to be still maintained by some great Prelates euen Bishops is the greater sinne because we haue sent some Diuines to the last Synod at Dort for suppressing the same By these how may future Ages be feared to be corrupted And how shall such actuall and mentall sinnes be restrained How shall all vertue and righteousnesse flourish Pro. 14.16 and 22.3 Pro. 29.18 How shall men be prudent to hide themselues from euils to come but by the preaching of the word Doe not the People perish where there is no Vision Though humaine policie and carnall wisedome by carnall and Machiuilian men for State matters and preuenting of euils to come be as much magnified as it were adored Act. 8.11 and 19.28 Rom. 8.6 7 Ierem. 8.9 Eph. 5.17 as Simon Magus in Samaria and Diana in Ephesus yet all true Christians know such wisedome to be death to men and enmitie to God and no wisedome at all yea meere foolishnesse and no better then madnesse Yea it is the best policie to maintaine and support such Ministers as being not onely faithfull and loyall Subiects themselues but also the teachers of all other to be and the Chariots and Horsemen of the Kingdome 2 Kin. 2.12 and 13.14 For certainly howsoeuer they be lightly esteemed by their aduersaries yet they cannot be denied to haue done much good by their Ministerie yea many of their aduersaries I doubt not will acknowledge it The Congregations ouer which they haue beene set and many other cannot but confesse it I dare also boldly say that many of your Christian Court to which I direct these my Aduertisements will testifie it for themseues for their Children for their Seruants I thinke also I may safely say that his most excellent Maiestie will grant those Princely graces wherewith God hath enriched beautified his Royall heart to haue beene especially wrought by such Ministers in his Kingdome of Scotland as now are pleaded for rather then by such as doe most oppugne them Laban and Nabal were both Birds of a Feather and Brethren as it were in euill of the same conditions Laban and Nabal like to two Raine-bowes representing one another in colour the one by reflection hauing the same that the other as the Letters of the one backward make the name of the other forward yet the example of the one himselfe and of the Seruants of the other may prouoke all true hearted Christians to respect the slate of the Ministers before mentioned and to doe what may be for them especially for the better libertie of their Ministerie Laban seeing the Iewels Earings and Bracelets which the Seruant of Abraham had giuen to Rebecca in behalfe of his Masters Sonne Isaack the better to win her loue to be wife vnto him Gen. 24.31 spake thus to the said Seruant Come in thou blessed of the Lord Wherefore standest thou without For I haue prepared the house and roome for the Camels How much more then should any in any place of authoritie and that haue both seene and also receiued the heauenly Earings and Bracelets that those Ministers as the Lords Seruants haue bestowed vpon them and theirs to win them to Christ and to make them fit for Christ labour to bring such Ministers in againe whom others haue cast out with their Wiues and Children And that as those whom the Lord hath blessed and made Instruments likewise to make others blessed The Seruants likewise of Nabal hauing heard the churlish currish and clownish words of their Master to Dauids Seruants sent for some reliefe vnto him reporting the same to their Mistresse pleaded also for Dauid 1 Sam. 25. â—5 16. and for his Seruants saying they had beene verie good vnto them so long as they had been conuersant with them when they were in the Fields yea that they had been a wall vnto them by day and by night to defend them all the while they had beene with them keeping Sheepe How much more then may the Ministers hitherto spoken of be pleaded for in respect that they haue neuer in truth done any hurt vnto any with whom they haue beene conuersant but haue beene a wall vnto them for their defence against principallities and powers putting into their hands yea into their hearts the Sword of the Spirit Eph. 6.17 the Word of God and furnishing them instrumentally with all other parts of the Christian Armour Yea touching Nabal himselfe though he were so hard and vngratefull towards Dauid yet to his owne Sheepe-shearers he made a great Feast a royall Feast 1 Sam. 25.36 a feast like a King Is it not therefore the more lamentable that they should be so hardly dealt with and brought to a morsell of Bread Ioh. 6.27 that haue ministred vnto men the meat that perisheth not but abideth to eternall Life And that haue made a Feast to the Princes of the great King of Heauen and Earth not of an hundreth and foure skore dayes only like to the most royall Feast of Ahashuerosh or of Belshazzar Est 1.3 Dan. 5.3 or of any other such Monarch but an euerlasting Feast according to the nature of himselfe whose Feast it was With the former may be considered the great kindnesse that Pharao shewed to Ioseph and his Father and Brethren Gen 41 3â— and 47.5 for the Interpretation of his Dreames For haue not the Ministers restrained depriued c. Interpreted as great Mysteries concerning eternall Saluation as Pharaoh's Dreames were for the preuenting of the bodily Famine The like may be said of Dauid's princely grace to Barzillai for his small kindnesse towards him when he fled from Absalon which notwithstandind as a Subiect he was bound in dutie to haue performed and vpon his death bed giuen in charge to be remembred by Salomon to the Sonnes of the said Barzillai after the death of Dauid 2 Sam. 19.31.33 1 Kin. 2.17 2 Kin. 3.15 The great bountie also offered by Naaman the Syrian vnto Elisha for directing him to doe that whereby he was cured of his bobily Leprosie may here be well remembred The particular application of both which examples I leaue to your wise considerations It is not also vnworthy your most Honourable and Christian Court to consider Many conformable Ministers wish the remoue of the Ceremonies that many conformable Ministers submitting themselues to subscription and conformitie by the seueritie of other because otherwise they can haue neither imploiment of their gifts nor maintenance would be as glad of the remouing the things now hindring the free passage of the Gospel as the Ministers silenced and otherwise molested For though they yeeld for the reasons premised and in a desire to doe good yet they are of the same mind that other are of and would testifie the same vpon assurance they might so doe without preiudice to themselues Ioh. 12.42 As many among the chiefe Rulers of the Iewes beleeued in Christ but because of the Pharisees they did not confesse him
though a wicked King Ier. 39.26 and therefore gratiously rewarded by the Lord with grace for his deliuerance from the Babylonians otherwise to all other mercilesse Of Nehemiah Neh. 2. Est 5.2 Ioseph de Ant. Iud. li. 12. cap. 2 Acts and Monum printed 1596. pag. 554. Ibid. p. 38â— of Ester with great danger of her life of Aristaeus petitioning vnto and preuailing with Ptolomeus Philadelphus King of Egypt for setting at libertie an hundred and twentie thousand Captiue Iewes of the Nobles of Bohemia supplicating both twise to the Councell of Constance and also to the Emperour Sigismund for Iohn Hus as also of the foure and fiftie Nobles of Morauia after the death of the said Iohn Hus and Ierome of Prage writing an excellent Letter to the said Councell of Constance in defence of the said two Martyrs so likewise of the foure and twentie Nobles of Austria to Ferdinando King of Bohemia Sleidan lib. 14. humbly supplicating for the free preaching of the Gospel and in their said Supplication pleading many excellent things well worthy the obseruation of all other of like place and state Sleidan li. 25. 26 the like may be said of their further importunitie twelue or thirteene yeeres after for about two hundred banished Ministers Aboue all most worthy obseruation is the example of our owne most Noble King himselfe both in writing his royall and gratious Letters while he was King only of Scotland to our late renowmed Queene Queene Elizabeth of blessed memorie for Master Cartwright and Master Vdal in the same cause for which the Ministers hitherto mentioned haue beene restrained c. as Master Cartwright himselfe testifieth in his Epistle dedicatorie to his Maiestie before his Metaphrase and Homilies vpon Ecclesiastes both I say in writing his said Letter and also in writing lately to the prouoking of all Christian Princes against the Pope to whom and to whose Superstitions from the greatest to the least none are more absolute aduersaries then the Ministers whose libertie hitherto hath beene shewed to be so necessarie Hath not his Maiestie also written to the States of the Low-Countrey for the repressing of Vorstius and all his Errours The more we wish and desire his said writings to preuaile against the Pope and against Vorstius and his Disciples yet remaining the more we may hope his Maiestie will enlarge the Gospel it selfe the Word of Truth Colos 1.5 within his owne Dominions For such as ones hatred is to Errour such is his loue to the Truth The more highly also that God hath commended the praiers of the righteous Ministers to be the better respected for their praiers sake chiefly of Ministers of the Word tho more large promises he hath made to the praiers of such and finally the more he hath graced and magnisied such praiers with great and glorious successe for priuate persons and especially for Princes Kingdomes euen somtimes wicked and vngodly The more is the Gospel it selfe to be enlarged and the Ministers thereof regarded for such praiers sake not only in respect of the praiers of such Ministers themselues but also because such Ministers with other by the Gospel preached teach all men to pray for all men especially for Kings and all in authoritie 1 Tim. 2.2 that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honestie And albeit such Ministers howsoeuer molested and wronged may and ought notwithstanding to say with Samuel God forbid that we should sinne against the Lord and cease praying 1 Sam. 12.23 euen for them that doe most molest vs yet alas who is so simple as not to know that the more kindly any are dealt with the more they will be encouraged to pray with all alacritie and cheerfulnesse and so the more gratious blessing is to be hoped for by such praiers For not only in liberalitie but also in all other duties the Lord loueth cheerfulnesse 2 Cor. 9.7 The free passage of the Gospel without such clogs as hitherto it hath been cloied with The enlargment of Ministers not preiudiciall to his Maiestie and the enlargement of the Ministers restrained by the authoritie of his Maiestie as many of their aduersaries haue pretended will no waies be preiudiciall to the Honour of his Maiestie himselfe or to the credit of the chiefest actors in restraining either of the Gospel it selfe or the Ministers thereof First Because them that honour God God himselfe will honour As length of daies is in the right hand of wisedome 1 Sam. 2.30 Prou. 3.16 Prou. 4.8 so riches and glorie are in her left hand She will exalt them that exalt her she will bring them to honor that embrace her Was not glorie departed from Israel when the Arke of God was taken wherein were kept the Tables of Gods Testimonies 1 Sam. 4.21 Exo. 25.26 1 Sam. 25.32 Secondly It was no dishonour but a great honour to Dauid to reuoke his words of Indignation against Nabal at the bare counsell of a Woman Abigael and that before all his Souldiers euen foure hundred in whose hearing he had before with great vehemencie spoken his said words Ps 34 52 54 56 and 57. though Dauid were then a Prophet had before that written diuers Psalmes and were a worthy Souldier and also known to be the Heire Apparant to Saul as annointed by the commandement of God and therefore assured that he should not by any meanes be intercepted of the Kingdome Thirdly 2 Sam. 16.4 compared with 19.19 Est 3.8 Est 8.5 c Was it any dishonour to Dauid yea rather was it not a great honour vnto him to cancell the gift he had made of all the goods of Mephibosheth vnto Ziba and to returne them againe vnto Mephibosheth Fourthly Was it any great dishonor to the great Monarch Ahashuerosh to reuerse all that he had done at the request of Haman against all the Iewes and to giue so large commission to the Iewes as he did for reuenge vpon all their enemies I speake not this as wishing the like euill to the aduersaries of the said Ministers silenced and depriued Farre be all such euill with from me from them and from all other true Christians yea all good be vnto them for Soule and Bodie onely if it were no dishonour to that mightie Emperour not onely to reuoke his former Decree and Letters against the Iewes granted to one so highly in his grace but also to grant the like Commission against their aduersaries much lesse will the enlargement of the Ministerie be any dishonour to our Noble King or any disgrace to his Officers that haue silenced and depriued them sith they seeke not for neither desire any reuenge vpon any of their aduersaries but pray for them and wish all good vnto them The like may be said of Zedekia hauing before giuen power to his Princes against Ieremiah with great words saying Ier. 38.5 Behold he is in your hands for the King
the Lord prouide otherwise for the Wiues and Children of the Priests and Leuits in the time of the Law And is it not farre otherwise also in all other reformed Churches at this day For better obseruation likewise of the Lords daies that priuate persons may the better intend the publike exercises of Religion Persons indebted not to be arrested on the Lords day were it not meet for persons indebted pleading feare of arresting to restraine them from comming to Church and that sometimes in truth hauing cruell creditours and yet being ex animo desirous of the Word were it not I say meet for such to haue some securitie by Law on those daies except bewraying their Hypocrisie they shall be found in some Inne Tauerne or Alehouse in the places where they dwell As diuers daies also heretofore called Holy daies are now altogither by Law abrogated Holy daies to be abolished so why may not all the rest yet remaining be abolished for the better sanctification of the Lords day The diuersitie of commodities of one sort though neuer so bad doth hinder the estimation and sale of the best of that kind So doe these Holy daies their difference from the Lords daies by the common sort not discerned preiudice the religious obseruation of the Lords daies themselues Secondly The retaining of these being at least fiue and twentie euerie yeere cannot but greatly hinder the Common wealth of the Land For let the losse of the labour of so many thousand Trades men and Labouring men of all Occupations as this Land affordeth be well considered to how great a Masse will the whole losse amount Thirdly On such daies many spend more riotously in drinking and playing then they get in two daies before or after Fourthly On those daies how many quarrels and other outrages are ordinarily and yet most disorderly committed Fifthly How many Gentlemen and other great men hauing buildings or other great workes in hand by the absence of their Workemen on those daies in what case soeuer their buildings or other workes for the present are doe sustaine great dammage Sometime also such Workemen doe so mispend the Holy daies in glousing and drunkennesse that they are not fit for labour either the next day or two or three after Sixthly Few Masters on such daies can containe their Seruants from breaking out distempering themselues so that they are the worse the whole weeke following yea sometimes for their whole life after Seuenthly Some of the said daies by publike authoritie are more solemnly to be kept then the Lords daies and in respect of them the Lords daies with many do vilescere Eighthly That time that is commonly called Christide is more profaned then halfe the yeere besides More likewise in those twelue daies is lauishly spent then in halfe of the yeere after In some places also some poore men loose more time and spend more money in gaming then twentie times so many dinners and suppers are worth as they haue in such great Houses When likewise men are in such Houses rioting their Wiues and Children are in great want at home yea now and then also in danger of their liues at their returne either by distemper of drinke or by mad griefe with themselues for that which they haue lost Ninthly How many Apparitors and Sumners on such daies sneake vp and downe and prole here and there seeking worke for themselues and for their masters by finding some whom they may present for their worke or absence from Church themselues neither on those daies nor on the Lords daies being at Church any where but keeping their Church betwixt two Churches and sometimes in some blind and filthy Alehouses Many other the like abuses and inconueniences might be alleaged of these daies Col. 2 16. Gal 4.10 but these may serue for a tast God hauing abolished some daies that himselfe had ordained and the Apostles hauing found fault with obseruation of such daies c. shall men thinke themselues bound to obserue such daies as ignorantly haue been instituted only by men at least of more inconsiderate zeale at the first then of any sound Iudgement Illud est verius quod prius Tert. cont Mar. lib. 4. Idem de virgin velandis Cyp. Ep. 63 ad Caecilium illud prius quod ab initio Id ab initio quod ab Apostolis And againe Veritati nemo praescribere potest non spacium temporum c. Dominus noster Christus veritatem se non consuetudinem cognominauit c. And Cyprian Si solus Christus audiendus est non debemus attendere quid alius ante nos faciendum putauerit sed quid qui ante omnes est Christus prior fecerit Neque n. hominis consuetudinem sequi oportet sed dei veritatem c. For some moderate recreation of Seruants at some times your most Honourable Court can in your wisedomes take order though Holy daies be disanulled and that although some Masters should be mercilesse in that behalfe To conclude all for the sanctifying of this day may it please your Honourable Court to consider as of many other places of Scripture Isai 58.13 c. and the like Ier. 17.42 Ezek. 20.13 and 24 and 23.38 Neh. 13.15 so especially of the zeale of Nehemiah in that behalfe The greater the worke of Redemption is then the worke of the first Creation the more is the Lords day for remembrance whereof our Lord rested from the said worke to be regarded This further will I add that some order may be taken for instruction of poore prisoners both on that day and also at other times either in the Prison where they are or in some more publike place and that in such places and at such times as where and when their presence may be the lesse offensiue and noisome to other Before I passe altogether from this point of Holy daies let me I humbly beseech you insert some thing worthy your Christian consideration Lent touching the time of Lent because though it be no holier then any other time of the yeere yet by some of the vulgar sort yea also by some of better regard it is called the Holy time of Lent Touching this I doe not plead for the abolishing of it altogether touching abstinence from Flesh but only I refer the consideration of these things vnto your wisedomes First whether it were not better to be at some other time of the yeere when fresh Fish is more plentifull and easily to be had then to be continued still as it is at such time as when there is almost none at all Eus Hist Eccl. lib. 5. cap. 23. Socrat lib. 5. cap. 21. Sozomen lib. 7. ca. 19 The rather because it is not vnknowne to diuers Learned in your Honourable Court that there haue been diuers times of Lent obserued in diuers Countreys yea also that there haue been in some one Countrey diuers Lents obserued in one yeere though for shorter time then ours is yet all called