Defiance of Authority. "SOME have I sene which when they have for theyr paryllous prechynge ben by theyr prelates prohybyted to preche, have (that notwithstandyng) proceded on styll. And for the mayntenaunce of theyr disobedyence, have amended the matter with an heresy, boldely and stubburnly defendynge, that syth they had connynge to preche, they were by God bounden to preche. And that no man, nor no lawe that was made, or coulde be made, had any authoryte to forbede them. And this they thought suffycyently proved by the wordes of the appostle, Oportet magis obedire Deo quam hominibus. As though these men were appostles now specyally sent by God to preche heresyes and sow sedycyon amonge Crysten men, as the very appostles were in dede sente and commaundyd by God to preche his very faythe to the Jeves."-SIR THOMAS MORE's Dialoge, ff. 38. Scripture not needful. "THE fayth came in to Saynt Peter his harte as to the prynce of the appostles, without herynge, by secrete inspyracy on, and into the remenaunt by his confessyon and Crystes holy mouthe; and by theym in lyke maner, fyrste without wrytynge by onely words and prechynge, so was it spredde abrode in the worlde, that his faythe was by the mouthes of his holy messengers put in to mennes eres, and by his holy hande wrytten in mennes hartes, or ever any worde thereof almost was wrytten in the boke. And so was it convenyent for the laue of lyfe, rather to be wrytten in the lyvely myndes of men, than in the dede skynnes of bestes. And I nothynge doubte, but all had it so ben, that never gospell hadde ben wrytten, yet sholde the substaunce of this fayth never have fallen out of Crysten folkes hartes, but the same spyryte that planted it, the same sholde have watered it, the same shold have kepte it, the same shold have encreased it."-SIR THOMAS MORE'S Dialoge, f. 46. Dinner Hour. "By my trouthe, quod he, I have another tale to tell you, that all thys gere graunted, tournyth us yet into as moche uncertayntye as were in before. Ye, quod I, then have we well walked after the balade, 'the further I go, the more behynde.' I pray you what thynge is that? For that longe I to here ere yet we go. Nay, quod he, it were better ye dyne fyrste. My lady wyll I wene be angry with me that I kepe you so longe therefro, for I holde it now well towarde twelve. And yet more angry wolde waxe wyth me, yf I sholde make you syt and muse at your mete, as ye wolde I wote well muse on the matter, yf ye wysta what it were. If I were, quod I, lyke my wyfe, I sholde muse more theron nowe, and ete no mete for longynge to knowe. But come on than, and let us dyne fyrst, and ye shall tell us after."-SIR THOMAS MORE'S Dialoge, ff. 61. Holiday Sports. IN some countries they go on hunting commonly on good Friday in the morning, for a common custom. Will ye break the evil custom, or cast away Good Friday? There be cathedral churches into which the country cometh with processions at Whitsuntide, and the women following the cross with many an unwomanly song, and that such honest wives as out of that procession ye could not hyre to speck one such foul rybaudry word as they there sing for God's sake hole rebaudous songs as loud as their throat can cry. Will you mend that lewde manner or put away Whitsuntide? Ye speak of lewdness used at pylgrymages; is there, trow ye, none used on holy days? And why do ye not then advise us to put them clean away, Sundays and all? Some wax dronke in Lent of wygges and cracknels; and yet ye wolde not, I trust, that Lent were fordone."SIR THOMAS MORE's Dialoge, ff. 79. A Reforming Itinerant. "MAY ye not tell his name, quod he. Which of them, quod I; for he had mo names than half a lefe can hold. Where dwellyd he, quod your frend. Every where and no where, quod I: for he walked about as an apostle of the Devyll from shyre to shyre and towne to towne, throwe the realme, and had in every diocyse a dyverse name: by reason whereof he did many years moche harm or he coulde be found out."-SIR THOMAS MORE'S Dialoge, ff. 90. Too Many Priests. "WERE I Pope," says SIR THOMAS MORE in his Dialoge with the Messenger. "By my soul, quod he, I wolde ye were, and my lady, your wife, Popess, too. Well, quod I, then sholde she devyse for nuns. And as for me, touchyng the choice of prestys, I could not well devyse better provysyons than are by the laws of the Chyrche provyded allredy, if they were as wel kept as they be well made. But for the nomber, I wolde surely see such a way therin that we sholde not have such a rabbell, that every mean man must have a preste in his house to wayte upon his wyfe, which no man almost lackett now, to the contempt of presthed, in as vyle offyce as his horse-keeper. That is, quod he, trouth in dede, and in worse too, for they keep hawkes and dogges: and yet me semeth surely a more honest servyce to wayte on an horse than on a dogge. And yet pose, quod I, yf the laws of the Chyrch which Luther and Tyndall wolde have all broken, were all well observed and kept this gere sholde not be thus, but the nomber of prestes wolde be much mynyshed, and the remenaunt sup moche the better. For it is by the laws of the And to the counsayle of Cryst, by whiche they saye Readiness of Belief in the Reformed People. "SURELY for the most part such as be ledde out of the ryght way do rather fall thereto of a lewde lyghtnesse of theyre owne mynde, than for any grete thynge that moveth theym in theyr mayster that techeth them. For we se them as redy to byleve a purser, a glover, or a wever, that nothynge can do but scantely rede Englysshe, as well as they wolde byleve the wysest and the best lerned doctor in the realme."-SIR THOMAS MORE'S Dialoge, ff. 147. Sectaries at Chelmsford. Before "WHERE as many thynges be layde against it, yet is there in my mynde not one thyng that more putteth good men of the clergy in doubte to suffre it, than this that they se sometyme moche of the worse sorte more fervent in the callyng for it, than them whom we fynde far better. Which maketh them to fere lest suche men desyre it for no good, and lest if it were had in every mannes hande, there wold grete "THERE was but one church at Chelmsford, parell aryse, and that sedycyous peopf sholde the Parishioners were so many that there were do more harme therewith, than good and honest 2000 communicants, and Dr. Michelson the folke sholde take fruyte thereby. Which fere I Parson was an able and godly man. promyse you nothynge fereth me; but that this Parliament was called of this numerous who soever wolde of theyr malyce or foly take congregation there was not one to be named, harme of that thynge that is of itselfe ordeyned man or woman, that boggled at the Common to do all men good, I wold never for the avoyd- Prayers, or refused to receive the sacrament ynge of theyr harme, take from other the profyte kneeling, the posture which the Church of Engwhiche they myght take, and nothynge deserve land (walking in the footsteps of venerable anto lese. For els, yf the abuse of a good thynge tiquity) hath by act of Parliament enjoined all sholde cause the takynge awaye thereof from those which account it their happiness to be other that wolde use it well, Cryst sholde hym- called her children. But since this magnified self never have been borne, nor brought his reformation was set on foot this town (as indeed fayth into the worlde, nor God sholde never most Corporations, as we find by experience, have made it neyther, yf he sholde for the loss-are nurseries of faction and rebellion) is so filled es of those that wolde be dampned wretches, with sectaries, especially Brownists and Anahave kept away the occasyon of rewarde from baptists, that a third part of the people refuse them that wolde with help of his grace, endea- to communicate in the Church Liturgy, and voure them to deserve it."-SIR THOMAS MORE's half refuse to receive the blessed sacrament Dialoge, ff. 114-5. unless they may receive it in what posture they please to take it."-Mercurius Rusticus, p. Luther's Declaration against War. "LUTHER and his followers among their other heresies hold for a plain conclusion, that it is not lefull for any Crysten man to fight against the Turk, or to make agaynst him any resystance though he come into Crystendome with a great army, and labour to destroy all. For they say that all Crysten men are bounden 22. 66 Dr. Featley's Sermon against Sectaries. "THE Scripture," said Dr. FEATLEY, preaching in those days at Lambeth, sets forth the true visible Church of Christ upon earth, under the emblem of a great field, a great floor, a great house, a great sheet, a great draw-net, a great and large foundation, &c. The church shadowed out under these similitudes cannot be their congregation, or rather conventicles. For, as they brag and commend themselves, wanting good neighbours, in their field there are no tares, in their floor there is no chaff, in their house no vessels of dishonour, in their sheet no unclean beasts, in their net no trash, on their foundation nothing built but gold, silver, and precious stones. They have not sate with vain persons, nor kept company with dissemblers: they have hated the assembly of malignants, and have not accompanied with the ungodly: they have not, and will not christen in the same font; nor sit at the holy table (for to kneel at the Sacrament is Idolatry), nor drink spiritually the blood of our Redeemer in the same chalice with the wicked. Get ye packing then out of our Churches with your bags and baggages, hoyse up sail for New England, or the Isle of Providence, or rather Sir Thomas More's Eutopia, where Plato's Commoner, and Oforius his Nobleman, and Castillio his Courtier, and Vegetius his Soldier, and Tully his Orator, and Aristotles Felix, and the Jews Bencohab, and the Manachees Paraclete, and the Gnosticks Illuminate Ones, and the Montanists Spiritual Ones, and the Pelagians Perfect Ones, and the Catharests Pure Ones, and their Precise and Holy Ones, are all met at Prince Arthur's Round Table, where every guest like the Table is totus, teres atque rotundus."-Mercurius Rusticus, p. 167. Covenant and the number 666. "IT will not," says the Querela Cantabrigiensis, "be more than what upon trial will be found true, if we here mention a mystery which many (we conceive) will not a little wonder at, viz., that the Covenant for which all this persecution hath been consists of six articles, and those articles of 666 words. This is not the first time that persecution hath risen in England upon six articles. Witness those in the reign of king Henry VIII. But as for the number of the Beast, to answer directly to the words of those six articles, it is a thing which (considering God's blessed Providence in every particular thing) hath made many of us and others seriously and often to reflect upon it, though we were never so superstitiously caballistical as to ascribe much to numbers. This discovery, we confess, was not made by any of us, but by a very judicious and worthy divine (M. Geast) formerly of our university, and then a prisoner (for his conscience) within the precincts of it, and not yet restored to his liberty, but removed to London. And therefore we shall forbear to insist any farther, either upon it, or the occasion of it."-P. 24. Presbyterians win the Women. "MADAM," says JEREMY TAYLOR (vol. 9, 314) in a Dedication to the Countess Dowager of Devonshire, "I know the arts of these men ; and they often put me in mind of what was told me by Mr. Sackville, the late Earl of Dorset's uncle; that the cunning sects of the world (he named the Jesuits and the Presbyterians) did more prevail by whispering to ladies, than all the church of England and the more sober Protestants could do by fine, force and strength of argument. For they, by prejudice or fears, terrible things and zealous nothings, confident sayings and little stories, governing the ladies consciences, who can persuade their lords, their lords will convert their tenants, and so the world is all their own." "THERE are three heads of Catechism and grounds of Christianity, the Apostles Creed, the Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments. These may be more truly than Gorran his Postills termed aurea fundamenta, which they go about to overthrow and cast down, and when they have done it, no place remaineth for them to build their synagogues or Maria Rotundas, but the sand in the saw-pit where their Apostle Brown first taught most profoundly. The Lord's Prayer they have excluded out of their Liturgy, the Apostles' Creed out of their Confession, and the Ten Commandments by the Antinomians their disciples out of their rule of life. They are too good to say the Lord'sprayer, better taught than to rehearse the Apostles' Creed, better-lived than to hear the Deca-ter which he ever wrote to Burleigh, “with an logue read at their service, for God can see no sin in them, nor man honesty."-Dr. FEATLEY, Mercurius Rusticus, p. 170. Testimony of our own Lives to the Spirit. "IF the Spirit be obeyed, if it reigns in us, if we live in it, if we walk after it, if it dwells in us, then we are sure that we are the sons of God. There is no other testimony to be expected, but the doing of our duty. All things else (unless an extra-regular light spring from Heaven and tell us of it) are but fancies and deceptions, or uncertainties at the best."-JEREMY TAYLOR, vol. 9, p. 158. Prophecy against Elizabeth. ARCHBISHOP PARKER concluded the last let old prophetic verse, that often as he said, recur- Hereby hinting his fears of the Queen's life, oc- This old prophecy," continues Strype " (whereof the Archbishop repeated only the first verse, and had it seems some weight with it in those times, among the better sort that : dreaded the issue of the Queens death), I have | pushed out some hurtful suckers, receding every met with in the Cotton Library, as pretending way from the mother plant; crooked and missome disaster to befall the Queen, and the inva- shapen if you will, and obscuring and eclipsing sion and conquest of the kingdom by the king the beauty of its stem; yet still there was someof Spain, or some other king. They are an thing in their height and verdure which bespoke hexastich of old rhiming verses, with an old the generosity of the stock they rose from. She translation of them into English: as follow. is now seen under all the marks of a total decay her top scorched and blasted, her chief branches bare and barren, and nothing remaining of that comeliness which once invited the whole continent to her shade. The chief sign of life she now gives is the exuding from her sickly trunk a number of deformed fungus's, which call themselves of her, because they stick upon her surface, and suck out the little remains of her sap and spirits."-WARBURTON, Introduction to Julian. Fœmina morte cadet, postquam terram mala tangent. Trans vada rex veniet; postquam populi cito Trans freta tendentes, nil proficiendo laborant The translation followeth. The common stroke of death shall stop a womans breath. Great grief shall then ensue; and battle gin to brew. A king shall oer the stream. The people of this Reame. Shall then complayne and mourne, and all in dueyl sojourne. The saylors ore the flood shall do themselves no good. Ne profyt, nor yet avayl, when Death doth them assayl, Alliance between Church and State. "IF," says WARBURTON, "the reader should ask where this charter, or treaty of convention for the union of the two societies, on the terms here delivered, is to be found? we are enabled to give him a satisfactory answer. It may be found, we say, in the same archive with the famous ORIGINAL COMPACT between magistrate and people, so much insisted on, in vindication of the common rights of subjects. Now when a sight of this compact hath been required of the defenders of civil liberty, they held it sufficient to say, that it is enough for all the purposes of fact and right, that such original compact is the only legitimate foundation of civil society; that if there were no such thing formally executed, there was virtually; that all differences between magistrate and people ought to be regulated on the supposition of such a compact, and all government reduced to the principles Degeneracy of Theological Studies in Warbur- therein laid down; for that the happiness of The sore stroke repentine of Death and great ruine. The stalworthy men of strength shall lye down at the length In field and eke in strete. Thy Folk yet shall not see't." Life of Archbishop Parker, p. 493. ton's Age. "The system of man, that is of ethics and theology, received almost as many improvements from the English divines, during the course of the Reformation, as the system of nature, amongst the same people hath done since. It would have received more, but for the evil influence which the corrupt and mistaken politics of those times have had upon it. For politics have ever had fixed effects on science. And this is natural. What is strange in the story is that these studies gradually decay under an improved constitution. Insomuch that there is now neither force enough in the public genius to emulate their forefathers, nor sense enough to understand the use of their discoveries. It would be an invidious task to inquire into the causes of this degeneracy. It is sufficient, for our humiliation, that we feel the effects. Not that we must suppose, there was nothing to dishonor the happier times which went before: there were too many; but then the mischiefs were well repaired by the abundance of the surrounding blessings. This Church, like a fair and vigorous tree, once teemed with the richest and noblest burthen. And though, together with its best fruits, it B which civil society is productive, can only be attained by it, when formed on those principles. Now something like this we say of our Alliance between Church and State."-Vol. 4, p. 140. Elton Hammond's Belief! "I BELIEVE that man requires religion. I believe that there is no true religion now existing. I believe that there will be one. It will not, after 1800 years of existence, be of questionable truth and utility, but perhaps in eighteen years be entirely spread over the earth, an ef fectual remedy for all human suffering, and a source of perpetual joy. It will not need immense learning to be understood, it will be subject to no controversy.-E. H." Safety only in Peter's ship. "EXTRA enim Petri naviculum perseverantes, cito submergunt: ipsius vero ductu atque vehiculo homines perveniunt ad portum salutis. Tutius profecto est navigare quam natare; duci a nautis peritissimis, quam poni solitarie inter maris procellas et aquarum undas."-BALTHA- Now truth shall be welcome so they may have SAR, Contra Bohemorum Errores. 1494. Presbyterian Exultations.-1644. "By the good hand of our God upon us, there is a beautiful fabric of his House (as near as we can according to the Apostolical pattern) preparing amongst us; and some such things as are already done towards it, as will be of singu Peace. The Lord hath hereby facilitated the rebuilding of his own house. There are wise men who think our Reformation would have been very low, had not God raised the spirits of our Reformers by the length of these multiplied Troubles."--HILL's Sermon. 1644. Exultation at this, and Call for clearing away all Rubbish. As in mat lar concernment both in reference to the honour of the Lord himself, and also to the comfort of "You read in Isaiah, Before Zion shall be the Inhabitants. Instead of the High Commis- redeemed with judgment, he will purely purge sion, which was a sore scourge to many godly away her dross, and take away all her tin. Here and faithful ministers, we have an honourable was much dross in England, both of persons Committee, that turns the wheel upon such as and things. Wonder not if they be not sudare scandalous and unworthy. In the room of denly or easily removed. Many drossy persons Jeroboam's Priests, burning and shining lights and things have been taken away by the length are multiplied, in some dark places of the land of these troubles, which otherwise in all probawhich were full of the habitations of cruelty.bility would still have clogged us. In the place of a long Liturgy, we are in hope of a pithy Directory. Instead of prelatical Rails about the table, we have the Scripture Rails of Church Discipline in good forwardness. Where Popish Altars and Crucifixes did abound, we begin to see more of Christ crucified in the simplicity and purity of his ordinances. Instead of the Prelates Oath, to establish their own exorbitant power with the appurtenances, we have a Solemn Covenant with God, engaging us to endeavour Reformation, according to his Word, yea, and the extirpation of Popery, and Prelacy itself. Who could expect that such great mat- "WHEN you have pulled down the old buildters should be easily and suddenly effected ?"-ing, leave no rubbish upon the place. It was an HILL'S Sermon. 1644. ters of state, the civil Sword, being so indulgent, would not take off Delinquents, therefore the Lord still renews the commission of the military Sword to do justice till his counsel be fulfilled. So in the affairs of the Church, many poor deluded people in England were fond of their needless ceremonies and ready to dote on some Babylonish trinkets, who probably would not have been weaned from them, had not God whipped them off by the continuance of these troubles."-HILL's Sermon. 1644. unhappy defect in former reformations, though some of the grand Idols were removed, yet still there was much Babylonish stuff left behind, Effect of the War in making Good People will- which now hath occasioned great trouble. Away ing to give up any thing for Peace. with ceremonies, altars, and crucifixes! Away "ALL our delays and difficulties may prove with the Pope's Canon Law, or whatsoever the Lord's method to fetch off people's spirits, may give any occasion to Samaritan builders to to close more fully with his own work. The make such a mixture in the Church as is conbusiness of Church Reformation stuck here most trary to the simplicity in Christ."-HILL's Serof all, even in the reluctancy of the peoples mon. 1644. minds against it, and their indisposedness to comply with it, as in good Jehosophat's days. The high places were not taken away, for as yet the people had not prepared their hearts unto the God of their Father. Our Temple-work was no more forward, because the hearts of the most of England have been so backward to it. Behold here the admirable providence of God, how he hath improved the lengthening of our Troubles! Hereby he hath by little and little moulded people's spirits to a more pliable disposition, and made many much more ready to concur in the building of the Temple, in the advancing of Reformation. Wine-press for squeezing Delinquents. "THIS vineyard, whereof God hath made you keepers, cannot but see that nothing is wanting on your part. For you have endeavored to fence it by a settled militia; to gather out malignants as stones; to plant it with men of piety and trust as choice-vines; to build the tower of a powerful ministry in the midst of it, and also to make a wine-press therein for the squeezing of delinquents."-JOHN ARROWSMITH. Sermon. 1643. Dedicated to the House of Commons. Rushworth's Account of the Tricks of his Party. "When the wars began, thousands in England who in a humour would have taken up arms to fight for the Prelacy and the Service "POSTERITY," says RUSHWORTH, in the prefBook, have been so hammered and hewed by ace to his first volume, "should know that some the continuance of God's judgments upon us, durst write the truth, whilst other men's fancies that now they are come to this, Let the Parlia- were more busy than their hands, forging relament and Assembly do what they will with Pre- tions, building and battering castles in the air; lacy and Liturgy, so the sword may be sheathed. | publishing speeches as spoken in Parliament |