ExaminatioÌ„ hath these vvords For I know the doctrine touching the holy Trinitie Nature and Offices of the Lord Iesus Free justification by him both the sacraments c. published by her Majesties authoritie and commanded by her lawes to be the Lords blessed and undoubted truthes without the knowledg and profession wherof no salvation is to be had And sheweth the things that he disliketh and for vvhat cause he durst not partake in the publik assemblies of our land notwithstanding the former truthes there taught and professed And againe in his Confession of faith he sayth The trueth of doctrine touching the holy Trinitie touching the natures and Offices of Christ Iustifying faith Sacraments and Eternall life and the rest established by her Majesties Lawes and professed by her self their Honours and such as have knowledge in the assemblies of this land I acknowledge from my heart to be such as if I mainteyned not the unitie and held not the communion of the same doctrine with them in these points I could not possibly be saved For out of the communion of the true profession which her Majestie hath established in these and the like truthes there is no hope of salvation left But ioyne notwithstanding in the publike assembles of this Land I dare not for the former causes I doe moreover willingly confesse that many both of the Teachers and also of the Professors within these Parish assemblies haue so imbraced this trueth of doctrine established and professed in this Land as the Lord of his infinite goodnes hath granted them the favour to show outwardly many tokens wherby in regard of the Lords election I professe before men and Angels that I judge them to be meÌ„bers of that body whereof the sonne of God Christ Iesus 〈◊〉 the head Onely herein the Lord be merciful unto them as to my self in regard of my synnes that they are not under that outward form of govermeÌ„t which Christ hath left c. And whereas Mr Iacob would father upon this people that they hold every person in England which holdeth the publick faith is no true Christian. Mr Iohnson in his answer pag. 7. sayth thus Touching this point I minde the state of their people two wayes the one concerning their severall persons considered a part from the constitution of your Church the other concerning their estate and standing in that constitution Concerning the former of these that is considering them a part from the coÌ„stitution I acknowledge that in divers of them there appeareth such knowledge and faith of the Gospell with the fruits thereof as they may well be thought in regard of Gods election in Christ to be heires of salvation and in that respect to be true Christians God pardoning unto them their standing under Antichrist which they doe not see or minde But I seare least many more were heretofore partaker of this grace then be now since your Antichristian estate and the unlawfulnes to aâ—ide therein hath been discovered Concerning the latter that is in respect of their estate standing in that constitution of your Church I am perswaded whosoever so stand holding your publikâ— faith and multitude of Antichristian abhominations withall they cannot by the word of God be judged true Christians as touching their outward estate in that Church of yours but stand all subject to wrath God imputing this their sinne unto them And that all therfore whosoever will be assured of Gods mercie and salvation ought with speed to goe out of your Church it still remayning in Antichristian estate c. Thus Desiderius I haue shewed you what divers of them haue written and professed in and about the point by you objected if it be not sufficient I will shew you more Desiderius You may spare that labour for I am fully satisfied Miles And for that cause I was the more large As also that when these things are published others at home abroad may likevvise receive satisfaction And if any of the people themselves have been so overseen as to speak according to the report that you heard they may by this meanes be againe brought to their owne grounds which some through simplenes rashnes or incoÌ„sideratenes may forget offend against the same But the more circumspect and wise are more considerate and wary Thus being somewhat weary I will rest from discoursing a while and in the meane time you may read these three writings which will be worth your paines and the printing And they also will cleare that people and the truth from such clamours as you haue heard concerning theÌ„ The first is a letter which one of them in Ireland wrote unto a Scottish preacher there Ao. 1594. wherein is layd downe sundrie grounds of their separation The other are two Petitions the first whereof was vvritten by Mr Henry Barrovve in the daies of Q. Elizabeth of famous memorie the secoÌ„d by another of their vvriters 〈◊〉 the time of the first Parliament holden in the happy raign of our now Soveraigne King Iames. To Mr Wood. Wisdome and grace from God most high WHereas you seemed very desirous to haue us set downe in writing our faith and profession concerning the true Church togither with the causes of our separation from the English and Irish parish assemblies promising your self either to asseÌ„t unto us or shew sufficient cause of your dislike by writing also with defece of your churches estate c We as willing to render an account of our beleefe and practise unto all men that shall demand the same and desirous of your salvation and fellowship in the holy faith if such be the will of God our selves of further instruction and light by any that can enform us from the word haue condiscended unto your request beleeving confessing concerning this part of the Gospel as followeth That the true Church of God on earth is communion and fellowship of righteous men and women whose harts God hath puâ—ified by saith calling and gathering them â—nto himself and under his true obedience by the scepter of his word and spirit sepaâ—ating them from the world of Infidels Turks â—ewes and false Christians to live togither under his holy covenant obeying and woâ—â—shiping him in spirit and truth keeping thâ— unitie of the Spirit in the band of peace anâ— love and unfeighned That this Church although dispersed amoÌ„g many natioÌ„s over the face of the earth is one as God is one hath one faith Lord religion law and goverment in all places unto it the scriptures and written word oâ— God is given for the direction thereof and edification in all thinges whereunto each member is bound as well Prince as people to observe inviolably whatsoever is therein commanded unto the worlds end and that no man nor the vvhole church it self hath authority to alter change inovate breake abrogate or superordeyne any thing unto or from this Lawe of the Most high neither may the church
appeare before in part Their Petitions also which I shewed you do manifest their hard intreaty sundry wayes and how that many of them through the envie of the Prelates haue been made to end their dayes in loathsome prisons And besides that six of them were executed unto the death who sealed up their testimony with their bloud and most chearefully left this world to goe unto Christ their Redeemer The 6. executed were these Mr Barrowe and Mr Greenwood at Tyburne Mr Iohn Penrie at Thomas a Waterings by LondoÌ„ Mr William Dennys at Thetford in Norffolk And two others Coppin and Elias at S. Edmunds Bury in Suffolk And thus severall places of the land are staâ—ed wâ—â—h the bloud of Gods Saints whose death is precious in his eyes Ps. 116.15 King Saul who slew the Gibeonites had a better colour for that his fact then can be set upon the killing of these Christians For they were of the remnant of the Amorites whom he might lawfully haue destroyed yet when peace was made with them wherby the Lord gave them life Saul greatly sinned in putting them to death And for this the Lord brought famine upon the land in the dayes of David Wherupon that righteous King sayd unto them that remayned What shall I doe for you and wherwith shall I make the atonement that ye may blesse the inheritance of the Lord To whom they answered We will have no silver nor golde of Saul nor of his house neyther for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel And he sayd what ye shall say that will I doe for you Then they answered the King The man that consumed us and that imagined evill against us so that we are destroyed from remayning in any coast of Israel let seven men of his sonns be delivered unto us and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul the Lords chosen And the King sayd I will give them c. 2 Sam. 21. The dayes may come that God may also stirre up this or some other Prince like David to call into question the murdering not of the remnant of the Amorites but of the homeborne subjects of our own land who deserved to live rather then the prelates themseves that caused them to die But when justice by man or judgment from God doe take place these bloudy men will feele the reward of their iniquitie For Haman was not more enviously bent against the Iewes for the rooting out of them then our Haman-like Bishops have ben for the destoying of these whom they raile against as Puritans Brownists Sectaries schismatiques and what not Thus abusing not onely those who separate from their Antichristian jurisdiction adulterate ministerie false worship with their government ecclesiasticall but some such also as stand unseparated from the same who onely agree in judgement with the former But as I have put you in mind of the famine which God brought upon Israel in the dayes of David for that bloudy sin done against the Gibeonites in the dayes of Saul so you may remember and should not forget that in our land God brought a great pestilence in the daies of King Iames so as there died in one citie London above 3300. in one week besides those that died in other cities and townes of the same plague And who knoweth not but that it might be for that bloudy sin against the foresayd Christians thorow the instigation of the Prelates who by their murders made these to be martyrs in the dayes of Q. Eliz. who was of her selfe a most worthy Princesse God give men wisedome and grace to consider rightly of all thinges and so of these two thus compared togither Desiderius But would you wish the like reward to our Bishops that came upon Sauls bloudy house Miles No verily But if I knew it to be the will of God I would For we are taught to pray that his will may be done Mat. 6. And if some of theâ— might be so served by the command of their Kings and Princes it would make the rest prove morâ— righteous and lesse hurtfull then they have beene or yet are But I wish with my heart their true repentance that they may escape the judgement of God finde mercie with men learning by this and other examples in the scriptures to be weaned froÌ„ their wickednes But if ever any King or Queene doe follow the footing of David for the executing of wrath upon them or if ever they do fall into the hands of such Lord Tyrants as themselves then let them acknowledge Gods justice as did their fore-runner who sayd as I haue done so God hath rewarded me Iudg. 1.5 But to passe from this returne to our former speech about idolatrous livings wherein while I think on it let me knowe your minde whether you haue not by our conference or by the Platforme or both perceived that the English Bell had but a bad sound which would call men from honouring God that noble King Henry for his heroicall acts against Babell in the overthrow of her buildings and inriching the coÌ„mon wealth with the spoiles Desiderius I am very well satisfied and I thank you for your paines and love in applying your selfe to my capacity making me to know so many needfull things in such ample measure that though our sinful estate is discovered to be such in England as giveth just cause of sorrow yet my heart againe rejoyceth that I see the way how to shun the danger of it Miles That is wel for you and I wish the like good unto the whole nation of the English But what say you to those exploits of King Henry the 8 For me thinks they made greatly against the beast false prophet and his marked souldiers the marchants of his Babylonist wares who were by this meanes put in doubt that their trade would decay and come to an overthrow And if Princes in all dominions would now doe the like against the remainders of those places offices the utter downfall of that kingdome of Antichrist would suddenly follow to the high honour of God and gladnes of heart to all his people which should with due regard behold the fulfilling of the prophesies foretelling such a work Desiderius As one trueth leades unto an other so by degrees you haue brought me to be of your mind in this point like as in others But wherefore are the chiefe defeÌ„ders of this cause called Brownists Miles Because one Mr Brown minister at Achurch heretofore professed their cause pubished it in printe and for a tyme continued the practise of it till the feare of persecutioÌ„ love of this world like Demas or of ease like Isacar made him to turne his back upon it And yet I think if he were asked his conscience wil not suffer his tongue to say that it is not the trueth although he hath left the reliefe of Sion to live upon the spoiles of Babylon Desiderius Were there none that did write for 〈…〉 Miles Yes
without all question their injuries haue been more then ynough though Lawes were not wrested against them And this wrong was the greater considering their love and loyalty to Prince Country But their judges must come before the Iudge of all the world that wil doe right In respect wherof I pray for them that their case may be found cleare through repentance which is the right way thereunto if it be done in time And for all the Saintes here combating under the banner of the great Captaine of the Lords Host that is Iesus Christ it behoveth them in patience to possesse their soules looke for their rest when the Lord commeth who will wipe all teares from their eyes give them an inheritance everlasting immortal which fadeth not away reserved in the heavens for them Which shal be enjoyed when others on the left hand shall both heare a contrary sentence and receive a worse reward But as Abigail the wife of Nabal is praised in that she used such wise and good meanes to prevent and stay David from bringing that evill which he intended against Nabal and all his house for his churlish reprochful and evill answer so much more shal it be a praise-worthy work special part of good seruice durie in any that shall perswade withdraw the Magistrates and people from bringing any evill upon the servants of God without a cause For as the Psalmist sayth what hath the righteous done To which every good Christian may answer They haue surely done that which deserves praise and not punishment not imprisonment reproches confiscatioÌ„ of goods banishment untimely death or any the like evill intreaty Desiderius They may so answer and that truely but the world vvill not receive it And now I pray you tell me What difference doe you put between those people called Brownists and our sincerest and best professors of the Gospel called Puritans M. Mickelbound The difference is layd downe in few words The former doe both hold and practise the truth and separate themselves from the contrarie The latter haue the trueth in speculation onely and either dare not or at least doe not practise it Neither dare or doe they leave off all the unrighteous ordinances of Antichrist but daily do bend and stoupe unto many of them And for what cause others may well conjencture but their owne hearts can best tell it to themselves Desiderius But those Christians called Brownists are at great difference among themselves For some holdes private communion others of them will at no hand allow it And so there ariseth ill will with decrease of love in one towards another But I pray you which of those persons or opinions doe you like best M. Mickelb For their opinion I would haue my judgement spared at this time Onely this I say that their difference is not such as ought to make any division between them or to breake off the coÌ„munion and fellowship which they had before And if any doe it is doubtlesse the fault of those that doe it They haue need therefore to take heed of prejudice and preposterous zeale which else will be as a mother nourse to breed and bring up that wicked weed Envie a capitall vice in sted of Christian Love a holy vertue Be they then exhorted to shew forth the fruites of Christian moderation bearing with and supporting one another praying with and for one another enterteyning holy peace between themselves and with the Lord setting against the sinnes in themselves rather then that difference in their brethren so shall they the better carry forth their good cause against their envious Opposites For while they combine togither among themselves they shall be able to push and at last to overthrowe the Antichristian Kingdome and Hierarchy against which they joyntly beare witnes And thus shall they be truely zealous As for their persons there is neither of them doe lose one jote of my love if they continue their love to the Lord and his commandements walking faithfully according to that which he giveth them to see and knowe by his word both in holynes to himselfe righteousnes towards men and sobriety in themselves with abstinence from worldly lusts And if they alike thus walk my love is alike unto them Desiderius Some doe object against them their manner of receiving the Lords supper as being rude unreverent malepert and too too presumptuous sitting upon their seates as if they were Christs Camerades whereas for more reverence they ought to take it kneeling Miles This is no more against the former called Brownists then it is against the latter called Puritans even the best and sincerest of them For they likewise so hold that it ought not to be takeÌ„ kneeling but sitting and eyther doe or faine would so practise if they could in safetie or durst indure the trouble following after it But for the point it selfe How doe those objecters prove that such manner of receiving is presumptuous c But are not they presumptuous rather that shal make them selves wiser then Christ and give lawes in his kingdome or Church which himself the onely Law giver hath not given Do they think that their good intents will carry out any thing in Gods worship which hath not warrant in his word If that were so then had not Vzzah been slaine for staying the Ark of God from shaking 2 Sam. 6.6.7 Neyther should King Saul haue been rejected for saving alive the fat cattel of Amalek to offer in sacrifice to God 1. Sam. 15. But the point being sufficiently cleared by sundry writers I referre you to them And I what should I need to say more but this that â—ee must in all thinges looke unto the first institution as our Lord Iesus himself also did when men spake unto him of putting away their wives who told theÌ„ that Moses for the hardnes of their heartes suffered it but from the beginning it was not so And in like manner to such as plead for kneeling at the receiving of the Lords supper we may answer that for want of love to the Lord and his trueth it hath pleased him to give them over to hardnes of heart strong delusions And as the Papists those grosse idolaters receiving the signes of Christs body and bloud to wit bread and wine thinking it to be the very body and bloud it selfe contrary to their own senses they doe for more reverence to it kneel before it and worship it as their God and Maker even so our formal Protestants at the celebration of the Lords supper do likewise kneele imitating therin those idolaters and so nourishing that popish errour of errours But from the beginning it was not so For at the first institutioÌ„ it was received as they sate at the Table But we can no where finde in all the scriptures that ever they received it kneeling or that ever true Christians beleeved those holy signes were transubstantiated into the body and bloud of Christ as the Papists falsely teach
being received into the soule by faith is the true nourishment therof and salvation of the whole man For he hath redeemed us from death destructiō iustified us in the sight of God and procured us life with him All which we apprehend thorow faith But in this trueth I know you are already grounded so as I need not speak further for your instruction and as for them should I speak should I write should I doe all I can it will not profite them For without the extraordinary work of God they must still beleeve as their church beleeves For that cannot erre as they fondly suppose So that it may hold what it vvill and they must hold the same vvithout all triall or mistrust Thus by one error they are fast fettered in many must be left to their blind guides till they fall togither into the ditch For other guides they will not haue Therfore I shall now spare a labour and speake no further of this point Desiderius Thus brought I you out of the way wherin you were shewing the unlawfulnes of kneeling in the sacramēt Yet vvas it not vvithout fruit for even by that vvhich you haue sayd men may playnely see that vvee ought not to conceite or imitate those supersticious idolatrous and absurd Papists vvho are so addicted to their ovvne vvayes and are like those that cried Great is Diana of the Ephesians Act. 19.28 And great vvith these is their goddesse the false church M. Mick But vvhat say you of the Christians whose cause I pleaded for that addict themselves to the wayes and word of God Desiderius I freely acknowledge that such ought to be lovingly respected And you haue brought me to like better of them then ever I did but espetially that you so well cleared their doctrine of faith to be sound and their separation to be but from sin and such outward orders and ordinances that are unsound and sinfull which they therefore forsake that they might doe the will of God according to his written word the light of our feet and lanterne to all our pathes M. Mick You haue sayd ynough to cleare them both from heresie and schisme for he is no heretique that is sound in the faith And he is no schismatique that separates onely from disorder sin For we ought not to communicate in sin either with men or Angels Desiderius And that is the ground whereupon I my selfe neyther doe nor dare communicate in the Church of England with that sinful ordinance of man the service book or book of cōmon prayer M. Mick If you professe so much in England by your practise as you haue here confessed with your mouth you may happen to be called a Brownist if not to tast of other hard intreaty Des. Yet the truth is the truth Which as it appeareth unto me so stand I bound to obey unto it But I pray you why doe the foresayd people solemnize mariage in civil Assemblies or dwellings M. Mick Because it is a civil action and ought civilly to be performed according to the true nature of it Desiderius Why it is the judgment almost of all men to haue it done in the Church by a Minister And in England it is a common received custome to haue it so performed M. Mick I wish rather that for the proofe of it you could haue sayd Thus saith the Lord. And then to haue shewed the chapter and verse where it is so sayd But you haue done nothing lesse neither in deed it is impossible to be done there being no such thing once named or implied in all the scripture And consequently the ground whereon you stand is not rocky and firme but unsure and sandy which shall wash away with the raine every house built upon such a foundation when the flouds come and the windes blowe shall certainly fall as we may learne both by Christs own doctrine in the Gospell and reason it selfe doth shewe the same And if an Argument drawen from a common custome be good then if it be a common custome to haue the Lords holy Sabbaths profaned with Beare and Bull baiting with dicing and carding with May games and morrice dance with laciviousnes and luxurie with rifling or revelling c. then all is good and all may be done sane conscientia But I hope that both you and every childe of God truely sanctified doe defie and abhorre all such things not onely on the Sabbath dayes but every day of the week and of their whole life And is it not a common received custome in England to worship God by their book of cōmon prayer in English as the Papists by their Massebook in Latin and by their Images beades crucifixes and other the like in stead of true invocation upon the Name of God by the work of his Spirite But being all vvithout and against the vvarrant of the vvord of God your self dare neyther practise nor approve them And vvhy then doe you not minde the like in other things no less unvvarrantable As is the solemnization of mariage ecclesiastically and other such like Many abominations might be pleaded for by common custome and multitude of men in that minde But lay aside these sandy grounds and heare the vvords of the Lavve Thou shalt not follow a multitude to doe evill neyther agree in a controversie to decline after many and overthrow the truth Exod. 23.2 Beleeve it for truth That All Church actions are layd dovvne in the scriptures vvhich is the rule of truth But in them vve finde no mention of mariage to be a Church action Therefore it ought not to be so made or used And againe All the dueties of the Ministerie are expressed in the scriptures But in them there is no more mention or vvarrant for the ministers solemnizing of mariages to the living then is for their burying of the dead vvhich is just none at all Ergo they are both unlavvfull and ought not to be done And where you affirme the contrary saying it ought to be done by a Minister doe you meane a minister indefinitely without any respect whether he be true or false Desiderius No But I meane a true Minister onely For no true Christian ought to goe to false minister for any such end M. Mick Your reason is right and good But then the Ministers of England haue no right in that work they being in respect of their offices not true but false Ministers and so proved Desiderius But in respect of their guiftes they may be sayd to be the Ministers of Christ. For many of them haue excellent giftes M. M. So had Balaam likewise who yet was but a false Minister and a Southsayer And so haue many Lawyers others in our Land if they would and might be suffred to exercise their gifts who yet are no Ministers at all Gifts then doe help to make men fit for a Ministerie but doe not make them ministers much lesse true Ministers For every true Minister must not onely be
verily The Prophets Apostles and Evangelists haue in their authentick writings layd downe the ground â—herof and upon that ground is all their buiding reared up and surely setled Moreover many of the Martyrs both former and latter haue mainteyned it as is to be seen in the Acts and Monuments of the Church Also in the dayes of Queen Elizabeth there was a separated Church wherof Mr Fitz. was Pastor that professed and practised that cause before Mr Browne wrote for it But he being one of the first writers in her Majesties reigne therfore those that followed him or Christ rather thorow his means directing them by Gods word were called Brownists as if they had been baptised into his name Which were falshood to think blasphemie to speake Desiderius The name makes them very odious to others and to say the trueth it caused me to carry some prejudice against them to the forestalling of my judgement in the things they holde Miles There are too many that doe so But let not the name offend you or any for ther was never any trueth brought to light but Satan through his notable craft and cunning hath caused some to paint it out after the names of men that it might seem base and contemptible in the eyes of all and to be â—eceived of none Hereupon haue Christians been called Hussites Hugonotes Lutherans Zuingliaus Calvinists Puritans Brownists and the like But there could be no name more odious then was given to our Maister Christ himself vvhom the vvicked called Belzebub and his people must in their measure be partaker of his reproch Let none therfore seeke to haue a good name by doing any evill thing nor yet for avoiding a bad name neglect any good that God requires at our hands neither let any man mesure any truth by the face that foes doe set upon it Desiderius I perceive by your plea that if these men had their right they should be acknovvledged for true Christians and not to be calumniated by the name of Brovvnists Miles Your perceiving then is good your vvords are just and right for so they ought to be esteemed Desiderius But vvhy then doe you so often call them so your selfe Miles For distinction sake onely but not at all in reproch And if you could alvvayes understand me vvhom I meane vvhen I call them Christians then vvould I give them no other name Desiderius You haue shevved me that many of those people vvere imprisoned some brought there to their end others executed by death and novv I aske vvhether any haue been banished Miles Ye sundry tymes And once in my ovvne sight and hearing at the Sessions in London foure of them vvere enforced to abjure the land and in what sort and manner it may appeare by a vvriting that seemes then to be taken by some that were beholders thereof and affected therewith Which writing was this A Memorandum Anno Domini 1604. IN the Raigne of our now Soveraigne Lord King Iames who is a defender of the Gospel foure persons were inforced to abjure the Land for the Gospels sake who practised the OrdinaÌ„ces therof in obedience to the King Christ whom God set to Raigne in his Church by the scepter of his word separating themselves froÌ„ our Church of England refusing to communicate joyne or partake with the same in the publike Ministerie worship and government ecclesiasticall with many other corruptions derived from Poperie and are still reteyned in the body bosome of the English Church This abjuration was urged upon the Statute of the 35. of Q. Eliz. after they had suffered 3. moneths imprisonment And at the publike Sessions in LoÌ„don it was thus carried That they should take their oathes to depart the Realme within one moneth and not to returne againe into any of the dominions of the late Queene without leave from his Majestie or his Highnes Successors Their chiefe speaker pleaded that they were true and faithfull subjects to his Majestie and had not deserved so to be dealt with and desired to be discharged without an oath and they would both promise and be bound to depart But that not being granted he desired that their oath might be with conditions and not so strictly against returning For sayd hee we may be occasioned to travel by sea to other couÌ„tries by crosse winds be driven again into those dominions contrary to our purpose Or we may be taken at sea and brought hither by force and divers the like and so be forsworne though against our wills Then it was tolde him that all such things was to be borne with But he replyed it could not save their oath from being broken without such things were expected Moreover he told the bench that they held themselves so bound to Parents Prince and Country that if in an other land they heard of any treason it was their duetie to come disclose the same And therefore sayd he I wil never take my oath without conditions Which he affirmed sundry times And when he saw notwithstanding that the oath was strictly administred unto them according to the Statute he adjoyned this speach himselfe But if the performance of any dutie to Prince Countrey Parents or the like doe move me to returne I will then be free of the oath And thus he would haue the Bench to understand he swore but not otherwise And they all keping silence the Towne-Clark answered that in such case they should seeke for leave And the party replyed that the case might require such hast as they could not stay for leave Then were they commanded to pay their fees and to be gone within a moneth ANd was not this a lamentable case Desiderius that in the daies of the gospell men should be thus entreated for the gospels sake and for resistance of the ordinances of Antichrist Desiderius Yes doubtlesse if it were so M. Mick Were so Yes upon the adventure of my best limme or life it selfe it was so And for those things wherein they differ from the opinions and practises in our Church of England I never savve any trueth more cleare in all my life As you also may easily perceive if you scan the difference from point to point by the scriptures And there is no trueth in England but they hold the same dissenting onely from them wherein they dissent from the word of GOD ALMIGHTY which ought to be followed in every jote tittle thereof Now by the Memorandum that I shewed you I remember a saying in the Preface of their Confession of faith at their first publishing of it which sayd They hoped God would raise up another Iohn Fox to compile togither the latter Martyrs and Witnesses of our Lo Iesus in these our dayes And it seemes that the work goes foreward in that God stirreth up some to keep records of such thinges for further use in tyme to come Now for the Statute above mentioned I knowe it was intended against popish Recusants and not against these And