Next to this as a second means for the suppressing of popery I vvould subjoyn the casting out from among us all appearance of popery every thing that looks like Rome every thing of vvhich the papists may say This you borrovved from us c. I condemne not every thing receaved from Rome as simply evill but certainly as long as the papists see any such things among us in our publike vvorsbip they vvill but scorn us and our religion as imperfect and unable to furnish us in the service of our God vvithout being beholding to them If ye knovv these things happy are ye if ye doe them Iohn 13 17. in all parts of the kingdome to demolish all Idolatrous reliques and superstitious monuments as they have already most worthily begun with that great Image of many faces in Cheapside to punish open Idolatrie blasphemie swearing cursing Sabbath-breaking and all such as are lawlesse disobedient traytors ungodly sinners unholy prophane murderers of fathers murderers of mothers manslayers whoremongers defylers of themselves with mankind men stealers lyers periured persons c. 1 Tim. 1 9. 10. but to uphold and maintaine those that walke godly righteously and Tit. 2 12. soberlie among them though it should not be just in that way and manner of publike worship which the Parliament shall set up For I can not but hold well of that which that faithfull and able minister of the gospel Mr. Henry Aynsworth hath long since written Counterpoy Pag. 232. concerning the Parliament of England saying Howsoever all subjects are and ought to submit to the good civill lawes there inacted and obedience may be inforced by the sword Rom. 13. if any resist yet in cases of conscience every man must live by his owne faith Hab. 2 4. Nen must gladly receave the word Act. 2 41. out of which all religion must be gathered all Kings and Kingdomes submitting unto the lawes and ordinances in Christs testament Psal 2 10. 11. 12. if they would have blessing and salvation by him With which agreeth well that excellent note of an antient writer and there are many that reverence antiquity in matter of religion and indeed it is the old way in walking wherein we find rest who teacheth us that Bern in Cant. fides suadenda est non imperanda For the Apostle plainly declareth that none can Rom. 10 14. 15. 17. call upon him in whom they have not beleeved neither can they believe in him of whom they have not heard and heare they can not without a preacher and none can preach except he be sent of God and furnished for that service So that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God not by the commandements or traditions of men which are of no such power to perswade the conscience as the word of God is And if the heart conscience be not perswaded in feare of God to yeild obedience what will come of it but an inforced hypocrisie a drawing neare to God with the lip when the heart is farre from him which is a service abominable in his sight and wherein there can be no true inward comfort and assurance which is the life and marrow of religion and that which begetteth true loyaltie to the higher powers For surely it is a true saying that was once spoken unto this present Parliament in a publike sermon by one of their owne ministers Junij 20. 1641. viz That there are a great many ministers that are not resolved what to doe c. they will wait for what the Parliament will doe you may set up what religion you please they will be of your religion still So also may be said of others they wil be of what religion the king is of so long as he hath any power to support them and any boones or offices to give them Yea some think it high presumption to be of any other mynd that way than the king or Parliament is of If this be not a serving God after the will of man I know not what is Let us not therefore Rom. 14 13. judge one an other any more but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brothers way but let every man be fully perswaded in his mynd Vers 5 23. and doe no thing without faith in this kind for whatsoever is not of faith is sin and Heb. 11 6. without faith it is impossible to please God Now Ephes 2 8. faith is the gift of God wrought in the heart by his holy Spirit useing thereto as the outward meanes thereof the ministery of the word of reconciliation and be sure of this that so soone as the heart is truly moved by the work of the Spirit there cannot but be a most free and readie joyning to the Lord in faithfull submission to his will for saith the Spouse Draw me Cant. 1 4. and we will run after thee and the prophet David I will run the way Psal 119 32. of thy commandements when thou shalt inlarge myne heart And untill the heart of the people be moved all that the kings and parliaments of the earth can doe by their outward force and power shall not prevaile to establish the service of God in its due and right order yea though they should be as godly and zealous as Iehoshaphat the King of Judah of whom the scripture noteth that he walked in the way of Asa his father and departed not from it doeing that which was right in the sight of the Lord 2 Cron 20 32. 33. Howbeit the high places were not taken away for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their fathers And if such a zealous and powerfull prince as K. Jehoshaphat could not prevaile in the reformation of externall and visible abuses in religious worship and that becaus the peoples hearts were not prepared c Much lesse shall anie earthly prince or potentate be able by his worldly power to make this people to Ioh. 4 23. worship the father in Spirit and truth and such he seeketh to worship him The reason is becaus the kingdom of Christ is not of this world neither can be planted or established by worldly power for so long as the vaile 2 Cor. 3 13. is over mens hearts they can not looke to the end of that which is abolished but when the Lord shall mollifie their hard and stony hearts and give unto them hearts of flesh when he shall enlighten their myndes and open their understandings and so turne them from Idols to serve the living and true God then the vaile shall be taken away Now the Lord is 2 Cor. 3 16. 17. that spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty to wit from the bondage of sin to serve God in righteousnes and holynes all the days of their life Gal. 5 1. Rom. 6 22. 7. 6. Luc. 1 74. 75. Wherefore that was a good decree of King Cyrus who being appointed to
sometimes transforming himself into an z 2 Cor. 11 14. Angell of light as he did to our first parents making them believe that they should be a Gen. 3 5. as Gods that he sought nothing but their good and as he did unto our Saviour Christ himself he assaulted him with a sentence of b Mat. 4 6. Scripture as if he sought to perswade him to no thing but that which was agreable to the will of God when indeed he is a c Iohn 8 44. lyer and the father of lyes like unto whom are his ministers they can turne themselves into the shape of the d 2 Cor. 11 15. ministers of Christ making the simple believe that prelaticall Episcopacie is of divine right that the worship of God is not pure and holy unlesse it be performed in a consecrated church or chappell nor the Supper of the Lord reverently receaved unlesse the piece of bread be adored by prostrating of the body before it that we honor not the name of our Saviour unlesse we bow the knee or put off the cap whensoever we heare the name of Jesus whereby many ignorant ones it may be sometimes mistake * VVhere the Apocrypha is allovved to be read in publike Jesus the son of Syrach or Jesus called Justus or e Acts. 7 45. Jesus who brought in the Israelites into the possession of the gentiles for Jesus our Saviour who is the son of God and many other thinges which are comonly taught by his servants yea and ushered in with manie quotations of scripture and fathers as if their doctrines and phantasies were Oracles of God undenyable truths when indeed they are no thing but error and falshood the very f 1 Tim. 4 1. doctrine of divels Idol service and g Col. 2 18. will worship according to the h Col. 2 8. traditions of men and not after Christ Against whose subtilties and craftie devices where with they i Ephes 4 14. lye in wait to deceave we are no way able to resist unlesse the Lord of his meere grace in Christ doe give unto us the Spirit k Ioh. 16 13. of truth by whom we may be led into all truth and made to discerne between good evill cleave to that which is good and forsake that which is evill the which l Luk. 11 13. holy Spirit he hath promised to give to those that aske him Behold then what great necessity we have every one of us to pray night and day unto God for his helpe and assistance against this our deadly enemie for we m Eph. 6 12. wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers yea Spirituall wickednesses that are in high places wherfore we shall find that the Apostle adviseth us to the practise hereof as a maine weapon to n Eph. 6 18. resist the fiery darts of the Divell that having done all thinges we may stand o Eph 6 13. fast in the faith And our Saviour commaÌ„deth us to p Math. 26 41. watoh and praie that we enter not into temptation Every day bringeth with it evill q Mat. 6 34. suffitient for the day whereby we are incombred with maniefold necessityes for we have not food or rayment of our selves no not the least health strength or ability of body by our owne wisdome it is God that r Psal 136 25. giveth food to all flesh Å¿ Mat. 6 28 29. 30. that clotheth the lillyes and feedeth the ravens when they cry whose is t Psal 24 1. the earth and the fulnesse thereof whose v Prov. 10 22. blessing it is that maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it without whom all our labour toyle and industrie is but as water spilt upon the ground for except x Psa 127 1. he build the house the worke-man worketh but in vaine except he keepe the city the watch-man waketh but in vaine wherfore we can never have assurance to have these our bodily wants supplyed from day to day unlesse we be carefull to seeke it of God by prayer as our Saviour hath taught us saying y Mat. 6 11. give us this day our daylie bread And if I should here insist upon the dangerous times in which we live and the daylie feares where with we are incompassed now that we heare of warres and rumors of warrs in all quarters and parts of the earth now that the stroake is come even to our doores our native Country which hath bin famous and renowned amongst all nations for traffique and manufacture by sea and land mightie in conquests famous for riches and learning surpassing others in the light of the gospell which was more or lesse spread abroad over the whole Kingdome lyeth here and there weltring in the bloud of her owne slaine and we have continuall talke and discourse of the great nomber of bloodly enemyes that are among us as so many Serpents in our owne bosomes ready to bite and devoure us it might be a suffitient and powerfull argument to be produced for the proofe of this point to shew the necessity offervent fervent and faithfull prayers to be poured out to the God of hosts whose name is a z Prov. 18 10. strong tower whereto the righteous run and are safe but I feare to darken counsell by a multitude of wordes without knowledge I know our owne hearts and dayly thoughts can not but presse this home unto us with greater efficacie than I can speake it And who is there that is now so sottish or sencelesse as not to mynd that if ever now are the times wherein the Saints are to come often a Mal. 3 16. togither and every one in his b Zach. 12 12. house and closet a part to poure out strong cries and teares unto him that is able to make us overcome all difficulties for if God be with us c Psal 118 6 we need not feare what man can doe unto us They that d Psal 107. 23. goe downe to the sea in ships and occupie in the deepe waters they well know how needfull an anchor â—s to a ship for it is one of the principall implements which they are carefull to preserve So may prayer be said to be to the soule of every true Christian for it will helpe to beget and worke in us â—ope which is the e Heb. 6 1â— anchor of the soule â—oth sure and stedfast and it entereth into that within the vaile where Christ ouâ— high priest sitteth at the right hand oâ— God And as a key is necessary for the opening of a doore that is fast locked So is prayer necessary to open the shut doore of our heart to open the doore of f Acts. 14 27. faith unro us to open the doore of g Col. 4 3. utterance unto us yea the doore of heaven it self whereby we may have entrance unto the throne of grace h Heb. 4 16. to
oppressor that they may know their obedient and loving subjects from proud traiterous rebels for * Virgil Regûm est parcere subject is and debellare superbos it is the property of Kings to spare their subjects but to suppresse the proud and rebellious And as they are the ministers of God so their office power is the ordinance of God he hath appointed that there shal be Rom. 13 1. 2. governors rulers over the people in his power it is to set up and pull downe whom he pleaseth From whence it may he reasoned thus whatsoever function or administration is ordained and appointed of God whither it be for the good of the body or soul of man or both whosoever shal be lawfully called to the executing of any such charge are to be prayed for and thankes to be given to God for their good or the good which we receave by them But Kings and those that are put into lawfull place are so ordained and appointed of God therfore to be prayed for c in obedience to Gods ordinance and that it may be sanctifyed unto us Thirdly the burthen of all the civile state lyeth principally on their shoulders and their miscarriage tendeth to the damage and hurt of the whole body politick and so unto Christians as they are members of the Comon wealth as well as others as we may see by daylie experience On the other hand the safety preservation and good carriage of the King reacheth unto the whole common wealth What can be then lesse done for them than to commend them and their governement to God in our prayers saying * Ps 72 1. Give the King thy judgment ô Lord and thy righteousnes to the Kings son Fourthly they are appointed of God amongst other things for the maintaynance of his church and truth against the persecuting hands of malitious bloody enemyes therfore necessary it is yea the duty of every member of the Church to pray for them that the Lord would make them v Isa 49 23. nurssing fathers to his Israel For the x Pro. 21 1. hearts of Kings are in the handes of the Lord and as the rivers of water he turneth them whither soever it pleaseth him Fiftly how ever it come to passe whither they be friends or enemyes good or bad for us or against us yet in praying for them we please God and our prayers returne into our owne bosomes as hath bin before noted Which may serve for the just condemnation Vse of those that in stead of praying for Kinges princes and magistrates doe curse them that is speake evill of them Neither doe they beare that honour and reverence in their hearts to them which is meet Exod. 22 28. Eccl. 10 20. 2 Pet. 2 10. 11. Jude vers 8. And the equality and truth of this point may be a ground of exhortation to all that feare God to manifest their honour love and fidelity to their prince by praying for him What though he be not so wise and prudent in governing as he ought yet let not that put thee off from performance of thy duty which God hath required of thee He shall answere for his administration and thou for thy subjection and fidelity His negligence shall not excuse thee for thine What though he be an enemy to the truth and seeketh to destroy thy body and goods becaus thou canst not with good conscience obey his humane lawes which thou findest to be contrarie to God's law yet cease not to pray for him yea know that in such case thou hast greater reason to pray for him that God would turne his heart And what knowest thou but thy fervent prayers may prevaile so farr with God as to move him to inclyne his heart to shew favour to his people and to suffer the truth to flourish or at least to favour thee in thy particuler We have the comfortable experience here in this land of God's power in this kind witnes our feedome of the gospell which we here enjoy farre otherwise than ever any of our fathers could obtaine in our native Countrie the more is the pity the Lord lay it not to their charge and can not the same God worke the same in the hearts of other princes and magistrates doubtles his hand is not shorter in one place than another but for ought thou knowest it is becaus thou art slack and negligent in calling upon God to powre his Spirit upon thy prince and to give the Senators wisdome and inclyne their hearts to shew pitie to his heritage Besides is the King or the magistrate an enemy to thee take heed how therfore thou seekest to y Rom. 12 19. avenge thy self of him by withholding thy prayers from him for this is displeasing to him who hath commanded thee to z Math. 5 44. love thyne enemyes blesse them that curse thee doe good to them that hate thee and pray for them which despite fully use thee and persecute thee If ever the Christian people of the English nation stood in need to be stirred up or awakened in this kind now is the time for me thinkes I heare divers complaine of the distance and discord which is between the Kings majestie and the honourable Court of parliament and the unreasonablenes of the malignants whom the King seemeth to countenance and I heare divers and that religious people too bemoaning the parliament and blaming the King yea preparation is made of weapons of warre and that by religious people the forwardest and most godlie labour to shew their zeal in helping the parliament with men and mony and I heare also of fasting and prayer for the good of the land and preservation of the parliament but I heare few or none of the better sort utter good desires concerning the King though I can not but think that they intend the King with his parliament as necessary adjuncts and all becaus they take him now to be misled carryed out of the way by wicked counsell Is it so that the King seemeth to be led aside from the way of Justice and it maie be unwittingly to his majesty runing upon the rocks of perill and poverty and hazarding the whole kingdome thereby what great cause is there then for the faithfull to lift up strong cryes unto God to confound and turne to foolishnes the counsels of the a 2 Sam. 15 31. Achitophels and to remove the wicked from the throne of the b Pro. 25 5. King and so over rule and perswade the heart of the King that as a father he may tender the lives estates of his children his subjects and as a prince of God may so administer the affaires of the kingdome that peace and truth may kisse each other that such as professe to feare that great name of God may under him lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie which is the fourth particular considerable in this exhortation and the
of Rome and honour the pope as head of the Church c. So I also take that generally the common people in England and elswhere doe understand by Brownists or Brownistically affected seing the name can not agree to anie point of doctrine such as doe follow that doctrine and discipline which one Browne was a prime author witnes and constant maintayner of by word and writing which to prove concerning the doctrine and discipline professed by those who seperate from the church of England as a false Church not daring to have any communion with her for feare of defyling their garments and hold the discipline of every true church to be independant would be hard for any of those that so call them be they never so learned history-graphers to doe But indeed thus much I confesse that I have both heard and read of one Browne who lived about the latter end of Q Elizabeth or beginning of K. James his raigne and had receaved once some tast of the good word of God and made some profession of the truth but afterwards revolted from the countenanceing of the way of God it seemeth for the 2 Tim. 4 10. love of the world and turned like the dog to his old vomit for he tooke againe upon him his Antichristian ministery and countenanced the Church of England to his death though I have also heard that when he hath bin put upon it in discourse to shew reasons against the way which he did so discountenance he could say little or nothing yet becaus of the flesh pots of Egypt the garlick and the onyons wherewith his belly was filled and having it may be tasted or seene the poverty of the Saints and hatred of men against them which is one of their Ioh. 16 33. badges here in this world he was loth to leave it by personall seperation Wherfore I see little ground why the professors of seperation should be called after his name as if they were his disciples But rather I conceave I have the witnes not of man but of God in my behalf that he returning againe to the state of the Church of England and dyeing in the testimony thereof countenanceing it by his communion and society therein and being a preacher thereof hath thereby manifested to the world and to men that 1 Ioh. 2 19. he was not of us for if he had bin of us he would no doubt have continued with us but he went out from us that he might be made manifest that he was not of us Whence I conclude that they may according to the signification of the word more properly than any be called Brownists who for the love of their earthly benefits and to avoyd the hatred of men doe continue still in or returne againe unto the countenanceing of the Antichristian estate wherein the Church of England was at that time and those indeed are they that are Brownistically affected i. e. affected as Browne was Wherfore my hope is that whensoever the high court of Parliament shall proceed to their well setled reformation though I expect not that by the ordinances of men the truth of God shal be ever established in the sincere profession thereof and that becaus the Lord himself saith Psa 110 2. that his people shal be voluntaries in the day of his power and our Saviour plainly declareth that no man Ioh. 6 44. can come to him but whom the father draweth for it is not Zach. 4 6. by might or armies nor by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of hosts they will manifest to the world their utter dislike of P. Ansvv to the K. declar of his vict Oct. 3. 1642. pag. 10. Brownisme according to the reall and proper signification of the expression that is those that follow Browne in the countenanceing and approving of the man of sin his Antichristian Hierarchie And to this understanding of this nick-name they are necessarily bound by the rule of charity upon their owne grounds for if they hold seperation from the Church of England to be an error and that Browne was once in that way then when afterward he returned from that and gave them such satisfaction as that he receaved again his ministerie he repented of his former error Now for to make him a patrone or father of that whereof he repented and which he cast off is a great breach of charity not beseeming such as accompt themselves ministers of Christ to put upon their follow-labourers I have spoken thus much upon this slight occasion only for this end that the professors of the truth all that are well mynded may take notice that there is at this day no religion heresy sect or faction that doth so unjustly and improperly beare the name wherewith they are usually named by their opposites as doth this poore despised people But let them be comforted that it is for Christ's sake their seperation from the unfruitfull works of darknesse that they are so named and happie are they therein for great shal be their reward in heaven I have perceived also now in these dayes of England's trouble the presses to be imployed more freely than they have bin in times past and many are bold to publish their conceits and opinions in matter of Religion and to be counsillors admonitors to that high honourable court which is the great Counsill of the Kingdom how they should behave themselves and what they should inclyne to in their reformation of Church-goverment Which mē doe seem to me to spēd labour and trouble that Court in vain for if they did rightly consider the nature of Christ's kingdome they need not seeke unto men but if they be servants of God they need only to seeke unto him who is the Nom. 27 16. God of the spirits of all flesb to send forth his word with the power and demonstration of his good Spirit which would be as indeed it is the onlie and suffitient way and meanes for planting and establishing of his true Church and only advise the Parliament to approve themselves the ministers of God in suffering his truth to flourish and cherishing the professors of the same and to restrain by their power the malice of wicked persecutors as did that noble King Darius of Persia who commanded the enemyes beyond the river Ezra 6 6. 7. 11. 12. to be farr from hindering the Jewes from building the house of God yea whosoever saith he shall alter this word let timber be pulled downe from his house and being set up let him be hanged thereon and his house be made a dunghill for this And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all Kings and people that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem and to make such wholsome and good lawes as might inable and authorise the civill magistrates and Courts of justice Mr. Nevvcomen in his serm before the Parl 5 November 1642. pag. 44.