example preferring these to close worldly interests and carnall ends of pride vain-glory strife covetousnesse and desire of preheminence above your brethren yea what hopes might we yet conceive of peace and happinesse after our hot and bloudy contentions about that which hath not been hitherto fully determined what it is and the wasting calamities of unnaturall war were there a true affection with faithfull and univer sall endeavour in you towards the composure of your owne and of popular differences in judgement according to the minde and will of Christ Jesus But alas it is greatly to be feared the breaches are so wide that it passeth humane industry or skill to make them up again this being a worke of his wisdome who knoweth all things and of his power who doth all things as seemeth best to his godly will For that which most hindereth this desired union doth still stand in the way Namely the unwearied practice of powerfull subtile and secret Agents to continue and enlarge your divisions even to the utter confusion and desolation of the Church And would to God your owne disaffection unto peace errour from the Truth and unequall conversation in respect of Evangelicall parenesse and perfection did not too much further the hellish designes and attempts of these men For doth not the same fire of distempered zeal still burn in the breasts and flash sometimes in the mouths of those who did heretofore set all on a flame is not your power rather restrained then your will reformed and if there be a change is it not because of your present condition not from your inward disposition and affection Jude 11. to preserve the fruit of falsehood and the reward of unrighteousnesse after which yee have greedily ran with Balaam and I pray God ye perish not in the gainsaying of Core Can you be so vaine as to imagin that the specious pretenses and plausible excuses wherewith yee have smoothed the eares of men to make way for their good conceit of your bad proceedings will finde like acceptance with God the searcher of the heart Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed in his sight as the potters clay Is 29.16 with 15. Now such as these as well as others have risen of your own selves in the last and worst age of the world speaking perverse things against the Doctrine Discipline government and Governours of the Church to draw away Disciples after them as it is Act. 20. handling the word of Christ deceitfully and forming their Doctrine not according to the impartiall rule of Truth but after their own fancy and as it might best suit with the present humour and passion of the giddy multitude preaching or rather crying up one point of doctrine to the disparagement of another Faith to the vilifying of charity and good workes of repentance and mortification as though there was no necessity of these in order to salvation because not concurring with Faith in the businesse of justification Insomuch as some have been traduced by their followers as Popishly affected for no other reason but for that they did inculcate and presse upon the consciences of men in their homilies or Sermons the duties and workes of sanctification as necessary in our Christian practice both in respect of Gods command and mans obedience due unto it and also of the heavenly reward notwithstanding nothing can be more consonant thenthis doctrine to the precepts of Christ Jesus In like manner they limited the gracious Act of Divine Predestination to those of their own sect or faction onely as if they alone had been the truly called of God the rest of men no better then castawayes for some of their disciples and those not weakly principled according to their fashion have in our hearing accounted of others who did not adhere to their way as of carnall or at the best but meer civill and morall men who were perchance partakers of common grace but aliens from that which they term Speciall and is of a saving virtue Neither have there been wanting those who have proceeded yet farther like the false Prophets of old false teachers among the people now under the Gospell foretold by the Apostle S. Peter privily bringing in damnable heresies 2 Pet. 2.1 even denying the Lord that bought them as it is to be feared bringing upon themselves swift destruction the which because unfit to be mentioned I shall passe by at the present and the rather for that many have already more then enough enlarged themselves upon this subject As for the universality of Redemption and liberty of humane will to accept or to reject divine grace offered to the choice thereof with such like doctrines agreeable to these or directly thwarting the same not to be comprehended perchance by mans understanding at least not to be clearly evidenced or proved unto either opposite party by any deductions of reason from the word of God so far as to satisfie all objections and to reconcile all seeming repugnances of controverted places the which both adversaries hold forth as their bestweapons whether for defence or for offence in this fight what fierce contentions and hot disputes to say no more have some raised about these as if Salus ecclesiae did wholly depend upon them and not rest upon a sure foundation of evidence and truth enlarging the power of mans will or freedome thereof to a morall capacity of admitting or resusing grace tendred unto it according to its pleasure while others did as much contract and limit it or rather indeed utterly deny it this pretended liberty as inconsistent with primigeniall corruption and privation of originall righteousnesse common to all who naturally descended from the loyns of our first Parents and being in truth nothing lesse then a spirituall death of that living soul which God first breathed into mortall flesh one part maintaining the divine decree concerning mans salvation or damnation to be absolute in God the other to be conditionall in man grounded upon prevision of faith and obedience in the elect of unbelief and disobedience of the truth in those that are reprobate and from hence endeavouring to shake the others confidence and certainty of perseverance unto the end the which they did apprehend that apply unto themselves from the immutability of Gods counsell purpose and will In the mean while what shiftings and fallacies have been used of both to hold their ground and to evade or elude the force of the adversaries reason insomuch as some have taught themselves and others to say in defence of the absolute decree as just and equall in it self contrary to the expresse word of Christ himself Mat. 26.24 Mat. 26.24 that it is better to have a being though in endlosse torments under the wrath of the Almighty then not to be at all a meer speculative nicety of Metaphysicall heads and too small a wyer whereon to hang the weight of such a controversie But what did the people gain
speech unto you as to one rank and order of men in the State yet not as a flattering Chaplain or domestick servitour of your greatnesse who wait at your tables whom necessity or hope of benefit from you or else some other by-interest have taught seemingly at least to admire your persons and to praise you in every thing ye speak or do how mean soever it be and many times worthy of sharpest reproof but as a true and faithfull friend who have no dependence on your favour and fear not your frown commend that truth unto you without partiality or dissimulation which doth more concern you then the free enjoyment of your large possessions were the compasse and extent of them according to your desire much more vast then now it is Neither do I assume unto my self this liberty because of your present low condition This I pity and bewail being my self perchance by a long series anciently descended from the best of you however now a mean and obscure person but with due respect of love and reverence to your selves and families Ye are or should be very eminent in the body politick and far above the other members as in dignity of place so likewise of desert But alas with grief and shame I mention it many that I may not say the most part of you have not been so high above them in respect of your birth and externall honour annexed thereunto as ye have been beneath them for reall inward worth of goodnesse and vertue by which alone ye can approve your selves unto God and become truly honourable in the judgement of men Ye may happily much pride your selves in the antiquity and splendor of your families heretofore in the valour and exploits of your progenitors but do these tend to your glory and not rather to your infamy and reproach who have so far degenerated from your ancesters that ye retain nothing of them now but their name with the outward badges or ensigns of their gentility besides the sins and vices of their persons which partly pleasure partly profit and partly ambition have made as hereditary to your houses as the lands which ye do possesse And are not these so many spots of your nobility as well as of your Christian profession I mean your sacriledge contempt of religion and of the religious open profanenesse and scoffing both at the simplicity of godlinesse and at the iniquity of sin swearing pride of life voluptuousnesse excesse of riot unsatiate lust oppression of your olients boundlesse covetousnesse with others of the like nature the which I shall not stir at this time For how many servants and messengers of the Lord have with their whole families been reduced by your means to worse extremities then I am willing to expresse and could obtain no relief from you without base flattery and unfaithfull compliance with your lewd and sinfull courses of life a thing every way dishonourable to the calling of a Minister so near approaching unto God himself as this doth In the mean while what use ye made of the Lords portion forced from the right owner thereof is sufficiently known to the world For did ye not like those Amos 6.4 Amos 6.4 c. lie upon beds of Ivory or of such choice and precious matter as this and stretch your selves upon your couches or abound with superfluities and eat the lambs out of the flock and the calves out of the midst of the stall Did ye not chant to the sound of the violl drink wine out of bouls and were not at all grieved for the afflictions of Joseph And all this sometimes of the most part upon the Churches patrimony Besides this which is as bad yea much worse how many poor souls by this withholding of good from the owners thereof have perished in the land through famine and thirst not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the words of the Lord which have been either altogether destitute of a teaching priest or committed to the charge of one as ignorant as themselves to save your purses though with the losse of their most precious souls the guilt of which will one day lie more heavie upon your conscience then thought is now able to conceive much lesse tongue to expresse And although the large and ample revenue that some of you enjoyed over and above the lot of Christ might well have prompted to you a better minde towards his worship and the Ministers thereof yet neither this consideration nor the improsperity of your families with those strange remarkable judgements observed by many from the Almighty upon your houses have been in the least measure prevalent with you for repentance and restitution of what ye have thus gotten or detained from his Church unto this present day Neither will prescription or time bear you out in this matter for Nullum tempus occurrit Regum Regi and if the King had this prerogative in times past much more doth it belong to God for ever As for your profanenesse and contempt of Divine Worship besides the apparent and notorious wickednesse of your lives your coniving at sin in places of authority and publique Trust or indeed secret at least maintaining and incouraging thereof in the more loose and vicious sort of people at the best but weak and faint opposition made by you against it And in truth with what face could ye punish or controule those enormities in other men whereof your selves were more guilty then they in your own conscience Besides these I say let your irreverent and irreligious carriage in the Church of God at the time of solemn service on his day attest the truth of this charge the which generally was far more vain and light then did become Saints at any time especially in the more immediate presence of the most holy and indeed then that which your selves would expect from your servants or inseriours in your private houses or can with patience endure from them For what whispering smiling want on passages of gesture discourse and other not sit to be named did fill up the measure of that houre and of your owne iniquity which the Minister did bestow on praying and preaching of the Word whereas if ye at any time came into the Congregation your poore Tenants must intermit their devotions and stand up to honour you though with the dishonour of their Maker a respect not to be required of any at such a time as this no nor to be received from any if offered or admitted by any person how great soever because displeasing unto him who is a God jealous of his honor and will not give his glory to another Now had it not been much better for you in respect of your owne soules the which ye did so foully stain by this ungodly behaviour and of the soules of your brethren whom ye did offend and grieve or corrupt by your lewd example and lesse hatefull to the Lord not to have been present at all
not only abstaining but abhorring from the appearance of that which is good or put on the rough garment of seeming sanctity and austerity of life to deceive the credulous part of the world by this disguise of hypocrisie in a good opinion of you the better to accomplish your ambitious or covetous ends And therefore to swear rashly without advise or cause is as common with many as their ordinary speech The neglect and contempt of Gods worship both publick and private with the Ministers thereof more notorious then ever as may appear by the following instance For the vulgar country people make it no matter of conscience on the Lords day to absent themselves from the congregation as often as they list upon the least and without any just pretence whatsoever and come thither pas a pas like their oxe slowly and tardily at the best although they will be sure to be at their markets in due season and therefore hasten to them with nimble pace and measure yea like men affrighted sometimes or pursued by their enemies with like motion doe they precipitate themselves or tumultuously depart out of the Church assoon and frequently before the Ministers blessing And during their presence at the Assembly good God what drowsinesse want of attention sporting smiling wandring of the eyes after every person that entreth in gazing upon the habit and countenance of those that are present with themselves and other irreverent gestures may we perceive in the auditory As for those who by their coming anticipate the time of divine service or tarry after it in or near the place thereof they wholly minde their worldly businesse discoursing of their land cattell corn bargains of the season weather and such like to omit worse matters though these be bad enough so little do they remember or regard for what end they came to the Church what they heard there and to whom they must one day give an account for both And in this particular as well as in many other the most professed enemies of our Religion the Turks will condemn you at the last day who at their common devotions count it no small trespasse against the Majesty and honour of God so much as to scratch the head or to use any other indecent or impertinent gesture imagining their prayers by this means to become ineffectuall and fruitlesse for them before the throne of the Almighty Busâ—equ as one long conversant among them hath observed And for this cause they will usually transgresse the bounds of a sabbath daies journey in travelling to some other remote Church there to serve God as they pretend upon any worldly occasions or concerning profane businesse of commerce and such like when they will scarce make a step out of their houses to their own congregation though the place or Church be never so neer unto them unlesse perchance they have an errand to do there of the same nature with the former Thus God is served in pretence but the world in truth or in deed or indeed the Devill who setteth them a work though upon their own businesse Now what grosse ignorance doth every where blinde the eyes of this people For many notwithstanding they have been so long accustomed to the hearing of Sermons and can yeeld you an orall confession of their faith understanding no more what they say though in their mother tongue then their sorefathers did of that which they were taught by their Priests to repeat in a strange and unknown language neither can they distinguish between a precept and a prayer but usually confound both as one in their orisons and private devotions Hence it is that they scarce look higher then to the common providence of God in all their waies giving them seasonable weather and fruitfull seasons with other common blessings of life or withholding these from them when he is displeased with them for their sins In the mean time they are altogether senslesse of his saving grace in Christ Jesus and as they seel not the want so it is to be seared that they never obtain the benefit thereof And indeed they wilfully close their eyes against the light either grossely neglecting or obstinately refusing to know more then they do at least so much as they ought For they neither respect nor make use of a minister for his gifts whereby he is able to instruct them nor consider the necessity and unspeakable benefit of his office in order to a better being then this present life but if he be a man given to hospitality no exacter of his tithes easie and willing to be deceived in matter of contract and right they more regard him for this bounty and facility of manners then for all the good he can do them in reference to their precious souls like those of whom we read Joh. 6.26 that followed Christ for his meat not for his miracles and doctrine And therefore men of the other temper have been very evilly entreated by them in these obnoxious and dangerous times In like manner the Bible is laid aside by the ruder sort as well in respect of domestick use as of publick practise and where it is received into their houses and read at certain seasons it is a shame to see how slovenly it is tossed up and down and soyled by those places where it is carelesly thrown as if it were some base utensil of the kitchin or of some other room belonging to the house not a pearl of that price whereat every sober Christian doth esteem it or at least ought to do And I would to God this were not a generall fault throughout the Nation and the Index of a greater I mean the inward slighting of that word which we outwardly thus vilifie and disgrace for although I should be loth to perswade others or allow in them a superstitious reveverence towards the Book such as the Turks use towards their Alcoran who count it an horrible crime for any man though unwittingly to sit upon it Busbiq Ep. 1. and punish the same with death in a Christian yet I cannot but minde you of that which is comely and agreeable to the nature of the thing without which we must needs bewray a kinde of irreligion or contempt of that which is holy and give occasion of scandall to those who are of different profession from us wherefore it is storied of Edward the sixth that godly young Prince and first reformer of this Church that being upon some occasion to look out at a window in a house where he was and having a Bible brought to him to stand thereon for his better conveniency of sight he utterly refused to make use thereof for this purpose but devoutly kissing it in the presence of them that stood by he laid it down on the place again a truly royall example of piety by which he shewed how great happinesse the world might have expected from his future government if God had not then judged him too good for
had almost buried in oblivion were revived again by you to the infamy and damage of your Pastors as if they were not men compassed about with infirmity as well as others or your selves free from all iniquity not needing the mercy of him who is the common Redeemer of you both and though ye need it how can ye with confidence expect it if that be true as ye finde Jam. 2.13 Jam. 2.13 For he shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy For neither your words nor deeds have been such toward them as doe become men that shall be judged by the law of Liberty Vers 12. because ye have used rigour and extremity in them both not advising in the least measure with the Law of Christ For otherwise ye would not have aggravated after this manner every small matter which might any wayes tend to their prejudice but rather have passed by such as these and either concealed the greatest where there was hope of repentance and amendment or followed the same with all meckness and moderation considering the persons whom ye did pursue and the sad calamities which were likely to befall them and their families if judgement should proceed against them And surely it is strange that the painfull industry of many years in the work of the Ministry could not prevail either with you who did partake thereof to conceal or with those that were their Judges and without doubt knew as much to pardon one or a few errours of their life upon promise of more strict conversation for the time to come Ye did pretend indeed that zeal for the Truth onely and love of Gods people did set you thus in opposition against the scandalous Ministers or those whom ye were pleased to term so but I fear your own conscience will one day tell you plainly and I pray God not too late that private quarrels personal interests and self ends carried you all along in these unwarrantable courses of mischief and persecution for some of you to our knowledge who have been most forward to thrust forth of the Lords inheritance them that for many years together had ministred unto you in holy things have been the first that fell into dislike of their owne new choice and refused to give them maintenance according to the Law So weak and unstable is your judgement so sickle your affection so immoderate your desire of novelty so blinde your conscience in discerning your own hearts so squeamish your mindes to receive truth if it doth any wise make against your worldly advantage or touch upon your sins the which though never so grievous and manifest Hos 4.4 no man must strive or repove another for thy people are as they that strive with the Priest Neither are ye offended onely with the Minister for open but also for secret rebukes yea and for private admonitions and correptions sometimes be they never so necessary and gentle withall as I have seen it by often experience verified in many one more especially a very lewd person indeed who being mildly reproved by a Minister in my hearing for some scandalous sin replyed again It were better for us if ye Ministers held your peace because then we might sin with the lesse guilt and punishment To whom then shall I speak and give warning that they may hear Behold Jer. 6.10 their ear is uncircumcised and they cannot hearken behold the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach they have no delight in it Wherefore he that doth not please your humour or advance your faction or gratifie you in your beloved corruptions or sparing you strikes at your adversaries in a word will not be partakers of your sins by connivence or practise straight ways grows out of request with you as an unprofitable teacher or rather one not fit for your purpose however he be accomplished in all other respects and thus he is by little and little abandoned of you and another sought out more agreeable to your fancy and mind for a short season untill the date or time of pleasing you be expired also Insomuch as one Parish not many miles distant from the University of Oxford hath been known since these Times of trouble and distraction to have disliked and changed their Ministers as often if not more often then there be seasons in the year and yet scarce afford maintenance for a single man to live with them It is past belief what foolish exceptions they have had against those men who have upon triall or other occasions preached before them besides many against severall Ministers this they had against one not unknown to my self if I am not misinformed that he preached too long upon the same Text. I pray God this spirituall delicacy doth not presage a spirituall famine in the end whereby men may hunger and thirst after that Word which they despise and loath now because of the plenty and fulnesse thereof And here I may not passe by in silence a common but very dangerous errour that possesseth your mindes whereby ye fondly and falsely imagine that the successe of the Ministry doth depend upon the personall gifts of the Minister and not wholly upon the ordinance of Christ for which cause yee magnifie some above measure and despise others in comparison of them calling the first powerfull Preachers and not acknowledging the last for such because not men so well qualified for the work of the Lord as they The which conceit if I mistake not is not the least cause of your non-prosiciency by the meanes of grace For how can ye reap benefit from the Ordinance if ye come not duely prepared to it and how can ye come duly prepared to it if ye have not a just esteem of it that ye may answerably submit unto it For 1 Cor. 3.7 neither is he that planteth any thing neither he that watereth but God that giveth the encrease Let men therefore learn to have greater respect to the blessing from above then to the means below to the grace and gift of God then to the abilities and endowments of men in the great busmesse of their conversion and edification Again ye English people are generally indifferent or luke warm in Religion and so ye may enjoy the worlds good care not what doth become of the Truth of God the which ye hear indeed but learn and know not like those of whom we read 2 Tim. 3.7 ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth or if ye know it receive it not neither beleeving it with your hearts nor obeying it in your lives for although ye all professe faith and pretend to it as the main ground and pillar of your hope in God yet it is but a bare profess on and meer ostentation of that which ye have not in truth a few excepted who testifie the same by their innocent and holy conversation Jac 2.26 without which faith is dead being alone The rest