be saved that same is a true visible Church But the People generally of England are within the voyce of God calling upon them to repent and beleeve that so they may be saved Therefore the Church of England is a true visible Church Answ 1 This is the Frontispiece of your worke and in the laying of it downe you declare that you doe not in the least understand what the matter of a true Church is which is to consist of beleevers Acts. 2.41.47 and not of people uncalled to God and the knowledge of his trueth Act. 2.30.5.13 And this I will by the strenght of God fully prove by and by and therefore if the rest of your Arguments be no stronger then this they will prove no stronger to bind your opposers then the Philistims flaxen Cords were to bind Sampson who when he had a mind to be loosed from them they became as flax burnt with fire and just such are your Arguments no more able to hold off and keepe backe the trueth from being set at Liberty then Dellilahs greene Withes with which she tyed Sampson were able to keepe him bound that his Enemies might cease uppon him for he broke them as a Threed of Tow is broken when it toucheth the fire Judg. 16. 9. But now to the matter I absolutely deny your Argument And first for your Major I cannot but expresse
instituted for it spirituall matter the particulars of which are to be Beleevers as I have already largely proved from them only and alone he will accept Service and homage Esay 43.21 51.7 for they alone no others have true right to take his name in their mouth to declare his Statutes to meddle with his Law Testimony Psal 50.16 Prov. 15 8.9 21.27 Esay 8.16 Mar. 4.34 also instituted for his Church a spirituall Worship spirituall Lawes spirituall Government spirituall Ordinances spirituall Administrations which none upon pain of Rebellion against Jesus Christ the sonne of God Wisedome of his father are to adde to or detract from Againe in the second place it is true that many of those Churches which Christ in his new Testament instituted as the Church of Corinth for one in processe of time became corrupt and had grosse Offenders in her yet though at the first Constitution of the Church of Corinth Rome and others did consist of Saints by calling and sanctified in Christ Jesus Rom. 1.7 Cor. 1.1.2 Gal. 1.22 that is to say such as by their outward conversation did declare that they were united by faith to Jesus Christ and what though afterward they had corruptions in them yet that makes nothing at all for you for first I put you to prove that ever your Ch. was true which if you cannot doe to plead that corruptions may be in a true Church will doe you no good nor serve nothing to your purpose nor be no way advantagious to your Ch. which alway even from the first day hath been false antichristian and what though Corinth had offenders in her did God winke at them or did Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles connive at their wickednes no for he commaunded them to cast out the incestious person or give him over to Satan Epist 1. chp. 5. as he himselfe did Hymeneus Alexander that so they may learne not to blaspheame 1 Tim. 1.20 which casting out into the world under the Gospell is as great a spirituall punishment as killing of the body was to the Jewes corporall Also he commaunds them that if any of their members were a fornicatur or coveteous or an Idolater or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner that they should avoyde him and not keep companie with him no not so much as to eate with him ver 11. But now if this rule should be narrowly observed in your church as it ought to be in all true visible churches of Jesus Christ I wonder with whom a man should have any spirituall society or communion sure I am not with one amongst ten thousand in your Ch. no nor with one at all it being in every respect so grosly papisticall antichristian idolatrous Againe as for that place which in the 2 Cor. 12. last end you cite where he saith that he was afraid that he should be troubled among them not finding them such as he would and that he should be humbled among them in bewayling mamy which have sinned already and have not repented of their uncleanenes fornication and lasciviousnes which they had committed but if you read the next chap. you shall see how he threatneth them and tels them that at his comeing againe 〈◊〉 thâ—n though before he had vsed gentilenes and mildnes yet now he will not spare them but exercize warrantable sharpneâ—s and rigour towards them accoding to that power which the Lord had given unto him to edificatiâ—n and not to destruction seing as he saith he can doe nothing against the truth but for the truth so that you se though there were corruptions amongst them and grosse sinners yet there is no conniving at it nor no tollerating of it but sharp and bitter reproving of it And as for the rest of those other Scriptures which you cite I answer to them as before and grant that there was grosse corruptions in many of the Churches recorded in the New Testament yet I say and affirme it was their sin to suffer for which God admonished and threatned them as you may read in the 2. 3 Chap. of the Rev. which became they continued constant in their sin and would not reforme and amend themselves as they ought and had power to have done God hath taken away his Candlesticke oâ— heavenly state from them Whose examples serve for all other Churches warning for God hath cast them all off and unchurched them taking the fo feture of their heavenly Charter as is to be seen at this day Yea also the Chur. in and at Rome it selfe though once the Faith thereof was spoken of to the praise of the Saints therein throughout the whole World Rom. 4.8 Yet they also are cast off and are now no Church of Christ but is become long and many years since the seat of Antichrist the man of sinne that sonne of perdition who opposeth and exalteth himselfe above all that is called God 2 Thess 2.3.4 that is to say above all Civill Magistrates yea Emperours kings and Princes which the Spirit of God in the Booke of the Psalmes calleth Gods And is become the Habitation of Divells and the hold of every fowll spirit and a Cage for every uncleane and hatefull Bird to rest in with whom all Nations have been made drunke and still are with the wine of the wrath of her spirituall Fornication with whom the Merchants of the Earth are growen rich through the ahoundance of her delicacyâ—s Rev. 18.2.3 that is to say her Officers which the Spirit of God calleth here Merchants by virtue of their Offices have got fat and rich benefices which they call Spirituall Promotions by which they are mightily swelled up with Pride Venerie and Luxury but their day is shortly a comming wherein they shall cry with weeping and wailing for the finall destruction of the great spirituall City of Babilon saying Alas Alas for in one hower she is made desolate naked Ver 15.16.17.18 For she doth been drunke with the Blood of the Saints and of the Martyrs of Jesus Christ which she hath spilt in great aboundance like water upon the ground but the day is almost come wherein the Justice of God will render her a full recompence with Vengence and Fury Wherefore to you all Gods people that yet is in her Come out of her depart from her for if you stay in her you will partake of her sinnes in dsobeying Gods commands and so will be lyable and open to his Plagues wrath and Fury for her sinnes have reached unto the Heavens God hath remembred her Iniquities Therefore let us call together the Archers valiant Spear-men of the Lord and according to our duty Let us set our selves in Array against her campe rownd about her shoot at her without mercy and let none that belong unto her escape your spirituall Darts but let us reward her even as she hath rewarded us double unto her double according to her workes in the
Cup which shee hath filled to us let us fill to her dâ—uble for she hath beene exceeding proud against the Lord of Hoasts even against the Holy One of Israel Jer. 50.8.14.29 51.6.9.10 Rev. 18.4.5.6 And also I will maintaine that the Church of Rome as it is called and as at this day it stands and hath done for above a Thousand years neither is nor never was a true visible Church of Christ It is true there was a true Church in Rome and at Rome but never of Rome the members of which were Saints and Beleevers but the Church of Rome now consists of all sorts and kinds of wicked and ungodly persons which they force by spirituall Tyranny if they refuse to submit unto them Rev. 13.15.16 Yea the common Strumpets Whores that pay so many thowsands in the year to the Popes Gracelesse Impiety for keeping publique and open Stew-houses even in Rome it selfe for all eommers and goers are as good members of the Church thereof and as well accepted of as the best they have And thus I have punctually answered the second thing that you desire your friend to take notice of which is that Corruptions may be in a true Church which I have granted but yet have proued that it is their sinne the continuance in their corruptions will overthrow their Essence being make Christ to begon from them and so unchurch them Also I have shewed that it serves nothing to the benefit of your Church seing you are not able to prove that ever it was true Now to that which I have said and by the Authority of the sacred word of God proved I chalenge your particular and punctuall Answer in writing wishing you to goe to W. B. and G. W. who hoth have been main sticklers enemies of late to the truth of God professed by the totall Seperation and desire their best and ablest asistance for I beleeve that some of your nine flexible Erronious Antichristian Argumenss were digged out of their Leaden Mines wherefore with importunity without any deniall desire them to helpe you to reply in writing to this my publique answer otherwise I will say and proclaime it that you all three are fearefull cowards and but the ignorant darke night bragging and screeching Owles of Antichrist Now out of that you have largely proved you say but I affirme you have proved nothing at all to the purpose you infer those four Conclusions 1. That all the Descriptions Definitions of a visible Church given by the Separation are all false because they will have none but Saints in their Church to be the matter of it 2. That all their buildings are false 3. That the ground of their Separation is not sound seing that in a true visible Church there have beene knowne wicked men 4. From hence you infer that it is lawfull and warrantable to have spirituall Communion mith known wicked men in a religious worship seing they are the greatest part of a visible Ch. then to conclude all you say many more things you might have set downe if time had permitted but these you say are sufficient To which I answer that these four Conclusions are all of them wicked Antichristian and damnable without all warrant in the least from the Scripture as as I have already largly proved therefore they are not in the least sufficient to satisfie the Conseicnce of any man or woman I trvly desire to walk-in Gods ways therefore if you would still keepe your Freind a subjected servant to Antichrist as you your selfe are then publiquely in writing aunswer that which here I have writ otherwise I beleeve and hope that you will loose her with many moe besides ere long so leving you unto Baall for whom you plead and stand vp salyng with the spirit of God in Rev. 22.11 he that is unjust let him be unjust still and he that is filthy let him be filthy still and he that is righteous let him be righteous still he that is holy let him be holy still yet for all that if you belong to Gods Election of Grace I desire for you as it is my duty that God would reveale his truthe counsels and secrets unto you which he doth lesse or more to all those that truly feore him Ps 25.12.14 Pro. 3.32 Mar. 4.34 and that you may give true declaration of your unfained repentance for your great sin for standing for Antichrists Kingdome with all your might and for so bitter and malitious opposing and reviling the truth of God and the true professours thereof which if God give you not grace to doe assuredly know that seeing you have fallen upon the cheife corner stone Jesus Christ he will destroy and breake you but if he fall upon as you may justly feare he will grind you all to dust and powder Mat. 21.44 Therefore as you love your soule looke to it seeing you are now admonished by me your Opposite And so I rest your opposing Oppugner in the truthes behalfe against all Antichrist are â—…ours and maintainers thereof though in most cruell and close imprisonment in Irons with my bloody Prelaticall enemies desire and hope will shortly put a period to my dayes John Lilburne Anno. 1638. which to me is the second yeare of Remembrance and the 21 yeere of my age From the Fleet the Prelats fiery Furnace yet to me God â—hat made it a delightsome and rejoycing Pallace and Castle in which I stand Sentinell night and day to defend Sion the City of the living God from her enemies and to oppose all her opposers desiring all my fellow brethren that professe the same truth with me as valiant and worthy Soldiers of Jesus Christ to lend me their best and corragious assistance with the choysest of their spirituall weapons that sowe may haue in hand with violence â—…ble downe in the ground the tottering confused Tower of Babel These Verses were my meditations one night in my close Imprisnment after the reading of a pamphlet sung in the streets of London in which I was joyned as a Traytour with the Scots at their first comeing into England The Lord our God is both firme and stable And all his Councels and Decrees unalterable Which when they surly shall accomplish'd be The downfall of his enemies we shall see Which I by faith doe apprehend to be at hand Which fils my soule with zeale full fast to stand To that renowned cause for which in bonds I lye Seeing his prayse and truth doth spread thereby O happy be the day that he me brought Unto my sorrowes for they unto my thought doe serve to be the choysest safety can be found Upon this vaine and empty earthly ground For in them my soule such large experience hath got Of that celestiall tresure that ne're shall rot But will for ay and ay endure As long as God's both stable firme and sure The like whereof I apprehend can not be had As liberty though my estate esteem'd be had Therefore for ever praysed be my God That no my house of clay hath laid his rod In loving kindnes mercy and in favour That so my soule from him might never waver Wherefore before I will his Truth deny Resolv d I am at Stake to dye John Lilburne Errata p. 2. l.r. Deut. 16.16 p.l. 12. r to you my l. 18. that her l. 16. r. so knit l. 29. r. ordination of p 6. l 11. r. best p. 9. l. 41. r. one of p. 10. l. 16. dele 54. 7. l. 91. r. yet for all p. 12. r. of faith l. 29. and unlesse l 31. dele without a lawfull authority given and received from him p 14. l. 13 they are p. 19. l 3. r. to observe l. 19. r. I challenge l. 20. r. your people p. 20. l. 28. r. bind p. 21. l. 21. r. feeding p. 25. l.r. therefore p. 26. l. 28. r. Gal. 5. p. 30. l. 25. r. failings p. 31. r. only p. 36. r. vnder l. r. of l. in Syon p. 39. l.r. never can be p. 40. l. 13. dele though FINIS